[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 132 (Monday, September 29, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H8062-H8063]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CLINT INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND FABENS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL 
                        DISTRICT LAND CONVEYANCE

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1116) to provide for the conveyance of the reversionary 
interest of the United States in certain lands to the Clint Independent 
School District and the Fabens Independent School District
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1116

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION. 1. CONVEYANCE OF PROPERTY.

       Subject to section 2, the Secretary of State shall execute 
     and file in the appropriate office such instrument as may be 
     necessary to release the reversionary interest of the United 
     States in the 40-acre tract of land referred to in Public Law 
     85-42.

     SEC. 2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

       The release under section 1 shall be made upon condition 
     that the Clint Independent School District and the Fabens 
     Independent School District in the State of Texas use any 
     proceeds received from the disposal of such land for public 
     educational purposes.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Campbell] and the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton] 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California [Mr. Campbell].
  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. Speaker, this bill is authored by our colleague and 
friend, Mr. Reyes, from Texas, and I expect that we will hear from him 
as soon as the opportunity arises on the Democratic side of the aisle, 
but I wish to begin by giving him credit for authorship of the bill. It 
is my privilege to bring the bill to the floor. This bill will provide 
for the reversionary interest to be conveyed from the United States, in 
which it presently lies, to the Clint Independent School District and 
the Fabens Independent School District in the State of Texas.
  The present reversionary interest is exercised by the United States 
through the Department of State. The Department of State has informed 
us that it no longer has any interest in the property. Through this 
bill, the State Department relinquishes its reversionary interest and 
gives it back to local school districts in Texas.
  It is an utterly noncontroversial, bipartisan measure. The two local 
school districts will benefit from it. Their educational programs will 
benefit from

[[Page H8063]]

it. The land will be free and clear for whatever further conveyancing 
or use these school districts have. It is a straightforward bill, and I 
urge my colleagues to adopt H.R. 1116.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Let me again express appreciation to the gentleman from New York [Mr. 
Gilman] for bringing before the House the bill by the gentleman from 
Texas [Mr. Reyes] to release the Federal Government's reversionary 
interest in the Clint and Fabens independent school districts.
  We on the committee are glad that we have been helpful to our friend 
from Texas on this matter. As I understand it, the school districts in 
his district in Texas have had this property since about 1940. The 
Federal Government originally retained a reversionary interest in the 
property for good oversight reasons.

                              {time}  1230

  According to the Department of State, it no longer has any interest 
in the property. In order to allow the district's ability to make best 
use of the property, it is necessary for us to pass H.R. 1116 to 
release the Secretary of State from the reversionary interest. Under 
this bill the release of the interest shall be conditional upon the 
property being used for public educational purposes. I urge the 
adoption of the measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from 
Texas [Mr. Reyes], the sponsor of the bill.
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill, which 
is highly important to two school districts in El Paso, the Sixteenth 
District of Texas. This legislation would make only a minor change in 
the law, but would provide much-needed relief to the Clint and Fabens 
Independent School Districts, and provide them the power to determine 
how to use one of their assets much more effectively.
  Since 1957 the Clint and Fabens Independent School Districts in El 
Paso have used land conveyed to them by the Federal Government to 
enhance their agricultural and vocational curriculum. An agricultural 
farm used mainly by the Clint School District is situated on this land.
  Before the farm was built, the Federal Government had let the land 
lie unused for 23 years. By locating an educational farm on this land, 
the Clint Independent School District made the land useful and an 
important dimension to their educational programming. For decades we 
have greatly appreciated the Federal Government's transferring this 
property to our school districts.
  Over the years, however, transporting students to the educational 
farm has grown increasingly problematic. The land is located 2 miles 
beyond the outermost boundary of the Clint Independent School District, 
and school officials and teachers must confront daily the difficulties 
of getting the students to the farm and back safely.
  Students must travel 2 miles each way on busy streets. This takes 
time away from learning and places the students in danger during the 
school day. Also, in a district like Clint, most students do not have 
vehicles, so teachers and students must work to locate transportation 
to and from the farm.
  Because of the distance to the farm, it would make sense for Clint to 
sell the land and use the proceeds to purchase land closer to the 
school. As a matter of fact, the school district has already located 
land directly adjacent to the school on which they could build an 
agricultural farm for their students. This would allow students simply 
to walk next door to the educational farm, avoiding costly 
transportation needs, danger, and increasing the learning time.
  As the law is written, however, the State Department holds a 
reversionary interest in the land where the farm is currently located. 
This reversionary interest requires that ownership of the land revert 
to the Federal Government if any attempt is made to dispose of the 
lands.
  For 40 years Clint and Fabens have been confined by this law, which 
requires them to either keep the lands, regardless of changes in local 
circumstances, or surrender it back to the Federal Government and leave 
their students with even fewer vocational resources and opportunities 
than are currently available.
  Mr. Speaker, in pursuing this legislation, I have worked closely with 
the Department of State, which currently holds the reversionary 
interest in the land. I have a letter here from Barbara Larkin, 
Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, which states that 
the Department no longer has an interest in this land and does not 
object to the release of the reversionary interest.
  I have also worked closely with the Committee on International 
Relations on this bill, and I want to thank both the gentleman from New 
York [Mr. Gilman] and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) for 
their cooperation in this matter, and for bringing my bill to the floor 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank their staffs, Ms. Kristen Gilley 
and Ms. Elana Broitman for their assistance in moving this bill 
forward. Waiving this reversionary interest is a simple and 
straightforward way to help the young people in my district in Texas. 
The language of the legislation is narrowly tailored to ensure that any 
proceeds from the sale of lands will go toward improving the education 
of students. The State Department does not want or need the 
reversionary interest, and it would provide much needed authority to my 
local school districts. I urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be here with my colleague, the 
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Reyes]. I want to give tribute to my 
chairman, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman], who allowed me to 
represent him in bringing this bill to the floor.
  The logic that our colleague, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Reyes], 
brings to us in this context also is present in a bill that my 
colleague might be not yet aware of, offered by the gentleman from 
Kansas [Mr. Ryun], regarding reversionary interests in land where there 
had been an easement for railroad use. Land should go back to its 
original owners when an easement is no longer needed. I applaud the 
gentleman from Texas for his thinking in this case. I urge that he 
might want to look at the other case as an example of a comparable 
approach.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H.R. 1116.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr. Upton]. Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Campbell] that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1116.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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