Congressional Record, Volume 143 Issue 159 (Wednesday, November 12, 1997)

[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 159 (Wednesday, November 12, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H10663-H10665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

GRANTING CONSENT OF CONGRESS TO THE CHICKASAW TRAIL ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT COMPACT

Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
joint resolution (H.J. Res. 95) granting the consent of Congress to the
Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Compact.
The Clerk read as follows:

H.J. Res. 95

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, The Congress
consents to the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Compact
entered into by the State of Tennessee and the State of
Mississippi. The compact is substantially as follows:

CHICKASAW TRAIL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMPACT

Article I. The purpose of this compact is to promote the
development of an undeveloped rural area of Marshall County,
Mississippi, and Fayette County, Tennessee (hereinafter
referred to as ``Chickasaw Trail Economic Development
Area''), and to create a development authority which
incorporates public and private partnerships to facilitate
the economic growth of such areas by providing developed
sites for the location and construction of manufacturing
plants, distribution facilities, research facilities,
regional and national offices with supportive services, and
facilities, and to establish a joint interstate authority to
assist in these efforts.
Article II. This compact shall become effective immediately
whenever the states of Tennessee and Mississippi have
ratified it and Congress has given consent thereto.
Article III. The states which are parties to this compact
(hereinafter referred to as ``party states'') do hereby
establish and create a joint agency which shall be known as
the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Authority
(hereinafter referred to as the ``Authority''). The
membership of the Authority shall consist of an appointee of
the Governor of each party state, each state's chief economic
development official or his/her representative, appointee of
each of the member counties board of supervisors/county
legislative body, selected from nominees from the county's
industrial development board, and an appointee of the
property owners' group. The appointive members of the
authority shall serve for terms of four (4) years. Vacancies
on the Authority shall be filled by appointment by the
Governor or the appropriate appointing authority for the
unexpired part of the term. The members of the Authority
shall serve without compensation or reimbursement of
expenses. The

[[Page H10664]]

members of the Authority shall hold regular quarterly
meetings and such special meetings as its business may
require. They shall choose annually a chairman and vice-
chairman from among their members, and the chairmanship shall
rotate each year between the party states. The secretary of
the Authority (hereinafter provided for) shall notify each
member in writing of all meetings of the Authority in such a
manner and under such rules and regulations as the Authority
may prescribe. The Authority shall adopt rules and
regulations for the transaction of its business; and the
secretary shall keep a record of all its business, and shall
furnish a copy thereof to each member of the Authority, It
shall be the duty of the Authority in general, to promote,
encourage and coordinate the efforts of the party states
to secure the development of the Chickasaw Trail Economic
Development Authority. Toward this end, the authority
shall have power to hold hearings; to conduct studies and
surveys of all problems, benefits and other matters
associated with the development of the Chickasaw Trail
Economic Development area and to make reports thereon; to
acquire, by gift or otherwise, and hold and dispose of
such money and property as may be provided for the proper
performance of their functions; to cooperate with other
public or private groups, whether local, state, regional
or national, having an interest in economic development;
to formulate and execute plans and policies for
emphasizing the purpose of this compact before the
Congress of the United States and other appropriate
officers and agencies of the United States and the
respective states; and the exercise of such other powers
as may be appropriate to enable it to accomplish its
functions and duties in connection with the development of
the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Area and to carry
out the purposes of this compact.
Article IV. The Authority shall appoint a secretary, who
shall be a person familiar with the nature, procedures and
significance of economic development and the informational,
educational and publicity methods of stimulating general
interest in such developments, and who shall be the compact
administrator. His/her term of office shall be at the
pleasure of the Authority. He/she shall maintain custody of
the Authority's books, records and papers, which he/she shall
keep at the office of the Authority, and he/she shall perform
all functions and duties, and exercise all powers and
authorities, that may be delegated to him/her by the
Authority.
Article V. Nothing in this compact shall be construed to
conflict with any existing statute, or to limit the powers of
any party or state or to repeal or prevent legislation, or to
authorize or permit curtailment or diminution of any other
economic development project, or to affect existing or future
cooperative arrangements or relationships between any federal
agency and a party state.
Article VI. This compact shall continue in force and remain
binding upon each party state until the Legislature or
Governor of each or either state takes action to withdraw
therefrom; provided that such withdrawal shall not become
effective until six (6) months after the date of the action
taken. Notice of such action shall be given by the Secretary
of State of the party state which takes such action.
In witness whereof, I, Kirk Fordice, have subscribed my
signature and caused the Great Seal of the State of
Mississippi to be affixed this 9th day of May, 1997.
In witness whereof, I, Don Sundquist, have subscribed my
signature and caused the Great Seal of the State of Tennessee
to be affixed this 9th day of April, 1997.

SEC. 2. INCONSISTENCY OF LANGUAGE.

The validity of the compact consented to by this Act shall
not be affected by any insubstantial difference in its form
or language as adopted by the States.

SEC. 3. RIGHT TO ALTER, AMEND, OR REPEAL.

The right to alter, amend, or repeal this joint resolution
is hereby expressly reserved.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania [Mr. Gekas] and the gentleman from New York [Mr. Nadler]
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Gekas].

General Leave

Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on the joint resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in approving this
resolution, House Joint Resolution 95, giving the consent of Congress
to the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Compact entered into
between the State of Tennessee and the State of Mississippi.
As everyone knows by now, the United States Constitution provides
that no two States or no number of States may enter into any agreements
among themselves without the consent of Congress. That is a
constitutional mandate that we have observed faithfully throughout the
years. Thus, the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law of
the Committee on the Judiciary, which I chair, has jurisdiction and is
happy to announce that this particular proposed compact has its full
approval.
Mr. Speaker, the facts are that in 1992 the Marshall County,
Mississippi, Industrial Development Authority recognized the need to
develop a large regional industrial park in the northern part of the
county. The idea of a two-State industrial park materialized when a
large tract of relatively uninhabited land owned by only a few
individuals was identified on both sides of the Mississippi-Tennessee
border. Located adjacent to the Memphis metropolitan area, this region
is traversed by three major thoroughfares.
Verbal agreement of the landowners to participate in a public-private
partnership and the support of local and State officials for the
concept helped to promote the project, which was endorsed in 1995 by
our former colleague, now Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist, and
Mississippi Governor Kirk Fordice.
In 1996, the Tennessee and Mississippi State legislatures passed
enabling legislation creating the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development
Compact, subject to congressional approval, and they set up a board of
directors for its development.
The industrial park envisioned by the compact is located adjacent to
the metropolitan Memphis area, which is in need of available land for
future industrial growth. The rural nature of the tract plus its
current and planned accessibility make it advantageous for a planned
park providing jobs for residents of both States.
Once again, I urge my colleagues to consent to this compact by
suspending the rules and passing House Joint Resolution 95.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. NADLER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, this bill gives the consent of Congress to
the compact between the States of Mississippi and Tennessee to
establish the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Agency.
The compact establishes an economic development authority to
determine the feasibility of establishing an industrial park in Fayette
County, Tennessee, and Marshall County, Mississippi, and to assist in
public-private partnerships to promote economic development in that bi-
State area.
The legislation simply restates the compact, provides that the
validity of the compact will not be affected by any insubstantial
differences in its formal language as adopted by the two States, and
reserves to Congress the right to alter, amend, or appeal the joint
resolution giving consent to the compact.
Mr. Speaker, the congressional delegations of the two States support
this bill, as do the two legislatures and both Governors. The
subcommittee and committee unanimously reported the bill. I urge its
adoption.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Tennessee [Mr. Bryant].
Mr. BRYANT. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of our
subcommittee, the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr.
Gekas], and also the distinguished ranking member of our subcommittee,
the gentleman from New York [Mr. Nadler], whom I also want to commend
for his correct pronunciation of all of these words. Very good.
Mr. Speaker, at the request, as has been said, of our former
colleague and the very distinguished Governor of Tennessee, Don
Sundquist, and also the very distinguished Governor of the State of
Mississippi, Kirk Fordice, I, along with the gentleman from
Mississippi, Mr. Roger Wicker, introduced House Joint Resolution 95,
which would give congressional consent to an interstate compact
establishing the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Authority.
Under this compact, the Chickasaw Authority would conduct a study to
determine the feasibility of establishing an industrial park which
would lie both in Fayette County, Tennessee, and

[[Page H10665]]

Marshall County, Mississippi. Should the authority issue a favorable
report, the States would then negotiate a new compact implementing the
details needed to establish a 4,000 to 5,000-acre industrial park.
These large tracts of land would come complete with utilities and
infrastructure needed to attract and support the more sophisticated
high-technology industry for which the two States already compete.
There are many potential benefits to this effort. It is hoped that by
disposing of the incentive wars between the States, both Tennessee and
Mississippi can capitalize on the advantages of the region that lie on
both sides of their border and attract new employment and investment
opportunities.
The proposed project will help develop the educational and economic
opportunities needed to improve the quality of life of the people
living in this area, while at the same time fulfilling the industrial
growth needs of the city of Memphis and Shelby County.
Mr. Speaker, this project is noncontroversial and represents an
innovative approach to the mutual benefit of the two counties and the
two States. It has been cosponsored by the entire Tennessee and
Mississippi delegations and has passed out of the Committee on the
Judiciary by voice vote. Again, I would encourage my colleagues in the
House to support its passage.
Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Mississippi [Mr. Wicker].
Mr. WICKER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me the
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution to prove the
Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Compact. I want to thank the
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Gekas] and the gentleman from New York
[Mr. Nadler], the ranking member, for acting on this resolution and for
allowing it to come before the House so quickly. I also want to thank
my good friend, the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Bryant], and the
majority leader for their help.
Mr. Speaker, this may seem like a simple and straightforward bill,
and it is, but the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Compact is a
very important local initiative between Marshall County, Mississippi,
and Fayette County, Tennessee.
According to statistics, Marshall County, Mississippi, is
economically disadvantaged, without the resources and infrastructure
necessary to compete and to attract business and industry. But the
people of Marshall County have viewed their present circumstances as a
challenge and an opportunity. They put their heads together and came up
with a long-term economic development plan to attract jobs and ensure a
bright future for the next generation. Included in this vision for the
future has been the development of a large industrial park in northern
Marshall County, adjacent to the Tennessee line.
At the same time, Mr. Speaker, in an effort to improve the regional
economy in Tennessee, the Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce organized
the Mid South Common Market, which includes the States of Tennessee and
Mississippi and numerous counties around the city of Memphis.

{time} 2200

As a result of cooperation and consultation between economic
development leaders in these two States, the idea of a regional
industrial park was born. The innovative project would be a 4,000- to
5,000-acre industrial park located in both Marshall County,
Mississippi, and Fayette County, Tennessee.
Mr. Speaker, I am excited about this project because it will enhance
the economy of our region and improve the lives of my constituents who
live in Marshall County and the surrounding area. I urge its adoption.
I think it is an example of the American can-do attitude.
Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, in that case, I have no further speakers. I
urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Gekas] that the House suspend the
rules and pass the joint resolution, House Joint Resolution 95.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the joint resolution was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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