[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 78 (Tuesday, June 16, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H4595-H4597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      ROGUE RIVER NATIONAL FOREST

  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 3796) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to 
convey the administrative site for the Rogue River National Forest and 
use the proceeds for the construction or improvement of offices and 
support buildings for the Rogue River National Forest and the Bureau of 
Land Management.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3796

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

     SECTION 1. DEFINITION.

       In this Act, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
     Agriculture.

     SEC. 2. SALE OR EXCHANGE OF ADMINISTRATIVE SITE.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary, under such terms and 
     conditions as the Secretary

[[Page H4596]]

     may prescribe, may sell or exchange any or all right, title, 
     and interest of the United States in and to the Rogue River 
     National Forest administrative site depicted on the map 
     entitled ``Rogue River Administrative Conveyance'' dated 
     April 23, 1998, consisting of approximately 5.1 acres.
       (b) Exchange Acquisitions.--The Secretary may provide for 
     the construction of administrative facilities in exchange for 
     a conveyance of the administrative site under subsection (a).
       (c) Applicable Authorities.--Except as otherwise provided 
     in this Act, any sale or exchange of an administrative site 
     shall be subject to the laws (including regulations) 
     applicable to the conveyance and acquisition of land for 
     National Forest System purposes.
       (d) Cash Equalization.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
     of law, the Secretary may accept a cash equalization payment 
     in excess of 25 percent of the value of an administrative 
     site in an exchange under subsection (a).
       (e) Solicitations of Offers.--In carrying out this Act, the 
     Secretary may--
       (1) use solicitations of offers for sale or exchange on 
     such terms and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe; and
       (2) reject any offer if the Secretary determines that the 
     offer is not adequate or not in the public interest.

     SEC. 3. DISPOSITION OF FUNDS.

       The proceeds of a sale or exchange under section 2 shall be 
     deposited in the fund established under Public Law 90-171 (16 
     U.S.C. 484a) (commonly known as the ``Sisk Act'') and shall 
     be available, until expended, for the construction or 
     improvement of offices and support buildings for combined use 
     by the Forest Service for the Rogue River National Forest, 
     and by the Bureau of Land Management.

     SEC. 4. REVOCATIONS.

       (a) Public Land Orders.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, to facilitate the sale or exchange of the 
     administrative site, public land orders withdrawing the 
     administrative site from all forms of appropriation under the 
     public land laws are revoked for any portion of the 
     administrative site, upon conveyance of that portion by the 
     Secretary.
       (b) Effective Date.--The effective date of a revocation 
     made by this section shall be the date of the patent or deed 
     conveying the administrative site (or portion thereof).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. 
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Smith).
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. SMITH of Oregon asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, this is a very simple, 
straightforward piece of legislation. It exchanges 5.1 acres of the 
Rogue River National Forest maintenance facility in Medford for an 
opportunity to collocate offices of Forest Service and the Bureau of 
Land Management.
  It is obvious that this collocation is in good order since both the 
Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management support this 
legislation. In effect, it will save $2.1 million per year as a result 
of the collocation.
  Mr. Speaker, it came forward to us unanimously from committee.
  I would like to thank my colleagues on the House Resources Committee 
for bringing this legislation to the floor today.
  H.R. 3796 provides an excellent example of how two federal agencies 
can work together to better serve the needs of the public. This 
legislation will allow the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange 
the 5.1 acre Rogue River National Forest maintenance facility in 
Medford, Oregon and use the proceeds to expand the BLM office so that 
the Forest Service and the BLM can collocate.
  For those of you who have not visited the Second District of Oregon, 
it may surprise you to know that well over half of the land in this 
large district is owned by the federal government. Public lands issues 
are extremely important to the people of my district. The people of the 
Second Congressional District work, live and recreate on this federal 
land and will greatly benefit from the ability to address their public 
lands needs in one central location. Currently, the local Forest 
Service and the BLM offices in Medford are located across town from one 
another. H.R. 3796 will allow these two agencies to collocate and 
provide more efficient service to the general public.
  The site this legislation seeks to convey is the McAndrews Service 
Center. This facility is currently being used as an automotive shop, 
survey crew headquarters, road maintenance office and forest-wide 
support warehouse. This facility will become surplus to the Forest 
Service's needs should the two agencies collocate.
  Conveyance of this site will allow for improvements to the joint 
Forest Service/BLM site that will include the addition of 20,000 square 
feet of office and conference space, remodeling of the current BLM 
office so that it fully complies with the Americans with Disabilities 
Act, and allow for a 5,300 square foot addition to the existing 
warehouse.
  H.R. 3796 has the support of the Forest Service and the BLM and was 
drafted in response to the requests of local agency representatives 
looking to improve service to the public. The General Services 
Administration has also been a participant in discussions relating to 
collocation efforts and supports this proposal. The Congressional 
Budget Office estimates that the enactment of H.R. 3796 will result in 
outlay savings of $2 million in FY 1999, and will have no net effect on 
federal spending over the FY 1999-2003 period.
  So in closing, I would again like to thank my colleagues on the House 
Resources Committee for bringing this legislation to the floor today, 
and encourage my friends here in the House to support this cost-
effective and sensible example of government agencies working together.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the legislation 
sponsored by the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Smith), my good friend.
  The bill would authorize the U.S. Forest Service to sell its 
headquarters in Medford, Oregon, and dedicate the proceeds to expansion 
of offices currently occupied by the Bureau of Land Management. The 
expanded offices will provide a new home for the Forest Service.
  Mr. Speaker, given the land management challenges facing both of 
these agencies, it makes sense to encourage coordination by having them 
located in joint offices. The Forest Service has requested the 
authority set in this bill and supports its enactment.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the good gentleman from Oregon for his 
sponsorship of this bill and for bringing this matter to the attention 
of the House. My good friend also serves as the chairman of the 
Committee on Agriculture and as a senior member of this committee as 
well.
  I also want to thank the ranking member of our subcommittee, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey), for his assistance in 
development of this bill; and our professional staff counsel, Mr. Jeff 
Petrich, for his professional contributions in the development of this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume to thank my friend very much for his positive statement and his 
assistance on this important piece of legislation.
  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to recognize 
Representative Bob Smith for the excellent work he put forth in the 
development of this bill. H.R. 3796 is a straight-forward bill that 
provides for the conveyance of a work center on the Rogue River 
National Forest in exchange for facility improvements at the Medford 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) office in order to facilitate 
collocation of the two offices.
  The McAndrews Service Center is currently owned and operated by the 
Rogue River National Forest. The fair market compensation received 
through the sale or exchange of this center would be authorized to be 
used for the construction or improvement of offices that the Rogue 
River National Forest will share with the Medford District Office of 
the BLM. This would be done in a manner consistent with all applicable 
laws.
  The Forest Service and the BLM in Medford have been working 
cooperatively for many years. This cooperative relationship has 
resulted in improved customer service and consolidation of office space 
will provide further efficiencies and improvements in public service.
  This excellent bill is a bipartisan effort and has the support of the 
Administration. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3796.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. 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 Oregon (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3796.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.

[[Page H4597]]

  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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