[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 121 (Monday, September 14, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H7669-H7670]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CONVEYANCE OF FEDERAL LAND TO CITY OF TRACY, CALIFORNIA

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2508) to provide for the conveyance of Federal land in San 
Joaquin County, California, to the City of Tracy, California, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2508

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

     SECTION 1. LAND CONVEYANCE, FEDERAL LAND, SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, 
                   CALIFORNIA.

       (a) Conveyance Required.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law (including the Federal Property and 
     Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 471 et seq.)), 
     the Attorney General shall convey to the City of Tracy, 
     California (in this section referred to as the ``City''), all 
     right, title, and interest of the United States in and to two 
     parcels of real property, consisting of a total of 
     approximately 200 acres, which are located in San Joaquin 
     County, California, and currently administered by the Federal 
     Bureau of Prisons of the Department of Justice.
       (b) Purpose of Conveyance.--(1) One of the parcels to be 
     conveyed under subsection (a) consists of approximately 150 
     acres and is being conveyed for the purpose of permitting the 
     City to use the parcel as the location of a joint secondary 
     and post secondary educational facility and for other 
     educational purposes. If the City determines that a joint 
     secondary and post secondary educational facility is 
     unfeasible for this parcel, the City shall use up to 50 acres 
     of the parcel for at least 30 years as the location for a 
     secondary school and for other educational purposes and use 
     up to 100 acres of the parcel as a public park and for other 
     recreational purposes.
       (2) The other parcel to be conveyed under subsection (a) 
     consists of approximately 50 acres and is being conveyed for 
     the purpose of permitting the City to use the parcel for 
     economic development.
       (c) Time for Conveyance.--Not later than 210 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall 
     complete the conveyance to the City of the parcel of real 
     property referred to in subsection (b)(1).
       (d) Consideration.--(1) The parcel of real property 
     referred to in subsection (b)(1) shall be conveyed to the 
     City without consideration.
       (2) As consideration for the conveyance of the parcel 
     referred to in subsection (b)(2), the City shall pay to the 
     Attorney General, under such terms as may be negotiated by 
     the City and the Attorney General, an amount equal to the 
     fair market value of the parcel as of the time of the 
     conveyance. The fair market value of the parcel shall be 
     determined, in consultation with the Administrator of General 
     Services, in accordance with Federal appraisal standards and 
     procedures.
       (e) Conditions on Use.--(1) The use of the real property 
     conveyed under subsection (a) for educational purposes, as 
     provided in subsection (b)(1), shall be subject to the 
     approval of the Secretary of Education under the guidelines 
     for educational use conveyances under the Federal Property 
     and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 471 et 
     seq.).
       (2) If a portion of the conveyed real property is used as a 
     public park or for other recreational purposes, as provided 
     in subsection (b)(1), the use of such portion shall be 
     subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior 
     under the guidelines for recreational use conveyances under 
     the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 
     (40 U.S.C. 471 et seq.).
       (f) Reversionary Interests.--(1) During the 20-year period 
     beginning on the date the Attorney General conveys the parcel 
     referred to in subsection (b)(1), if the Secretary of 
     Education determines that the portion of the parcel that is 
     to be used for educational purposes is not being used for 
     such purposes, all right, title, and interest in and to that 
     portion of the parcel, including any improvements thereon, 
     shall revert to the Department of Justice.
       (2) If a portion of the parcel referred to in subsection 
     (b)(1) is to be used as a public park or for other 
     recreational purposes, as provided in such subsection, and 
     the Secretary of the Interior determines that such portion is 
     no longer being used for such purposes, all right, title, and 
     interest in and to that portion of the property, including 
     any improvements thereon, shall revert to the Department of 
     Justice.
       (g) Description of Property.--The exact acreage and legal 
     description of the real property to be conveyed under 
     subsection (a) shall be determined by a survey satisfactory 
     to the Attorney General. The cost of the survey shall be 
     borne by the City.
       (h) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Attorney General 
     may require such additional terms and conditions in 
     connection with the conveyance under subsection (a) as the 
     Attorney General considers appropriate to protect the 
     interests of the United States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Morella). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentlewoman from the 
District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).
  Mr. GILMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I am appearing on behalf of the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Horn), who has worked on this measure. H.R. 2508 is a 
bill to provide for the conveyance of Federal land in San Joaquin 
County, California, to the City of Tracy, California. This piece of 
legislation transfers a 200 acre parcel of real estate currently 
administered by the Department of Justice to the City of Tracy, 
California.
  Under this measure, the City of Tracy would be required to devote a 
section of the land to the establishment of a school; would also be 
used for economic development. The Federal Government would retain a 
reversionary interest, should the government find that the land is not 
used for those purposes.
  The land in question, Madam Speaker, has been sitting vacant since 
1981. The proposed development of this land by the City of Tracy would 
bring significant benefits to that area. The amendment in the nature of 
a substitute makes minor changes to the bill, such as adjusting the 
requirement that the City of Tracy, California, use a section of the 
conveyed land for educational purposes and a section for economic 
development. The city would be required to pay the fair market value 
for the property used for economic development.
  It is a bipartisan measure that will result in improved opportunities 
for education, for recreation and economic development, in California's 
Central Valley. Accordingly, I urge our colleagues to support this 
measure.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Pombo).

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. POMBO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Gilman) for yielding me this time.
  This bill, H.R. 2508, is the culmination of many years of work that 
we have put in in trying to address the educational needs of the 
community

[[Page H7670]]

that I am from, Tracy, California. The city and the school district 
have come up with a very innovative idea, and that is to create a 
school that will be a high-technology school that will take all the way 
from kindergarten through post-secondary education.
  Madam Speaker, as part of that, a small portion of this land would 
also be dedicated for economic development. That small portion of this 
land that is dedicated to economic development will be targeted toward 
high-technology firms, which will have the ability to come in and set 
up a cooperative effort with the school district so that the kids that 
are graduated from this school, with the vocational education that they 
need, can go directly from education into working for these high-
technology firms. It is an innovative idea. It is something that a lot 
of people have worked extremely hard on in coming up with this plan.
  But once they came up with the plan for what they were going to do, 
they needed a site to locate that school. This particular site is 
located just on the outskirts of town. It is currently located in an 
area that is zoned either as industrial or residential. It is located 
right across the street from a major residential development which is 
planned for the future. It is an ideal site for this kind of a high-
technology school to be located. It is also very near the new rail 
system that is being put in where people will be commuting from the 
Central Valley in California over to the Bay area. So as far as a 
transportation corridor, it is ideally located for a post-secondary 
educational facility, as well as for the needs of the high schools in 
the area.
  Madam Speaker, the city has estimated that over the next 12 years, 
there is going to be a need for two additional high schools to be built 
in the City of Tracy. This will just be one of those additional high 
schools.
  I think what we have put together is a plan that is a win-win for 
everyone. It is creating tax revenue for the local city. It is giving 
the city a facility for economic development, as well as addressing the 
needs of our kids in the Federal Government providing just the land for 
a site for a school system. So, it is very positive. I think it is a 
win-win situation for everybody.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the chairman and the ranking 
member of the subcommittee who worked with me in putting together this 
legislation. They were invaluable in trying to negotiate something that 
was fair to the Federal taxpayer as well as fair to the local school 
district and local city. I thank them for all the hard work they put 
in.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich), the ranking 
member, could not be here at this time. I am pleased to note that the 
minority has worked with the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) and 
with the majority on this matter of special concern to the gentleman, 
and we have no objections to this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.


       CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE IS IN CRISIS DUE TO LABOR SHORTAGE

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, as a Member of Congress from the San 
Joaquin Valley of California, I am proud to represent the two largest 
agricultural producing counties in the United States. Currently, a 
severe shortage of labor is raising concern over the economic future of 
the agriculture community throughout California. Agricultural 
production is nearly a $25 billion industry in the state, and 
California has the largest agricultural economy in the nation. Right 
now, farmers are competing for the same scarce labor force as the 
raisin, table and wine grape harvest is entering its peak and tree 
fruit in the state of Washington and are in need of labor. California 
has not seen a labor shortage of this magnitude since World War II.
  The agricultural community has worked with numerous San Joaquin 
Valley Social Services Departments and Employment Development 
Departments to provide needed labor from individuals who are unemployed 
or entering the workforce after receiving welfare. Such actions have 
failed to supply adequate labor for harvest. Agricultural groups in 
Fresno, California are currently looking into the feasibility of a 
program through the Fresno County Sheriff's office to allow agriculture 
to use the labor involved with work furlough programs, community 
service, and inmate work projects.
  The agricultural labor situation can be alleviated through action by 
the federal government. Under a reformed agricultural worker program, 
substantial opportunities will be given to foreign workers who can 
often earn significantly more in the U.S. than in their own country. 
Such reform reduces illegal immigration by creating a streamlined 
process to temporarily legalize individuals who choose to work in the 
agricultural sector of the U.S.
  I am working to include the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits 
and Security Act, authorized by Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR), in the 
final conference language of the Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary 
appropriations measure. The act was approved as a amendment to S. 2260, 
the Senate Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary appropriations bill. 
It passed by a bipartisan vote of 68-31 in the Senate. Related House 
legislation did not contain the agricultural worker provision. The 
Senate measure establishes a national registry within the Department of 
Labor to track agricultural job seekers. Employers are required to 
first hire domestic workers from the registry and are able to hire 
foreign workers if domestic workers are not available. Housing or a 
housing allowance must be provided by growers, and the prevailing wage 
rate must be paid. The prevailing wage rate is the mid-point of all 
wages earned, and it is always higher than the minimum wage.
  On behalf of the farmers in the San Joaquin Valley in California, I 
urge the Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary conferees to include 
the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act in the 
final bill. I also strongly encourage all members of the House to 
support its passage. A stable, reliable and affordable food supply is 
dependent upon Congressional approval of this measure.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Miller of Florida). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2508, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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