[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 163 (Tuesday, November 11, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14452-S14456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mrs. BOXER:
S. 1845. A bill to amend title 37, United States Code, to provide
financial assistance to State and local governments that continue to
pay employees who serve on active duty in a reserve component of the
uniformed services; to the Committee on Armed Services.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today is Veterans Day--a day to honor the
service of those brave men and women who have fought for and defended
our country.
This Veterans Day has special meaning as 130,000 Americans are
serving in Iraq, and many in this country have lost loved ones in Iraq
in the past year.
Americans can be proud of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines
who are serving today. They are continuing to show the courage,
dignity, and bravery with which our veterans, who we honor today, have
served in the past.
That rich tradition includes those Americans who serve in the Guard
and Reserves. In the 12 years since the first war in Iraq, more than
525,000 members of the Guard and Reserves have been mobilized--more
than twice the number that were mobilized in the previous 36 years.
[[Page S14453]]
When they are called up to active duty, they leave their civilian
jobs--and their civilian salaries--behind. Most take a pay cut--and are
glad to do so to serve our country. But when that active duty service
becomes an extended tour of duty, the financial strain on the families
left behind can be enormous.
To close this pay gap, some State and local governments make up the
different between military and civilian pay for their employees who
have been activated. Unfortunately, with strains on State and local
budgets across the country--as well as the increased demand for more
police and firefighters to help fight terrorism and enhance our
homeland security--such payments to our Guards and Reservists are a
financially difficult option--or not an option at all--for most State
and local governments.
That is why I am today introducing the Service to the Country
Reimbursement Act. Under my bill, the Federal Government would
reimburse State and local governments for the costs of paying the
different between the civilian salary and the military pay of a Guard
or Reserves member who is activated for more than 30 days.
This legislation will encourage State and local governments to make
those payments in order to keep the families financially whole,
ensuring that the families of those who serve our country in the Guards
and Reserves will not be financially penalized because of the service
being made to our country.
I encourage my colleagues to join me in this effort. And I ask
unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
S. 1845
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Service to Country
Reimbursement Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THAT
CONTINUE TO PAY EMPLOYEES WHO SERVE ON ACTIVE
DUTY IN A RESERVE COMPONENT OF THE UNIFORMED
SERVICES.
(a) In General.--Chapter 17 of title 37, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
``Sec. 910. Assistance for State and local governments that
continue to pay employees who serve on active duty
``(a) Continuation of Civilian Basic Pay.--It is the
purpose of this section to encourage States and local
governments to continue to pay a portion of the civilian
compensation of those employees who are also members of a
reserve component and are absent from a position of
employment with the State or local government under a call or
order to serve on active duty for a period of more than 30
days so that the employees receive compensation in an amount
that, when taken together with their military pay, is at
least equal to their civilian compensation.
``(b) Reimbursement Offered.--At the request of a State or
local government that continues to pay all or a portion of
the civilian compensation of an employee described in
subsection (a), the Secretary concerned shall reimburse the
State or local government for the civilian compensation paid
by the State or local government for each pay period
described in subsection (c), but not to exceed the difference
(if any) between--
``(1) the amount of civilian compensation that would
otherwise have been payable to the employee for such pay
period if the employee's civilian employment with the State
or local government had not been interrupted by the service
on active duty; and
``(2) the amount of military pay that is payable to the
employee for the service on active duty and is allocable to
such pay period.
``(c) Pay Periods.--Reimbursement shall be provided under
this section with respect to each pay period (which would
otherwise apply if the employee's civilian employment had not
been interrupted) that occurs--
``(1) while the employee serves on active duty for a period
of more than 30 days;
``(2) while the employee is hospitalized for, or
convalescing from, an illness or injury incurred in, or
aggravated during, the performance of such active duty; or
``(3) during the 14-day period beginning at the end of such
active duty or the end of the period referred to in paragraph
(2).
``(d) Effect of Failure to Return to Employment.--(1) If an
employee described in subsection (a), with respect to whom
reimbursement is provided to a State or local government
under this section, fails to report or apply for employment
or reemployment with the State or local government by the end
of the period referred to in subsection (c)(3), the employee
shall refund to the Secretary concerned the total amount of
the reimbursement provided with respect to the employee.
``(2) Subject to paragraph (3), an obligation to refund
moneys to the United States imposed under paragraph (1) is
for all purposes a debt owed to the United States.
``(3)(A) The Secretary concerned may waive, in whole or in
part, a refund required under paragraph (1) if the Secretary
concerned determines that recovery would be against equity
and good conscience or would be contrary to the best
interests of the United States.
``(B) The Secretary concerned shall waive a refund required
under paragraph (1) if the Secretary concerned determines
that the failure of the employee in question to report or
apply for employment or reemployment was due to an injury or
disability of the employee that is not the fault of the
employee.
``(4) A discharge in bankruptcy under title 11 that is
entered less than five years after the end of the period
referred to in subsection (c)(3) does not discharge the
employee from a debt arising under paragraph (1). This
paragraph applies to any case commenced under title 11 after
the date of the enactment of this section.
``(e) Regulations.--The Secretaries concerned shall
prescribe regulations to carry out this section.
``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `civilian compensation' means the wages or
salary that an employee of a State or local government
normally receives from the employee's employment by the State
or local government.
``(2) The term `local government' means an agency or
political subdivision of a State.
``(3) The term `military pay' has the meaning given the
term `pay' in section 101(21) of this title.
``(4) The term `State' means each of the several States of
the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and other
territories or possessions of the United States.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the
beginning of chapter 17 of title 37, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 909
the following new item:
``910. Assistance for State and local governments that continue to pay
employees who serve on active duty.''.
(c) Application of Amendment.--Section 910 of title 37,
United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall apply
with respect to pay periods (as described in subsection (b)
of such section) beginning on or after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
______
By Ms. SNOWE:
S. 1846. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a
presumption of service-connection for certain veterans with hepatitis
C, and for the other purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to reintroduce legislation I
first introduced in the 105th Congress to address a serious health
concern for veterans--specifically, the health threat posed by the
Hepatitis C virus.
This legislation, the Veterans Hepatitis C Treatment bill,
establishes a presumption of service connection for veterans with
hepatitis C, provided that certain conditions are met. This bill will
enable veterans who contracted Hepatitis C in military service to
receive treatment for this condition by the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
Under this legislation, veterans who received a transfusion of blood
during a period of service before December 31, 1992; veterans who were
exposed to blood during a period of service; veterans who underwent
hemodialysis during a period of service; veterans diagnosed with
unexplained liver disease during a period of service; or veterans
working in a health care occupation during service, will be eligible
for treatment for Hepatitis C at VA facilities.
I have reviewed medical research that suggests many veterans were
exposed to Hepatitis C in service, and are now suffering from liver
disease and other diseases caused by exposure to this virus. I am
troubled that many ``Hepatitis C veterans'' are not being treated by
the VA because they can't prove the virus was service connected,
despite the fact that Hepatitis was not isolated until 1989 and could
not be tested for until 1990.
Hepatitis C is a hidden infection with few symptoms. However, most of
those infected with the virus will develop serious liver disease 10 to
30 years after contracting the virus. For many of those infected,
Hepatitis C can lead to liver failure, transplants, liver cancer and
death.
And yet, most people who have Hepatitis C don't even know it--and so
they don't get treatment until it's too late. It has been estimated
that up to 70 percent of the approximately four million Americans with
Hepatitis C are unaware that they carry the virus. For those who know
they're infected, the
[[Page S14454]]
prognosis is promising--some estimates indicate that 50 percent may
have the virus eradicated.
Vietnam veterans in particular are just now starting to learn that
they have liver disease likely caused by Hepatitis C. Early detection
and treatment may help head off serious liver disease for many of them.
However, many veterans with Hepatitis C will not be treated by the VA
because they must first establish a service connection for their
condition--a standard that is virtually impossible to meet.
My colleagues may be interested to know how veterans were likely
exposed to this virus. Medical advances during the Vietnam War included
rapid evacuation, improved transfusion and high rates of U.S. casualty
survival in an era prior to Hepatitis C screening of the blood supply.
Blood transfusion is one of the most common ways Hepatitis C is
transmitted. Medical transmission of the virus through needles and
other medical equipment is also possible in combat. Medical care
providers who served in combat, where universal precautions and rubber
glove use are often absent, were likely at increased risk as well, and
may have, in turn, posed a risk to the service members they treated.
Researchers have discovered that some blood sent from the U.S. was
infected with the virus. Researchers and veterans organizations,
including the Vietnam Veterans of America, believe that many veterans
were infected after being injured in combat and getting a transfusion
or from working as a medic around combat injuries.
Yet, veterans cannot establish a service connection because
frequently there were no symptoms when they were originally infected
while in Vietnam. In addition, while medical records may show a short
bout of Hepatitis, Hepatitis C was not known at the time and there was
not a test available to detect the virus.
The Hepatitis C infected veteran is essentially in a catch-22
situation: the VA will not provide treatment unless a service
connection has been established, but the veterans cannot prove that
they contracted Hepatitis C in combat because the science to detect the
virus didn't exist. Without legislative authority to treat these
veterans, thousands of veterans infected with Hepatitis C while in the
service will not receive VA health care testing or treatment.
I believe that in the long run we will actually save money by testing
and treating this infection early on. The alternative is much more
costly treatment of end-state liver disease and the associated
complications, or other disorders.
Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, well respected both within
and outside of the medical profession, has said: ``In some studies of
veterans entering the Department of Veterans Affairs health facilities,
half of the veterans have tested positive for [the Hepatitis C virus].
Some of those veterans may have left the military with the [Hepatitis C
virus], while others may have developed it after their military
service. In any event, we need to detect and treat [Hepatitis C] if we
are to head off very high rates of liver disease and liver transplant
in VA facilities over the next decade.''
Some may argue that further epidemiologic data is needed to resolve
the issue of service connection. I agree that we have our work cut out
for us, and further study should be done. However, there is already a
substantial body of research which has firmly established that veterans
have a higher incidence of Hepatitis C when compared to non-veterans.
We should not ask those who have already sacrificed so much for this
country to wait--perhaps for years--for the treatment they deserve
while further research is being conducted.
Today is Veteran's Day and we will all take time to honor the
sacrifices that these brave men and women have made to defend the
freedom of this country and ensure others could live in peace. These
veterans shouldn't be asked to fight another battle for the benefits
and respect that they have earned.
I hope this legislation will be a constructive step in addressing the
health concerns of this Nation's veterans, and I look forward to
working with the Veterans Affairs Committee, the VA-HUD appropriators,
and veterans groups to meet this emerging challenge.
______
By Mr. CORZINE:
S. 1847. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a
comprehensive program for testing and treatment of veterans for
Hepatitis C virus; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Mr. CORZINE. Mr. President, I rise today on Veterans Day to introduce
the Veterans Comprehensive Hepatitis C Health Care Act. This bill would
fundamentally change the way the Department of Veterans Affairs is
addressing the growing Hepatitis C epidemic, and would create a
national standard for testing and treating veterans with the virus.
Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver caused by contact with the
Hepatitis C virus. It is primarily spread by contact with infected
blood. The CDC estimates that 1.8 percent of the population is infected
with the Hepatitis C virus, and that number is much higher among
veterans. Vietnam-era veterans are considered to be at greater risk
because many were exposed to Hepatitis C-infected blood as a result of
combat-related surgical care during the Vietnam War. In fact, data from
the Veterans Administration suggests that as many as 18 percent of all
veterans and 64 percent of Vietnam veterans are infected with the
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). For many of those infected, Hepatitis C can
lead to liver failure, transplants, liver cancer, and death.
And yet, most veterans who have Hepatitis C don't even know it--and
often do not get treatment until it's too late. Despite recent advances
in treating Hepatitis C, the VA still lacks a comprehensive,
consistent, uniform approach to testing and treating veterans for the
virus. Only a fraction of the 3.5 million veterans enrolled nationally
with the VA Health Care System have been tested to date. Part of the
problem stems from a lack of qualified, full-time medical personnel to
administer and analyze the tests. Most of the 172 VA hospitals in this
country have only one doctor, working a half day a week, to conduct and
analyze all the tests. At this rate, it will take years to test the
entire enrolled population--years that many of these veterans may not
have.
To address this growing problem, I am introducing the Veterans
Comprehensive Hepatitis C Health Care Act. This legislation will
improve access to Hepatitis C testing and treatment for all veterans,
ensure that the VA spends all allocated Hepatitis C funds on testing
and treatment, and sets new, national policies for Hepatitis C care.
Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen from New Jersey has introduced
companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
The bill would improve testing and treatment for veterans by
requiring annual screening tests for Vietnam-era veterans enrolled in
the VA system, and providing annual tests, upon request, to other
veterans enrolled in the VA system. Further, it would require the VA to
treat any enrolled veteran who tests positive for the Hepatitis C
virus, regardless of service-connected disability status or priority
group categorization. The VA would be required to provide at least one
dedicated health care professional--a doctor and a nurse--at each VA
Hospital for testing and treatment of this disease.
This bill would also increase the amount of money dedicated to
Hepatitis C testing and treatment, and would make sure these funds are
spent where they are needed most. Beginning in FY04, Hepatitis C
funding would be shifted to the Specific Purpose account under the
Veterans Health Administration, and would be dedicated solely for the
purpose of paying for the costs associated with treating veterans with
the Hepatitis C virus. The bill would allocate these funds to the 22
Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) based on each VISN's
Hepatitis C incidence rate, or the number of veterans infected with the
virus.
In addition, this bill will end the confusing patchwork of policies
governing the care of veterans with Hepatitis C throughout the nation.
This legislation directs the VA to develop and implement a
standardized, national Hepatitis C policy for its testing protocol,
treatment options and education and notification efforts. The bill
further directs the VA to develop an outreach program to notify
veterans who have
[[Page S14455]]
not been tested for the Hepatitis C virus of the need for such testing
and the availability of such testing through the VA. And finally, this
legislation would establish Hepatitis C Centers of Excellence in
geographic areas with high incidence of Hepatitis C infection.
As I've said, many veterans do not even realize that they may be
infected with the Hepatitis C virus, and the VA is doing little to
encourage them to get the critical testing they need. The VA currently
lacks a comprehensive national strategy for combating this deadly
disease. With the passage of the Veterans Comprehensive Hepatitis C
Health Care Act, veterans will finally be provided with the access to
testing and treatment that they have more than earned and deserve.
Additionally, the Federal Government will actually save money in the
long run by testing and treating this infection early on. The
alternative is much more costly treatment of end-stage liver disease
and the associated complications, or other disorders.
The VA has known about the problem of Hepatitis C among veterans
since 1992, but they have not acted. We must address this critical
issue for the brave men and women who have placed their lives in danger
to protect the United States. I urge my colleagues to join me in
supporting this crucial legislation.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
S. 1847
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Comprehensive
Hepatitis C Health Care Act''.
SEC. 2. COMPREHENSIVE HEPATITIS C HEALTH CARE TESTING AND
TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR VETERANS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 17 of title 38, United States
Code, is amended by inserting after section 1720E the
following new section:
``Sec. 1720F. Hepatitis C testing and treatment
``(a) Initial Testing.--(1) During the one-year period
beginning on the date of the enactment of the Veterans
Comprehensive Hepatitis C Health Care Act, the Secretary
shall provide a blood test for the Hepatitis C virus to--
``(A) each veteran who served in the active military,
naval, or air service during the Vietnam era or who is
considered to be `at risk,' and is enrolled to receive care
under section 1710 of this title who requests the test or is
otherwise receiving a physical examination or any care or
treatment from the Secretary; and
``(B) to any other veteran who requests the test.
``(2) After the end of the period referred to in paragraph
(1), the Secretary shall provide a blood test for the
Hepatitis C virus to any veteran who requests the test.
``(b) Followup Testing and Treatment.--In the case of any
veteran who tests positive for the Hepatitis C virus, the
Secretary--
``(1) shall provide such followup tests as are considered
medically appropriate; and
``(2) shall provide appropriate treatment for that veteran
in accordance with the national protocol for the treatment of
Hepatitis C.
``(c) Status of Care.--(1) Treatment shall be provided
under subsection (b) without regard to whether the Hepatitis
C virus is determined to be service-connected and without
regard to priority group categorization of the veteran. No
copayment may be charged for treatment under subsection (b),
and no third-party reimbursement may be sought or accepted,
under section 1729 of this title or any other provision of
law, for testing or treatment under subsection (a) or (b).
``(2) Paragraph (1) shall cease to be in effect upon the
effective date of a determination by the Secretary or by
Congress that the occurrence of the Hepatitis C virus in
specified veterans shall be presumed to be service-connected.
``(d) Staffing.--(1) The Secretary shall require that each
Department medical center employ at least one full-time
gastroenterologist, hepatologist, or other qualified
physician to provide tests and treatment for the Hepatitis C
virus under this section.
``(2) The Secretary shall, to the extent practicable,
ensure that each Department medical center has at least one
staff member assigned to work, in coordination with Hepatitis
C medical personnel, to coordinate treatment options for
Hepatitis C patients and provide information and counseling
for those patients and their families. Such a staff member
should preferably be trained in psychology or psychiatry or
be a social worker.
``(3) In order to improve treatment provided to veterans
with the Hepatitis C virus, the Secretary shall provide
increased training options to Department health care
personnel.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the
beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the
item relating to section 1720E the following new item:
``1720F. Hepatitis C testing and treatment.''.
SEC. 3. FUNDING FOR HEPATITIS C PROGRAMS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Program Account.--Beginning with fiscal year 2004,
amounts appropriated for the Department of Veterans Affairs
for Hepatitis C detection and treatment shall be provided,
within the ``Medical Care'' account, through the ``Specific
Purpose'' subaccount, rather than the ``VERA'' subaccount.
(b) Allocation of Funds to VISNs.--In allocating funds
appropriated for the Department of Veterans Affairs for the
``Medical Care'' account to the Veterans Integrated Service
Networks, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall allocate
funds for detection and treatment of the Hepatitis C virus
based upon incidence rates of that virus among veterans
(rather than based upon the overall population of veterans)
in each such network.
(c) Limitation on Use of Funds.--Amounts appropriated for
the Department of Veterans Affairs for Hepatitis C detection
and treatment through the ``Specific Purpose'' subaccount may
not be used for any other purpose.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL POLICY.
(a) Standardized Nationwide Policy.--The Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall develop and implement a standardized
policy to be applied throughout the Department of Veterans
Affairs health care system with respect to the Hepatitis C
virus. The policy shall include the testing protocol for the
Hepatitis C virus, treatment options, education and
notification efforts, and establishment of a specific
Hepatitis C diagnosis code for measurement and treatment
purposes.
(b) Outreach.--The Secretary shall, on an annual basis,
take appropriate actions to notify veterans who have not been
tested for the Hepatitis C virus of the need for such testing
and the availability of such testing from the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
SEC. 5. HEPATITIS C CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
establish at least one, and not more than three, additional
Hepatitis C centers of excellence or additional sites at
which activities of Hepatitis C centers of excellence are
carried out. Each such additional center or site shall be
established at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical
center in one of the five geographic service areas (known as
a Veterans Integrated Service Network) with the highest case
rate of Hepatitis C in fiscal year 1999.
(b) Funding.--Funding for the centers or sites established
under subsection (a) shall be provided from amounts available
to the Central Office of the Department of Veterans Affairs
and shall be in addition to amounts allocated for Hepatitis C
pursuant to section 3.
______
By Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. Smith):
S. 1848. A bill to amend the Bend Pine Nursery Land Conveyance Act to
direct the Secretary of Agriculture to sell the Bend Pine Nursery
Administration Site in the State of Oregon; to the Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources.
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I am introducing a bill, with my
friend and colleague Senator Smith of Oregon, to amend the Bend Pine
Nursery Land Conveyance Act, enacted three years ago, authorizing the
sale of the U.S. Forest Service Bend Pine Nursery to the community of
Bend, OR, for use as a public park and recreation facility.
In the original bill, Senator Smith, Congressman Walden and I sought
to achieve some very basic objectives. We wanted the community of Bend
to take title to a property which for many years had been a federally
owned plantation for growing pine seedlings, and which will now make a
superb park and ball field complex for the use of the community. At the
same time, the bill authorized the sale of several other properties in
order to raise an account enabling the Forest Service to acquire a new
headquarters for the Deschutes National Forest.
In 1999, we drafted the original legislation in very close
consultation with the U.S. Forest Service based on the assumption that
in so doing, the agency would have the necessary tools and direction to
move swiftly to implement the legislation. The intent of the
legislation was to have the Forest Service sell the property to the
Bend Parks District within a year of its enactment at the estimated
value of the property at that time, $3 million.
Unfortunately, the goodwill built up throughout the drafting process
was squandered by the Forest Service. Two years of delays in the
implementation of the original legislation resulted in an appraised
price of $5.8 million as opposed to the $3 million this property was
assumed to be worth when the original Bend Pine Nursery Land Conveyance
was enacted in 2000. This delay has been inconsistent with the intent
[[Page S14456]]
of the original legislation and runs entirely contrary to the interest
of Bend taxpayers.
The community has always been more than willing to pay fair value for
this property, and their goodwill and their tax dollars should not be
wasted any longer.
The bill I introduce today resolves the issues that stand in the way
of implementation of this simple land sale in a fair manner, directing
the sale to move forward expeditiously for $3.5 million. That figure is
arrived at by assuming the $3 million value of the property on the day
the original Act was passed, allowing for inflation per the Forest
Service's calculations, and then deducting the value of acreage that
the Forest Service has decided not to sell and 15 acres the Forest
Service has the ability to transfer to the local school district at no
cost.
I look forward to the expeditious resolution to this issue.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill to be printed in
the Record.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
S. 1848
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SALE OF BEND PINE NURSERY ADMINISTRATIVE SITE.
The Bend Pine Nursery Land Conveyance Act (114 Stat. 2512)
is amended--
(1) in section 3--
(A) in subsection (a)--
(i) by striking paragraph (1);
(ii) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (7) as
subparagraphs (A) through (F), respectively, and adjusting
the margins appropriately; and
(iii) by striking ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may''
and inserting the following:
``(a) In General.--The Secretary--
``(1) shall offer to sell to the Bend Metro Park and
Recreation District in Deschutes County, Oregon, for
consideration in the amount of $3,505,676, all right, title,
and interest of the United States in and to approximately 170
acres of the parcel of land identified as Tract A, Bend Pine
Nursery, as depicted on the site plan map entitled `Bend Pine
Nursery Administrative Site, May 13, 1999'; and
``(2) may'';
(B) by striking subsection (e)(3); and
(C) by inserting after subsection (f) the following:
``(g) Bend Pine Nursery Administrative Site.--The land
conveyed to the Bend Metro Park and Recreation District under
section 3(a)(1)--
``(1) shall be used only for recreation purposes; and
``(2) may be developed for those purposes.''.
(2) by redesignating section 6 as section 7; and
(3) by inserting after section 5 the following:
``SEC. 6. CONVEYANCE TO BEND-LA PINE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
``The Secretary, in accordance with section 202 of the
Education Land Grant Act (16 U.S.C. 479a), shall convey to
Administrative School District No. 1, Deschutes County,
Oregon, for no consideration, 15 acres of land located in the
northwest corner of the tract described in section 3(a)(1),
to be used for educational purposes.''.
____________________