[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 31, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H5438-H5439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             WALLOWA FOREST SERVICE COMPOUND CONVEYANCE ACT

  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 271) to require the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into a 
property conveyance with the city of Wallowa, Oregon, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 271

       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 ``Wallowa Forest Service 
     Compound Conveyance Act''.

     SEC. 2. CONVEYANCE TO CITY OF WALLOWA, OREGON.

       (a) Definitions.--In this Act:
       (1) City.--The term ``City'' means the city of Wallowa, 
     Oregon.
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Agriculture.
       (3) Wallowa forest service compound.--The term ``Wallowa 
     Forest Service Compound'' means the approximately 1.11 acres 
     of National Forest System land that--
       (A) was donated by the City to the Forest Service on March 
     18, 1936; and
       (B) is located at 602 First Street, Wallowa, Oregon.
       (b) Conveyance.--On the request of the City submitted to 
     the Secretary by the date that is not later than 1 year after 
     the date of enactment of this Act and subject to the 
     provisions of this Act, the Secretary shall convey to the 
     City all right, title, and interest of the United States in 
     and to the Wallowa Forest Service Compound.
       (c) Conditions.--The conveyance under subsection (b) shall 
     be--
       (1) by quitclaim deed;
       (2) for no consideration; and
       (3) subject to--
       (A) valid existing rights; and
       (B) such terms and conditions as the Secretary may require.
       (d) Use of Wallowa Forest Service Compound.--As a condition 
     of the conveyance under subsection (b), the City shall--
       (1) use the Wallowa Forest Service Compound as a historical 
     and cultural interpretation and education center;
       (2) ensure that the Wallowa Forest Service Compound is 
     managed by a nonprofit entity;
       (3) agree to manage the Wallowa Forest Service Compound 
     with due consideration and protection for the historic values 
     of the Wallowa Forest Service Compound; and
       (4) pay the reasonable administrative costs associated with 
     the conveyance.
       (e) Reversion.--In the quitclaim deed to the City, the 
     Secretary shall provide that the Wallowa Forest Service 
     Compound shall revert to the Secretary, at the election of 
     the Secretary, if any of the conditions under subsection (c) 
     or (d) are violated.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) and the gentleman from the Northern Mariana 
Islands (Mr. Sablan) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado.

                              {time}  1720


                             General Leave

  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Colorado?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  S. 271 authorizes the conveyance of just over an acre of Forest 
Service land to the city of Wallowa, Oregon. The city originally 
donated this parcel to the Forest Service in 1936 to allow the Agency 
to construct a ranger station and other facilities.
  The site was used for many decades, but now sits vacant. A local 
nonprofit organization has proposed developing the facilities as an 
interpretive site. S. 271 would allow the Forest Service to convey the 
land back to the city for such development.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. SABLAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, S. 271, introduced by Senators Ron Wyden and 
Jeff Merkley, transfers approximately 1 acre of land from the Wallowa 
National Forest to the City of Wallowa, Oregon. A local nonprofit 
organization will use the facility for local historical and cultural 
preservation, interpretation, and education. We do not object to this 
legislation.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my 
friend and colleague from Oregon (Mr. Walden).
  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who have brought this 
legislation forward as well. Again, this, like the prior bill, it's a 
partnership between Senator Wyden and myself, as we've worked together 
to resolve some of these land issues out in Oregon.
  This one's kind of interesting. In 1936, the City of Wallowa actually 
donated this parcel of land to the U.S. Forest Service, and what we're 
doing today is giving it back to the city. They had a Forest Service 
compound there for many years and then, at some point, probably 20, 30 
years ago, quit using it for that purpose and, basically, the buildings 
are in horrible disrepair.
  I was out there a few weeks ago and toured the compound site with 
Gwen Trice and some of the county officials and took a look at the 
facility as it is today and, literally, they've had water damage 
inside. One place the ceiling had caved in.
  But they have this plan. They have this plan to turn this into this 
interpretive site to honor and teach the history about Maxville, which 
was a railroad logging town that existed about 15 miles north of 
Wallowa.
  Now, what's interesting about this, the emergence of the Maxville 
project really reflects the local community's deep appreciation for the 
preservation of this unique history, and they want to use this facility 
and restore it to display photographs and really tell the story and 
bring students in to let them learn about Maxville heritage and what 
went on there.
  Now, the interpretive center seeks to gather, catalog, preserve, and 
interpret this rich history of the multicultural logging community of 
Maxville. Maxville itself operated until the early 1930s and was unique 
in that it included 50-or-so African Americans and their families and 
was home to the only segregated school in Oregon.
  Previous historic records only made small mention of these African 
Americans. But in the last 3 years, the Maxville heritage project has 
fostered a reawakening of the interest in this rich chapter of history 
through public lectures and school visits and Elderhostel lectures and 
stories that have run across the Nation now.
  With the groundswell of historic artifacts and stories emerging from 
descendents and those with relationships to people from Maxville, a 
large number of video image audio programs are being put together. So 
what we're doing here today allows this local-grown idea, this vision 
that Gwen Trice and her supporters have to be able to rehabilitate this 
compound, restore these beautiful buildings--once beautiful--they're in 
pretty bad disrepair now. She's got a job ahead of her.

[[Page H5439]]

  But it will help this small town in northeast Oregon add to its many 
attractions, natural and other, and tell this unique history about this 
special logging community that existed just north of Wallowa.
  So I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for once again, 
in a spirit of bipartisanship, actually solving some problems around 
here that matter to people back home.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, we have no objection to S. 271, and I have 
no further speakers.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAMBORN. I, too, yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 271.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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