[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 17, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4273-H4274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1600
       REMOVING OUTDATED RESTRICTIONS TO ALLOW FOR JOB GROWTH ACT

  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1177) to direct the Secretary of 
Agriculture to release on behalf of the United States the condition 
that certain lands conveyed to the City of Old Town, Maine, be used for 
a municipal airport, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1177

       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       This Act may be cited as the ``Removing Outdated 
     Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth Act''.

     SEC. 2. RELEASE OF REVERSIONARY INTEREST.

       (a) Release.--Notwithstanding section 32(c) of the 
     Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1011(c)), if the 
     City of Old Town, Maine, makes a written request to the 
     Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary shall release, 
     convey, and quitclaim, without monetary consideration, all 
     rights, title, and interest of the United States in and to 
     the lands specified in subsection (b).
       (b) Lands Specified.--The lands subject to subsection (a) 
     include only the lands--
       (1) conveyed by the United States to the City of Old Town, 
     Maine, under section 32(c) of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant 
     Act (7 U.S.C. 1011(c)) by the deed dated June 5, 1941;
       (2) proposed for conveyance by the City of Old Town, Maine, 
     for the purpose of economic development; and
       (3) described in the written request submitted by the City 
     of Old Town, Maine, to the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant 
     to subsection (a).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. 
Peterson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which 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 Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1177, Removing Outdated 
Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth Act.
  In the early 1980s, the city of Old Town, Maine, purchased land from 
the Federal Government to be part of the Old Town airport. The deed 
included a use restriction, as required by a 1941 amendment to the 
Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act of 1937, limiting use of the land to a 
municipal airport or other public use.
  Old Town has invested heavily in this land in order to attract 
businesses, but the outdated deed restriction needs to be lifted before 
further economic development can occur.
  H.R. 1177 provides for the removal of the deed restriction on the 
parcel of land around the Old Town airport to allow for business 
development. The bill allows the City of Old Town to send a letter to 
the Secretary of Agriculture detailing which lands it would like 
released from the deed restriction and directs the Secretary to release 
that land to the city of Old Town.
  Passage of this commonsense provision will allow economic development 
in Old Town to move forward, creating as many as 200 much-needed jobs. 
This legislation will provide certainty to private investors in the 
community and help the local economy thrive.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin) for 
addressing this issue, and our chairman on the

[[Page H4274]]

House Agriculture Committee, Chairman Conaway, for moving this bill 
forward.
  This is a good government bill that eliminates red tape to unleash 
private investment. At a time when rural America is struggling--it is 
people like Representative Poliquin and all of us--we must do all we 
can to encourage growth and development in rural communities, many that 
we all serve, but also the one that Representative Poliquin serves in 
Old Town, Maine. I urge all of my colleagues to support this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1177 is a bill that will allow the city of Old 
Town, Maine, to move forward with economic development plans that have 
been hampered by Federal red tape. H.R. 1177 removes the current deed 
restriction on the land surrounding the Old Town airport. This will 
allow the city to implement economic development initiatives that will 
create jobs and spur economic activity in the area.
  As a pilot, I am glad to see that the airport will not be impacted by 
this change and will continue to meet the region's air transportation 
needs. Again, H.R. 1177 is common sense, reasonable legislation. I urge 
my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Peterson) for supporting this legislation.
  I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin), who 
actually was the one who brought this bill to the attention of the 
House Agriculture Committee and to the floor here today. It is his hard 
work, and there are not many in this institution who work harder than 
Representative Poliquin in addressing the needs of rural America.
  Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for 
those kind remarks.
  I am so proud to represent the most honest and hardworking Americans 
you can find anywhere. Maine's Second Congressional District is, if not 
the largest, the second largest congressional district east of the 
Mississippi River. It is about an 8-hour drive from Fryeburg to 
Madawaska, and you are going to spend about half your time dodging 
moose and other critters on the road. We are tough, we are rugged, but 
we need jobs. We need jobs.
  We have had a situation in our State for the past 30 years where many 
of our paper mills and sawmills and textile mills and leather tanneries 
have closed. We have a handful left. And right smack in the middle of 
our State is the great city of Old Town, Maine, just a little bit north 
of Bangor. Old Town has also suffered the closure of a significant 
mill--or two, actually.
  Ron Harriman, who is the economic development director of Old Town, 
reached out to our office and said: Bruce, we have a problem here. We 
have a terrific piece of property surrounding our airport. We have gone 
through extensive work and cost to the town to extend utilities to this 
piece of land. But lo and behold, there is a Federal deed restriction 
on that land that dates back decades that doesn't allow us to sell the 
land and develop it for more jobs.
  I don't doubt at the time, Mr. Speaker, that the Federal Government 
that was buying up local property across the country, reclaiming it and 
turning it into agricultural land, I don't question the purpose of that 
and the good intentions of that; but that was a long time ago.
  We now have a situation where the city of Old Town needs to be able 
to sell this property in order to attract other investment and other 
jobs to help our families in central Maine. Removing this deed 
restriction will allow that to happen.
  I am asking everybody in this Chamber, Republicans and Democrats--and 
I thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson)--please support 
H.R. 1177. There are many times, Mr. Speaker, when all the government 
needs to do is get out of the way. This is one example. Let the Federal 
Government get out of the way. We know how to create jobs in the State 
of Maine. Let's remove this red tape. Let's let this land be sold for 
folks who want to create jobs. I would be very grateful for everybody 
in this Chamber to support H.R. 1177 and let the people of central 
Maine live better lives with more jobs and more freedom.
  Mr. PETERSON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to 
support passage of this commonsense legislation, H.R. 1177.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1177.
  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. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas 
and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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