[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REMOVING OUTDATED RESTRICTIONS TO ALLOW FOR JOB GROWTH ACT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This Act may be cited as the ``Removing Outdated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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