[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H480-H481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONVEYANCE OF PLEASANT VALLEY RANGER DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE SITE TO
GILA COUNTY, ARIZONA
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 837) to require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the
Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County,
Arizona.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 837
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONVEYANCE OF PLEASANT VALLEY RANGER DISTRICT
ADMINISTRATIVE SITE TO GILA COUNTY, ARIZONA.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) County.--The term ``County'' means Gila County,
Arizona.
(2) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled
``Pleasant Valley Admin Site Proposal'' and dated September
23, 2021.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest
Service.
(b) Conveyance Required.--Subject to this section, if the
County submits to the Secretary a written request for
conveyance of the property described in subsection (c) not
later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Secretary shall convey to the County all right, title,
and interest of the United States in and to the property
described in subsection (c).
(c) Description of Property.--
(1) In general.--The property referred to in subsection (b)
is the parcel of real property, including all land and
improvements, generally depicted as ``Gila County Area'' on
the map, consisting of approximately 232.9 acres of National
Forest System land located in the Tonto National Forest in
Arizona.
(2) Map.--
(A) Minor errors.--The Secretary may correct minor errors
in the map.
(B) Availability.--A copy of the map shall be on file and
available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of
the Forest Service.
(3) Survey.--The exact acreage and legal description of the
National Forest System land to be conveyed under subsection
(b) shall be determined by a survey satisfactory to the
Secretary.
(d) Terms and Conditions.--The conveyance under subsection
(b) shall be--
(1) subject to valid existing rights;
(2) made without consideration;
(3) made by quitclaim deed; and
(4) subject to such other terms and conditions as the
Secretary considers to be appropriate to protect the
interests of the United States.
(e) Costs of Conveyance.--As a condition of the conveyance
under subsection (b), the County shall pay all costs
associated with the conveyance, including the cost of--
(1) a survey, if necessary, under subsection (c)(3);
(2) any environmental analysis or resource survey required
under Federal law; and
(3) any analysis required to comply with division A of
subtitle III of title 54, United States Code (commonly
referred to as the ``National Historic Preservation Act'').
(f) Environmental Conditions.--Notwithstanding section
120(h)(3)(A) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C.
9620(h)(3)(A)), the Secretary shall not be required to
provide any covenant or warranty for the land and
improvements conveyed to the County under subsection (b).
(g) Use of Land.--The land conveyed to the county under
subsection (b) shall be used by the County only for the
purposes of serving and supporting veterans of the Armed
Forces.
(h) Reversion.--If any land conveyed under subsection (b)
is used in a manner that is inconsistent with the
requirements of subsection (g), all right, title, and
interest in and to the land shall revert to the United
States, at the discretion of the Secretary.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentleman from California (Mr.
Huffman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.
General Leave
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 837, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 837, which is led by my
friend from Arizona, Representative Crane.
This is a good bill that would transfer land from the Forest Service
to create a retreat facility in Gila County, Arizona, for veterans and
their families. Over 5,000 veterans call Gila County home, and there
are over 500,000 veterans in all of Arizona.
Creating this facility will help the brave men and women who have
served our country find healing, reconnect with nature, and ease the
transition back to civilian life.
Nearly 60 percent of the land in Gila County is Federally owned,
which creates significant limitations on available land for commendable
efforts like the veterans' retreat center. The proposed location of
this new center is a Forest Service site that is scheduled to be torn
down.
This 232-acre site includes 17 buildings, 2 residences, 2 barracks, a
historic ranger house and barn, and helipads.
Gila County plans to remodel and renovate many of the buildings to
provide an excellent experience for veterans and their families.
Repurposing the site is a win-win, as it will be a great resource for
Arizona's veterans while freeing the Forest Service from maintaining
property it no longer needs.
I commend Representative Crane for his leadership on this effort on
behalf of his constituents. As a veteran himself, I know he understands
how important this center will be for his community. His diligent work
with Gila County and the Forest Service has led to this important
effort, which will make a meaningful difference in the lives of
Arizona's veterans.
Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation. My Democratic
colleagues and I agree that it is a good idea to authorize the
conveyance of the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site
to Gila County in Arizona.
However, I do want to talk about the broader context for this bill
because it
[[Page H481]]
was supposed to be considered today alongside a Democratic-led bill,
the National Museum of Play Recognition Act. It is about as innocuous
as it gets.
This is a bill that has a Republican co-lead. It would merely confer
the title of ``national'' to this museum in Rochester, New York, which
is a unique institution dedicated to the exploration of how play serves
to promote learning, creativity, discovery, and cultural history.
The bill wouldn't provide Federal funding or any other benefits that
my friends across the aisle could object to. I am talking about
conferring an honorary title on a children's museum. It has areas for
kids to play and imagine that they are in Sesame Street or the
Berenstain Bears books.
Unfortunately, House Republicans have pulled the bill from today's
agenda at the last minute because we are told that many Republicans
think the museum is too woke and too DEI. That is right. That is the
explanation we have been given for why the deal is off and the
Democratic bill can't be considered today.
I don't know the names of who made this decision or what specific
complaints are behind it, but I am guessing that some of my Republican
colleagues don't like the fact that the museum currently has a small
temporary exhibit called Black Doll Designers that lets visitors
``learn about the pivotal role that Black designers have played in
diversifying toy aisles.''
In September, the museum also posted on Instagram about Hispanic
Ballerina Barbie and how the My First Barbie line of dolls ``come in
various ethnicities and styles, encouraging inclusivity and diversity.
. . . ''
That doesn't strike me as controversial or offensive in any way, but
is that why we can't have a vote on this bill here today? Some
unidentified Republicans are triggered by that, by Hispanic Ballerina
Barbie, or are our Republican friends just taking their orders from the
far-right website Breitbart, which posted yesterday, attacking this
museum for its content and for offering what it called diversity and
inclusion internships. I guess those are dirty words these days.
That is how it works these days. Shortly after the Breitbart post
went up, this bill disappeared from the agenda. It was pulled. That is
how it works these days. Breitbart posts something. Congress reacts.
Elon Musk tweets. Republicans in Congress walk away from a bipartisan
budget deal.
Mr. Speaker, this is disgusting. Are my colleagues now puppets on a
string, something that maybe should be an exhibit in the play museum
that we are talking about here? It sure would seem so.
There is nothing more I can say. I believe this is disgusting. I will
save my comments about the remaining bill on today's agenda for later,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Crane), the lead sponsor of this bill about a veterans'
retreat center.
Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of my bill, which
passed the House last Congress and was the first piece of legislation I
introduced in my first term.
It is a testament to veterans in Arizona. Specifically, my bill would
enable Gila County, Arizona, to operate a veterans' center on 232 acres
in Young, Arizona.
As a former Navy Seal, I know the importance of providing this
resource cannot be understated. This legislation will serve our State
and its heroes well.
The veterans' center would protect and maintain the rich history of
the property while providing family housing, meeting and activity
spaces, resource rooms, veteran ceremonial grounds, and outdoor
recreation.
It would be the first of its kind in northern Arizona, providing
resources and support to primarily rural veterans and their families.
Furthermore, this legislation is an exemplary model of efficient land
management. Out West, the Federal Government retains vast amounts of
land, limiting States' ability to maintain, conserve, recreate, and
responsibly produce on lands within their own State.
{time} 1345
Mr. Speaker, anytime Congress can vote on legislation that returns
power to the States is a good thing.
In this case, veterans of northern Arizona will get a space to heal
and reconnect with their families after putting their lives on the line
for the peace and freedom of all Americans.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), who helped
lay the foundation for this effort, as well as Senator Kelly, who is
leading this bill in the Senate.
Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that we can get this bill across the
finish line, and I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I will close by saying I support this legislation. As we
have already heard, this is a property that is adjacent to the rural
town of Young, Arizona, surrounded by the Gila National Forest and
formerly a Forest Service office building and administrative site that
is no longer used by the agency.
This conveyance will provide Gila County with the opportunity to do
something productive and important with the property. It will establish
a veterans retreat and community center. That is a worthy goal. It will
support and uplift our deserving community of veterans in that
location, and the partnership made possible by this bill would provide
some new life to deteriorating buildings, barns, barracks, and existing
wastewater systems.
This is a bill that passed the House last Congress. It is unfortunate
that the Senate didn't take it up. Hopefully, this time around, they
will, and we can help fulfill Gila County's goal in creating what they
have described as ``the ultimate experience for veterans and their
families.'' We support all of that.
If this bill does become law, I hope our Federal Government will be
sufficiently staffed to carry it out. With furloughs, firings, and
attempts at encouraging early retirement, including a whole bunch of
lawless attempts that I wish my friends across the aisle were a little
more concerned about, we are already seeing basic government functions
at risk.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues across the aisle to tell their
friends in the White House to look before they leap and to stop
dismantling the offices that serve our constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I applaud Representative Crane for his
leadership in this effort. Representative Crane honorably and bravely
served our Nation, and now, he is providing exemplary service to his
constituents by championing this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 837.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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