[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 144 (Monday, September 14, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H5544-H5545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      LAND CONVEYANCE, FORT BRAGG, HARNETT COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

  Mr. HARRIGAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 10159) to authorize the Secretary of the Army to convey to 
the State of North Carolina a certain parcel of real property located 
at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on which the State shall construct a 
veterans' State home, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 10159

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. LAND CONVEYANCE, FORT BRAGG, HARNETT COUNTY, NORTH 
                   CAROLINA.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Army (in this section 
     referred to as the ``Secretary'') may convey, without 
     consideration, to the State of North Carolina all right, 
     title, and interest of the United States in and to the parcel 
     of real property described in subsection (b), including any 
     improvements thereon, for the purpose of constructing a State 
     home under the jurisdiction of the North Carolina Department 
     of Military and Veterans Affairs.
       (b) Property Described.--
       (1) In general.--The property to be conveyed under this 
     section consists of approximately 20 acres of land situated 
     on Fort Bragg Training Area in Harnett County, North Carolina 
     (commonly referred to as Parcel 3B).
       (2) Survey.--The exact acreage and legal description of the 
     parcel described in paragraph (1) shall be determined by a 
     survey satisfactory to the Secretary.
       (c) Payment of Costs of Conveyance.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall require the State of 
     North Carolina to cover all costs to be incurred by the 
     Secretary, or to reimburse the Secretary for costs incurred 
     by the Secretary, to carry out the conveyance under 
     subsection (a), including costs for environmental and real 
     estate due diligence and any other administrative costs 
     related to the conveyance.
       (2) Refund of excess amounts.--If amounts are collected 
     from the State under paragraph (1) in advance of the 
     Secretary incurring the actual costs, and the amount 
     collected exceeds the costs actually incurred by the 
     Secretary to carry out the conveyance under subsection (a), 
     the Secretary shall refund the excess amount to the State.
       (d) Reversionary Interest.--If the Secretary determines at 
     any time that the property conveyed under subsection (a) is 
     not being used for activities related to a State home, all 
     right, title, and interest in and to the property, including 
     any improvements thereto, may, at the option of the 
     Secretary, revert to and become the property of the United 
     States, and the United States may have the right of immediate 
     entry onto such property.
       (e) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary may 
     require such additional terms and conditions in connection 
     with the conveyance under subsection (a) as the Secretary 
     considers appropriate to protect the interests of the United 
     States.
       (f) State Home Defined.--In this section, the term ``State 
     home'' has the meaning given such term in section 101 of 
     title 38, United States Code.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Harrigan) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. 
Bell) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HARRIGAN. 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.

[[Page H5545]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HARRIGAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, what does it say about our priorities if North Carolina 
has the land to train our soldiers for war but not the space to care 
for them when they grow old? That is the problem H.R. 10159 helps 
solve, and it is why I am proud to cosponsor this bill.
  North Carolina is home to more than 600,000 veterans, but today the 
150-bed Fayetteville State Veterans Home is closed after serious 
structural problems forced every resident out. The building has closed. 
The need that it served has not changed.
  Just a few miles away at Fort Bragg, there are approximately 20 acres 
that can give that new home a place to be built.
  I know Fort Bragg well. I trained there as a Green Beret and deployed 
from there to Afghanistan. The men I served alongside are veterans now. 
So am I. The 20-year-old soldier eventually becomes the 70-year-old 
veteran. The country that needed him at 20 still has a responsibility 
to him at 70.
  Fort Bragg has spent generations preparing Americans for service. 
Now, we have an opportunity to use a small part of it to care for them 
after that service is over.
  Give North Carolina the land. Let us build the home, and let us take 
care of the people who spent their lives taking care of our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BELL. Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. HARRIGAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Hudson).
  Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 10159, a 
bipartisan bill to transfer land from Fort Bragg to the State of North 
Carolina so that a new State veterans home can be built. I urge the 
House to pass this bill.
  As Fort Bragg's Congressman, there is no issue more important to me 
than taking care of our Active-Duty servicemembers, their families, and 
our veterans.
  North Carolina is home to many important military installations, 
including what we like to call the center of the universe at Fort 
Bragg.
  North Carolina is also home to the fastest growing veteran population 
in the Nation. Sadly, our State experiences a gap in veteran services 
that we must address.
  In 2024, the State veterans home in Fayetteville abruptly closed 
leading to the displacement of 85 veterans, including many with 
dementia and other disabilities. These heroes have since been dispersed 
across the State, far from their families, and in some cases without 
access to proper medical care. H.R. 10159 is the first step in the 
construction of a new veterans home just outside the gates of Fort 
Bragg.
  This transfer of only 20 acres to the State of North Carolina will 
allow the State to begin permitting the construction process for this 
new home in a timely manner. Our veterans cannot and they should not 
wait any longer.
  I am touched by the level of bipartisan support we have for the 
construction of this VA home both down in the State as well as here in 
Washington. I thank my fellow members of the North Carolina delegation, 
both Democrats and Republicans who have all cosponsored this 
legislation. I thank Mr. Bell for his support today. I also thank 
Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith for their support. I thank our 
Governor, and I thank our partners in the North Carolina Department of 
Military and Veterans Affairs, led by our great Secretary Jocelyn 
Mallette, for their efforts. I thank them for working with us on this 
vital legislation.
  As Fort Bragg's Congressman, I am proud to lead this legislation, and 
I ask my colleagues to support its passage.
  While we are here, I urge our colleagues on the other side of the 
Capitol, in the Senate, to please take up this vital legislation as 
soon as possible.
  Again, our veterans have been waiting a long time. This is the first 
step to end that wait. I thank my colleagues, both Democrats and 
Republicans, for working together to make this happen.
  Mr. BELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HARRIGAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the benefits of sitting on the House Committee on 
Armed Services is that we have a lengthy legislative streak of enacting 
the National Defense Authorization Act. It is a bill that sets the 
policies for the national security of our Nation.
  I will provide some assurance to the sponsoring Member that I will 
work diligently to have this provision incorporated into the conference 
discussions of the National Defense Authorization Act that I hope will 
be finalized this Congress.
  In summary, this is a strong bipartisan bill that is worthy of being 
enacted. The Army supports this bill, and it is the minimum support 
that we can provide to support the veterans who have labored so hard 
for our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harrigan) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 10159.
  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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