[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2259]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO REMOVE THE RESTRICTIONS ON CERTAIN LAND 
               TRANSFERRED TO ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VIRGINIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 7, 2017

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation to 
remove deed use restrictions on one acre of property used for the 
Plains Area Day Care Center in Broadway, Virginia. For over 25 years, 
the Plains Area Day Care Center has utilized this land to provide 
childcare on a sliding scale to many families who otherwise could not 
afford such a benefit.
  In 1989, the federal government deeded, with restriction, three acres 
of land to Rockingham County, a county in the Sixth Congressional 
District of Virginia, which I represent. The government transferred 
this land to the county on the condition that this property be used for 
public purposes. Rockingham County then decided that the non-profit day 
care center could benefit from the use of the old buildings already 
housed on the land. Therefore, in 1990, Congress enacted Public Law 
101-479, which allowed a specified portion of the three acres of the 
transferred land to be used for a child care center.
  Donations by the community totaling $75,000 turned the garage 
building into a nursery, daycare, and afterschool care facility. 
Additionally, the creation of the day care center provided for the 
construction of a playground that the center supports, which is open 
for public use. As one would imagine, after two decades of consistent 
use, the day care facility is in desperate need of repairs. 
Unfortunately, because of the narrow way Public Law 101-479 was drafted 
and because of the terms of the deed, the day care center has been 
unable to secure a loan to complete the much-needed renovations.
  To solve this issue, my legislation would remove the deed use 
restrictions from the one acre of property on which the building 
resides. This would allow the day care center and Rockingham County to 
make needed upgrades. This legislation, which was approved by the House 
of Representatives by a vote of 407-0 in the 114th Congress as H.R. 
2288, is a simple formality. However, it is of great importance to 
those being served by this day care center in the Rockingham County 
community.
  By passing this legislation and allowing Rockingham County more 
authority over the land, it will ensure that more children and more of 
the community will be served by this land. I urge my colleagues to 
support this bipartisan legislation in the 115th Congress.

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