The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“CONVEYANCE TO DOLORES, COLORADO, CURRENT SITE OF JOE ROWELL PARK” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H11847-H11848 on Nov. 13, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
CONVEYANCE TO DOLORES, COLORADO, CURRENT SITE OF JOE ROWELL PARK
Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1972) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the town of Dolores, Colorado, the current site of the Joe Rowell Park.
The Clerk read as follows:
S. 1972
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONVEYANCE OF JOE ROWELL PARK.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall convey to the town of Dolores, Colorado, for no consideration, all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the parcel of real property described in subsection (b), for open space, park, and recreational purposes.
(b) Description of Property.--
(1) In general.--The property referred to in subsection (a) is a parcel of approximately 25 acres of land comprising the site of the Joe Rowell Park (including all improvements on the land and equipment and other items of personal property as agreed to by the Secretary) depicted on the map entitled
``Joe Rowell Park,'' dated July 12, 2000.
(2) Survey.--
(A) In general.--The exact acreage and legal description of the property to be conveyed under subsection (a) shall be determined by a survey satisfactory to the Secretary.
(B) Cost.--As a condition of any conveyance under this section, the town of Dolores shall pay the cost of the survey.
(c) Possibility of Reverter.--Title to any real property acquired by the town of Dolores, Colorado, under this section shall revert to the United States if the town--
(1) attempts to convey or otherwise transfer ownership of any portion of the property to any other person;
(2) attempts to encumber the title of the property; or
(3) permits the use of any portion of the property for any purpose incompatible with the purpose described in subsection
(a) for which the property is conveyed.
(d) The map referenced in subsection (b)(1) shall be on file for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service at the Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands
(Mrs. Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle).
Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, S. 1972 was introduced by Senator Allard. This legislation would convey approximately 25 acres of Forest Service land to the town of Dolores, Colorado, for use as a park. The property has been used by the town of Dolores as a park under permit from the Forest Service.
Mr. Speaker, S. 1972 guarantees the reversion of the property back to the United States if the town attempts to transfer the title or permit the property to be used for any other purpose.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support S. 1972.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, S. 1972 directs the Forest Service to convey 25 acres of land to the town of Dolores, Colorado, for use as a local park. Dolores currently operates a park on those lands under a special-use permit. In addition, the lands are surrounded by town and private lands that are not contiguous to other national forestlands.
The bill does not require the town to compensate the Forest Service for the land, but the bill does provide that the lands must be used for a park, or they revert back to the Forest Service.
Mr. Speaker, we are generally reluctant to convey lands out of public ownership without payment of fair compensation. In this case, however, the administrative transfer to the town is consistent with its current uses and may facilitate improvements to the park facilities. Under these circumstances, we have no objection to the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote on this legislation.
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 California (Mr. Doolittle) that the House suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 1972.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. 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 and the Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________
