[House Report 115-124]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
115th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 115-124
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REMOVING OUTDATED RESTRICTIONS TO ALLOW FOR JOB GROWTH ACT
_______
May 16, 2017.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Conaway, from the Committee on Agriculture, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1177]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Agriculture, to whom was referred 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, having considered
the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and
recommend that the bill do pass.
Brief Explanation
The Removing Outdated Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth
Act, H.R. 1177, directs 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.
Purpose and Need for Legislation
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 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.
The committee believes H.R. 1177 will allow economic
development in Old Town to move forward, creating 175 much-
needed jobs. This legislation will provide certainty to private
investors in the community and help the local economy thrive.
Section-by-Section Analysis of Legislation
Section 1. Short title
Section 1 of the bill designates the title of the bill as
the ``Removing Outdated Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth
Act.''
Section 2. Release of reversionary interest
Section 2 of the bill allows the land conveyed from the
United States to the City of Old Town, Maine, under section
32(c) of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act to be released from
the deed restriction if the city makes a written request to the
Secretary of Agriculture.
Upon receipt of such a request, the bill directs the
Secretary to release, convey, and quitclaim, without monetary
consideration, all rights, title and interest in the land
specified.
The intent of the Committee is for Section 2 to release the
land in question from a deed restriction prohibiting economic
development and allow the City of Old Town, Maine to move
forward with development plans that will create 175 new jobs.
Committee Consideration
I. HEARINGS
No hearings were held by the Committee on the Removing
Outdated Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth Act.
II. FULL COMMITTEE
The Committee on Agriculture met, pursuant to notice, with
a quorum present, on May 3, 2017, to consider H.R. 1177,
Removing Outdated Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth Act.
H.R. 1177 was placed before the Committee for
consideration. Without objection, a first reading of the bill
was waived, and it was open to amendment at any point.
Chairman Conaway and Mr. Peterson were recognized for
statements. Chairman Conaway then recognized Mr. Peterson to
offer a motion that the bill H.R. 1177 be reported favorably to
the House with recommendation that it do pass. The motion was
subsequently approved by voice vote.
Chairman Conaway advised Members that pursuant to the rules
of the House of Representatives Members had until May 5, 2017,
to file any supplemental, minority, additional, or dissenting
views with the Committee.
Without objection, staff was given permission to make any
necessary clerical, technical or conforming changes to reflect
the intent of the Committee. Chairman Conaway thanked all the
Members and adjourned the meeting.
Committee Votes
In compliance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the House of
Representatives, H.R. 1177 was reported by voice vote with a
majority quorum present. There was no request for a recorded
vote.
Committee Oversight Findings
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the Committee on Agriculture's
oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the
body of this report.
Budget Act Compliance (Sections 308, 402, and 423)
The provisions of clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives and section 308(a)(1) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (relating to estimates of new
budget authority, new spending authority, new credit authority,
or increased or decreased revenues or tax expenditures) are not
considered applicable. The estimate and comparison required to
be prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office
under clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives and sections 402 and 423 of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974 submitted to the Committee prior to the
filing of this report are as follows:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, May 9, 2017.
Hon. K. Michael Conaway,
Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1177, the Removing
Outdated Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Jeff LaFave.
Sincerely,
Keith Hall.
Enclosure.
H.R. 1177--Removing Outdated Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth Act
H.R. 1177 would remove a deed restriction from certain
lands previously conveyed to the city of Old Town, Maine. Under
current law, the affected lands can only be used for public
purposes. The bill would allow the city to dispose of some of
the affected lands to allow for the development of private
businesses.
Based on information provided by the Forest Service, CBO
estimates that implementing H.R. 1177 would have no effect on
the federal budget. Enacting the bill would not affect direct
spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do
not apply.
CBO also estimates that enacting the legislation would not
increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of
the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
H.R. 1177 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave.
This estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
Performance Goals and Objectives
H.R. 1177 does not authorize funding, therefore, clause
3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives is inapplicable.
Committee Cost Estimate
Pursuant to clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the Committee report incorporates the
cost estimate prepared by the Director of the Congressional
Budget Office pursuant to sections 402 and 423 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
Advisory Committee Statement
No advisory committee within the meaning of section 5(b) of
the Federal Advisory Committee Act was created by this
legislation.
Applicability to the Legislative Branch
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law
104-1).
Federal Mandates Statement
The Committee adopted as its own the estimate of Federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act (Public Law 104-4).
Earmark Statement Required by Clause 9 of Rule XXI of the Rules of the
House of Representatives
H.R. 1177 does not contain any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in
clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of the
House of Representatives.
Duplication of Federal Programs
This bill does not establish or reauthorize a program of
the Federal Government known to be duplicative of another
Federal program, a program that was included in any report from
the Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to
section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program related to a
program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance.
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings
The Committee does not believe that the legislation directs
an executive branch official to conduct any specific rule
making proceedings within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. 551.
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