On the recordMay 16, 2016
For the record, this is the same bill that has passed this House twice unanimously. It was over in the Senate, and they sent it back to us. It is a very simple bill that would direct the General Services Administration, on behalf of the National Archives, to convey property to Alaska, to the city of Anchorage. I am pleased that the sponsor of the House companion bill, as I mentioned before, has been passed by the House twice and has now been sent back to my senator, Senator Dan Sullivan. The National Archives has determined that it no longer needs the property and wants to sell it as part of its efforts to shrink its real estate footprint and reduce the costs to the taxpayer. The bill will require fair market value for the property based on an independent appraisal. The proceeds will be deposited into the Treasury and will be used for deficit reduction. This bill is in line with what we have been urging all Federal agencies to do--consolidate and reduce their space and sell unneeded properties. The municipality of Anchorage requested this land be made available, and the city council passed a resolution that thanks the delegation for supporting this legislation. I am very excited to get this land into the hands of the municipality of Anchorage for development purposes. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
