Asa Hutchinson: “I want to note the support of the Department of Defense for the basic concept articulated by the gentleman from Alabama.…”

“I want to note the support of the Department of Defense for the basic concept articulated by the gentleman from Alabama. Current law compels the Department of Defense to maintain these properties at enormous cost while expending considerable resources to negotiate acceptable purchase prices. In my hometown of Fort Smith, Arkansas, the former army installation of Fort Chaffee was closed in 1995. Lately, the local redevelopment authority has been working diligently with the DOD to negotiate an acceptable purchase price. However, it is now clear that if the property is transferred at current market value, the purchase price will exceed the expected revenues generated from redevelopment. A number of unique characteristics of the property make redevelopment a costly endeavor. There is little incentive to pursue a redevelopment plan if the public trust is unable to recoup the cost of purchasing the property. Mr. Chairman, I had intended to offer an amendment similar to that proposed by the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Riley), but I understand the concerns expressed by the chairman of the subcommittee that his subcommittee has not had adequate time. So I hope we can move forward and resolve this issue promptly and look forward to working with the chairman.”