On the recordJune 26, 2012
I have only brief remarks because I want to associate myself with the remarks of the gentleman from Texas and the gentleman from Missouri and to thank them for bringing this bill forward. Special thanks are due to Chairman Darrel Issa and Ranking Member Cummings for their considerable assistance on this bill, and for two other good friends, Representative Gowdy, the chairman of the subcommittee, and Representative Davis, ranking member of the subcommittee. The bill essentially incorporates technical changes for land that has been owned for almost 50 years by the District of Columbia, but land transferred in bills during the so-called pre-Home Rule period often contained language that is obsolete today and prevents the highest and best use. Last Congress, the smaller part of this bill, the Washington Channel bill, was passed unanimously in committee and on the House floor. The channel part of the bill had to be updated because the channel was established in the 1800s, when the District of Columbia was a major port. This section allows the District now to use the waterfront for today's boating and other water activities. All the relevant agencies--and I appreciate the work of the Coast Guard and the Navy--have signed off on this bill.…
