On the recordMay 23, 2018
I thank the gentleman for raising this issue. As the gentleman and I have discussed, there are significant hurdles to legislating land transfers of the Department of Defense. Among the issues that must be addressed are: What and where is the property in question? Who is the intended recipient? Are there multiple parties who are also interested in acquiring this property? Are there ongoing legal proceedings related to the property? Are there cleanup costs and liabilities associated with the property? Have the interested parties met with the Department of Defense, and if so, with whom? Does the Department support conveying the property, and do they have a continuing need for it? If supported, why can't the Department dispose of the property through its surplus/excess process? What are the proposed reuses of the property? Are there any earmark issues--no-cost conveyances to private entities or for economic development can be subject to points of order. Has CBO been consulted for any mandatory scoring implications? And, if outside committees have equities, have they been consulted for approval or concerns? I will be happy to continue working with the gentleman moving forward, but I would ask that he and any other Member looking at land transfers take these factors into account and give all relevant committees plenty of time and opportunity to vet their proposal.
