[Pages H480-H481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONVEYANCE OF PLEASANT VALLEY RANGER DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE SITE TO 
                          GILA COUNTY, ARIZONA

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 837) to require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the 
Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County, 
Arizona.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 837

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CONVEYANCE OF PLEASANT VALLEY RANGER DISTRICT 
                   ADMINISTRATIVE SITE TO GILA COUNTY, ARIZONA.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) County.--The term ``County'' means Gila County, 
     Arizona.
       (2) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled 
     ``Pleasant Valley Admin Site Proposal'' and dated September 
     23, 2021.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest 
     Service.
       (b) Conveyance Required.--Subject to this section, if the 
     County submits to the Secretary a written request for 
     conveyance of the property described in subsection (c) not 
     later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
     the Secretary shall convey to the County all right, title, 
     and interest of the United States in and to the property 
     described in subsection (c).
       (c) Description of Property.--
       (1) In general.--The property referred to in subsection (b) 
     is the parcel of real property, including all land and 
     improvements, generally depicted as ``Gila County Area'' on 
     the map, consisting of approximately 232.9 acres of National 
     Forest System land located in the Tonto National Forest in 
     Arizona.
       (2) Map.--
       (A) Minor errors.--The Secretary may correct minor errors 
     in the map.
       (B) Availability.--A copy of the map shall be on file and 
     available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of 
     the Forest Service.
       (3) Survey.--The exact acreage and legal description of the 
     National Forest System land to be conveyed under subsection 
     (b) shall be determined by a survey satisfactory to the 
     Secretary.
       (d) Terms and Conditions.--The conveyance under subsection 
     (b) shall be--
       (1) subject to valid existing rights;
       (2) made without consideration;
       (3) made by quitclaim deed; and
       (4) subject to such other terms and conditions as the 
     Secretary considers to be appropriate to protect the 
     interests of the United States.
       (e) Costs of Conveyance.--As a condition of the conveyance 
     under subsection (b), the County shall pay all costs 
     associated with the conveyance, including the cost of--
       (1) a survey, if necessary, under subsection (c)(3);
       (2) any environmental analysis or resource survey required 
     under Federal law; and
       (3) any analysis required to comply with division A of 
     subtitle III of title 54, United States Code (commonly 
     referred to as the ``National Historic Preservation Act'').
       (f) Environmental Conditions.--Notwithstanding section 
     120(h)(3)(A) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
     Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 
     9620(h)(3)(A)), the Secretary shall not be required to 
     provide any covenant or warranty for the land and 
     improvements conveyed to the County under subsection (b).
       (g) Use of Land.--The land conveyed to the county under 
     subsection (b) shall be used by the County only for the 
     purposes of serving and supporting veterans of the Armed 
     Forces.
       (h) Reversion.--If any land conveyed under subsection (b) 
     is used in a manner that is inconsistent with the 
     requirements of subsection (g), all right, title, and 
     interest in and to the land shall revert to the United 
     States, at the discretion of the Secretary.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Huffman) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 837, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arkansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 837, which is led by my 
friend from Arizona, Representative Crane.
  This is a good bill that would transfer land from the Forest Service 
to create a retreat facility in Gila County, Arizona, for veterans and 
their families. Over 5,000 veterans call Gila County home, and there 
are over 500,000 veterans in all of Arizona.
  Creating this facility will help the brave men and women who have 
served our country find healing, reconnect with nature, and ease the 
transition back to civilian life.
  Nearly 60 percent of the land in Gila County is Federally owned, 
which creates significant limitations on available land for commendable 
efforts like the veterans' retreat center. The proposed location of 
this new center is a Forest Service site that is scheduled to be torn 
down.
  This 232-acre site includes 17 buildings, 2 residences, 2 barracks, a 
historic ranger house and barn, and helipads.
  Gila County plans to remodel and renovate many of the buildings to 
provide an excellent experience for veterans and their families. 
Repurposing the site is a win-win, as it will be a great resource for 
Arizona's veterans while freeing the Forest Service from maintaining 
property it no longer needs.
  I commend Representative Crane for his leadership on this effort on 
behalf of his constituents. As a veteran himself, I know he understands 
how important this center will be for his community. His diligent work 
with Gila County and the Forest Service has led to this important 
effort, which will make a meaningful difference in the lives of 
Arizona's veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation. My Democratic 
colleagues and I agree that it is a good idea to authorize the 
conveyance of the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site 
to Gila County in Arizona.
  However, I do want to talk about the broader context for this bill 
because it

[[Page H481]]

was supposed to be considered today alongside a Democratic-led bill, 
the National Museum of Play Recognition Act. It is about as innocuous 
as it gets.
  This is a bill that has a Republican co-lead. It would merely confer 
the title of ``national'' to this museum in Rochester, New York, which 
is a unique institution dedicated to the exploration of how play serves 
to promote learning, creativity, discovery, and cultural history.
  The bill wouldn't provide Federal funding or any other benefits that 
my friends across the aisle could object to. I am talking about 
conferring an honorary title on a children's museum. It has areas for 
kids to play and imagine that they are in Sesame Street or the 
Berenstain Bears books.
  Unfortunately, House Republicans have pulled the bill from today's 
agenda at the last minute because we are told that many Republicans 
think the museum is too woke and too DEI. That is right. That is the 
explanation we have been given for why the deal is off and the 
Democratic bill can't be considered today.
  I don't know the names of who made this decision or what specific 
complaints are behind it, but I am guessing that some of my Republican 
colleagues don't like the fact that the museum currently has a small 
temporary exhibit called Black Doll Designers that lets visitors 
``learn about the pivotal role that Black designers have played in 
diversifying toy aisles.''
  In September, the museum also posted on Instagram about Hispanic 
Ballerina Barbie and how the My First Barbie line of dolls ``come in 
various ethnicities and styles, encouraging inclusivity and diversity. 
. . . ''
  That doesn't strike me as controversial or offensive in any way, but 
is that why we can't have a vote on this bill here today? Some 
unidentified Republicans are triggered by that, by Hispanic Ballerina 
Barbie, or are our Republican friends just taking their orders from the 
far-right website Breitbart, which posted yesterday, attacking this 
museum for its content and for offering what it called diversity and 
inclusion internships. I guess those are dirty words these days.

  That is how it works these days. Shortly after the Breitbart post 
went up, this bill disappeared from the agenda. It was pulled. That is 
how it works these days. Breitbart posts something. Congress reacts. 
Elon Musk tweets. Republicans in Congress walk away from a bipartisan 
budget deal.
  Mr. Speaker, this is disgusting. Are my colleagues now puppets on a 
string, something that maybe should be an exhibit in the play museum 
that we are talking about here? It sure would seem so.
  There is nothing more I can say. I believe this is disgusting. I will 
save my comments about the remaining bill on today's agenda for later, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Crane), the lead sponsor of this bill about a veterans' 
retreat center.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of my bill, which 
passed the House last Congress and was the first piece of legislation I 
introduced in my first term.
  It is a testament to veterans in Arizona. Specifically, my bill would 
enable Gila County, Arizona, to operate a veterans' center on 232 acres 
in Young, Arizona.
  As a former Navy Seal, I know the importance of providing this 
resource cannot be understated. This legislation will serve our State 
and its heroes well.
  The veterans' center would protect and maintain the rich history of 
the property while providing family housing, meeting and activity 
spaces, resource rooms, veteran ceremonial grounds, and outdoor 
recreation.
  It would be the first of its kind in northern Arizona, providing 
resources and support to primarily rural veterans and their families.
  Furthermore, this legislation is an exemplary model of efficient land 
management. Out West, the Federal Government retains vast amounts of 
land, limiting States' ability to maintain, conserve, recreate, and 
responsibly produce on lands within their own State.

                              {time}  1345

  Mr. Speaker, anytime Congress can vote on legislation that returns 
power to the States is a good thing.
  In this case, veterans of northern Arizona will get a space to heal 
and reconnect with their families after putting their lives on the line 
for the peace and freedom of all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), who helped 
lay the foundation for this effort, as well as Senator Kelly, who is 
leading this bill in the Senate.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that we can get this bill across the 
finish line, and I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I will close by saying I support this legislation. As we 
have already heard, this is a property that is adjacent to the rural 
town of Young, Arizona, surrounded by the Gila National Forest and 
formerly a Forest Service office building and administrative site that 
is no longer used by the agency.
  This conveyance will provide Gila County with the opportunity to do 
something productive and important with the property. It will establish 
a veterans retreat and community center. That is a worthy goal. It will 
support and uplift our deserving community of veterans in that 
location, and the partnership made possible by this bill would provide 
some new life to deteriorating buildings, barns, barracks, and existing 
wastewater systems.
  This is a bill that passed the House last Congress. It is unfortunate 
that the Senate didn't take it up. Hopefully, this time around, they 
will, and we can help fulfill Gila County's goal in creating what they 
have described as ``the ultimate experience for veterans and their 
families.'' We support all of that.
  If this bill does become law, I hope our Federal Government will be 
sufficiently staffed to carry it out. With furloughs, firings, and 
attempts at encouraging early retirement, including a whole bunch of 
lawless attempts that I wish my friends across the aisle were a little 
more concerned about, we are already seeing basic government functions 
at risk.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues across the aisle to tell their 
friends in the White House to look before they leap and to stop 
dismantling the offices that serve our constituents.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I applaud Representative Crane for his 
leadership in this effort. Representative Crane honorably and bravely 
served our Nation, and now, he is providing exemplary service to his 
constituents by championing this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 837.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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