A bill to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to convey property of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the City of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 363) to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to convey property of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the City of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, S. 363, introduced by Senator Wicker from Mississippi, would authorize the Secretary of Commerce to convey less than 1 acre of property owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association to the City of Pascagoula, Mississippi.

This would improve the operations of the NOAA science center and give the city river access and space for a park.

The bill specifies that a land conveyance could occur provided that the United States receives at least the fair market value for the property or in-kind exchange. The city and the agency have identified properties to exchange, and therefore, both parties are in agreement. S. 363 would simply allow them to go forward with this land exchange, so I urge its adoption.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Many years ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fenced off two small parcels of land plus a portion of a street outside of their Pascagoula, Mississippi, facility for security purposes. Recently, NOAA has been using this property for storage and parking. NOAA would like to secure this land, which is now back under the ownership of the City of Pascagoula, to accommodate the storage and future expansion of their facility.

In exchange for these two parcels of land, NOAA proposes to transfer real estate to the City of Pascagoula to develop waterfront property for the purposes of creating a public green space as part of the overall redevelopment plan in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. NOAA and the city have both identified the parcels of land to be considered for this transaction, and NOAA is prepared to contract for the land surveys and appraisals necessary to prepare the acquisition and disposal documents. They have both expressed written support for this land exchange.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 226, S. 363.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Wicker amendment at the desk be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.