Albuquerque, New Mexico, Federal Land Conveyance Act of 2014

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues from Indiana and Pennsylvania very much for their support on this bill.

I rise today, of course, in support of my bill, H.R. 3998, which would direct, as you have heard, the General Services Administration to sell, for fair market value, the historic post office building in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the Amy Biehl High School Foundation.

As you have also heard, the charter school is named after a young Fulbright Scholar from Santa Fe who was, in fact, tragically killed in South Africa in 1993 while working to end apartheid.

The high school is located in the heart of downtown Albuquerque. It is a few blocks away from a public library, a historical city theater, and a robust transportation center.

Fifty-five percent of the students receive free or reduced lunch, 64 percent of the students will be the first generation to attend college, and 70 percent of the students represent minority families in New Mexico. In fact, this school primarily serves at-risk youth.

The school's central location ensures that all of the students have access to transportation and allows the school to partner with nearby businesses and nonprofits to collaborate on community projects.

The Amy Biehl High School holds an impressive track record, with 99 percent of its graduates enrolling directly into college, and has been a recipient of several awards.

In 2000, the school was designated as one of 20 Mentor Schools in the Nation by the Coalition of Essential Schools. In 2006, the high school also won the National Trust for Historic Preservation Award.

The school has leased the old post office at the corner of Fourth and Gold in downtown and has held the lease from GSA since 2006. Currently, this lease is for a term of 60 years. The building was built in 1908 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties.

The Amy Biehl High School moved into the old post office, which sat unoccupied for 6 years, and they were able to raise and invest more than $3 million in Federal, State, and private funds to renovate and restore the building for use as a school.

Selling the building to the high school provides the school with greater autonomy. It opens the door to capital campaigns and creates a permanent home for the school and the students.

The Amy Biehl High School Foundation and the GSA have determined that transferring ownership of the building is, in fact, in the best interest of both entities, the Federal Government and the school.

I would like to thank Senator Tom Udall for working with me on this bill, and I ask my colleagues to support this legislation that will help the Amy Biehl High School continue to provide Albuquerque students with a first-rate education, while also preserving a historic piece of downtown Albuquerque.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Michael May, an outstanding leader and educator in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for his time as Executive Director for Amy Biehl High School (ABHS).

Founded in 1999, by public school teachers Tony Monfiletto and Tom Siegel, ABHS fundamentally changed the idea of what a high school can contribute to the students it educates. The founders envisioned a school that not only prepared students for college, but held itself accountable for a student's success after graduation. It is no coincidence that during Mike's tenure, nearly 100 percent of ABHS students attended college and 86 percent of those students graduated with a Bachelor's degree.

More than that, Mike has inspired students to strive for academic excellence while fulfilling their commitment to the community at large. On March 18, 2014, I visited the school to recognize and congratulate the students for their achievement of 65,000 hours of community service to over 140 non-profit organizations. And on June 17, 2014, after working closely with Mike, I introduced and the House of Representatives passed the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Federal Land Conveyance Act of 2014 (H.R. 3998), which allows ABHS to obtain ownership of the Old Federal Court House and Post Office in the heart of downtown Albuquerque. We will continue to work to enact this bill into law, preserve this historic building, and provide students with a first-rate education.

Mike always put his students first and even talked at length to the Economic Forum of Albuquerque about the great work done by his school to benefit the business community. When asked about ABHS's numerous successes during his time as Executive Director, Mike said:

I would love to thank the community for the support of the

school and what we have accomplished. What we have

accomplished would not have been possible without the

commitment of so many people who have seen the value in what

we are doing.

This statement reflects Mike's selflessness and demonstrates the respect and admiration that Mike has for our community in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mike's vision, passion, dedication, and hands-on approach with students are one-of-a-kind. While he will be sorely missed, I have no doubt that he will accomplish great things in his new role directing the L'Ecole d'Humanite boarding school in Switzerland.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 898) to authorize the Administrator of General Services to convey a parcel of real property in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the Amy Biehl High School Foundation.

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 materials on S. 898.

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

S. 898 would direct the GSA to convey property in New Mexico to the Amy Biehl High School Foundation for fair market value.

The Amy Biehl High School is a public charter school that has been using the building since 2006. While the school currently leases the facility from the General Services Administration, the GSA only receives a nominal rent, making it more costly to the taxpayers to maintain the property. In fact, the Amy Biehl Foundation has invested funds to renovate and restore the building for use as a school. The GSA has determined that there is no Federal need for the property, and it has concluded that the cost of managing the building exceeds any revenue. Selling this property for fair market value will ensure that taxpayers receive the best return on the property.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman for his support in a bipartisan manner and for reminding us all of the importance of this legacy, not only the vision of why this school was created but the importance of that mission. It is certainly a pleasure to work in a bipartisan way with the gentleman.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time at this point, and I am prepared to close.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for his bipartisan effort to make sure that this important piece of legislation gets passed, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I support the bill before us and appreciate the hard work of my colleagues to bring it to the floor.

Today I join my colleagues in speaking in support of reauthorizing the National Estuary Program because our local economy on the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches rely on healthy water.

This important program helps protect and improve some of our Nation's most at-risk waterways, including the Indian River Lagoon located in the district I am proud to represent, which has been devastated by toxic algae in recent years, negatively impacting not only the health of this unique ecosystem but also our local economy.

The National Estuary Program funds local projects that help improve water quality, protect threatened species, and coordinate local agencies to respond to other urgent needs.

In our own backyard, these projects include wetland restoration, shellfish rehabilitation, freshwater discharge management, and other approaches that benefit the health of our local waterways on the Treasure Coast and across the Nation.

I am very pleased to see a competitive award program included in this bill that I proposed, along with the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Posey), to help estuaries most at risk where reoccurring harmful algal blooms, sea grass loss, and invasive species are threatening the fragile ecology of these important water systems.

I hope my colleagues will continue to support this effective program not only because of its benefits to sustaining important estuaries across the country but also due to the urgent need to address the serious problems facing many of these waterways, including the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the House for coming together and acting so swiftly to reauthorize this bipartisan and cost-effective bill that is necessary for our country's coastal ecosystems and the economies that rely on their well-being. I hope the Senate will act expeditiously to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3998) to authorize the Administrator of General Services to convey a parcel of real property in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the Amy Biehl High School Foundation, as amended.

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. 3998, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3998, as amended, will direct the GSA to convey property in New Mexico to the Amy Biehl High School Foundation for fair market value. The Amy Biehl High School is a public charter school that has been using the building since 2006.

While the school currently leases the facilities from the General Services Administration, GSA only receives nominal rent, making it more costly to the taxpayer to maintain the property. In fact, the Amy Biehl Foundation has invested funds to renovate and restore the building for use as a school.

GSA has determined there is no Federal need for the property and concluded the cost of managing this building exceeds any revenue. Selling this property for fair market value will ensure the taxpayer receives the best return on the property.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to put a plug in for charter schools period. The Amy Biehl school is an example of what can be done under charter schools and how it does serve a purpose.

We have been very successful in the State of Alaska with our charter schools, and I think it is crucially important to understand that sometimes other schools can fulfill that gap.

Apparently, this one does a good job, according to the young lady that sponsored the bill and the gentleman that is managing this bill. But let's just remember that when education is failing, then we have to look for other alternatives, and this is a classic alternative.

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