To authorize, direct, facilitate, and expedite the transfer of administrative jurisdiction of certain Federal land, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1397) to authorize, direct, facilitate, and expedite the transfer of administrative jurisdiction of certain Federal land, 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 material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1397, offered by the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock), would authorize a small land exchange between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Transportation.

Specifically, the bill transfers administrative jurisdiction over approximately a third of an acre of Federal land within the boundary of the George Washington Memorial Parkway of the National Park Service to the Department of Transportation, and transfers from the Department of Transportation approximately a half an acre of Federal land within the boundary of the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of the Federal Highway Administration.

The transfer centers on Colonial Farm Road, which provides public access to Claude Moore Colonial Farm and also serves as an entrance road to the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center and as a secondary entrance to the Central Intelligence Agency. The configuration of the property lines between the farm and the research center requires farm staff to

travel across research center property to access their facilities.

The three Federal agencies have discussed concerns over crossing property lines, the need to have uninterrupted access to the properties, and the need to improve security near perimeter fencing of the research center. The agencies have identified properties suitable for exchange on their boundaries which will provide public access to the farm while providing the means to improve security outside the fencing of the research center and the Central Intelligence Agency. Though the immediate security concerns have previously been addressed through a temporary agreement, legislation is needed to codify the land exchange.

I include in the Record an exchange of letters to Chairman Bill Shuster of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the responses. We thank them for agreeing to help expedite consideration of this bill today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC, July 5, 2017.

Hon. Bill Shuster,

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: On June 27, 2017, the Committee on

Natural Resources ordered favorably reported without

amendment H.R. 1397, to authorize, direct, facilitate, and

expedite the transfer of administrative jurisdiction of

certain Federal land. The bill was referred primarily to the

Committee on Natural Resources, with an additional referral

to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

I ask that you allow the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure to be discharged from further consideration of

the bill so that it may be scheduled by the Majority Leader.

This discharge in no way affects your jurisdiction over the

subject matter of the bill, and it will not serve as

precedent for future referrals. In addition, should a

conference on the bill be necessary, I would support your

request to have the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure represented on the conference committee.

Finally, I would be pleased to include this letter and any

response in the bill report filed by the Committee on Natural

Resources to memorialize our understanding, as well as in the

Congressional Record.

Thank you for your consideration of my request and for the

extraordinary cooperation shown by you and your staff over

matters of shared jurisdiction. I look forward to further

opportunities to work with you this Congress.

Sincerely,

Rob Bishop,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock).

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 1397, which would authorize this Federal land exchange between the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration.

As has been discussed, at issue is the jurisdiction of an access road adjacent to the Claude Moore Colonial Farm, a privately funded living history museum which is part of the National Park Service and in my district in McLean, Virginia.

Claude Moore Farm is a wonderful way to experience what life was like on a small family farm for the average family in the late 1700s, not the plantations that we often see preserved, but a very small, average family farm.

Claude Moore Farm is tucked in right next to the CIA, as has been mentioned, and the jurisdiction of this particular access road off of George Washington Memorial Parkway has not been clear and has resulted in confusion and unnecessary security concerns.

Over the years, general use of this access road has set off security alarms at Langley. And this confusion has not only been difficult for security personnel; it has also cost taxpayer resources.

On September 11, 2002, the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration entered into an agreement under which the transfer of administrative jurisdiction, management, and maintenance of the lands in question were agreed upon. Since then, the two parties have been abiding by these rules.

What this agreement does now is make this permanent in a legislative fix. It is a commonsense, bipartisan bill. We worked on this with Senator Warner also. Last year he was able to get it attached to the energy package, but that did not pass, so we now need this to move forward.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this straightforward, noncontroversial bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1397 authorizes the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration to comply with a longstanding agreement regarding two parcels of land near Claude Moore Colonial Farm in McLean, Virginia.

Specifically, the bill transfers a small parcel within the boundary of the George Washington Memorial Parkway from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Transportation. The bill also transfers a half acre within the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center from the Department of Transportation to the Department of the Interior.

Simply put, this bill permits a one-time land transfer that was agreed to 15 years ago. Ultimately, this will improve management efficiency and save taxpayer money.

The bill is noncontroversial and has been a longstanding legislative priority of the National Park Service. I commend the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock) for her bipartisanship, and I urge my colleagues to support its adoption.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I attended the funeral of a close family member and was unable to fly back to the Capitol in time for votes today. Had I been present to vote, I would have voted ``yea'' on H.R. 1397, To authorize, direct, facilitate, and expedite the transfer of administrative jurisdiction of certain Federal land, and for other purposes, and ``yea'' on H.R. 1719, the John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act.

I ask unanimous consent that the bills, en bloc, be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bills en bloc.

I ask unanimous consent that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.