Conveyance of Specified Forest Service Property to Perry County, Arkansas

Floor Speech

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Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Stauber for the time.

I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 3187. First, I thank my good friend and fellow Arkansan Chairman Westerman for advancing my bill from the committee to the House floor.

I thank all the members of the Natural Resources Committee for their bipartisan and unanimous support.

As noted, my bill seeks to transfer ownership of a vacant Federal building owned by the U.S. Forest Service at 1069 Fourche Avenue in Perryville, Arkansas, to Perry County.

This property is no longer in use by the Forest Service, and there are no plans for its utilization by them. That has been the case, Mr. Speaker, for well over a decade.

Perry County is a very small, rural community with a population of around 10,000. About 16 percent of the residents there live below the poverty line. About 77 percent of the county is forested, and 72 percent of that land is privately owned.

The U.S. Forest Service is the largest public landowner in the county, managing 119,000 acres as a part of the Ouachita National Forest.

For several years, Perry County has mightily sought to acquire this property. However, due to limited resources and that high poverty rate, this small county has been unable to easily navigate the complex Federal rules and to find a way to purchase the property outright.

My legislation would enable the Federal Government to convey the property at no cost to the county with all the benefits that Mr. Stauber outlined.

The building will require many significant repairs, but the county does have that repair budget appropriated. Once restored, the facility will support many local programs. Specifically, the University of Arkansas extension program, the Perry County Conservation District, and, importantly, it will serve as a meeting place for our 4-H youth development program. These organizations are currently struggling with limited options for meeting space in Perryville. This cures that problem.

My bill provides Perry County with a much-needed facility to expand youth development, agricultural education, and community health initiatives.

I thank Perry County Judge Larry Blackmon, Perryville Mayor John Roland, the Perry County Extension Office, the Perry County Chamber of Commerce, and the Perry County Farm Bureau, all for working with us collectively both on the Natural Resources Committee staff and my staff to bring this forward and make it a reality.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join the committee and me in supporting a unanimous vote for H.R. 3187.

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