I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2691 

To amend certain appropriation Acts to repeal the requirement directing 

the Administrator of General Services to sell Federal property and assets 

that support the operations of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center 

in Plum Island, New York, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 16, 2013 

Mr. BISHOP of New York (for himself, Mr. COURTNEY, and Mr. GRIMM) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Homeland Security 

A BILL 

To amend certain appropriation Acts to repeal the requirement directing the Administrator of General Services 

to sell Federal property and assets that support the 

operations of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center 

in Plum Island, New York, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The Federal Government has owned Plum 

6 Island since 1899. 

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1 (2) Since 1954, the Animal Disease Center on 

2 Plum Island has conducted first-rate scientific re3 search on a variety of infectious animal-borne dis4 eases, including foot-and-mouth disease, resulting, 

5 most recently, in the development of a new cell line 

6 that rapidly and reliably detects this highly debili7 tating disease of livestock. 

8 (3) The safety record of the Center is unparal9 leled, with no accidental releases reaching the main10 land in the history of the Center. 

11 (4) $23,200,000 in Federal funds have been 

12 spent on upgrades to, and the maintenance of, the 

13 Plum Island Animal Disease Center since January 

14 2012, and significant investments in the Center in 

15 the next five years are likely. 

16 (5) In addition to the Animal Disease Center, 

17 Plum Island contains cultural, historical, ecological, 

18 and natural resources of regional and national sig19 nificance. 

20 (6) Plum Island is situated where the Long Is21 land Sound and Peconic Bay meet, each being estu22 aries that are part of the National Estuary Pro23 gram, reflecting each natural system’s nationally sig24 nificant environmental and economic values to the 

25 region. 

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1 (7) The Federal Government has invested hun2 dreds of millions of Federal funds over the last two 

3 decades to make long-term improvements with re4 spect to the conservation and management needs of 

5 Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay. 

6 (8) Due to cleanup costs from past Center ac7 tivities and the zoning proposed by the town of 

8 Southold, New York, prohibiting residental or com9 mercial development, the Federal Government will 

10 receive very little to no compensation from the sale 

11 of Plum Island. 

12 SEC. 2. REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT TO SELL CERTAIN FED13 ERAL PROPERTY IN PLUM ISLAND, NEW 

14 YORK. 

15 (a) REPEAL IN PUBLIC LAW 110–329.—Section 540 

16 of title V of division D of the Consolidated Security, Dis17 aster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 

18 2009 (Public Law 110–329; 122 Stat. 3688) is repealed. 

19 (b) REPEAL IN PUBLIC LAW 112–74.—Section 538 

20 of title V of division D of the Consolidated Appropriations 

21 Act, 2012 (Public Law 112–74; 125 Stat. 976) is re22 pealed. 

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