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Union Calendar No. 105

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 960

[Report No. 105–171]

To validate certain conveyances in the City of Tulare, Tulare County,

California, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 5, 1997

Mr. THOMAS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Resources

JULY 8, 1997

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]

A BILL

To validate certain conveyances in the City of Tulare, Tulare

County, California, 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 The Congress finds that:
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1 (1) It is in the Federal Government’s interest

2 to facilitate local development of jobs in areas of

3 high unemployment.

4 (2) Railroad interests in rights-of-way prevent

5 local communities from obtaining clear title to prop6 erty for redevelopment unless the city also obtains

7 the Federal reversionary interest in those rights-of8 way.

9 (3) The City of Tulare Redevelopment Agency

10 requires clear title to 12 parcels of land within the

11 city’s business corridor for development.

12 (4) The 12 parcels are part of a right-of-way.

13 (5) The Agency will be hindered in plans for de14 veloping the area or securing needed financing un15 less the Agency controls all 12 parcels.

16 SEC. 2. TULARE CONVEYANCE.

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi18 sion of law, and subject to subsection (c), the following

19 conveyance is hereby validated to the extent that the con20 veyances would have been legal or valid if all right, title,

21 and interest of the United States had been held by the

22 Southern Pacific Transportation Company at the time of

23 such conveyance:

24 (1) Conveyance of parcels from the lands de25 scribed in subsection (b) made by the Southern Pa-
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1 cific Transportation Company or its subsidiaries,

2 predecessors, successors, agents, or assigns, on or

3 before April 15, 1996.

4 (2) Conveyance of parcels from the lands de5 scribed in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b)

6 made after April 15, 1996, by the Southern Pacific

7 Transportation Company, or its successors, agents,

8 or assigns, to the Redevelopment Agency of the city

9 of Tulare.

10 (b) LANDS DESCRIBED.—The lands referred to in

11 subsection (a) are the lands that—

12 (1) formed part of a railroad right-of-way

13 granted to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company,

14 or its successors, agents, or assigns, by the Federal

15 Government (including the right-of-way approved by

16 an Act of Congress on July 27, 1866); and

17 (2) are located within the boundaries of Amend18 ed Urban Renewal Plan for California A–8–1 (the

19 Downtown Plan) adopted by the city of Tulare, Cali20 fornia, generally depicted on the map entitled

21 ‘‘Amended Urban Renewal Plan for California A–8–

22 1’’, dated March 7, 1989.

23 The map referred to in paragraph (2) shall be on file and

24 available for public inspection in the offices of the director

25 of the Bureau of Land Management.
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1 (c) PRESERVATION OF EXISTING RIGHTS OF AC2 CESS.—Nothing in this section shall impair any existing

3 rights of access in favor of the public or any owner of

4 adjacent lands over, under or across the lands which are

5 referred to in subsection (a).

6 SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress finds that:

8 (1) It is in the Federal Government’s interest to

9 facilitate local development of jobs in areas of high

10 unemployment.

11 (2) Railroad interests in rights-of-way prevent

12 local communities from obtaining clear title to prop13 erty for development unless the city also obtains the

14 Federal reversionary interest in those rights-of-way.

15 (3) For development purposes, in order to secure

16 needed financing, the City of Tulare Redevelopment

17 Agency requires clear title to certain parcels of land

18 within the city’s business corridor that are part of a

19 railroad right-of-way.

20 SEC. 2. TULARE CONVEYANCE.

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsections (c) and (d),

22 all conveyances to the Redevelopment Agency of the City

23 of Tulare, California, of lands described in subsection (b),

24 heretofore or hereafter, made directly by the Southern Pa25 cific Transportation Company, or its successors, are hereby
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1 validated to the extent that the conveyances would be legal

2 or valid if all right, title, and interest of the United States,

3 except minerals, were held by the Southern Pacific Trans4 portation Company.

5 (b) LANDS DESCRIBED.—The lands referred to in sub6 section (a) are the parcels shown on the map entitled

7 ‘‘Tulare Redevelopment Agency-Railroad Parcels Proposed

8 to be Acquired’’, dated 5/29/97, that formed part of a rail9 road right-of-way granted to the Southern Pacific Railroad

10 Company, or its successors, agents, or assigns, by the Fed11 eral Government (including the right-of-way approved by

12 an Act of Congress on July 27, 1866). The map referred

13 to in this subsection shall be on file and available for public

14 inspection in the offices of the Director of the Bureau of

15 Land Management.

16 (c) PRESERVATION OF EXISTING RIGHTS OF AC17 CESS.—Nothing in this section shall impair any existing

18 rights of access in favor of the public or any owner of adja19 cent lands over, under or across the lands which are referred

20 to in subsection (a).

21 (d) MINERALS.—The United States disclaims any and

22 all right of surface entry to the mineral estate of lands de23 scribed in subsection (b).
Union Calendar No. 105

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 960

[Report No. 105–171]

A BILL

To validate certain conveyances in the City of

purposes.Tulare, Tulare County, California, and for other

JULY 8, 1997

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Commitordered to be printed tee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and