I

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 960

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

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:

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

6 to facilitate local development of jobs in areas of

7 high unemployment.

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

9 local communities from obtaining clear title to prop10 erty for redevelopment unless the city also obtains
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1 the Federal reversionary interest in those rights-of2 way.

3 (3) The City of Tulare Redevelopment Agency

4 requires clear title to 12 parcels of land within the

5 city’s business corridor for development.

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

7 (5) The Agency will be hindered in plans for de8 veloping the area or securing needed financing un9 less the Agency controls all 12 parcels.

10 SEC. 2. TULARE CONVEYANCE.

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi12 sion of law, and subject to subsection (c), the following

13 conveyance is hereby validated to the extent that the con14 veyances would have been legal or valid if all right, title,

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

16 Southern Pacific Transportation Company at the time of

17 such conveyance:

18 (1) Conveyance of parcels from the lands de19 scribed in subsection (b) made by the Southern Pa20 cific Transportation Company or its subsidiaries,

21 predecessors, successors, agents, or assigns, on or

22 before April 15, 1996.

23 (2) Conveyance of parcels from the lands de24 scribed in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b)

25 made after April 15, 1996, by the Southern Pacific
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1 Transportation Company, or its successors, agents,

2 or assigns, to the Redevelopment Agency of the city

3 of Tulare.

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

5 subsection (a) are the lands that—

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

7 granted to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company,

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

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

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

11 (2) are located within the boundaries of Amend12 ed Urban Renewal Plan for California A–8–1 (the

13 Downtown Plan) adopted by the city of Tulare, Cali14 fornia, generally depicted on the map entitled

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

16 1’’, dated March 7, 1989.

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

18 available for public inspection in the offices of the director

19 of the Bureau of Land Management.

20 (c) PRESERVATION OF EXISTING RIGHTS OF AC21 CESS.—Nothing in this section shall impair any existing

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

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

24 referred to in subsection (a).

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