The publication is reproduced in full below:
SAVE THE LIBERTY THEATRE ACT OF 2021
Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3197) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the City of Eunice, Louisiana, certain Federal land in Louisiana, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3197
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Save the Liberty Theatre Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) City.--The term ``City'' means the City of Eunice, Louisiana.
(2) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Proposed Boundary Revision and Disposal'', numbered 467/168813, and dated December 2020.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior.
SEC. 3. LAND CONVEYANCE.
(a) Conveyance Authority.--The Secretary shall convey to the City, by quitclaim deed and without consideration, all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to the parcels of land described in subsection (b).
(b) Description of Land.--The parcels of land referred to in subsection (a) are Lots 5 and 6, less the North 27 feet of Lot 5, Block 22, of the Original Townsite of Eunice, generally depicted as ``Proposed Disposal Area'' on the map.
(c) Availability of Map.--The map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
SEC. 4. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS.
Upon the conveyance to the City of the land described in section 3(b), the boundary of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve shall be adjusted to exclude--
(1) the conveyed land; and
(2) Lots 7 and 8 of the Original Townsite of Eunice generally depicted as ``Non-NPS in Current Boundary'' on the map.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
General Leave
Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arizona?
There was no objection.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3197, the Save the Liberty Theatre Act introduced by my colleague Representative Mike Johnson.
This bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a small piece of the historic Liberty Theatre to the city of Eunice, Louisiana. Although the theater is owned and operated by the city, it is adjacent to the Prairie Arcadian Cultural Center, which is owned by the National Park Service as a unit of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park.
In the 1980s, the Park Service ended up building an annex to the theater in order to construct an ADA compliant ramp and to house an air conditioning system for the two buildings. Now, the city of Eunice plans to build its own HVAC system. Consolidation of the property is a win-win: It will allow rehabilitation of the Liberty Theatre to move forward and decrease operating costs for the National Park Service.
This is a commonsense piece of legislation, and I am pleased to support it today. I thank Representative Johnson for bringing this bill forward and bringing it to our attention, and I urge our colleagues to support the passage today.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I also rise in support, along with Chairman Grijalva, of H.R. 3197, the Save the Liberty Theatre Act, offered by Mr. Johnson of Louisiana.
Mr. Johnson's bill transfers a federally owned annex to the city of Eunice, Louisiana, so the city can complete critical renovations to the historic Liberty Theatre.
Transferring this annex will allow the park to replace the HVAC system in the adjacent Prairie Acadian Cultural Center and allow the city of Eunice to install a new HVAC system in the theater and perform other renovations that are currently hindered due to the Natural Park Services' ownership interest. This transfer will result in cost savings for the National Park Service and the taxpayer.
Madam Speaker, I commend Mr. Johnson for his work to save this important Louisiana landmark and building local support for his legislation. I urge adoption of the measure, and I hope that the Senate will take up this bill very soon.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3197.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. GOOD. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion are postponed.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 46
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