Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 1276, to remove restrictions from a parcel of land in Paducah, Kentucky. It is an honor to serve the people of Paducah and McCracken County in Congress. One of their community's most impactful institutions, the Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club has been a cornerstone of support and opportunity for local youth for over 60 years. The club is located on land currently owned by the city of Paducah, which has held the property since 2012.
H.R. 1276: To remove restrictions from a parcel of land in Paducah, Kentucky.
Introduced Feb 13, 20250 cosponsors
Sponsor
James Comer
Republican · KY-1
Bill Progress
IntroducedFeb 13
Committee
Pass HouseDec 9
Pass Senate
Signed
Law
Latest Action · Mar 4, 2026
Passed the House, received in Senate
Clearing federal strings off land for a Paducah youth club
4 min readLast updated June 17, 2026
Why it matters
A 3.62-acre site on a former Army Reserve center in Paducah, Kentucky has been tied up by federal deed restrictions since 2012. H.R. 1276 wipes those restrictions out so the city can hand the land — and the buildings on it — to the Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club of Paducah, while keeping conditions that lock it to public or recreational use.
H.R. 1276 does one narrow thing: it orders the Secretary of the Interior to sign the paperwork removing the deed restrictions on a 3.62-acre parcel at 2956 Park Avenue, the old Paducah Memorial Army Reserve Center.
Those restrictions came from a 2012 quitclaim deed, back when the federal government transferred the land to the City of Paducah. They cover the usual fine print — easements, reservations, covenants, and conditions on how the land gets used.
The bill attaches three conditions of its own. Paducah can transfer the parcel to only one entity: the Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club of Paducah. If the Club ever wants to pass the land to someone else, it has to offer it back to the federal government first, for free. And any future use has to stay compatible with public or recreational purposes.
H.R. 1276 Bill Summary
What H.R. 1276 actually does.
1
Federal deed restrictions come off the parcel
The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to execute the instruments needed to remove all deed restrictions from an approximately 3.62-acre parcel at 2956 Park Avenue in Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky, including the improvements on the land.
2
Restrictions trace back to a 2012 transfer
The restrictions come from the quitclaim deed the United States executed to the City of Paducah on April 27, 2012, when the federal government conveyed the former Army Reserve site to the city.
3
Everything in the fine print is on the table
The removable restrictions include easements, exceptions, reservations, terms, conditions, and covenants from the 2012 quitclaim deed — a full clearing of the deed's fine print, not just one narrow condition.
4
The city can transfer the land to only one group
Even after the restrictions are removed, the City of Paducah is barred from transferring or selling the parcel to any entity other than the Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club of Paducah.
5
The federal government keeps a free buy-back right
If the city transfers the parcel to the Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club, the Club must offer to convey the land back to the Secretary of the Interior without consideration before passing it to any other entity.
6
Future use stays public or recreational
The bill requires that any new use or development of the parcel remain compatible with public use or recreation purposes, even after the deed restrictions are extinguished.
Who benefits from H.R. 1276?
The Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club of Paducah
The Club is the single entity the City of Paducah is allowed to receive the land — putting it in line for a 3.62-acre home, buildings included, on the old Army Reserve site.
The City of Paducah, Kentucky
The city gains room to move on a parcel it has held since 2012, because the Secretary of the Interior would clear the deed restrictions that have limited what it can do with the property.
Paducah residents who use public and recreational space
Any new use of the parcel has to stay compatible with public use or recreation purposes, so the land can't be flipped to a purely private or unrelated project.
The Department of the Interior
Interior gets a clear, congressionally directed task: remove the restrictions from one defined parcel and keep a right to receive the land back for free before the Club could convey it elsewhere.
Who is affected by H.R. 1276?
The City of Paducah, Kentucky
The city gains control over the land but faces a hard limit: it cannot transfer or sell the parcel to anyone except the Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club of Paducah.
The Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club of Paducah
The Club could receive the property, but if it later wants to convey the land to any other entity, it must first offer it back to the Secretary of the Interior without consideration.
Other potential buyers or nonprofit operators
Any group other than the Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club is shut out from receiving the parcel directly from the city under the bill's transfer condition.
The Department of the Interior
The Secretary of the Interior is required to handle the paperwork removing the restrictions tied to the 2012 deed, and to stand ready to take the land back without payment if it is offered later.
On the Record
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 1276 has come up 11 times in the Congressional Record so far.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. As has been noted, for more than 60 years, the Oscar Cross Boys and Girls Club of Paducah has provided dedicated service to their community. H.R. 1276 is a straightforward bill that will enhance this legacy of service by removing an unnecessary Federal deed restriction and allowing the city of Paducah to transfer land directly to the club. This will pave the way for long-planned improvements that will directly benefit Kentucky children and families. Mr.
H.R. 1276 also appeared in 1 routine cosponsor filing.
HR1276 Legislative Journey
Passed Committee
Mar 4, 2026
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Committee Action
Dec 10, 2025
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
House: Vote Held
Dec 9, 2025
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5073)
House: Committee Action
Sep 15, 2025
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-281.
House: Passed Committee
Jul 23, 2025
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
+1 more action this day
House: Committee Action
Jun 25, 2025
Subcommittee on Federal Lands Discharged
House: Committee Action
Apr 29, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
House: Committee Action
Apr 23, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
House: Committee Action
Feb 13, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
About the Sponsor
James Comer
Republican, Kentucky's 1st congressional district · 10 years in Congress
Committees: Oversight and Government Reform, Education and Workforce
View full profile →
Committee Sponsors
Energy and Natural Resources Committee
8D11R1I
|0 signed20 not yet0 of 20 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
Natural Resources Committee
20D25R
|0 signed45 not yet0 of 45 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
36 Republicans across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 1276 Quick Facts
Cosponsors
0
- Committee
- Energy and Natural Resources
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Introduced
- Feb 13, 2025
Passed the House, received in Senate
Mar 4, 2026
Official Sources
H.R. 1276 on Congress.gov
Official Congress.gov page for the bill, including its text, status, sponsor, and full legislative history.
H.R. 1276 Full Bill Text
The published bill text containing the parcel description, the 2012 quitclaim deed reference, and the three transfer conditions.
House Report 119-281 on H.R. 1276
The House Natural Resources Committee report explaining the bill, the amendment adopted, and the committee's favorable recommendation.
CBO Cost Estimate for H.R. 1276
The Congressional Budget Office cost estimate for H.R. 1276, relevant to the bill's fiscal impact on the federal government.
U.S. Department of the Interior
The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to remove the deed restrictions and to stand ready to receive the parcel back in any future conveyance.
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
The Senate committee where H.R. 1276 now sits after being ordered reported favorably in March 2026.
H.R. 1276 Common Questions
What does H.R. 1276 actually do?
It orders the Secretary of the Interior to remove the federal deed restrictions on a 3.62-acre site in Paducah, Kentucky, so the city can transfer the land to a local Boys & Girls Club. Three new conditions stay attached to keep the land tied to public use.
Who can the city give the Paducah land to?
Only one group: the Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club of Paducah. The bill bars the City of Paducah from transferring or selling the parcel to any other entity.
Would the Boys & Girls Club ever have to return the land to the government?
If the Club ever wants to pass the land to someone else, it first has to offer it back to the Secretary of the Interior for free. Only after the government declines can the Club convey the property elsewhere.
Can the land be used for anything after the restrictions are removed?
Not for just anything. The bill requires that any new use or development of the parcel stay compatible with public use or recreation purposes, even once the old deed restrictions are gone.
Where exactly is the land H.R. 1276 covers?
It's about 3.62 acres at 2956 Park Avenue — the former Paducah Memorial Army Reserve Center in Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky — including the buildings on it.
Has H.R. 1276 passed Congress?
The House passed it by voice vote in December 2025. It's now in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which voted in March 2026 to report it favorably. It still needs a full Senate vote.
Does H.R. 1276 cost taxpayers anything?
The bill sets no funding or appropriation. It only directs the Interior Department to handle the paperwork removing the restrictions. The Congressional Budget Office published a cost estimate for it.
Based on H.R. 1276 bill text
H.R. 1276 Bill Text
“To remove restrictions from a parcel of land in Paducah, Kentucky.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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