80TH CONGRESS 2d Session } SENATE { REPORT No. 1761 CONSTRUCTION OF A BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE AT OR NEAR HIDALGO, TEX. JUNE 17 (legislative day, JUNE 15), 1948.-Ordered to be printed Mr. CONNALLY, from the Committee on Foreign Relations, submitted the following REPORT (To accompany H. R. 4367] The Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 4367) authorizing the Hidalgo Bridge Co., its heirs, legal representatives, and assigns, to construct, maintain, and operate a railroad toll bridge across the Rio Grande at or near Hidalgo, Tex., report the bill to the Senate without amendment and recommend that it do pass. BACKGROUND OF THE BILL The bill was not introduced in the Senate, but it was introduced in the House of Representatives on July 24, 1947. It was passed by the House on June 16, 1948. The action of the committee is based on the following reports received from the Department of State and the Department of the Army by the chairman of the Committee on Foreign. Affairs: Hon. CHARLES A. EATON, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives. MY DEAR MR. EATON: Further reference is made to your letter of January 27, 1948, asking for the comments of the Department on H. R. 4367, Eightieth Congress, a bill authorizing the Hidalgo Bridge Co., its heirs, legal representatives, and assigns, to construct, maintain, and operate a railroad toll bridge across the Rio Grande, at or near Hidalgo, Tex. The Department finds no objection to the construction of this bridge over the Rio Grande in accordance with the provisions of this bill which are substantially identical to those of H. R. 6751, Seventy-ninth Congress, enacted into law as Public Law 576, Seventy-ninth Congress, relating to a toll bridge across the Rio Grande near Rio Grande City, Tex. Accordingly, the Department perceives no objection to H. R. 4367. The Department has been informed by the Bureau of the Budget that there is no objection to the submission of this report. Sincerely yours, CHARLES E. BOHLEN, Counselor (For the Acting Secretary of State) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, April 14, 1948. Respectfully returned to the chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives. So far as the interests committed to this Department are concerned, I know of no objection to the favorable consideration of the accompanying bill, H. R. 4367, Eightieth Congress, first session, authorizing the Hidalgo Bridge Co., its heirs, legal representatives, and assigns, to construct, maintain, and operate a railroad toll bridge across the Rio Grande, at or near Hidalgo, Tex. The Bureau of the Budget advises that there is no objection to the submission of this report. KENNETH C. ROYALL 80TH CONGRESS 2d Session } SENATE { REPORT No. 1762 CONSTRUCTION OF A BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE AT OR NEAR RIO GRANDE CITY, TEX. JUNE 17 (legislative day, JUNE 15), 1948.-Ordered to be printed Mr. CONNALLY, from the Committee on Foreign Relations, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 5252 The Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 5252) to extend the time for commencing the construction of a toll bridge across the Rio Grande at or near Rio Grande City, Tex., report the bill to the Senate without amendment and recommend that it do pass. BACKGROUND OF THE BILL The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on February 2, 1948, and was passed by that body on June 16, 1948. No companion bill was introduced in the Senate. The action of the committee is based on the following report_received from the Department of State by the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs: MARCH 15, 1948. The Honorable CHARLES A. EATON, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives. MY DEAR MR. EATON: Further reference is made to your letter of February 3, 1948, transmitting for the comment of the Department of State copies of H. R. 5252, Eightieth Congress, a bill to extend the time for commencing the construction of a toll bridge across the Rio Grande at or near Rio Grande City, Tex. The authorization for the construction of this bridge was first proposed in H. R. 5302, Seventy-ninth Congress, regarding which the Department made a favorable report with certain suggested changes in language. H. R. 6751 which incorporated these changes was enacted into law as Public Law 576, Seventyninth Congress, approved July 31, 1946. In the first session of the Eightieth Congress there was introduced H. R. 2776 to extend by 1 year the times for commencing and completing the construction of the toll bridge across the Rio Grande authorized by Public Law 576. The Department made a favorable report on this bill which was subsequently enacted into law as Public Law 331, Eightieth Congress. It appears that the bill under reference would extend the time for commencing the construction of this bridge until July 31, 1949, and would provide that the construction should be prosecuted with reasonable diligence without setting a date for the completion of the bridge. Under the provisions of Public Law 576, Seventy-ninth Congress, certain preliminaries must be accomplished prior to the initiation of construction of the bridge and presumably one additional year will be required to complete the necessary preliminary matters and initiate construction. The provision of H. R. 5252, providing that the construction of this bridge after commencement shall be prosecuted with reasonable diligence seems to offer a reasonable flexibility in the planning and construction of the bridge. Accordingly, the Department perceives no objection to this bill under reference. The Department has been informed by the Bureau of the Budget that there is no objection to the submission of this report. Sincerely yours, |