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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Representative Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04), introduced H.R. 756, the Embry-Riddle Tri-City Land Exchange Completion Act. This bill seeks to support the continued growth and development of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the local community by removing the outdated reversionary clause from a 16-acre parcel of vacant land that is located adjacent to their campus at the NEC of Willow Creek Road and Heritage Park Road in Prescott, Arizona.

U.S. Representative Paul A Gosar, D.D.S. said, “Removing this unnecessary restriction will turn a vacant lot into an opportunity for economic development and growth. I’m proud to say this locally-driven solution has no negative financial impact and will allow for important growth in the Prescott community.”

U.S. Representative Michael Waltz stated,“Embry-Riddle is a world leader in aviation and aerospace. Removing this outdated requirement will improve growth potential for the university and its innovative programs.”

Embry-Riddle University President Dr. P. Barry Butler said, “Embry Riddle is grateful to Representatives Gosar and Waltz, Senator McSally and the other members of the Florida and Arizona delegations for their continued efforts to promote economic development. By removing the historic restriction on a small parcel of land located adjacent to our Prescott Campus, we will be able to strengthen our university, support local economic development and most importantly focus on our primary mission of providing much needed talent to the aviation aerospace industry.”

Chairman of Embry-Riddle’s Board of Trustees Mori Hosseini stated, “I applaud the bipartisan leadership of Representatives Gosar and Waltz, Senator McSally and the other members of the Florida and Arizona delegations. We appreciate that both stakeholders and their representatives recognize our continuing contribution to the economic vitality of the area and to the aerospace industry, which is critical to our country’s competitiveness and security.”

Background: 

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On Thursday, January 24, 2019, Reps. Paul Gosar (AZ-04) and Michael Waltz (FL-06) introduced, H.R 756 the Embry-Riddle Tri-City Land Exchange Completion Act of 2019. This legislation was drafted at the request of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in close collaboration with community stakeholders.

Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is the largest, fully accredited university system that specializes in aviation and aerospace. ERAU has campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona, and other locations. ERAU also recently earned the No.1 spot on U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 ranking of the United States’ best online bachelor’s degree programs.

ERAU’s oldest residential campus and academic headquarters is located in Daytona Beach, Florida. The campus connects to an airport aircraft ramp owned by the University for Flight training. The Florida campus serves nearly 6,000 undergraduates and more than 600 graduate students from more than 100 countries. ERAU’s Florida campus is the largest undergraduate engineering physics program in the country that specializes in aerospace. ERAU’s Florida campus also houses the nation's largest Air Force ROTC program.

ERAU-Prescott opened in 1978. With over $1.4 billion in impact nationally and $400M in economic impact to the State of Arizona, this not-for-profit higher education institution is a critical component of the STEM talent pipeline for the aviation aerospace industry. Arizona has recently been ranked No. 1 in aerospace manufacturing attractiveness by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The Arizona Commerce Authority claims over 52,000 people are employed by aerospace and defense-related companies with a $5.5 billion total annual payroll and states there are 1,200 aerospace and defense companies in Arizona.

This bill supports the continued growth and development of ERAU nationwide by removing the outdated reversionary clause from a +/-16.62 acre parcel of vacant land that is located adjacent to their campus at the NEC of Willow Creek Road and Heritage Park Road in Prescott, Arizona. The physical address of the parcel is 3735 Willow Creek Road in Yavapai County. This legislation requests the removal of this unnecessary restriction in order to allow for new economic development opportunities.

Original Sponsors and Cosponsors of the bipartisan legislation include: Michael Waltz (FL-06)*, Paul Gosar (AZ-04)*, Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-02), Debbie Lesko (AZ-08), Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01), David Schweikert (AZ-06), Daniel Webster (FL-11), Ted Yoho (FL-03).