Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site Land Exchange Act

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 9:30 a.m. on Home Products Fire Safety.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 2:30 p.m. on Adult Stem Cell Research.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on Wednesday, July 14, at 11:30 a.m. to consider pending calendar business.

Agenda Item 1: S. 203--A bill to open certain withdrawn land in Big Horn County, Wyoming, to locatable mineral development for bentonite mining.

Agenda Item 4: S. 931--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a program to reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches on visitors to units of the National Park System and on other recreational users of public land.

Agenda Item 7: S. 1211--A bill to further the purposes of title XVI of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992, the ``Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act'', by directing the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a demonstration program for water reclamation in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 14: S. 2052--A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to designate El Camino Real de los Tejas as a National Historic Trail.

Agenda Item 16: S. 2140--A bill to expand the boundary of the Mount Rainier National Park.

Agenda Item 17: S. 2167--A bill to establish the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in the States of Washington and Oregon, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 18: S. 2173--A bill to further the purposes of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2000.

Agenda Item 19: S. 2285--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of real property to Beaver County, Utah.

Agenda Item 20: S. 2287--A bill to adjust the boundary of the Barataria Preserve Unit of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in the State of Louisiana, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 21: S. 2460--A bill to provide assistance to the State of New Mexico for the development of comprehensive State water plans, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 22: S. 2508--A bill to redesignate the Ridges Basin Reservoir, Colorado, as Lake Nighthorse.

Agenda Item 23: S. 2511--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study of a Chimayo water supply system, to provide for the planning, design, and construction of a water supply, reclamation, and filtration facility for Espanola, New Mexico, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 24: S. 2543--A bill to establish a program and criteria for National Heritage Areas in the United States, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 27: H.R. 1284--To amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to increase the Federal share of the costs of the San Gabriel Basin demonstration project.

Agenda Item 29: H.R. 1616--To authorize the exchange of certain lands within the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site for lands owned by the City of Atlanta, Georgia, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 30: H.R. 3768--To expand the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Florida.

In addition, the Committee may turn to any other measures that are ready for consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet in open Executive Session during the session on July 14, 2004, at 10 a.m., in a mock markup to consider proposed legislation implementing the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement; and to consider favorably reporting S. 2610, the U.S.- Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act; and the nominations of Joey Russell George, to be Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, U.S. Department of Treasury; Patrick P. O'Carroll, Jr., to be Inspector General, Social Security Administration; Timothy S. Bitsberger, to be Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets, U.S. Department of Treasury; Paul B. Jones, to be Member, IRS Oversight Board; and, Charles L. Kolbe, to be Member, IRA Oversight Board.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 9:30 a.m., to hold a hearing on Pakistan: Balancing Reform and Counterterrorism.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a hearing on U.S. Policy Toward Southeast Europe: Unfinished Business in the Balkans.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 10 a.m., in room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building, to conduct an oversight hearing on the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 10 a.m. on ``Examining the Implications of Drug Importation'' in the Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226. The witness list will be delivered later today.

Witness List

Panel I: Hon. John Breaux, U.S. Senator; and Hon. Bryon Dorgan, U.S. Senator.

Panel II: William K. Hubbard, Associate Commissioner for Policy and Planning, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; John Taylor, III, Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and Elizabeth G. Durant, Director of Trade Programs, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

Panel III: Hon. Rudolph Giuliani; Carmen Catizone, M.S., RPh, DPh, Executive Director/Secretary, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Boards; Kathleen Jaeger, President and CEO, GPhA; Ms. Joanna Disch, Board Member, AARP; and Ms. Elizabeth A. Wennar, M.P.H, D.H.A., President and CEO, United Health Alliance of Bennington, VT and Principle, HealthInova of Manchester, VT, United Health Alliance, Health Care Economist.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Rules and Administration be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct an oversight hearing on the Federal Election Commission.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, July 14, at 2:30 p.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 2317, to limit the royalty on soda ash; S. 2353, to reauthorize and amend the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992; H.R. 1189, to increase the waiver requirement for certain local matching requirements for grants provided to American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes; and H.R. 2010, to protect the voting rights of members of the armed services in elections for the delegate representing American Samoa in the United States House of Representatives, and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 20, 2004, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on ``Oversight of the Extended Custodial Inventory Program.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 20, 2004, at 10:15 a.m. on spam.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet in open Executive Session during the session on May 20, 2004; to consider favorably reporting the nominations of John O. Colvin, to be Judge, U.S. Tax Court, renomination for a second term; Stuart A. Levey, to be Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement and Juan C. Zarate, to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet for a hearing entitled ``Prescription Drug Reimportation'' during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 20, 2004, at 10:00 a.m. in SD-430.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 20, 2004, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing on S. 2382, the Native American Connectivity Act.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, May 20, 2004, at 10:30 a.m. in Dirksen Senate Building, room 226.

I. Nominations

Henry W. Saad to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit; Jonathan W. Dudas to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United states Patent and Trademark Office

II. Legislation

S. 1735, Gang Prevention and Effective Deterrence Act of 2003 [Hatch, Feinstein, Grassley, Graham, Chambliss, Cornyn, Schumer, Biden];

S. 1933, Enhancing Federal Obscenity Reporting and Copyright Enforcement (ENFORCE) Act of 2003 [Hatch, Feinstein, Cornyn];

S. 1635, A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to ensure the integrity of the L-1 visa for intracompany transferees [Chambliss];

S. 1129, Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2003 [Feinstein, DeWine, Feingold, Kennedy, Leahy, Specter, Edwards, Durbin, Kohl, Schumer];

S. 2013, Satellite Home Viewer Extension Act of 2004 [Hatch, Leahy, DeWine, Kohl];

S. Res. 362, a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate on the dedication of the National World War II Memorial on May 29, 2004, in recognition of the duty, sacrifices, and valor of the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in World War II. [Graham (FL), Biden, Chambliss, Durbin, Feingold, Grassley, Hatch, Cornyn, DeWine, Edwards, Graham, (SC)]

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on Thursday, May 20, 2004 on ``FBI Oversight: Terrorism and Other Topics'' in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 226 immediately following the full committee markup scheduled for 10:30 a.m. in Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 226.

Witness List

Panel I: Robert S. Mueller III, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands for those kind remarks and also for yielding to me time to speak about H.R. 1616, the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site Land Exchange Act. I also want to thank my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton), for bringing this legislation before us.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 1616 is a good bill. It authorizes the exchange of land owned by the National Park Service for land of equal or greater value from the City of Atlanta. The National Park Service and the City of Atlanta have already agreed to the land swapping. However, this cannot be done without authorization from Congress, and H.R. 1616 completes the deal.

This legislation is so important because the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site Visitor Center and Museum is landlocked and has no emergency access, making it virtually impossible for firefighting equipment to reach the facility. In fact, if there were a fire at the visitor center, the Atlanta Fire Department would have to walk at least 150 to 200 yards in order to reach the center.

Luckily, we have not been faced with such an outcome. However, we must be prepared. Furthermore, Madam Speaker, with heightened security concerns at our Nation's monuments and parks, emergency access is critical.

Passage of H.R. 1616 will allow the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site to create an emergency access road to and from the site.

As the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands already stated, this bill is a win-win for all parties. The acquisition of city-owned property would enable the National Park Service to establish easy street access to the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site Visitor Center and Museum and would benefit the City of Atlanta by exchanging a piece of property that the city could develop into a viable commercial center.

Madam Speaker, Atlanta is the heart of the South and home to progressive residential and business communities. The Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site is adjacent to one of Atlanta's most preserved districts. It is a gathering place where people from all over the world travel to and from to learn our Nation's history. Furthermore the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site is central to the growth and prosperity of the surrounding community.

Madam Speaker, we must do all that we can to preserve this important tale of history. H.R. 1616 plays a small, but important, role in achieving this responsibility.

Again, I would like to thank the Committee on Resources for supporting this bill, and I urge its immediate passage.

Madam Speaker, I rise to thank my colleagues for their support of the ``Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site Land Exchange Act,'' H.R. 1616 and the bill to extend the authority for the construction of a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., S. 470. These bills extend the authority for and make possible the construction of a national memorial commemorating the achievements of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his commitment to the struggle of civil rights for all Americans.

Dr. King dedicated his life to the realization of full equal and civil rights for all Americans irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. He stood on the front lines in the struggle against social injustice, discrimination, and inequality, often at great risk to himself. Despite numerous death threats, Dr. King never wavered in that commitment.

Madam Speaker, the Lewis and Sarbanes bills are a win-win situation for all parties involved. The National Park Service currently owns a vacant lot that does not have any significant historic value. The city of Atlanta would like to acquire this land for the sole purpose of encouraging commercial development within its city limits. In addition, the land on which the National Historic Site Visitor Center and Museum currently sits is land-locked and lacks adequate emergency access. Exchanging this land within the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site for property in which the National Park Service could establish easy access to the Visitor Center and Museum would be mutually beneficial to both parties. This would simultaneously resolve the National Park Service's access issue and give the city of Atlanta much needed commercial space.

Madam Speaker, once again I am proud to support both bills--the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site Land Exchange Act and the bill to extend the authority for construction of the MLK Memorial. I would like to give a special thanks to my colleagues Mr. Lewis and Senator Sarbanes for their leadership in sponsoring these important pieces of legislation and in helping to keep the dream alive.

Madam Speaker, I rise to thank my colleagues for their support of the ``Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site Land Exchange Act,'' H.R. 1616 and the bill to extend the authority for the construction of a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., S. 470. These bills extend the authority for and make possible the construction of a national memorial commemorating the achievements of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his commitment to the struggle of civil rights for all Americans.

Dr. King dedicated his life to the realization of full equal and civil rights for all Americans irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. He stood on the front lines in the struggle against social injustice, discrimination, and inequality, often at great risk to himself. Despite numerous death threats, Dr. King never wavered in that commitment.

Madam Speaker, the Lewis and Sarbanes bills are a win-win situation for all parties involved. The National Park Service currently owns a vacant lot that does not have any significant historic value. The City of Atlanta would like to acquire this land for the sole purpose of encouraging commercial development within its city limits. In addition, the land on which the National Historic Site Visitor Center and Museum currently sits is land-locked and lacks adequate emergency access. Exchanging this land within the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site for property in which the National Park Service could establish easy access to the Visitor Center and Museum would be mutually beneficial to both parties. This would simultaneously resolve the National Park Service's access issue and give the City of Atlanta much needed commercial space.

Madam Speaker, once again I am proud to support both bills the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site Land Exchange Act and the bill to extend the authority for construction of the MLK Memorial. I would like to give a special thanks to my colleagues Mr. Lewis and Senator Sarbanes for their leadership in sponsoring these important pieces of legislation and in helping to keep the dream alive.