Department of the Interior Volunteer Recruitment Act of 2004

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 September 29, 2004, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on ``The 9/11 Commission and Efforts to Identify and Combat Terrorist Financing.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, September 29, 2004, at 3 p.m., to hold a hearing on Nominations.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, September 29, 2004, at 9:30 a.m. in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building to conduct a business meeting on pending Committee matters, to be followed immediately by an oversight hearing on Lobbying Practices Involving Indian Tribes regarding allegations of misconduct associated with lobbying and related activities.

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, September 29 at 2:30 p.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 2378, to provide for the conveyance of certain public land in Clark County, NV, for use as a heliport; S. 2410, to promote wildland firefighter safety; H.R. 1651, to provide for the exchange of land within the Sierra National Forest, California, and for other purposes; H.R. 2400, to amend the Organic Act of Guam for the purposes of clarifying the local judicial structure of Guam; H.R. 3874, to convey for public purposes certain Federal lands in Riverside County, CA, that have been identified for disposal; H.R. 4170, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to recruit volunteers to assist with, or facilitate, the activities of various agencies and offices of the Department of the Interior; and Senate Resolution 387, a resolution commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space be authorized to meet on September 29, 2004, at 2 pm, on Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Exploring the Controversy.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4170) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to recruit volunteers to assist with, or facilitate, the activities of various agencies and offices of the Department of Interior, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4170, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4170, introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), the chairman of the Committee on Resources, and subsequently amended by the Committee on Resources, would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish volunteer programs in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Office of the Secretary. With this authority, these four bureaus would be able to parallel the successful volunteer programs of the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to recruit volunteers to assist with or facilitate the activities within these agencies.

Mr. Speaker, over 200,000 volunteers annually serve as campground hosts, clear trail, help with seasonal bird surveys, collect new information for maps and assist with many other day-to-day activities.

Mr. Speaker, simply put, volunteers provide the Department of the Interior vital services to help it meet its mission responsibilities. Volunteer programs within the Department also provide outstanding opportunity for community service and public involvement in conservation programs.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4170 is supported by the majority and the minority of the Committee on Resources and the administration. I urge adoption of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of bipartisanship, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

The hearing will be held Wednesday, September 29, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 2378, to provide for the conveyance of certain public land in Clark County, NV, for use as a heliport; S. 2410, to promote wildland firefighter safety; H.R. 1651, to provide for the exchange of land within the Sierra National Forest, CA, and for other purposes; H.R. 2400, to amend the Organic Act of Guam for the purposes of clarifying the local judicial structure of Guam; H.R. 3874, to convey for public purposes certain Federal lands in Riverside County, CA, that have been identified for disposal; H.R. 4170, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to recruit volunteers to assist with, or facilitate, the activities of various agencies and offices of the Department of the Interior; and Senate Resolution 387, a resolution commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send two copies of their testimony to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510-6150.

For further information, please contact Dick Bouts at 202-224-7545, Frank Gladics at 202-224-2878, or Amy Miller at 202-224-8276.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Ms. BORDALLO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, the majority has already explained the purpose of H.R. 4170, which was introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), the chairman of the Committee on Resources, at the request of the administration. At this point, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank publicly the chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), for attending the 60th anniversary of Guam's liberation this past weekend in Tracy, California.

On behalf of the Committee on Resources ranking member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), we appreciate the willingness of the chairman and his staff to make changes to the bill to address concerns about the use of volunteers in regulatory and legal offices within the Department of Interior.

Mr. Speaker, with those changes, we have no objection to the passage of H.R. 4170, as amended, by the House today.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.