San Gabriel River Watershed Study Act

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be authorized to conduct a business meeting during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 21, 2003. The purpose of this meeting will be to consider the nominations of Glen Klippenstein, Julia Bartling, and Lowell Junkins to be members of the Board of Directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation and Tom Dorr to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Commodity Credit Corporation and to be under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development.

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 May 21, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. to conduct an oversight hearing on ``national export strategy.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 21, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. on SPAM, in SR-253.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 21, 2003, 2:30 p.m. on TEA-21 Reauthorization, in SR- 253.

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, May 21 at 10:00 a.m. to consider pending calendar business.

Agenda Item No. 2--S. 520--A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain facilities to the Fremont-Madison Irrigation District in the State of Idaho for sure.

Agenda Item No. 3--S. 625--A bill to authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct certain feasibility studies in the Tualatin River Basin in Oregon, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 5--S. 500--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to study certain sites in the historic district of Beaufort, South Carolina, relating to the Reconstruction Era.

Agenda Item No. 6--S. 635--A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to update the feasibility and suitability studies of four national historic trails, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 7--S. 651--A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to clarify Federal authority relating to land acquisition from willing sellers for the majority of the trails in the System, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 8--H.R. 519--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the San Gabriel River Watershed, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 9--H.R. 733--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the McLoughlin House National Historic Site in Oregon City, Oregon, and to administer the site as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item No. 10--H.R. 788--To revise the boundary of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in the States of Utah and Arizona.

Agenda Item No. 11--S. 203--A bill to open certain withdrawn land in Big Horn County, Wyoming, to locatable mineral development for bentonite mining.

Agenda Item No. 12--S. 246--A bill to provide that certain Bureau of Land Management land shall be held in trust for the Pueblo of Santa Clara and the Pueblo of San Ildefonso in the State of New Mexico.

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 Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. to hold a Business Meeting.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet in Executive Session during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 21, 2003.

The following agenda will be considered: S. 1053, Genetics Non- Discrimination Act.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 10 a.m. in room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct an oversight hearing on Reorganization of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Executive Nominations'' on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 at 10 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 226.

Panel I: Senators.

Panel II: R. Hewitt Pate to be Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, United States Department of Justice.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Joint Economic Committee be authorized to conduct a hearing in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building, Wednesday, May 21, 2003, from 9:30 a.m. at 1 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 21, 2003, at 9 a.m., for a hearing entitled ``SARS: How Effective Is The State And Local Response?''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, be authorized to meeting during the session of the Senate on May 13, 2003, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing the nominations of Mr. Nicholas Gregory Mankiw, of Massachusetts, to be a member of the Council of Economic Advisors, Executive Office of the President; Mr. Steven B. Nesmith, of Pennsylvania, to be Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and Mr. Jose Teran, of Florida, Mr. James Broaddus, of Texas, Mr. Lane Carson, of Louisiana, and Mr. Paul Pate, of Iowa, to be members of the Board of Directors, National Institute of Building Sciences.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., on Media Ownership in SR- 253.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, at 2 p.m., to hear testimony on Status of the Free Miami Ministerial.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet in open Executive Session during the session on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, at 7 p.m., to mark up an original bill, the

text of which was reported by the Committee on Finance on May 8, 2003, for the purpose of meeting Finance Committee reconciliation instructions.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on ``Project Safe Neighborhoods: America's Network Against Gun Violence'' on Tuesday, May 13, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226.

Panel I: The Honorable Paul M. Warner, United States Attorney for the District of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; The Honorable Paul J. McNulty, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria, VA; The Honorable Todd P. Graves, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Kansas City, MO; The Honorable Patrick L. Meehan, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

Panel II: Mr. Russell Edward Spann, Captain, West Valley Police Department, Utah, West Valley, UT; Mr. Dennis A. Mook, Chief of Police, Newport News Police Department, Newport News, VA; The Honorable Donald R. Totaro, District Attorney, Lancaster County, Lancaster, PA; Mr. Charles L. Curtis, President, Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission, Kansas City, MO; Professor Jens Ludwig, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Professor Alfred Blumstein, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on National Parks of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 13, at 10:00 a.m., to receive testimony regarding S. 452, to require that the Secretary of the Interior conduct a study to identify sites and resources, to recommend alternatives for commemorating and interpreting the Cold War, and for other purposes; S. 500, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to study certain sites in the Historic District of Beaufort, South Carolina, relating to the Reconstruction Era; S. 601, to authorize the Secretary to acquire the McLoughlin House National Historic Site in Oregon City, Oregon, for inclusion in the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, and for other purposes; S. 612, and H.R. 788, to revise the boundary of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in the States of Utah and Arizona; and S. 630, and H.R. 519, to authorize the Secretary to conduct a study of the San Gabriel River Watershed and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 13, at 2:30 p.m., to receive testimony regarding S. 520, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain facilities to the Fremont-Madison Irrigation District in the State of Idaho; S. 625, a bill to authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct certain feasibility studies in the Tualatin River Basin in Oregon, and for other purposes; S. 960, a bill to amend the Reclamation Wasterwater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize certain projects in the State of Hawaii and to amend the Hawaii Water Resources Act of 2000 to modify the Water Resources Study; S. 649, a bill to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in projects within the San Diego Creek Watershed, California, and for other purposes; and S. 993, a bill to amend the Small Reclamation Projects Act of 1956, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for working with us. I also thank the ranking member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), and the gentleman from California (Chairman Pombo) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich). When we were discussing the bill last year, we went through different versions of the bill. We did try to accommodate the concerns of all Members who were involved in this effort.

I truly think this is a hallmark because it is a bipartisan bill that was working its way through last year, but unfortunately met some barriers on the Senate side. I know this is something that many people in urban areas are looking for as a model. We hear from Members on both sides of the aisle talking about providing open space in urban areas.

This will hopefully provide some type of relief for over 2 million people that reside along the San Gabriel River. I grew up there as a child and spent many Saturday afternoons and vacations in this area. Something that we like to talk about is the fact that so many people in that area come from largely low-income, underrepresented areas, and do not have the ability or economic means to go to Sequoia, to go to Yosemite, to even go to the beach. Some people in my district have never had the luxury of going to the beach. Their recreation occurs in their particular geographic area.

The San Gabriel Mountains are only 20 minutes away from a lot of the residents that I represent. The gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) and I have worked on this issue. Many of his constituents feel very strongly about the need to provide open space for all communities. This is a step in the right direction. The Department of the Interior will conduct a study, and hopefully they will come up with some good planning so we can move forward. I thank all of the Members for working with me.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 519) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the San Gabriel River Watershed, and for other purposes.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 519, introduced by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis), would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the San Gabriel River Watershed in the State of California.

While I will defer to the minority and the bill's sponsor to explain the merits of the legislation, I would express that we greatly appreciate the efforts of the bill's sponsors and the minority to address some early concerns about this bill. These concerns were addressed during the last Congress, and the bill successfully passed the body as part of a larger package, although it ultimately did not become law. This bill now enjoys the broad support of both the majority and the minority, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter).

(Mr. CARTER asked and was given permission to speak out of order and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Give the American People Fair Taxes

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my California colleague for all of the hard work the gentlewoman put into this legislation over the past couple of years, thank her again for working with the majority and the minority in order to work this bill out. I think it is a good piece of legislation that deserves the support of the House, and I urge an ``aye'' vote.

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

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

(Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 519, sponsored by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis), authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility and suitability of establishing a unit of the National Park System which would include parts of the San Gabriel River, as well as a portion of the San Gabriel Mountains. The study would include parts of Los Angeles County, as well as a part of the City of Los Angeles itself.

During the hearings on this measure held during the previous Congress, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis) provided testimony and photographs demonstrating that, although this proposed study area is in the midst of a very urban area, some green space has been preserved and might be appropriate for a park unit.

Clearly, such an urban setting raises conservation and management challenges, and we look forward to the results of this study regarding these issues. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis) on her legislation and her diligence in moving her bill through the legislative process. She has been extremely patient while working very hard to move the bill forward. I urge Members to approve H.R. 519.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis).

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