Coltsville Study Act of 2003

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be authorized to conduct a business meeting on Wednesday February 5, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. in SD-124. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss and vote on the following: Committee funding resolution, subcommittee assignments, and committee rules.

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 February 5, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. to conduct a hearing on the nomination of Mr. William H. Donaldson to be a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. on the state of professional boxing.

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, February 5, 2003, at 10 a.m. to consider pending calendar business.

agenda

On Wednesday, February 5, at 10 a.m., the Committee will hold a Business Meeting in Room SD-366 to consider the following items on the Agenda:

Agenda Item #1: S. 111--A bill to direct the Secretary of

the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine

the national significance of the Miami Circle site in the

State of Florida as well as the suitability and feasibility

of its inclusion in the National Park System.

Agenda Item #2: S. 117--A bill to authorize the Secretary

of Agriculture to sell or exchange certain land in the State

of Florida, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item #3: S. 144--A bill to require the Secretary of

the Interior to establish a program to provide assistance

through States to eligible weed management entries to control

or eradicate harmful, nonnative weeds on public and private

land.

Agenda Item #5: S. 210--A bill to provide for the

protection of archaeological sites in the Galisteo Basin in

New Mexico, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item #9: S. 214--A bill to designate For Bayard

Historic District in the State of New Mexico as a National

Historic Landmark, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item #10: S. 233--A bill to direct the Secretary of

the Interior to conduct a study of Coltsville in the State of

Connecticut for potential inclusion in the National Park

System.

Agenda Item #11: S. 254--A bill to revise the boundary of

the Kaloko-Honkohau National Historical Park in the State of

Hawaii, and for other purposes.

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 during the session on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, at 2:15 p.m., to hear testimony on Revenue Proposals in the President's FY 2004 Budget.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet in open Executive Session during the session on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, at 10:00 a.m., to mark up original bills, entitled, the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act of 2003 and the CARE Act of 2003.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 5, 2003 at 10 a.m. to hold a committee business meeting.

Agenda

The Committee will consider and vote on the following agenda items:

TREATY: Treaty Doc. 107-8, Treaty Between U.S. and Russian Federation on Strategic Offensive Reductions (``Moscow Treaty'')

LEGISLATION: S. , an original bill, the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003 (tentative)

S. , an original resolution regarding committee funding for the 108th Congress

COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION MATTER: 1. Sub-commitee Membership for the 108th Congress

NOMINATIONS: 1. FSO Promotion List, Nicely, et al dated January 15, 2003

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a judicial nominations hearing on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, in Dirksen Room 226 at 9:30 a.m.

Tentative Agenda

Panel I: the Honorable Paul Sarbanes; the Honorable Barbara

Mikulski; the Honorable Byron Dorgan; the Honorable Mike

DeWine; the Honorable John Ensign, and the Honorable Earl

Pomeroy.

Panel II: Jay S. Bybee to be U.S. Court of Appeals Judge

for the Ninth Circuit.

Panel III: Ralph R. Erickson to be United States District

Judge for the District of North Dakota; William D. Quarles,

Jr. to be United States District Judge for the District of

Maryland; Gregory L. Frost to be United States District Judge

for the Southern District of Ohio.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate for a hearing entitled ``The Small Business Healthcare Crisis: Possible Solutions'' and other matters on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in room 428A of the Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Aviation of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be

authorized to meet on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, at 2:30 p.m. on aviation security.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) for her kind words. I would also like to thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi) for his remarks. I thank as well the gentleman from California (Chairman Pombo) and the ranking member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), for their consideration of this legislation, and the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) for his help in assisting bringing this important legislation to the floor.

I would be remiss not to mention, as the gentlewoman did, the involvement of the entire Connecticut delegation, with special thanks to United States Senators Dodd and Lieberman, the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson), the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays), and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons) for their tireless efforts as well.

A hearing was conducted on this back in April with the National Park Service testifying in favor of this study going forward. We have also, as was noted by the gentlewoman, received

numerous support from State and local public officials, the State's oldest continuous published newspaper, and many civic groups, neighborhood groups, the Connecticut Historical Society and others who support this wholeheartedly.

The historical significance is paramount. This actually was the seat of the industrial revolution. Connecticut has long been known as being an arsenal for democracy dating back to our Revolution, and Samuel Colt is known most famously for the Colt 45 and the gun that won the West. What is not known in history is the effort of Elizabeth Colt.

Samuel Colt died at a very young age, and it was Elizabeth Colt who for 42 years managed this business and made it the most successful precision manufacturing business in the world at the time. It was the business to which Henry Ford came to study. It was the business in which both Pratt and Whitney were interns, and later were the pioneers of manufacturing Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines. It was here that people came to look at precision manufacturing; but Elizabeth Colt, who would have been among the Fortune top 10 at the time, did not even have the right to vote.

The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) has talked frequently about how she was able to break through the glass ceiling and become the first to make history. Well not only did Elizabeth Colt make history, she also made a difference, as I know our leader will as well. In doing so, Elizabeth Colt was able to focus on housing concerns in the region, she was able to focus on the need to bring in assurances to help out workers in the workplace, and so she became a study not only in terms of precision manufacturing, but how to build a community around an industrial base.

It is for this reason and at the dawn of our industrial revolution, and the fact that this was the first American overseas factory, that this community enterprise of State government and the private sector is worthy of this study and, as indicated, was unanimously passed by both the Senate and by the respective committee and subcommittee in this body. I urge its support today, and thank all of those for their kind words and help in bringing this to fruition. It is an outstanding achievement for the city of Hartford and the citizens of Coltsville, and a great step forward for America in recognizing the genius of Samuel Colt and the long-overdue recognition of Elizabeth Colt.

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

Mr. Speaker, S. 233 is a Senate companion legislation to a bill, H.R. 437, introduced by the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), which would authorize a study of the Coltsville historic district in Connecticut. This district is located in the city of Hartford. The site, which is associated with the historically significant Colt Manufacturing Company, contains a notable number of historic resources that provide an important glimpse into the history of American industry and precision manufacturing.

At the April 8 subcommittee hearing on the House bill, the National Park Service and public witnesses testified in favor of the study. The legislation also has the support of the entire Connecticut delegation.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the work of the House sponsor, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), on this measure. He has been a strong and effective advocate of the Coltsville community and the city of Hartford. It is our hope and intention that the study will provide Congress and the community with information on how to appropriately preserve and interpret the historic resources of the Coltsville community.

Mr. Speaker, I support the legislation and urge its adoption.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), the sponsor of this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 233) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of Coltsville in the State of Connecticut for potential inclusion in the National Park System.

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

Mr. Speaker, S. 233, introduced by Senator Dodd of Connecticut and passed by the Senate earlier this year, would authorize the Secretary of Interior to conduct a suitability and feasibility study of the Coltsville site, an area within the city of Hartford, Connecticut, for the potential inclusion in the National Park System.

The Coltsville site, founded by Samuel Colt, flourished during the industrial revolution, spurring innovation in not only the production of firearms, but also with the development of technology. S. 233 is supported by the administration, as well as the majority and minority of the subcommittee. I urge my colleagues to support S. 233.

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

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

I thank the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) for the rich history and the articulation he shared with us today. It is truly a fitting tribute to the Colt family.

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

I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed en bloc to the immediate consideration of the following bills: Calendar No. 12, S. 111; Calendar No. 13, S. 117; Calendar No. 14, S. 144; Calendar No. 15, S. 210; Calendar No. 16, S. 214; Calendar No. 17, S. 233; and Calendar No. 18, S. 254.

I further ask unanimous consent that where applicable the committee amendment be agreed to, the bills as amended be amended, the bills be read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, any statements relating to the

bills be printed in the Record, with the above occurring en bloc.