To modify a land grant patent issued by the Secretary of the Interior.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the author of H.R. 1280. I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member of the Interior Committee, Mrs. Christensen and Mr. Lamborn, and the committee staff for their assistance in moving forward with this legislation.

H.R. 1280 is a straightforward bill that would allow the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society to implement the new Human Use/Natural Resource Management Plan for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Chippewa County, Michigan.

We have passed identical legislation on suspension out of the House of Representatives in the 109th and 110th sessions of Congress before, but it was not considered by the Senate. I am hopeful, with the House acting early this year in this legislative session, that the legislation we pass today will allow the Senate ample time to consider and approve this legislation.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. Since 1992, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society has operated the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum to educate the public about shipwrecks in the region. The museum provides exhibits on several shipwrecks in the area, including an in-depth exhibit on the Edmund Fitzgerald, which was lost with her entire crew of 29 men near Whitefish Point, Michigan, on November 10, 1975. Among the items on display is the 200-pound bronze bell recovered from the wreckage in 1995, as a memorial to her lost crew.

In 2002, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Michigan Audubon Society, and the local community finalized a new management plan to improve the experience at the museum. The new management plan, which was signed and agreed upon by the interested parties, will allow the historical society to expand the museum's exhibits while addressing concerns about parking and access to surrounding wildlife areas. However, because the original land patent references the previous management plan, legislation to amend the patent is necessary before the new management plan can be implemented.

H.R. 1280 amends the land grant patent to allow the new management plan to be implemented. Congressman Camp of Michigan has joined me in cosponsoring this legislation, and I thank him for his support.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society has continuously improved the experience at the museum since it was established in 1992. With the approval of H.R. 1280, Congress will allow the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum to further develop this cultural and historical resource.

I encourage my colleagues to support this simple legislation which would improve the opportunities available to visitors of Chippewa County, Michigan, and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1280) to modify a land grant patent issued by the Secretary of the Interior.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to bring to the House for its consideration this legislation sponsored by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak). This bill makes a minor technical correction to a land patent issued by the Secretary of the Interior to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.

In 1997, Congress directed the Secretary to grant a land patent transferring a portion of the Whitefish Point Coast Guard Light Station to the society for the purposes of developing a public museum dedicated to shipping on the Great Lakes, including the well-known tragedy of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, an iron ore carrier lost on Lake Superior in 1975.

A condition of the patent was that the use of the land conform to the Whitefish Point Comprehensive Plan of 1992. That plan has been replaced by a new document, the December 2002 Human Use/Natural Resource Plan for Whitefish Point. This bill strikes the reference to the old plan and replaces it with the title of the current document.

Congressman Stupak has worked diligently on behalf of this legislation. The museum is one of the most popular attractions in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and Mr. Stupak has been a great advocate on its behalf.

I wholeheartedly support H.R. 1280 and urge its adoption by the House today.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield to the sponsor of the legislation, Mr. Bart Stupak of Michigan.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 1280, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 1280 has been well explained by the majority, and we support the legislation.

At this point, I would reserve the balance of my time.

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