Honoring the life, achievements, and contributions of Floyd Dominy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to address the Chair regarding the votes that I missed on the following dates:

May 12, due to the passing of my mother, Ivalita Jackson, I missed the following votes:

Rollcall vote No. 259, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 260, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 261, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 262, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote No. 263, I would have voted no;

Rollcall vote 264, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 265, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 266, I would have voted ``aye''.

I rise to address the Chair regarding my absence from rollcall votes 259-266 on Wednesday, May 12, 2010.

I was not able to cast my votes during roll call 259-266 because I was in bereavement of the passing of my mother, Ivalita Jackson. Had I been present, for rollcall vote 259, on agreeing to the resolution, H. Res. 1344, ``Providing for consideration of the bill H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010,'' I would have voted ``aye''; for rollcall vote 260, on motion to suspend the rules and pass as amended, H.R. 5014, `` To clarify the health care provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs that constitutes minimum essential coverage,'' I would have voted ``aye''; for rollcall vote 261, on motion to suspend the rules and agree as amended, H. Con. Res. 268, ``Supporting the goals and ideals of National Women's Health Week, and for other purposes,'' I would have voted ``aye''; for rollcall vote 262, on agreeing to the amendment to H.R. 5116, ``Gordon Amendment No. 1,'' I would have voted ``aye''; for rollcall vote 263, on agreeing to the amendment to H.R. 5116, ``Hall of Texas Amendment No. 6,'' I would have voted ``no''; for rollcall vote 264, on agreeing to the amendment to H.R. 5116, ``Markey of Massachusetts Amendment No. 10,'' I would have voted ``aye''; for rollcall vote 265, on agreeing to the amendment to H.R. 5116, ``George Miller of California, Amendment No. 12,'' I would have voted ``aye''; for roll call vote 266, on agreeing to the amendment to H.R. 5116, ``Reyes of Texas Amendment No. 13,'' I would have voted ``aye'';

Tuesday, May 18, due similarly to the passing of my mother:

Rollcall votes 273 to 275, motion to suspend the rules, rollcall vote 273, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 274, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 275, I would have voted ``aye''.

I rise to address the Chair regarding my absence from rollcall votes 273-275 on Tuesday, May 18, 2010.

I was not able to cast my votes during roll-call 273-275 because I was in bereavement of the passing of my mother, Ivalita Jackson. I would like to state for the record how I would have voted had I been present.

For rollcall vote 273, on motion to suspend the rules and pass as amended, H.R. 2288, ``Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Improvement Act of 2009,'' I would have voted ``aye'';

For rollcall vote 274, on motion to suspend the rules and pass as amended, H.R. 4614, ``Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act of 2010,'' I would have voted ``aye'';

For rollcall vote 275, on motion to suspend the rules and agree, H. Res. 1327, ``Honoring the life achievements, and contributions of Floyd Dominy,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

On the 20th of May, due to the passing of my mother, I missed the following votes:

Rollcall vote 284, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 285, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 286, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 287, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 288, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 289, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 290, I would have voted ``aye''.

I rise to address the Chair regarding my absence from rollcall votes 284-290 on Thursday, May 20, 2010.

I was not able to cast my votes during rollcall 284-290 because I was in bereavement of the passing of my mother, Ivalita Jackson. I would like to state for the Record how I would have voted had I been present.

For rollcall vote 284, on motion to suspend the rules and pass as amended, H.R. 5327, ``To authorize assistance to Israel for the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system,'' I would have voted ``aye''.

For rollcall vote 285, on motion to suspend the rules agree to, H. Res. 1256, ``Congratulating Phil Mickelson on winning the 2010 Masters golf tournament,'' I would have voted ``aye'';

For rollcall vote 286, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to, H. Res. 1336, `` Congratulating the University of Texas men's swimming and diving team for winning the NCAA Division I national championship,'' I would have voted ``aye'';

For rollcall vote 287, on motion to suspend the rules and pass as amended, H.R. 1361, ``Recognizing North Carolina Central on its 100th anniversary,'' I would have voted ``aye'';

For rollcall vote 288, on ordering the previous question, H. Res. 1363, ``Granting the authority provided under clause 4(c)(3) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to the Committee on Education and Labor for purposes of its investigation into underground coal mining safety,'' I would have voted ``aye'';

For rollcall vote 289, on agreeing to resolution, H. Res. 163, ``Granting the authority provided under clause 4(c)(3) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to the Committee on Education and Labor for purposes of its investigation into underground coal mining safety,'' I would have voted ``aye'';

For rollcall vote 290, on motion to suspend the rules and pass as amended, H.R. 5128, ``To designate the Department of the Interior Building in Washington, District of Columbia, as the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building,'' I would have voted ``aye'';

Accordingly, I continued to miss time on the passing of my mother on May 24, and I missed rollcall votes 291 to 293.

I would have voted, on rollcall vote 291, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 292, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 293, I would have voted ``aye''.

I rise to address the Chair regarding my absence from rollcall votes 291-293 on Monday, May 24, 2010.

I was not able to cast my votes during rollcall 291-293 because I was in bereavement of the passing of my mother, Ivalita Jackson. I would like to state for the Record how I would have voted had I been present.

For rollcall vote 291, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 278, ``Expressing the sense of Congress that a grateful Nation supports and salutes Sons and Daughters in Touch on its 20th Anniversary that is being held on Fathers Day, 2010, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, the District of Columbia,'' I would have voted ``aye'';

For rollcall vote 292, on motion to suspend the rules and pass as amended, H.R. 1017, ``Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act,'' I would have voted ``aye'';

For rollcall vote 293, on motion to suspend the rules and pass as amended, H.R. 5330, ``To amend the Anti-trust Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 to extend the operation of such Act for a 5-year period ending June 22, 2015, and for other purposes,'' I would have voted ``aye''.

On Tuesday, May 25, accordingly, I missed the following votes pursuant to the earlier statement:

Rollcall vote 294, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 295, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 296, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 297, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 298, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 299, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 300, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 301, I would have voted ``aye''.

I rise to address the Chair regarding my absence from rollcall votes 294-301 on Tuesday, May 25, 2010.

I was not able to cast my votes during rollcall 294-301 because I was in bereavement of the passing of my mother, Ivalita Jackson. I would like to state for the Record how I would have voted had I been present.

For rollcall vote 294, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 5145, ``Assuring Quality Care for Veterans Act,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

For rollcall vote 295, on motion to suspend the rule and agree to H. Res. 437, ``Expressing support for designation of May 2010 as Mental Health Month,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

For rollcall vote 296, on motion to suspend the rules and agree as amended to H. Res. 1382, ``Expressing sympathy to the families of those killed by North Korea in the sinking of the Republic of Korea Ship Cheonan, and solidarity with the Republic of Korea in the aftermath of this tragic incident,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

For rollcall vote 297, on motion to suspend the rules and agree as amended to H. Res. 584, ``Recognizing the importance of manufactured and modular housing in the United States,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

For rollcall vote 298, on motion to suspend the rules and agree as amended to H.Res. 3885, ``Veterans Dog Training Therapy Act,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

For rollcall vote 299, on motion to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to H.R. 2711, ``Special Agent Samuel Hicks Families of Fallen Heroes Act,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

For rollcall vote 300, on motion to suspend the rules and agree as amended to H. Res.

1189, ``Commending Lance Mackey on winning a record 4th straight Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

For rollcall vote 301, on motion to suspend the rules and agree as amended to H. Res. 1172, ``Recognizing the life and achievements of Will Keith Kellogg,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

May 26, I was unavoidably detained on official business. I missed rollcall vote 302. I would have voted aye;

Rollcall vote 303, I would have voted ``aye'';

Rollcall vote 304, I would have voted ``aye''; and

Rollcall vote 305, I would have voted ``aye''.

I rise to address the Chair regarding my absence from rollcall votes 302-305 on Wednesday, May 26, 2010.

Mr. Speaker, I was not able to cast my votes during rollcall on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, because I was away from the office on official business. I would like to state for the Record how I would have voted, had I been present.

For rollcall vote, 302, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1347, ``Honoring the workers who perished on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, extending condolences to their families, and recognizing the valiant efforts of emergency response workers at the disaster site,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

For rollcall vote 303, on motion to suspend the rule and agree to H. Res. 1385, ``recognizing and honoring the courage and sacrifice of the members of the Armed Forces and veterans, and for other purposes,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

For rollcall vote 304, on motion to suspend the rules and agree as amended to H. Res 1316, ``Celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

For rollcall vote 305, on motion to suspend the rules and agree as amended to H. Res. 1169, ``Honoring the 125th anniversary of Rollins College,'' I would have voted ``aye.''

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

Mr. Speaker, this resolution honors the life, achievements and contributions of Mr. Floyd Dominy, the longest-serving commissioner in the history of the Bureau of Reclamation.

Our colleague, Congressman Adrian Smith, has introduced this bipartisan resolution because Mr. Dominy was a Nebraskan, having been born on a farm in the western part of that State. But while Mr. Dominy hailed from Nebraska, his achievements are known worldwide.

It was that hard scrabble life of eking out a living on a dry Nebraska farm that propelled Floyd Dominy into building the dams and water projects that have made possible the success of American agriculture in the western United States.

During his tenure at the Bureau of Reclamation, he played a major role in the authorization and construction of numerous Federal multi- purpose dams and water projects in the United States, including the Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona, Flaming Gorge Dam in Utah, the San Luis Unit in Central California, the Central Arizona Project and the Trinity Division of the Central Valley Project in northern California.

To this day, these projects have created some of the most productive farmland in the world, they have provided water to a growing population in the arid West, and they've generated clean, renewable and emissions- free hydropower.

His contributions to the Nation's water, power and food supply, its recreation and its environment stand as monumental examples of how visionaries like Mr. Dominy have made this country the beacon of freedom and opportunity and prosperity. This resolution honors that legacy.

But more than a legacy, it is a lesson for our Nation. Floyd Dominy stood as a giant in an era when the central objective of our Federal water and power policy was to provide an abundance of both. The great dams and hydroelectric projects of that era, of which Floyd Dominy was a driving force, produced the water and electricity that made possible the prosperity of our Nation.

Imagine an era when water and power was so cheap that many communities didn't even bother to measure the stuff. But in the 1970s, a radical and retrograde ideology seeped into our water and power policy. This ideology rejected abundance as our principal objective and replaced it with the rationing of shortages that have been caused by our abandoning abundance as our principal objective.

The great builders like Floyd Dominy were cast aside and forgotten, even while we continued to rely on the great public works that they had produced. We've now lived a generation under this ideology and the results, chronic shortages of water and power, skyrocketing prices for electricity, withering agriculture and declining prosperity.

Floyd Dominy is an American hero. He deserves so much more than a resolution. But, in a sense, he has it. The great water and hydroelectric projects that he produced stand as a monument to his vision and foresight and dedication. And they stand as a road map for this Nation when we finally get serious about dealing with the chronic shortages that the current generation of policymakers has produced.

I'd urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan measure.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1327) honoring the life, achievements, and contributions of Floyd Dominy.

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 resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1327 was introduced by our colleague, Representative Adrian Smith, and myself to honor the passing of Mr. Floyd Dominy, the man who was responsible for planning, coordinating, and building many of the Federal water projects that exist in the entire Western United States today.

House Resolution 1327 recognizes the longest-serving commissioner in the history of the Bureau of Reclamation, serving Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. Mr. Dominy, who, until his death, liked to be referred to as Mr. Commissioner, rose from the plains of Nebraska to become one of the most influential water developers in the world.

The legacy of Mr. Floyd Dominy impacts nearly every person in the 17 Western States. Water for cities and agriculture and reservoirs for recreation, along with hydropower from Bureau of Reclamation dams, provided the West with the ability to grow.

The history of the West was built on the shoulders of men and women who saw challenges as opportunities. Floyd Dominy built the Bureau of Reclamation and its engineers into a world-class organization that helped the West and the world develop and manage limited water resources.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the passage of House Resolution 1327.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, indeed, Mr. Dominy was a U.S. hero, if nothing else. He left a great legacy for the world, not just the United States; and we're exceedingly proud. He passed away 4 months ago at the age of 100 years old plus 4 months. My condolences to his family.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I missed the following recorded votes on the House floor the legislative week of Tuesday, May 18, 2010.

For Tuesday, May 18, 2010, had I been present I would have voted ``No'' on rollcall vote No. 273 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 2288), ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 274 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 4614), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 275 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1327).

For Wednesday, May 19, 2010, had I been present I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 276 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 1514), ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 277 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 5325), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 278 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1325), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 279 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1362), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 280 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 5099), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 281 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 403), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 282 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1292), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 283 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1364).

For Thursday, May 20, 2010, had I been present I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 284 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 5327), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 285 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1256), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 286 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1336), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 287 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1361), ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 288 (on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 1363), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 289 (on agreeing to H. Res. 1363), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 290 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 5128).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Nebraska native Floyd Dominy.

Floyd, the longest serving Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, recently passed away at the age of 100.

His contributions to our nation will continue to be felt for generations. A true Nebraskan, he knew just how important access to water is for farmers, ranchers, and our communities.

He dedicated himself to the projects which would supply the necessary water resources for both agriculture and recreational purposes.

Earlier this week, the House of Representatives passed H.Res. 1327--a resolution honoring Floyd for the major role he played in the development of our nation's water infrastructure.

Floyd was well known for his hard work and dedication, and I am proud to sponsor the resolution honoring Floyd's lifetime of service.