A bill to redesignate the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge as the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of H.R. 588, legislation that I introduced to redesignate the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge as the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge. This legislation is a companion bill to S. 266, introduced by Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran, which passed the Senate on February 17, 2011. I want to thank Senator Cochran for his leadership on this and many other conservation matters.

H.R. 588 honors Mr. Sam D. Hamilton, a lifetime conservationist and a great man who spent 30 years at the Fish and Wildlife Service, ultimately rising to Director in 2009.

Established in 1940, the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge consists of 48,000 acres in east-central Mississippi. Approximately 170,000 people visit the refuge annually and enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, and other outdoor and recreational activities.

Mr. Hamilton had a long and personal history with the refuge. A native of Starkville, Mississippi, he recalled during his confirmation testimony that he caught his first fish at the refuge at the age of 5 and began his conservation career there as an employee at age 15. Sam called the refuge system the ``finest collection of public lands and waters dedicated to fish and wildlife conservation in the world.''

Upon graduating from Mississippi State University, Sam started a career that spanned 30 years at the Fish and Wildlife Service. On September 1, 2009, Sam Hamilton was sworn in as the 15th Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Regrettably, Sam passed away on February 20, 2010. Honoring Sam by renaming the refuge would be a tribute to his remarkable career and his commitment to conservation. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation recently provided a grant to the Friends of Noxubee Refuge that will allow the name change to occur without the Federal Government's incurring these costs.

I would also like to thank Chairman Hastings and Subcommittee Chairman Fleming for their support and look forward to working with them to ensure this legislation is signed into law to remember a man who devoted his life and career to the ideals formed during his early days at the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 588) to redesignate the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge as the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge.

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

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

Under H.R. 588, the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Mississippi will be renamed after the former Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sam Hamilton, who recently died at the young age of 54. It's my understanding, Madam Speaker, that his first outdoors job was at the Noxubee Refuge, where he learned to band wood ducks and manage wildlife habitat.

I want to compliment my friend and colleague from Mississippi, Congressman Gregg Harper, for introducing this no-cost legislation, which I think is a fitting tribute to Sam Hamilton and all that he stood for.

With that, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the author of this legislation, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Harper).

Madam Speaker, I too urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

I rise in support of H.R. 588, which would redesignate the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge as the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge.

Madam Speaker, it is abundantly clear that everyone who worked with Director Hamilton during his three-plus decades of public service had the utmost respect and admiration for him. His lifelong commitment to conservation and restoration of some of the Nation's most important species and ecosystems started at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, and so it is fitting that this place is memorialized in his honor.

I commend my colleague, Congressman Harper from Mississippi, for introducing this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, again I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 588, which is a bill that would rename the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge as the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be discharged from further consideration of S. 266 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements be printed in the Record.