Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 337) to transfer administrative jurisdiction over certain Bureau of Land Management land from the Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for inclusion in the Black Hills National Cemetery, and for other purposes.

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

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

I rise in strong support of H.R. 337, the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Kristi Noem of South Dakota.

This bill expands the Black Hills National Cemetery, outside of Sturgis, South Dakota, by permanently transferring the jurisdictional authority of approximately 200 acres of undeveloped Federal land from the Bureau of Land Management to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Originally opened in 1948, the cemetery now houses a memorial carillon, a memorial to Korean war veterans, and is the final resting place of many notable veterans, including Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant Charles Windolph. With its existing acreage, the cemetery can only accommodate a finite number of additional burials. Transferring jurisdiction of the land from the BLM to the VA will provide space for hundreds of additional grave sites for future generations of American veterans. Without the transfer, the National Cemetery Administration will be forced to close the cemetery to further burials in the very near future.

This is a commonsense piece of legislation that will ensure that the Black Hills National Cemetery can continue to provide proper burial sites and final resting places for America's fallen heroes.

At this point, I include in the Record an exchange of letters with Chairman Roe of the Veterans' Affairs Committee regarding this bill. I thank him for helping to expedite the consideration of this bill today.

I commend Representative Noem for working closely with both the BLM and the VA on this issue, and I urge the adoption of the measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Veterans' Affairs,

Washington, DC, February 1, 2017.

Hon. Rob Bishop,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to you concerning H.R. 337,

the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act.

There are certain provisions in the legislation which fall

within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Veterans'

Affairs.

In the interest of permitting your committee to proceed

expeditiously to floor consideration of this important bill,

I am willing to waive this committee's right to sequential

referral. I do so with the understanding that by waiving

consideration of the bill, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the

subject matters contained in the bill which fall within its

Rule X jurisdiction. I request that you urge the Speaker to

name members of this committee to any conference committee

which is named to consider such provisions.

Please place this letter into the committee report on H.R.

337 and into the Congressional Record during consideration of

the measure on the House floor. Thank you.

Sincerely,

David P. Roe, M.D.,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for his gracious remarks.

I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from the great State of South Dakota (Mrs. Noem), who is working hard for the people of her State.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 337, the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act.

I thank the chairman of the committee and his staff for working so hard to move this bill through Congress. Their support means so much to our veterans and to their families.

Those who have served and those families who have sacrificed beside them deserve our Nation's eternal gratitude. Since 1948, the Black Hills National Cemetery has been one way that we have shown that appreciation to them. The cemetery currently covers about 100 acres of land and is home to the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Its peaceful landscape serves as the final resting place for hundreds of servicemembers and their family members.

Chief David Beautiful Bald Eagle is among the brave men and women buried here. Born in a tepee in 1919, Chief Bald Eagle served our country in World War II as a paratrooper and as one of the legendary Lakota code talkers. We lost him last summer, but his life continues to be an inspiration to the Lakota people and those who knew him.

Brigadier General Richard E. Ellsworth was also laid to rest there. He was a man who flew 400 combat missions during World War II. He earned numerous medals and returned to the U.S., where he eventually became wing commander of the Rapid City Air Force Base. In 1953, that base was renamed in his honor.

The surrounding community also does its part to honor this hallowed ground. On a brisk day this past December, Pennington County 4-H, the Sturgis Boy Scouts, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, and community members came together and placed over 1,000 wreaths on the graves of servicemembers who were laid to rest at this cemetery. They upheld the vow that those laid to rest should never be forgotten. Now we must do our part to uphold that very same vow.

So we honor the legacy of these veterans and many others at the Black Hills National Cemetery, but the facility is not going to have the room it needs to continue serving future veterans without expansion. This bill would allow that expansion by transferring around 200 acres of adjacent land near Sturgis, South Dakota, from the Bureau of Land Management's jurisdiction to the Department of Veterans Affairs. My office worked with these agencies and the stakeholders in crafting this legislation, and all agreed that this land transfer is necessary.

The transfer of this land will provide the Black Hills National Cemetery with the additional burial space that is needed to assure that today's veterans and servicemembers, as well as their families, will be able to utilize the space and that we will be able to uphold our commitment and offer this Nation's eternal gratitude for everything that they have done for us.

Again, I thank the committee, my colleagues, and the chairman for supporting this bill. I urge a ``yes'' vote.

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

This bill provides the Veterans Administration with 200 acres of Federal land, which are currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management, in order to expand the Black Hills National Cemetery.

National cemeteries are reserved for the brave men and women who make the ultimate personal sacrifice while serving in the military in defense of our freedom, and it is important that we have the sufficient space to meet all of those interment requests. These heroes have served our country and deserve to permanently rest in a cemetery that honors their sacrifice and commitment to the ideals that hold us together as a nation.

With respect to the Black Hills National Cemetery specifically, the BLM and the VA determined that only Congress can provide the permanent jurisdiction transfer that is needed for this particular expansion; thus, we are considering this bill and, after passage, are encouraging our friends in the Senate to do the same.

Of course, this bill represents a small fraction of the ways we can support our veterans and need to support our veterans to demonstrate our appreciation for those who have served. We need to improve access to education and job training. We need to increase funding and raise the bar on accountability for the Department of Veterans Affairs. We should work to shorten wait times at VA hospitals by allowing nurses to practice to the full extent of their licensure to ensure quality care in a quicker way at a reasonable cost, and there are many other things we need to do to make sure that those who proudly put their lives on the line--or in this case, who have paid the ultimate price to protect our freedom--and their families and loved ones are cared for by this country in recognition of their sacrifice.

I do believe this simple change in land ownership will have an impact by providing the men and women who have bravely served a final resting place. Expanding the Black Hills National Cemetery is a noble and worthy cause that deserves our support.

I thank my colleague from South Dakota for bringing this issue forward and for her hard work in guiding this bill through Congress. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill that supports our veterans.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, February 6 and Tuesday, February 7, 2017, I was unable to return to Washington, DC for recorded votes due to inclement weather at home in the Puget Sound region. Had I been present, I would have voted:

``Yes'' on rollcall vote No. 79 (on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 689).

``Yes'' on rollcall vote No. 80 (on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 337).

``No'' on rollcall vote No. 81 (on ordering the previous question on H.Res. 91).

``No'' on rollcall vote No. 82 (on agreeing to the resolution H.Res. 91).

``No'' on rollcall vote No. 83 (on passage of H.J.Res. 44).

``No'' on rollcall vote No. 84 (on passage of H.J.Res. 57).

``No'' on rollcall vote No. 85 (on passage of H.J.Res. 58).

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, February 06, 2017, I missed two votes due to unavoidable travel delays in route to our nation's capital. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows:

On roll call No.79--H.R. 689, the Bolts Ditch Access and Use Act, I would have voted yes.

On roll call No. 80--H.R. 337, the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act, I would have voted yes.