Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman.

Today, I rise in support of going to a conference committee with the Senate on VA reform. I am pleased that the Senate has followed our lead in swiftly passing legislation that will help the thousands of veterans waiting for care in a dysfunctional VA system.

While I don't agree with everything in the Senate bill, we all agree that our veterans deserve better than the VA has been giving them. Today, Congress will renew its commitment, on a bipartisan basis, to overhauling the VA and working to give our veterans the care they have earned.

I was a surgeon at the VA for 20 years treating our veterans, and today I am

grateful for the opportunity to continue that care by working to get a VA reform bill to the President's desk.

The bottom line is this: we cannot allow the VA to continue operating as a failed, bloated bureaucracy.

I believe we can give the VA the tools to be smarter, leaner, and much more responsive to the needs of our veterans. As a father of a veteran, I am dedicated to making this a reality. The time for excuses is over, the time for action is now.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of a very simple amendment, in which I am joined and sponsored by Mr. Lowenthal of California. I believe strongly that there is an epidemic, commonly referred to as Alzheimer's disease, that is sweeping our country.

My amendment would increase funding for the Defense Health Program by $2 million, with the intent of providing more peer-reviewed research to fight this devastating disease.

As a doctor who served at the Iron Mountain VA for 20 years, I know how important the health research programs at the Department of Defense are. These programs provide groundbreaking research into the health challenges that our veterans face.

These health research programs help us to provide better quality of care to those who have served our country and frequently lead to advances in treatment that benefit the rest of the population.

According to the Alzheimer's Association, over 5 million Americans are currently living with this disease. This number is expected to continue to rise, resulting in increased suffering for patients and their families and a dramatic rise in health care costs.

As a representative for a district with a large population of veterans and a large population of seniors, I have seen firsthand the devastating effects of Alzheimer's. We must do more to combat this terrible disease.

This amendment will cut $2 million in funding for the Secretary of Defense's general operation and maintenance fund, an account which I believe can take a small cut, and applies those funds to the Defense Health Program for medical research.

By voting for this amendment, you will be supporting more research and development on the ground, rather than the salaries of bureaucrats in Washington.

I believe this amendment is a good, commonsense effort, and I hope my colleagues will support me in this effort to increase research into treating and eventually curing Alzheimer's.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Absolutely.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize two deputies of the Crawford County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Michael Jacobi and Deputy Matthew Swope on the distinction of earning the Police Officers Association of Michigan's Police Officers of the Year Award. Deputy Jacobi and Deputy Swope are two of five officers to be honored by the Police Officers Association of Michigan for 2014. On behalf of all residents of Northern Michigan, we are honored to have two officers such as Deputy Jacobi and Deputy Swope to be serving and earn this distinction.

On the night of Jan. 16-17, a woman was abducted at gunpoint from the campus of Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant and forced to the home of a male suspect, later identified as recently-paroled Eric Lee Ramsey, who bound her and sexually assaulted her. He returned her to the car and began driving, stating that he intended to murder her. The woman managed to open the door and jump out of the moving vehicle, taking refuge in a nearby home. The suspect poured gasoline on the home and attempted to set it ablaze before fleeing the scene.

The police were notified, and several hours later the suspect rammed a state police cruiser. After being pursued by more state troopers, Ramsey was able to flee and take control of a large flatbed truck. The word was put out to be on watch for the vehicle, and Crawford County Deputy Michael Jacobi turned around to give pursuit after passing by in the opposite direction. Jacobi became the only officer on his trail after the suspect rammed an additional state police cruiser, disabling it and injuring the officers inside.

Seeing a roadblock, Ramsey turned the vehicle around while Jacobi checked on the status of the injured officers, and crashed head-on into Jacobi's cruiser. He repeatedly backed up and continued ramming the patrol car until the vehicles became jammed together. At this point Jacobi took hold of his M-16 rifle, which he set to full automatic, and fired a burst, holding the gun over his head. However, the gun jammed, and Ramsey exited his vehicle. It was then that Jacobi saw Ramsey holding what he believed to be a firearm. He dropped his jammed M-16 and drew his Glock pistol. During this time, Deputy Matthew Swope arrived on the scene, and Ramsey moved out of sight of Jacobi. Swope placed his vehicle between the truck and Jacobi, a brave action which provided protection to his exposed partner while risking his own safety.

Ramsey then began trying to free his vehicle, and Deputy Jacobi approached the cab. Through the window, he could see that the suspect was pointing the gun at him. Jacobi determined that his partner and himself were in imminent danger, and fired into the vehicle several times. There was no response or movement from within the truck, leading the deputies to secure Ramsey. They found that the suspect was deceased, and had been brandishing an air-pistol designed to look like a firearm.

Eric Lee Ramsey, after sexually assaulting and attempting to murder a woman, fleeing police and exposing many on the road to extreme danger, and threatening officers with bodily harm, was subdued due to the bravery and service of officers Matthew Swope and Michael Jacobi, who put themselves at great personal risk to protect the public and each other.

For this action in which they put themselves at great risk, they are honored by the Police Officers Association of Michigan and earned the 2014 Police Officers of the Year Award. This is their second time being honored for their dedication, after receiving this award in 2013 for previous actions of bravery. I wish to commend Deputy Jacobi and Deputy Swope for their heroism and well deserved honor of earning the Police Officers Association of Michigan's Police Officers of the Year Award, the second time they have been honored by the Police Officers Association of Michigan for going above and beyond the call of duty. Furthermore, I salute all Michigan law enforcement officials from Isle Royale to Monroe County and Gogebic County to Port Huron in the work they do every day to protect the residents of our state.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4360) to designate the facility of the United States Forest Service for the Grandfather Ranger District located at 109 Lawing Drive in Nebo, North Carolina, as the ``Jason Crisp Forest Service Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill H.R. 4360.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4360, a bill that would name the administrative building for the Grandfather District of the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina for Officer Jason Crisp.

Officer Crisp spent 8 years serving in the McDowell County Sheriff's Office and serving in different roles in the community where he grew up. He graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in 2005, when he returned to western North Carolina to begin his career marking timber for the Forest Service and, later, to work in a K-9 unit, along with his partner, Maros.

Like other Forest Service officers, Officer Crisp and Maros were charged with protecting the National Forest and those in its boundaries, which they did with distinction. Officer Crisp and Maros often assisted in manhunts and other searches in the National Forest and surrounding community as part of their duty.

Officer Crisp was not on duty on March 12 when he received a phone call about a murder suspect on the loose.

Nevertheless, he selflessly agreed to assist, demonstrating his commitment to keeping his community safe.

This selfless attitude of dedication is prevalent among the men and women of the Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations division. Officer Crisp's life was senselessly taken in the line of duty on March 12, while assisting local and State police forces in the manhunt.

He leaves behind a wife, Amanda, and two sons, Garrett and Logan.

As we mourn the loss of Officer Crisp, we want to thank the Crisp family for Officer Crisp's years of service. Naming this building is a small token of thanks to Officer Crisp's family, in order to honor his memory and his service.

While Officer Crisp will be missed, naming the Forest Service building in his honor will be a reminder to the citizens of western North Carolina of all that he meant to the community.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows), the author of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 4360 and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in support of the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to support a very commonsense amendment.

I think we can all agree that no disabled veteran should go hungry. Those who have served our Nation with honor and distinction, and come home as wounded veterans deserve great honor, not a life of hardship.

Unfortunately, not all of our veterans have fared well following their tours of duty. From the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan alone, 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans are applying for benefits with the VA. Only about one-third have been granted benefits so far.

The VA has almost 600,000 pending disability claims as of April 2014, with 23 percent of those from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

This amendment would allow veterans to apply for SNAP benefits while their disability claims are pending with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Just like all Americans, veterans would still be required to meet income eligibility requirements for SNAP. However, they would no longer have to wait on the backlog that is so prevalent at the VA to find out if they would be eligible for these specific benefits.

Mr. Chairman, our Nation's veterans should never live under the threat of hunger due to an administrative backlog in Washington. They deserve better. This amendment is fully paid for and just makes sense. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 4810, the Veteran Access to Care Act.

This bill simply says to our veterans, you will receive the care you earned in a timely manner, whether it is at a VA facility or at your local hospital. I am proud to be an original cosponsor.

By passing this legislation, we give a helping hand to those veterans stuck in a broken bureaucracy. We will not allow them to sit and wait for an appointment that they should have gotten immediately. They fought to defend our right to freedom. Today we defend their right to the care they were promised.

The 2-year authorization for private care in this bill will give Congress time to work with the VA to overhaul the system. As a former VA doctor, I pledge to you that the VA that emerges from this process will be leaner, smarter, and far more responsive to the needs of our veterans.

We know 35 veterans have died while awaiting care in the Phoenix area alone. We know the recent deaths of at least 23 veterans have been linked to delayed VA medical care. The time for excuses is over. The time for action is now.

I support, and I urge all my colleagues to support, H.R. 4810.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2072) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the accountability of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2072, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2072, as amended, the Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act.

This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general--the IG--to determine whether appropriate action has been taken by the VA in response to an IG report concerning public health or patient safety.

It would require the IG to notify the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees and the Secretary of any failure of VA to respond appropriately.

The bill would require the Secretary, following such notification, to report

the names of managers responsible for implementing the relevant action plan to the IG within 15 days and prohibit the IG from making such names public.

It would require the Secretary to promptly notify each responsible manager of an issue in a covered report, direct that responsible manager to resolve the issue, and provide such manager with counseling and a mitigation plan to resolve the issue.

It also would require the VA to include an evaluation of whether such manager took appropriate action to a covered report in his or her performance review, and it would prohibit the VA from paying a bonus or performance award to any responsible manager if an issue in a covered report is left unresolved.

Other provisions of the bill will authorize the VA for 3 years, beginning on October 1, 2014, to enter into a contract or agreement with certified medical foster homes to pay for long-term care for certain veterans already eligible for VA-paid nursing home care and require an eligible veteran to receive VA home health services as a component of such payment.

It would require per diem payment recipients under VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program to provide VA with certification of compliance with all relevant fire, safety, and building codes; and it would allow entities already receiving grants or assistance under the program to submit such certification within 2 years of enactment, require the VA to determine the code requirement for a facility in a location without a code requirement, and also to determine how such facility would be inspected.

It would require VA to include an accounting and evaluation of the safety and accessibility of facilities used for homeless veterans in the annual report on assistance to homeless veterans.

It would also extend the current rate of certain VA housing loan guarantee funding fees from October 1, 2017, to October 1, 2018, and extend VA's authority to receive information from the Internal Revenue Service for pension income verification purposes from September 30, 2016, to May 31, 2017.

H.R. 2072, as amended, was reported out of the full committee last year with full support and is fully offset.

I would like to offer my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all the Members who cosponsored the provisions in this bill, particularly Chairman Miller and Representative David McKinley from West Virginia, who we will be hearing from shortly.

I also commend Chairman Miller; Ranking Member Michaud; the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health, Julia Brownley; and all the members of the Subcommittee on Health, for their hard work and leadership on behalf of our Nation's veterans.

Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago today, our Nation commemorated Memorial Day in remembrance of the brave men and women throughout history who paid the ultimate price in defense of our freedoms.

One of the best ways we can honor these heroes is to ensure that their fellow servicemembers--those they fought side by side with-- receive the best possible health care when they return home.

Unfortunately, it has become painfully clear that the VA is not only failing to reach the standard, they are not even coming close. It is a sad legacy that I have seen firsthand as a VA surgeon for 20 years.

From my first day on this committee, we have been working to identify the problems at VA and provide solutions for our veterans.

It has been more than a year since we on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee first began investigating delays in care and seeking answers, and it has been 2 months since public awareness of these problems took off, after CNN highlighted the tragedy in Phoenix, allegations which were first brought to light by the committee; yet we still cannot get clear answers from the VA and are still waiting for key VA officials to be held accountable.

I am sick and tired of these bureaucrats and undersecretaries coming before us to say: We know there's a problem, and we're working on it. We take this seriously. We're going to have a fix in a little while.

Yet there never seems to be a fix. Veterans are dying. The time for excuses and delays is long past. The time for action is now.

Two weeks ago, the VA IG released an interim report on the alleged negligence and mismanagement at the Phoenix VA health care system.

In that report, the IG states that they have issued reports to call attention to problems in analyzing critical data for almost a decade and called for a system to monitor VA's corrective action. That system is exactly what we are creating today.

No longer will VA officials be able to hide behind excuses. Instead, with this bill, we will take bold steps toward ending the culture of mismanagement and complacency at VA.

When the VA concurs with an inspector general's recommendation on an issue that needs to be fixed and, indeed, nothing happens, who was the person responsible for following through on that fix?

Why is the fact that they didn't reply to an IG report and stated via a VA concurrence that an action would be completed, not punished? Why are they still getting bonuses if they don't comply? Why are they getting promotions for not getting the job done?

Anywhere else in America, these questions would already have been answered, but not in bureaucracies like VA. The Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act will correct this injustice.

Let me be clear. I know the people that are providing direct patient care for our veterans--the nurses and the doctors--are good people who work hard, but their leadership has failed them, and it has failed our veterans, and it must stop now.

I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation and, in doing so, take a needed step to ensure that responsible individuals are held accountable for correcting any lapses in care that impact the health and well-being of our veterans.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Indiana, Mrs. Jackie Walorski, my colleague on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and a member of the Subcommittee on Health.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia, Mr. David McKinley, my colleague on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my colleague from New York (Mr. Collins).

Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support H.R. 2072, as amended, the Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act, and, in turn, to support our veteran heroes.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman.

Mr. Speaker, in the real world, if you fail to do your job, you get fired. Not at the VA.

Today, I rise in support of H.R. 4031, the Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill because it simply allows the Secretary to fire senior VA executives when they fail to do their job.

I am sick and tired of hauling VA officials in front of the committee to hear tired excuses and explanations. President Obama has allowed the VA leadership to operate without accountability. Veterans are dying. The time for excuses has passed. The time for taking action to fix these problems is now.

This legislation is just the beginning. Severe mismanagement at the VA will not be tolerated by me or this Congress. We will overturn every rock and use every tool at our disposal in the pursuit of the truth of what is happening at the VA.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment introduced my friend, Mr. Rothfus, to deny bonuses to members of the VA Senior Executive Service.

Bonuses are paid for a job well done, but at the VA, the job is very clearly not getting done. The tragic story out of Phoenix is only the latest example.

As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and a doctor who served at the Iron Mountain VA for 20 years, I have watched in disgust as the stories keep rolling in. Pittsburgh; Atlanta; Memphis; Colombia, South Carolina; and Augusta, Georgia, have all seen preventable veteran deaths linked to severe mismanagement. Make no mistake, these are not isolated incidents. This is a national crisis, and it must be treated with the significance it deserves.

We can keep dragging VA leaders in front of the committee, but I, for one, am sick and tired of hearing their excuses. We are well past the time when explanations and apologies would be enough. It is time to hold the people that have repeatedly and egregiously failed our veterans accountable for their actions.

This amendment is a good, commonsense first step, and I am proud to support it. However, it alone is not enough. The problem goes deeper than the Senior Executive Service, and our veterans are demanding real accountability. That is why I have introduced the Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act, to provide a permanent solution to getting the VA to provide the care our veterans need. I am pleased this bill was passed unanimously by the VA Committee, and I look forward to its consideration on the floor. We can't wait any longer to make the essential changes to the VA that our veterans deserve.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Steve Parks and proud ``yoopers'' everywhere. Mr. Parks' tireless efforts in Michigan's First Congressional District recently culminated in the addition of the word ``yooper'' to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. A ``yooper'' is a nickname for a native or resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Mr. Parks started the campaign to have the word added to the dictionary back in 2002, and his 12 years of writing to the editors finally paid off this week.

Being from the U.P., or Upper Peninsula, I am proud to share in the history that is ``yooper.'' The U.P. has a rich history of mining and logging. It accounts for 29% of the landmass in the state of Michigan and is the only part of Michigan's First Congressional District that has coastline on three of the five Great Lakes. The beauty that is the U.P. can be found in the large number of state and national parks that make up the area, which is why many Michiganders have made it a vacation destination.

I want to thank Mr. Parks for his persistent efforts and local Upper Peninsula pride and congratulate him on having the word ``yooper'' officially added to the dictionary.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with sadness on the occasion of the passing of Donald ``Flip'' Flaminio, who passed away on March 20, 2014. Donald was born in Iron Mountain, Michigan, on August 24, 1930. Flip was a veteran of the United States Navy, and the owner- operator of Quality Cleaners for ten years, he married his wife of 61 years, Zella ``Terri'' Haggart, in 1953. Flip was a lifelong Iron Mountain resident and enjoyed spending time with his loved ones. He is survived by Terri, and his three daughters.

In this time of sorrow, I am reminded of the quote of philosopher George Santayana, who said, ``There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.'' I know that Flip lived a life of love and that the cherished memories of his life will never be forgotten by his many friends and family.

On behalf of all residents of the First Congressional District of Michigan, I wish to express my sadness and condolences on Flip's passing. It is my hope that we are able to emulate Flip's good nature and example in how we conduct ourselves with each other. Although Flip is no longer with us in this world, he will remain with us in our hearts, alive and well forever.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 10th annual Veterans Snowmobile Ride, which will occur on Saturday, March 8, 2014.

This event, founded by Don and Diane Reed, veterans and owners of the Fox River Motel and sponsored by the Seney Snowmobile Association, leads riders through approximately one hundred miles of the scenic Upper Peninsula of Michigan in honor of those who have fought to defend the American way of life.

Beginning in 2004 with just 50 riders, it has grown to nearly 300 in the 2013 ride. The Veterans Snowmobile Ride has the distinction of being the largest veterans ride of this type in the United States.

In addition to those who ride their snowmobiles in this event, I wish to commend all those who help to realize the Veterans Snowmobile Ride motto of ``be a Vet, bring a Vet, thank a Vet.''

This event is a poignant way to thank those who have defended our country and a continuation of the Northern Michigan outdoorsman tradition.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of S. 23, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act.

As you know, this bill, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent on June 19, 2013, is identical to H.R. 163, legislation I introduced by the same title last January with the full support of the Michigan delegation.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a treasured area of my home district and for the entire Nation. The park has been named America's most beautiful place by ``Good Morning America,'' and over 1 million visitors from around the world come to see the dunes and the surrounding lakes each year.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore plays a vital role in our State's outdoor recreation economy, which contributes over $18 billion in consumer spending and over 194,000 jobs to the State of Michigan. As Pamela of Lake Township said, ``Sleeping Bear is vital to the economy of northern Michigan. Most of the money earned in this area is during the summer months when tourists from all over the country visit.'' From gas stations to ice cream stands to local hotels, our local businesses look forward to a full and thriving park season each year.

In 1981, Congress determined that wilderness areas should exist within this park, and over 30,000 acres of park have been managed as wilderness since that time. When the National Park Service began to update the proposed map for the first time since 1981, the local residents discovered for the first time that the map included a number of county roads, beaches, and historic sites in this proposed wilderness area.

As you can imagine, local residents in Benzie, Leelanau, and Grand Traverse County were not pleased, and a lengthy public planning period began. Because of the very public local opposition to the original land management plan, the Park Service agreed to go back to the drawing board. They worked together with the local citizens and interest groups, ranging from area businesses to environmental groups. After gathering extensive public involvement, review, and comment, a final general management plan was adopted in January 2009. This plan ensures that all county roads will remain in control of the local governments, and beaches and historic sites will be excluded from the wilderness map.

The bill on the floor here today represents the hard work of these engaged citizens. It has been introduced each Congress, in both the House and the Senate, since 2009. This legislation, like the park, itself, has always enjoyed wide support from the entire Michigan delegation on both sides of the aisle. While we may not agree on every issue, we can agree that our local communities know best when it comes to planning for the future of our parks.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to have worked with those who have come before me--from Chairman Camp, to former Representative Hoekstra, to Representative Huizenga and Senator Levin--to shepherd this bill through Congress. My goal is simple. Like all of those who love this amazing stretch of shoreline, I want to ensure that those beaches and roads remain open.

I hope everyone will join me in visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes soon. You will get to see how truly blessed northern Michigan is to have this amazing natural wonder.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), my colleague.

(Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman).

I yield myself 2 minutes of the time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 3590, the Sportsmen's Heritage And Recreational Enhancement Act of 2013, or the SHARE Act.

I would like to talk a little bit about title VIII of the bill, which is the text of a bill that I introduced, the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act. Like many of my colleagues here in Congress, hunting and fishing are an important part of the lives of the constituents in my district. I grew up in north Michigan, and like many of my constituents, I spent my summers fishing, my Octobers hunting grouse in the U.P. woods.

These traditions of spending quality time outdoors with our kids and grandkids are the kind of things that we must make sure are preserved for generations to come.

Mr. Chairman, this portion of the SHARE Act seeks to create an ``open until closed'' policy for sportsmen's use of Federal lands. As you know, nearly a quarter of the United States land mass, or over 500 million acres, are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service. These lands are all owned by all Americans. It is important that the right to fully utilize these lands is ensured for future generations.

Over the years, legislative ambiguity in the Wilderness Act has opened the door for numerous lawsuits over the country. Rather than embracing sportsmen and -women for the conservationists that they are, anti-hunting and environmental groups have pursued an agenda of eliminating heritage activities on Federal lands for years. These groups look for loopholes in the law to deprive our constituents the right to use their own Federal lands.

Recreational anglers, hunters, and sporting organizations, many of whom have endorsed this bill, are supporters of the conservation movement and continue to provide direct support to the wildlife managers and enforcement officers at the State, local, and Federal levels. These dedicated sportsmen and -women from the shorelines of Lake Superior to the beaches of the Pacific Ocean deserve to know that the lands that they cherish will not be closed off to future generations.

This is a bipartisan issue. In fact, Presidents Clinton and Bush both issued executive orders recognizing the value of these heritage activities. It is time we finally closed these loopholes, firmed up the language and made sure that future generations will always be able to enjoy the outdoors--hunting, fishing, and shooting or just taking a walk in the woods.

I yield myself an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. Chairman, I would encourage all of my colleagues to join me today in supporting this important piece of commonsense legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I have six more speakers, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Daines).

Mr. Chairman, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller).

Mr. Chairman, at this time I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gibbs).

We just have one more speaker, and I will close after that.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter).