Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to recognize Pawnee United Methodist Church as they celebrate their 165th anniversary serving Pawnee, Illinois through ministry and service.

In 1852, Pastor Rev. A. Bradshaw established the first Methodist class in Pawnee, IL, where they met in a home of a member of the congregation. Five years later, the first Methodist church was built in what is now the heart of downtown Pawnee. By 1966, an additional space was needed to accommodate the growing congregation, thus a new sanctuary was built.

Pawnee United Methodist Church continues to serve the area with God's enduring blessings and faithful watch. The congregation's commitment to faith, service, and community embodies the virtues of true servants of God. I extend my sincere congratulations and gratitude to Pawnee United Methodist Church for all they have done and continue to do. May they continue to make disciples of Jesus Christ in the world.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Thompson and the ranking member for helping to bring this bill, in a bipartisan way, to the floor. I appreciate your support on H.R. 2937.

This legislation will help address the complex legal and funding- related challenges for abandoned mine lands across the Nation.

The Community Reclamation Partnerships Act amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to enable States to partner with nongovernmental entities to reclaim abandoned mine sites and facilitate acid mine drainage cleanup across the country.

Nongovernmental entities, like Trout Unlimited, have recognized the need for reclamation in coal communities and are willing to contribute their resources and expertise to address the problem. Unfortunately, liability and regulatory concerns have discouraged them from participating and partnering with the States on reclamation projects. This legislation enables nongovernmental entities' participation in State reclamation programs by minimizing undeserved liability and codifying proven practices established by the State reclamation agencies.

This legislation also addresses a frequent problem that States experience in addressing water pollution at abandoned mine land sites. States must choose between risking noncompliance under the Clean Water Act or foregoing acid mine drainage abatement projects altogether. Some States, like Pennsylvania, have successfully addressed this problem by establishing their own guidelines for the treatment of water pollution at abandoned mine land sites. These State-specific strategies have resulted in successful water treatment projects and a significant reduction in acid mine drainage in several States. We want to replicate that across the country with this legislation.

Currently, State reclamation activities have been funded solely by fees levied on the coal industry over the past four decades. These fees have resulted in reclamation of approximately $4 billion of abandoned mine land liabilities. However, according to the Department of the Interior, the estimated remediation costs exceeds $10 billion across the country.

The outstanding abandoned mine land liabilities in Illinois, my home State, is $156 million; and in my district, the 18th Congressional District, it is $17 million. The cost of reclaiming these sites will continue to strain State resources in the coming decades, and the conditions of these sites will only worsen over time.

In short, this bill empowers State and local community leaders who want to assist in abandoned mine cleanup efforts so that future development can occur in these areas. No group should be punished for wanting to help out their local community in a responsible way.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2937 brings more resources to bear on this considerable challenge, and I urge adoption of this bipartisan measure.

Mr. Speaker, over the past three decades, our Federal Tax Code has ballooned to 74,000 pages filled with loopholes for special interests. Moreover, the Federal tax system has become too complicated for hardworking taxpayers to navigate alone.

Since joining Congress, I have traveled all across my district meeting with people and businesses who have all made it clear that our current tax system needs change. Small businesses like Vaughan & Bushnell Manufacturing in Bushnell, Illinois, want a simpler Tax Code that lowers rates and closes loopholes so they can invest in innovation, higher wages, and more jobs.

Middle class families across Illinois have told me how a simpler Tax Code would mean more money in their pockets to save and spend. Earlier this year, it was estimated that our House blueprint for tax reform would save the median Illinois family over $5,000 in taxes every year. We can all agree that our system needs work, and this week we will take the necessary first steps towards fixing it.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join in this effort to make our system work for everyday Americans, not special interests.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the White Oaks Mall on celebrating their 40th Anniversary. For forty years, White Oaks Mall has provided Springfield area shoppers with a wide range of options.

In 1977, when White Oaks Mall first opened their doors, it was the largest retail shopping space outside of Chicago, covering nearly one million square feet. Currently, the mall features a wide variety of stores for consumers to choose ranging from fashion, sporting goods, electronics, home decor, dining and more. The mall also features entertainment for parents and children as they can enjoy a round of glow-in-the-dark miniature golf.

The White Oaks Mall has been and continues to be an institution for the greater Springfield area. Congratulations on a prosperous forty years, and I wish them many more years of success.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Peoria Heights Fire Department of Peoria, Illinois, for celebrating their 100th Anniversary.

In 1917, Peoria Heights Fire Department was chartered to provide protection for the village and its inhabitants. Since then, the department has grown immensely; it now provides fire suppression, fire prevention, technical rescue response, and emergency medical services. Over the past 100 years, these men and women have shown their dedication and service to the greater Peoria area by working countless hours to keep our neighbors, friends, and families safe.

Peoria Heights Fire Department protects a total of 6,800 inhabitants and is known throughout Central Illinois for their hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. Today, we thank and celebrate them for their dedication to serving the greater Peoria area. I extend my sincere congratulations to Peoria Heights Fire Department for a successful 100 years, and I wish them another 100 years of success and good fortune.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Rollcall No. 349.

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, President Obama's EPA implemented the waters of the U.S., or the WOTUS rule, which arbitrarily and unilaterally expanded which kinds of waterways could be regulated under the Clean Water Act.

This rule turned every irrigation ditch, pond, and puddle on a farm into a new target for Washington regulators. In addition, this rule circumvented the Congress and the investigative process.

As a Representative for one of the largest agricultural districts in the country, I have heard time and again from farmers about the costs of these renewed regulations, not to mention the headaches caused by trying to comply.

By the EPA's own estimates, the rule would cost farmers and small businesses up to $460 million a year. It is not only bad policy, but also a bad idea to arbitrarily make it more difficult for farmers to do their jobs and provide our food and fuel for our economy.

That is why I was relieved to see that President Trump rescinded this rule last month. By rescinding this rule, the President sent a strong message that Washington must put farmers ahead of bureaucrats.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor Paul Larkin as he celebrates his 90th birthday on July 4, 1927.

A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Paul enlisted in the Illinois National Guard following his graduation from Normal Community High

School. He was then transferred to the U.S. Army, where he served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Signal Corp. during the Korean War. Staff Sergeant Larkin, a bronze star recipient, separated from the service after the signing of the armistice in 1953. Upon his return home, Paul raised his four children alongside his wife, Helen, and managed the family's 160 acre farm.

Following his decorated military career, Paul continues to serve others by volunteering in the Normal, Illinois community. As a man of faith, he served on the Epiphany Catholic Church's first school board. He also is an active member of The Knights of Columbus. At age 90, Paul still resides on the family farm and enjoys spending time with his twelve grandchildren and twenty-two grandchildren.

Paul Larkin has dutifully served his nation and continues to proudly serve his family and community. I thank Paul for his service, and I hope he has a happy birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 954) to remove the use restrictions on certain land transferred to Rockingham County, Virginia, and for other purposes.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 954, offered by our colleague, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Congressman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, would remove certain deed restrictions on an approximately 1-acre portion of a property previously transferred in Rockingham County, Virginia, under the terms of the National Park Service's Federal Lands to Parks Program. The transferred land included a garage that had previously been used by the National Park Service.

Following the transfer, Rockingham County decided that the nonprofit Plains Area Daycare Center, which provides affordable childcare for nearly 100 children, would benefit from use of the garage.

In 1990, Congress passed a law allowing for a portion of the previously transferred land to be used for the childcare center. Although a portion of the transferred property is authorized for use as a daycare center, the center encounters hurdles in securing financing for improvements and repairs due to the terms of the original deed and the subsequent legislation.

H.R. 954 would remove certain deed restrictions from an approximately 1-acre portion of the property, while the other 2 acres would continue to be subject to the existing deed restrictions and revisionary clause. Removal of these deed restrictions will ensure that improvements and repairs can take place without further delay in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1397) to authorize, direct, facilitate, and expedite the transfer of administrative jurisdiction of certain Federal land, 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 include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1397, offered by the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock), would authorize a small land exchange between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Transportation.

Specifically, the bill transfers administrative jurisdiction over approximately a third of an acre of Federal land within the boundary of the George Washington Memorial Parkway of the National Park Service to the Department of Transportation, and transfers from the Department of Transportation approximately a half an acre of Federal land within the boundary of the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of the Federal Highway Administration.

The transfer centers on Colonial Farm Road, which provides public access to Claude Moore Colonial Farm and also serves as an entrance road to the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center and as a secondary entrance to the Central Intelligence Agency. The configuration of the property lines between the farm and the research center requires farm staff to

travel across research center property to access their facilities.

The three Federal agencies have discussed concerns over crossing property lines, the need to have uninterrupted access to the properties, and the need to improve security near perimeter fencing of the research center. The agencies have identified properties suitable for exchange on their boundaries which will provide public access to the farm while providing the means to improve security outside the fencing of the research center and the Central Intelligence Agency. Though the immediate security concerns have previously been addressed through a temporary agreement, legislation is needed to codify the land exchange.

I include in the Record an exchange of letters to Chairman Bill Shuster of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the responses. We thank them for agreeing to help expedite consideration of this bill today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC, July 5, 2017.

Hon. Bill Shuster,

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: On June 27, 2017, the Committee on

Natural Resources ordered favorably reported without

amendment H.R. 1397, to authorize, direct, facilitate, and

expedite the transfer of administrative jurisdiction of

certain Federal land. The bill was referred primarily to the

Committee on Natural Resources, with an additional referral

to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

I ask that you allow the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure to be discharged from further consideration of

the bill so that it may be scheduled by the Majority Leader.

This discharge in no way affects your jurisdiction over the

subject matter of the bill, and it will not serve as

precedent for future referrals. In addition, should a

conference on the bill be necessary, I would support your

request to have the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure represented on the conference committee.

Finally, I would be pleased to include this letter and any

response in the bill report filed by the Committee on Natural

Resources to memorialize our understanding, as well as in the

Congressional Record.

Thank you for your consideration of my request and for the

extraordinary cooperation shown by you and your staff over

matters of shared jurisdiction. I look forward to further

opportunities to work with you this Congress.

Sincerely,

Rob Bishop,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock).

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1404) to provide for the conveyance of certain land inholdings owned by the United States to the Tucson Unified School District and to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona.

Mr. 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.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1404, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Land Conveyance Act, sponsored by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), the ranking member on the National Resources Committee.

H.R. 1404 would authorize a land exchange involving the Tribe, the Tucson Unified School District, and the Department of the Interior.

Under the bill, a 39.65-acre parcel of land currently held by the district shall be placed in trust for the benefit of the Tribe if the district relinquishes all right, title, and interest to it.

A 13.24-acre parcel of land shall be sold by the U.S. to the district at fair market value, and a Federal interest of 27.5 acres of land held by the district shall be cleared in exchange for the district paying the appraised value of the Federal interest. The Federal interest is a reversionary interest imposed on certain land patented to the district under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act of 1926.

All transfers under the bill are subject to valid existing rights. Gaming pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act would be prohibited on lands taken into trust under the bill.

This bill is substantively similar to the bill the House passed during the 114th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsor. I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1541) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire certain property related to the Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kansas, 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 include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

H.R. 1541, sponsored by the gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Jenkins), removes the statutory prohibition preventing the Secretary of the Interior from acquiring a structure known as the Lunette Blair blockhouse and including the structure in the boundary of the Fort Scott National Historic Site.

Congress initially deemed the Lunette Blair blockhouse anachronistic and excluded the structure from the boundaries of the Fort Scott National Historic Site. The National Park Service now wants to add the blockhouse to expand the interpretation of the site and to demonstrate its different roles throughout American history. The private citizens that currently maintain the blockhouse would like to donate the structure to the National Park Service.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support preservation of this unique piece of Kansas' heritage, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I note that the sponsor, Ms. Jenkins, was unable to be here to speak in support of her bill. She was unavoidably detained in her district due to a flight cancellation today. However, I have her statement in strong support of the measure. On her behalf, I urge adoption of the measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1719) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately 44 acres of land in Martinez, California, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. 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.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1719 would authorize the expansion of the John Muir National Historic Site by approximately 44 acres.

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Martinez, California, this site preserves the 14-room Italianate Victorian mansion where John Muir lived, as well as a 325-acre tract of native oak woodlands and grasslands owned by the Muir family.

The additional proposed acreage in this bill is directly adjacent to the current site and will allow for better public access to trails in the area. This acreage will be donated to the National Park Service and will not be acquired with any Federal dollars.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1913) to establish the Clear Creek National Recreation Area in San Benito and Fresno Counties, California, to designate the Joaquin Rocks Wilderness in such counties, 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 include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1913, introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta), is a bipartisan bill that reopens public access and facilitates recreational activities in central California. The bill designates 63,000 acres as the Clear Creek National Recreation Area, 21,000 acres as the Joaquin Rocks Wilderness, and releases 1,500 acres of wilderness study area.

Once considered a world class off-highway vehicle, or OHV, recreation designation, the Clear Creek area has been closed to the public for nearly a decade due to concerns from the EPA about naturally occurring asbestos. However, after commissioning a study of the area, the State of California's Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division found a minimal health risk to OHV users from exposure to naturally occurring asbestos. Despite these findings and appeals from local communities and OHV users, the Bureau of Land Management has not reopened the area to the public or for OHV use.

This bill remedies the situation by reopening and redesignating the area as the Clear Creek National Recreation Area and including special provisions to prioritize and facilitate long-term, sustainable off- highway vehicle access and recreation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend for introducing this legislation, and I urge its adoption.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1306) to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal land in the State of Oregon, 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 include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to acknowledge the gentlemen from Oregon, Mr. DeFazio and Mr. Walden, for their hard work on this important piece of legislation, which will benefit several Indian Tribes in the State of Oregon.

H.R. 1306 benefits three recognized Tribes in western Oregon by conveying publicly-owned forestlands to two of them, and to improve the management of forestlands currently held in trust for a third Tribe.

Various iterations of H.R. 1306 have been considered multiple times in previous Congresses, and nearly identical bills benefiting some or all of these Tribes were passed by the House in the 113th and 114th Congresses.

Title I of H.R. 1306 would place title to approximately 17,519 acres of public land in Oregon in trust for the benefit of the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe. Lands to be held in trust under this section are depicted on a specific map, and the conveyance of the land in trust shall be subject to valid existing rights.

A substantial amount of the public land placed in trust for the Tribe is currently part of the Oregon and California railroad land grant, managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Under title I, the Secretary is required to reclassify an equal acreage of public domain land located in the vicinity of the land given to the Tribe, as O&C land.

Land placed in trust by the Tribe under title I may not be used for gambling under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and timber harvested from such land shall be subject to Federal law restricting the export of unprocessed logs.

Title II of the bill would provide that seven tracts of land currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management, totaling 14,742 acres, be held in trust for the benefit of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians.

The parcels so transferred are located in western Oregon's Coos, Douglas, Benton, and Lane Counties, and include tracts such as the Coos Head, the Talbot Allotment, and the Umpqua Eden parcels, which are of particular cultural significance to the Tribes, as well as areas which are managed for timber production.

Title III would correct a situation with respect to the management of the Coquille Tribal Forest in Oregon. This forest has been regulated as part of the Northwest Forest Plan, which is inconsistent with the management of other tribally-managed forests in the United States. Under this title, the Coquille Tribe would manage its forest under the National Indian Forest Resources Management Act. This will improve the Tribe's ability to manage its timber resources.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.