Floor Statements

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

Mr. Chairman, thank you for recognizing me to discuss this revised Young amendment No. 49.

I appreciate Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio's help and the help the majority and the minority staffs have given us with their assistance to get this amendment to the floor.

This amendment requires the Secretary to conduct an assessment of dams classified as Class III under the Dam Safety Action Classification of the Corps of Engineers. Once the assessment is complete, this amendment requires the Secretary to provide a report to Congress describing two things: what will happen to local communities should the Corps give up the control of dam versus what will happen if the Corps continues to maintain the dam. This amendment will show the importance of accurate design and construction.

Currently, there is a hole the size of a family sedan in a dam mitigation outlet tunnel that serves the city of Seward, Alaska. The Corps assumed responsibility for this dam, and the design and construction flaw will only get worse until the Corps fixes it, which they are committed to do. The current study for an alternative solution will not be completed until 2019.

This amendment is critical to the Alaska community because it prevents Seward from bearing undue hardship from frequent flooding and continuous damage to the outfall due to the unforeseen design faults. This amendment would continue to require the Corps to expedite the study and place a critical importance on fixing the dam system for my constituents in Seward.

I want to thank, again, Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio, and their staffs for working with me and my staff on this amendment and for supporting my efforts here today. We will continue to work further on this issue in conference, and I urge all my colleagues to support my amendment No. 49.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

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

Mr. Chairman, this is a simple amendment. The Clinton era Roadless Rule applies a one-size-fits-all approach to areas where those policies rarely work, especially the federally locked lands in Alaska.

At 16.8 million acres, the Tongass National Forest is the largest of the National Forest System. Coupled with the Chugach National Forest, Alaska contains 12 percent of the total acres of national forest lands in the total United States.

The Roadless Rule is nothing more than another effort to end the multiple-use mandate of Federal forest

lands, something that is required by law but often ignored by nameless, faceless, unelected bureaucrats.

Although the Tongass is over 100 years old, only 400,000 acres have been harvested. Of the remaining acreage, much of the forest is not topographically suitable for timber harvest, and 6.6 million acres are congressionally designated as wilderness areas, national monuments, and roadless areas.

Not only does the Roadless Rule violate the authorities granted under the Alaska National Lands Act, it was adopted without proper consultation or consideration of the countless communities that rely on responsible resource development.

Nearly 96 percent of the Tongass National Forest and 99 percent of the Chugach National Forest are protected by ANILCA and forest management plans.

Exempting Alaska from the Roadless Rule would help make certain that what is left of the timber industry in the southeast can survive.

Many individuals adamantly oppose logging old growth in roadless areas. However, old growth will continue to be predominant in the Tongass, and given the remote nature of Alaska, the vast majority of the forest is in a roadless state.

Over 90 percent of the Tongass is unaccessible by road. The lack of access to timber not only costs good-paying jobs, but results in trees dying of disease and infestations. Dead trees serve no purpose other than to become kindling, creating fires. So by having a robust timber industry, we can help prevent the spread of serious wildfires like have been seen in the lower 48.

To be clear, we are not talking about clearcutting the entire national forest. We just want to help it stay healthy and fulfill its multi-use mandate of the Tongass.

By significantly limiting the areas that are eligible for harvesting, the implementation of the Roadless Rule actually makes conservation more difficult since locations with less conservation value often can't be selected.

If any reasonable form of timber industry is to exist in the near future, it is imperative we restore Alaska's exemption from the Roadless Rule as quickly as possible. It has placed an undue burden on my State and the people of my State.

Mr. Chairman, we worry about immigration. We worry about homelessness. We worry about employment. We worry about education. I am saying this Roadless Rule takes away the opportunity for people to supply for their family so they can have a sustainable sylviculture industry taking care of our forests in southeast Alaska. The Roadless Rule should have never applied to Alaska to begin with.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway), the chairman of the full committee.

Mr. Chairman, the comments from the other side of the aisle were talking about Alaskans opposing this amendment.

With all due respect, I am an elected representative, and if they don't like what I do, they don't vote for me. I just believe in jobs.

When I first got elected to this job, when I first started this Tongass battle, we had 15,000 jobs in Alaska in the timber industry in the Tongass. And through the National Land Act itself, we were told that no other jobs would be lost in the timber industry, and they slowly crept around and eliminated what remaining jobs occurred. And the sad part about it, from my point of view, they have killed the timber industry. That was not the intent. We were supposed to have a timber industry.

Then along comes the Clinton era Roadless Rule that means you can't build a road anywhere that has no road. How do you have a hydropower site? We had to fight for 4 years to get a hydropower site.

This action here by an administration--this and past administrations--have to understand, this is about employment. This is about managing--managing--timber. And those who don't want to manage anything, you destroy it.

Mr. Chairman, I am urging this body, this Congress, to do what is right for the State of Alaska and right for the timber, and the right for the people that live there and that depend upon a source of income other than living off, very frankly, somebody giving them something. They want to work for it.

Mr. Chairman, I urge passage of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment is simple. It is to make sure Alaska Natives and American Indian populations are able to access traditional foods in nutrition programs.

Many American Indians and Alaska Natives incorporate traditional foods: fish, game, seafood, wild berries, and plants into their daily diets. These foods are locally sourced and culturally significant.

The cultural significance of traditional foods is especially important in long-term care and hospital settings, where individuals are likely to be away from their homes for extended periods and are unable to easily carry on their traditions. It is likewise important for Native youth to have access to traditional foods for proper nutrition and cultural heritage.

May I say, Mr. Chairman, when you are in a hospital you can recover faster if you have a traditional food. This amendment builds on a previous provision of mine in the 2014 farm bill that authorized donation and serving of traditional foods which meet the safety standards and in facilities that serve these indigenous populations.

It applies to programs encompassing residential childcare, child nutrition programs, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and others. There have been no documented safety issues and the food handling and storage safety standards incorporated in my previous amendment are stringent. The standards were, in part, based on successful standards from Alaska which has long led the way for safety procedures for traditional foods.

For years, this provision has led the way to safely offer traditional foods to the vulnerable populations that need it the most. My amendment maintains these standards.

This amendment tonight, like the previous one, has no budgetary effects. That is for those who do not want to spend any more money. It simply works to ensure that Native American and Alaska Native youth and elders can participate in nutrition programs and access traditional foods, regardless of the facility in which the program is implemented.

This is important, given that child nutrition and senior meal programs that serve a significant number of natives are sometimes housed in facilities that are not specifically designated as Tribal, and the legislation is truly focused on the importance of nutrition.

This amendment should be heavily and heartily accepted and passed. I strongly urge adoption of this amendment. It is about nutrition, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson), the ranking member of the Agriculture Committee.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman. Again, I understand why the chairman is against this, but we have no cases where there has been any food hazards, food abuses, or anything like that. And I have to describe one thing to my colleagues.

I am 85 years old. I am an Alaska Native. I have lived in one of the villages up north. My diet has consisted of seal meat, seal oil, whale meat, whale oil, and berries. I am an older man. I am in a hospital in Anchorage, Alaska, or I am in a long-term care facility to take care of me, and they serve me, of all things, a chicken, or they will serve me some salty Spam.

That is not too bad by the way.

But things that will not make me well. And in my mind I

desire and my body craves what I have eaten during the

history of my life. And that keeps me weller. In fact, I

might be able to go home and be able to harvest those things

that I love.

This is all I am trying to do in facilities. This is a good amendment. I know there has been opposition from some of the Federal agencies: Oh, this is a safety issue. Keep in mind, this is an issue that takes care of that person who is receiving that food.

Mr. Chairman, I would urge a ``yes'' vote on this legislation. It should happen for those people, my Alaskan Natives. It is important.

Mr. Chairman, I don't have any other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this is sort of like ice breaking up: right on the pin of the point, you actually win. And I thank the gentleman for waiting for me.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1417 is a simple, straightforward bill that will treat the National Law Enforcement Museum as if it were a Federal museum for purposes of obtaining, transferring, and displaying certain classes of firearms.

The National Law Enforcement Museum is scheduled to open this fall. It was authorized by an act of Congress and is being built on Federal property. The museum is dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement by providing visitors a ``walk in the shoes'' experience. The museum is working to expand and enrich the relationship shared by law enforcement and the community through the museum's educational journeys, immersive exhibitions, and insightful programs.

The National Law Enforcement Museum was created to provide visitors with an opportunity to ``walk in the shoes'' of law enforcement, giving them a behind-the-scenes look and allowing them to gain historical perspective on how law enforcement has helped shape our society and culture. Through fun, immersive, and educational exhibits such as Take the Case, 911 Emergency Ops, and the Training Simulator, visitors will gain a sense of what it takes to be a law enforcement professional.

These interactive experiences will give visitors a firsthand look into almost every facet of law enforcement, while they learn about the day-to-day complexities of safeguarding our communities. Visitors will also be able to experience the personal side of law enforcement through real-life stories of the men and women behind the badge, told throughout the museum, and gain a greater appreciation for those who have in fact made the ultimate sacrifice to keep peace within our communities, especially in the great Hall of Remembrance: law enforcement officers.

Mr. Speaker, may I say that a lot of times in the modern day media I hear the term ``cop,'' I hear that something is wrong. People respect our law enforcement officers and what they face every day, especially with the national media and the pressures they have with them constantly exposing them as the bad guys. I really believe if we didn't have them, we would really be in trouble.

This is a simple bill that takes care of a problem, and I hope we can pass it unanimously.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mark Kozak from Kodiak, Alaska. After 30 years of work with the City of Kodiak Public Works Department, Mark is retiring on May 18, 2018.

Mark was born and raised in Kodiak. Following high school, he learned to fly and for ten years worked as a commercial bush pilot in Kodiak, operating single and twin-engine aircraft. He was well known for flying the Grumman Goose and transporting fishermen, hunters and villagers to all points on the island.

In 1988, Mark began working for the City of Kodiak as a Utility Worker in the Public Works Department. He was quickly promoted to Equipment Operator and from there became the Maintenance Supervisor. In 2002, Mark was asked to serve as the Public Works Director.

The 27 employees of the Public Works Department have many responsibilities that directly impact the health and safety of the community. These include street, building and equipment maintenance and repair, operation and maintenance of the municipal airport and float- plane facilities, building permits and inspections, a water treatment and distribution system designed for up to ten million gallons per day, wastewater treatment and collection, a United States Council Certified compost facility, and nine regulated dams with a total holding capacity of 1.0 billion gallons of water. Kodiak is one of the top fishing ports in the nation and it is vital that the water system be reliable and of sufficient quantity for processing the millions of pounds of seafood each year.

Throughout his career, Mark has held to the highest standards, and his dedication and commitment to the taxpayers of Kodiak is well known. With his leadership the Public Works Department has accomplished numerous achievements for the community. Major projects have included extensive water, sewer and road renovation and replacement, an ultraviolet plant for the water treatment facility, the planning and building of a compost facility, and a new pump house at the Monashka Dam.

Following retirement, Mark and his wife, Linda, plan to remain in Kodiak where they enjoy boating, sport fishing, hiking, and photography.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Mark Kozak for his many years of selfless service for the people of his community and for the City of Kodiak. Please join me in congratulating Mark on his retirement and to wish him our best.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and celebration of the 50th birthday of a former employee, colleague and more importantly, friend on May 4, 2018.

Mr. Curtis Thayer of Anchorage, Alaska has worked tirelessly on behalf of Alaskans for over half of his very young 50 years. He has served his time in a wide variety of public service and private practice to bring Alaska economic development, jobs and a solid foundation of community.

Moreover, Curtis is a devoted husband, father and son who dedicates his life to his family and many charitable and non-profit organizations. In a very brief time, Curtis has completed more than most people could in three lifetimes and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, even selling him one of my precious guns at one point in time. That never happens as I really love my guns--but I gave him a great deal.

Curtis has a great wit, a sharp mind, and sometimes a sharp tongue, but you can always count on him to be there for you. He epitomizes loyalty, honesty and courage. He has stood by my side through all of the political and personal ups and downs and I cannot thank him enough for all he has done for the great State of Alaska and for me as a politician and a person. He is just simply a great guy with an even better wife and son.

Mr. Speaker, Curtis's wife Josie and his son Matthew stand beside a great man who will have many more years to make Alaska an even better place to live. Fifty is just the beginning for this young man.

Happy birthday to my friend, Curtis W. Thayer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring the career and achievements of Chief Ronda Wallace of Kodiak, Alaska, who has served her community and the Kodiak Police Department with distinction for the past 20 years. Chief Wallace first joined the Department in 1997 as a Public Safety Dispatcher, and the next year was commissioned as a patrol officer. She steadily rose through the Department's ranks and held numerous positions including Narcotics and Investigative Detective, Patrol Sergeant, and Lieutenant, until becoming Kodiak's first female Police Chief in 2013.

Chief Wallace's leadership by example, care for the community of Kodiak, and compassion for its citizens have come to define the Kodiak Police Department. During her career she has gotten countless drugs off our streets, solved homicides, worked tirelessly to help women and children who are victims of abuse and assaults, and consistently raised the bar for professional police work. And, like all true leaders, her shining example will continue through the legacy she has created in Kodiak and the many people she has mentored, both within her police department and the community at large.

Throughout her 20-year career she has displayed the highest possible standards of police work, and is an inspiration to future generations of law enforcement professionals and public servants. I greatly appreciate and admire her selfless dedication to Kodiak, to her fellow citizens, to our great State of Alaska, and to our Nation as a whole through her cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard Investigative Service.

Therefore, it gives me distinct pleasure to honor Chief Wallace today, and I ask that my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives join me in congratulating Ronda and wishing her continued success.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman, Mr. Shuster, and the ranking member, Mr. DeFazio, for bringing a bipartisan bill to the floor.

This is a piece of legislation that is long overdue. I think we have had--how many extensions?--five extensions. This bill is needed for air traffic.

As everybody knows in this room, if you take Alaska, which is 2\1/2\ times the size of Texas, we don't have any roads; we have air travel. Everybody travels in Alaska, probably more than you travel in your car, by airplane. So this bill handles a lot of the problems in Alaska that we have been addressing through the FAA, which plays a major role.

Number one is Essential Air Service. Many people don't understand the history of Essential Air Service.

When we deregulated the airlines, Alaska was left out. Senator Stevens and I kept regulated airlines for 2 extra years until we got the commitment from Essential Air Service so we can serve our communities, and this committee has always seen to it that that did occur.

Now, it has been used in other rural areas of America. I understand that need.

There will be an amendment to do away with Essential Air Service. I hope all of you will vote against that. It is crucially important to my State.

We have another small issue that has come up--and I want to thank the chairman again--which is lithium batteries. These were talked about, and it was just talked about by the ranking member.

In my State, again, we don't have highways, we can't truck things, so an air carrier that has no passengers can transport lithium batteries. They were not allowed to do that under the toxic transportation clause in our law that says they can't do it.

I will tell you, again, that it takes care of the Alaskan Part 121 pilots, who are subject to burdensome Terminal Aerodrome Forecasting regulations. This will allow pilots to use area forecasting for weather, et cetera, for flying our airplanes.

This is a good bill. I am really proud of what Congressman Shuster has been able to do. I believe this will be Congressman LoBiondo's last bill working on something of this significance for the United States of America.

We do have a great air system. I will say that it has worked, it is working, and I am quite proud of the people who work for the airlines.

I will only make one suggestion in closing, Mr. Chairman. I am a little concerned about some of the airlines making the spaces a little bit narrower, less legroom.

I think, frankly, when you have less legroom, you have safety problems. I say that because it is awful hard, in a 3-year-old seat, to get people out from the window if there is an accident when they are all jammed together. So I am just respectfully suggesting the airlines don't take away any more space; in fact, give some of it back.

Mr. Chairman, this is a good bill. I urge my colleagues to support it, vote for it, and let's get this bipartisan piece of legislation passed.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewomen from Hawaii (Mses. Hanabusa and Gabbard). I am privileged to stand on this floor because of them and honor, to me, a great friend.

I know that we are saying we are honoring Senator Danny Akaka, or Daniel. I would like to refer him to the higher body as Congressman Akaka.

Thirteen years we served together. I have never found a gentleman, as you said before, one that loved and remembers better than he.

He worked with me, and I probably knew Danny better than anybody else. I call him Danny because we were friends. I knew him probably better than anybody else because his locker was right next to mine down in the gym.

We would have conversations about Alaska and about Hawaii, and how we worked together with Danny Inouye, Senator Stevens, and myself. It was a marvelous combination. And I believe that Alaskan combination with Hawaii still exists today because of the two congressional ladies. We work together. We have a unique difference from all of the other States.

We are not contiguous to the big body of the United States. We are actually scattered far north and far west, but we work together. Although they have a tropical climate and we have a frozen climate, we have the comradeship that is necessary to work together, and we continue to do that.

Danny was a soldier, a teacher, and, yes, a great Congressman. I will tell you that the people of Hawaii will miss him, but I hope he has left a legacy that will continue to encourage young people to become involved in the political arena to try to solve problems.

I can't agree more with what was said by the previous speaker about the lack of aloha, the lack of recognition for one another in differences of opinion. I do not think that you can accuse me of that because I recognize each person elected in this House is elected by 730,000 people, and they represent those people. So recognize and respect the beliefs, but work out and solve problems. Danny did that.

All the time that we worked together, there was never a Democratic problem or a Republican problem. There was a problem, and we would reach across the aisle, one another, with all of the chairmen that served together collectively, and we would solve those problems. We were able to legislate.

Somewhere along the line, the well was poisoned, and we no longer legislate. I think Danny would be deeply disturbed by that. I think he would wish us greater things. I believe he would understand that it is time for us to work together as a nation.

I am proud to say that we still work together as Alaskans and Hawaiians trying to solve those areas where problems exist in no other place in the United States, and we do work together to solve them and we do get it achieved.

Now, if we can just do that, maybe we ought to send the rest of the Congress to Hawaii in the wintertime and bring the rest of them to Alaska in the summertime, and everybody would love one another and we would get a lot more done.

So, again, it was mentioned about Millie, his wife, and his family, and he would be proud.

There are great people in our history, and I can tell you, I considered Danny Akaka, Senator or Congressman, as one of the greater ones. As we know, he is gone, and I know he will be looking upon what we can achieve if we actually aloha one another.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memorial to an Alaskan who dedicated his life to his business and making his customers feel as though they were in their own living room having a meal with friends. On January 13, 2018, Alaska lost one of its hardest working, most dedicated and adventurous fathers, Mr. George Brown.

George embodied the ``Greatest Generation'' that came to Alaska in the years following World War II. He valued hard work, personal relationships, and personal responsibility. He and his wife, Peggy founded the Lucky Wishbone diner in Anchorage, Alaska in 1955, the same year McDonalds was founded but in a much different environment, serving the best burgers, shakes and especially fried chicken you could find anywhere. Sorry Kentucky, the Colonel had nothing on Mr. Brown.

George kept the very spirit of the Greatest Generation alive up until his passing by ensuring that generations of Alaskans had simple, handcrafted diner food that was unsurpassed by any other restaurant. He also pioneered the ``smoking ban'' in Anchorage by banning smoking in the restaurant in 1991. George and Peggy's place was home to so many of us. His smile and his infectious spirit could light up a room and his sense of humor warmed the restaurant where he was a fixture for over 60 years.

George was more than a restauranteur, he was my friend. As a frequent patron of the Lucky Wishbone, I can speak to his service to customers and how he always cared for his employees as though they were immediately family. He treated his staff like they were his daughters and sons which meant everyone made you feel at home when you visited the Lucky Wishbone.

George, Peggy and the Lucky Wishbone will live in infamy in our hearts and souls. I hope that George's sister Elaine, daughter Pat, son Corky, and his grandchildren can take comfort in the bond they have with George and the legacy of the Lucky Wishbone. I also hope the precious memories of George will bring them comfort, and that they will come to find, in the lovely words of Hugh Robert Orr:

``They are not dead who live in lives they leave behind. In those whom they have blessed, they live a life again, and shall live through the years eternal life, and shall grow each day more beautiful, as time declares their good, forgets the rest, and proves their immortality.''

Please join me in expressing heartfelt appreciation for George and sympathies for his Alaskan family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memorial to an Alaskan who dedicated his life to the athletes, families, and Special Olympics Alaska. On February 1, 2018, Alaska lost a one-of-a-kind person, Mr. Jim Balamaci.

Many executive directors and presidents of non-profit organizations do a lot of good work. They encourage others to provide financial support to their cause, uplift the recipients of their work, and contribute greatly to their communities. Jim however, was much more than just another head of a non-profit organization who did good work for the cause. Jim lived, breathed, and was Special Olympics Alaska. His beloved organization was everything to him, and he fostered an infectious feeling in others to conduct themselves with the same faith, loyalty, and honest approach as he had. Mr. Speaker, I have a hard time knowing that Special Olympics and Alaska have lost this great man. Jim Balamaci ``is'' Special Olympics Alaska and it will never been the same without him.

Jim absolutely loved his colleagues and those he served. His presence was a blessing. The best part is that they loved and respected him even more in return.

Aside from talking to Jim on a regular basis about a wide variety of topics, I had the distinct pleasure of golfing with him every year to benefit Special Olympics Alaska. For eight to ten hours (depending on how I played), I had the rare fortune of being able to admire Jim's passion for ``his'' athletes. During that time, Jim allowed me to bask in his world where everything was righteous, good, and just plain fun despite any challenges.

It's nice to hear about people's memories and friendship with Jim. I'm proud to call Jim my dear friend too. As you know, it is extremely difficult for a Member of Congress to call someone a true friend. Jim embodied the word. He comforted me when my dear wife Lu died, he gave me advice to help my grandson, and I could always count on him to be there for me and my family.

Mr. Speaker, the sudden loss of Jim was like a hard punch by Mike Tyson to my gut. His loss hurts all of us. I take comfort in knowing that the Lord called Jim home because he needed another great soul in heaven to help him counter everything that is bad.

To all of the athletes, coaches, family members, sponsors, volunteers, staff, the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Alaska, and to Jim's family--I share your grief and your loss today as we remember Jim. I do take comfort in Jim's legacy, his friendship, and the privilege of knowing a truly great man for he has not left us behind but walks beside us now. Thank God for Jim.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 219) to correct the Swan Lake hydroelectric project survey boundary and to provide for the conveyance of the remaining tract of land within the corrected survey boundary to the State of Alaska.

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, first, let me thank my good friend from Hawaii (Ms. Hanabusa) for coming over here to help manage the bill. I know it was an imposition, but I thank her. It means a great deal to me.

Mr. Speaker, the Swan Lake hydroelectric project is a remote facility in southeast Alaska that provides electric power to nearly 20,000 of my constituents in the cities of Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan, and the surrounding areas.

In 1994, the project's operator began work to raise the dam height by 15 feet, working with the State of Alaska to secure 1,500 acres of land from the Federal Government inside the reservoir's new coverage area. The land was surveyed by the Federal Government and transferred to the State of Alaska in 1997.

In 2012, the project operator discovered an error in the Federal Government's survey and determined an additional 25.8 acres of Federal land would be inundated if the water level were raised. There is no disagreement among the Federal and State agencies concerned that an error occurred. H.R. 219 will fix the error by requiring the Secretary of the Interior to correct the survey and transfer the remaining acreage to the State of Alaska.

This is a commonsense bill that promotes green energy development at zero cost to the Federal Government. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I wish my good friend from Hawaii good luck in the upcoming election. I know it is against the rules, but I am going to say it anyway. The gentlewoman will make a fine Governor as she made a fine Congresswoman; believe me.

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

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memorial to a dedicated husband, proud father, pioneer of aviation and entrepreneurship, and importantly, a great Alaskan. On December 7, 2017, Alaska lost one if its hardest working and most dedicated fathers, Mr. Cliff Everts.

Cliff Everts is a keepsake original forged from rare earth. He matriculated from New York but had the spirit of an Alaskan Wolf, the business acumen of a Rockefeller, and the fortitude of a Sourdough. His smile could light up a room and his sense of humor warmed any room he happened to grace. In thinking of that astounding smile and infectious laugh, I am reminded of one of his famous quotes and something he said the last time I saw him ``Dude, that was sick!'' It's how he lived his life.

In reflecting upon Cliff's many accomplishments and his life, one could go on for days about all he did. I can speak to his service to his customers and how he always found a way to deliver cargo ranging from reindeer to homebuilding materials (beat that Home Depot), or start a business to sell ice cream to Alaskans! He did so at the best price with the best service to those customers. I can speak to all of his service to the community. How much he cared for Alaskans and loved Alaska.

However, what gives me the most pleasure and puts a massive smile on my face, is Cliff's dedication and his love for his wife and six children. Whenever anyone asked what made Cliff happy or what made Cliff such a success, it was always his family. He always shined when he talked about them and you could see how he would glow whenever he thought about them or saw them in person. You just do not find that in most people but you always knew it with Cliff.

Suffice to say that Cliff will live in infamy in our hearts and souls. I hope that Cliff's family and especially his wife Betty can take comfort in the bond they have with him; always. I hope the precious memories the family has of their precious Cliff will one day bring them comfort, and that they will come to find, in the lovely words of Hugh Orr:

``They are not dead who live in lives they leave behind. In those whom they have blessed, they live a life again, and shall live through the years eternal life, and shall grow each day more beautiful, as time declares their good, forgets the rest, and proves their immortality.''

Please join me in expressing our heartfelt appreciation for Cliff and our sympathies for his wife, Betty; son, Robert Everts and his wife Paula; his daughters, Melanie Moyer; Debbie Baggen; Karen Wing; Vicki Parrish and her husband Albert; and Susan Hoshaw and her husband Don; 16 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and so many close, cherished family and friends.

Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank the Speaker and the minority leader for their introductions.

I have been in the House for 45 years, with nine Speakers and nine Presidents. I have been in this House with 2,000 Members who have left. I love this body.

I can suggest one thing: My greatest honor has been being able to achieve results for my State. I am the only Congressman from the whole State of Alaska, and I love it. It is my responsibility to represent the State and this House as the single person to do the job that I have been asked to do.

One of the things that I have enjoyed is the friendships. I don't think there is an enemy in the House. I worked across the aisle. Jimmy Oberstar and I never had an adversarial vote at any one time on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Now, when George Miller was the minority member, we had a lot of arguments and a lot of disagreements, but we hunted together and we ate together.

I believe in bipartisanship. I believe in this body to lead this Nation. Nine Presidents, the House has its job to do regardless of who the President is.

I thank my wife, who is in the audience up there in the gallery. A man gets lucky usually once in his life. I got lucky twice. My past wife was with me for 46\1/2\ years. My new wife has been with me about 8 years now. I want the State to pay her because she keeps me alive. And she likes what I do.

I want to thank my colleagues. Being the dean will not change me. I will still holler, ``Vote.'' I will sometimes get out of line. But in doing so, remember,

it comes from my heart, and my heart is in this House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record the following letter which provides information about my bill, H.R. 228, the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Consolidation Act.

November 27, 2017.

Hon. Ryan Zinke,

Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior,

Washington, DC.

Dear Secretary Zinke: We write today to provide information

about our legislation, the Indian Employment, Training and

Related Services Consolidation Act (H.R. 228 as

passed the House/S. 91 as reported by committee in the

Senate). Our legislation has bipartisan backing and the

support of a broad coalition of tribes and tribal

organizations.

During consideration of the legislation, a question was

raised as to whether any Head Start services would be

eligible for incorporation into a tribal ``477 Plan'' under

H.R. 228/S. 91. The answer is no--Head Start is an early

childhood education program, and does not fit into any of the

categories of eligible programs' purposes that are listed in

Section 6 of the bills. Head Start services are not eligible

under current law for incorporation into tribal 477 plans,

and will not be eligible under our legislation.

We wanted to take the opportunity to provide this

background should it be helpful in the future.

Sincerely,

Don Young,

Congressman for All Alaska.

Lisa Murkowski,

United States Senator.