Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today as a proud cosponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 49, which commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and honors those members of our Armed Forces who have received Purple Hearts for their dedicated service.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart was founded in 1932 and is composed solely of veterans who have received Purple Hearts, making it the only veteran organization that is composed of only combat veterans. The organization promotes education, fraternity, service, and patriotism, and they provide service for veterans and their families who are in need. In addition, they work to support relevant legislative initiatives.

As an organization committed to the care and support of combat veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart deserves the recognition of this Congress for 75 years of hard work serving our Nation's brave veterans of the Armed Forces.

I cannot begin to express the gratitude I feel to the members of our Armed Forces, both past and present, for the gift of freedom that they have given to every American. They have given freely of themselves to defend this great Nation deserve our everlasting gratitude and respect.

We have the privilege and responsibility of both taking care of and honoring the sacrificial service of our combat veterans. I urge my colleagues to vote for the adoption of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Merchant Mariners who served in our Nation during World War II and were an integral part of our victory. They suffered the highest casualty rate of any of the branches of the service while delivering troops, tanks, food, airplanes, fuel and other needed supplies to every theater of the war. Without the services of the Merchant Mariners, victory would have been more difficult, and certainly more lives would have been lost.

Unfortunately, they were denied any rights under the GI Bill of Rights. The Merchant Mariners became the forgotten service. It

wasn't until 1988 that they were given any benefits, and even then they did not qualify for some portions of the GI Bill.

I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 23, the Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2007, under which certain honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine would receive a monthly benefit of $1,000. This benefit to the veterans (or their survivors) would be an important step in recognizing their crucial contribution to the protection and preservation of the freedom of the United States of America.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the Merchant Mariners who deserve recognition and benefits for their service to the United States of America during World War II.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong opposition to the amendment put forward by the gentleman from Arizona.

We should not be reducing the funding for the National Textile Center. Our national economic prosperity has grown from the formidable work ethic of the American people and vigorous investment in all areas of science and technology. We must not lose the scientific commitment which has brought our Nation so far and can help us go so much further.

The National Textile Center conducts advanced research work with life-saving applications. Some examples include the use of micro- technologies to develop heart stents, and three-dimensional weaving techniques to produce life-saving armor. Beneficiaries of the National Textile Center's work include fire-fighters, police officers and soldiers who require protective clothing that allows them to carry out their dangerous jobs. I am proud to have several companies in my district including 3Tex and FirstChoice Armor who are working closely with the National Textile Center to produce the next generation of life-saving textile products.

The research conducted by the National Textile Center is also advancing our understanding of more efficient textile manufacturing. New developments spearheaded by the National Textile Center help make our industrial processes more effective and help ensure we remain competitive in the international arena.

I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment and maintain our national commitment to investments in science and technology that provide real benefits to American workers and real solutions for the greater good.

Madam Chairman, this bill includes important reforms that will help conservation efforts by private forest landowners. Today I offer an amendment to help out a little more.

Over 260 million acres of forest lands are in the hands of families and individuals. At least 75 million acres of forests are part of farms. Forests provide habitats for wildlife, a source for clean water, and places to hunt, fish, hike and enjoy other recreational activities.

But many of our privately owned forest lands are threatened by insects or diseases, and these threats are real. Most of the insects or diseases are non-native and invasive, making them difficult to contain.

In my district, private landowners expect to lose all of their hemlocks from the attack of the hemlock wooly adelgid. This loss would permanently alter the diversity and unique forest environment in our region.

Madam Chairman, this bill provides emergency restoration funding for private forest lands that experience a loss or damage from natural disaster. My amendment would take this one step further and allow the emergency restoration funds to be used for treating private forest lands under imminent threat of attack by insect and disease.

In the case of insect or disease, we must stop their invasion before they create the disaster. Preventing the losses will save money and save our forests. Prevention is less expensive than restoration.

Madam Chairman, I thank the members of the committee for their work on this bill to support healthy forests, and I urge my colleagues to support the Shuler amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today on behalf of myself and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp).

In 1941, the United States was building up for World War II in dire need of new sources of energy. The Tennessee Valley Authority obtained Federal authority for construction of a hydroelectric dam in Swain County, North Carolina. This construction required that an important road be flooded. In a 1943 agreement, the Federal Government promised to rebuild the road.

In the 64 years since the agreement was signed, no road has been completed and no settlement was offered to the people of Swain County. The 2001 Transportation bill provided $16 million to study the environmental costs of building this new road. The National Park Service will complete this study in September.

Mr. Chairman, the financial and economical costs are too high to build this road. The National Park Service has said that the final environmental impact study will recommend a cash settlement with the people of Swain County.

Senators Alexander and Dole have amended the Senate version of this bill with language to allow the Park Service to use remaining funds from this study for this solution. This commonsense solution enjoys strong bipartisan support in the North Carolina and Tennessee House delegations.

Mr. Chairman, would you be willing to work with me and Congressman Wamp to ensure that this bipartisan language is included in the final conference version of this bill?

Thank you, and I would like to thank my colleague Zack Wamp for his hard work along with this bill, and I certainly thank the chairman for your hard work and your dedication.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise to enter into a colloquy with the chairman of the committee, Mr. Obey.

Mr. Chairman, Oconaluftee Job Corps Center in Cherokee, North Carolina, has served a vital role in providing opportunity and direction to the young people of western North Carolina. This center has operated under the control of the National Parks Service along with the Harpers Ferry Job Corps Center and the Great Onyx Jobs Corps Center in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky.

Mr. Chairman, all three of these centers face uncertain future. Earlier this year, the Department of Labor closed the Oconaluftee center without warning, citing safety concerns. The U.S. Forest Service has expressed interest in fixing these safety concerns and reopening the Oconaluftee center. The U.S. Forest Service has also proposed to assume management of the other two centers. The National Park Service has stated it is willing to transition these three centers to the Forest Service.

The U.S. Forest Service has a long-standing tradition of quality and service in the Appalachian region.

Mr. Chairman, the Senate Interior Appropriations bill contains language directing the Park Service to transfer control of these three Job Corps centers to the U.S. Forest Service. The community surrounding the Oconaluftee Job Corps Center is in favor of this transition.

Mr. Chairman, would you be willing to work with me to ensure that this language is included in the final conference version of this bill?

Mr. Chairman, thank you for your continued cooperation and help.

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

Madam Speaker, 90 years ago, the Skyland Camp for Girls was born with the auctioneer's call, ``Sold to the lady in the apron.'' With $3,000, Susan Courtney Harris saved the hotel she loved in Clyde, North Carolina, and created a sanctuary for five generations of young women.

Four generations of the Harris family have kept the camp true to its purpose of building lifelong relationships founded in camaraderie and learning from one another. Mrs. Harris ran the camp until her daughters, Francis Brown and Helen Harris, took over and ran the camp until 1973 . Bunny Brown, bride of Mrs. Harris' grandson Timothy, owns the camp today, and it is run by her daughter Sherry.

I invite my colleagues to join me in celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Skyland Camp for Girls and the generations of vibrant young female leaders it has helped raise in North Carolina.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to sincerely congratulate the Appalachian State University football team for winning the 2006 National Collegiate for the second year in a row, Athletic Association Division I-AA Football championship.

December 15, 2006, marked a historic day for this university as the Appalachian State University football team defeated the University of Massachusetts 28-17 to win the championship.

Most Valuable Player Kevin Richardson's four touchdowns and Corey Lynch's fourth-quarter interception, all under the direction of Coach Jerry Moore, secured the road to victory crowning the remarkable season for the Mountaineers. An intimidating defense led by Marques Murell, Jeremy Wiggins, Monte Smith, and Corey Lynch, complemented by a high- powered offense led by Richardson, who rushed for over 1,000 yards, and William Mayfield, who had over 1,000 yards receiving, and an impenetrable offensive line, made it possible for this championship to occur.

Undefeated in conference games and champions of the Southern Conference for the second year in a row, Appalachian State University affirmed its position as a dominant football program by securing its second consecutive national championship. Not only have they become great sportsmen, but they have consistently showed great dedication to each other, continued sportsmanship to their opponents, gratitude to their unwavering fans and respect for the sport itself.

I am proud of the 2006 Appalachian State University football team for bringing the championship home to western North Carolina. These student athletes are excellent representatives of a fine university and have contributed to its long history of excellence and achievement.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. Chairman, I have great respect for the gentleman from Arizona, and I appreciate what he is doing.

No Member should ask to spend the people's money if he or she is not willing to come to the people's House and explain his or her request. That is why I'm so pleased to have this opportunity to talk about the good work that Advantage West is doing for the people of western North Carolina.

Communities that have been hit hard with plant closings and job losses have two choices: they can give up or they

can look forward. The partnership between Advantage West and the Federal Government will provide local communities with the tools to make themselves ``business ready.''

This checklist includes broadband access, access to capital, streamlined permit systems, and cooperation with schools and universities.

This program is a great example of how the government can partner with distressed communities to offer a helping hand instead of a hand- out.

Mr. Chairman, without these types of funding and this type of work with our community, it would be nothing more than us having to give a hand-out. We're asking for a helping hand.

Advantage West has done an outstanding job of working, not only in the 11th District, but the 8th District and the 10th District of North Carolina, being able to help small businesses.

And I might add to my colleagues that 95 percent of new businesses in America today come in small businesses. Here's a situation where the corporations are helping. The community is helping. Our universities, our schools are helping to create these small businesses in our community so a husband and wife can fulfill a dream come true, that they can have the opportunity to purchase their new home and have a business that they can feel proud of and that they too could maybe pass down for generations to come.

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

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from New York for his leadership and support through this bill and the hard work and dedication that the entire appropriations have put in this.

Once again, I do oppose this amendment. It is a very important piece of the economic structure for the people of west North Carolina. It gives them an opportunity in small business to create the economic structure that we need.

So many of our jobs, some 78 percent, of the textile industries in the State of North Carolina have been lost. We have to find other ways to create work, and I am so proud of the people of the mountains that they have that never-give-up attitude.

As always, I do appreciate the gentleman's, his hard work and his dedication. And so many times I do agree on so many of the issues, and I commend you for your efforts. Just at this time I would oppose this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the memory of Ruth Bell Graham, wife of the Reverend Billy Graham. On Thursday, June 14, 2007, Ruth Graham passed away, after being bed-ridden for several months with pneumonia, surrounded by her husband and all five of her children. She may be best known as the wife of the world-famous evangelist Reverend Billy Graham, but Ruth made her own mark on the world as an author, poet, mother, and spiritual leader in her own right.

Ruth Bell, the second child of five children, grew up in China where her parents were missionaries. They instilled in her the dependence on the Bible for strength and guidance. Reverend Billy Graham would later confide in her, relying on her knowledge of the Scripture and her strength of character as guidance.

Due to her husband's travels, she bore major responsibility for raising the couple's five children: Franklin (William Franklin III), Nelson, Virginia, Anne, and Ruth.

Ruth Graham was the author or co-author of 14 books, including collections of poetry and the autobiographical scrapbook ``Footprints of a Pilgrim.''

In 1996, the Grahams were each awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for ``outstanding and lasting contributions to morality, racial equality, family, philanthropy, and religion.''

She helped establish the Ruth and Billy Graham Children's Health Center in Asheville, and the Billy Graham Training Center near Montreat.

I am honored to have Reverend and Mrs. Graham as two of my constituents in Western North Carolina. The Grahams moved to Montreat many decades ago, and have made an indelible mark on the area. I have the utmost respect for Reverend Graham.

Madam Speaker, the legacy of Ruth Graham will live on long after she is gone. Ruth Bell Graham has served her Lord for a lifetime, and it is an honor to have served Ruth Graham in the United States Congress.

I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing remorse for the loss of Ruth Graham and may God bless and comfort the family and friends she has left behind.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to request that a great honor be bestowed on an equally great soldier. I am referring to PFC Charles George, a son of western North Carolina who bravely sacrificed himself for his fellow soldiers and for his country. Private First Class George came from Cherokee, NC. He was a proud member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and an exemplary soldier in the U.S. Army.

On the night of November 30, 1952, George's company was operating near the South Korean village of Songnae-dong. While charging an enemy camp, Private First Class George dodged mortar and machine-gun fire, jumped into the enemy's trenches, and engaged in hand-to-hand combat. When the American soldiers were ordered to retreat, Private First Class George remained behind to ensure the safety of his withdrawing companions. The enemy then launched a grenade into his company, at which point Private First Class George dove upon the explosive, absorbing the blast and saving his comrades. He died soon after while being evacuated by his fellow soldiers.

Private First Class George was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and is the only member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians to be given this mark of distinction. Now, Mr. Speaker, I ask that we bestow another honor upon Private First Class George by placing his name on the Asheville VA Medical Center. This center has a 112-bed acute care facility and a 120-bed extended care facility that serves veterans in western North Carolina and sections of Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. It provides quality and comprehensive primary, tertiary, and long-term health care to those who have valiantly sacrificed for our country.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Filner for his leadership on this issue, as well as the American Legion and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians for their diligent efforts to ensure that PFC George is given the honor he deserves. I ask that my colleagues support me in renaming the Asheville VA Medical Center the Charles George VA Medical Center.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs have established a process for recognizing Indian tribes. Recognition of tribes is a job for experts and requires facts. This decision should not be made by politicians relying upon a motion.

Every time a legislature has gotten involved in this case, they have gotten it wrong. The North Carolina State House mislabeled the group four different times. The U.S. Congress made the decision worse in 1955 by blocking them from going through the standard process.

I offered an amendment which would have taken the emotion and politics out of this process. It would have allowed the experts of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to establish the facts of this case, but this rule blocks that amendment.

Today, we have missed an opportunity to settle this case. Instead, once again, we will leave it up to politicians.

I am not an expert on Indian tribes. My colleagues are not experts on Indian tribes. None of us are qualified to make this decision.

I urge my colleagues to reject this rule and let the Bureau of Indian Affairs do its job.

I thank the chairman.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 65. I grew up in North Carolina near the Eastern Band Cherokee Indian reservation. I conducted youth camps on the Eastern Band Reservation for young men and women who attended the reservation schools.

The Cherokee people have a distinct, living culture that makes them different from many other people in the world. I'm embarrassed to say that efforts were made right here on this floor to take their language and their culture away from them. Congress has arbitrarily voted on the identity of Indian tribes many times and have gotten it wrong. Today, it will again get it wrong.

There is no historical tribe with the name Lumbee. That name wasn't used until 1952. Over the years, the Lumbee identified themselves as four different tribes, meanwhile they claim the Tuscarora people as part of their group, even though the Tuscarora angrily dispute this.

There is no Lumbee language. There is no reservation. There is no record of any Lumbee being forced out by Andrew Jackson's troops with the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears. Yet, the Congress is being asked to recognize them as the third largest tribe in the U.S.

The Department of Interior testified that there are serious doubts about the identity of the Lumbee. The Congressional Budget Office says recognizing this group would cost nearly $1 billion. Shouldn't we try to get the facts straight before making such a commitment?

The Bureau of Indian Affairs process requires that any petition group meet seven mandatory criteria in order to become Federally recognized. This process involves qualified experts in the field of genealogy, anthropology and Indian history. I strongly oppose any attempts to circumvent this established process by any group.

My great friend, Mr. Mike McIntyre, has pointed out that the Lumbees are not allowed to go through the process. He is right. That's why I have introduced an amendment to this bill which would have allowed the Lumbee to go through the process. That amendment was rejected.

Members of the Congress should not arbitrarily rule on the identity of a people without establishing the facts, and the best way to establish those facts is to let the system work and let the experts do their jobs. Reject this bill and protect the integrity of the process.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an important milestone in the historic ministry of the Reverend Billy Graham. On Thursday, May 31, 1,500 of Reverend Graham's friends gathered for the dedication of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. Among those friends were all three of our living former Presidents. Reverend Graham's ministry has touched more people in this world than could ever be able to attend such a dedication.

I am honored to have Reverend and Mrs. Graham as two of my constituents in Western North Carolina. The Grahams moved to Montreat many decades ago, and have made an indelible mark on the area. I have the utmost respect for Reverend Graham.

The newly dedicated Billy Graham Library is appropriately built in the shape of a barn, which no doubt reminds Reverend Graham of his childhood on a nearby dairy farm. When Billy Graham was born some 88 years ago no one but God knew the influence he would have on the world.

Billy Graham has ministered to hundreds of millions of people across the world, over 210 million of those contacts coming through the form of live audiences. Reverend Graham has ministered to Congressmen, celebrities, and heads of state. He has ministered to people without regard to their wealth, political affiliation, social status, or skin color; and he did it before such things were popular. Billy Graham has stood for what is right throughout his long career. He paid Reverend Martin Luther King's bail on numerous occasions, refused to speak in Little Rock while school segregation was being insisted upon by the state government, and he would not visit South Africa during Apartheid until The government would allow a desegregated audience.

Reverend Graham commented at last week's dedication that ``I feel like I've been at my own funeral, listening to all these speeches. I feel terribly small and humbled by it all.'' That statement explains the character of Reverend Graham better than anything I can say.

Madam Speaker, the legacy of Billy Graham will live on long after he is gone, and I am proud to congratulate him on the opening of this new library which will help to carry his legacy forward. Billy Graham has served his Lord for a lifetime, and it is an honor to serve Reverend Graham in the United States Congress. May God continue to bless Billy Graham.

Mr. Chairman, Carl Sandburg was a national treasure who spent 20 years of his life in the mountains of western North Carolina. While he was not a native son, we in North Carolina are certainly proud to claim him as one of our own.

His farm is now a National Historic Site visited by thousands of families around the world. This site is important both for its history and its beauty.

H.R. 1100 would revise the boundary of the historic site to add 115 acres. The addition would serve two purposes. The first purpose is to protect the scenic views and open spaces the Sandburg family enjoyed from their home. The second purpose is to allow the site to build a much-needed visitor center and parking area. These additions are part of the site's General Management Plan which was adopted in 2003, after a full public process.

This bill has wide bipartisan support. The administration has testified in support of this bill. North Carolina Senators Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole are pushing companion legislation in the Senate. And this is strongly supported by local county government.

I thank Chairman Grijalva, Chairman Rahall, and members of the committee for their support.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment unfairly targets H.R. 1100.

The gentleman from Utah did not offer this amendment to two similar Republican bills. Had he required H.R. 1080, Mrs. Cubin's legislation dealing with the Grand Teton National Park, to delay land acquisition until deferred maintenance was completed, it would have cost them $57 million. That is 115 times more in deferred maintenance costs than the Carl Sandburg home.

None of these groups or agencies is required to complete backlog maintenances. That is because the maintenance is never fully completed, and it is an ongoing process.

This amendment fails to define the deferred maintenance, what it is, who will complete it, or in what time frame it is to be completed. It is a weak attempt to stop legislation.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment violates the wishes of the residents of Henderson County, their Republican county commissioners, the State of North Carolina, Republican Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr and the administration.

Additionally, this amendment flies in the face of the 2003 general management plan that was conducted publicly with wide support. This general management plan included all 115 acres that are in this bill. This amendment would eliminate the ability of the Carl Sandburg Home to protect their viewshed and thus undermine the purpose of this bill.

My bill is not seeking any appropriation or requiring the government to purchase anything. I oppose this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Chairman, while my preference is for as much land to be donated or purchased privately, this amendment would tie the hands of the government if it ever decided to step in and protect the Carl Sandburg home's viewshed.

Mr. Heller did not offer this amendment to Mrs. Cubin's bill or Mr. Jindal's bill in committee, both Republican bills very similar to H.R. 1100.

It is not reasonable to expect all of the land to be donated from small landowners who are currently living on the land. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I just would like to say that in 1968, Stewart Udall, Secretary of Interior from 1961 to 1968, put forth this great historic site in Flat Rock, North Carolina. We continue to see a tremendous amount of bipartisan support in my community, an all- Republican county commission, might I add, along with both Republican Senators, Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr, both with overwhelming support, with companion legislation in the Senate.

We continue to find that we are playing politics here with the will of the people of my community. They have asked for this. The administration put forth in 2003 their management plan for this to adapt all 115 acres.

It is a very good bill. I oppose this motion to recommit, and I ask all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on final passage.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.