Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1471) to expand the boundary of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in the State of Georgia, to redesignate the unit as a National Historical Park, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, Georgia, was established in 1987 to preserve the boyhood home and current residence of our 39th President. The former President and his wife have a lifetime tenancy in their home and are actively involved in the work of the park.

The pending measure would expand the current boyhood homesite from 15 acres to 18 acres and allow the National Park Service to acquire several additional properties. The bill would also redesignate the park from a national historic site to a national historic park.

Mr. Speaker, the sponsor of this legislation, Representative Sanford Bishop, is to be commended for his commitment to preserving this important piece of Presidential history. This is an excellent piece of legislation, and I urge Members to support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2806) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park in order to allow the rebuilding of a road outside of the floodplain while ensuring that there is no net loss of acreage to the Park or the Wilderness, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2806, sponsored by Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings, would allow the National Park Service to adjust the boundary of the Stephen Mather Wilderness, inside North Cascades National Park, to provide for a new road corridor.

Flooding has repeatedly washed out significant portions of a road in the park. Today, the road is impassable for vehicles above what used to be the halfway point.

The pending measure would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to redraw the boundaries of the wilderness within prescribed parameters to provide a new corridor so that the road could be partially rerouted out of the floodplain and rebuilt to its original end. The bill would require that any boundary changes made to accommodate the road result in no overall loss of acreage to the wilderness area.

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

Mr. Speaker, I now would like to recognize for 1 minute the author of the bill, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee).

Mr. Speaker, again, I urge all Members to support this piece of legislation. I commend the author, Mr. Hastings from the State of Washington, for authoring this, and I ask that all Members support this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1641) to amend the National Trails System Act to provide for a study of the Cascadia Marine Trail, as amended.

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

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Puget Sound region of Washington State combines tremendous scenic beauty with numerous historic sites. Boaters and kayakers traveling these waters are surrounded by spectacular mountains and abundant wildlife.

Through 15 years of diligent work by local advocates and volunteers, 54 campsites on a 150-mile route along the coast now constitute the Cascadia Marine Trail. The pending measure would authorize a study of this trail for its potential inclusion in the National Trails System. So, by all accounts, this trail is certainly worthy of this consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I commend our colleague, Representative Jay Inslee, for his hard work and for his dedication to this legislation. I support the passage of H.R. 1641, and urge all Members to do so as well.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee).

Mr. Speaker, I, again, urge Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3619, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010. In particular, I would like to express my support for Section 220, which requires that Coast Guard vessels homeported in Guam be repaired, overhauled and maintained at American facilities. This provision was included in H.R. 2830 the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act from the 110th Congress and which was included in a manager's amendment that was adopted on the floor. I appreciate Chairman Oberstar's and Chairman Cumming's continued support for including this provision in this bill.

This section clarifies a current loophole in statute that will ensure that Coast Guard ships that protect the waterways of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as well as the Federated States of Micronesia will be repaired by American workers. Furthermore, the maintenance funds authorized and appropriated by this body will be re-invested in the American economy. This is a common sense provision that simply extends to Guam the same repair American provisions that already apply to the rest of the United States. Again, I would like to express my appreciation to Chairman Oberstar of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and to Chairman Cummings of the Coast Guard Subcommittee for their leadership on this bill and for including this provision.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my support and sympathy to the people of the U.S. Territory of American Samoa and Western Samoa in the aftermath of the devastating tsunami that hit the region last week. The wave claimed over 200 lives and left thousands more homeless. I ask that this body support our colleague, Congressman Faleomavaega and his community as they recover from this disaster. All necessary aid to this region in the South Pacific should be brought to bear for our fellow Americans.

We on Guam have experienced our share of disasters. I recognize the efforts of my constituents, many of whom have banded together to raise money and donate clothes, blankets, and food to the relief effort for Samoa. The people of American Samoa and Western Samoa have shown great courage in the face of this tragedy. Following the disaster they have pulled together and expressed their determination to recover what was lost. They deserve our backing and support in their time of need. My thoughts and prayers will remain with the families and those impacted by this disaster.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 800, legislation introduced by my colleague, Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California. This resolution expresses sympathy for the citizens of the Philippines as they recover from Tropical Storm Ketsana and Typhoon Parma.

Tropical Storm Ketsana and Typhoon Parma caused widespread landslides and flooding in the Philippines. More than 600 Filipinos have lost their lives due to these storms, and I offer my sincere condolences to their families and friends. H. Res. 800 encourages the U.S. government to work closely with the Philippine government to improve disaster response and also urges President Obama to continue his support of disaster relief efforts in the Philippines.

Just last week, a 22-member team from the Guam National Guard flew to the Philippines to provide medical relief and to support the armed forces of the Philippines as they continue the recovery process. Many of my constituents have family members, who were affected by this storm, and I commend the Filipino community of Guam, who were the first to mobilize our larger Guam community to quickly come together to collect relief items and provide financial assistance to those affected by this natural disaster.

I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Speier, for introducing this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 800.

Madam Speaker, today I introduced legislation to amend the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 (CNRA), Public Law 110- 229, for the purpose of providing for a transition period for the implementation of the new Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program. Section 702 of the CNRA extends the immigration laws of the United States to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). It also provides for a visa waiver program for travel to Guam and the CNMI consistent with the new arrangements for control of immigration in the CNMI and that would be based on and succeed the highly successful Guam-only visa waiver program, which was authorized by the Omnibus Territories Act of 1986.

The Department of Homeland Security will commence control of six ports of entry in the CNMI on November 28, 2009, in accordance with the CNRA. The bill I have introduced today would make a technical correction to the CNRA, by delaying for one year the start of the authorized joint Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program. Its effect would be to allow for federal control of immigration to commence in the CNMI on November 28, 2009, but also for the existing CNMI visitor entry program under CNMI law to continue but be controlled and administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under the Department of Homeland Security. The current approved countries under the Guam-only visa waiver program and the CNMI visitor entry program would be maintained, respectively for each territory, for an additional year. Such a continuation of the visitor entry rules for both of these territories would afford the Department of Homeland Security additional time to devise rules and allocate the resources necessary in both the CNMI and Guam for the successful operation and administration of the new Guam- CNMI Visa Waiver Program consistent with Congressional intent. The additional time will also provide for an orderly transition to occur in both territories.

Most importantly, this bill would allow the Department of Homeland Security to focus its resources initially on the standing-up and control of six ports of entry in the CNMI and also protect the economic interests of the CNMI with the continuation of its visitor entry program. The CNMI economy is heavily reliant on tourism and its visitor sector is accustomed to operating under the territory's visitor entry program.

The bill also authorizes a study to be conducted by the Secretary of the Interior, analyzing the economic situation and forecast for the CNMI. This report will be provided to the committees with jurisdiction, the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, within 30 days of enactment. This report will help the Committees exercise oversight of the implementation of the CNRA and the transition by the Department of Homeland Security to the new joint, Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program.

I look forward to working with my colleagues as this bill moves forward in the legislative process.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my views on the final conference report on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. I want to thank Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon for working so closely with me on a compromise to H.R. 44, the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act. I also want to thank Erin Conaton, Paul Arcangeli, Dave Sienicki, Eryn Robinson, Vickie Plunkett, Julie Unmacht, and Andrew Hunter.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed that H.R. 44 was not included in the

final Defense authorization bill, but I'm confident that the commitments made by the House and the Senate conferees to hold hearings and to readdress war claims in next year's Defense bill will be honored and that further debate on this important legislation will bring us closer to finally passing this bill.

I, again, want to thank my colleagues in the House who have supported including H.R. 44: Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, Congressman Larson of our caucus, Members across the aisle, and many others.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, the conference committee report has significant funding commitments for the military buildup, and I thank the committee for this.

I thank my colleague for yielding, and I rise to clarify the application of the Travel Promotion Act to the territories. Of chief interest to me and my colleagues representing the territories is ensuring that the travel promotion mandates of this legislation fully encompass and take into account the territories.

Tourism is a critical component of the economies of the territories Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

I support the underlying bill. Given the territories depend heavily on tourism and will make contributions to the Travel Promotion Fund, they should be included.

I ask my colleagues, Mr. Delahunt and Mr. Blunt, to clarify its application of the territories.

I thank the gentleman.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 701) to recognize the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve as a unique and precious ecosystem.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, one of the largest remaining freshwater tidal marshes in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Established in 1959 under the leadership of Representatives Dingell, Saylor, and Reuss, this preserve provides habitat for more than 6,500 species of plants and animals along the Potomac River.

Freshwater tidal marshes are rare ecosystems providing ecological services and serving as an outdoor laboratory for scientists, educators, students, artists, birdwatchers, and many others to enjoy this unique and valuable environment.

I commend Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia for introducing this resolution, and I urge its passage.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Madam Speaker, I, again, urge Members to support this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 710) supporting the goals and ideals of ``National Estuaries Day''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, National Estuaries Day was established in 1988 and is an annual celebration highlighting the need to protect our Nation's estuaries. Estuaries provide vital habitat for countless fish and wildlife species and contribute significantly to our economy through commerce and recreation. National Estuaries Day was celebrated on September 26 with numerous activities nationwide, from canoe trips in Washington to photography contests in Florida.

This annual public awareness campaign informs our citizens about their connection to these critical places and why these ecosystems need to be preserved, protected, and restored. I commend Congresswoman Castor from Florida for introducing this resolution, and I urge its passage.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, having no further speakers, again, I urge Members to support this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 795) honoring the people of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Flight 93 Ambassadors for their efforts in creating the Flight 93 temporary memorial and encouraging the completion of the National Park Service Flight 93 National Memorial by the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, House Resolution 795, introduced last week by my colleague Representative Bill Shuster, honors the people of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Eight years ago, the town of Shanksville entered the history books in a tragic way. But since that dreadful day, the community, working with the Flight 93 ambassadors, has protected the temporary Flight 93 Memorial and pressed to establish a permanent national memorial to that plane's heroic passengers.

House Resolution 795, Madam Speaker, recognizes those valiant efforts and encourages the Secretary of the Interior and the National Park Service to complete the Flight 93 National Memorial by the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Madam Speaker, we support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor).

Madam Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) for this important

resolution, and I thank him for managing the resolutions this afternoon on the floor. Again, I urge my colleagues to support this very important resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember those who have lost their lives as result of the recent tsunami in American Samoa and the region and to also offer my condolences on behalf of the people of Guam. I ask that this Congress support our colleague, Congressman Faleomavaega, to ensure that all of the appropriate assets from the Federal Government are brought to bear to help the Samoan people recover from this disaster.

I also rise today to remember the 246 Filipino citizens who have lost their lives as a result of flooding caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana. This destructive storm rampaged through the northern Philippines, leaving tens of thousands of people displaced.

Many of my constituents have family members who were affected by this storm. I commend the Filipino community of Guam, who were the first to mobilize our larger Guam community to quickly come together to collect relief items and provide monetary contributions to those affected by this natural disaster.

I commend the efforts of those who are helping to meet the needs of the people of American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga, and the Philippines as they work toward a full recovery from these disasters.

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much, and I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio for giving me some time to discuss the very serious disaster that just happened in one of the U.S. territories in the Pacific.

I come to the House floor this evening in the wake of a tsunami that struck yesterday on the shores of the Samoan Islands, resulting from an earthquake centered in the Tonga Trench of the Pacific Ocean. The epicenter of this earthquake is estimated to have been about 120 miles south of the islands of Independent or Western Samoa and from American Samoa, which is represented in this body by our distinguished colleague Mr. Faleomavaega.

The strength of this earthquake was measured by the United States Geological Survey at 8.0 magnitude on the Richter scale. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the tsunami triggered by this earthquake brought four back-to-back series of waves, ranging from 15 to 20 feet in height, to the shores of American Samoa and that these powerful waves penetrated up to a mile inland upon impact.

Given the gravity of the situation at hand, I convey on behalf of my constituents, the people of Guam, our deepest condolences and sympathies to the Governor and the first lady of American Samoa, to our colleague Mr. Faleomavaega, and to their entire community on this tragedy. Our hearts and our prayers are with the families who have lost loved ones or who have been injured as a result of the disaster.

Mr. Speaker, our island communities in the Pacific stand in solidarity with the people of Samoa, as do our fellow Americans from all across our country. When disaster strikes, we pull together as Americans and as a country, and in the Pacific, we do so as fellow islanders.

The people of American Samoa are no strangers to the course of nature and to the forces of the sea. The Samoan culture has survived over centuries. Living in harmony with the sea is rooted deep in their culture and way of life. They are a great seafaring and resilient people with a strong sense of family and community. We know that they are pulling together at this time to comfort and to console each other and to begin to rebuild and recover. Their spirit has not been diminished or dampened. Rather, it is being tested, and they are answering the call tremendously.

The fatality rate for this disaster continues to rise, as does the number reported to have been injured, and we grieve with our fellow Americans. The President this morning issued a major disaster declaration for American Samoa, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, under the leadership of its administrator, Mr. Craig Fugate, is marshaling and coordinating the relief resources as we speak. An AC-130 aircraft and a U.S. Navy frigate have been dispatched to deliver the first line of Federal relief. The arrival in American Samoa of other assets will follow in the coming hours, bringing critical food, water, medicine, medical supplies, and personnel. All branches of our military, including the National Guard, are organizing their contribution to this humanitarian mission as we speak.

Our allies and friends in the region have already reached out, extending invaluable diplomatic lines of support and important messages of encouragement. Governor Tulafono, Congressman Faleomavaega, and other island leaders have been in around-the-clock communications with Federal officials and leaders of neighboring islands as to the situation on the ground and the status of recovery efforts. Mr. Faleomavaega, we know, would be

with us today as we continue our legislative duties here in Congress, but recognizably is on his way home.

I know several of my other colleagues intended to join me tonight in commenting on this tragedy and in sending words of condolence and encouragement to Mr. Faleomavaega's constituency. I am facilitating this Special Order as the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife. The chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, Mr. Rahall of West Virginia, is unable to join us in person tonight, but his remarks will be entered into the Record, and he has asked me to speak to this matter.

Before yielding, however, I want to also emphasize the importance that this tragedy has underscored for the network of Federal disaster and natural hazard resources and partnerships spanning the Pacific region. The United States Geological Survey of the Department of the Interior has provided real-time data on the earthquake. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service issued the watches, the warnings and the advisories for the region with respect to the tsunami and continues to stand watch. The National Ocean Service and other components of NOAA have been working in the region and with local officials in recent years to improve natural hazard planning and to map the coastal areas for their vulnerabilities.

FEMA's National Response Coordination Center and the Regional Response Coordination Center for Region IX have been critical to these early response efforts, as has the incident management assistant team and the planning and response team that they have deployed to provide direct support in American Samoa. The Coast Guard and other components of the Department of Homeland Security have also set in motion important services supporting these recovery efforts.

Every branch of the armed services under the Pacific Command is also to be recognized for the humanitarian missions that they have put underway for the people of American Samoa, Western Samoa, and the Kingdom of Tonga. Personnel at the Office of Insular Affairs at the Department of the Interior and the Department of State are also initiating response efforts within their respective agencies and with the governments of the affected islands.

And most importantly are the first responders and the civilian defensive authorities and personnel of the Government of American Samoa, including those working at the LBJ Tropical Medical Center, caring for the many, many injured. They are to be commended for the outstanding job that they are performing in this time of urgent need.

Ultimately, after recovery, we will review and examine the sequence of steps leading up to and immediately following this natural disaster. We will do so for the purpose of further bolstering our defense and to improve our capability to prepare for and respond to such disasters. I know Mr. Faleomavaega has long been a leader in Congress for strengthening FEMA and NOAA's capabilities in the Pacific region, and I have joined him in working to protect such disaster assistance and weather forecasting services for the freely associated States under the terms of the compact.

We have also worked to build these resources in the territories. Four years ago, in the aftermath of the devastating tsunami which hit Indonesia and affected more than 12 other countries in Southeast Asia, Mr. Faleomavaega introduced legislation to specifically provide for the establishment of a tsunami hazard mitigation program for all the United States insular areas. Mr. Faleomavaega's legislation was ultimately incorporated into an act of the 109th Congress, Public Law 109-424, which improved tsunami detection, forecasting, warnings, notification, preparedness, and mitigation for the entire United States, and is a basis for the United States leadership toward the development of a global integrated tsunami warning and education system.

Mr. Speaker, we will have challenges before us in terms of preparing our island and coastal communities for tsunamis and other natural disasters, but we have come a long way, especially since the Federal Government established the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii in 1948.

On Guam, we have weathered many, many supertyphoons and earthquakes, among other natural disasters. We recognize the tremendous lift that is provided to a community when our brothers and our sisters reach out to lend a helping hand and words of encouragement. When backup resources are sent and leaders work together in time of need, we pull together and we recover. This is the American way. But it is also deeply rooted in the values of the indigenous people of the Pacific, including our Samoan friends.

Again, I know Mr. Faleomavaega, his constituents, and Governor Tulafono have the support of this body with respect to recovery from this disaster. We look forward to working with them in the coming days and weeks to ensure the lines of relief are there for their community.

I want to again, Mr. Speaker, thank Mr. Ryan of Ohio for his indulgence in allowing me to utilize some of his time tonight. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for keeping the people of American Samoa, Western Samoa, and the Kingdom of Tonga who have been impacted by this tragedy in their thoughts and in their prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 685) to require a study of the feasibility of establishing the United States Civil Rights Trail System, 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.

We must never forget the struggle for racial equality that spanned our Nation in the 1950s and the 1960s nor the people who waged that fight to obtain basic civil rights for all Americans.

The many sites linked to the civil rights movement together tell the story of how it profoundly transformed our history.

H.R. 685, as amended, authorizes the National Park Service to complete a Special Resource Study to analyze alternatives and make recommendations for the preservation and the interpretation of these multiple sites, including a possible national Civil Rights Trail linking the sites with common maps, signs, and educational material.

Mr. Speaker, we commend our distinguished colleague, Representative William Lacy Clay, for his vision and dedication to this legislation. We support passage of H.R. 685 and urge its adoption by the House today.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this very important piece of legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.