Floor Statements

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

(Ms. HERSETH asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, the majority has already explained the purpose of H.R. 3085, which was introduced by our colleague from Tennessee, Representative Zach Wamp. H.R. 3085 passed the Senate this past July and has been returned to us with an amendment from the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, while the amendment made to H.R. 3085 is, in our view, unnecessary, the overall bill is a good one and we have no objection to the adoption of the legislation by the House today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to congratulate the gentleman from Tennessee for his hard work on this important legislation and for his statement on the floor today, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

(Ms. HERSETH asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, this land exchange reflects an agreement reached between the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Department of Lands, and the city of Boise.

The city of Boise has significant interest in preserving the Boise foothills for open space. However, the State of Idaho has a constitutional mandate to maximize revenue on their State lands and cannot manage State lands in the Boise foothills for open space.

Therefore, S. 1131 transfers 11,815 acres of lands from the Idaho Department of Lands to the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to be managed for open space preservation for the benefit of the city of Boise. The State Department of Lands will acquire 7,220 acres of National Forest System lands that are timber-producing lands and 605 acres of lands from the Bureau of Land Management.

Mr. Speaker, we have no objections to S. 1131.

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

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

H.R. 1129 authorizes the exchange of certain lands between the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Pitkin County in Colorado.

One of the properties the Forest Service will acquire is a 35-acre parcel referred to as the Ryan property, which is one of the scenic gems of the Roaring Fork Valley. At the urging of the Forest Service, in 2000 Pitkin County and the Aspen Valley Land Trust acquired the Ryan property to protect it from development until a land exchange transferring it to Forest Service ownership could be arranged. Five years later, H.R. 1129 accomplishes that goal.

We would like to recognize Representative Mark Udall for his leadership on H.R. 1129, as well as cosponsor Representative John Salazar.

Mr. Speaker, we support H.R. 1129.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, the majority has already explained the purpose of S. 435, which passed the Senate in December 2005. The legislation is nearly identical to a bill which has already passed the House. Since S. 435 simply authorizes a study of a proposed river designation, we have no objection to the adoption of the legislation by the House today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the gentlewoman from Connecticut for her hard work and bipartisanship in advancing this legislation.

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

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

(Ms. HERSETH asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support S. 819, sponsored by Senator Tim Johnson, which is the counterpart to legislation I sponsored which passed this body earlier this year. This bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to reallocate the construction costs of Pactola Dam and Reservoir. This important water supply project is located just 15 miles west of Rapid City in my home State of South Dakota.

The water supply needs of the Rapid City area have changed dramatically since the Bureau of Reclamation built Pactola Dam 50 years ago. Rapid City is the second largest city in South Dakota, and there is no doubt this metropolitan area will continue to enjoy strong economic and population growth. The cost reallocation authorized in this legislation will simply allow the Secretary of the Interior to modernize the financial structure of the project to reflect the changing water supply needs of this area of my State.

I want to thank Chairman Radanovich, Ranking Member Napolitano, and committee staff for working with me to advance the House counterpart of this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support S. 819.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Filner for yielding. I would like to congratulate both Chairman Buyer and Ranking Member Filner for their hard work in bringing this urgently needed bill to the House floor. I appreciated working with them both in the many oversight hearings to review the VA's information technology management system.

The Veterans Identity and Credit Security Act is the result of judicious bipartisan work by members and staff of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, working closely with those on the Government Reform Committee; and it is an important step towards safeguarding the personal information of our Nation's veterans.

Now, I share the frustration of my colleagues regarding the repeated failures of the VA's information technology management and the theft in May of the personal data of as many as 26.5 million veterans and servicemembers from a VA employee's home.

While we are all relieved the laptop containing this data has been recovered and authorities have found no evidence that the data has been accessed, the data breach raised serious concerns about the VA's information security. It is clear that we dodged a bullet.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the security breach was the previous recommendations and warnings by the General Accounting Office and the VA's Inspector General were not given adequate consideration. The Department's inexcusable and unacceptable inaction was disrespectful to the brave men and women who serve the country.

As my colleagues have outlined, the Veterans Identity and Credit Security Act would require the VA to report to Congress after any data theft and to provide credit monitoring and fraud remediation services to affected individuals. The bill creates an Under Secretary for Information Services, sets conditions of contracting with the VA for work dealing with sensitive personal information, and establishes a scholarship program for students pursuing doctorates in information technology, security or computer engineering.

I believe these important changes to the VA's information technology management structure are essential to better protecting the personal information of our Nation's veterans and their families. While there is no perfect solution, given the magnitude of this problem, not only for the VA but so many other Federal agencies, as the gentleman from Virginia just described, this legislation is an important step in the right direction.

I encourage my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to introduce legislation that will help to protect the health care provided to Native Americans by the Indian Health Service.

Providing quality health care is one of the most important Federal responsibilities in Indian country. Through a network of service units scattered across the country and across South Dakota, the Indian Health Service is the primary, and often the only, access point to that care.

For this reason, any service reduction at any service unit should be preceded by a thorough and thoughtful analysis of the impacts of the reduction proposal, an evaluation of alternative options, and meaningful tribal consultation at every step. Current law recognizes this and already requires that IHS conduct an impact study before implementing a reduction.

Unfortunately, the law contains a critical oversight and specifies only that the study occur at least 1 year before any service reduction. It contains nothing to prevent an outdated study from being inappropriately used to justify a service reduction. This legislation would correct that mistake--mandating that the study occur 1 year, but nor more than 2 years, before the actual service reduction. This will ensure that any analysis will reflect current conditions, not ones that no longer exist.

This is a small and reasonable change that is both consistent with the intent of existing statute and, I think, an important improvement. Though introduced as a stand alone measure today, I am hopeful that my amendment can later be added to Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments moving through this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 4893. All nine sovereign Tribes in South Dakota have asked me to oppose this legislation. I take my responsibility to consult with Tribes very seriously and share their concerns that this bill will create an unnecessary and unprecedented infringement on Tribal sovereignty.

Though gaming has transformed tribal economies in many places, the harsh reality is that Native Americans remain the poorest people in our country. This was confirmed only a few weeks ago in the Census Bureau's annual poverty report. Gaming alone has not--and will not--fix this problem.

The right of Tribes to conduct gaming is a manifestation of tribal sovereignty and one of its many benefits. Sovereignty allows tribes to move forward with economic development opportunities and to draw strength from their rich history. Sovereignty, and not gaming, is the most valuable tool to lift Indian Country out of poverty. I urge my colleagues to support sovereignty and vote against H.R. 4598.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate a milestone in the history of one of South Dakota's and the nation's most beloved and recognizable roadside landmarks. This fall, the Wall Drug Store will be celebrating its 75th year of continuous operation near Badlands National Park in Wall, South Dakota. Each year, hundreds of thousands of weary road travelers simply follow the billboards to enjoy a refreshing glass of ice cold water and experience a bit of small-town South Dakota.

Dorothy and Ted Hustead began their version of the American Dream when they moved to tiny Wall, South Dakota and purchased a drug store in 1931. The Husteads set out on their own in search of a small town with a Catholic church that needed a pharmacist and found it among the 362 residents of Wall. At a time when much of the plains were devastated by drought and the depression, running a small business was a difficult enterprise. In 1936, Dorothy Hustead came up with the idea to put up signs along the road offering free ice water to travelers on the hot, dusty prairie. Well, the signs did the trick, and more and more travelers came by the store. So they put up more signs on the highway, and from that point on business was booming. Before long, the Husteads were serving upwards of 20,000 cups of ice water per day and they had signs and billboards for hundreds of miles in every direction. Today, Wall Drug signs appear all over the world, places such as London, Moscow, and even the South Pole.

Seventy-five years after Wall Drug began, not much has changed. Wall is still a small town with a population of 818. Wall Drug is still run by a man named Ted Hustead although he is the founder's grandson, and there is still a working pharmacist on site. However, Wall Drug now occupies 76,000 square feet and is one of the leading tourist attractions in South Dakota. The store has become a leading retailer of authentic western art and memorabilia, from cowboy boots to original oil paintings to ``genuine'' stuffed jackalopes. As such, it is a major part of the economy of western South Dakota, contributing tax revenue to the town and acting as one of Wall's major employers. In fact, in the summer, Wall Drug provides 230 jobs in this town of 818 people.

I want to congratulate the Husteads and the community of Wall on the 75th anniversary of Wall Drug. Wall Drug is an important part of our state's history, and I wish them the best on their next 75 years of success.

Mr. Speaker, the next time you or any of my other colleagues find yourself in western South Dakota, on your way to visit Mount Rushmore or the Black Hills, I encourage you to stop by Wall Drug to enjoy a refreshing cup of ice water and take in a little bit of western culture. I assure you it won't be hard to find; just follow the signs.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4301, the Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal Land Conveyance Act of 2006.

Between 1972 and 1977, the federal government acquired roughly 19,000 acres in two South Dakota Counties for an irrigation project as part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program. Though this project was abandoned in 1977, the federal government has maintained ownership of the land and continues to lease it to many of the original landowners.

H.R. 4301 would finally deauthorize the irrigation project, giving the original landowners the option to buy back their land, and convey the remaining parcels to the State of South Dakota for wildlife mitigation purposes. This bill is a compromise piece of legislation that reflects the wishes of both the original landowners and the State of South Dakota.

I'd like to thank Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, Ranking Member Nick Rahall, Resources Water and Power Subcommittee Chairman Radanovich, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Napolitano for their assistance throughout this process. I'd also like to thank South Dakota Senators Tim Johnson and John Thune. Our work together has allowed this legislation to proceed the House Floor in a bipartisan manner.

After almost 30 years of waiting, it is important than Congress finally act to return these acres to private hands and local tax-rolls. Today's vote provides an opportunity to do so. I urge my colleagues to support this long overdue legislation.

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to express my support for the Veterans' Small Business and Memorial Affairs Act, H.R. 3082. I also would like to thank Rep. John Boozman, the Chairman of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, for his leadership on the small business provisions included in this bill.

As the Ranking Member of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, I am proud to have helped develop and strongly support the education, training, and employment measures contained in H.R. 3082.

These provisions are intended to improve veterans' small-business opportunities, job-training, and employment services, as well as the licensing and certification process for servicemembers transitioning into the civilian workforce.

Our nation's servicemembers, veterans and military families have earned the benefits and opportunities provided within this legislation. Again, I am pleased to support the measures contained in the Veterans' Small Business and Memorial Affairs Act and encourage my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call to my colleagues' attention a dire and worsening situation developing in South Dakota and in several other States across the Great Plains. South Dakota is currently experiencing a severe, if not historic, drought; and it is getting worse.

Almost every week we are breaking records for lack of rainfall and high temperatures in communities across the State. Keep in mind that South Dakota was one of the hardest-hit regions of the country during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. We have seen droughts before, and this one may ultimately rank among the worst.

I have beside me the most recent Drought Monitor map released last Thursday. As you can see, a significant portion of central South Dakota indicated here on the map is considered in an exceptional drought, the most severe category the Monitor recognizes.

A considerably larger portion of the State is experiencing extreme drought, and 80 percent of the State is currently experiencing some drought today. Let me share some statistics with you. The ranching communities of Kadoka and Newell both experienced their second driest June on record. For the months of April and June combined, the communities of Timber Lake, Kennebec, and Faulkton experienced the driest conditions ever for those communities. And we have records going back more than 100 years.

The first 6 months of this year were the driest ever for Timber Lake. That community received 3.61 inches of precipitation for the entire 6- month period, a mere 35 percent of average. It also set an all time record temperature on Saturday of 112 degrees.

Also last Saturday, it was 116 degrees in Mobridge, South Dakota, a regional trade center, larger than the other towns I have mentioned. Mobridge, located near the North Dakota border along the Missouri River, it is a regional trade center, larger than the other towns that I mentioned. It had the driest 6 months ever recorded in that community, only 2.23 inches of precipitation over an entire half year.

This is less than 25 percent of their average rainfall. This is farm and ranch country and the effects have been devastating. Agricultural conditions are very dire and deteriorating. I have heard reports of ranchers completely liquidating their cattle herds as feed and water disappear. There is insufficient grass to get the entire herd through the summer; there is no hay to get these animals through the fall and winter. Wheat fields have burned up and hopes for a decent corn and soybean harvest are fading fast.

The record high temperatures of last week have come at the time that the corn is tasseling, a critical time for the crop. A farmer can lose up to 8 percent of yield a day under conditions of such severe stress. Conditions on the afternoon of July 15 on the family farm of one of the leaders of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association was 112 degrees in the shade, only 20 percent humidity, accompanied by 42 mile-an-hour winds. This in the center part of the State as well, but a bit more south and east.

Despite burn bans in many counties in the State, wild fires are becoming an increasing problem as well. As just one example, on July 5, a prairie fire began near Wakpala, South Dakota, and it burned across 600 acres of grassland in 25 minutes.

The water level in Lake Oahe, the largest of South Dakota's four Missouri River reservoirs, continues to drop and is now only about 4 feet above the record low set 2 years ago. Unfortunately, the precipitation outlook is not good. According to Weather Service computer models and projections, there is no relief in sight. Any new rainfall is expected to be light and isolated, and temperatures are expected to be much warmer than average in the coming weeks.

The temperature in our State capital of Pierre on Saturday was 117 degrees, an all-time record temperature. The Climate Prediction Center's most recent drought outlook predicts that the current drought will not only continue; it will worsen in the Dakotas and may expand across eastern Montana, Minnesota, and parts of Iowa.

Unfortunately, compared to other natural disasters, drought suffers from some real public relations disadvantages. First, they do not get memorable names to personify them like hurricanes. They creep in slowly and quietly, and they don't destroy buildings or sweep away trees; they do not inundate cities.

In other words, they simply do not make for good video on the evening news. But the damage they wreak is just as real as any other natural disaster. Droughts devastate family farms and ranches, small businesses and local economies. Families and communities suffer the same kind of economic and emotional toll from droughts that are caused by other natural disasters.

The stress for families worsens as the cattle herd is sold and nonfarm or ranch employment is sought if any can be found in smaller rural communities.

Sometimes, such severe droughts even weaken the intrinsic optimism of the people who live and work and raise families in rural America. That is what is beginning to happen in central South Dakota today. Conditions there are truly devastating, and it is becoming increasingly clear that Congress must do something to address this situation.

Many other areas of the country are similarly affected and they deserve our attention and our assistance, just as much as do victims of hurricanes or floods or earthquakes or any other natural event that devastates economies and lives.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to bring this situation to my colleagues' attention, and I look forward to working together to address this important matter.

I thank the gentleman for yielding

Mr. Chairman, I would like to lend my strong support to H.R. 9, The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006. I would also like to commend House Judiciary Committee Chairman Sensenbrenner and Ranking Member Conyers for their leadership in working together to craft a bill that received overwhelming bipartisan support in the committee. The committee approved H.R. 9, as amended, by a vote of 33 to 1 on May 10, 2006. I am pleased that the leadership has scheduled H.R. 9 for floor consideration today and hope that the full House will pass this vital piece of legislation, as it was reported by the Judiciary Committee.

The preservation of all of the rights guaranteed to Americans under law in great measure depends upon the security of Americans' voting rights. Ensuring an equal opportunity for all citizens to vote is a fundamental governmental duty. All Americans recognize the importance of ensuring the right to vote. That is why the 109th Congress will address few more critical pieces of legislation than H.R. 9 in 2006, a year of Federal, state, and local elections.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was the product of a remarkable time in America, when courageous and visionary people from different backgrounds and communities came together to move the Nation from an era when too many Americans were denied one of the most fundamental freedoms. The Nation has made great progress since that time toward the goal of full voting rights for all. Reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act will ensure that we continue to move forward with protecting, preserving, and enhancing the gains that we as a society have made.

Some of the core provisions of the Voting Rights Act are set to expire in 2007. Importantly, H.R. 9 would reauthorize these provisions for 25 years. Expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act require covered jurisdictions to seek ``preclearance,'' either with the U.S. Department of Justice or a specific federal court, of any proposed voting changes, such as redistricting. Two counties in South Dakota are subject to these requirements.

Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act requires that language assistance be provided to language minorities, including certain Native American communities. A number of jurisdictions in South Dakota are covered by Section 203.

Statements made by a number of the proponents of the King amendment seem to suggest that the only non-English languages come from foreign countries. But the fact is, in my home state of South Dakota and across America, any voters speak Native American languages--languages that were spoken here long before English was ever uttered in this hemisphere. Parts of Indian Country are covered by Section 203--a section with strong bipartisan support--based on a history of practices and procedures that disenfranchised certain language minorities. American Indians were here when many of our ancestors immigrated to the United States.

Just yesterday I had the opportunity to celebrate and honor the service of Native American code talkers who fought bravely during World War II. Native Languages were the basis for a military communications code that was never cracked by the Axis powers. They

saved countless lives and protected the freedoms we enjoy today.

Native Languages have always had a place in America and should continue to have a place in America. They are part of our history and have played an important role in defending this country. The rights of Native Language speakers should continue to be protected at the ballot box through all of the protections afforded by Section 203. That is why I strongly urge my colleagues to reject the King amendment.

It is incredibly encouraging to see the strides American Indians in South Dakota have made in recent years, including in the political process. I believe that full political participation, and especially voting, is one of the keys to continuing these welcome developments. Voting is not only the expression of support for a particular set of ideas, but is also an expression of hope, and belief in the future.

One of the ways we can help ensure that these hopes become a reality is to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, because the Act continues to play a critical role in ensuring the integrity of the political process. It helps assure not only that an effective legal procedure exists for correcting violations of voting rights, but that violations can and will be prevented from developing. It is also a beacon that sends the message to all American citizens that voting rights must be respected.

Thus, I thank the leadership for scheduling H.R. 9 for floor action, and I urge my colleagues to give H.R. 9 their full support.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time.

In light of the chairman's support, I will submit my comments for the Record in support of the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my support for this important amendment offered by the gentlelady Ms. Davis of CA to the Science, State, Justice, and Commerce Appropriations bill to increase by $1 million the amount of funding in this bill to the National Veterans Business Development Corporation--also known as The Veterans Corporation.

Our amendment increases funding for The Veterans Corporation from $500,000 to $1.5 million to match Fiscal Year 2006 levels. Without level funding, The Veterans Corporation will be forced to cut back and reduce entrepreneurship assistance to our veterans.

As the Ranking Member of the Veterans' Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, which maintains jurisdiction over veterans' employment and re-employment matters, I have been working to explore the perceptions, activities, employment practices, and entrepreneurship opportunities for former servicemembers.

In my view, which I know is shared by many of my colleagues, the men and women serving in the military today are very professional, highly trained, and extremely motivated. I am confident that many of these men and women would add value to our economy if given the opportunity to start their own businesses. In my district--the State of South Dakota-- more than 17,000 veteran owned small businesses are operating-- generating a combined income of more than $816 million.

Mr. Chairman, as the Administration has repeatedly stated, this is a key transitional year for members of our Armed Forces serving overseas. Increasing numbers of servicemen and women are expected to return home from Iraq and Afghanistan--including thousands of National Guard and Reservists. The men and women in uniform who defend this country and make our economic and political systems possible, indeed, have earned our best efforts and a fair opportunity to successfully transition from military service to civilian life and employment.

The Veterans Corporation is working to help these veterans, who would like to enter the world of entrepreneurship, have the opportunity to successfully do so. I ask my colleagues to support these veterans by supporting this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I regret that I was unable to participate in votes on the floor of the House of Representatives on June 19, 2006. I was absent to attend a Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing in South Dakota. I submit this statement today to establish for the record how I would have voted had I been present for these votes.

On June 19, 2006, the House of Representatives held three votes.

The first vote was on a motion to suspend the rules and agree to the H.R. 5540, to designate the Sergeant Jacob Dan Dones Post Office. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on that question.

The second vote was on motion to suspend the rules and agree to the H.R. 5504, to designate the Larry Winn, Jr. Post Office Building. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on that question.

The third vote was on a motion to suspend the rules and agree to the H. Res. 826, a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a National Youth Sports Week should be established. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on that question.