Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2295, the ALS Registry Act, introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel). I would like to thank my friend and colleague from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) for yielding me time.

No one who knows or has met someone diagnosed with ALS can fail to be moved by the courage, not only of those experiencing the symptoms of this disease, but of their family, who help them cope with it every day.

During the National ALS Awareness Month in May, I met with one such remarkable family. Daryl and Marlene Thorson of Brandon, South Dakota, and their granddaughter, Elizabeth Steel, took the time to visit with me. They discussed the importance of this legislation to create a National ALS Registry, and they talked about living with ALS. Daryl has been diagnosed with ALS, and his wife is a pillar of strength as they go through this together. Their love was clear, as was their determination. I was struck by their 12-year-old granddaughter, Elizabeth, who sees how the disease has affected her grandfather and sees her grandmother caring for him. Elizabeth wrote an essay for school entitled, ``If I Had a Million Dollars, What Would I Buy?'' And Elizabeth dedicated her entire essay to buying supplies for her grandfather, funding research, and advocating to Members of Congress.

Madam Speaker, by establishing a National ALS Registry and providing the requisite funding, we can help facilitate the efforts of so many across the country, like Elizabeth, like the scientists searching for a cure, who are working to conquer ALS and bring comfort to those afflicted with it. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 133, a bipartisan resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Long- Term Care Awareness Week during the week of November 4 through 10, 2007. I would like to thank Chairman Dingell and committee staff for moving this resolution to the floor, and the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) for yielding to me once again.

I would like to urge my colleagues to support this commonsense, bipartisan resolution which I introduced with the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany), along with the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Allen) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Ferguson).

I am proud that this resolution has earned the support of AARP, Families USA, the Alzheimer's Association, the National Council on Aging, the American Council of Life Insurers, the Association of Health Insurance Advisors, and America's Health Insurance Plans. They have come together in recognizing the immediacy of the need to raise awareness about planning for long-term care needs.

This resolution is part of my commitment to addressing the many challenges associated with long-term care. Designating a week to focus on long-term care is one meaningful step we can take.

Our Nation needs to address these issues sooner rather than later so that Americans are anticipating and fully prepared to meet their long- term care needs.

Studies show that many Americans don't have a clear perception of what long-term care costs and to what extent long-term care is covered by public programs.

Experts have projected strong growth and demand for long-term care services as the baby-boom generation grows older and have emphasized the related challenge of paying for long-term care services.

The Department of Health and Human Services has reported that approximately 60 percent of people over the age of 65 will need some kind of long-term care services.

The Government Accountability Office has reported projections of significant growth in spending on long-term care services for seniors such that spending could approach $379 billion by 2050.

Our Nation's long-term care challenges will have a particularly significant impact on women, who make up more than 58 percent of Americans over the age of 65 and greater than two-thirds of people 85 years of age or older.

Yet when it come to preparing to meet these costs, many Americans are not adequately prepared. For instance, a 2006 AARP survey on the cost of long-term care found that 60 percent of people age 45 and older said they believe Medicare will pay for extended nursing home stay, which it does not. And more than 50 percent of people age 45 or older said they believe Medicare covers assisted living, which it does not.

And private-pay costs for this kind of care continue to go up. In South Dakota, the average cost of a year in a private room in a nursing home is $53,000, and a double-occupancy room averages well over $47,000. According to one recent national survey, a year in a private room in a nursing home averages more than $74,000, and a double- occupancy room averages nearly $66,000 a year.

An essential step in meeting the challenges posed by long-term care needs and costs is raising awareness about planning for long-term care.

Education will help people understand the likelihood of needing long- term care, the types and costs of available services, and the options to help plan and pay for those services. The more people know, the greater opportunity people have to plan for their future and the more likely they are to receive the services they need in the setting of their choice.

That's the motivation for this Long-Term Care Awareness Week resolution. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution. By passing it today, supporting the goals and ideals of Long-Term Care Awareness Week during the week of November 4 through 10, we can take another step forward to prepare our constituents and the Nation to meet the already high cost of long-term care and the growing challenges ahead.

Madam Speaker, on September 18, USDA Issued a final rule that will permit the importation of live Canadian cattle into the U.S. provided they are born after a date determined by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to be the date of effective enforcement of a ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban in Canada. Expanding imports of Canadian livestock and beef is likely to have serious repercussions for the American cattle industry and I, along with my colleague Dennis Rehberg, are introducing this resolution to disapprove that rule.

Over the past several years, Canada has discovered no fewer than 11 cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, BSE, including many that have occurred in cattle born after that country was purported to have implemented a ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban. Given this fact, it is clear that Canada has not taken the necessary steps to protect its herd from the spread of BSE and that a feed-ban date should not be the trigger for allowing Canadian beef into the U.S. Increasing U.S. imports of Canadian cattle and beef at this critical time would have significant negative impact on the economic well-being of American cattle producers, and could seriously disrupt our efforts to expand U.S. beef exports overseas.

Expanding Canadian cattle imports increases the possibility that a future case of BSE in a Canadian animal may be found in the United States. Five of Canada's BSE cases occurred in cattle born after March 1, 1999, the date that appeared in the proposed rule as an appropriate age trigger for importation eligibility. There is a very real possibility that USDA's proposal would lead to the importation of additional BSE-infected animals from Canada, which would destroy years of hard work by the American cattle industry, the administration, and Congress to restore the confidence of our trading partners in the safety of American beef.

Given the uncertainty still surrounding the health of the Canadian cattle herd and the drastic negative repercussions that could befall U.S. cattle producers if this increased trade fosters an occurrence of increased BSE outbreaks in this country, I introduce this resolution today and urge my colleagues to support its prompt passage.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to honor the life of Staff Sgt. Zachary Tomczak, who died September 25, 2007, in Iraq from wounds suffered when his unit came under small arms fire.

Zachary, who served in the Army's 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, NC, graduated from Huron High School in 2002 and joined the Army soon after graduation. He was serving on his fourth tour of duty when he was wounded. He is described as a phenomenal person who stood as an example for all American citizens. His high school principal said, ``Zac was someone who demanded very little of us and gave an awful lot. He was a wonderful, wonderful young man.''

The lives of countless people were enormously enhanced by Zachary's compassion and service. He represented the best of the United States, South Dakota, and the Army. His life continues to inspire all those who knew him and many who did not. Our Nation and the State of South Dakota are far better places because of his service, and the best way to honor him is to emulate his devotion to our country.

Today, we remember and honor Zachary's noble service to the United States and the ultimate sacrifice he has paid with his life to defend our freedoms and foster liberty for others.

I join with all South Dakotans in expressing my sympathies to the family and friends of Staff Sgt. Tomczak. His commitment to and sacrifice for our Nation will never be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to rise today in support of H.R. 2654, legislation honoring the life and legacy of Eleanor McGovern, by officially designating the post office in her hometown of Woonsocket, South Dakota, as the ``Eleanor McGovern Post Office Building.''

In making this essential recognition, I would also like to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts, Congressman Jim McGovern, and the gentlelady from California, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, for their support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, Eleanor Stegeberg was born 1921 and raised on a farm near Woonsocket, South Dakota, during the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s. As with many families of that era, times were tough; but Eleanor cherished her upbringing in the small prairie town of Woonsocket, which is known for a sweet melon crop in the summer and ample pheasant hunting in the fall, as well as scenic Lake Prior, which gave the community its nickname, ``the town with the beautiful lake.''

Eleanor and her twin sister, Ila, were varsity debaters at Woonsocket High School. Eleanor no doubt caught the eye of her future husband George McGovern, a student at a nearby high school, by besting him in a regional debate tournament. In fact, Senator McGovern always acknowledges as much.

Eleanor graduated as salutatorian and next enrolled at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota, where she and George were fellow students and where they fell in love. The couple married on October 31, 1943, when, like so many of that generation, George was preparing to ship out for service as a B-24 bomber pilot in World War II. Eleanor gave birth to their first of five children while George was overseas.

George McGovern would go on to serve the State of South Dakota and the country in many roles: Senator, ambassador, airman, statesman, and the 1972 Democratic nominee for President. All the while, Eleanor was his strong and equal partner.

During that Presidential campaign, Eleanor blazed a trail and made headlines of her own while campaigning solo across the country for George.

Like none before her, she engaged crowds on the campaign trail with her eloquence and intelligence and was a fierce and effective advocate on a range of policy issues. Eleanor's high profile helped transform and heighten public perception of the role and value of women in politics.

Aside from politics, Eleanor worked as a tireless advocate for children and families throughout her life. She served on the boards of directors for Dakota Wesleyan University, the Psychiatric Institute Foundation, the Child Study Association, the Erickson Institute of Chicago, and Odyssey House of New York. She founded the Martha Movement and was a development officer for the Child Development Associates Consortium.

Following the tragic death of the McGoverns' daughter, Terry, in 1994, Eleanor was a passionate speaker on alcoholism, and with her family, established the McGovern Family Foundation in Washington D.C. to raise funds for alcoholism research. Eleanor and George also led a worldwide effort to combat hunger, working towards a goal of eradicating hunger by 2030.

In 2006, Dakota Wesleyan University, Eleanor and George's alma mater, launched the George and Eleanor McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service, which offers a range of public service and leadership- centered programs for students, faculty, staff, and the national and global community.

Through this program and its annual McGovern Center Conference, the issues that George and Eleanor McGovern have championed continue to receive the attention and focus they deserve. Eleanor McGovern passed away on January 25, 2007, at the McGoverns' home in Mitchell, South Dakota. She was 85.

Throughout her life, Eleanor and George formed a true partnership of shared trust and responsibilities. George commonly refers to Eleanor as his most helpful critic and most trusted adviser.

Eleanor herself wrote in her 1973 memoir, titled ``Uphill: A Personal

Story'' ``I was determined to help with George's career, not only by taking responsibility for the family, but by contributing ideas. In fact, I never considered it `George's' career, it was ours.''

I urge all Members to support the passage of this legislation that honors the life, works and service of an extraordinary woman and an extraordinary American, Eleanor McGovern.

Madam Speaker, I regret that I was unable to participate In three votes on the floor of the House of Representatives on the afternoon of September 5, 2007. I was absent in order to be present for the return to the United States Senate of my friend and colleague from South Dakota, Senator Tim Johnson, who has been recovering from an incapacitating brain injury.

As noted, I was not present for three votes:

The first vote was H. Res. 629, extending the condolences and sympathy of the House of Representatives to the Government and the people of Greece for the grave loss of life and vast destruction caused by the devastating fires raging through Greece since June 2007. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on that question.

The second vote was H. Res. 508, recognizing the strong security alliance between the Government of Japan and the United States and expressing appreciation to Japan for its role in enhancing stability in the Asia-Pacific region and its efforts in the global war against terrorism. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on that question.

The third vote was H. Res. 544, expressing the sympathy and pledging the support of the House of Representatives and the people of the United States for the victims of the devastating thunderstorms that caused severe flooding in 20 counties in eastern Kansas beginning on June 26, 2007. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on that question.

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

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts, Chairman Frank, for his leadership in advancing the reauthorization of this important act, and the distinguished gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Kildee, for introducing the legislation to do so.

Like many Members of this body, I have the honor of representing a significant Native American population in my district. In fact, South Dakota is home to nine Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Sioux tribes, each of them adding an immeasurable contribution to our State's rich and varied cultural landscape.

Tragically, however, many reservation communities in South Dakota and across the country suffer from extreme poverty. This poverty manifests itself in many challenges, including access to adequate health care, education, and, as we are discussing today, housing.

Indeed, tribal leaders and tribal housing officials from across the State of South Dakota report a consistent and urgent message: there is a desperate need for more and better housing in Indian Country, and we owe it to the elders, children and their families to help do more to fulfill this most basic of needs.

Historically, there has been inadequate funding provided for housing programs and unnecessary obstacles to growth. This has led to situations, such as on the Pine Ridge Reservation, home to the Oglala Sioux tribe in southwest South Dakota, where it is not uncommon to have 25 individuals or more living in one housing unit.

It is worth noting that in my State and many Northern Plains States, temperatures can reach negative 25 degrees Fahrenheit or colder in the winter. Yet there remain barriers to accessing Native American Housing Grant funds which, if removed, would help families in Indian Country to improve their living situations.

So I urge strong support of H.R. 2786, which would reauthorize, clarify and improve the Native American Housing Assistance Self- Determination Act, and help ensure that all Americans, including the first Americans, have fair and equal access to adequate housing, a basic necessity of life.

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

Amendment No. 7 Offered by Mr. Westmoreland

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to share with you and to share with all of our colleagues some truly wonderful news about a good friend and his health, a friend who is a former Member of this body, and the senior Senator from the State of South Dakota. This announcement is news of our friend, Tim Johnson.

Last week, Senator Johnson was welcomed home by his constituents for the first time since suffering a debilitating brain hemorrhage last December. It was a joyous day, full of smiles, laughter and tears. And after 9 months of hard work, determination, and strength of mind and spirit, all qualities that have marked his tenure in public service, tomorrow Tim Johnson will return to the Senate Chamber.

In Senator Johnson's recovery, the prayers of South Dakota families, the prayers of all of us, and indeed the prayers of countless people across the country have been answered. And Tim, his loving wife Barbara, and their beautiful family will continue to move forward as resilient and remarkable as ever.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, let me say at the outset, the gentleman from Arizona said this is a sole-source contract to one entity and we already have an entity in USDA an agency that would make these grants based on competition.

This is not a sole-source contract. Four universities are involved in the consortium, and it's a competitive-based program.

So my colleague from Arizona's attempting to strike from the bill an extremely modest amount of funding for an outstanding program that's provided tremendous benefits to ranch families in one of the most remote and economically challenged corners of the United States.

The economy of this area of the country, western North and South Dakota and eastern Wyoming and Montana, is probably more dependent on animal agriculture than any other region of the country. It's beautiful rangeland and beautiful country, for that matter, but it isn't suitable to grow much other than grass.

We have dozens of small, rural communities in that area that rely almost completely on the ability of ranchers to raise cattle and sheep and bison; and I consider them to be among the best livestock producers in the country, given the climate they have to contend with as well.

This modest program, again funded at $489,000 in this year's bill, is a model of what we should be trying to fund in our appropriations bills. This program stretches a few dollars a very long way. It targets its efforts on addressing specific needs. The results of the program benefit all regions of the country and its collaborative effort among four highly respected universities: South Dakota State University, North Dakota State University, the University of Wyoming and Montana State University.

By distributing grants through a competitive awards process, let me repeat, the program is competitively awarded, the consortium promotes interstate cooperation and collaboration among ranchers, farmers, scientists and educators. Research addresses subject areas that are identified as needs by producers living in the target region, which means results are directly applicable to those producers; and I'm proud of my efforts to secure funding for this program.

Research funded by this consortium is developing new methods to add value to common grain and forage crops through the use of ruminant livestock, again cattle, sheep and bison. The projects enhance economic return and positively impact the regional environment by integrating rangeland, annual crops, and livestock resources.

Like many, if not all, of my colleagues, I carefully vet the projects for which I request funding to ensure that the program requests that I make are effective, important, valuable projects. I'm proud to put my name on this project and on the handful of other projects that I've supported in this bill. I know my State. I make every effort to know the needs of the farmers and ranchers I represent and ensure that we are spending their tax dollars wisely on programs that get results.

This is one of those programs, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it and rejecting this amendment.

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

May I inquire how much time I have remaining?

Mr. Chairman, I will yield the balance of the time to the gentleman from California, but let me just say, he can point to the certification letter, but this is a consortium. There is a lead university, but it's a consortium of four.

With that, I yield the balance of the time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr).

Would the gentleman yield?

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, I too grew up on a farm. I have moved my share of cattle. We still have cattle on that farm, but it's in eastern South Dakota. It's not nearly as remote as the region that we are talking about. There are different types of grasses than the grasses we are talking about.

This is a consortium. I think it's very important we recognize the uniqueness of this particular area of the country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank our distinguished chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1315, the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2007. As the sponsor of H.R. 1315, I want to thank Chairman Filner and Ranking Member Buyer, as well as my good friend subcommittee Ranking Member Boozman, for their strong leadership and unwavering dedication to our veterans and for working hard to craft this bipartisan bill.

I would also like to thank Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas and Congressman Dave Reichert of Washington and Congressman Tim Walz of Minnesota who have contributed substantially to this important legislation.

As more and more of our troops are deployed in missions around the globe, additional steps must be taken to promote and protect the health and welfare of our veterans. Their honorable, courageous and patriotic service demands no less. In light of increasing numbers of disabled veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the already urgent demand to pass legislation to meet the needs of these new veterans is rising.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation would provide specially adaptive housing assistance to disabled servicemembers who have not yet been discharged from active duty and therefore have not reached veteran status. Under current law, a temporary grant is available to disabled veterans who are or will be temporarily residing in a home owned by a family member. Our original intent in the last Congress was to allow servicemembers in transition prior to discharge to also use this benefit. However, the law, as currently written, does not qualify transitioning servicemembers for these housing grants. This legislation seeks to clarify congressional intent and provide assistance up to $14,000 to adapt the family member's home to meet the transitioning servicemember's special needs.

In addition, this legislation would direct the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a scholarship program for students seeking a degree or certificate in blind rehabilitation under the Health Professional Education Assistance program. In exchange for the scholarship award, students will be required to work for 3 years in a health care facility within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This bill would also require the Secretary of the Department of Labor and the Secretary of the Department of Defense to coordinate their sharing of and reporting on the complaint data filed by National Guard and Reservists facing difficulty in obtaining employment. It would require the use of uniform categories in tracking and reporting the data, including the difficulty of obtaining employment experienced by veterans with service-connected disabilities. These provisions will enable Congress to better identify trends in the reemployment challenges faced by our returning Guard and Reserve forces, and the corrective actions needed to ease their transition back into the civilian workforce.

Finally, H.R. 1315 would add a representative from the National Governors Association to the existing 15-member Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment, Training and Employer Outreach located under the auspices of the Department of Labor. This has been a priority for both the chairman and the ranking member of the full committee.

During the last Congress, we passed legislation which became Public Law 109-46 that was intended to add the National Governors Association representative to the Advisory Committee

on Veterans Employment, Training and Employer Outreach. However, a technical error did not increase the total authorized membership to 16, preventing the National Governors Association from being added to the Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment, Training and Employer Outreach.

In summary, this bill will provide our injured servicemembers the resources needed to live with the comfort and independence they deserve, expand education programs to more effectively address the rehabilitative needs of our veterans, bolster reemployment aid for returning veterans, and strengthen the advisory committee membership within the Department of Labor.

I commend the leadership of Chairman Filner and certainly the great bipartisan working relationship that Mr. Boozman and I have enjoyed over the last two Congresses. I urge my colleagues to vote favorably on the final passage of H.R. 1315.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2874, and I'd like to once again thank Chairman Filner for his focused and effective leadership in advancing this important legislation. Ranking Member Buyer and especially subcommittee Chairman Michaud and Ranking Member Miller are also to be commended for their hard work and bipartisanship and for including Services to Prevent Homelessness Act, a bill which I introduced, in the Veterans' Health Care Improvement Act.

This legislation would authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide financial assistance to nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to provide and coordinate the provision of supportive services that address the needs of very low-income veterans occupying permanent housing.

While Federal programs exist to help enhanced veterans homeownership, there is no national housing assistance program targeted to low-income veterans. Permanent housing opportunities for veterans ready for independent living are limited. In addition, the VA currently is not permitted to provide grants for affordable permanent housing, and the resources that are available for providers are inadequate and highly sought after by competing housing programs.

So I thank the chairman once again for supporting this legislation. I thank the committee staff on both sides of the aisle for their excellent work as well on this bill and others considered today, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on the Veterans' Affairs Committee to support efforts to meet the housing assistance needs, among other needs, of our Nation's low-income veterans.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2874.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3184) to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a competitive grant program for the Puget Sound area to provide comprehensive conservation planning to address water quality.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Puget Sound is home to over 4 million people and numerous species of fish, birds and other wildlife. It is the economic and environmental driver of the region and an ecological wonder. Sadly, the health of this national treasure has been steadily in decline. The water quality is suffering with areas of deadly low oxygen and levels of harmful toxics that are now being detected in some aquatic species.

However, there is hope. The State of Washington has been leading the charge in fighting this problem and working to restore the Sound to where it should be. This legislation will provide critical support to those efforts by developing a comprehensive conservation project to help determine the right conservation planning efforts for local agricultural producers.

It will provide the capacity that local conservation districts simply don't have in meeting the unique challenges of the Sound. This project would mirror others that have occurred or are occurring in nationally important watersheds.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington, (Mr. Larsen), an original cosponsor of the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill just adopted.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3006) to improve the use of a grant of a parcel of land to the State of Idaho for use as an agricultural college, and for other purposes.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3006, a bill introduced by Congressman Simpson of Idaho and cosponsored by Congressman Sali, also of Idaho, that addresses an Idaho-specific problem.

The University of Idaho would like to construct a Center for Livestock and Environmental Studies to research environmental issues facing the dairy industry in central Idaho, but current law prevents the university from using proceeds from endowed lands toward funding for the center.

The dairy industry faces a number of significant EPA regulation, animal health and environmental issues, including nutrient management and odor control. Idaho is now the fourth largest milk-producing State, with 477,475 cows and 686 dairies in 2006.

To support the Idaho dairy industry and help address the challenges facing it, the University of Idaho, in collaboration with the College of Southern Idaho, Idaho Dairymen, Kimberley ARS/USDA and others, is seeking to develop the Center for Livestock and Environmental Studies in the Magic Valley area. The total cost of the center is projected to be $25-$35 million. The State of Idaho and the dairy industry have been willing to put forward a large percentage of funding, and the University of Idaho is responsible for the remaining portion.

The university would like to use the proceeds from endowed lands granted to the university by the Morrill Act. In order to do this, the Idaho Admissions Bill must be amended. Currently, lands granted to the University of Idaho through the Morrill Act can be exchanged and managed with the proceeds going only to the operation of buildings, not construction. This bill will lift that restriction within the Idaho Admissions Bill and will leave the Morrill Act untouched, making it Idaho specific.

Governor Otter and the Idaho Legislature have approved a $10 million appropriation for the center, contingent upon the passage of H.R. 3006, and additional funding is being raised by the Idaho dairy community.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days with which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill just adopted.