Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend of mine and a man who was an incredible voice for peace--Yogi Bhajan. H. Con. Res. 34 recognizes Yogi Bhajan, the late chief religious and

administrative authority for Sikhism in the West, as a wise teacher and mentor, an outstanding pioneer, a champion of peace and compassion, and extends condolences to his family and to the Sikh community on his passing.

A native of India, Yogi Bhajan introduced thousands around the world to Sikhism, a religion that carries the message of truthful living and the fundamental unity of humanity, and reaches out to people of all backgrounds to work together for world peace. When he came to the United States in 1968, Yogi Bhajan recognized immediately that the experience sought by many young people through drugs could be alternatively achieved through Kundalini yoga, which stimulates individual growth through breath, chanting, and meditation among other components. Soon after, he founded the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO), a nonprofit private educational and scientific foundation with 300 centers in 35 countries, dedicated to improving physical well-being, deepening spiritual awareness, and offering guidance on matters of health and heart. He later also founded a successful drug rehabilitation program that blends ancient yogic wisdom of the East with modem technology of the West.

In 1971, the president of the governing body of Sikh Temples in India gave Yogi Bhajan the title of chief religious and administrative authority for Sikhism in the Western Hemisphere. That same year, the Sikh Dharma was legally incorporated and recognized as a religion in the U.S. and soon after, Yogi Bhajan founded the Sikh Dharma community in Espanola, New Mexico. This community in my district is home to at least 300 Sikh families.

Yogi Bhajan wrote 30 books and inspired 200 more through his teaching, and inspired the founding of several businesses including Akal Security Inc., one of the fastest-growing security companies in the nation. Throughout his lifetime, he traveled the world and met with world leaders such as Pope John Paul II and the Dalai Lama to discuss world peace and religious unity. He also served as informal counsel to numerous political and spiritual leaders. As the resolution states, Yogi Bhajan's teachings and the businesses formed under his inspiration, improved personal, political, spiritual and professional relations between citizens of the United States and citizens of the nation of India.

After the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil on September 11th, Yogi Bhajan reached out to Sikhs across America, encouraging and helping them to educate their fellow citizens about Sikhs, and to work with law enforcement and community leaders to help them protect Sikh populations. He established links to human rights advocates nationwide to ensure that the issue of Sikh identity was understood and respected. When a Sikh man named Balbir Singh Sodhi was murdered in Arizona five days after 9/11, Yogi Bhajan worked with community and government leaders in Arizona to help raise awareness about the Sikh community there, and to honor Balbir Singh with a major memorial event.

Yogi Bhajan passed away on October 6, 2004 at age 75 in Espanola, New Mexico. I had the privilege of Yogi Bhajan's friendship and support for more than 20 years. He was a dynamic, powerful person with a strong devotion to human rights, religious freedom, and good health. Whatever your faith, Yogi Bhajan had the right words, the right lesson, the right message. He spoke to us all and he inspired us. Around the world he was a powerful voice for peace. I am pleased that he will be honored by Congress today. Before he passed away, Yogi Bhajan requested that his passing be a time of celebration of his going home. It is my hope that through passing this legislation, we are helping to fulfill that wish.

I would like to thank Representatives Joe Wilson, Joe Crowley, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for their strong support of this resolution, as well as Ranking Member Lantos and Chairman Hyde of the House International Relations Committee, who were also early supporters of the bill. I also thank Senators Jeff Bingaman, Pete Domenici, and John Cornyn who are sponsoring the Senate companion. Lastly, I thank members of the Sikh community in my district for their work in carrying on the memory of Yogi Bhajan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 70th anniversary of the creation of Coronado State Monument in my home state of New Mexico. At Coronado State Monument, visitors can learn about the Conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his interaction with the indigenous people of the Rio Grande Valley. This monument was created to commemorate Coronado's entry into New Mexico but stands today as a celebration of both Spanish Colonial and Native American history and culture.

On March 7th, 1935, Commissioner of Public Lands, Frank Vesaly, signed the proclamation authorizing the creation of Coronado State Monument under the 1931 New Mexico Session Laws. Located at the ruins of ancient Kuaua Pueblo, this monument is situated on the banks of the Rio Grande adjacent the majestic Sandia Mountains, where Coronado and his troops are thought to have spent the winter of 1540. Inhabited at the time of Coronado's visit, Kuaua Pueblo was the intersection of two major pre-European trade routes. The immense archaeological value of the pueblo ruins is illustrated by the indigenous murals which are considered the best pre-contact art in North America.

Few places today simultaneously pay homage to the Spanish Colonial and Native American heritage of New Mexico like Coronado State Monument. Visitors learn the history of two diverse groups that intertwined to form the unique blend of culture that exists in New Mexico today. The monument features programs that preserve the cultural and historical treasures of both the Spanish and indigenous way-of-life in New Mexico.

Coronado's legacy in New Mexico prompted the creation of this monument. His travels documented the geography and ethnography of the Southwest and the ``March of Coronado'' is widely considered one of the most important North American expeditions in the sixteenth century. Coronado and the other Spanish conquistadors brought mining and forging technology to the indigenous population of New Mexico along with cattle, sheep and horses. Descendents of these legendary Spanish horses still run wild in the foothills nearby.

Mr. Speaker, Coronado Monument is open to the public throughout the year. A small museum houses both Spanish and indigenous artifacts where visitors can try on conquistador armor, grind corn on a slab, and beat on a drum. The past comes alive on the 15 excavated mural panels that represent pueblo life around the time of Coronado. A self-guided interpretive trail winds through the pueblo ruins to the replica of a ceremonial Native American kiva. An integral part of the heritage tourism industry, Coronado State Monument promotes historic preservation and cultural education through diverse lectures and events where adults and children alike learn about New Mexico, past and present.

Mr. Speaker, water is a precious natural resource that we must manage as efficiently as possible. Benjamin Franklin wrote in Poor Richard's Almanac in 1746, ``When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.'' In parts of the West, the well is quickly running dry.

Drought conditions have affected nearly everyone in arid Western States in one way or another. Farmers are being forced to sell livestock, many cities are in various stages of water conservation, and many acres of land have been charred by fire. I believe we must use every tool available to confront these water problems, and doing so remains one of my top priorities.

We need to come at this from many different angles since water shortages present a multitude of complications. That is why I have crafted several pieces of legislation that focus on rural communities, water technology and augmentation, and insidious plant eradication.

I believe the combined effect of those bills plus continued efforts in desalination and formation of a national water council will greatly improve the situation of dry States like New Mexico.

Last week, a historic and long overdue agreement was announced in New Mexico regarding the silvery minnow. After five and a half years of court proceedings, not to mention millions of dollars in legal costs, the City of Albuquerque and an alliance of six environmental groups announced an agreement that will help ensure the endurance of the Rio Grande. The accord signals that water conservation and ecological goals on the Rio Grande are vital.

As part of the agreement, litigants in Silvery Minnow v. Keys agreed to drop any claim on the San Juan-Chama water for minnow purposes, as well as end their protest to Albuquerque's drinking water project and diversion of San Juan-Chama water from the Rio Grande. At the same, the City of Albuquerque has agreed to significant conservation measures that acknowledge the need for water to sustain the river itself as an ecosystem.

The project has been in legal jeopardy because the Endangered Species Act and the city's agreement with the Federal Government to transfer water from the Colorado River to the Rio Grande basin also recognize an essential need to use that water for ecological purposes.

The agreement gives the city and its residents legal relief, while requiring the city to do

several things to protect the Rio Grande as a living, flowing, natural system.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that the agreement reached encompasses a central component that I advanced through legislation in 2003. I introduced the Middle Rio Grande Emergency Water Supply Stabilization Act in an effort to find a common-sense approach to sustainable water management in New Mexico. I knew then that the ``solutions'' being bandied about were little more than quick-fix answers that would not solve our real water crisis.

My bill dealt with these realities and many other crucial issues. It set up incentives to conserve our water resources and develop collaborative solutions at the local level. It aimed to restore and protect the Rio Grande River and the surrounding Bosque, and encouraged technological solutions for new sources of water and methods to harness such technology to increase water efficiency.

My bill paved the way for the creation of a conservation pool of water to support a living river. This was a very different approach than advanced by others. The Albuquerque City Council and a host of other entities, including conservation groups, farmers, the New Mexico Conference of Churches, and AARP New Mexico endorsed my legislation.

I am pleased that the accord reached by the city and the environmental groups includes my provision. Indeed, for the first time on the Rio Grande space will be allocated in the city's Abiquiu reservoir for water that will be dedicated to environmental purposes, including sustaining endangered species such as the Rio Grande silvery minnow. Under the deal, Albuquerque has committed to provide 30,000 acre-feet of storage space for exclusively environmental purposes.

In addition, the city committed to help fund a $250,000 pilot water leasing program that would pursue agricultural water for environmental purposes, and change its water billing system to allow residents to add $1 per month to their bills to fund environmental water acquisition for the Rio Grande.

While the agreement is welcome, our work is just beginning. The White House's 2006 budget requests $19 million in Bureau of Reclamation funds for the Middle Rio Grande Project. That represents a $10.2 million cut over current spending. At least $4 million would be cut from funds available for activities to maintain compliance with the Endangered Species Act.

In 2003, the Department of the Interior developed a 10-year plan to ensure a manageable balance between endangered species and water use in the Middle Rio Grande. Implementation of that plan, by the department's own estimates, will exceed $230 million. Yet, over the last three years, the Bush administration has only proposed investing $19.4 million.

Making matters worse, the fiscal year 2006 Fish & Wildlife Service budget calls for eliminating $542,000 in funding for the Middle Rio Grande Bosque initiative, labeling it a ``lower priority project.''

Without support from the Bush administration, it will be more and more difficult to maintain the balance that is desperately needed. I will again do everything I can to see that these disastrous reductions are reversed.

Mr. Speaker, to be a conservationist is to be an optimist. While I wanted all of the stakeholders to reach this agreement much sooner, I am glad that consensus has finally been achieved. It represents a significant step toward a fundamental change in how New Mexico and other Western States think about and manage crucial and limited water resources. As we approach similar confrontations in the coming years, I believe that we can use this historic pact as proof that seemingly divergent parties can reach a mutually acceptable and beneficial agreement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and honor Jemez Springs, New Mexico on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The citizens of Jemez Springs celebrated its golden anniversary this past weekend with games, food and a chili cook-off in the Jemez Village Park.

I want to offer my sincere congratulations to Mayor John Garcia and all the residents of Jemez Springs on this historic occasion.

Incorporated in 1955, Jemez Springs' caring citizens, diligent community leaders, superior schools, and growing economy have made for an exceptional and unique civic life for its citizens.

Located in the Jemez River canyon, Jemez Springs is nestled amid the high, volcanically layered mesa walls of the Jemez Mountains. The Village is located along Highway 4, the Jemez Mountain Trail. This scenic route has been designated as a National Scenic Byway, an honor given to only 55 routes in the Nation, historic NM 4, and is the main downtown road. There you can find restaurants, galleries, a natural springs bathhouse and several bed and breakfast inns. Horseback tours, cross country skiing and snowshoeing trips are available.

Native Americans inhabited the area as long ago as the 14th century. These were probably the ancestors of the current residents of nearby Jemez Pueblo. The community of Jemez Springs dates from the 19th century. It was originally known as ``Hot Springs'' and provided services for area ranchers. Today, the community is still best known for its hot springs which are warmed by geothermal activity beneath the Jemez Mountains. The principal industries in the area are tourism and forestry.

New Mexico may have a shortage of open water, but what it lacks in shoreline it makes up in volcanoes--and hot springs. When the Spanish explorers of the 15th and 16 centuries stumbled across New Mexico's natural hot springs, they discovered the healing properties that the Native Americans had known about for centuries. The Jemez Mountains are the remnants of a volcanic peak more than 14,000 feet high and date from 14 million to about 40,000 years ago. The hot springs in Jemez Springs are a product of the relatively recent eruption of the Valles Caldera. Naturally occurring minerals in the hot springs include acid carbonate, aluminum, calcium, chloride, iron, magnesium, potassium, silicate, sodium, and sulfate.

The spectacular crimson-colored formations known as Red Rocks and the narrow and dramatic walls of the Jemez River valley as well as the surrounding public lands have helped preserve the intimate village setting of Jemez Springs. The U.S. Census in 2000 counted just 375 people in Jemez Springs; 218 women and 157 men.

Major attractions include year-round recreational opportunities in the Santa Fe National Forest, the hot springs, Jemez State Monument, and fishing the Jemez River. Fenton Lake, Bandelier National Monument, and the Valles Caldera National Preserve are also unique features in the region. The community also hosts a Fourth of July celebration and a fiesta in August.

There is a saying that you find so much red in the Jemez Valley because it is the living, beating heart of New Mexico. Indeed, Jemez is where the sky, mesas and the water meet. I am proud to represent Jemez Springs where residents and visitors alike can find both peaceful sanctuary and fun recreation.

Mr. Speaker, today I ask you and my esteemed colleagues to please join me in congratulating Jemez Springs on their five decades of success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to memorialize an outstanding jurist, an honorable man, and a leading Hispanic in the field of law by introducing legislation to name the Federal Courthouse in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after Judge Santiago Campos. I am pleased to be joined in introducing this legislation by my colleagues Mr. Serrano, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Menendez, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Gonzales, and Ms. Linda Sanchez.

Judge Santiago Campos was the first Hispanic appointed to the Federal bench in New Mexico, serving from 1978 until his death in 2001, including as chief judge from 1987 through 1989. Judge Campos' career of public service only culminated with his service as a United States District Court Judge, as he also served in the United States Navy as a Seaman First Class from 1944 to 1946, as the Assistant and First Assistant Attorney General of New Mexico from 1954 to 1957, and as a District Court Judge from 1971 to 1978 in the First Judicial District in the State of New Mexico. Judge Campos served with distinction on the bench and displayed both firmness and compassion with those who entered his courtroom. He was a life long resident of New Mexico and graduated first in his law school class at the University of New Mexico.

Judge Campos was very active in his courtroom, often exercising his right to question witnesses in the middle of cross-examinations. Many agree that he became more involved in a case than other judges, but still let a lawyer try his own case. One of his most memorable cases ordered the Gannett Co. to return The New Mexican, Santa Fe's daily newspaper, to its former owner, Robert McKinney due to a breach of contract.

During his career, Campos was an honorary member of the Order of the Coif. He also received the Distinguished Achievement Award of the State Bar of New Mexico in 1993, and in the same year the University of New Mexico honored him with a Distinguished Achievement Award.

Sadly, Judge Campos passed away on January 20th, 2001. Following his passing, the New Mexico State Legislature passed a joint memorial requesting Congress to name the Federal Courthouse in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after Judge Campos who had his chambers in the courthouse for over 22 years. In addition, the judges of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals who reside in New Mexico and the district judges of the District of New Mexico unanimously requested and support Congressional action to name the Federal Courthouse after Judge Campos. I am pleased to take up this effort.

During the 107th Congress I introduced this legislation and was able to work to get it passed by the House. Unfortunately the Senate did not act on this legislation. During the 108th Congress we were unable to move this bill, but I am hopeful that this year will be the year to get this legislation signed into law to honor this great man with a small token of appreciation for the remarkable life that he lived.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation to establish the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area in the State of New Mexico. In the 107th session of Congress, an identical version of this bill was placed on the suspension calendar by the Chairman of the Resources committee and passed the full House by voice vote. New Mexico's two senators have introduced a companion bill in the Senate this Congress. I ask today that this bill receive swift passage through the House so New Mexicans call take additional steps to preserve and learn from our rich history.

The establishment of the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area is a citizen-driven effort to protect the remaining significant resources representative of the Spanish and Pueblo colonial era in north-central New Mexico. The bill identifies the northern New Mexico counties of Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Taos as a National Heritage Area-- an elite designation from Congress reserved for areas regarded as a significant resource.

Northern New Mexico boasts many sites of historic and cultural significance. Our state is a blend of pueblo and Hispanic cultures, making it a very unique and special place in our country. This legislation would identify many of the sites that tell northern New Mexico's story, help preserve them and, in the process, allow them to be more thoroughly enjoyed by New Mexicans and visitors to our state. Preservation would directly lead to economic development of this area through enhanced tourism.

The legislation creates a non-profit corporation governed by a 15- to 25-member board of trustees charged with developing a management plan for the heritage area. The board will be comprised of representatives from the state, affected counties, tribes, cities and others. The corporation's plan would include recommendations for identifying, conserving and preserving cultural, historical and natural resources within the heritage area, along with strategies to promote tourism of the region's natural and cultural assets.

The city of Espanola, the city of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, Rio Arriba County, Taos County, La Jicarita Enterprise Community, the Chimayo Cultural Preservation Association, and the Eight Northern Pueblos support the Northern Rio Grande Heritage Area. I urge my

colleagues to join with me and with these communities and organizations in support of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation on behalf of myself and cosponsors Heather Wilson and Stevan Pearce that will help clarify issues of criminal jurisdiction within the exterior boundaries of Pueblo lands by amending the Indian Pueblo Lands Act of 1924.

This legislation addresses confusion over criminal jurisdiction on Pueblo lands in New Mexico arising out of the holding in United States v. Jose Gutierrez, an unreported decision of a federal district court judge in the District of New Mexico that overturned prior precedent regarding the jurisdictional status of the lands within the exterior boundaries of Pueblo grants.

The Gutierrez decision created uncertainty and the potential for a void in criminal jurisdiction on Pueblo lands. Because of the risk to

public safety and law enforcement arising out of this uncertainty, it is important to clarify the scope of criminal jurisdiction on Pueblo lands. This amendment to the Pueblo Lands Act makes clear that the Pueblos have jurisdiction, as an act of the Pueblos' inherent power as an Indian tribe, over any offense by a member of the Pueblo or of another federally recognized Indian tribe, or by any other Indian-owned entity committed anywhere within the exterior boundaries of any grant to a Pueblo from a prior sovereign, as confirmed by Congress or the Court of Private Land Claims. The legislation also makes clear that the United States has jurisdiction over any offense within these grants described in chapter 53 of title 18, United States Code, committed by or against a member of any federally recognized Indian tribe or any Indian-owned entity, or that involves any Indian property or interest. Finally, the legislation makes clear that the State of New Mexico shall have jurisdiction over any offense within these grants committed by a person who is not a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe, which offense is not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

Nothing in this legislative clarification is intended to diminish the scope of Pueblo civil jurisdiction within the exterior boundaries of Pueblo grants, which is defined by Federal and Tribal laws and court decisions. This legislation also does not in any way diminish the exterior boundaries of these grants.

The All Indian Pueblo Council of the nineteen Pueblo Governors has agreed to the language included in this legislation. The Governors recognize the urgency of this matter and have come to Congress asking that we do everything in our power to avoid the unfathomable situation of creating places in New Mexico where someone could literally get away with murder. We here in Congress must also recognize the urgency of this situation and take action to address it.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and the New Mexico delegation to pass this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Ojito Wilderness Act. This bill designates the Ojito Wilderness Study Area, an area totaling approximately 11,000 acres, as a permanent wilderness area to be protected pursuant to the 1964 Wilderness Act. The bill also provides for the purchase and transfer of adjacent Bureau of Land Management, BLM, lands, contiguous to the established boundaries of the Pueblo of Zia, by the Pueblo. This land, an area totaling approximately 13,000, will then be taken into trust and held for the benefit for the Pueblo by the Secretary of the Interior, and would subsequently be managed by the Pueblo in perpetuity as wilderness.

This bipartisan, bicameral legislation is the result of true collaboration among many people in New Mexico. Very similar versions of this bill were introduced, deliberated on, and passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate during the 108th Congress. This is truly a compromise bill, and I look forward to its swift passage in the House. I am proud to say that in New Mexico most of the people I meet recognize how vitally important it is to protect natural areas, to encourage the sustainable use of our State's natural resources, and to honor the role of land in the lives of Native Americans. As this Ojito legislation demonstrates, with creativity and cooperation we can find mutually compatible solutions for all of these necessities.

This proposal has been under consideration for many years. In 1991, Manuel Lujan, the Secretary of the Interior in the former President Bush's cabinet, recommended the Ojito area to Congress for wilderness designation. The BLM has evaluated this area and found it qualifies for full wilderness status and protection.

The legislation has the explicit support of the Governor of New Mexico, the counties of Sandoval and Bernalillo, individual members of State government including our State Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons, the Pueblo of Zia and its members, the adjacent private land owners and individuals who graze their cattle on the land, numerous environmental groups, mineral extraction companies in the region, and business owners and private citizens living and working nearby.

The Ojito Wilderness Study Area is characterized by pristine and dramatic landforms and rock structures, and by several rare plant populations that are indigenous to the area. This area is also recognized for its high density of cultural and archeological sites, including sites that have religious significance to Pueblo Indians.

In particular, this legislation is important to the Pueblo of Zia. The Pueblo's reservation lands currently lie in two noncontiguous sections. Zia has made a concerted effort over many years to adjoin its reservation lands. This legislation will help make this long-standing goal a reality. The Pueblo has consistently and openly worked in cooperation with other interested parties to reach a mutually satisfactory arrangement for the protection of these important lands as undeveloped open space with continued public access. And, in an additional gesture of good faith, the Pueblo has waived its sovereign immunity from suit for matters arising under the provisions of this bill.

Considering the above, I believe this bill does the right thing by ensuring the preservation, protection, and public accessibility of this special area of New Mexico for future generations of Americans. Allow me to express a special thanks to my cosponsor in the House, Representative Heather Wilson, and to the members of the New Mexico delegation in the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Native American Veterans Cemetery Act of 2005. I first introduced this bill in the 108th Congress, and I am optimistic about its prospects during the 109th Congress.

The Native American Veterans Cemetery Act makes all Native American tribes eligible to apply for state cemetery grants. Under current law, only states are eligible for these grants. The bill would not give preference or special exceptions to Native American tribes that apply for the state cemetery grants. It would simply put tribes on equal footing with state governments--consistent with tribal sovereignty--by allowing them to apply for grants to establish, expand or improve tribal veterans cemeteries. Moreover, if a Native American tribe were awarded a state cemetery grant, the cemetery would be open to all veterans.

Historically, Native Americans have the highest record of service per capita of any ethnic group. New Mexico is home to almost 9,800 Native American Veterans, making it one of the top five states in the country with regard to its Native American veteran population. I believe it is time that Native American veterans who have served our country so honorably are allowed to pursue a decent, dignified resting place on their tribal lands.

Last year, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi stated in writing that he strongly supported this bill's enactment, and because it does not extend any special exceptions or benefits to Native American tribes that apply for state cemetery grants, this bill is budget neutral. The bill is also supported by the Navajo Nation, the largest federally recognized tribe, as well as National American Indian Veterans, Inc (NAIV). In addition to a resolution adopted by the Navajo Nation Council, the New Mexico and Arizona state legislatures have both passed memorials urging Congress to adopt this measure. I have included with this statement support letters from the VA, Navajo Nation, and

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise today to introduce companion legislation to a bill being introduced by Senator Bingaman of New Mexico in the Senate. The Senator and I also introduced this legislation during the 108th Congress and I am hopeful that we will make further progress on this issue during this session.

I am also very pleased to be joined once again by my colleagues Mr. Jerry Moran of Kansas, Mr. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, Mr. Mac Thornberry, Mr. Silvestre Reyes and Mr. Randy Neugebauer of Texas, and Mr. Steve Pearce, one of my colleagues in the New Mexico delegation, in introducing this legislation. Each of these Members were cosponsors last Congress and are demonstrating their commitment to achieving this corridor designation by joining me again.

This bill seeks to designate U.S. Highway 54 as a high priority corridor on the National Highway System. The corridor would be known as the Southwest Passage Initiative for Regional and Interstate Transportation Corridor, or the SPIRIT Corridor. U.S. 54 runs from the border with Mexico at El Paso, Texas, through New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma, to Wichita, Kansas. This legislation will help improve transportation infrastructure and stimulate economic development in the communities and states through which U.S. Highway 54 passes.

Mr. Speaker, those who live in the eastern United States know that communities are more compact and the commutes much shorter. For the intermountain west, on the other hand, it is not unheard of for people to have to commute 80 miles to work and 80 miles back home. That is just one of the reasons designating U.S. 54 as a high priority corridor is so important to improving the transportation infrastructure and promoting economic development. Safe and efficient highways are critical to all types of traffic, whether it be tourists visiting or goods being shipped from point to point. Designating U.S. 54 as a High Priority Corridor will make it eligible for additional federal grants and transportation funds, which will, in turn, help upgrade the highway and improve its safety and efficiency.

I was pleased that the SPIRIT Corridor designation was included in H.R. 3550 during the 108th Congress, and will again seek inclusion of the designation in any transportation reauthorization legislation we consider this session. I urge my colleagues in the House to support the addition of the SPIRIT Corridor to the list of high priority corridors in our National Highway System.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution honoring the life and numerous contributions of Yogi Bhajan, the chief religious and administrative authority for Sikhism in the West. Yogi Bhajan passed away in Espanola, New Mexico on October 6, 2004 at age 75.

A native of India, Yogi Bhajan introduced thousands around the world to Sikhism, a religion that carries the message of truthful living and the fundamental unity of humanity, and reaches out to people of all backgrounds to work together for world peace. When he came to the United States in 1968, Yogi Bhajan recognized immediately that the experience sought by many young people through drugs could be alternatively achieved through

Kundalini yoga, which stimulates individual growth through breath, chanting, and meditation among other components. Soon after, he founded the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO), a nonprofit private educational and scientific foundation with 300 centers in 35 countries, dedicated to improving physical well-being, deepening spiritual awareness, and offering guidance on matters of health and heart. He later also founded a successful drug rehabilitation program that blends ancient yogic wisdom of the East with modern technology of the West.

In 1971, the president of the governing body of Sikh Temples in India gave Yogi Bhajan the title of chief religious and administrative authority for Sikhism in the Western Hemisphere. That same year, the Sikh Dharma was legally incorporated and recognized as a religion in the U.S., and soon after Yogi Bhajan founded the Sikh ashram that still thrives in Espanola, New Mexico in my district. Yogi Bhajan wrote 30 books and inspired 200 more through his teaching, and inspired the founding of several businesses including Akal Security Inc., one of the fastest growing security companies in the nation. Throughout his lifetime, he traveled the world and met with world leaders such as Pope John Paul II and the Dalai Lama to discuss world peace and religious unity. He also served as informal counsel to numerous political and spiritual leaders. As the resolution states, Yogi Bhajan's teachings and the businesses formed under his inspiration, improved personal, political, spiritual and professional relations between citizens of the United States and citizens of the nation of India.

After the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil on September 11th, Yogi Bhajan reached out to Sikhs across America, encouraging and helping them to educate their fellow citizens about Sikhs, and to work with law enforcement and community leaders to help them protect Sikh populations. He established links to human rights advocates nationwide to ensure that the issue of Sikh identity was understood and respected. When a Sikh man named Balbir Singh Sodhi was murdered in Arizona five days after 9/11, Yogi Bhajan worked with community and government leaders in Arizona to help raise awareness about the Sikh community there, and to honor Balbir Singh with a major memorial event.

I had the privilege of Yogi Bhajan's friendship and support for more than 20 years. He was a dynamic, powerful person with a strong devotion to human rights, religious freedom, and good health. Whatever one's faith, he had the right words, the right lesson, and the right message. He spoke to us all, and he inspired us. Around the world he was a powerful voice for peace. I am also proud that my State of New Mexico made history by designating October 23rd as ``Yogi Bhajan Memorial Day.''

The resolution I am introducing today recognizes Yogi Bhajan as a wise teacher and mentor, an outstanding pioneer, a champion of peace and compassionate human being, and extends condolences on his passing. I introduced this bill at the end of the 108th Congress, soon after Yogi Bhajan's passing, and I hope my colleagues and I can work together to pass the resolution during the 109th. I would like to thank members of the House India Caucus, who helped build support for this resolution, as well as Senators Jeff Bingaman, Pete Domenici, and John Cornyn, who will introduce the Senate companion. I also thank House International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde and Ranking Member Tom Lantos for their strong support, as well as the bipartisan group of original cosponsors who join me in urging my colleagues to support this important resolution.

I rise today in support of the measure before us today, H. Con. Res. 528. This will come as no surprise to anyone since I am fairly certain that this resolution has unanimous support from my colleagues, and rightly so. H. Con. Res. 528 corrects a provision included in H.R. 4818 that permits members of the Appropriations Committee and their staff to examine individuals' Federal tax returns. This is clearly a gross invasion of privacy, and I am thankful that this provision was brought to light before it was signed into law.

However, Mr. Speaker, the fact that we are considering H. Con. Res. 528 at all highlights the need for a change in the way this institution operates under the current Majority's leadership. Far too frequently in recent years, the Majority has brought significant pieces of legislation to the floor with little, if any, chance for Members to review the measures. We considered the Omnibus Appropriations bill here in the House the same day it was completed, which is a perfect example of this egregious process. H.R. 4818 included funding for 15 governmental agencies in the amount of approximately $388 billion dollars, and stacked up at over 3,000 pages long. Yet Members and staff had less than 24 hours to go through the measure before voting on it.

Mr. Speaker, each and every time the Majority subverts the democratic process and brings legislation to the floor in this fashion, we are doing a disservice to the people of this country. It must stop and it must stop now. I am hopeful that we will return to ``regular order'' in the 109th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, the Conference Report we have before us today is of great importance to the safety of our Nation and I would like to commend my colleagues involved with the negotiations of this conference report for their diligent and tireless work.

Unfortunately, once again, the amount of time allotted for debate, as well as the amount of time we had to try and determine what actually is in the conference report does not do justice to the important task at hand. We may sound like broken records on this point, but that's simply because the majority continues to undermine the democratic process by putting critically important pieces of legislation on the bullet-train for passage.

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about no less than the most dramatic restructuring of our Nation's intelligence community since the creation of the National Security Council and Central Intelligence Agency in 1947. As such, each and every member of this body should have adequate time to sift through this lengthy and important legislation in order to have a full understanding of what exactly we are voting on tonight.

Nevertheless, as best as I have been able to determine from looking through the conference report thus far, it is a great improvement on the politically driven, partisan legislation the House passed in October. The 9/11 Commissioners who made these important recommendations support the conference report, as do families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Although I plan to vote in support of this conference report, I will be doing so with great concern over several provisions.

I have concerns that important civil liberty protection provisions have been watered down. I am pleased that there is language in the conference report to establish a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, but am concerned that it was not given enough independence from the White House. The 9/11 Commission recommended the Board be given subpoena power. This bill gives no such power. I will introduce legislation in the 109th Congress to give the board this subpoena power it deserves to do its job. Also, Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that the sunset of specific provisions of the PATRIOT Act pertaining to financial institutions has been eliminated.

Despite these concerns, I believe this legislation is too important to the safety of our country and will therefore be voting in support of it. I do hope, however, as I recently stated during debate of a different bill, that the majority will stop bringing legislation and conference reports to the floor in the manner that this was brought before us today. It is a subversion of the democratic process and it must stop.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution honoring the life and numerous contributions of Yogi Bhajan, the chief religious and administrative authority for Sikhism in the West. Yogi Bhajan passed away in Espanola, New Mexico on October 6th.

A native of India, Yogi Bhajan introduced thousands around the world to Sikhism, a religion that carries the message of truthful living and the fundamental unity of humanity, and reaches out to people of all backgrounds to work together for world peace. When he came to the United States in 1968, Yogi Bhajan recognized immediately that the experience sought by many young people through drugs could be alternatively achieved through Kundalini yoga, which stimulates individual growth through breath, chanting, and meditation among other components. Soon after, he founded the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3110), a nonprofit private educational and scientific foundation with 300 centers in 35 countries, dedicated to improving physical well-being, deepening spiritual awareness, and offering guidance on matters of health and heart. He later also founded a successful drug rehabilitation program that blends ancient yogic wisdom of the East with modern technology of the West.

In 1971, the president of the governing body of Sikh Temples in India gave Yogi Bhajan the title of chief religious and administrative authority for Sikhism in the Western Hemisphere. That same year, the Sikh Dharma was legally incorporated and recognized as a religion in the U.S., and soon after Yogi Bhajan founded the Sikh ashram that still thrives in Espanola, New Mexico in my district. Yogi Bhajan wrote 30 books and inspired 200 more through his teaching, and inspired the founding of several businesses including Akal Security Inc., one of the fastestgrowing security companies in the nation. Throughout his lifetime, he traveled the world and met with world leaders such as Pope John Paul II and the Dalai Lama to discuss world peace and religious unity. He also served as informal counsel to numerous political and spiritual leaders. As the resolution states, Yogi Bhajan's teachings and the businesses formed under his inspiration, improved personal, political, spiritual and professional relations between citizens of the United States and citizens of the nation of India.

After the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil on September 11th, Yogi Bhajan reached out to Sikhs across America, encouraging and helping them to educate their fellow citizens about Sikhs, and to work with law enforcement and community leaders to help them protect Sikh populations. He established links to human

rights advocates nationwide to ensure that the issue of Sikh identity was understood and respected. When a Sikh man named Balbir Singh Sodhi was murdered in Arizona five days after 9/11, Yogi Bhajan worked with community and government leaders in Arizona to help raise awareness about the Sikh community there, and to honor Balbir Singh with a major memorial event.

I had the privilege of Yogi Bhajan's friendship and support for more than 20 years. He was a dynamic, powerful person with a strong devotion to human rights, religious freedom, and good health. Whatever one's faith, he had the right words, the right lesson, and the right message. He spoke to us all, and he inspired us. Around the world he was a powerful voice for peace.

The resolution I am introducing today recognizes Yogi Bhajan as a wise teacher and mentor, an outstanding pioneer, a champion of peace and compassionate human being, and extends condolences on his passing. I would like to thank Representatives Joe Wilson and Joe Crowley, the Co-Chairs of the House India Caucus who have helped build support for this resolution, as well as Senators Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici, who will introduce the Senate companion. I also thank the bipartisan groups of original cosponsors who join me in urging my colleagues to support this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, the importance of nutrition in attaining and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is well known. Today, as countless reports and articles call attention to the obesity epidemic in our country, it is more important than ever that we focus on preventive health measures including good nutrition habits. Nutrition plays a significant role in the onset and progression of six of the ten leading causes of death. Nutrition intervention also decreases morbidity, mortality, human suffering, and medical costs.

That is why in 1990 Congress mandated that our Nation's medical schools integrate nutrition education into their curricula. Today, however--14 years later--many physicians and medical students are still requesting more training and education in nutrition. I believe now is the time to take action to provide additional resources for medical schools throughout the country to address the known desire and demonstrated need for increased training and education in nutrition.

To that end, I rise today to introduce the Enhancing Nutrition in Medical Education Act of 2004. This legislation authorizes a grant program for which all U.S. allopathic medical schools would be eligible to apply, to assist them in developing, implementing, and integrating innovative nutrition components into their existing medical education curriculum. To name a few of the requirements, the grants will focus on preventive health measures such as education on the causes, treatment, and prevention of obesity; prevention and treatment of common nutritional deficiencies; and office education and counseling to ensure appropriate diet for mostly healthy people. The grants awarded will be in the amount of $50,000 for any fiscal year, or a total of $100,000 for the 2-year duration of the grant.

Also, schools awarded grants will be required to submit a report to the Secretary of HHS describing the nutrition curricula they developed, along with results achieved through its implementation. The Secretary will in turn be responsible for disseminating a report to all medical schools nationwide comprised of nutrition curriculum descriptions developed by the grantees. The reporting requirement will ensure that medical schools who either chose not to apply for the grants or who were not awarded grants still receive information and models on nutrition curricula they can incorporate into their own.

In 2003 a survey was conducted of all accredited medical and osteopathic colleges in the U.S. to determine the present state of nutrition training in medical school curricula. This study showed positive trends, but with much room to grow. The study found that a nutrition course was required in forty percent of the medical and osteopathic programs, an elective course in 13 percent, and 24 percent of the schools integrated the subject in other courses. Approximately 23 percent lacked nutrition of any type. Schools that required nutrition showed a mean number of 2.5 credit hours, and it was rare for medical programs to require more than one nutrition course or for the course to exceed three credit hours.

Mr. Speaker, a similar survey conducted in 1997-1998 showed that 26 percent of medical school programs required nutrition courses. The slight increase in programs requiring nutrition courses is certainly a positive trend, but considering the alarming rates of obesity, diabetes, and other negative health affects associated with poor nutrition, we must do more.

The Enhancing Nutrition in Medical Education Act provides no new mandates to medical schools, but simply allows them the opportunity to access additional funds to enhance and increase nutrition education in their curriculum. I would like to thank the people at the American Dietetic Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges, as well as the many others who have helped me in developing this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.