Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Forest Restoration and Fire Risk Reduction Act, a bill based upon the collaboration with my colleague and cousin, Representative Mark Udall of Colorado.

In the 134 million-acre interior West, scientific assessments indicate that in pre-industrial times, 50 to 80 million acres burned per year. In the 1900's, however, fire suppression became federal policy. A century of fire suppression, excessive logging and overgrazing of livestock has led, in many areas, to overstocked forests of second-growth trees. These forests are extremely susceptible to the damaging effects of high-intensity fire.

In terms of resource damage, catastrophic wildfire affects our forest's ecosystems by destroying critical habitat, eroding soil, changing air temperature, moisture content and productivity, while at the same time, facilitating the spread of invasive weeds and non-native plants, and generating air pollution. This matter is complicated further by rising fiscal costs that force the increased population and development of ``wildland/urban'' interface areas. In recent years, the Forest Service generally has expended $500-600 million annually in fire preparedness, suppression, and rehabilitation. Within the past last three years, however, over a billion dollars have been spent.

Inseparably related to current forest management practices is the issue of pervasive drought. As we all know, our nation has been suffering from severe drought conditions for several years now, and so far this year proves to be no different. Rain and snowfall in New Mexico and many of our western states is to date far below averages. As a result of the continuing drought in the west, we have also experienced some of the worst wildfire seasons in modern history. The relatively recent Cerro Grande fire in New Mexico, the Hayman fire in Colorado, and the Rodeo-Chediski fires in Arizona illustrate the severity of the situation. These fires were catastrophic in proportion and inflicted grave environmental, social, and economic impacts on the affected local communities. Consequently, these, and other areas affected by the devastating affects of raging wildfires, face years of restorative efforts and depend upon the development and implementation of a viable fire hazard mitigation program on National Forest System lands to avert such disasters in the future.

In response to these concerns and those I heard from constituents, I have worked closely with Representative Mark Udall to devise a bill that takes these issues to task. Our ``Forest Restoration and Fire Risk Reduction Act'' refocuses the implementation of the National Fire Plan (NFP) to areas designated as ``wildland/urban interface,'' the critical zones that are of the highest risk to people, property and water supplies, by redirecting NFP funding and hazardous fuels reduction projects through state selection panels.

A general consensus exists today that thinning our forests--by controlled bums or mechanical means--will lessen the likelihood of unusually severe fires. However, the Bush Administration contends that to facilitate such thinning projects, the environmental laws and procedures for public comment and participation are obstacles that must be removed. I believe that this contention is incomprehensible and conceptually flawed.

The exemption of fire-risk reduction projects from environmental review, public comments and administrative appeals, circumvents established policy of public participation, an important aspect of our democratic process for making decisions affecting public lands. Furthermore, excluding public comment would not assist in developing sound forest management. The bill we are introducing today maintains these sound principles of law and public policy, and makes some relatively innocuous procedural concessions that can expedite the process of resolving appeals.

I anticipate that collaboration between state and federal land managers, and local and tribal communities in both decision and implementation activities may contribute to the development of cost- effective restoration activities, empower diverse organizations to implement activities that value local and traditional knowledge, build ownership and civic pride, and ensure healthy, diverse, and productive forests and watersheds. Such collaboration would result in the efficient restoration of areas distressed by wildfires and help protect our homeowners and businesses from future losses.

I believe, as all of us from the western United States would likely agree, that it is much better to support proactive preventative maintenance programs to reduce fire risks than it is to wait to do something once a fire occurs. We need legislation that will reduce the potential for catastrophic fires and protect our communities, and aid in the restoration of lands that may meet the same unfortunate fate as did those in the Cerro Grande blaze. The ``Forest Restoration and Fire Risk Reduction Act'' will accomplish these common goals.

Mr. Chairman, I believe that human cloning is dangerous, unethical and needs to be prohibited. The recent reports surrounding Clonaid's supposed first successful human baby cloning, though thus far unverified, provides further impetus for the need to enact a prohibition of this practice. As such, I strongly support banning the practice of reproductive cloning, which is the replication of an individual's genetic material in a new individual.

However, as strong as my opposition is to the process of reproductive cloning, my support for continued stem cell research to develop cures for debilitating diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and others, is equally strong. The process of therapeutic cloning, also known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, is the transplantation of a patient's own DNA into an unfertilized egg in order to grow stem cells. Therapeutic cloning does not in any way lead to the creation of viable human life. However, it does allow for continued research in the area of stem cells.

Unfortunately as a result of overly broad cloning prohibition language in H.R. 534, the scientific process of therapeutic cloning is also prohibited along with reproductive cloning. Also, as my colleague Mr. Conyers has recently pointed out, H.R. 534 also bans the importation of lifesaving medicines from other countries if their production is in anyway derived from nuclear transfer. Because of these considerations, I will be voting against H.R. 534.

I do, however, strongly support the substitute measure being offered by Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Deutsch, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Eshoo, and Mr. Kirk. This measure also bans the process of reproductive cloning, but allows continued stem cell research, which has shown great promise towards finding cures for many illnesses such as Parkinson's disease, juvenile diabetes, Alzheimer's, spinal cord injuries, blindness and sickle cell anemia.

Forty Nobel Laureates, millions of patients, former first-lady Nancy Reagan who's husband, as we all know, suffers from Alzheimer's disease, and others, have expressed support for therapeutic cloning. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of the Greenwood substitute and in support of banning the unethical process of human cloning, but at the same time allowing further research into a promising field that could benefit millions of men, women, and children who suffer from devastating diseases.

Mr. Chairman, today we are considering critically important legislation to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, block grant program for another five years. This is an incredibly important task made even more so in light of the difficult economic circumstances our country is currently facing. In light of the fact that there are over 8 million Americans out of work. And in light of the fact that nearly all of the states are facing serious fiscal crises.

Unfortunately, I believe that H.R. 4 fails to take into consideration the particularly difficult times facing some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society and those becoming increasingly more vulnerable in these times of economic uncertainty. Now is not the time to impose more restrictions and costs on states and TANF recipients, yet that is precisely what H.R. 4 does. And it does so without providing any additional funding, which does not fit my definition of compassionate conservativism.

Seven years ago, when TANF was created to replace the AFDC program, the bill was funded at $16.5 billion per year. Today we are considering a bill that not only provides only the exact same amount of money as the 1996 welfare reform bill, disregarding inflation, but also increases TANF recipients' required work hours from 30 hours to 40 hours a week. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this provision alone will cost the states $8 to $11 billion over the next five years, and will cost my home state of New Mexico an estimated $100 million to implement the work participation requirements. These additional mandates that lack the funds to accompany them will exacerbate already dire fiscal crises in the states. The combined 2002- 2005 state budget gap is projected to be $189 billion. Add the additional costs associated to implement the work requirements and the states are staring a combined budget gap of $200 billion right in the face.

In addition, H.R. 4 also fails to help working mothers with the increasing cost of childcare. Though the bill does include $1 billion in new mandatory child care funding--the only new funding in this legislation--this amount is not nearly enough to help cover the additional child care funds that states would need to implement the child care provisions in H.R. 4. New Mexico alone would require an additional $50 million over 5 years to implement the childcare provisions of this legislation.

I do strongly support, however, the substitute legislation being offered by Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Kind, and Ms. Woolsey. Not only does this legislation strengthen current work requirements and provide states with the flexibility and freedom to innovate, but also provides sufficient funding necessary to help states with additional requirements.

The substitute being offered today increases work participation rates from its current level of 50 percent by 5 percent a year to reach 70 percent by 2007. It increases the number of work-focus activity hours from 20 to 24 hours, and provides states the option of increasing the number of required hours of work from 30 hours to 40 hours a week if they so desire. However, unlike H.R. 4, the substitute provides the states with the resources necessary to meet these changes. The Cardin- Kind-Woolsey substitutes provides inflationary increases for the TANF block grant, which equals an additional $6 billion over five years, as well as an additional $11 billion for mandatory childcare funding over five years to meet the requirements.

Mr. Chairman, as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, and which is engraved on a wall at the FDR memorial not 15 minutes walking distance from here, ``The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.'' Today, as we consider this legislation to provide a safety net for our great country's poorest and most vulnerable population, as the income disparity between the rich and poor continues to grow, this quote from a great man and great leader should resonate loudly throughout the chambers of the capitol and throughout the land. We need to help provide opportunities for people to get out of poverty and off of TANF. H.R. 4 does not do this, but instead imposes unfunded mandates on states. H.R. 4 focuses on caseload reductions, not poverty reduction, which should be the true standard by which a successful welfare program should be measured.

I urge my colleagues to vote against H.R. 4 and support the Cardin- Kind-Woolsey substitute.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased that the House is taking action today on H.R. 395, the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act, to help establish a national do-not-call registry. I strongly support this important legislation that will greatly benefit consumers by providing them with a simpler, more effective and efficient way to notify telemarketers that they do not want to receive unsolicited phone calls.

According to the FTC, consumer complaints regarding unwanted telemarketing calls increased over one thousand percent between 1998 and 2002. Although telemarketers are currently already required to maintain do-not-call lists, the FTC's decision to create a national do- not-call registry is a critical step towards further decreasing the hundreds of annoying and unwanted telemarketing calls that consumers receive each year. The do-not-call registry would allow consumers to list their phone numbers to notify all telemarketers that they no longer want to receive unsolicited calls, rather than having to contact each telemarketer individually.

Among other provisions, H.R. 395 provides a five-year authorization for the FTC to collect offsetting fees from telemarketers to pay for a National ``do-not-call'' registry, which is estimated to cost $16 million annually. It also requires important consultation and coordination between the FTC and FCC to maximize consistency of its rules. both of these provisions, and passage of this bill, are important steps toward making a national do-not-call registry a reality.

I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the most successful small business enterprises in the state of New Mexico. February marks a quarter century of quality pizza, salads and sub sandwiches from one of New Mexico's beloved dining establishments, Dion's Pizza. This achievement marks another important chapter in a story of two childhood friends, since the ninth grade, who have formed a lasting friendship and partnership.

The owners of Dion's, Jon Patten and Bill Scott, came to Albuquerque from Michigan in 1978 with dreams of opening a restaurant. After purchasing New York Pizza, a small local restaurant in financial trouble located in the Northeast Heights, Jon and Bill proceeded with plans of turning the pizzeria into a Greek restaurant to be called Dionysus. However, the struggling entrepreneurs found that the cost of ordering a sign with all those letters was too costly, but the name ``Dion's'' fit the bill just fine. While waiting for equipment necessary for the preparation of Greek food, the previous owner taught them how to make pizza so they could continue to operate in the interim. After a few weeks, Jon and Bill started serving Greek food along with the pizza. Surprisingly, however, customers continued to order pizza, encouraging Jon and Bill to develop and refine a quality pizza recipe, eventually resulting in today's secret recipe that has made Dion's one of New Mexico's best-loved eating establishments.

The success of Dion's is easily documented. It grew from one employee in 1978, to 12 employees in 1979, to over 600 employees today. There are currently 10 Dion's in New Mexico. The company has plans to open a location in Las Cruces later this year and Santa Fe in 2005. The owners tease that their goal is world pizza domination by the year 3000. Cleary, they are on their way.

Dion's attributes its success to a set of principles that has helped the chain expand and at the same time maintain a loyal base of satisfied customers. Among those principles are always using the freshest ingredients; never changing ingredients simply to get the cheapest price; only serving food that is presentable and quality; hiring the best people; and giving the customer exceptional quality, service and cleanliness.

The company's set of beliefs appears to be working. Dion's has received several awards over the years. The first recognition came in November, 1979, only 19 months after opening the first location. The Albuquerque Tribune named Dion's ``the second best pizza in town.'' According to the owners, that was the last second place finish. Since then, Dion's has accumulated a number of first place awards. I know that Jon and Bill are the most proud of the praise they receive from regular citizens.

One of the most admirable aspects of Dion's business philosophy is its dedication to being a family-oriented establishment. None of the locations serve alcohol, and smoking is not allowed. Viewing stands have been constructed in each restaurant to enable children to watch pizzas being made. Additionally, Dion's offers tours to children and other youth groups; approximately 12,000 children tour Dion's restaurants each year. The company is also involved in a host of charitable events in which its contributions make a powerful impact on the surrounding community.

I had the opportunity to tour a Dion's in 2000. I was impressed with the quality of employees, many of them high school students starting their first careers, and the ambience that encompasses each Dion's. This company has many employees that have stayed on for years, if not decades, out of loyalty. In an industry that has a high turnover rate, Dion's is obviously doing something right. The company has always paid above minimum wage, and raises are frequent for doing a job well done.

As Dion's continues to grow and expand, there will undoubtedly be changes. Over the years, the employee uniforms have changed, as has the list of items on the menu. Jon and Bill are not afraid to be innovative and are always searching for improvements. Dion's has had a number of offers to be bought and be expanded nationally. Today there could be a Dion's on nearly every street corner in America, but instead, Jon and Bill have stayed to protect a creation they both care deeply about.

Mr. Speaker, we spent much time in the 107th Congress focusing on a variety of corporate scandals that seriously shook the faith of Americans everywhere. At that time, I tried to stress that there are honest companies out there, and we must not let those isolated cases of gross misconduct spoil our view of average businesses. I believe that Dion's Pizza is an exceptional example of a business that has succeeded because of the devotion of its owners and employees.

As this special restaurant celebrates its 25th anniversary, it remains one of a kind. It is unique amongst its peers throughout the country for its philosophy and principles, but, most of all, because it is the product of so many remarkable people and ideas. It is truly part of the communities it serves, and New Mexicans are proud to call Dion's their own. I ask my colleagues join me in congratulating Dion's for its success.

Mr. Speaker, it is with profound sadness that I rise today to express my sorrow over the loss the seven astronauts on board the shuttle Columbia. At a time when there seemed to be more than enough tragic news to go around, we woke up on a Saturday morning to news reports about a missing space shuttle, and then images of a disintegrating, burning spacecraft streaking across the sky. The memories of the Challenger accident were brought back for all of us, with the same sense of shared sadness.

The six American astronauts, together with their Israeli colleague, represented much of the best that our world has to offer. To the honor roll of those who died advancing human knowledge, we add Rick Husband, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, William McCool, David Brown, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon.

President Bush, in his moving tribute to the dead of the Columbia, asserted strongly, and wisely, that space exploration must not end: ``The cause in which they died will continue.

Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on.''

Of these seven brave men and women that we lost, I want to pay special tribute to Dr. Laurel Clark, who spent time as a child in New Mexico, where her father, Robert Salton, still resides. In reading interviews that Laurel gave, both before and during her mission on Columbia, a portrait emerges of an intelligent, determined woman, who managed a successful career, while at the same time being a devoted daughter, wife and mother. She helped open the door further for more women interested in science and space exploration careers.

In closing, I want to share a observation that Laurel gave from space in describing what it was like to view a sunset from above the Earth. ``There's a flash--the whole payload bay turns this rosy pink. It only lasts 15 seconds and then it's gone. It's very ethereal and extremely beautiful.''

I believe that Laurel's comment helps all of us have a better sense of who Laurel was. I want to express my deep sympathy to all of Laurel's family and friends. Those who knew her personally will never forget her, and her legacy will live on.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the following article, which appeared in Sunday's Albuquerque Journal, be printed in the Record following my remarks.

[From the Albuquerque Journal]

Albuquerque Father Recalls ``A Fine Lady''

(By Leanne Potts)

Robert Salton had gone into the back yard of his

Albuquerque home at dawn Saturday to look for his oldest

child in the western sky.

His daughter, Laurel Clark, was an astronaut aboard the

space shuttle Columbia. It was her first mission, and her

daddy had just heard on CNN that people in New Mexico should

be able to see the shuttle's trail as it flew over the state

en route to its landing in Florida.

``I saw one long contrail in the sky going from west to

east,'' Salton said. ``I'm pretty sure that was it. That was

her.''

Less than 20 minutes later Salton and his wife, Harriet,

heard the news on television: NASA had lost contact with the

shuttle.

``Then that TV reporter in Dallas had the footage that

showed the breakup,'' Salton said. ``And we knew what had

happened.''

The oldest of Salton's four children--the daughter who had

made A's in school, gone to medical school on a full Navy

scholarship and made the space program while she was five

months pregnant--was dead.

``She was just a fine lady,'' Salton said. ``I was proud of

her accomplishments, of course, but she was a good person,

too.''

Behind him, on a table in his home in a middle-class

neighborhood near University -Boulevard and Indian School

Road, were photos reminding the retired 69-year-old carpenter

of the accomplishments of his golden child.

There was Clark and her brother, Jon Salton, an engineer at

Sandia National Laboratories, grinning together in a training

plane that produces weightlessness. Clark is floating upside

down, wearing her blue astronaut jumpsuit; her eyes sparkle

like someone who knows her dream is in reach.

There was Salton's grandson--Laurel's 8-year-old son, Iain

Clark--holding a feather and a bone in some Southwestern

canyon.

There was a color 8-by-10 of Laurel's official NASA photo,

the one where her smile shows her dimples, the one Americans

have seen dozens of times since news broke that the space

shuttle Columbia blew up 207,000 feet in the air over Texas.

On the photo, Laurel had written: ``To a wonderful father--

I wouldn't be where I am without your guidance, support and

love.''

The word love was underlined.

Ringing phones

By 1 p.m. Saturday, the Saltons had turned off their TV.

They couldn't watch any more news reports about debris

raining from the Texas sky.

Their phone rang nonstop. Family called. Friends called.

Reporters called. Powerful people called.

``The governor called and left a message,'' Harriet Salton

said. ``We heard from that congressman from the southern part

of the state, too.''

The phone rang again. ``It's Heather,'' Harriet called to

her husband. Robert took the call, but was off the phone in

about two minutes.

``Wrong Heather,'' he said. ``I thought it was Heather

Salton (his niece) but it was Heather Wilson. I wouldn't have

picked up the phone for a congressman.''

The phone rang a few minutes later; Harriet looked at the

Caller ID. ``It's Dan Rather again,'' she said.

They let the answering machine take it.

Very tough lady

Clark, 41, was born in Iowa. The Saltons moved a lot, and

Clark lived here in Albuquerque two years in 1970s.

She went to the fifth grade at Hodgin Elementary around

1971 while Robert Salton worked on a doctorate in American

Studies at the University of New Mexico. Clark's mother,

Margory, was an RN.

The Saltons moved to New York but returned to Albuquerque a

year or so later, where Clark attended Monroe Middle School

for a year.

Her parents divorced, and Clark moved to Wisconsin with her

mother. Clark went to high school in Racine, Wis., a city of

84,000 that, according to her official NASA biography, she

considers to be her hometown.

She was an A-student at Horlick High. ``The only B she ever

made was in typing,'' Robert Salton said.

She got a Navy scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-

Madison, where she got a bachelor's degree in zoology in 1983

and a doctorate in medicine in 1987.

Clark joined the Navy and was working as a flight surgeon,

based in Pensacola, Fla., when she decided to try out for the

space program. Clark didn't make the program the first

tryout.

``Then she got pregnant, and I figured that was it for her

being an astronaut,'' Robert Salton said.

But Clark tried out again in 1996 when she was five months

pregnant with her son Iain. She got in.

``She is--she was--a very tough lady,'' Robert Salton said.

Clark lived in Houston with her husband, Jonathan Clark,

and son, Iain. Her husband is also in the space program.

Clark's husband and son had gone to Florida to see the

shuttle landing, as had Clark's sister, Lynne Salton of

Kansas City, Mo. The rest of the family was watching on

television, Salton said.

During the Columbia's 16-day mission, Clark had been in

contact with some of her siblings via e-mail.

``The kids have been forwarding me her e-mails this

morning. She was real excited, talking about watching

lightning storms over the Pacific.''

Salton said he saw his daughter for the last time in

December, when she came to Albuquerque for Christmas.

``She was pumped about the (shuttle) trip,'' Salton said.

``She was so excited. It was something she had worked for for

six or seven years.''

The Saltons said Laurel was aware of the risks involved in

space travel, but not worried about them. At least not enough

to miss a chance to fly in the stars.

``She was doing what she loved to do,'' Harriet Salton

said. ``She fulfilled her dream. Not many of us get to do

that.''

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. I am also very pleased that my colleagues Mr. Jerry Moran of Kansas, Mr. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, Mr. Mac Thomberry and Mr. Silvestre Reyes both of Texas, and Mr. Steve Pearce, one of my colleagues in the New Mexico delegation, have joined me in introducing this legislation.

This important 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. I am very hopeful that 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.

As Congress prepares to reauthorize TEA-21, I strongly urge the House and Senate to support this bill and add the SPIRIT Corridor to the list of high priority corridors in our National Highway System.

Mr. Speaker, Sunday February 2nd marked the 155th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This is a treaty between Mexico and the United States guaranteed former Mexican citizens who remained in the United States certain property rights. One essential promise was to secure and protect the property rights of Mexican and Spanish citizens that had been given land grants from the Spanish and Mexican Governments.

In turn, the United States paid Mexico $15,000,000, and among other things, agreed to recognize prior land grants issued by Spain and Mexico to individuals, communities, and indigenous pueblo people. Thus, during the 50 years that followed the signing, numerous procedures were developed to evaluate and validate the land grants. However, the 1848 change in sovereignty brought together two different legal systems--the Spanish/Mexican and the Anglo-American. These competing legal systems resulted in the inability of the United States to properly recognize and honor the important role that custom played in preserving the lands and waters in accordance with Spanish and Mexican law.

My good friend, then-Representative, now New Mexico Governor, Bill Richardson introduced legislation that would create a Presidential Commission to study the claims of the land grant heirs. In the 107th Congress, my predecessor, Mr. Redmond, introduced similar legislation in this body. With tremendous bipartisan support, the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty Land Claims Act of 1998 passed overwhelmingly. Its supporters and co-sponsors included not only the current Speaker of the House, but former Speaker Gingrich and members of the leadership of both parties.

With the passage of this bill, the House of Representatives sent a clear message that it was time to undo 150 years of injustice. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the legislation never made it through the Senate.

During the 106th and 107th Congress I picked up the mantle that my predecessors carried in the House of Representatives to remedy the situation and to correct these injustices. I was pleased that I had the full support of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in this regard.

Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman, along with myself, asked the GAO in 2001 to undertake a study of whether the United States fulfilled its obligations under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo with regard to land grants made by Spain and Mexico. Although I had intended to introduce this legislation again today to coincide with the 155th Anniversary, I am withholding this important legislation until the GAO study regarding the treaty is released.

Mr. Speaker, the issues that have evolved from the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo center on the concept of fairness and justice. Thus, I ask that all Americans acknowledge the 155th anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, by recognizing the many issues that remain to be properly addressed in order to assure a fair evaluation of the land grant claims.

Once the final GAO report is released and all stakeholders have had the opportunity to review and comment on the findings I look forward to working with the entire New Mexico Congressional Delegation and stakeholders in starting the long process to resolve these disputes and to bring our government in line with its treaty obligations.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to introduce legislation, which I originally introduced in the 107th Congress, that declares that the United States holds certain public domain lands in trust for the Pueblos of San Ildefonso and Santa Clara in New Mexico.

Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman sponsored the Senate companion bill during the 107th Congress, and were successful in incorporating it into S. 2711, the Indian Programs Reauthorization and Technical Amendments Act of 2002, which I strongly supported, during the closing days of the 107th Congress. However, the House was unable to take up this legislation prior to its adjournment.

I would also like to note that both Senators are reintroducing, in the Senate today, the companion to this bill.

Accordingly, today I reintroduce this legislation, which will formally restore control and tribal authority of nearly 4,500 acres of culturally significant ancestral lands. Located in the eastern Jemez Mountains, roughly 2,000 acres of land located within the aboriginal domain of the San Ildefonso Pueblo will be transferred to that Pueblo; similarly, approximately 2,484 acres of Santa Clara Pueblo's aboriginal lands will be transferred to that Pueblo.

This transfer is the result of years of negotiations between the two Pueblos, and between the Pueblos and the Department of the Interior, and the Bureau of Land Management. The Pueblos intend to maintain the natural

quality of the land and restore the health of the ecosystem of their traditional ancestral lands. In addition, the lands will be used for ceremonial and other traditional purposes.

Finally, Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties in New Mexico, the National Congress of American Indians, and the National Audubon Society's New Mexico State Office, the Quivira Coalition and the Santa Fe Group of the Sierra Club support the acquisition and transfer of these lands.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Resources Committee to pass this important legislation for the people of San Ildefonso and Santa Clara.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) for all he has done in organizing these words today on the floor for Wayne Owens. His untimely death was unfortunate and a real loss to this country.

Wayne Owens was a fine public servant. Many will talk and some already have about his tireless efforts for peace in the Middle East, but Wayne had an extensive legislative record here in the House of Representatives. During his term, he helped secure funding for the large-scale Colorado River Storage Project that is the main source of water for Utah and other Western States. He continually fought for wilderness designation to protect vast expanses of Utah's mountains from development.

Wayne was not afraid to take a stand for what he believed in. For example, in 1987 he introduced legislation to reintroduce wolves into Yellowstone National Park to help save the threatened species. He was the only member of the Utah congressional delegation to vote against giving former President Bush the authority to go to war against Iraq in 1991. No matter the issue, Wayne voted his conscience.

The issue that I specifically would like to talk about today is his bringing justice to the Colorado plateau uranium miners.

Wayne saw this as a situation with the Colorado uranium miners that had to have justice be brought to the situation. And what happened is these uranium miners went into mines on the Colorado plateau, worked in very dangerous, dirty air mines. There were high radon levels, as the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) knows. He has worked on this very issue. The government knew these levels were very high. Government doctors did reports and doctors issued studies, but nobody told the uranium miners that there was really a problem. And so many years they continued to work in these uranium mines, 10 or 15 years in these dirty air mines.

As many of us know, when you contract radon in a uranium mine and it is at high levels what ends up happening is 10 or 15 years down the line you get lung cancer, and that is in fact what happened on the Colorado plateau, an epidemic of lung cancer. Lawsuits were brought on behalf of these uranium miners but many of them were unsuccessful. My father was one of the ones, Stewart Udall, that brought many of the lawsuits and represented the miners. He just told me the other day when we learned of Wayne's death, he said, if it had not been for Wayne at that particular point when the miners lost their lawsuits, when the families were discouraged, when they thought there was going to be no justice, it was Wayne Owens that picked up the fight. And he went out and held hearings and he involved Ted Kennedy and Barney Frank and the Committee on the Judiciary and brought justice to this situation by helping pass a piece of legislation known as the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. And many families today in Utah and across the Colorado plateau are now in much better shape because of Wayne Owens' efforts on that piece of legislation.

In closing, I want to say that Wayne genuinely loved people and was extremely generous with time and resources. He was a wonderful and caring husband and father. His wife, Marlene, five children and fourteen grandchildren always knew of his unconditional love. He had boundless energy and reached out to everyone he met. He treated everyone with respect. Perhaps there is no greater way to be remembered than that.

It is my privilege to pay tribute to Wayne Owens for his commitment and service. I send my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the State of Utah.

When I reflect upon the lives of men such as Wayne Owens, who dedicated his life to serving others, I am reminded of the principles of public service.

Mr. Speaker, although with great hesitancy, I rise today in support of this overdue legislation to extend unemployment benefits. I had greatly hoped that Congress would have passed this extension prior to adjournment of the 107th Congress. I also am very disappointed that the bill before us today does not extend 26 weeks of extended benefits to all unemployed workers. However, I will vote in favor of S. 23 because we must expedite the extension of unemployment benefits.

As we all well know, and as I hope the American people are aware, last year, before the 107th Congress adjourned, and fully cognizant that the expiration deadline of the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation, TEUC, program was fast approaching, the majority refused to act on a good compromise bill that the Senate had passed unanimously. As a result, the TEUC program expired on December 28, 2002, and with it so did federal unemployment benefits for more than 800,000 jobless Americans. In New Mexico, that delay meant 2,200 families lost their benefits.

S. 23 is certainly a step in the right direction. It is imperative that we extend these benefits as the sluggish economy struggles to regain the vibrancy and growth it experienced under the previous administration. The unemployment rate has climbed from 4.2 percent when President Bush was inaugurated to 6.0 percent today. Additionally, there are now 8 million unemployed Americans.

However, while the bill before us is a good start, I vow to continue fighting for passage of the comprehensive unemployment Federal benefits bill offered by Representatives Rangel, Cardin, and Levin, that would guarantee at least 26 weeks of extended benefits and

would expand access to unemployment benefits for workers who are low- wage earners or work part time. I am greatly disappointed that the rule stipulating the guidelines for debate over this legislation precluded us from debating Mr. Rangel's substitute.

It is worth noting, that during the recession of the early 1990s the first President Bush signed into law the unemployment benefit extensions. It is estimated, however, that 800,000 more workers than during the 90s are expecting to exhaust their benefits this year. As such, it is clear to me that there is a need to extend the benefits beyond the 13 weeks provided by this bill.

Nevertheless, I will vote in support of S. 23, but do so with the hope that the leadership of the House and Senate will take up additional legislation to further extend unemployment benefits during this slow economic growth period.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) for all he has done in organizing these words today on the floor for Wayne Owens.

I just wanted to rise today to say a few words about Wayne Owens and his service to the United States of America. He was a fine public servant. Many will talk and some have already about his tireless efforts for Middle East peace, but Wayne had an extensive legislative record here in the House of Representatives. He fought tirelessly to restore endangered species across the West. And the issue that I specifically would like to talk about today is his bringing justice to the Colorado plateau uranium miners.

Wayne saw this as a situation with the Colorado uranium miners that had to have justice be brought to the situation. And what happened is these uranium miners went into mines on the Colorado plateau, worked in very dangerous, dirty air mines. There were high radon levels, as the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) knows. He has worked on this very issue. The government knew these levels were very high. Government doctors did reports and doctors issued studies, but nobody told the uranium miners that there was really a problem. And so many years they continued to work in these uranium mines, 10 or 15 years in these dirty air mines.

As many of us know, when you contract radon in a uranium mine and it is at high levels what ends up happening is 10 or 15 years down the line you get lung cancer, and that is in fact what happened on the Colorado plateau, an epidemic of lung cancer. Lawsuits were brought on behalf of these uranium

miners but many of them were unsuccessful. My father was one of the ones, Stewart Udall, that brought many of the lawsuits and represented the miners. He just told me the other day when we learned of Wayne's death, he said, if it had not been for Wayne at that particular point when the miners lost their lawsuits, when the families were discouraged, when they thought there was going to be no justice, it was Wayne Owens that picked up the fight. And he went out and held hearings and he involved Ted Kennedy and Barney Frank and the Committee on the Judiciary and brought justice to this situation by helping pass a piece of legislation known as the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. And many families today in Utah and across the Colorado plateau are now in much better shape because of Wayne Owens' efforts on that piece of legislation.

All of us here in the House of Representatives, I believe, miss Wayne very much and miss his contributions. We want to give our heartfelt condolences to his wife Marlene and his family, and we want to thank Wayne for his service, his great service to the country.