Madeleine Bordallo

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1442) to provide for the sale of the Federal Government's reversionary interest in approximately 60 acres of land in Salt Lake City, Utah, originally conveyed to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Association under the Act of January 23, 1909, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Again, I urge Members to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority if they have any additional speakers.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Kratovil).

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 2188, the Joint Ventures for Bird Habitat Conservation Act of 2009, sponsored by our colleague from Maryland, Representative Frank Kratovil. This bill seeks to highlight the critical importance that migratory birds have with our economy as well as their importance as a bellwether of the health of our environment. However, due to their wide distribution, the only way we can maintain this resource is to work cooperatively, creatively and purposefully with other nations and with all stakeholders to conserve migratory bird habitat. The gentleman from Maryland's legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a program of voluntary Migratory Bird Joint Ventures to establish durable partnerships to conserve bird habitat over entire geographic regions, thereby developing effective long-term strategies to conserve our common migratory bird resource for the benefit of all. The bill is broadly supported by conservation and hunting interests, the States as well as the administration. With that, I commend Mr. Kratovil for his leadership on this issue, and I ask Members to support passage of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2188) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to conduct a Joint Venture Program to protect, restore, enhance, and manage migratory bird populations, their habitats, and the ecosystems they rely on, through voluntary actions on public and private lands, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge all Members to support this very good bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority whether they have any additional speakers.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and would inquire of the minority whether they have any additional speakers.

Ms. BORDALLO. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 762, introduced by Congressman Dean Heller, would validate the final patent to lands in Clark and Lincoln Counties in Nevada. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley has also worked to advance this bill. In 2005, the Bureau of Land Management issued a final patent to reconfigure certain leased and patented lands slated for development. This adjustment was intended to provide habitat for the conservation of the endangered desert tortoise. However, several groups objected to the process that the BLM used to adjust these lands, claiming that it failed to comply with Federal law and that it failed to provide appropriate habitat for the tortoise. The group sued the BLM and the property owners. In 2007, the parties agreed to settle the lawsuit. H.R. 762 will implement one of several settlement stipulations by validating the final patent to the reconfigured land. All parties to the litigation support this legislation. In addition to Congressman Heller, I would like to highly commend Congresswoman Shelley Berkley for her leadership and tireless efforts in getting this bill to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, we support H.R. 762, and urge its adoption by the House today. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 762) to validate final patent number 27-2005-0081, and for other purposes.

Ms. BORDALLO

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority whether they have any additional speakers.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the author of the bill and the gentleman from the CNMI, Mr. Sablan, for as much time as he may consume.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I call up for the consideration of the House H.R. 934, which is the first bill introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Mr. Kilili Sablan. I thank the gentleman for bringing the subject matter of this bill to our attention. This measure provides equity to the CNMI. It is the only U.S. territory that does not control its submerged lands. The bill before us would simply convey the submerged lands surrounding the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands extending out to 3 nautical miles to the Government of the CNMI. This is the same treatment of submerged lands afforded to Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. I would like to thank Mr. Sablan for introducing this legislation and for making H.R. 934 one of his first legislative priorities as the delegate from the CNMI. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 934) to convey certain submerged lands to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in order to give that territory the same benefits in its submerged lands as Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa have in their submerged lands, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record the following exchange of letters between the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Armed Services concerning H.R. 1044. House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, Washington, DC, June 22, 2009. Hon. Nick J. Rahall II, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC. Dear Nick: On February 12, 2009, H.R. 1044 was introduced and referred to the Committee on Armed Services for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee. Our Committee recognizes the importance of H.R. 1044 and the need for the legislation to move expeditiously. Therefore, while we have a valid claim to jurisdiction over this legislation, the Committee on Armed Services will waive further consideration of H.R. 1044. I do so with the understanding that by waiving further consideration of the bill, the Committee does not waive any future jurisdictional claims over similar measures. In the event of a conference with the Senate on this bill, the Committee on Armed Services reserves the right to seek the appointment of conferees. I would appreciate the inclusion of this letter and a copy of your response in the Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Very truly yours, Ike Skelton, Chairman.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1044 provides that the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial be managed as a unit of the National Park System. Currently the area is managed as an affiliated site by the National Park Service. On July 17, 1944, 320 men were killed in an explosion at the Port Chicago Navy ammunition loading base in the San Francisco Bay area. This was the largest homeland disaster during World War II. Of the dead, 202 were African American enlisted men who were assigned to moving ammunition, a highly dangerous job for which they had not received adequate training. Fearful of another explosion, 258 of their surviving fellow sailors refused to work without more training. In response, the Navy charged 50 men with mutiny, and all were convicted. The public outrage over the unjust convictions was a key factor in the Navy's 1946 decision to end race-based assignments and President Truman's 1948 order to integrate all of the Armed Forces. In 1992, Congress designated the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial. The pending measure furthers that commitment by providing that the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial be managed as a unit of the National Park System, a change that acknowledges the actual role the NPS is playing on the ground in maintaining and interpreting the memorial. The sponsor of this measure, Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, has worked tirelessly with the Army and the Navy, as well as the National Park Service, to move this legislation forward. Chairman Miller is to be commended for his hard work on this bill. I support H.R. 1044 and urge its adoption by the House today. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1044) to provide for the administration of Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes, as amended.