Madeleine Bordallo

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam 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

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3849) to provide for the conveyance of parcels of land to Mantua, Box Elder County, Utah, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, H.R. 6159 provides for a land exchange between the Forest Service and Solano County, California. Solano County has a special use permit for the Fouts Springs Youth Correctional Facility on 82 acres of land in the Mendocino National Forest. The county has been working diligently for many years to acquire wilderness quality forest lands to exchange with the Forest Service in order to acquire the lands occupied by the youth correctional facility. Madam Speaker, we believe that there are numerous public benefits to this land exchange. An analysis produced by the Forest Service found that this land exchange would benefit their hazardous fuels program to reduce the threat of catastrophic fire, and the land exchange would be of equal value. Furthermore, the lands the Forest Service would acquire are wilderness-quality lands bordering the Snow Mountain Wilderness Area and have been identified as priority areas for land acquisition by the Forest Service dating as far back as 1992. Madam Speaker, the chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Representative George Miller, is to be commended for his efforts on behalf of Solano County and this youth facility. I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam 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

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Massachusetts, Congresswoman Tsongas, the sponsor of the bill.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, H.R. 5853, the Minute Man National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act, was introduced by our colleague from Massachusetts, the honorable Congresswoman Tsongas. This bill would modify the boundary of the Minute Man National Historical Park in Massachusetts to include the historic site of Barrett's Farm. Colonel James Barrett was a leading Revolutionary War patriot and military figure, and his farm in Concord played a significant role in the events leading up to the opening battles of the Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. A 2007 study from the National Park Service concluded that the boundary adjustment was important to ensure the protection of these nationally significant resources and values. And this bill enjoys extensive public support, as well as the support of the entire Massachusetts congressional delegation. I thank Representative Tsongas for her leadership on this legislation, and I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam 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. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5853) to expand the boundary of the Minute Man National Historical Park in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to include Barrett's Farm, and for other purposes.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this piece of legislation, and I yield back.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, H.R. 6176 was introduced by our colleague from Texas, Representative Ciro Rodriguez. The bill increases the acreage ceiling for the Fort Davis National Historic Site in west Texas and authorizes the National Park Service to acquire from willing sellers approximately 55 acres adjacent to the park. Fort Davis National Historic Site, authorized in 1961, is regarded as one of the best preserved forts in the American Southwest. The fort was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons traveling through the Southwest. The fort is also known because the famed all-black ``Buffalo Soldier'' regiments established after the Civil War were stationed there. The bill would expand the boundary of the park to encompass some already completed acquisitions and to permit the acquisition of three parcels that total approximately 55 acres on the southwestern boundary of the park. Madam Speaker, Congressman Rodriguez is to be commended for his tireless efforts on behalf of this legislation, and I would also note the administration supports this bill. I urge my colleagues to support passage of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam 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

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), the sponsor of this bill.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site, located in Brownsville, Texas, is the only National Park Service unit dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Mexican- American War. The park preserves the site of the Battle of Palo Alto, the first battle of the war, but fighting was not limited to the parcel of land currently preserved by the park. Fighting at a site called Resaca de la Palma proved pivotal in permanently repulsing the Mexican army from Texas. H.R. 4828 would amend the act creating Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site to designate the 34 acres of the Resaca de la Palma as a unit of the park. In recognition of the expansion of the park to include the noncontiguous Resaca de la Palma unit, the bill will also redesignate Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site as Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park. This is a good piece of legislation, and I commend my colleague and my good friend, Representative Solomon Ortiz from Texas, for his hard work on adding this unit to the park. I enthusiastically support passage of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam 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. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4828) to amend the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site Act of 1991 to expand the boundaries of the historic site, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I would like to make mention, and I think it is fitting that we are entertaining this bill today on what marks the 146th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, but I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, since its inception in 1996, the American battlefield protection program has provided grants for preserving endangered Civil War battlefields which are specifically not part of the National Park System. The program contains two components. The battlefield preservation grants program is designed to help State and local government, organizations and citizens protect battlefield sites. The battlefield acquisition grant program provides matching funds to help State and local governments acquire and preserve battlefield sites. Together, these grant programs have helped to protect more than 15,000 acres at 72 Civil War battlefields and have leveraged $52 million in non-Federal funding for battlefield protection. With enactment of H.R. 160, which was just considered, this program will be expanded to include Revolutionary War and War of 1812 sites, making the program even stronger. I commend our colleague, Representative Gary Miller of California, for his leadership on this issue and his commitment to historic preservation. This is a truly bipartisan measure with more than 100 cosponsors from both parties. I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt), the sponsor of this legislation.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, H.R. 160, the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act was introduced by my colleague on the Natural Resources Committee, the Honorable Congressman Rush Holt. This bill would provide Federal matching grants to help in the acquisition and preservation of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Urbanization, suburban sprawl and unplanned commercial and residential development have increasingly encroached upon these battlefield sites, threatening their historical integrity, and even resulting in the loss of some sites all together. A 2007 National Park Service study concluded that as many as 170 Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields and associated sites face imminent injury or destruction in the next decade. H.R. 160 will enable State and local governments to obtain Federal grants to leverage matching private funds to acquire endangered sites for preservation and protection of these places which influence the course of our American history. I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) for all his work on this legislation and his commitment to the preservation of these historic places. I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam 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. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 160) to amend the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 to establish a battlefield acquisition grant program for the acquisition and protection of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and for other purposes, as amended.