Madeleine Bordallo

Ms. BORDALLO

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

Ms. BORDALLO

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4174, the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act. I commend our colleagues on the Science Committee for bringing forward this important legislation to enhance our understanding of this phenomena, which is changing the very chemistry of the world's oceans. Ocean acidification, which is caused by increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, can negatively affect a range of organisms, from corals, to shellfish and plankton. These organisms and their habitats form the base of the food chain for many marine fish and mammal species. If not mitigated, ocean acidification could, therefore, have a cascading negative effect on important commercial fisheries, tourism and recreation, and other ocean-related industries. The damage that ocean acidification could cause to our coastal economic and cultural livelihoods is alarming. Those who rely on oceanic resources for their food or their livelihood, as many of my constituents on Guam do, are already contending with the negative after-affects caused by coastal habitat degradation; overfishing; illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing; and the worldwide decline of healthy coral reefs. We need to learn now everything we can about the dynamics, extent and implications of ocean acidification if we hope to be able to develop successful strategies to cope with this global threat. I strongly support this legislation that would establish a comprehensive, interagency committee to coordinate and expand federal research on ocean acidification and marine ecosystems. Mr. Speaker, I commend our colleague from Maine, Mr. Allen, for introducing this legislation and for his leadership on ocean issues. I also commend the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Lampson, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, and the Ranking Member, Mr. Inglis, for advancing H.R. 41-74 through the Committee on Science and Technology. I thank them and Chairman Gordon for working with Chairman Rahall of the Committee on Natural Resources to address matters of mutual interest and shared jurisdiction with regard to the bill. I urge my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 4174.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 5741, the Shark Conservation Act of 2008. Sharks are vital to the health of marine ecosystems, but the practice of shark finning is driving their decline worldwide. Eight years ago, Congress passed the Shark Finning Prohibition Act to protect these critical species. H.R. 5741 reconfirms the original intent of Congress to prevent both shark finning and the transshipment and landing of shark fins without carcasses. It also provides an important new enforcement mechanism requiring that sharks be landed with their fins naturally attached. Reducing shark finning is imperative to conserving sharks and the marine ecosystems of which they are a part. I am grateful that the bill has the strong support of my colleagues from the Western Pacific, namely Congressman Abercrombie from the State of Hawaii and Congressman Faleomavaega from American Samoa, as well as the ranking member of the Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans Subcommittee, Mr. Brown from South Carolina. I would note that last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration raised some concerns with the narrow aspect of the bill as it might relate to shark fishing on the west coast. We are waiting for additional information from the agency and will work with them as the bill proceeds to determine how this concern can be addressed without creating any unintended loopholes in the shark finning ban. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5741 is a timely bill, and it's an important bill, and I ask my colleagues to support its passage. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5741) to amend the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to improve the conservation of sharks, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia for his support of this particular piece of legislation. I have no additional requests for time and would reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Kathleen Cepeda Sarmiento for her lifelong service to Guam's community. Kathleen, daughter of Jose Babauta Sarmiento and Maria Cepeda Sarmiento, was an educator who influenced many young people in Guam since 1981. We honor her for her dedication to her religious community and service to our community. In 1976, Kathleen graduated from the Academy of Our Lady of Guam, and subsequently attended the College of San Mateo in California. She returned to Guam to begin her career as an educator. At this time, she also made the decision to become a member of the Catholic religious order of the Sisters of Mercy as Sister Mary Kathleen Cepeda Sarmiento. Kathleen pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the University of Guam, and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1986. In 1995, she graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Master of Arts degree in School Administration. Kathleen served in several positions within Guam's private Catholic school system, all culminating into her role as a leader to both teachers and students. She taught Theology and Art at the Academy of our Lady of Guam, Bishop Baumgartner Junior High School, and finally at Saint Anthony School. During the latter part of her life, Kathleen served as Vice Principal and Principal of St. Augustine School in Laredo, Texas. Kathleen was an innovator. At Saint Anthony School on Guam, she initiated the After School Extended Care Program allowing students greater opportunities for enhancing their educational interests. She implemented the Rainbows Program to help students with social and emotional difficulties. She also promoted the Student Cultural Exchange Program with students of Ako City, Japan and the Chamorro language and culture program. Kathleen helped to develop the academic strengths of students by encouraging their participation in extracurricular activities. Under her guidance, her students excelled in the Academic Challenge Bowl, Spelling Bee, Geography Bee, Math Olympiads, Best of Carols Program, and several competitions in art, essay, and speech. Her leadership and emphasis on academic performance contributed to the accreditation of Saint Anthony School by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. At St. Augustine High School, Kathleen was credited for enhancing the fine arts program. She helped to advance information technology at the school by implementing a laptop ``lease-to-own'' program for high school students and by encouraging teachers to integrate more technology into their lessons. Kathleen was blessed with many talents. Her artistic and musical abilities were appreciated throughout the community. As a visual artist, her work was featured in numerous displays such as the American Cancer Society Art Auction, Guam Micronesia Island Fair, and displays by the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities. She was also talented in playing the guitar. Her music was an important part of her ministry and a means for reaching out to young people and senior citizens. Kathleen has been recognized for her many achievements. She has been honored through the Marquis Who's Who Publications Board; Who's Who in American Education; 1991 Outstanding Young Women of America; 1990 Governor's Art Awards Program; Service Award from the Department of Parks and Recreation; and the Special Olympics. Kathleen Cepeda Sarmiento will be remembered for her dedication and commitment to young people and her service to our community. The people of Guam join her religious community, her family and friends in honoring her and remembering her contributions as an educator and community leader.

Ms. BORDALLO

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, both the Preserve America and the Save America's Treasures Programs provide Federal matching grants for important historic preservation projects. Preserve America provides grants for interpretation and education regarding historic resources, while the Save America's Treasures Program provides grants for rehabilitation in restoration work. Both programs, Mr. Speaker, are enormously successful because they leverage limited Federal dollars for much larger State, local, and private investment in preserving and interpreting our history and our heritage. These programs were created by executive order, and this legislation simply provides statutory authorization for both of these programs. H.R. 3981 is a top priority for the Bush administration. I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Miller), the bill's sponsor.

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

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

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Democrats have been on this floor for weeks watching our colleagues from across the aisle defend multinational oil conglomerates. The fact of the matter is that the energy challenges that our Nation faces demand more than rhetoric and battles on the floor of the House. Certainly, our constituents who are feeling the energy pinch deserve more. We need to put our energies into finding common ground to achieve real, workable solutions to our energy problems, and toward that end, we need to be working on our energy challenge from two ends at the same time, furthermore, the supply end and the conservation end. By doing so, we can work without partisanship to bring relief to the American people. And that, just like the underlying bill, would preserve America's true treasures and the treasures are our people. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman keeps talking about opening up more land. Well, the fact is 80 percent of the oil available on the Outer Continental Shelf today is already open for leasing, but the oil companies haven't decided it's worth their money to drill there. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO

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, H.R. 1423 would allow the National Park Service to share visitor center facilities for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore with the Porter County Indiana Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission. The bill also allows the National Park Service to construct exhibits at the visitor center and authorizes National Park Service employees to work there. Congress must approve the spending and the use of personnel because the visitor center lies outside the established boundaries of the park. Finally, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1423 would clarify the definition of ``contiguous lands'' in the park's original legislation so that the National Park Service could accept donations of contiguous land even if that land is separated by a right-of-way such as a road, a railway line or utility corridor. I commend the sponsor, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), for his work on the legislation, and I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana, the bill's sponsor, Mr. Visclosky.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. First and foremost, I would like to remind my colleagues across the aisle that I feel that all legislation that is heard in the U.S. Congress is important legislation. I want to go on record saying that. And I would remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that in 2005, just 3 years ago, 2005, when you were in the majority, you passed an energy bill that you claimed would produce America's energy independence. It did not work, did it? What were gas prices then in 2005, and what are they today? So I would again say the blame game is not working and we should truly sit down and get serious, dispense with the rhetoric, and address the issues facing the American people. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge my colleagues, all of the Members of Congress, to support this very important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4199) to amend the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act of 1992 to add sites to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this important piece of legislation, and I yield back 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 yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 4199 adds two sites to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. The bill also renames the park as the Wright Brothers- Dunbar National Historical Park. Mr. Speaker, the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park was established to preserve sites associated with Wilbur and Orville Wright and the early history of aviation. The park also honors the life and work of African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, a business associate and a friend of Orville Wright. H.R. 4199 would add Hawthorn Hill, the mansion designed by the Wright Brothers, and the Wright Company factory to the park. The factory, completed in 1910, is the site of the first American facilities specifically designed and built for the manufacture of airplanes. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support passage of this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. I yield such time as he may consume to my colleague from North Carolina (Mr. Miller).

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.