Rob Bishop

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I appreciate those who have come down and spoken on this particular bill, especially when you can say the word ``Oglethorpe'' all the time. It is one of the great names in American history. This is a good piece of legislation that will make some solutions and move this forward. It is not perfect, but it actually solves some problems. Many are parochial, but significant, local concerns. That is why this package is here. It passed the 63 bills that we have passed in the House but were sitting in the Senate. This has a chance of actually bringing some kind of cloture to all of that. Mr. Speaker, I urge favorable adoption of this piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5513) to provide for an exchange of lands with San Bernardino County, California, to enhance management of lands within the San Bernardino National Forest, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. 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.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cook), the sponsor of this piece of legislation, to explain why we should actually deal with this particular piece.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is a perfect example of how to do something well. I commend Congressman Cook for listening to his local constituents, trying to get their input, and getting a bill that has total local support. It is the way things should be done, solving a problem for both the Forest Service, as well as San Bernardino County. Not only will the Forest Service get a small parcel of land which solves the problem of in-holdings within their property, but San Bernardino County gets the ability of solving significant problems they have in the area of public safety. This is one of those things that is a win-win situation: a win-win situation which actually provides safety, as well as the changing of that trail, if absolutely necessary, but that has to be worked out before any of this is concluded. The bottom line here is that we have realized there is a significant problem, we have recognized this is a significant problem, and, by working with local communities to get their input trying to come up with a locally-driven solution to that problem, this is the way government should operate. Unfortunately, it doesn't operate that way all the time, but Congressman Cook has worked very hard to make sure that this is one of those positive efforts. This bill is one of those things that is a win for all of us. Mr. Speaker, I heartily ask my colleagues to vote in favor of this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6108) to provide for partnerships among State and local governments, regional entities, and the private sector to preserve, conserve, and enhance the visitor experience at nationally significant battlefields of the American Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. 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.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Jody B. Hice), the sponsor of this excellent piece of legislation that protects our heritage and our battlefields.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is one of those bills that makes an old history teacher's heart fill with joy. It is one of the right things to do. We are talking about areas that are living memorials to the heroism and to the sacrifice of those people who made this country what it is. This bill is about preserving our history, helping us know, understand, and retain the story of who we are as a nation, and also how we arrived there as a nation. All of that is significant. It is significant in that it will reauthorize the program through 2025, it is significant because it also will reauthorize an authorization level, which is, in practicality, what we have available to spend on this particular program, but, more importantly, it also involves the private sector becoming involved in this. Indeed, if our history is to be maintained, it is not going to be done simply by the government mandating it. We have to involve the private sector to become part of understanding why these areas are significant and what is the lesson to be learned there. Not only will his bill talk about acquisition of land for these battlefield areas, but also about how we restore this land to the way it was at the time that history was being made on these properties, and, more importantly, how do we improve the education resources. So the story of what we are as a Nation, the story of what this specific site meant as we become a unified Nation as we move forward, that is retained and passed on from generation to generation. That is a significant issue and is a significant process. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Georgia for his commitment to understanding how important battlefields are to the history of this country and how important it is that that history is passed on to future generations. That is why this is a significant program that needs to go forward. Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this particular legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3008) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the George W. Bush Childhood Home, located at 1412 West Ohio Avenue, Midland, Texas, and for other purposes.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway), the sponsor of this bill, to explain the significance of this study.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, once again, we have a situation here where there is already a museum that is run by a nonprofit entity in this area. What is being asked here is for a study to be done by the National Park Service to find the significance of including this as part of the National Park Service's portfolio of properties. It is fitting that we try to do this, for, indeed, in American history, there have been only two times when there has been both a father and a son who have served as President of the United States, once with the Adams and now with the Bushes. So having a home where they, as well as the future Governor of Florida, actually resided is one of those things that clearly is a unique sense of history. It is a unique property that provides that sense of history. So for a study to be done on whether it should be added to the National Park Service repertoire of sites is a proper thing to do. Mr. Speaker, I commend Congressman Conaway's efforts to recognize and honor two of our country's Presidents, and I urge my colleagues, once again, to adopt this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6118) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to annually designate at least one city in the United States as an ``American World War II Heritage City'', and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer), the sponsor of this piece of legislation.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, during World War II, our cities built armaments; they had war bond drives; and they grew victory gardens. They did what they could to support our troops who were fighting abroad in a two-front war. It is significant and important that we recognize the efforts that went into that part of our history and also that we reward, in some way, the efforts to protect that history so that we will always remember the sacrifices that were made by the Greatest Generation and recognize their efforts on the field of battle, as well as back home, to preserve that and support that. The past will not be forgotten. This part of our American history will be remembered going forward. Mr. Speaker, this is a wonderful effort to do that, to actually provide, once again, for the history of this country, for the symbols of this country, for the future of this country, to remember how we got to the position in which we are. This bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to designate at least one city a year, each year, as an American World War II Heritage City. It is appropriate that we go forward on this. Mr. Speaker, I fully support its efforts, and I urge the adoption of this bill by my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6665) to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to apply to territories of the United States, to establish offshore wind lease sale requirements, to provide dedicated funding for coral reef conservation, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am going to read this part. From the whooshing in the western Pacific to the windswept waters of the Atlantic, a wonderful wealth of offshore wind exists. While this wonderful resource weapon withstood the tests of time in Europe, we have waffled in our worldview on wind power. But worry not. With this worthy bill, we will warrant our Nation's territories--from Guam to Puerto Rico--will no longer be wasting their overwater reward and will be powered with the waterproof windmills. Now I have to stop because I did that for the staffer who wrote it. Obviously, I don't do this kind of stuff, and I lost the bet. However, despite the alliteration that went there, this is still a good bill which will move us forward in energy production, especially in our territories of the United States. With that, Mr. Speaker, I obviously urge my colleagues to support it and move us forward, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman could at least put some kind of rhyme in there. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon) to speak on this particular bill.

Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).