Chris Cannon

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, as the nation struggles with the need for energy and a desire to preserve the environment, we should take special notice of those who make these competing desires easier to harmonize. One such is Leon Smoot, professor of engineering at Brigham Young University. Dr. Smoot has just been recognized by the United States Department of Energy for a lifetime of research into fuel combustion, and ways to make that combustion more efficient. As my colleagues know, cleaner combustion means more energy per unit of fuel, and cleaner air for us all to breathe. Dr. Smoot is more than a talented researcher. He is a devoted father, a wildly popular and effective teacher, a civic activist, a religious leader, and an author. Those of us who are younger can only stand in awe of his stamina and his accomplishments, but we can also be grateful for his contributions to the betterment of the lives of all Americans Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Daily Herald newspaper article about Dr. Smoot and his recognition by the Department of Energy be printed at this point in the Congressional Record. [From the Daily Herald (Provo, UT), Oct. 9, 2002] Professor Heads to D.C. To Receive $25,000 Award A thin white-haired man with bright blue eyes peering through large, thick lenses, Leon Douglas Smoot strides down the hallway and dashes to the elevator in the BYU engineering building. Smoot chats with students as they ride the elevator, asking them which floor they want. Most of them simply know him as a chemical engineering professor, but his recognition and talents run the gamut. He's helped save the Brigham Young Academy building, served as an expert witness for cases involving fires and explosions all over the United States and has even taught chemical engineering in China. Tonight, he will add to his long list of awards and recognitions when he accepts an award from the Department of Energy for three decades of research into computer modeling of fuel combustion. His research has led to groundbreaking insights into the formation and prevention of air pollutants, which means cleaner air for Americans to breathe. Smoot doesn't take full credit for the accomplishment, referring to the many colleagues and students who have helped him with his research. ``I have often said, `I can't remember doing anything all by myself,' '' he said modestly. The award being presented to Smoot tonight in Washington, D.C., is the highest honor given by the Energy Department for outstanding contributions to fossil energy science and technology. ``He won't flaunt this award at all. He doesn't make you feel like you're beneath him,'' said Craig Eatough, senior manager of Provo engineering company Combustion Resources, for which Smoot is a senior consultant. And that may be why Smoot is so well-liked and respected in this community--a community where he grew up and then lived continuously since 1967. As a young boy in Springville, he loved playing with fireworks and explosives, foreshadowing his later career in researching fossil energy--coal in particular--and the environmental problems that come with it. As Smoot began teaching at BYU, he was the director of the Advanced Combustion Engineering Research Center at the university, set up by the National Science Foundation to better use low-grade fossil fuels. In 1985, the center applied for a grant from the foundation, which brought BYU about $20 million over a 12- year period. The subsequent research has led to a better understanding of pollutants and created computer programs that have helped industrial and academic institutions reduce or prevent the formation of nitrogen oxides, the air pollutants created when coal and other fuels burn. While even his family sometimes doesn't understand his research, basically, Smoot's discoveries have resulted in Americans breathing cleaner air because officials are better able to predict, understand and control pollution. Smoot said he isn't sure what he is going to do with the $25,000 that accompany the award, but joked that by the time his wife, Marian, and his four daughters finish with it, there may be just a few pennies left. His four children are all married BYU graduates and between them have ``eight college degrees and 15 children,'' Smoot proudly declares. The feelings of pride go both ways, as his daughters tout their father's accomplishments. ``Besides being a great community leader and example, he's also a family man and father who puts great emphasis on being a faithful member of the (LDS) church,'' said daughter Analee Foster of Mapleton, as she traveled with Smoot on Tuesday to the nation's capital for the awards ceremony. Perhaps some of the award could be set aside for later this year, when Smoot begins retirement. His students and co-workers say they will surely miss his infectious enthusiasm. ``He's definitely a role model. And his class is fun,'' said Brad Damstedt, 22, a senior from Smithfield majoring in mechanical engineering. However, retirement may be impossible for a man who loves to stay busy: He says he will likely teach part-time, write and perhaps spend more time with his family and his four Arabian horses--Natasha, Suntan, Bosco and Dotty. Despite the fact he is well into his 60s, Smoot still exudes the energy of youth. He plans to keep up with his daily trips to the gym and will continue to challenge opponents with his mean backhand on the tennis court. ``He has a unique combination of brains, personality, civic mindedness and athleticism,'' said one of Smoot's tennis buddies, Utah County Commissioner Gary Herbert. ``He has a rare combination of being great in many different areas--a well-rounded, uniquely talented individual.'' Faithful to his religion, Smoot will continue with his church service. He has been an LDS bishop, area authority, stake president and spent five years in the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also volunteers to teach Book of Mormon classes at

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4129, the Central Utah Project Completion Act Amendments Act. As in most Western States, water in Utah is a valuable and rare resource. Some of the most difficult and important decisions we make today are about how water should be conserved, transported, and allocated. This bill will help us move in the right direction by providing CUP with the necessary flexibility to meet the existing and future water needs of the State. This bill provides fine-tuning to the original CUPCA authorization to make changes to CUP reflecting the current needs of Utah's water users. H.R. 4129 modifies reimbursement costs for investigation of certain power features in the Bonneville unit. It also modifies the repayment schedule for CUP projects. The bill will give CUP the opportunity to fund projects that have been promised but not yet constructed. H.R. 4129 does not add any additional authorization to the Central Utah Project, but rather, enables the CUP to take the money granted under previous Central Utah Project Completion Act authorizations and redirect it to other projects.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4968, the Federal- Utah State Trust Lands Consolidation Act. This land exchange represents the third major effort by Congress, the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, the State of Utah and the Department of the Interior to block up the checkerboard ownership of lands dedicated to the benefit of Utah's schoolchildren. H.R. 4968 will ratify an agreement signed by the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Governor of Utah that agrees to exchange over 100,000 acres of land within Emery, Uintah, Utah, Washington and Sevier Counties. The Federal Government will gain ownership of spectacular lands located within the San Rafael Swell area, critical species habitat in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve in Washington County and in--holdings within the Manti-La Sal National Forest. In return, the school children of Utah will receive developable lands that may contain recoverable oil, gas, coal or other resources. In this exchange, the two parties took a real world, businesslike approach. As someone with a background in business, I am fully aware of the extreme difficulty in negotiating the value of assets. In particular, I am aware of how difficult it is to place a value on something as intangible as the worth of a coherent, manageable piece of land as compared to scattered, checkerboard parcels of land. The two parties in this exchange have done as good a job as can be done. Futhermore, this exchange has been certified by an outside, third party expert who has fully analyzed these lands and minerals and submitted a report stating that this is an equal-value exchange. Mr. Speaker, this is a fair exchange that continues our efforts to protect those funds in Utah that should not be developed and allows the school children of Utah to fully appreciate the assets they own. We have wide spread support for this effort throughout the State, among the Congressional delegation, from the NEA, PTA, the Administration and members of the environmental community. Critics of the exchange have made completely contradictory claims. They have asserted that the federal lands being granted to the state have huge value, but then say that the lands won't generate significant revenue. In reality, the lands that the Utah school trust will acquire have potential to generate reasonable future income, which will provide additional income to each of Utah's public schools, in a state where every penny counts. This bill has received prominent attention in the national press. Much of that attention has been focused on what Utah stands to gain from the exchange. It is important that we look at the other side of the exchange as well. Under H.R. 4968, the Federal Government will acquire over 100,000 acres of conservation lands in the San Rafael Swell, as well as the balanced of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve in Washington County, in exchange for less sensitive federal lands that can generate revenue for Utah's schools. This is the third land exchange in Utah in the last three Congresses. We are improving the process and we will do better next time. It is imperative that these exchanges to be transparent and evenhanded. It is important that valuable resources are protected and that both parties be treated equitably. I am convinced this exchange meets those criteria. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4968.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, from Native Americans to Mormon Pioneers to today's western travelers, people have long been captivated by the unique and beautiful landscape of my state. Utah's steep mountains, broad valleys, ancient rock formations and unique natural resources continue to draw visitors and many of my fellow Utahns to our public lands where a wide variety of outdoor activities can be enjoyed. This coming Saturday, September 28, 2002, Utah and the Nation will celebrate National Public Lands Day. In Salt Lake City, we will welcome a special group of folks that spent the last two months on an incredible expedition. American Frontiers: A Public Lands Journey, is an educational project bringing the public lands story to life for thousands of school children and interested adults. Two teams of adventurers have been traveling entirely on public lands as they make their way from Canada and Mexico through six states on over 3,000 miles of rivers and trails, following in the pathways of pioneers and acting as modem explorers. American Frontiers has been made possible by a partnership involving dozens of organizations led by National Geographic Society, the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, American Honda and the Coleman Company. These modem explorers have produced wonderful and thoughtful stories about the diversity and value of the lands they traveled through in Utah and other states. I look forward to welcoming these adventurers to my home state on Saturday, and encourage every citizen to embrace the legacy of America's most beautiful lands on that day.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Timpanogos Interagency Land Exchange Act of 2001. This legislation authorizes a land exchange between the United States Forest Service and a private citizen in my district and provides for the construction of an interagency administrative and visitor facility at the entrance of American Fork Canyon. I want to thank my colleague and fellow Utahan, Senator Robert Bennett, for introducing this bill in the Senate and for his hard work in helping this bill become law. The Timpanogos Interagency Land Exchange Act of 2001 authorizes the exchange of 266 acres of United States Forest Service land for 37 acres of private land. This exchange is being done with a willing private landowner. The values for the exchange will be equal. The exchange requires the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture and must conform to the ``Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions.'' The newly acquired Forest Service land will serve as the site for a new visitor center and administrative office of the Pleasant Grove Ranger District of the Uinta National Forest and the Timpanogos Cave National Monument. This new facility will greatly benefit the visiting public and result in better coordination between the NPS and the USFS. The original visitor center at Timpanogos Cave burned down in 1991. Since then, a 20 by 60 foot double-wide trailer has served as the make- shift visitor center. This trailer is far from adequate for the monument's annual visitation of 120,000 people. It is simply too small and outdated. Additionally, the center suffers from occasional rock- falls that cause significant damage to the roof of the trailer and raises obvious public safety concerns. The new facility will meet the space needs of the ranger district and be more technology friendly and will also be in a safer location. Furthermore, the public now will be able to visit one conveniently located office to inquire about NPS and USFS activities. The Timpanogos Interagency Land Exchange Act of 2001 is long overdue. Its passage today will help correct a decade old problem and will help both the National Park Service and the United States Forest Service serve the public better.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this measure. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4102, introduced by our distinguished colleague from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Fallon, Nevada, as the Rollan D. Melton Post Office Building. All Members of the House delegation from the State of Nevada are cosponsors of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, Rollan Melton was a credit to the field of journalism and a devoted resident of the town of Fallon in the gentleman from Nevada's (Mr. Gibbons) district. At this time, Mr. Speaker, the sponsor of the legislation, the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons), has asked me to read a statement on his behalf because he regrets that he is unable to be here today. ``It is only fitting that this post office, which is an integral part of the Fallon community, be named after the man who dedicated his life to the town, its people, and the goal of keeping small communities like Fallon connected to the world through their local newspaper. ``A prominent resident of Fallon, Nevada, Rollan Melton established a remarkable career in journalism and never forgot his hometown roots. ``Born July 21, 1931, in Boise, Idaho, Rollan Melton moved to Fallon as a young boy. He played football for the Fallon High School and went on to the University of Nevada on a Harold's Club scholarship. He always appreciated his Fallon years and would later endow a scholarship at Fallon's Churchill County High School to celebrate the help he had from his high school teachers and coaches. ``As a young man, Melton quickly embarked on a career of journalism. He would write for the London Observer, the Wall Street Journal and several New York City papers. Yet, Melton loved his home State of Nevada and in 1957, he joined the Reno Evening Gazette where he could write about his hometown and the surrounding communities. ``He would hold various positions at the paper including reporter, sports editor, telegraph editor, promotion manager, and, finally, editor and publisher of the paper which would become known as the Reno Gazette-Journal. ``Throughout his newspaper career, he remained active in numerous philanthropic organizations. He served as a trustee and officer of the Jon Ben Snow Trust based at Syracuse, New York. The trust gives about $300,000 in grants each year in Nevada. ``Melton was also a member of the Nevada Board of Regents, earning the designation of a Distinguished Nevadan. ``Of all his positions, the one he loved the most was columnist, and he wrote frequently about Fallon and its people. On November 30, 2001, Melton was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame. He was also named to the Nevada Newspaper Hall of Fame. ``Melton completed 23 years of column writing in October 2001. His first book, Nevadans, was published in 1988. His second, an autobiography entitled Sonny's Story, was published by the University of Nevada in 1988. And the third book, 101 Nevada Columns, was published on his 70th birthday on 2001. ``As a distinguished writer, Rollan Melton found his inspiration in the people of Nevada. Naming the Fallon Post Office in his honor would be a great tribute to his work and commitment to the Silver State and to the town he loved so much, Fallon, Nevada.'' Mr. Speaker, this concludes the statement from the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons). Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of H.R. 4102. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill under consideration, H.R. 4102.

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4102) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 120 North Maine Street in Fallon, Nevada, as the ``Rollan D. Melton Post Office Building.''

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

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this measure. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5333, sponsored by our distinguished colleague from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), designates the facility of the United States Postal Service in Worcester, Massachusetts as the Joseph D. Early Post Office Building. All Members of the House delegation from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are cosponsors of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, with this legislation we honor a man who has been a fixture in Massachusetts politics for over 40 years. Joseph Early was born and raised in Worcester and attended the College of Holy Cross. Early was the captain of the Holy Cross Crusaders basketball squad that won the 1954 National Invitational Tournament, at that time the major tournament in America, I might point out. After college he served in the United States Navy before returning to Worcester to teach and coach basketball. Early began his long career of service to the people of Worcester in 1962 when he was elected to the Massachusetts State House. He served until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974. He served in this body until 1993. Here in the House Mr. Early sat on the Committee on Appropriations and tirelessly but quietly advocated the causes important to himself and to his constituents. His stewardship of the National Institutes of Health is especially noteworthy and undoubtedly resulted in many medical advances. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of H.R. 5333. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill under consideration, H.R. 5333.

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5333) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4 East Central Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, as the ``Joseph D. Early Post Office Building.''

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella) for moving this issue today and giving me an opportunity to speak. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 3210, the Terrorism Risk Protection Act, which provides for continued availability of insurance against terrorism risks and addresses multiple insurance and liability issues arising from the September 11 attacks. The Senate passed a similar version overwhelmingly supported by the House, and this motion will allow the House to show its support for the issue with a vote to instruct conferees. I would like to talk particularly about what I think is one of the most important issues in that bill which fell within the Committee on the Judiciary's jurisdiction. Under current law, Americans who have been victimized by state- subsidized terrorism and are eligible to enforce court judgments against the assets of a terrorist state have had to wait for Congress to act before they could collect their awarded funds. Some victims have gotten compensated. However, most have not. Under the Fossella-Cannon language in section 15(e) of the Terrorism Risk Protection Act passed by the House, American victims of international terrorism will have equal access to the courts and to blocked assets of terrorists, terrorist organizations, and state sponsors of terror as a small but important token of justice. This language imposes immediate financial costs on the states that sponsor terrorism. Freezing assets for 20 years and then giving them back to the terrorist states does not impose such costs. At present, terrorism is a cheap way to pursue war against Americans. Unless the U.S. finds ways to make it more costly, terrorists and states which sponsor terrorism have less economic incentive to stop. By imposing a direct and immediate cost, this language represents one effective financial tool against terrorists and also helps their victims. After the Senate pulled the language from their version of the Terrorism Risk Protection Act, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella) and I introduced a stand-alone bill to ensure a solution to this problem. However, language identical to the bill introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella) and me was added to the Senate bill on the floor by a vote of 81-3. With this provision now included in both the Senate and the House version of the Terrorism Risk Protection Act, there is no reason why we should not be able to preserve the express will of both houses in conference by maintaining this language. Madam Speaker, there are many people who would benefit from this, and with recent attacks on the World Trade Center, there are many from the district of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella) which this legislation would directly affect. Others affected by it include people like Terry Anderson and other former hostages held by Hezbollah who successfully sued and won judgments against Iran but have not been able to collect from the seized assets. The provision in this bill today will allow access to the frozen assets of terrorists, terrorist organizations and terrorist- sponsored states, and American victims of international terrorism who obtain judgments against those terrorists. I would like to once again thank the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Oxley); the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner); my colleague and friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella); and my colleague and friend, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt), for their efforts on this issue. I urge my colleagues to support the motion to instruct conferees. Allowing victims to go directly after the frozen assets of terrorists and their sponsors will help us to allow our Nation and economy to go forward.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Chairman, I was intrigued by the comments of the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) and also the gentleman from California. My first job as a lawyer was to work with Stuart Udall in the late 1970s when he was suing the Federal Government on the facts that came out about the fallout, which came out, in fact, in the context of FOIA requests. Let me say that the information that came out was remarkable. I read every page of that information of the discussions that were held at very high levels in the military about how they should control the information about fallout and subject citizens of the United States knowingly to the unknown effects, known to be bad; but the scope of those effects were unknown at the time. I agree that it was appropriate to have that information come out and be the subject of a lawsuit. The fact, though, is that that was government activity that was made available through the Freedom of Information Act. The gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) talked about the Republican Party. These are governmental activities. What we are dealing with in this exception is information that comes from private parties who own 90 percent of the infrastructure. This amendment is ill advised, inappropriate; and I suggest that my colleagues vote against it.

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Chairman, I want to express my support for the amendment offered by my good friend, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy. He has worked thoughtfully on this issue for many years now. Although the underlying bill contains some of the necessary protections for private organizations to coordinate with each other and share information with the government, it does not go far enough. This amendment is a critical element to facilitate the type of public- private cooperation we want to see developed in protecting vital elements of our infrastructure. That cooperation should not be artificially limited to the Department of Homeland Security exclusively when the President may want other existing Departments to be recipients of infrastructure vulnerability information. A fact of life is that 90 percent of our critical infrastructure in this country, whether it is telecommunications facilities, pipelines, or electricity, the electricity grid, is held not by the government but by private companies and individuals. In order to induce these private entities to voluntarily share information about their vulnerabilities and security protections with each other and with the government, they need to be granted clear advance assurances that such collaboration and information-sharing will not hurt them. Even more importantly, we need to ensure that such information is not used to our collective detriment. Openness is a great asset of our society, but there needs to be a balance. Already there is a great deal of publicly available information that can be used by those who wish us harm. But we should not release sensitive information not normally available in the public domain because a private entity has voluntarily cooperated with the Federal Government, the Federal or local government. We have a successful model for this type of limited exemption from FOIA in the public and private efforts that were undertaken to prepare for the Y2K computer programming glitch, and that effort was an astounding success. I urge Members to support the Davis amendment.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, Last evening, the House approved H.R. 3258, a bill sponsored by my friend and colleague from Wyoming, Mrs. Cubin. I believe that the Reasonable Rights-of-Way Fees Act of 2002 is a significant and worthy piece of legislation, and I hope that the other body will act on it favorably before the end of the current Congress. H.R. 3258 will ensure that the fees paid by telecommunications providers for the use of rights-of-way on Federal lands are reasonable. This is especially important in parts of the rural West like my district in Utah where it is difficult to deploy the long-haul facilities needed to connect small towns to the Internet and the public switched telephone network without at some point crossing Federal lands. However, as good a bill as H.R. 3258 is, it is only a first step. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must strive across the board to attain a reasonable balance between government's need to manage public rights-of-way and industry and consumers equally important need to have non-discriminatory, inexpensive, and timely access to these rights-of- way for the deployment of critical telecommunications infrastructure. Specifically, the FCC, in conjunction with Federal land management agencies, must take steps to ensure that: (1) All telecommunications providers have non-discriminatory access to public rights-of-way for the purpose of providing intrastate, interstate or international telecommunications or telecommunications services or deploying facilities to be used directly or indirectly in the provision of such services; (2) Government entities should act on a request for public rights-of- way access within a reasonable and fixed period of time from the date that the request for such access is submitted, or such request should be deemed approved; (3) The fees charged for public rights-of-way access should reflect only the actual and direct costs incurred in managing the public rights-of-way and the amount of public rights-of-way actually used by the telecommunications provider; (4) All telecommunications providers should be treated uniformly and in a competitively neutral manner with respect to terms and conditions of access to public rights-of-way; (5) Entities that do not have physical facilities in, require access to, or actually use the public rights-of-way, such as resellers and lessees of network elements from facilities-based telecommunications providers, should not be subject to public rights-of-way management practices or fees; and (6) Waivers of the right to challenge the lawfulness of particular governmental requirements as a condition of receiving any public rights-of-way access should be invalid. I believe that, consistent with the Telecommunications Act, the Federal Communications Commission should vigorously enforce existing law and use expedited procedures for resolving preemption petitions involving access to public rights-of-way. Expeditious removal of barriers to right-of-way access will help ensure that all telecommunications providers--incumbent local exchange carriers, competitive local exchange carriers, wireless carriers, and cable providers--can better deploy telecommunications services to the greatest number of Americans at reasonable costs. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, after the tragic events of September 11, Americans have shown their patriotism and support for the War on Terror in various ways, such as voting, volunteering and serving in the armed forces. One such group of patriots is the men and women of the Fox Company, a Marine Corps Reserve unit from my home State of Utah. These Marines were recently called to active duty and sent to Camp Pendleton, California, assigned to Homeland Security. They have left their families, friends, homes and careers to defend and protect us, standing as bulwark for our freedom. Today I wish to thank those men and women of the Fox Company for accepting that call of duty. These Marines have willingly put their lives on the line to defend the freedom that this country enjoys. Though they have not yet been deployed to fight the enemy overseas, these Marines play a vital role in securing our safety and liberty. Their service and determination to uphold and defend our rights must not go unnoticed. They should be recognized and appreciated by all Utahns and all Americans. I would also like to recognize the families of these Marines. Their support, sacrifice and love are the driving force and inspiration behind the Fox Company. These Utah families are not only facing the absence of a father, husband, mother or wife, but also financial hardship due to the significantly decreased income from established careers so they may serve full time. This is no easy task, but one that these families willingly take on as their part in operation Enduring Freedom. I commend the courage and patriotism of the Marine Reserve Fox Company. They are admirably performing an honorable job to defend and support the flag at a time when evil enemies are attempting to tear down the institutions that protect the freedom Americans have worked long to build. We should all be thankful for the sacrifice and work of the Fox Company.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, on July 11th, David Safavian will be sworn in as the Chief of Staff for the Administrator Stephen Perry at the General Services Administration. President Bush has made a wise choice, I know. Prior to accepting his new position, David was my Chief of Staff in Washington DC. In that role, he demonstrated the dedication to public service that I wish all Federal employees had. David never let partisanship get in the way of sound public policy. He is a leader who never forgets that only through teamwork do things get accomplished. And even though he was not born in Utah, he learned the culture, and as a result, was adopted by the Beehive State. Theodore Roosevelt once indicated that a man who never failed is someone who never did anything. David took challenges head on, fully knowing that failure was possible. Yet he was able to keep his eye on the ultimate objective: helping the people of Utah's Third Congressional District and the United States of America. Mr. Speaker, we remain good friends, and I will miss David's counsel. But my loss is the Administration's gain. And for that, I could not be more pleased.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the comments of the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and those of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith). I believe that in light of the Supreme Court decision of Free Speech Coalition against Ashcroft, Congress must act again and immediately to give law enforcement the ability to fight the scourge of child pornography, whether real or virtual. The Supreme Court struck down provisions of the law passed by this Congress in 1996 because some were poorly defined and too broadly targeted. We have heard some criticism today that this bill is still in conflict with the recent decision by the Supreme Court. I think that criticism is unfounded, and I want to speak for a moment about some of the specific changes we have made to focus and narrow and improve the bill. In response to the Free Speech Coalition decision, section 3(a) of this bill narrows the definition of child pornography so that it is a computer image or computer-generated image that is, or is indistinguishable from, that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. This provision narrows the definition in several ways. First, it limits the definition to computer images or computer-generated images; second, it limits the definition by requiring the virtual images be indistinguishable from real images; and, third, it uses the newly defined definition for ``sexually explicit conduct.'' The bill also strengthens the affirmative defense for those charged under the law to address another criticism of the Supreme Court. Finally, the bill also narrows the definition for the offense of pandering material as child pornography. It is clear from these provisions and others in the bill that the drafting was done very carefully to address the issues raised by the Supreme Court decision and improved the law as the court suggested. I urge my colleagues to support the bill and once again make it clear that some material is so universally offensive that it does not deserve unlimited protect of the first amendment.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 3786, which I introduced, would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to complete a land exchange that would help him protect an important scenic view located in southern Utah at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and to revise the boundaries of the park to reflect the exchange and the present boundaries of the park. The exchange would facilitate the acquisition of 152 acres, including an important scenic view by the Park Service, while the private developer would acquire 370 acres of land on the other side of Highway 89. The parcel acquired by the Park Service will also help facilitate a more manageable boundary at the park's most visited entrance. While the Park Service will be acquiring land of considerably greater value than the developer, the private developer has expressed a willingness to donate the approximately $350,000 difference in value to the National Park Service. H.R. 3786, as amended, also contains a provision that authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the developer to describe such terms and conditions as are mutually agreeable regarding how the lands will be managed following the exchange. The bill is supported by both the majority and minority, as well as the administration, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CANNON

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.