Donna Christensen

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the chair of our caucus, the Honorable John Larson from Connecticut.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4195) to authorize the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from California, Congressman Farr.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. 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.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the sponsor of this important piece of legislation, the gentlewoman from Arizona, Representative Ann Kirkpatrick.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5194) to designate Mt. Andrea Lawrence, and for other purposes.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 5194, introduced by Representative Buck McKeon, would designate a mountain in California's Sierra Nevadas as Mt. Andrea Lawrence. Andrea Mead Lawrence was the first American to win two Olympic gold medals in alpine skiing. She followed her Olympic career with a career as an ardent conservationist. H.R. 5194 designates Peak 12,240 as Mt. Andrea Lawrence. The mountain is located on the northern border of the Ansel Adams Wilderness and the Yosemite National Park. This seems a fitting tribute to the life and work of Ms. Lawrence. I urge Members to support H.R. 5194. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1508) celebrating the 200th Anniversary of John James Audubon in Henderson, Kentucky.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. 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.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5811) to amend the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama and Coushatta Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act to allow the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tribe to determine blood quantum requirement for membership in that tribe.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes).

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, it's been clear from listening to my colleague Mrs. Kirkpatrick that not only she, but the community, recognizes that this bill is good for business and good for jobs. People come from all over the world to enjoy the unique red rock landscape and the world-class recreational opportunities this place offers. This bill helps conserve that landscape that the community relies on for tourism. In fact, there were several amendments offered by the other side of the aisle at markup, and all of the amendments offered by the minority were accepted and they addressed their concerns then. In markup, Mr. Flake also added to this clause a section that provided that the construction or siting of transportation projects or water projects within the scenic area or outside the scenic area would not be impacted. This is a good bill which the people of Mrs. Kirkpatrick's district strongly support. The community has diligently worked together to help get this bill here today, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4823, introduced by Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, would authorize the establishment of the Sedona-Red Rock National Scenic Area in the Coconino National Forest in northern Arizona. This legislation would protect approximately 160,000 acres by restricting land exchanges within the scenic area and by managing the land within the scenic area for conservation purposes. The bill specifically provides that the establishment of the national scenic area shall not impact surrounding land, roads or easements nor will it impact utility easements, the management of State, municipal or private land or the management of surrounding national forest land. Mr. Speaker, 4823 is a good bill. Representative Kirkpatrick has worked diligently with residents, officials, and business owners to craft this legislation, making it widely popular in the community of Sedona. I urge Members to support H.R. 4823. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. 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.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I also want to mention our colleague the gentlewoman from Guam's strong support for this bill. Though Ms. Bordallo could not be here today to speak in support of H.R. 1454 as she is on Guam conducting official business, she asked that I relay her thanks to the gentleman from South Carolina for his efforts with this legislation, and for the bipartisan manner in which he has worked with her and all of our Members on the Democratic side of the aisle as the ranking member of the subcommittee. I too am among the over 150 cosponsors of H.R. 1454, and recognize its value as a longtime member of the International Conservation Caucus. I continue to urge a ``yes'' vote. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1454, the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act of 2009, that was introduced by our colleague from South Carolina, Henry Brown. The Multinational Species Conservation Funds promote wildlife conservation around the world for keystone species, including great apes, tigers, and elephants. These programs consistently generate high- quality conservation projects and leverage $3 or $4 from non-Federal contributors for every Federal dollar spent. Mr. Speaker, revenues generated from the sale of a wildlife semipostal stamp, as authorized under this legislation, would fund these important grant programs. I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1454 and supported its original passage by the House nearly a year ago. I urge my colleagues to support the amended version and send it on to the President so it may become law. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and add any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5152) to adjust the boundary of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park to include the Wallis House and Harriston Hill, and for other purposes.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4347) to amend the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to provide further self-governance by Indian tribes, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, under self-governance, Indian tribes assume the duties of the Federal Government for certain programs within the Department of the Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services. Self- governance empowers tribes to exercise their inherent sovereignty and make key decisions that will impact their nations. The widespread success of self-governance since its inception demonstrates that when tribes make the decisions that directly impact their tribal citizens, the outcomes are far greater. Introduced by our colleague from Oklahoma (Mr. Boren), H.R. 4347 would amend the self-determination contracting program to allow title 1 tribes to become familiar with the self-governance compacting program. This legislation would also amend the Department of the Interior self- governance program to make it consistent with the self-governance program at the Department of Health and Human Services. It allows Indian tribes to step into the shoes of the Federal Government to administer programs at the Department of the Interior using rules and procedures similar to those used at the Indian Health Service. I would like to commend Mr. Boren from Oklahoma for his leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.