Donna Christensen

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3848 is sponsored by the esteemed chairman of the Committee on Resources, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen). The bill was introduced just last month and was reported from the Committee on Resources with no hearings. As such, we have limited information on the proposal. As the gentleman explained, the bill authorizes the Bureau of Land Management to make a grant to the State of Utah in the amount of $2.5 million for the development and construction of recreational and visitor facilities at a State recreational area in Washington County, Utah. While the local BLM may have indicated their willingness to help fund this project, the agency lacks the authority to spend Federal funds on facilities on State lands. However, we would not object to consideration of H.R. 3848 by the House today. The bill is solely an authorization and should not be construed as establishing a precedent for other requests for Federal funds. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2937, sponsored by the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons), would convey 4.5 square miles of Federal land in Clark County, Nevada, to Clark County, free of charge. The acreage in question is currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of the Quail Springs Wilderness Study Area, and the legislation releases the land from WSA status. The purpose of the legislation is to provide a centralized firearms training facility and shooting range in the Las Vegas Valley. Among other effects, the rapid population expansion which has taken place in the valley has created a dangerous situation whereby once rural activities such as firearms practice, is now taking place in close proximity to populated areas. This transfer will allow development of a safe facility for these activities, with a sufficient buffer area. While such a transaction raises several concerns, not the least of which is the status of this land as a wilderness study area, we do not intend to oppose this measure. The administration supports H.R. 2937, and a companion bill has been introduced by the majority whip, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada. We commend our colleague on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3090, the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act. I am pleased that we appear to be finally on our way towards giving relief to the millions of Americans who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. I want to thank the Chairman and Ranking Democrat of the Ways and Means Committee, Representatives Thomas and Rangel for including the annual Tax Extenders bill in the H.R. 3090 which includes the very important extension of the Rum Cover-Over for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The Rum Rebate, as it is known in my district, is critically important because it is used to secure the bonds that the Government of Virgin Islands issues to pay for the public infrastructure needs of the territory. Mr. Speaker, I applaud the leadership you and your fellow majority leadership members have shown in crafting an unemployment extension bill which has strong bipartisan support and which has a good chance of becoming law soon because it does not contain any of the controversial tax breaks that were included in earlier bills such as the repeal of the corporate minimum tax. On balance this is a good bill and I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Tumacacori Mission was declared a national monument in 1908, making it one of the first monuments declared in the United States. The site contains the ruins of the original mission church, which dates from the 17th century, as well as a limekiln and cemetery. Over time, the monument was expanded; and in 1990, the area was established as a National Historical Park. However, certain features of the compound, including an irrigation ditch and orchard, lie on private lands adjacent to the park. H.R. 2234 revises the boundary of the park to include an additional 310 acres which were originally part of the mission. The land is divided into two parcels and both landowners support the park expansion. It is our understanding this expansion will allow the National Park Service to move park facilities away from historic buildings and allow the park to recreate the mission and orchard as they once appeared. Tumacacori serves as a cultural and historical touchstone for a variety of different peoples, including Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and European cultures. Expansion of this site will allow improved interpretation and preservation of this valuable area. We commend our colleague, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor), for his work on this legislation and support the passage of H.R. 2234. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor).

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. I rise in support, Mr. Speaker, of H.R. 700, a bill to reauthorize the Asian Elephant Conservation Act. I would also like to recognize and applaud the bill's sponsor, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton), for his continued leadership in protecting these magnificent, yet imperiled animals. Unlike African elephants, the steep decline in the population of Asian elephants was not widely known until 1997. Sadly, we have learned that this population, at one time flourishing, is now fragmented into ever-shrinking remnant populations scattered across 13 countries throughout Southern and Southeast Asia. Fortunately, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act has helped range states the address the multiple threats which have contributed to the decline of this keystone species in the wild. Grants initiated under the Asian Elephant Conservation Program have provided valuable financial assistance to impoverished areas. These funds have supported a wide assortment of projects within range states, including conservation, planning, scientific research, education and community outreach, as well as anti-poaching and law enforcement activities. Progress on the ground is being made. That is why this legislation is fully supported by the administration and by many international conservation organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 700 is virtually the same legislation that the House passed earlier this year by the lopsided vote of 401 to 15. The other technical amendments made by the other body to H.R. 700 are noncontroversial, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to reauthorize this important wildlife program. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I would like to once again commend the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton) for his passion on this issue and his leadership at the committee. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, after a twenty-five year career in the U.S. Public Health Service, Marilyn Hughes Gaston, MD, Director of the Bureau of Primary Health Care, within the Health Resources and Services Administration, is resigning and making her transition into the private sector. Dr. Gaston began her career as a physician. She received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed a residency training in pediatrics. Her work over the years has been marked by staunch advocacy for the betterment of the health status of minorities, women and children. Dr. Gaston is an internationally recognized leader in sickle cell research and her contributions to the field have resulted in significant changes in the way the disease is treated and managed in children. She is the first African American woman to direct a U.S. Public Health Service Bureau and she commands a primary health care budget that reaches $5 billion. Under her leadership millions of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations nationwide are assured access to quality, culturally and linguistically competent, primary and preventive health care. Along with her numerous other accolades, she is a former Assistant Surgeon General and the second African American woman to reach Rear Admiral, the highest rank in the U.S. Public Health Service. Recently, Dr. Gaston co-authored ``Prime Time,'' a health and wellness book for African American women in the midyears. She is a phenomenal leader and mentor. Her work has touched the lives of many and her presence in the Public Health Service will be genuinely missed!

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the stimulus bill being brought today by the Republican leadership. As I have come to the floor on previous occasions to say, we must take care of the people of this country who have lost jobs and health coverage because of September 11th, before we do anything else. Not only is it the right thing to do for them and for our country, but also it is one of the best stimuli we could put in place to begin to get our economy back on track. We have provided help for Airlines, we have provided help for insurance companies, we have allowed our own cost-of-living increase to go into effect, and now what our leaders would have us do is to provide ill-advised and really unnecessary tax cuts to the largest of corporations, and let hundreds of thousands of working people go without. Some say there is not enough money to allow the temporary one-year extension of the Unemployment Program and an extra twenty-six weeks of unemployment benefits that the Democrats are asking for. My solution is a simple one! Eliminate or at least delay the tax cut until we know the money will be there to fund it, and do not repeal the alternative minimum tax for corporations, save one year's relief, at most. I commend my colleagues Charles Rangel, John Dingle, and Dick Gephardt, as well as those in the other body who worked hard to reach a good compromise that helps the most people. They did the very best they could. And I applaud them for not giving in or giving up on the people who are depending on them for relief that they will not get otherwise. I urge my colleagues on this side of the aisle to hold fast and vote ``no'' on this bill, and I also invite and urge my other colleagues to do what is right for this country, and do the same.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join Chairman LoBiondo, and Ranking Member Brown and my other colleagues in strong support of H.R. 3507, the Coast Guard Authorization Act. Early in November I had the opportunity to visit with Commander Gene Brooks, of the Greater Antilles Section in San Juan Puerto Rico, which is responsible for my district the U.S. Virgin Islands. What was very clear from that meeting, Mr. Speaker, is that the Coast Guard is in dire need of assets and personnel to carry out their mission. Since September 11, 2001 this has become more urgent, as much of what they had has been deployed elsewhere, and the primary assignment port security and escorting and protecting defense vessels, and hazardous materials, has taken them almost completely away from their role in drugs interdiction, border patrol and marine safety, as well as search and rescue. Mr. Speaker, my district has several assets of national significance and importance. Additionally, because the Virgin Islands is a border of the United States we need a well-staffed and equipped Coast Guard. Mr. Speaker, the $5.9 billion authorized by this bill is a good start. I look forward to working with you and the subcommittee to give this and all the agencies, which secure our homeland, and support our armed forces, all the resources they need to do the job. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3507. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, to support the Labor Health and Human Services, and Education appropriation bill today, and to applaud the chairman, Mr. Regula, and ranking member, Mr. Obey, for their hard work, willingness to work with all of us, with our many and varied interests, and demands, and their unwavering commitment to the people of this country who depend on the work done in this important committee. As a family physician and chair of the Health Braintrust of the Congressional Black Caucus, I want to speak specifically to the Health funding. Mr. Speaker, while we may not have gotten all that we wanted, I am pleased that funding that would have been flat or reduced under President Bush's budget request was restored or even increased. Although there are many instances where this has happened, I want to make specific reference to Healthy Start, the Health Careers Opportunity Program and the Minority AIDS initiative. On the Minority AIDS initiative we regret that the funding did not come closer to our request of $540 million that we determined was needed to extend the programs for HIV and AIDS to our hard to reach people of color who are at disproportionate risk, and suffer the most from the scourge of this virus. We are most concerned that the language accompanying the funding for this important initiative still falls short, in that it fails to target this small section of AIDS funding narrowly, to ensure that the community organizations that are of the communities, which are most needy, are the ones to receive the funding. In not doing this, the intent of the Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses, to empower our community through resources and technical assistance may not be met--a risk we should not take given the devastation of HIV/AIDS on our communities. But the committee did well in providing us the 11% increase--far more than ensured by the President's budget, and for that we are grateful. We will redouble our efforts to get the full funding and better language next year. Mr. Speaker, I want to say that I too share the disappointment voiced by several of my colleagues in that the measure which would have given mental health services parity with other healthcare is not included, and pledge to work with them, and our community and national organizations that this goal will be realized. To expect a perfect bill that includes all that everyone wanted is more than unrealistic, and in this period of crisis in our country it is impossible. The chair and ranking member and the committee has done well. We thank them, and we ask our colleagues to vote for this bill.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2069, the Global Access to HIV/AIDS Prevention, Awareness, Education and Treatment Act of 2001 and I commend my colleagues Chairman Hyde, Ranking Member Lantos and my friend Congresswoman Barbara Lee for their work in bringing this bill to the floor today. Madam Speaker, H.R. 2069 is badly needed, and my only regret is that we didn't pass it sooner. Just 10 days ago we celebrated World Aids Day to call attention to the global scourge of HIV/AIDS which has, to date, claimed an estimated four million children world wide and the news gets worse, every day. Everyday AIDS kills more than 7,000 people in sub- Saharan Africa. The AIDS pandemic continues to escalate in the Caribbean, Asia, and Russia and according to today's New York Times; the Chinese central government is taking steps to address its growing AIDS problem. This pandemic is now projected to infect over 100 million people with a deadly incurable virus by 2007. We must realize that we are no longer a world where any one country, or even one neighborhood can labor under the impression that they are isolated. The devastation and the disruptive effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic may be at its very worse in far away, exotic lands but the dire effects will ripple until they reach our shores. The Global Access to HIV/AIDS Prevention, Awareness, Education and Treatment Act of 2001 is a step in the right direction in this regard, because it urges the United States and other developed countries to provide assistance to sub-Saharan Africa and other developing countries, with respect to activities supported in connection with health programs, to control the HIV/AIDS pandemic through HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, monitoring and related activities, particularly focused on women and youth--including mother- to-child transmission prevention strategies. I urge my colleagues to support this important and badly need bill.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to just thank the distinguished gentleman from Kentucky. He has brought the wonderful pictures and really laid out all of the reasons why this bill should be supported. We would also like to add our congratulations on his having passed the transportation appropriations bill with such a broad consensus and such a strong vote. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park serves two important purposes: The park preserves an absolutely beautiful area, while also allowing people to explore the important historical role played by the Cumberland Gap. The gap, located at the intersection of the Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia borders, was first a passageway for large game animals, then Native Americans, and finally hundreds of thousands of American settlers heading to the American West. Like the park itself, H.R. 2238 serves two important purposes. The bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire for addition to the park an approximately 4,500 acre parcel known as the Fern Lake Watershed. During the hearings we held on this matter, photographs showed it to be a lush, undeveloped area, and the administration testified as to its eagerness to add the land to the park. In addition, passage of H.R. 2238 will ensure a reliable, long-term water supply for a community that depends on Fern Lake. The Secretary would be authorized to grant easements over the newly acquired property to facilitate the continued use of the lake as the municipal water supply for the town of Middlesboro, Kentucky, and to contract with the utility for the sale and distribution of the water to the town and its environs. Mr. Speaker, we realize this is a somewhat unusual arrangement. However, the lake will be a valuable addition to the park, and we feel sure that the National Park Service, the utility and the town will develop a good, mutually beneficial working relationship. Mr. Speaker, our ranking member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), joins me in commending the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) for his hard work on this legislation, and we urge support for H.R. 2238. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the legislation of the distinguished gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) which would authorize the construction of a new education and administrative center at one of our Nation's oldest migratory bird refuges. It was unfortunate that floods destroyed the center nearly 18 years ago. I understand the frustration of the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that a new facility has not been built to replace the original building. As Members may recall, the 1997 National Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act established environmental education and resource interpretation as priority uses at all national wildlife refuges. Education centers like the one planned for Bear River are essential to ensure that the Fish and Wildlife Service promotes the wildlife wonders throughout our national wildlife refuge system and generates public awareness and appreciation for these resources. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this legislation. I look forward to working with both the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) and our ranking member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), who adds his commendation and support for the bill to improve visitor services within our national wildlife refuges.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, the war that our country is waging in response to the attacks of September 11 and to eliminate the terrorists who are responsible for it is, without question, necessary and important. But so are our homeland security needs. The U.S. Customs Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Coast Guard and regional defense forces need more staff, assets and funding. Our public health infrastructure, which will be our frontline biological and chemical defense, is full of holes and needs to be strengthened, especially in poor communities. Our children, who must be prepared to carry out the long-term security mission, are being undereducated in rundown schools and need a major investment of our time and capital. The biggest obstacles to meeting our obligations for security for our communities, including access to quality health care and a sound education for our children, is the tax cut. The insistence that we move forward and, worse, move it up at this time is putting our country and every citizen at risk. Mr. Speaker, we need to roll back the tax cut so that we can properly prepare this country to meet our critical health, education and security needs.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, today I join my colleagues in support of H.R. 2538, the Native American Small Business Development Act. Within the past decade, America's small businesses have experienced unprecedented growth and have contributed greatly to our Nation's economic upswing prior to September 11. Now they will be an important engine for recovery. As the premier technical assistance providers to America's entrepreneurs, Small Business Development Centers are responsible, in large part, for the successes of small businesses. We know that many of these businesses operate near or at their profit margin and do not have the additional resources to hire legal or technical experts. This is where the SBDCs step in to provide free or, in a few instances, low-cost technical assistance. Research shows that small businesses that receive this technical assistance are twice as likely to succeed as those which do not. Mr. Speaker, for too long our Nation's Native American population, the first Americans, have been, as they have often been referred to as, the ``forgotten people.'' As a member of the Committee on Resources, like the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall), and as a person with Native American lineage myself, I want to commend the gentleman from New Mexico for introducing this bill, and I am pleased to support it, and I look forward to its passage today. While our country has experienced economic prosperity over the past decade, the Native American community, including the Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiian communities, continue to lag behind. For example, the average unemployment rate for Native American communities, particularly on reservations, averages about 45 percent, with one-third of Native Americans living below the poverty level. With only limited help, Native American small businesses have grown at a rate of 84 percent over the past 5 years, but we need to help them more. We need to help them do better. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2538 will provide $7 million to fund a 3-year pilot program to provide technical assistance to Native American, Native Alaskan, and Native Hawaiian businesses. This program will give these businesses better access to the SBDC network, no matter where they are located. It will help to sustain and, hopefully, boost the growth of Native American, Native Alaskan and Hawaiian Native businesses which, in turn, will spur the much-needed economic growth in these communities. Once again, I would like to commend the gentleman for championing this cause and bringing this legislation to the floor, and I urge my colleagues to support it.