Donna Christensen

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, November 11th is Veterans Day period. On behalf of the veterans of the U.S. Virgin Islands, who have fought in every one of this country's wars from the Revolutionary war forward, I support H. Res. 298, and commend our colleagues for introducing this resolution expressing the sense of the House, that this day would forever be set aside as the day we honor those who have so nobly served this country and all of us. That is as those from my district would have it. What a small concession from the country to those who have sacrificed and been willing to fight unto death--willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. But it is of great importance and significance to them. November 11th is Veterans Day, period. Let's not fix what ain't broke.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3391, the Medicare Regulatory and Contracting Reform Act. As a physician in private practice for more than 20 years, I wholeheartedly applaud the work of the Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee in moving legislation which lifts many of the burdens placed on physicians by the Medicare program and allow us to put our patients first. Mr. Speaker, I can't tell you the number of times over the four and a half years that I have been a member of this body that I have heard horror stories from providers in my district regarding the cumbersome and burdensome Medicare billing process. They only serve to remind me of my personal experience in over 21 years of practice. Whether it is undue delays in receiving payments or repeatedly questioning information that was already provided, the current Medicare system treats physicians as suspects and requires that we spend nearly half of our time on needless paper work. It further makes hard working providers the first targets for fee reductions, repudiating their long years of training and hard work. I applaud the authors of this legislation, Congresswoman Nancy Johnson and Pete Stark of the Ways and Means Committee, as well as Representatives Bilirakis, Sherrod Brown, Billy Tauzin and my friend John Dingell for their support of doctors and the patients that they serve. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, no less than the General Accounting Office documented the statements that I can personally attest to regarding the difficulties of dealing with the Medicare program, pointing out that Medicare is a complicated program requiring endless directives and long explanations and articles which are necessary to explain facet after facet. I urge my colleagues to support this badly needed bill which is but a first step in addressing what are myriad problems with this important health insurance program.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, today I join the other members of the Caucus of Women's Issues at a luncheon to honor women at Ground Zero. To look at the media reporting, we believe that all who responded were men; but as was the case, there was a need, and the women were there were, firefighters, police officers, construction workers, emergency medical personnel, doctors, nurses and others, putting their lives on the line and in some cases giving their lives. I want to thank the co-chairs, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald), for having the NOW legal defense and education fund, and Lieutenant Brenda Berkman there to tell the story of the brave and selfless women who were there with the men to respond in our country's tragic hour of need. The story brought a tear to many an eye, male and female, not just because of the stories the women told, and they were powerful, but also because once again women were invisible, in the media, in the new recruits, also in the recovery planning; and this is America, not Afghanistan. This is a potent reminder that women even here are still underrepresented at high levels of business and politics and that we are underpaid and have less opportunity. As we put our country back on the road to recovery, let us not get back to normal. Let us get better.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of all the people of my district to pay tribute to the 100th Birthday of the late Jose Antonio Jarvis--educator, historian, author, philosopher, journalist, poet, playwright, editor, artist, musician and public servant. He was an intellectual giant whose life and work greatly influenced the educational process in the U.S. Virgin Islands. His classroom was the entire Virgin Islands and for more than forty years, he devoted his life to discovering new and innovative approaches to education. Born in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands on November 22, 1901, to the Reverend Joseph W. and Mercedes Jarvis, J. Antonio Jarvis grew up under the guidance of his Godmother, Miss Mary Hughustein. He began his formal education at St. Anne's Roman Catholic School in St. Thomas, which he attended from age five to thirteen (1906-1914). Even during these early years, his teachers discerned in him an unusually high mental capacity, great ambition, and a keen interest in a wide range of activities. A life-long scholar, he continued his education by private tutors and through correspondence courses, and most importantly, by extensive,reading on his own initiative. In 1936, the Bachelor of Arts degree was conferred upon him by McKinley-Roosevelt University. He did additional work at the University of Puerto Rico, Columbia University, New York University, and the University of Chicago. Jarvis' career as an educator began in 1923, when he became a tutor at the St. Thomas Academy. During the period 1924-1932, he taught at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School and was an instructor at the Charlotte Amalie High School from 1932 to 1942. At Charlotte Amalie High, in addition to his regular academic assignments, he served as advisor to many student organizations and initiated a number of them including a student council and the school newspaper, The Reflector. In 1942, he returned as principal to the former Abraham Lincoln School, where he remained until his retirement from public life on May 31, 1963. Between 1930 and 1960, Jarvis published a number of works. These included ``Virgin Islands Sketches'', ``Jubilee Hall'', and other poems (1930), ``Fruits in Passing'' (1932), ``Bamboula Dance'' (1935), ``Brief History of the Virgin Islands'' (1938), ``The Virgin Islands and their people'' (1944), ``Virgin Islands Picture Book'' with co- author Rufus Martin (1948), ``Bluebeard's Last Wife (1951), and ``The King's Mandate'' (1960). In 1930, with Ariel Melchior, Sr., he co- founded ``The Daily News of the Virgin Islands'', a daily news publication still in circulation today. In addition to his work in the fields of education, scholarship and the fine arts, Jarvis was active in numerous civic activities such as the American Red Cross, Public Utilities Commission, Selective Service Board, St. Thomas Teachers Association and the Virgin Islands Cadets Corps, among others. Many honors came to Jarvis over the years for his myriad of achievements. In 1927, 1929 and 1930 he won the Opportunity Award in Fine Arts. In 1939 and 1940, he earned the International Business Machines Corporation Award in Fine Arts. President Harry S. Truman personally presented him the United States Selective Service Medal in 1946. For services rendered he was given citations from the Library of Congress, the American Red Cross and the Professional League if Virgin Islands in New York City. In 1970, the Abraham Lincoln School was renamed the J. Antonio Jarvis Elementary School. Additionally, in 1978 the J. Antonio Jarvis Memorial Park was created in the heart of Charlotte Amalie. On May 18, 1980, the park was formally dedicated, and in it a statue of Mr. Jarvis, financed by Ariel Melchoir, Sr. Foundation, the St. Thomas Historical Trust, and donations from school children were unveiled. In 1983, Jarvis was inducted into the ``Virgin Islands Education Review'' Hall of Fame. The first biography of Jarvis, ``Man of Vision: A Biography of Jose Antonio Jarvis'' was written in 1975 by Addelita Cancryn, herself an imminent Virgin Islands educator. When an individual is gifted with so many talents and has served humanity as well as Jarvis did, it is most difficult to select the one area in which his contributions could be said to be greatest. Perhaps his most persuasive contribution was in the area of education in the broadest sense. Jarvis educated and enlightened, not only his classroom and schoolhouse performance but also through his books, poems, plays, editorials, and other writings, as well as his paintings. In the classroom and outside of it, Jarvis inspired many Virgin Islanders to attain high standards of achievement. He aided many financially and in other ways. The high success that many of these individuals achieved attests to his influence. Jarvis' motto was ``I try to make my sojourn here a useful interlude.'' That extremely useful sojourn ended on July 23, 1963 when the great man passed away deeply mourned. Had Jarvis chosen to live in and make his contribution in a major metropolitan country he undoubtedly would gain international attention and renown. However, it was his choice to live in and make his contributions to the Virgin Islands, which he loved. The Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Honorable Charles Wesley Turnbull, has proclaimed the week of November 18-24, 2001 as ``Jose Antonio Jarvis Week'' and Thursday, November 22, 2001, as ``Jose Antonio Jarvis Day'' in the Virgin Islands of the United States of America. I join Governor Charles Turnbull in calling upon everyone in my district, as well as those Virgin Islanders residing in the United States of America, to reflect upon the life and contributions of this great Virgin Islander--a true renaissance man.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the beleaguered workers of this country who have been doubly affected by both the recession that the experts now say that we have been in since last spring and the ripple effects of September 11. According to the Department of Labor, 415,000 Americans lost their jobs in the month of October. Eight hundred people in my very small district of the U.S. Virgin Islands have lost their jobs in our tourism dependent district--an increase of over 150 percent over last year. Travel agents, airline workers, taxi drivers, chefs and hotel service employees will now face the holidays without jobs, without health and other benefits in an economy that will be slow to absorb them any where else. Mr. Speaker, we were right to provide relief for the airlines, but we will be remiss if we do not see the individual lives that are affected by the loss of jobs in the downturn of our once thriving economy. It is also right that we provide assistance to the insurance industry in the wake of the September 11th attack. I oppose the Republican Leadership terrorism insurance relief bill, though because it added unnecessary and unrelated provisions to advance their partisan agenda on tort reform. I support the LaFalce Democratic substitute, which avoids dramatic premium increases for businesses and consumers but also insures that industry assumes their appropriate financial responsibility. Mr. Speaker, let's do right by the working men and women of our country. Let's provide relief that will help them weather this storm until our economy rebounds.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak of humanitarian crisis, not half a world away in Afghanistan, but in our own hemispheric neighborhood of Haiti. Mr. Speaker, airline security, the economy and the war have our full attention, and rightfully so, but closer to us in Haiti, the last election has been hopelessly deadlocked with no resolution in sight. To compound the problem, because of the opposition of some to the outcome of those elections, our country and international financial institutions which hold the lifeline of aid dollars to this struggling democracy have blocked the release of loans to Haiti. This has created a crippling effect of economic consequences where the poorest country in our hemisphere cannot meet its financial obligations and food, medicine and life itself have been hung in the balance for 8 million people. Let us not make the same mistake and ignore another country's turmoil, until a disaster too great for the imagination or easy recovery unfolds. The people of Haiti need food, medicine and funds to combat an HIV infection rate of 4 percent of the population, an infant mortality rate of 74 deaths out of every 1,000 babies born and to improve their quality of life. Mr. Speaker, the people of Haiti have voted and they know who they want to govern them. Let us respect that and allow the dollars for food and medicine to flow.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Chairman, as the representative of a district whose economy is almost completely dependent of the safety of air travel, I rise in strong support of the Senate version of the airline security bill. Like all of my colleagues, I have received countless letters, calls and e-mails from pilots and flight attendants. I heard from my local airline staff, including my cousin, Colette who has Worked with American for over 15 years, and I have had discussions with my own Port Authority. Without dissent, all have asked for a strong bill now, one which federalizes the security at our nations airports, and one which gives the airports the resources needed to implement the measures that will have to be put into place. I salute our pilots, the crew and attendants, for being willing to serve those of us who have to fly or are willing to despite the events of September 11th. They will be the first to tell you that they do so, knowing that despite the searches, and armed National Guards at the terminals, there is not much more security than on September 10th, 2001. We now have an office of Homeland Security. As we bring this office into full operation, it is clear from the recent and historical use of airplanes as agents of political statement, escape or terror, that airline security must be a part of its purview. We are long overdue in doing something definitive to make our skies safe again. This is no time for arguing the small points, this is time for prompt action. As we are now on a heightened watch for further acts of terrorism, I do not want the responsibility of not having saved innocent lives should the airlines once again be the instrument of destruction. I remember what happened to another important bill that would have saved lives--the patient bill of rights--when it went to conference it died there. We cannot let this happen with this critical measure. Lets pass the same bill the Senate did and lets send it to the President for his signature.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2585, and I note that a long-standing member of the Committee on Resources, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), is a cosponsor of this bill. Restoring fish habitat in the Klamath Basin is complicated and often controversial. Making decisions based on scientific studies of water operations and habitat requirements can help prevent more confrontations over scarce water supplies. The studies authorized by H.R. 2585 need to be carefully designed and carried out. These studies should consider all factors that affect fish survival in the basin, including the possible need to restore wetlands and riparian habitats. I thank the sponsor and cosponsors of this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2585.

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this legislation will permit the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon to enter into various leases concerning their trust lands for up to 99 years. Over the years, and at the specific request of the affected Indian tribe, we have passed numerous similar bills in order to give Indian tribes more flexibility to develop trust lands for the benefit of their members. What is different about this bill, however, is that we are also giving Congressional approval to a settlement and business agreement entered into among the Tribe, the Department of the Interior, and the Portland General Electric Company. The agreement benefits all parties and will help bring needed economic development to the reservation. Similar agreements between Indian tribes and private companies occur upon the approval of the Secretary of the Interior. While I support the passage of this bill today, it is important to stress that in doing so we are not questioning the Secretary's authority over such matters nor the validity of agreements bearing her approval. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 483.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

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

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 1776 would authorize a study of an area in Houston, Texas known as Buffalo Bayou to determine whether it would be suitable and feasible to designate it as a National Heritage Area. The study would be governed by well-established criteria for making such determinations and the results would be presented back to the relevant committees in the House and Senate. Finally, the bill authorizes funding to complete the study. Madam Speaker, the Buffalo Bayou is an important waterway both economically and historically. According to the findings in the legislation, the area played a significant role in the fight for Texas' independence as well as in the development of the petrochemical industry in Texas and in the Nation as a whole. Given this history, the area certainly sounds promising, but only a formal study can determine if Buffalo Bayou retains the kinds of resources required for addition to our National Park System. We commend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green) on his hard work on this legislation and look forward to the results of this important study. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to state my strong opposition to H.R. 3090, the so-called economic stimulus bill that was passed out of the Ways and Means committee, and my support for the Democratic substitute. There is no one who questions the dire need this country has for a meaningful economic stimulus package. Anyone, those who are our economic experts and ordinary people just using their God-given common sense, can see that H.R. 3090, the Republican Bill, is only a package of hand outs to the few top income earners who not only do not need the help being offered, but will do nothing to provide the immediate and temporary measures that this country and our constituents need. The leadership of this House, who are bringing this travesty of a bill before us, is not even in sync with the President who is of their own party. This goes to show how off the mark and far afield they are; and they are clearly out of touch with the rest of the country. One member put it just right--the supporters of this bill are looters. I have experienced looting in my district. It was after an especially devastating hurricane. Then the people in our community had fears that there would not be enough food, or other necessities to take care of us in the midst of the wasteland they saw around them. It was not condoned but it was understood. This--the repeal of the corporate alternative minimum tax, the permanent reduction in capital gains and other measures costing $274 billion which is not paid for--is looting of a different and the worst kind. The leadership here, is taking advantage of a disaster caused by terrorists and the people's fears to raid the treasury--the people's money to give it away to the wealthiest among us. This big spender give-away, will undermine our opportunity to help those Americans who are most in need and for whom this disaster does not affect only their pocketbooks, but their very existence, and mortgage the lives of future generations in the process. This country has experienced a tragic event of immeasurable and far- reaching impact. If we pass this bill--H.R. 3090, instead of the Democratic substitute, not only will we be undermining the safety-nets needed by many in our country, and social security and Medicare, but we will be saying to all of the countless compassionate and selfless Americans that their stellar example of the past few weeks, is not appreciated. Instead of continuing the oneness, generosity and sense of community that their response has revived, the Republican Bill will reach out and help not all of us, but only a very small few. And instead of bringing us together it will re-separate us--the haves and the have-nots, the rich from those of us with low or moderate incomes, and begin to again broaden the divide, which we have just begun to close, and in the process diminish us all. Colleagues, reject H.R. 3090, and support the real stimulus bill, which helps everyone, and will begin to bring our country back.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Interior Appropriations Conference Report for FY 2002 and I want to express by sincerest thanks to Chairman Skeen and Ranking Member Dicks for their support of the provisions in the bill to aid the Virgin Islands in overcoming its fiscal crisis. I want to also commend the Chairman and Ranking Member for the skillful way in which they guided the Interior bill through the legislative process this year. I cannot remember a time, during my tenure in Congress, that the Interior Appropriations bill has been one of the first to clear both houses of Congress with near unanimous support. Mr. Speaker, the Conference Agreement is $186 million over FY 2001, $214 million over the House bill and $414 million over the Senate bill. It fully funds the new Conservation Trust Fund and provides and increase of about 50% for our nation's weatherization programs for low- income families. The National Endowment for the Arts is funded at a $10 million increase over last year and it provides no funding for drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWAR) while funding certain Department of Energy programs at a $313 million increase over last year. This is a good bill; a fair bill and I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3004, the Financial Anti-Terrorism Act and applaud its sponsors for their work on this comprehensive bipartisan legislation, which seeks to declare financial war on terrorists. I am pleased as well, that the bill does not include language banning Internet gambling because of the impact that such a ban will have on my district, which is exploring Internet gaming as a means of stimulating our stagnant local economy. While I have my own personal reservations about gambling generally, I must accede to the wishes of my constituents and local legislature, which earlier this year passed legislation to make Internet gaming legal in the U.S. Virgin Islands. My colleagues, one of the disturbing trends in our present economy has been that when the mainland was experiencing boom times, the economies of the offshore areas of our country--the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and Puerto Rico--did not share in this boom. Additionally, with the events of September 11 dramatically contributing to the then downturn in our national economy, the tourism dependent economy of the Virgin Islands has been decimated. It is because of this that the Government of the Virgin Islands has looked at Internet gambling as a means of stimulating our local economy.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I know this may sound unduly strong, but today we will react to one day of infamy with another if we pass H.R. 3108. I remember hearing someone say shortly after September 11th in response to something I cannot remember now, that the first casualty of this war must not be the U.S. Constitution. Well it wasn't the first, but if this bill is passed, it will perhaps be the most devastating one, certainly the most far-reaching one, one that will not honor those whose lives were lost in the terrorist attack, and one that all of us in this body--those who voted for it and those who did not--will rue to our dying day. This will be the crowning glory and the golden key of all of the most extreme radical conservatives in this country. With the right to wiretap, with the right to hold without due process, with the right to even punish dissent, the very worst of infringements on the civil liberties that we have worked so hard to extend to all and protect and preserve, will reign, and threaten not just the terrorists, but all Americans. When I think of all our forefathers fought for to create this independent Nation, with freedom and justice for all; when I think of the struggle to end slavery, to win the right to vote and to ensure that all Americans fully participate in this society, and all the lives that were given in these efforts, it makes me sick to think that today we might pass this travesty of justice and freedom and fairness, and in doing so undermine the government of checks and balances that they in their wisdom constructed, relinquish our responsibilities in this body, and dishonor their memory and their legacy. Although neither I or most of our members have had an opportunity to fully review the legislation, it appears clear that most of the provisions of this act are un-necessary to accomplish the goals of ferreting out terrorists and their abettors. In other instances they go too far or continue long after they would be reasonably needed under the very worst of circumstances. At the very least we need to apply the restraint of time and opportunity for full review, as well as make possible the opportunity to amend and thus fix the more egregious parts before a vote is taken on a measure such as this, which will change the culture of our society in terrible ways, and give those who wanted to destroy not only our prosperity but our freedom, the victory in the end. I urge all of my colleagues to vote H.R. 3108, the leadership bill down, and protect the freedoms that make America, America.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the bipartisan agreement represented by H.R. 3061. The Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill. I particularly want to applaud Chairman Regula and Ranking Member Obey on the yeoman's job they have done to bring this bill to the floor. This bill provides significant increases for education above the President's request, and restores and increases funding in many critical health programs above the original request as well. Among these, I am especially pleased that Healthy Start will receive a 13% increase. Our Minority HIV/AIDS initiative was not funded at its requested level of $540 million. The committee however did provide an increase of $37.3 million above last years funding, an increase of about 11%. For that increase, which is reflected across the board in all of the Departmental agencies, which have responsibility for HIV and AIDS, we are grateful. While it is short of what we determined would be needed, it has the potential to reach many infected and affected people within communities of color and other hard to reach populations, who have been disproportionately and devastatingly impacted by this disease. What we still have major concerns about is the language, which does not go far enough to ensure that this program funding will go to build capacity in the most severely impacted communities of color. We would ask that the leadership and those in the conference committee continue to work with us to ensure that the intent and the integrity of the Minority HIV/AIDS initiative--an initiative that would not only begin to bring the epidemic that exists in our communities under control, but also begin to repair and rebuild a now fragmented healthcare infrastructure. In the long run, this small amount of funding, with the appropriate targeting can greatly impact the health status not only of those special populations we seek to reach but the entire nation. We look forward to addressing the language issue, as it will determine how effective this funding will be. In the meantime, we again thank the Committee and the Subcommittee for their assistance and support.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would first like to associate myself with the remarks of the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall), his closing remarks on H.R. 1384, establishing the Navajo Long Walk National Historic Trail. On this bill, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1456, which would modify the boundary of the Booker T. Washington National Monument in southwestern Virginia, we are pleased to also be in a position to manage this bill. H.R. 1456 would include approximately 15 acres of adjacent agricultural land to the monument. The bill authorizes the Secretary to acquire the property from willing sellers, using donated or appropriated funds. It is our understanding that while this property has not been available previously, it is currently on the market. Seven of the 15 acres to be added were part of the original plantation on which Booker T. Washington was born, but addition of the entire parcel will protect the area from encroaching commercial development. This boundary adjustment was recommended by the most recent general management plan for the monument. Mr. Speaker, Booker T. Washington is a significant figure in American history. As you have heard, born into slavery in 1856, he went on to found the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in 1881 and is recognized as the leading African American educator of his time. He has left a legacy that continues to enrich the African American community and this Nation. I am proud as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and ranking member of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands of the Committee on Resources to support the expansion of this national monument as a means to further protect Booker T. Washington's valuable legacy. I want to thank and commend my colleague, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goode), for his work on this bill, and urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new chairman of the Subcommittee on Parks and Public Lands, the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich), to his chairmanship of the subcommittee. I look forward to working with the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, Tomas G. Masaryk was a professor of philosophy who became the first President of Czechoslovakia and served in that capacity until ill health forced his retirement in 1935. Based on his public service and writings, which include the Czechoslovakian Declaration of Independence, many have referred to Masaryk as the father of democratic Czechoslovakia. H.R. 1161, as introduced, authorizes the American Friends of the Czech Republic to establish a memorial to Tomas G. Masaryk on a specific parcel of Federal land at 19th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue here in Washington, D.C. The legislation stated that the memorial would be established in accordance with the Commemorative Works Act, and that it would be funded privately. Clearly, Mr. Masaryk is an important and compelling figure not only in Czech history but in the history of democracy. However, in order for the legislation to achieve its own stated goal in order to comply with the Commemorative Works Act, the bill was amended during consideration by the Committee on Resources. The amendment removed the language identifying the specific site of the memorial and included language making clear that the memorial is to be a gift from the Government of the Czech Republic. Mr. Speaker, with these amendments, we support H.R. 1161. 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 have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson).