Eni Faleomavaega

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, like my colleague, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), the chairman of our Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific and the Committee on International Relations, I, too, echo the same sentiments as I expressed earlier about the passing of our colleague, Bruce Vento, from the State of Minnesota, expressing the same sympathy and condolences to the members of his family. Mr. Speaker, I want to certainly thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Porter) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), chairman of our Committee on International Relations, and also the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) as the chief cosponsors of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. I would first like to say introducing this resolution was very appropriate and the fact of the matter is that 12 years ago, thousands of Burmese citizens demonstrated in the streets calling for democratic change in Burma. In May 1990, the National League for Democracy, led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won more than 60 percent of the popular vote and 80 percent of the parliament seats in the elections. Despite this, Mr. Speaker, instead of turning over the power to the winner of the elections, however, the Burmese military rejected the results of the election and, for the past 10 years, have continued their brutal crackdown on organized political opposition, free press, and freedom of assembly. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has remained under tight control since the elections, and Burma's dictators have even denied her ailing husband permission to visit his wife one last time before he passed away. Mr. Speaker, the State Department's annual human rights report identifies more than 1,300 people who continue to suffer inhuman detention conditions as political prisoners in Burma. Furthermore, the State Department Narcotics Control Report for the year 2000 determined that Burma is the second largest worldwide source of illicit opium and heroin trafficking. The United Nations General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights have responded to this continuing crackdown on basic freedoms by condemning nine consecutive resolutions, the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities and the political opposition. The resolutions have also criticized Burma's record of forced labor, exploitation and sexual violence against women. Both the Clinton administration and the European Union have similarly condemned conditions in Burma and have imposed travel restrictions and other sanctions against Burma's dictators. Mr. Speaker, the resolution before the House today reiterates that it is U.S. policy to support the restoration of democracy in Burma, including the implementation of the 1990 elections. The resolution also calls on Burma's leaders to guarantee the basic human rights of its citizens, to accept a dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to immediately release all political prisoners, and to promptly uphold the terms of international resolutions on Burma's situation. Finally, Mr. Speaker, the resolution states that the U.S. should continue policies designed to secure the restoration of democracy, human rights and civil liberties in Burma and to support U.S. national security and counternarcotics interests. This is a great piece of legislation, Mr. Speaker; and I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), my good friend and colleague, for giving me time to say these things concerning this great American. Madam Speaker, I too am truly saddened to learn of our colleague's passing today. Congressman Bruce Vento was truly a champion and one of the outstanding leaders of this institution whenever conservation and environmental issues were deliberated and debated in this Chamber. As a senior member of the House Committee on Resources, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Vento) let it be known to all the members of our committee and to all of our colleagues where the line is drawn whenever environmental issues are taken up by this body. In the many years that he served as chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands, I can attest to my colleagues and to our Nation that some 300 bills that have become law have Vento's signature on them. I can honestly say that even the national park that is now established in my own district was due mainly to Vento's leadership and legislative skills that Congress passed a law to have this national park in my district. I want to express the sense of appreciation and gratitude from our traditional leaders and from the people of American Samoa to Mr. Vento. Madam Speaker, I am going to miss this gentle giant, and I say giant, from Minnesota. I have always valued his opinions and how much he has influenced my own thinking about life itself. I remember when he visited our national park in American Samoa, none of us were able to catch up with them when he was climbing one of the steep mountains, even on the roads and the trails that were so muddy that not even the four-wheel vehicles could make it. Madam Speaker, I want to convey to Mrs. Vento and the family the condolences of the people of my district. Our people have a saying in a traditional sense, ia manuia lau faigamalaga lau afioga Bruce Vento. May you have a good and successful voyage, Your Honor, Bruce Vento. Again, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for yielding me time to honor this great American.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4345, this proposed piece of legislation sponsored by the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), my good friend and the chairman of the House Committee on Resources. As introduced, H.R. 4345 contains a number of controversial provisions which were objectionable to the administration originally. However, I am pleased to say that the bill before us now has been significantly amended and is no longer opposed by the Department of the Interior. Mr. Speaker, the most notable provision of this bill concerns the Native Alaskan veterans who served in the Vietnam conflict. This legislation is intended to benefit the families of Native Alaskans who served in Southeast Asia between 1964 and 1971 and who died as a direct result of their military service. Under this bill, the descendants of these Native Alaskan veterans would be allowed a new opportunity to file under the Allotment Act of 1906 for up to 160 acres of parcels of land which the family traditionally used and occupied. The Allotment Act of 1906 was repealed by the Alaska Native Claims Act in 1917, which was intended to resolve the Native land claims against the United States. That historic act conveyed over 40 million acres of land and approximately $1 billion dollars in compensation to be managed by over 200 Native Alaskan corporations, representing the villages and regions of the State of Alaska. It is fair to say, Mr. Speaker, that the minority on the Committee on Resources on this side has not always shared the enthusiasm of our chairman for reopening the land claims and making significant amendments to the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. We tend to give greater emphasis to the word ``settlement'' in that act. However, Mr. Speaker, in this instance, the allotment act language reflects a compromise struck after negotiations between the Department of the Interior and the Alaskan Federation of Natives. A rider on the fiscal year 1999 VA-HUD appropriations bill reopened applications for Native veterans who served in the 3-year period prior to the repeal of the allotment act in 1971. Since the Department of the Interior has already opened that door, extending the same opportunity to the families of Native veterans who were killed in action is a matter of understandable equity. It is troublesome, however, that the Department cannot tell us how many new applications would be generated by this bill, nor can they give us any clear notion of the potential impacts on public land in Alaska. However, by allowing this bill to proceed, it is our intent that this action is final and that there will be no further extensions of land claims under an act that was passed by Congress at the turn of the century and repealed 3 decades ago. It is my understanding that the Department of the Interior shares this view as well. In summary, Mr. Speaker, let me take what may be one of our last opportunities in this Congress to give credit to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), the chairman of our House Committee on Resources, who has served as chairman of the committee for the past 6 years. The chairman is a forceful advocate for his Alaska Native constituents, and it is due to his commitment that this bill is before us today. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Alaska, chairman of the committee, for his leadership and also his willingness to assist with issues affecting our insular areas. And above all, Mr. Speaker, this Member appreciates very much the genuine friendship of the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young) with those of us who represent the territories.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, so I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of our colleagues in the United States Congress and our great Nation, I want to take this opportunity today to extend President Chen Shui-bian, Vice President Annette Lu, and the good people of Taiwan our deepest congratulations on their National Day of celebration. Mr. Speaker, President Chen and Vice President Lu are to be commended for their capable and skilled leadership of Taiwan, which is reflected by Taiwan's continuing stability, robustly democratic government, and prosperous economy--all of which are the envy of the Asia-Pacific nations at the dawn of the 21st century. Mr. Speaker, President Chen and Vice-President Lu are to be further commended for their efforts seeking greater international recognition of and substantive relations with the Taiwanese Government, including an increasing role and participation with the World Trading Organization and the United Nations. Quite simply, Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is too important an economic force and democratic ally to be relegated to the political backwaters of global isolation. I am further encouraged, Mr. Speaker, with President Chen's statesmanship and vision, as exemplified by his critical work in pursuing positive relations with the People's Republic of China. In recognition of that vital goal, President Chen has sought to engage on all levels the leaders of the People's Republic of China. Support of the Cross-Strait Dialogue with the PRC is crucial for resolving misunderstandings between Beijing and Taipei and Washington, which, Mr. Speaker, is the foundation for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and, indeed, for all of Asia. Mr. Speaker, the people of the United States and the good people of Taiwan share a deep, close and enduring friendship that has extended for over five decades. At this auspicious time of celebration for Taiwan's National Day, I join my colleagues in the United States Congress to salute and honor the 23 million citizens of Taiwan who have created and sustained one of the most vibrant, thriving and prosperous democracies in the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Speaker, I join with all Americans who take pride in the tremendous accomplishments of our very close and dear friends in Taiwan.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

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

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Pickering) for his excellent presentation in defense of the provisions of the bill that he has introduced.

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

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to again commend the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Pickering) for introducing this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I will not oppose this piece of legislation. I too, however, would like to share with my colleagues some observations and concerns concerning the provisions of this bill. As introduced, H.R. 4503 earmarks up to $70 million over 5 years from the Historic Preservation Fund for grants to seven public colleges and universities, most located in the Southeastern region, and that were originally founded to serve women. The grantees will be required to provide a 50 percent match, and the funds could be used to restore historic buildings and structures. The schools would divide the money equally. Apparently we are actually amending the bill before us today to add another school, this one located in the State of Georgia. This raises the small number of schools which would benefit from this legislation to eight schools, and raises the cost of the bill to $80 million over 5 years. Mr. Speaker, we fully support historic preservation in general, and could even agree with the specific goal of this legislation to aid historically women's colleges, universities, in preserving historic structures on their campuses. However, we have serious concerns regarding the approach taken on this bill. Under current law, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to make grants from the Historic Preservation Fund based on statutory criteria to States or local governments to preserve the precise sites or buildings that would receive funding under this legislation. Since these sites are eligible under current law, the effect of this bill is to single out eight of these specific schools, all located in a particular part of our Nation, and move them up to the front of the line by fencing off $16 million a year that must bypass the Secretary of the Interior and go directly to these schools. The bill sets out no criteria for why these schools needed these funds, and makes no distinction between the schools themselves. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, while we are considering legislation to earmark $16 million for these schools from the Historic Preservation Fund, the conference report in the FY 2001 Interior appropriations bill just adopted on this floor contained just $79 million total for historic preservation. If this funding level were to become law, these eight schools would receive more than 20 percent of all historic preservation funds nationwide. Mr. Speaker, this legislation includes no standards, which explains how these eight schools were selected. There are currently 78 women's colleges and universities in the United States today. Why are these eight deserving of this funding and the other 70 are not? We are told that these schools are selected because they represent a unique subset of women's colleges and universities in America. However, the last minute addition of yet another school to the bill raises serious questions about the selection process included in the provisions of this bill. If historic sites on these campuses are deserving of historic preservation funding, the relevant State or locality should apply for such funding under the current system. The kind of earmarks contained in this legislation, Mr. Speaker, I honestly believe undermines our historic preservation efforts and work to benefit a small group of schools unfairly. Again, Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleagues there are currently 78 women's colleges and universities in our Nation today. Yet we are providing special funding for only eight of these colleges and universities. So, Mr. Speaker, let us proceed to pass the bill. But let us hope that, in the future, this legislation or this kind of proposed program will not come back to haunt us. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I do not have any further speakers, so I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), the chief sponsor of this legislation. We have no opposition to this legislation, Mr. Speaker, but there are some concerns on this side of the aisle concerning the provisions of the bill. Mr. Speaker, this is an extraordinary procedure taken on this bill. It is an authorization, it is an appropriation, and also an implementation of condemnation of land rolled into one. Only a few times in the past quarter century has a legislative taking been used by the Congress. Furthermore, the language of this legislation is substantially different from that used in other cases. There is also considerable controversy associated with the land identified by this legislation. Several news articles from the State of Utah have called into question actions by the landowner with regard to this property. Title has been clouded to this land, and it is unclear what interests the landowner has and what interests other parties have to the property in question. Mr. Speaker, the BLM has attempted to negotiate with the landowner. These negotiations have been hampered by the landowner's insistence on using appraisal assumptions that are not consistent with Federal standards and that were not used in other transactions, including those done previously with the landowner. The bill also seeks to open the door to payments to the landowner dating back to February, 1990. This raises several issues. First, the Desert Tortoise Reserve was not even established until 1996. It was only after this that attempts were made to acquire the property. Even until 1996, the landowner was involved in litigation on the property and could not present clear title. Settlement of the litigation and other subsequent actions have made other unnamed parties a beneficiary of this legislation. Like I said, Mr. Speaker, I do not oppose this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

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

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

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I certainly would like to commend and compliment the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) for his sponsorship of this legislation. This legislation has bipartisan support. The gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor) is also a very strong supporter of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2820 would direct the Secretary of Interior to transfer to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community any remaining authority and responsibility held by the Secretary for the irrigation works on their reservation. I congratulate the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Pastor) and also the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) for their contributions to this bill. Under the bill, the Pima-Maricopa Indian Community would have full operating authority over the irrigation works within the community to deliver their water to their lands. I believe it is appropriate that the project facilities be transferred to the community, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in that spirit also, I would be remiss if I do not express my sense of appreciation to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth). Yes, I have visited the State of Arizona, and I would gladly give him some of the 200 inches of rain that my district of American Samoa could give to the State Arizona if it were possible. But I do want to also compliment the gentleman for his leadership, outstanding leadership role that he has played as a cochairman of our National Native American Congressional Caucus. He has played a very effective role in helping our American community. I thank the gentleman for that. background

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

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

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), who is the chief sponsor of this legislation. I am also listed as an original cosponsor of this bill. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5331 authorizes the establishment of a memorial and gardens in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor and commemorate the life and achievements of Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass was the Nation's leading 19th century African American spokesman. A gifted writer and speaker, he was a key figure in the abolitionist movement. Because of this historic significance, the National Park Service administers the Frederick Douglass national historic site currently now in Washington, D.C. Mr. Speaker, we are supportive of this measure, and I want to commend again my good friend, the gentleman from Illinois, for his leadership in sponsoring this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have remaining on this side of the aisle?

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 8 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), and I also do want to thank the gentleman from Illinois for his most eloquent statement about this great American leader.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia for an excellent presentation concerning her support of this legislation. Again I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

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

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

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

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, or the Royal Road of the Interior, covers more than 400 miles from El Paso, Texas to San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico. The trail was established as a trade route by Native Americans more than 300 years ago and played an important role in the exploration, settlement and economic development of a large section of the American Southwest. The 103rd Congress commissioned a study of the trail to determine whether or not it met the criteria to be included as part of the National Historic Trails System. The study was completed in 1997 and concluded that such a designation would be appropriate. The final step in this process is the adoption of this legislation now before us today. The discussion of this trail may seem familiar to some Members. That is because the House has already passed H.R. 2271, sponsored by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), legislation to complete the designation of this historic trail. However, at the last minute an amendment to the gentleman from Texas' bill was forced through that significantly weakened the bill and created controversy over what had been a noncontroversial piece of legislation to begin with. Now that cooler heads have prevailed, Mr. Speaker, we are forced to consider the Senate-passed companion version of this legislation as a means of undoing the damage that was done to the gentleman from Texas' bill. This is good legislation, Mr. Speaker. It is unfortunate that my friends in the majority's insistence on a pointless amendment to the House bill has resulted in delaying its enactment. I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I want to thank my good friend from Utah, the chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands, for pushing for this legislation to be brought to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.