Eni Faleomavaega

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to clarify the treatment of American Samoans who are nationals but not citizens of the United States under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 contained in H.R. 3610. It is my understanding that the new act does not alter the status or rights of noncitizen nationals. I am advised that the intent of the new act is to apply the existing statutory definition of alien as set forth in the Immigration and Nationality Act [INA]. 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1101(a)(3). Under the INA, noncitizen nationals of the United States are not considered aliens, and I am advised that they are not considered aliens under the new act. In some instances, the new act expressly incorporates and applies the existing statutory definition of alien contained in the INA. In other instances, the new act amends existing law in a manner which automatically invokes the existing INA definition of alien. Title I of the new act provides for improvement of border control, facilitation of legal entry, and interior enforcement. For purposes of title I, the INA definition of alien is specifically incorporated. Sec. 1(c). Title II of the new act covers alien smuggling and document fraud, and it amends both the INA and the criminal statutes contained in title 18 of the United States Code. The amendments of the INA are automatically subject to the existing INA definition of alien. I am advised that criminal provisions in title 18 of the Code involving immigration offenses are normally interpreted to follow the INA definition of alien. Title III of the new act covers inspection, apprehension, adjudication, and removal of inadmissible and deportable aliens. This title amends the INA and is therefore automatically subject to the existing INA definition of alien. Title IV of the new act provides for the enforcement of employment restrictions, including use of citizen attestation programs. The title specifically provides that ``United States citizenship'' includes ``United States nationality.'' Sec. 401(d)(6). Title V of the new act places restrictions on benefits for aliens. The title expressly incorporates the INA definition of alien. Sec. 594(1). Thus, the benefits of noncitizen nationals are not affected. Title VI of the new act contains miscellaneous provisions, some of which amend the INA and are thus automatically subject to the INA definition of alien. For those provisions of title VI which do not amend the INA, the new act specifically incorporates the INA definition of alien. Sec. 1(c).

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I certainly would like to commend the gentleman from New York [Mr. Lazio] and our friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Kennedy], for bringing this piece of legislation up for consideration by this body. As the gentleman from Alaska, who is the chairman of the Committee on Resources, stated earlier it is his committee which has jurisdiction in dealing with the needs of our native Americans, Mr. Speaker, the first Americans, if I might say, 2 million of them. I recall recently that here we have a situation where we need $5 million to provide for sanitation facilities for these first Americans and we cannot even come up with $5 million. This is how difficult the problems are that we have. And yes, we all know about the budgetary constraints. I do not have to share with my colleagues the plight of the first Americans. It is well documented; everybody knows. I know with our good-faith efforts we know we have not met the expectations or the problems affecting the needs of native Americans, but perhaps it may be the provisions of this legislation are a good start. But we need to do more, my colleagues. We need to do more to provide for the needs of our first Americans. I thank the gentleman for giving me time to share these thoughts with them.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

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

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I certainly would like to commend the gentleman from Guam [Mr. Underwood] for his profound statements on a very unfortunate situation, as he had related earlier, about the Guam excess lands and the problems that we had with the Fish and Wildlife Service. It is my earnest hope that we will continue to work with him, and as well with our good friend, the gentleman from the other side of the aisle, so that we can resolve this problem, and hopefully that we will be able to proceed at the earliest possible time in the next Congress. Mr. Speaker, also, I want to commend and thank my good friend, the gentleman from California [Mr. Gallegly], the chairman of the subcommittee, for bringing this legislation to the floor for the consideration of the Members. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1332, the Omnibus Insular Areas Act of 1996. Mr. Speaker, this bill has been 2 years in the making and it has undergone substantial change during this time. While I support all the provisions in the bill, there are many more issues affecting the U.S. insular areas which need attention. Unfortunately, the time remaining in this Congress has necessitated the exclusion of several significant provisions, which I hope we can address early next year. To assist the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands operate more efficiently, section 23 of this bill permits the Governor and Lieutenant Governor to retain the authority of their office while on official business outside of the Virgin Islands. Section 3 changes the priority of municipal bonds issued by the government of the Virgin Islands so that later issues of bonds will not necessarily have to carry a higher interest rate. A third provision will establish a commission to make recommendations on how the Virgin Islands might best develop its economy in light of changing trade and tourism patterns. To assist the government of Guam to operate more efficiently, section 5 of H.R. 1332 permits the local government to combine the ballot for the Delegate's position with the ballots for other local elections, such as seats in the Guam legislature for Governor. Under current Federal law, the ballot for the Delegate position must be separate from all other ballots. The government of Guam uses optical scanners to read voters' ballots, and there is considerable waste in time and paper in scanning full sheets of paper with only one mark on them. Although the title of the act being amended in section 5(a) includes both Guam and the Virgin Islands, I wish to make it clear that as drafted and at the request of the Delegate from the Virgin Islands, the provision in the bill changes the law only for Guam. To assist the territorial governments to manage their financial assets more efficiently and to take better advantage of funding opportunities as they become available, section 6 of H.R. 1332 will permit territorial governments receiving funding pursuant to Public Law 94-241 to use those funds as local funds for matching requirements toward Federal grants. This problem most often occurs after a hurricane or typhoon has stricken a territory. In the aftermath of such a calamity, the territory quickly draws down its limited financial reserves, if it has any, and then is unable to obtain any FEMA emergency grants which require local matching funds because they have no unobligated funds to use as the match. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is the home of the American Memorial Park. The park was developed by the U.S. National Park Service and Public Law 95-348 authorized the Park Service to transfer the park to the government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Circumstances have changed since that law was enacted, and today the Park Service and the government of the CNMI wish the Park Service to retain management of this park. Section 7 of H.R. 1332 repeals the authorization for the Park Service to transfer the park. Section 9 of the bill amends the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 in two ways. First, it will permit the lease of trust lands to grandchildren, so long as they have a 25-percent blood quantum requirement. The second amendment will establish a native Hawaiian hurricane relief fund. Finally, Mr. Speaker, section 8 of this bill will establish a commission to study American Samoa's historical relationship with the United States, and to provide options available to the government to develop the local economy. I am including with this statement a copy of a letter signed by Chairman Don Young, Chairman Elton Gallegly, and myself in support of this provision. The territory of American Samoa is the only unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States. There is no single document which reflects the present unity of the territory. To make matters more confusing, there has been a running debate for decades over the intent of the Samoan traditional leaders or chiefs who signed the documents joining American Samoa and the United States into a political union. Whether the intent was to cede the land and people to the United States, or to enter into a bilateral treaty, which would, at some point, be subject to further negotiations, is not clear. The Commission would document and report on exactly what took place 96 years ago when the eastern part of the Samoan island group became part of the United States, and what this bilateral relationship has developed into since 1900. The commission would also be directed to report on the various status options available to American Samoa. The Commission would be composed of five members, there of whom would be appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, one by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and one by the President of the U.S. Senate. I want to emphasize that unlike the sometimes contentious negotiations on political status in Guam and the always contentious discussions on political status in Puerto Rico, this proposal does not, and I want to say this again, this legislation does not establish a political status commission. The Commission will not have the authority to change American Samoa's political status. The Commission is modeled after the Commissions which studied native Hawaiian, native American, and Native Alaskan issues. These three commissions provided resource materials which have been of significant benefit to these groups and to those who are interested in the history of these issues. The establishment of the American Samoa Commission has been a topic of discussion in American Samoa ever since I first proposed it several years ago. Some have questioned the need for a Federal commission, indicating that there is more than sufficient talent in American Samoa to convene a commission of this nature. In response, let me say that I agree that there are many individuals in Samoa with the knowledge and experience to make excellent members of the Commission I propose, and I hope that some of these individuals will sit on the Commission. The key, however, is having access to the resources of the Federal Government, such as the Library of Congress, and access to the records of the Federal departments and agencies, including the material contained in the National Archives. It is one through a Federal commission that we can ensure that these resources are made available. American Samoa has been the subject of two Federal study commissions; one was established in 1929 and the other in 1960. Both of the commissions made substantive recommendations which have led to major improvements in American Samoa. The last report was 36 years ago, and it is time again that we had the benefit of this expertise and different perspective. Mr. Speaker, this bill would not be before the House today without considerable effort and leadership on the parts of Chairman Don Young, Chairman Elton Gallegly, senior Democratic Member George Miller, and their staffs. I appreciate the hard work of all these individuals and their willingness to work together for the benefit of the territories. I want to comment again also on the bipartisan manner Chairman Gallegly has managed the business of the Subcommittee on Native American and Insular Affairs. We have not agreed on every issue, but we have continued to work together and have passed many pieces of legislation which are or we expect to become public law. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1332 includes a modest list of provision to help our territories. I ask my colleagues to support these insular areas in this bill. Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the following letter from the chairman of the subcommittee. The letter referred to is as follows: House of Representatives, Committee on Resources, Washington, DC, September 25, 1996. Hon. Frank H. Murkowski, U.S. Senator, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: We have been working for months on an omnibus territories bill which we would like to get through the House and the Senate before the 104th Congress adjourns. A copy of that legislation is enclosed. As you can see, we have been making a good faith effort to include provisions which both houses have been working on during this Congress. It was brought to our attention this week, however, that there is opposition to Section 8 of the legislation which would provide for a commission to study American Samoa's 96-year relationship with the U.S. and the options available to improve the territory's future governmental and economic relationship with the United States. The Commission for Samoa is similar to the federal study commissions we have established for the Native Americans, Native Alaskans and the Native Hawaiians. Additionally, the legislation has been pending in the House for four years, and it has the support of Samoa's Delegate, the Governor, and a majority of Samoa's residents. We support all eight of the provisions in this bill, and ask for your support so that we can provide this assistance to the territories. Sincerely, Don Young, Chairman, Committee on Resources. Elton Gallegly, Chairman, Subcommittee on Native American and Insular Affairs. Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, Senior Democratic Member, Subcommittee on Native American and Insular Affairs. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 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. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Guam [Mr. Underwood].

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3378, under suspension of the rules last month, was properly discharged by the Committee on Commerce, and of course it was passed by this committee. We are again amending the provisions of H.R. 3378 in the process of sending it back to the Senate. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3378 extends for 2 years a demonstration project authorized in section 405 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act that allows four Indian hospitals to bill HCFA directly for Medicaid reimbursement rather than go through the Indian Health Service, which will save them time and money. The Senate renamed our bill the Indian Health Care Improvement Act Technical Corrections Act of 1996 and added six new provisions. Five were noncontroversial, and one of these provisions Mr. Speaker, includes alleopathic medicine within the act's definition of health professions; the second amendment also extended the California Contract Health Services Demonstration Project through the year 2000. Another amendment also extends the funding through the year 2000 and authorizes the appropriation of such sums as necessary to fund the Gallup Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment Center. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, the amendments also extend funding through the year 2000 for the Substance Abuse Counselor Education Program; another amendment continues funding for the year 2000 for the home and community-based care demonstration program. The sixth amendment, Mr. Speaker, alters the requirements of the Indian Health Care Service Professional Scholarship Program. The amendment allows scholarship recipients to meet their service obligations by serving as an academic institution where the recipient's primary responsibility is the recruitment of other Indian medical students. The amendment also allows the Secretary to waive obligations for extreme hardships or for other good cause. The amendment also allows for release of a recipient's obligation for bankruptcy and cancels a recipient's obligation upon death. Mr. Speaker, we in the Committee on Commerce had a problem with the portion of the amendment that allows scholarship recipients to pay back their debt by working in an academic setting where their primary responsibility is the recruitment of more Indians. The problem is that Indians do not have enough medical care on their reservations, and this amendment offers somewhat of a loophole for scholarship recipients to avoid working on reservations by living and working at universities. Mr. Speaker, after reviewing these hardship cases of health professionals who thought that they were getting credit for doing recruitment, we agree those cases were better dealt with on a case-by- case basis under a Secretarial waiver authority rather than by a large loophole. The amendments grant the Secretary waiver authority for hardship and good cause, so we all agreed to strike the academic recruitment language from the bill, and the managers state their concerns on the floor. Mr. Speaker, with the above concerns discussed earlier relative to the legislation, I support the amendments that we have now agreed to with the other side, and I ask my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers at this time. I urge the adoption of this measure, and I yield back 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. Mr. Speaker, again, I commend my good friend, the gentleman from California [Mr. Bono], the chief sponsor of this legislation, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to lend my support to H.R. 3804, a bill introduced to help the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians who reside in the resort town of Palm Springs, the heart of Representative Sonny Bono's district, who is also the sponsor of this measure. The bill will allow the tribe to distribute revenues from its Mineral Springs parcel to all members of the tribe. Presently, only about 85 members are entitled to these revenues as the 1959 Settlement Act reserved certain lands that resulted in an unequal distribution of allotments to tribal members. To compensate members who received smaller allotments because of the act's reservation of lands, the act gave certain members and their heirs the right to revenues from the Mineral Springs parcel. That parcel is home today to the tribe's Spa Hotel and Casino. I and my Democratic colleagues, however, have a serious reservation about this bill that I wish to express. Our reservation is that this bill, in effect, gives the tribe the opportunity to begin per capita payments to tribal members from gaming profits from the tribe' casino in Palm Springs. I am not alone in my hesitancy to condone these kind of payments. Rather, and most of my colleagues feel the same way, the authorization of per capita payments is one of the most serious flaws in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Although there are restrictions in the act to guarantee that most gaming revenues are used to fund tribal governmental programs and promote tribal economic development, the fact is that some tribes have chosen to make significant per capita payments to their members. Unfortunately, these payments often have the effect of reducing work incentives or have sometimes been made in order to create a supportive base among tribal members. I hope that tribes, including this tribe, will see past the short term and illusory attractiveness of per capita payments and continue to reinvest all gaming revenues into public programs. Nevertheless, it is equally true that we are committed to furthering the Federal policy of self-determination and self-governance, and that if that phrase is to mean anything other than mere words, then it means that Indian tribes have, and we must trust them with, the same opportunities and decisionmaking capabilities as other governments in this country. Accordingly then, although we may be opposed to per capita payments, self-determination requires that we leave that decision up to the tribe, who as a sovereign nation, as a government, is fully vested with the power and wisdom to look after and protect its own people. Mr. Speaker, noting these concerns, this legislation deserve support and approval by this body, and I urge my colleagues to adopt 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. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

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 rise to support this legislation of my colleague from Alaska, the distinguished chairman of the committee and the chief sponsor of this bill. We share the majority's concern, Mr. Speaker, about the need to do something to improve the economic and social conditions of Alaska Natives. We are proud of the work we have done on a bipartisan basis with the other side in the past. We hope that the chairman and the Alaskan Federation of Natives will continue to work with us on this issue. Mr. Speaker, we agree with the thrust of the 1994 report on the Joint Federal-State Commission on Policies and Programs Affecting Alaska Natives. Both the Congress and the State must give Alaskan Native tribes greater opportunities for self-governance. One obvious form would be in terms of enhanced governmental powers, some that we have successfully fought for through passage of Self-Determination Act amendments of 1994, and the Self-Governance Act of 1994. Another obvious form that would be the recognition and protection of Alaskan Native subsistence hunting and fishing rights, including those won recently by Natives in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the ``Katie John'' decision, as well as congressional review of whether or not ``Indian Country'' exists in Alaska. Mr. Speaker, we are all too aware of the fact that of the more than 200 Alaskan Native villages, two-thirds of them do not have piped water and sewer systems. Even health clinics do not have running water. In the Copper River Basin area, incidences of fetal alcohol syndrome in the late 1980's occurred at the astonishing rate of 350 per 1,000 live births. A recent CDC study shows Alaskan Natives are dying from tobacco-related illnesses at a higher rate than any other group in Alaska. Despite the fact Alaskan Natives have the highest medium income among all Native Americans, more than 25 percent still live below the poverty level. Mr. Speaker, these statistics are, in a word, heartbreaking. There is no question we take our commitment to improving the lives of Native Americans seriously. We intend to do something about these conditions. We simply believe we can do something more quickly if we can work together as we have tried and are doing so on a bipartisan basis. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this legislation.

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. Mr. Speaker, I, too, support this bill and urge its passage. We revisit this bill a second time because of two noncontroversial Senate amendments to our original bill which passed this House under suspension of rules on May 22 of this year. This bill takes the long overdue step of revoking the Prairie Island Indian community of Minnesota's Federal charter of incorporation issued under the archaic Indian Reorganization Act [IRA] in 1937. We take this step because only Congress can revoke this charter. Congress created the IRA in an attempt to remake tribal governments by giving them boilerplate constitutions and bylaws including provisions allowing tribal councils to conduct business enterprises pursuant to charters issued under section 17 of the IRA. The tribe received its charter in 1937. The charter has proven to be more of a hindrance than a help. For instance, the charter prevents the tribe from entering into contracts of more than $100 without secretarial approval. Basically, the charter is outmoded, burdensome, and more a vestige of 1930's paternalism than the current Federal policy of self-determination. Thus, the tribe has asked us to revoke their charter and we do so today. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee added a provision extending the Jicarilla Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992 by 2 years. The tribe's access to water and settlement funds under the act are contingent upon dismissal of actions by the tribe against the United States and a waiver of the tribe's reserved water rights claims in State courts with respect to the Rio Chama and San Juan Rivers. The act also requires the United States and New Mexico to enter into partial final decrees by December 31, 1996. State court proceedings have been delayed, however, and all parties--the tribe, the United States and the State--request a 2-year extension to finalize the settlement. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee also added a provision extending the San Carlos Apache Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992 by 6 months. The 1992 act imposed a deadline of December 31, 1995, for completion of agreements between the tribe and other parties. Because the tribe, the city of Globe, AZ, and the Phelps Dodge Corp. had not reached an agreement by the deadline, Congress extended the settlement deadline by 1 year, to December 31, 1996, earlier this session--Pub. Law 104-91 (H.R. 1358). Unfortunately, the parties have still not reached an agreement and have asked for an additional extension of 6 months, until June 30, 1997. The administration supports this request. These amendments have our support and will assist these tribes in furthering their own economic self-dependence and help settle longstanding water disputes. Again, I urge my colleagues to support these measures. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 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. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Mexico [Mr. Richardson]. (Mr. RICHARDSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I support this piece of legislation. It expands our national wildlife refuge system. It authorizes land acquisition in the State of Louisiana for the protection and conservation of wildlife. The administration also has given its support of this legislation. I want to commend the gentleman from Louisiana who is the chief sponsor of this legislation. I urge the adoption of 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. Mr. Speaker, I am aware of no opposition of this bill on our side of the aisle. This bill is similar to the one that was passed by the House of Representatives. The earlier sponsor of this legislation was the gentlewoman from Wyoming [Mrs. Cubin]. At this time there were still some disagreements over the legislation but we are told that this has been resolved and I understand that as the chief sponsor from the other body, Senate bill 1802, the gentleman from South Dakota, Mr. Daschle, apparently this bill does represent the compromise that was worked out with the Members involved between Wyoming and South Dakota, obviously, and the compromise has been reached by the interested parties. We therefore have no reason to object to the passage of this legislation today. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back 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. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The senior Democrat on this side of the aisle to the Committee on International Relations deeply regrets not being here because of a conflict of schedule. I am certain that the sentiments expressed earlier by the gentleman from New York is very much in order to the fact that this has been a very productive year for the Committee on International Relations. I will say to the gentleman from New York that we have had our differences in principle, but it has never been on differences in personalities. I appreciate the leadership and certainly the fairness that he has given in this stewardship as chairman of this committee. I want the gentleman to know that. Mr. Speaker, I also want to express the gratitude and appreciation of the Nation also to the two gentlemen from this side of the aisle on the committee, the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Torricelli], also the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Johnston], who will also not be here next year due to retirement and other choices that they have made in their political careers. I certainly would like to commend them for their services that they have rendered as members, outstanding members of this committee. I also want to recognize with appreciation the gentleman from Wisconsin whom I have had the privilege of working with closely on matters of international trade and some of the foreign policies that we have dealt with on this committee and certainly would like to wish him well because of his retirement. I want to express that on behalf of the members of this side of the committee. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from California, given his profound statement and understanding of the seriousness of the problem here in the Baltic States, I think the provisions of this resolution are well in order, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time,

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, as amended by the Committee on International Relations. I want to commend the gentleman from New York, the chairman of the Committee on International Relations, and the gentleman from California [Mr. Cox] for their hard work in working the provisions of this resolution. I appreciate the gentleman from California's willingness to work with the administration and with the minority to craft a resolution that deserves strong bipartisan support. I believe this resolution is constructive. It spells out a future for Kaliningrad that can contribute to peace, stability, and prosperity in the Baltic region. In case some of our colleagues do not know where Kaliningrad is located, Mr. Speaker, it is between Poland and Lithuania. Mr. Speaker, I urge colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.