Jim Gibbons

Mr. GIBBONS

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1284 introduced by the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano) increases the authorized Federal cost ceiling for the San Gabriel Demonstration Project by $12.5 million. The bill, as amended, reduces the Federal share from $12.5 million to $6.5 million. Local project sponsors have expressed a desire to expand the Demonstration Project, which treats contaminated groundwater and then delivers the effluent to nearby localities to justify the Federal cost ceiling increase. I urge my colleagues to support this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GIBBONS

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1466) to facilitate the transfer of land in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes.

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

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Senate 1466 accelerates the process of conveying public land in Alaska under the Native Allotment Act of 1906, the Alaska Statehood Act of 1958, and the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. Ninety million acres of Federal land entitlements intended for Alaska natives, the State of Alaska, and native corporations under these three acts are yet to be surveyed. While such lands may be selected or conveyed on an interim basis, full ownership of the lands is not enjoyed until the final conveyance. Existing procedures for transferring the lands affected by this bill are highly complex. Lawsuits and delays are inevitable as competing claims attempt to sort out the confusion. Senate 1466 enhances the ability of the Federal Government, the State, and Alaska natives to speed up the conveyance process through a more flexible process of negotiation and through authorization of appropriations to finish the necessary surveys of the land. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to adopt this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GIBBONS

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1146) to implement the recommendations of the Garrison Unit Joint Tribal Advisory Committee by providing authorization for the construction of a rural health care facility on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, North Dakota.

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

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Senate 1146 was sponsored by the gentleman from North Dakota, Senator Kent Conrad. It was reported by unanimous consent of the House Resources Committee on June 3, 2004. This legislation fulfills a government commitment to replace a U.S. Public Health Service hospital serving the members of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. In the late 1940s, the hospital was destroyed in a flood resulting from the construction of the Garrison Dam and Reservoir Project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. The flood forced the relocation of many Indian families, and it is long overdue that Congress fulfills all components of its pledge to compensate the tribe. I urge the speedy adoption of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. It marks a historic point in the Committee on Resources, having just passed its more than 200th piece of legislation under suspension in the House for the year which sets a record for not only the committee but I believe for the House in terms of legislation passed. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBBONS

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts), for granting me the time. Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor and privilege to rise today in support of Senate 2640, the Guardians of Freedom Memorial Post Office Building Designation Act. The concept of this legislation, while generated and originated in our office on the House side, was the genesis for the bill introduced by my good friend, Senator John Ensign, as companion legislation to my bill, H.R. 4442. All five members of Nevada's congressional delegation fully support the memorial that these bills would realize. This bill honors Nevada's military personnel who have made that ultimate sacrifice during the global war on terror and the liberation of Iraq. Nevada's families have lost precious loved ones during these conflicts, and many members of Nevada's communities have requested help in providing some form of recognition for these noble men and women. This bill helps provide such recognition by establishing the Guardians of Freedom Memorial Post Office building in Reno, Nevada, a consecration of ground forever preserving the memories of these valiant individuals. The name for this special memorial post office originates through a contest in a high school in the North Valleys area of Reno, Nevada, and the name Guardians of Freedom Post Office was selected from a name generated by the Junior ROTC of North Valleys High School in Reno. Those students created a name which best embodies the spirit of our recently fallen heroes. I congratulate these young Nevadans on their achievement and thank them for their participation in this special honor that will forever recognize these fallen patriots. To my knowledge, Mr. Speaker, no other post office in the United States honors the memories of all of those of a community who have fallen in defense of our Nation's liberty. At the Guardians of Freedom Post Office, a plaque will be placed at this site bearing the names of the Nevadans who have made the ultimate sacrifice in fighting terrorism and who have died defending America's liberties. It is my hope that the names permanently etched into this plaque will be an enduring reminder to future generations that freedom is never free, and those who defend liberty will never be forgotten. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

Mr. GIBBONS

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1630) to revise the boundary of the Petrified Forest National Park in the State of Arizona, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi).

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

Mr. GIBBONS

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2129) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating certain historic buildings and areas in Taunton, Massachusetts, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2129, introduced by the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating certain historic buildings and areas in Taunton, Massachusetts, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. The city of Taunton, Massachusetts, is home to nine distinct historic districts, with more than 600 properties on the National Register of Historic Places. Included among these districts is the Taunton Green Historic District, the site where the Sons of Liberty first raised the Liberty and Union Flag in 1774, an event that helped to spark a popular movement culminating in the American Revolution. Taunton was also a leading community in the industrial revolution, and its industrial area has been the site of many innovations in silver manufacture, paper manufacture, and shipbuilding. Main Street, which connects many of the historic districts, is the home of the Taunton City Hall and the Leonard Block building, two outstanding examples of early 19th century American architecture, as well as many other historical and architecturally significant structures. The city has historically been and continues to be an important destination for immigrants migrating from Europe, as well as other parts of the world, and contributes greatly to the unique ethnic character of southeastern Massachusetts. H.R. 2129, as amended, is supported by the majority and minority of the Committee on Resources. I would urge adoption of this bill, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill. I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBBONS

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 76) recognizing that November 2, 2003, shall be dedicated as ``A Tribute To Survivors'' at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. Con. Res. 76.

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Senate Concurrent Resolution 76, introduced by Senator Hatch of Utah, dedicates November 2, 2003, as ``A Tribute to Survivors'' at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum located here in our Nation's capital. The gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon) has authored the House companion bill and should be equally commended for his tireless work on behalf of his constituents. Chartered by a unanimous Act of Congress in 1980, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's primary mission is to advance and disseminate knowledge about this unprecedented tragedy; to preserve the memory of those who suffered; and to encourage its visitors to reflect upon the moral and spiritual questions raised by the events of the Holocaust as well as their own responsibilities as citizens of a democracy. This living memorial speaks not only to the victims' deaths, but of their lives. It holds the power to transform the living by transmitting the legacy of the Holocaust. On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, the museum on November 1 and 2 of 2003, held a Tribute to Holocaust survivors, a special celebration at the museum for survivors, their families, and other members of the eyewitness generation, including liberators and rescuers. This unique event brought together over 7,000 people, reuniting over 2,000 survivors. Museum Director Sara Bloomfield characterized the tribute as critical, with so many of the Holocaust survivors now in the later years of their lives. More importantly though, dedicating November 2, 2003, as ``A Tribute to Survivors'' at the museum affords all of us the opportunity to answer to their silent question: Indeed, we have not forgotten you. Senate Concurrent Resolution 76 is supported by the majority and minority of the committee. I urge adoption of the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the sponsor of the House legislation is home with a family member who is ill and unable to make his presentation. I ask for support of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GIBBONS

Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4817) to facilitate the resolution of a minor boundary encroachment on lands of the Union Pacific Railroad Company in Tipton, California, which were originally conveyed by the United States as part of the right-of-way granted for the construction of transcontinental railroads, as amended.