Raúl Grijalva

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3197, the Save the Liberty Theatre Act introduced by my colleague Representative Mike Johnson. This bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a small piece of the historic Liberty Theatre to the city of Eunice, Louisiana. Although the theater is owned and operated by the city, it is adjacent to the Prairie Arcadian Cultural Center, which is owned by the National Park Service as a unit of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. In the 1980s, the Park Service ended up building an annex to the theater in order to construct an ADA compliant ramp and to house an air conditioning system for the two buildings. Now, the city of Eunice plans to build its own HVAC system. Consolidation of the property is a win-win: It will allow rehabilitation of the Liberty Theatre to move forward and decrease operating costs for the National Park Service. This is a commonsense piece of legislation, and I am pleased to support it today. I thank Representative Johnson for bringing this bill forward and bringing it to our attention, and I urge our colleagues to support the passage today. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3197) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey to the City of Eunice, Louisiana, certain Federal land in Louisiana, and for other purposes.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Obernolte, our colleague on the committee, and Ms. Matsui, a former colleague on the committee, for two pieces of very important legislation that look at the realism that we need to look at in terms of our history as a Nation. They are complementary and good pieces of legislation. Madam Speaker, I urge approval, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6434, the Japanese American World War II History Network Act, introduced by my Natural Resources Committee colleague, Representative Jay Obernolte. This bill will direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Japanese American World War II History Network within the National Park Service. Between 1942 and 1945, the U.S. Government wrongfully imprisoned approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans, most of whom were U.S. citizens. Many of the U.S. Government's activities during World War II were done in secrecy and were not accurately represented to the public in the years after the war. Designating this network will support education and awareness of the people, places, and events that were associated with the wrongful incarceration of Japanese Americans. This effort will be a welcome complement to the existing Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program, which we are looking to reauthorize and strengthen today through Representative Matsui's legislation, which we considered earlier this afternoon. I thank Representative Obernolte for championing this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I concur with Ranking Member Westerman and urge support of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3113, the Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act, or MAPLand Act, introduced by my Committee on Natural Resources colleague, Representative Blake Moore. Our committee has long focused on sportsmen's access to public lands. I am pleased that shortly after I became chair, we were able to pass the bipartisan John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, which included an entire title on sportsmen's access. The MAPLand Act would build on that law, as well as the investments made by the Great American Outdoors Act, to help ensure that hunters, anglers, and all Americans can more easily find information and resources to help facilitate public lands access. Representative Moore's bill would direct the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers to jointly develop and adopt standards to ensure database compatibility for the collection and sharing of outdoor recreation data related to Federal lands. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Moore for championing this bill on behalf of everyone who enjoys our public lands, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 268) to provide for the boundary of the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park to be adjusted, to authorize the donation of land to the United States for addition to that historic park, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Vela), the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I have one additional request to address the legislation. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Vicente Gonzalez).

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Escobar), the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro).

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for helping bring this to the floor. Representative Escobar's particular piece of legislation is not merely a reminder or a political statement. It is a memorial, an acknowledgment of a tragedy, and an acknowledgment of the need for reconciliation, the need for healing, the need for understanding, and the need to have the conversations as communities that we need to have so that if we do nothing else to prevent this kind of deranged violence, we can at least begin to heal and talk about the issue in a way that maybe reaches part of that end to reduce this kind of violence and violence in general. I speak from limited experience but vital experience. Our former colleague, Representative Giffords, was in an attempted assassination. Six people died at the Congress on Your Corner where she would hold events for people to come and talk to her about the issues facing our Nation and facing the district, that unique ability of this democracy of ours for their elected officials to be accessible to the public that they represent. She was shot, almost died, and survived, and we have a memorial to that event in Tucson. It has proven to be a rallying point, it has proven to be a great instrument for nonviolence, and it is a forum for discussion and growth, the growth of tolerance and understanding in Tucson, Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this legislation, I thank the ranking member for his leadership, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4380, a bill to designate the El Paso Community Healing Garden National Memorial, introduced by my colleague, Representative Veronica Escobar. On August 3, 2019, El Paso, Texas, was the target of a horrific domestic terrorist attack that took 23 lives, injured another 23 people, and devastated communities across the Nation. The mass shooting occurred at a Walmart Supercenter on the east side of El Paso and is arguably the deadliest targeted attack against Latinos in modern American history. Following the attack, the county of El Paso approved the construction of the El Paso Community Healing Garden to provide the community with a space to honor victims and survivors and to heal. My heart goes out to all the victims of this horrific attack. While I know there is nothing we can do to turn back the clock, I hope that our efforts to recognize this site as a national memorial will help bring some solace and healing to the community. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Escobar for championing this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. JACKSON, LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2899, ``To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating areas within the island of Guam as a National Heritage Area, and for other purposes.'' Different from national parks, national heritage areas are community- based efforts that preserve and share stories about a region's history and character. Heritage areas contain a mixture of public and private property, including towns, historic sites, parks, trails, commercial districts, and even working farms. National Heritage Areas are a grassroots, community-driven approach to heritage conservation and economic development. Through public- private partnerships, NHA entities support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects. Leveraging funds and long-term support for projects, NHA partnerships foster pride of place and an enduring stewardship ethic. When an area is designated as an NHA, its inhabitants don't have to leave. An important aspect of NHAs is that they are intended as a celebration of a living environment, and they improve the local economy around them. The National Parks Service estimates NHAs average $5.50 for every $1.00 of federal investment, bolstering the local economies through their unique ``heritage tourism.'' Not only are NHAs economically friendly, but they are also climate friendly. Many NHAs improve water and air quality in their regions through restoration projects and encourage people to enjoy natural and cultural sites by providing new recreational opportunities. Guam is much more than sun, sea, and sand. The island is awash with a history that dates back to the Latte Period of 2000BC, the period of Ancient Chamorro life before a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived on March 6, 1521. With 131 sites around the island listed on the National Register of Historic Places, these historical landmarks weave a fascinating tale of the island's struggles, resilience, and victories over thousands of years. Though the island's colorful history spans the Spanish era, the American period, and Japanese WWII occupation, today Guam is most widely celebrated for its native Chamorro culture and pride. Chamorros are the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands of which Guam is the largest and southernmost on an island chain. Archeological evidence identified civilization dating back 5,000 years. Their vernacular, called the Chamorro language, is interestingly not a Micronesian dialect but a distinct language with its own vocabulary and grammar. Therefore, considering the richness of Guam's land and its peoples, it brings me much joy to rise in strong support of H.R. 2899. I urge my colleagues to do the same. It is for that reason, Madam Speaker, that I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5001) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to continue to implement endangered fish recovery programs for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5001, introduced by my Natural Resources Committee colleague, Representative Joe Neguse of Colorado. This bipartisan bill will reauthorize two programs that are working to recover threatened and endangered fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin. This legislation will continue the collaboration work of Tribes, water users, environmental groups, local utilities, and State and Federal agencies that are partnering to recover four fish species currently listed under the Endangered Species Act as either threatened or endangered. These programs provide Endangered Species Act compliance for projects that use water resources from the San Juan River and Upper Colorado River Basins, so that these rare native fish can be recovered while human water use can continue. With the conservation actions undertaken through the recovery programs, one fish was downlisted from endangered to threatened last year, and another fish is under consideration for downlisting to threatened as well. This good work is important, and it should continue. I want to commend my colleague, the chair of the National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee, Representative Neguse, for his leadership on this bill. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.