Raúl Grijalva

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 310 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey 140 acres of public land in Oklahoma administered by the United States Forest Service to the Indian Nations Council of Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scouts will use the land to expand their existing camping area and will pay fair market value for the land. H.R. 310 is identical to legislation that passed the House last year by a vote of 370-2. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend our colleague, Representative Boren, for his work on this legislation, and I urge our colleagues to support passage of H.R. 310. I reserve the balance of my time.

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 to include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 310) to provide for the conveyance of approximately 140 acres of land in the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma to the Indian Nations Council, Inc., of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes.

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, at this point let me yield as much time as she may consume to the sponsor of the legislation, Representative Markey.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1858, introduced by Representative Betsy Markey of Colorado, would provide for a boundary adjustment and land conveyances involving the Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado to correct the effects of erroneous land survey. The bill responds to an ongoing boundary dispute between the Forest Service and private land owners with property adjacent to the forest. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend our colleague, Representative Markey, for her work on this bill. As a freshman, she has demonstrated remarkable ability to get things done on behalf of her constituents. I ask my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 1858. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1858) to provide for a boundary adjustment and land conveyances involving Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado, to correct the effects of an erroneous land survey that resulted in approximately 7 acres of the Crystal Lakes Subdivision, Ninth Filing, encroaching on National Forest System land, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I would yield as much time as he may consume to the sponsor of H.R. 1287, Mr. Visclosky.

Mr. GRIJALVA. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1287 will allow the National Park Service to share visitor center facilities for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore with the local county's Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission. The bill also allows the National Park Service to construct exhibits at the visitor center, and authorizes NPS employees to work there since the visitor center lies outside the established boundaries of the park. Finally, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1287 would clarify the definition of ``contiguous lands'' in the park's original legislation so that NPS could accept donations of contiguous land even if that land is separated by a right-of-way, such as a road, a railway line or a utility corridor. Mr. Speaker, Congressman Visclosky has been working hard on this bill for a long time and is to be commended for his diligence and persistence. The legislation passed the House last Congress by an overwhelming vote. I ask my colleagues, once again, to support this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

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 to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1287) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a partnership with the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission regarding the use of the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center as a visitor center for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and for other purposes.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, every time we bring up a national heritage proposal, we hear concerns expressed about private property protections. We should be clear that during the 20-plus years of this program's existence, opponents have not been able to identify a single instance in which someone has been deprived of the use of their property as a result of this designation. Tens of millions of Americans in States across the country have lived, worked and recreated and made their living within a heritage area. Despite the best efforts of opponents of these designations, they have never found a case where property rights were violated. The Government Accountability Office even investigated potential property rights violations and found none. Nevertheless, this bill contains extensive private property provisions. These private property protections are the same language approved by Congress in earlier bills and signed into law by both the Obama and Bush administrations. If the problem existed, the bill has the language necessary to take care of it. The other issue, in terms of law enforcement, this designation in no way restricts local, county, State or national law enforcement from carrying out its enforcement mission and its responsibility to uphold the law. There is no restriction, no impediment, and no redesignation of their mission. The mission continues. The heritage area in no way hinders or prohibits that mission from going on. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 324 would create the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area. I introduced this legislation on January 8 and am proud that my neighbor in the valley, the gentlelady from Arizona (Ms. Giffords), is an original cosponsor. My own history began in the Santa Cruz Valley, at Canoa Ranch where my father worked. My earliest memories are of a life in that extraordinary scenic valley and they comprise an important part of who I am today. Sharing a border with Mexico, the Santa Cruz Valley encompasses a multitude of cultures, a rich and diverse history, as well as a host of nationally recognized national treasures that are situated within its borders. The amount of support for this proposal, both in my district and in Ms. Giffords', is astounding. Every county, municipality, tribe, Federal and State park and land management agency within the proposed heritage area, plus a long list of chambers of commerce, tourism organizations, conservation and historic preservation groups, ranchers, farmers and businesses, all support H.R. 324. The House has already approved this legislation as part of a heritage area package in the last Congress. Mr. Speaker, this bill is important to many of us and to me, to my district, and to Ms. Giffords and to her constituents. I ask my colleagues to support the passage. I reserve the balance of my time.

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 bill under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 324) to establish the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area, and for other purposes.

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I would yield as much time as he may consume to the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, Mr. George Miller, for his comments on his legislation, H.R. 1043.

Mr. GRIJALVA. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1043 provides for a land exchange between the Forest Service and Solano County, California. Solano County currently has a special use permit from the Forest Service to operate the Fouts Springs Youth Correctional Facility on 82 acres of land in the Mendocino National Forest. The county has been working diligently for years to acquire wilderness-quality forest lands to exchange with the Forest Service in order to acquire the lands occupied by the youth correctional facility. The lands the Forest Service would acquire are wilderness-quality lands bordering the Snow Mountain Wilderness Area, and have been identified as priority areas for acquisition dating as far back as 1992. The land exchange would be for equal value. Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Chairman George Miller, is to be commended for his efforts on behalf of Solano County and this youth facility. An earlier version of this legislation passed the House last year by voice vote. I ask my colleagues to, once again, support the passage of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

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 to include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1043) to provide for a land exchange involving certain National Forest System lands in the Mendocino National Forest in the State of California, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of my colleague, Mr. Cassidy, if he has any additional speakers.