Raúl Grijalva

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

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

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. I thank the gentleman, and I agree with the gentleman from Utah on his description of Federal and State authorities to manage fish and wildlife resources. I also agree that we should promote better coordination and cooperation between the Federal Government and the States to enhance our fish and wildlife resources for future generations, especially for the control of invasive species. I assure my colleague that nothing in H.R. 658 diminishes or enlarges the authority of the Federal Government or any State for the conservation and management of fish and wildlife.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 658 is an administration proposal introduced by Representative Jon Porter of Nevada. The bill would authorize the National Park Service to enter into cooperative agreements to spend Park Service funds outside of existing Park boundaries. According to a report from the Government Accountability Office, the National Park Service is the only Federal land management agency that does not currently have that authority. While there are several areas in which such cooperative agreements would be useful, the ability to participate in coordinated plans to eradicate invasive species in and around national parks is the primary reason that the National Park Service is seeking this authority. Under the terms of this legislation, the National Park Service could enter into such agreements with State, local or tribal governments, with other public entities, educational institutions, private nonprofit organizations, or participating private landowners. The legislation requires that any such cooperative agreements provide clear benefits to park resources. Madam Speaker, I would note this legislation does not authorize any new funding. I thank my colleague from Nevada for his effort, and we support passage of H.R. 658 by the House today. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 658) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements to protect natural resources of units of the National Park System through collaborative efforts on land inside and outside of units of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards).

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I would like to commend our colleague, Representative Mark Udall, for his hard work on this issue. As many of us know, clean water is one of the most precious commodities in the West. The bill before us, H.R. 902, has a promise of providing more clean water to western communities. In oil and gas fields with thousands of producing wells, millions of gallons of so-called produced water will be brought to the surface along with oil or gas. To those who operate oil and gas wells, produced water is a waste product. In some cases, the produced water can be injected into the wells to force more oil to the surface. If the water quality is good enough, a well operator might be allowed to discharge the water down the nearest stream, but there may also be opportunities to treat the water and make it useful for irrigation or even domestic purposes. H.R. 902 authorizes a study of the opportunities and the obstacles to beneficial and environmentally safe use of this produced water. I again commend Mr. Udall for his hard work on this legislation. In the 109th Congress, the Subcommittee on Water and Power held a hearing on similar legislation. This legislation was subsequently passed by the House. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations to a great resource in southern Arizona. For 5 years, the Kinship and Adoption Resource and Education Family Center, KARE, has been providing support and resources for grandparents and other relatives raising children whose biological parents are unable to do so. Considering that Arizona is one of the fastest growing States in the country where children are having to be raised outside of their own birth-families, the center's work has become invaluable to the community members of my district. Through KARE, many families are able to keep more children out of foster homes. It is my pleasure to thank them on this landmark date. Over the existence of the KARE Family Center, several thousand grandparents, relatives and adoptive parents have received many crucially important services. The center provides such benefits as case management services and mental/behavioral health services, completely free of charge. Without such services, many of the children in question would not be found under the care of their own family, which simply can not be equaled by state care. Grandparents, relatives, and adoptive parents, who are often suffering from declining health and financial burdens, are able to overcome these extraordinary circumstances through the help of the KARE center. As the need for specialization in the area of adoption and kinship support services grows across the country, the KARE center has helped to develop and promote access to similar programs. In its 5 years, KARE has provided assistance to several thousand families, and with more programs like it in development, far fewer children are left to be raised in unfamiliar surroundings, or overburdened foster families. Their work has shown that kinship and non-nuclear biological families can provide permanent stable homes, an alternative to foster care and delinquency systems, while 100 percent of children in the program remain in school. I wish continued success of the KARE Family Center. It is my honor to celebrate with them a history of community involvement and service.

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, let me thank Congressman Wilson for this legislation, Mr. Brown as well, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Spratt and Mr. Barrett from South Carolina for introducing the bill that we have just finished. I also want to, before I yield back, thank the gentleman from Utah, the ranking member, for assisting in bringing the pieces of legislation we had today forward.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Brigadier General Francis Marion commanded the Williamsburg Militia Revolutionary Force in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War. He is distinguished for his innovative warfare techniques, his pivotal victory at Eutaw Springs in September 1781, and for his commanding the first racially integrated troop force. General Marion is perhaps even better known by the nickname given to him by an exasperated British commander, the Swamp Fox. H.R. 497, introduced by Representative Joe Wilson, would authorize a private entity, the Marion Park Project, to establish a commemorative work in Washington, D.C., to honor General Marion. The memorial is to be established pursuant to the Commemorative Works Act and is to be privately funded. Mr. Speaker, the House approved identical legislation in the last Congress, and we strongly support H.R. 497 today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days 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. 497) to authorize the Marion Park Project, a committee of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, to establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia, and its environs to honor Brigadier General Francis Marion.

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As we all remember, February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia suffered a tragic failure during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. As a result, seven crew members sadly lost their lives. H.R. 807, introduced by Representative Gohmert, would authorize a study to determine how best to protect four parcels of land in east Texas where large portions of the wreckage were recovered. In addition to specific sites identified in the bill, the Secretary of the Interior would be authorized to recommend additional sites to Congress. Mr. Speaker, the Nation continues to mourn the loss of the Columbia. We support the passage of H.R. 807, an important step toward ensuring that the sacrifices made by her crew and their families will always be remembered. We commend the Congressman for introducing this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days 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. 807) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the feasibility and suitability of establishing a memorial to the Space Shuttle Columbia in the State of Texas and for its inclusion as a unit of the National Park Service.

Mr. GRIJALVA

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

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 376, introduced by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt). This legislation would direct the National Park Service to conduct a study to determine how best to protect the sites related to the First and Second Battles of Newtonia, Missouri. Two Civil War battles were waged near Newtonia which lies in Newton County, Missouri. The first, on September 30, 1862, involved 4,000 Confederate troops and 6,500 Union soldiers, and it is believed to be the only Civil War battle in which full American Indian units fought on both sides of the conflict. The Second Battle of Newtonia occurred on October 28, 1864, and involved 1,500 Union cavalry engaging a Confederate Army returning from the unsuccessful Missouri and Kansas Campaign of Confederate General Sterling Price. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend and congratulate my colleague, Mr. Blunt, for this bill. A hearing was held on a nearly identical measure last Congress, and that bill eventually passed the House. We strongly support H.R. 376 and urge its adoption by the House today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.