Rush Holt

Mr. HOLT

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 548) to assist citizens, public and private institutions, and governments at all levels in planning, interpreting, and protecting sites where historic battles were fought on American soil during the armed conflicts that shaped the growth and development of the United States, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. HOLT. 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 bill under consideration.

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, since its inception in 1996, the American Battlefield Protection Program has provided grants for preserving endangered battlefields of the Civil War, which are specifically not part of the National Park system. The program contains two components. The Battlefield Preservation Grants Program is designed to help State and local governments, private organizations and citizens protect battlefield sites. The Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program provides matching funds to help State and local governments acquire and preserve battlefield sites. Together, these two programs have helped protect more than 15,000 acres at 72 Civil War battlefields. They have leveraged more than $50 million in non-Federal funding for battlefield protection. Madam Speaker, as we all know, several time-sensitive pieces of legislation were caught up in the lengthy debate about public lands issues in the other body. Because of that delay, the original law for this program lapsed last September. H.R. 548 would restore this important program and authorize it through 2019. As I said in connection with the previous bill on battlefields of the War of 1812 and the Revolution, preserving these historic sites is important not for looking back, but for looking forward, for knowing where we came from and where we are going, for knowing that we are a Nation conceived in liberty and dedicated on the proposition that all are equal. The lesson of the Civil War battlefields is a lesson for today's children, for tomorrow's children, for all citizens. I commend our colleague, Representative Gary Miller of California, for his leadership on this issue and his commitment to historic preservation. I urge my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 548. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman, my friend and colleague from Texas, for those eloquent remarks reminding us that this is not just for land preservation, it is for values preservation that we are supporting Mr. Miller's bill. And I thank my colleagues also for recognizing the work that Mr. Miller has put into this. With that, I urge my colleagues to pass this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. HOLT

Mr. HOLT. Madam 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 under consideration.

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 844) to amend the provisions of law relating to the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program, and for other purposes.

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, the pending measure, the Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Amendments of 2009, was introduced by our esteemed colleague from Alaska, Representative Don Young. The bill would extend through fiscal year 2013 the authorization of appropriations for the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Fund and the Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Event Fund. H.R. 844 would direct the relevant Secretary to collect and update procedures for rescuing and rehabilitating marine mammals entangled in fishing gear, rope, line, or entangled in any way other. The bill also authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements for marine mammal stranding events requiring emergency assistance. The 110th Congress passed a similar bill by voice vote, but the legislation did not pass the other body. We support this bill and commend Representative Young for his leadership on this issue. I ask Members on both sides to support passage of this legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. HOLT

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 326) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to take lands in Yuma County, Arizona, into trust as part of the reservation of the Cocopah Tribe of Arizona, and for other purposes.

Mr. HOLT. Madam 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. HOLT. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the pending measure sponsored by our colleague, Representative Raul Grijalva, would place land into trust for the Cocopah Indian Tribe of Arizona. This land will be used for housing, water and non-gaming economic development opportunities. These lands, which are currently owned by the Cocopah, will be considered part of the tribe's initial reservation. Further, this legislation prohibits these lands from being used for gaming purposes under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. A similar measure was introduced in the 107th Congress and in the 109th Congress. In the last Congress, the House passed an identical version of this measure by unanimous consent. The resolution of this matter is well-overdue. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 326. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLT. May I ask if the gentleman has any further speakers.

Mr. HOLT. With that, Madam Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 326. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLT

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 81) to amend the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to improve the conservation of sharks.

Mr. HOLT. Madam 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 under consideration.

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 81, the Shark Conservation Act of 2009. Sharks are vital to the health of marine ecosystems, but the practice of shark finning is driving the decline of their populations worldwide. Nine years ago, Congress passed the Shark Finning Prohibition Act to protect these important species. The pending measure reconfirms the original intent of Congress to prevent shark finning by prohibiting the removal of fins at sea and the possession, transfer or landing of fins, which are not naturally attached to the corresponding carcass. Reducing shark finning is imperative to conserving sharks, a critical species within marine ecosystems. This bill passed the House during the last Congress but was not acted upon by the other body. Today, we are repeating our effort for this important conservation. I especially want to acknowledge the efforts of Madeleine Bordallo, the Chair of the Insular Affairs Oceans and Wildlife subcommittee. She has worked hard on this. And for the sake of the ecosystem of our world's oceans, I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, as the gentleman said, this bill will correct an oversight in the existing law, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. HOLT. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLT

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, with the urging to my colleagues to support this legislation, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 146) to amend the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 to establish a battlefield acquisition grant program for the acquisition and protection of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. HOLT. Madam 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 under consideration.

Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I rise as the sponsor of H.R. 146, the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act, which I introduced for myself and a number of other Members. I would like to thank Chairman Rahall and Chairman Grijalva for their help in bringing this legislation to the floor. Madam Speaker, from the shot heard around the world in Lexington to the beginning of the winning, when Washington and his soldiers crossed the Delaware, on to the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, the stories of the American Revolution bring to life the ideals of liberty and democracy fostered by our Nation's founders. As noted historian, David Hackett Fischer, testified before the Natural Resources Committee last year, ``from long experience I can testify that one of the best ways to learn about history is to go to sites, and get on the ground.'' I could not agree more. While one can read about the American Revolution and the values that were fought for and established at that time, or read about the War of 1812 when the fledgling country fought to maintain its independence, history is best experienced, however, not by reading but by feeling, touching and living what was experienced in those trying times. There is no better way to experience the history of the founding of our great Nation than on the hallowed ground where the epic struggle for our Nation's independence took place. Preserving these American historic treasures is essential to remembering the sacrifices that our forefathers made to secure our freedom and our independence, and it is vital for educating the current generations and future generations and about our rich cultural heritage. Unfortunately, urbanization, suburban sprawl and unplanned development continually encroach on many of the significant battlefields of that period. This encroachment poses a severe and growing risk to the preservation of these historic significant sites. Last spring, the National Park Service published its report to Congress on the status of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 sites in the United States. This report demonstrates that there is a great need to act and to act quickly to preserve many of these sites. Out of the 677 naturally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, 99, according to the National Park Service, are lost forever already; 234 are fragmented or in poor condition; an additional 170 are in danger of being destroyed within the next decade. H.R. 146 would help State and local governments and non-profits protect and preserve these battlefields and historic sites by authorizing the use of money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to provide up to 50 percent of the costs of purchasing battlefield land threatened by sprawl and commercial development. This legislation is patterned after the successful Civil War Battlefield Protection Program that has been in effect for quite some time now. I might add, it was an oversight, I would say, that decades ago, these battlefields and sites of the War of 1812 and the Revolutionary War were not included under the same umbrella. Now is the time to do it. Now is past the time to do it. My home State of New Jersey played a unique role in the American Revolution. I was pleased when, a couple of years ago, Congress took action to protect the battlefields in historic sites where this conflict took place. We passed legislation that created the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area linking hundreds of sites across 14 counties in New Jersey where more military engagements took place than in any other States. New Jersey was truly the crossroads of the American Revolution for a number of reasons, and I'm pleased we're taking steps to preserve the record of those engagements. There's a fundamental misconception that the American Revolution and War of 1812 took place only in the Northeast. In truth, the story of the American Revolution and the War of 1812 crisscrosses 33 States, from New York to Louisiana, from Georgia to Oregon. Enacting this legislation would allow each of these States to preserve better their history and their role in the War of 1812 and the American Revolution. Soon, I will be introducing legislation that will provide additional funding for the program created in this legislation, H.R. 149. That legislation, the American Revolution and War of 1812 Commemorative Coin Act, is modeled after the Civil War Battlefield Commemorative Coin Act of 1992, which has raised over $6 million for battlefield preservation. Enacting that bill will allow many more historic battlefields to be preserved. Enacting this bill will make it possible for our children and their children and other generations to enjoy and learn. We want to give Americans the opportunity to learn history, to feel history, to experience history so that they understand the principles on which this country was founded. People who know history can be better citizens, more engaged in current civic affairs and more cognizant of their place in history. I urge my colleagues to support and vote for this important legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.