Daniel Lungren

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman, my friend from the great State of Pennsylvania, who has worked on a bipartisan basis, most of the time, and what I mean by that is about 85 percent or 90 percent of the work we do on our committee has to do with making this place work, helping Members do the job that they were elected to do to represent their constituents, and making sure this institution of the House of Representatives works. There is a sense of a pride of the institution that I think marks our committee, and we try in a very real way to work, both on the Democratic and Republican sides, to ensure the productivity of the membership here and to ensure that, frankly, the people get their money's worth. About 10 or 15 percent of what we have to do has to do with election law, and I might say that that's not always as obviously bipartisan, but we've always done it in the spirit of civility and always done it in the spirit of respect for one another, and for that, I would like to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this is an important vote. In comparison to a trillion- dollar budget and trillion-dollar deficit people might say this is a small amount. It is not a small amount. It is a serious 5 percent cut with respect to the operations of this House in very, very significant ways. It is a down payment on the future actions of this House with respect to other operations of the House, but as we scan across the entire Federal Government, this marks the down payment on that new vision. So I would once again like to thank the Congressman from Oregon (Mr. Walden). I have just discovered that I do have another speaker here, and with the indulgence of my friend on the other side, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Walsh).

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this resolution. Let's make it a bipartisan effort. Let's show that we have the commitment of the membership here towards responding to the reality of our times. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. At this time I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Mrs. Roby), a member of the transition team.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I would make an inquiry as to whether the gentleman has further requests for time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. We rarely speak on this floor of evil. Most of the issues we talk about are areas of controversy where you can have men and women of good will with areas of disagreement. And in our society we shun the idea of talking about evil because it sounds judgmental. This is one example where evil reigns. This is an example of one of the worst kinds of evil in our society today because this affects the most vulnerable among us, and it is a population that is largely hidden from view, in some cases because we avert our eyes. In other cases because we just don't spend the time to know. The problem of domestic sex trafficking of minors is one that plagues virtually every community in America. That's the surprise for many people. They say, Not here, somewhere else. New York City. The big cities. But it's a problem that knows no jurisdictional boundaries, as traffickers and pimps seem to cross national and international borders with impunity. It is a problem which exploits the young and vulnerable and robs them of their innocence, and it is a problem that we can do something about. Believe it or not, many of my constituents, many in the general Sacramento region, would be surprised to know that we hold the unfortunate distinction of having one of the highest incidences of domestic minor sex trafficking in the Nation, at least according to the FBI when they did their stings just a year or so ago. One of the reasons could be that we're at the intersection of major thoroughfares that go north and south and come east and west. That might be a comforting thought to others to think it's coming from somewhere else, but we find that most of the people come from our own region and most of them are victims. We have a courageous police chief just outside my district in the community of Truckee, right near Lake Tahoe, Police Chief Nick Sensley. He's one of the experts in the world on this. And one of the things he always stresses in the programs he's established is this: these young women, these girls are victims. They get caught up in arrests for prostitution and the system looks at them as criminals. Yet you look at almost every single one of them and they are victims. And we don't do much about it. Oftentimes, when these young girls are able to escape from their imprisonment because law enforcement intervenes, they're let out on the streets shortly thereafter with nowhere to go. And what happens? The pimps start coming around again. And guess what? They're the only one that gives them some perverted idea of love, affection, and commitment. This evil allows the perversion such that these young girls have no other place to look. We have got to do something about this. We're beginning to do something in California and in Sacramento. We're beginning to do it in other areas of the country. We have to do it as a Nation even more than we have done it before because, as I say, these pimps don't recognize boundaries. They certainly don't recognize laws. They recognize one thing and that is the vulnerability of these young girls. We have got to do something; and in this Christmas season, we can do nothing better than to give this great gift of a start towards helping communities understand the nature of the problem, begin to allow us to refuse to avert our eyes to what's happening in our own areas, and allow us to support this legislation which will help move us in the right direction.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Dr. Richard Breitmeyer, who has provided exemplary public service for over 25 years. Dr. Richard Breitmeyer has served as the California State Veterinarian at the California Department of Food and Agriculture since 1993--rising to this position through a series of senior appointments at CDFA since 1988. He has also served at the United States Department of Agriculture in Ames, Indiana and Plum Island, New York. Before joining the CDFA in 1984, Breitmeyer was in private veterinary practice. Throughout his professional career, Dr. Breitmeyer has been a member of both the California and American Veterinary Medical Associations. He also served as president of the U.S. Animal Health Association since 2009 and was co-chair of the USDA Secretary's Advisory Committee for Foreign Animal and Poultry Diseases. In 2001, USDA Secretary Ann Veneman asked California to loan Dr. Breitmeyer to the USDA to provide leadership in addressing the very real possibility that Foot and Mouth Disease might migrate from the United Kingdom to the United States. It is a testament to Breitmeyer's leadership that this virulent and devastating livestock disease did not enter the United States. Due to this work, the USDA presented Dr. Breitmeyer with the Honor Award in 2002. Dr. Breitmeyer also led the effort in California to develop animal health emergency response planning with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services--an effort put to the test during the successful eradication of exotic Newcastle disease from Southern California in 2003. Dr. Richard Breitmeyer is loved and respected by his wife and family, by the team that worked for him at CDFA, and by all those who have interacted with him during his professional life. I am grateful that since his retirement on September 30, 2010, Dr. Breitmeyer has joined the staff at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, to continue his outreach activities for livestock and poultry health. I am pleased to recognize and congratulate Dr. Richard Breitmeyer upon his retirement, and applaud him for his dedication to California.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1757. As mentioned by the gentleman from American Samoa, it provides for the approval of final regulations issued by the Office of Compliance to implement the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act of 1998 and apply that act to the House of Representatives and employees of the House. In 1998, Congress passed the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act, and that gave veterans improved access to Federal job opportunities. It also established a redress system for preference-eligible veterans in the event that their preference rights were violated. These new regulations finally fulfill that law and ensure that the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 applies fully, not just to the executive branch and other Federal employees, but also to the legislative branch and our employees as well. I support this bill. I thank my colleague Mr. Brady for his authorship of this resolution. Getting to this point has been a long process. I appreciate his support and the efforts of his staff. I urge my colleagues to support our veterans by passing House Resolution 1757. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I thank the gentlelady for those nice comments. I understand the importance of having a statue that reflects the people of the District of Columbia and the territories. I remember the pride that we had, as Californians, when we brought the statue of Ronald Reagan here just about a year and a half ago. That is a great example of someone who was not born in California but someone who rose to great prominence in California and someone who loved our State. So I appreciate very, very much, and I love this spirit of bipartisanship that the city has shown to choose Mr. L'Enfant, who, of course, was a historic figure before we had the Democratic or Republican Parties, and Frederick Douglass, a prominent Republican and a great American. So I thank you for that great choice. And I know who I'd vote for, but you have a choice of two great Americans representing the District of Columbia. I would urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 5493. This bill permits the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to each display one statue here in the U.S. Capitol. Mr. Speaker, the District of Columbia and these territories of the United States are important pieces of the larger mosaic that make up our national identity, and I support their right to honor a noteworthy figure of their communities. Statues are funded by the individual territories. Therefore, this legislation is unusual; it's budget- neutral. In the coming years, I look forward to welcoming these statues to the Congress and learning more about the individuals that each such entity chooses to honor. So I would urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1377, honoring the accomplishments of Norm Mineta. I am glad the gentleman from California made it clear that, while we honor him, Mr. Mineta is not yielding back his time; he is very much with us. Mr. Speaker, Secretary Mineta has had a distinguished and praiseworthy career in public service, and I am pleased to join my colleagues in honoring him. Born in San Jose, California, in 1931 to Japanese immigrant parents, it was during World War II, due to Executive Order 9066, that he and his family were deemed enemy aliens and were forced to leave their home and live in the Santa Anita racetrack paddocks for 3 months before they were then sent to their permanent location at the Heart Mountain internment camp near Cody, Wyoming. And as was suggested by the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda), despite this humiliation, Secretary Mineta persevered. In 1953, he graduated from the University of California Berkeley School of Business Administration and joined the United States Army, serving as an intelligence officer in Japan and Korea. In 1967, he became the first person of minority descent to serve on the San Jose City Council. In 1971, he was elected mayor of San Jose, thereby becoming the first Asian American mayor of a major U.S. city. In 1975, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 15th District of California. He served in this House until 1995. In Congress, he chaired the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, and was a key author of the landmark Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. He also, as was said, helped establish the Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week and Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, which rightly recognizes the role and participation of Japanese immigrants and Chinese laborers in our country. It was through his leadership, along with others, including Senator Inouye on the Senate side, that the Commission of Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians was established in 1978, and 10 years later the Civil Liberties Act was passed, offering appropriate apology for the actions taken against Japanese Americans during World War II. Mr. Speaker, I was proud to serve as vice chairman of that commission. It was at the urging of Mr. Mineta and Bob Matsui that I agreed to serve on that commission. I remember with great pride that while the issue was somber and tragic, the pursuit of truth and justice was something we all shared, guided by the leadership of Norm Mineta. In 2000, Secretary Mineta became the first Asian American to hold a post in a Presidential cabinet, as he served as Secretary of Commerce under President Clinton, and then, of course, in 2001 became the first Asian American to serve as our Secretary of Transportation. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006, that of course the highest civilian award given in the United States, and granted the Grand Cordon, the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual of Japanese descent by the Japanese government. Norm Mineta has lived a great life of service, of sacrifice, and dedication to this country. This resolution appropriately honors his accomplishments, his legacy, and it also inspires and encourages us to reflect upon and remember the lessons of his distinguished life. I might say it was a pleasure to serve in the House of Representatives during the 1980s with Norm Mineta. You may have differences of opinion with him, but he never allowed it to rise to a level of being disagreeable. He was someone that you could always speak with. And even though you may have different positions on issues on this floor, I don't think I ever heard a cross word come from Norm Mineta with respect to other Members in this House. I certainly thank Congressman Honda and Congresswoman Chu, both from the great State of California, for offering this resolution, and I am proud to be a cosponsor and urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. If the gentleman from American Samoa has no other speakers, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble) to make sure this is not just an all-California event.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 77 which does approve the final regulations implementing the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998. Almost identical to the legislation we just passed, this bill would extend the regulations to offices that serve both the House and the Senate. These regulations are long overdue. I thank the chairman and his staff for their diligence in moving them forward. I thank the gentleman from American Samoa for bringing this to the floor. I urge my colleagues to support our veterans by passing Senate Concurrent Resolution 77. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I don't think I was wrong in 1984 when I stood on this floor in this position and led the Republican effort to work with my Democratic friends to pass immigration reform. I don't think I was wrong in 1986 when I was the Republican floor manager of Simpson-Mazzoli in an attempt to try and bring some semblance of law to the issue of immigration, both legal and illegal. But I must say that in 1986, when we did pass that law, we thought that that was going to resolve many of these issues, and it was going to take care of them. And even though we spent weeks on the floor over those 2 years--weeks on the floor, allowing 200- and-some amendments to be put in the Record, over 100 amendments offered on the floor so that Members had the opportunity to have their ideas heard--I don't think we were wrong. I do think we are wrong now to bring this at the last hour, to deny anybody an opportunity for a single amendment on this important issue, and to bring it in a parliamentary inquiry fashion that stuffs this bill into a Senate bill, which does what? Disallows the minority an opportunity to bring a motion to recommit. Now, why do I say that that's important? Because we passed legislation in '86 that we thought was going to solve the problem. In some cases it solved the problem, and in some cases it exacerbated the problem. I was concerned at that time that we passed the SAW and RAW provisions--seasonal agricultural workers and replenishment agricultural workers--because I was afraid that that would be full of fraud. And guess what? It has been. Since that time we have added to the numbers of people who are illegally in the United States. Now, some people don't want to talk about that as if it has no importance. We have, as a principle in our law, the concept of a worldwide quota. What does that mean? That means everyone should have an equal opportunity to come to the United States, whether you're the poorest child in Africa, whether you're in the Philippines, whether you're in Asia. And when you have rampant illegal immigration, particularly from this hemisphere, you are in essence discriminating against those equally poor, some even in worse poor situations around the world for their chance to come here to the United States. That's why when you deal with an issue like this, you have to look at the whole picture, and we are denied the opportunity to look at the whole picture here. There are those that say, well, we are here to assist only those children who, by no fault of their own, came to the United States, those up to the age of 16 who came here in one fashion or another. If that be true, why not allow an amendment which would say that those who benefit from this will not have the opportunity to bring those who may have brought them here illegally----

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Why not say they will not have the right to bring those who did break the law into the United States? But right now, under this bill, if you qualify under this bill, you have the right to begin chain migration. You have the right to bring your parents in, your adult siblings in, others in. At least give us the chance to have the opportunity for amendment. That's all I'm saying. We know that this isn't the way to deal with this issue. We know we should have a chance. We had the opportunity for months to bring something to this floor. So all I would say is this is an issue that many of us on this side of the aisle will work with you on, but this is just not the night and this is not the way to do it.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6412, the Access to Criminal History Records for State Sentencing Commissions Act of 2010. This amends the Federal law to direct the Attorney General to share criminal history records with State sentencing commissions. I am proud to say that although it's not as rare as the chances I have to agree with the Senator from New York, I do agree with my friend from Virginia more often than that, and it is good to be able to be here and support the legislation which he brings to the floor. Over a dozen States operate sentencing commissions that, similar to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, promulgate guidelines to provide uniform sentences for criminal offenses. Many State sentencing commissions also collect and report statistics on the types of crimes, the lengths of sentences, the rates of recidivism, and other important public safety data. Federal law has required the Attorney General to collect criminal history records and share such records with State and local governments, Indian tribes, penal institutions, and the U.S. Sentencing Commission. However, interestingly enough, State sentencing commissions are not currently eligible to participate in this exchange. H.R. 6412 corrects this omission by amending the Federal law to add State sentencing commissions to the list of entities authorized to obtain criminal history records. There is an old adage that all crime is local. And in many respects, that is still true today. But while crime still may be local, oftentimes the criminal is not. Today, more than ever, criminals move from one State to the next, or across the country, leaving a trail of criminal records behind them. Public safety officials rely upon shared criminal history records to apprehend fugitives and to identify dangerous criminals. Prosecutors and the courts depend on these records to assess penalties. And sentencing commissions need this data to accurately report sentencing data and to ensure that their sentencing guidelines provide fair and appropriate punishment. So I urge my colleagues to support this bill brought to us by Mr. Scott of Virginia. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, again I reiterate my support for H.R. 3353. I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today, Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3353, which does provide for American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to be treated as States for certain criminal justice programs. This is sponsored by Mr. Sablan from the Northern Mariana Islands. We thank him for bringing this forward to us. As the gentleman from Virginia said, this will allow these two territories to be treated individually for the Byrne Grant Program. This will assist both of them in dealing with some of the law enforcement challenges that they have. This increase in formula grant funding will provide additional resources to territorial law enforcement officials to help them combat crime. For example, this additional funding will help officials cover the costs of purchasing and maintaining police vehicles and other equipment which have to be shipped to the island. H.R. 3353 will also help the territorial governments to provide much- needed services to the victims of crime. Because of the remoteness of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa, these costs are quite high and services are very limited. For instance, there are three main inhabited islands in the Northern Mariana Islands but only one shelter that provides services for victims of domestic violence. The increase in Byrne JAG grants will also help to build capacity and sustain programs to serve crime victims. As there are a limited number of crime victim specialists and advocates in the territories, these funds can be used to hire and relocate additional staff from the U.S. mainland. This is important legislation that will help law enforcement officials in the Northern Marianas and American Samoa to accomplish their mission. So I support this bill, and I ask my colleagues to vote in favor of its adoption. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today, the House considers S. 3998, the Criminal History Background Checks Pilot Extension Act of 2010. This bill was introduced by Senator Schumer of New York and recently passed the Senate by unanimous consent. I might just say parenthetically it makes me feel good that I finally found a bill sponsored by the gentleman from New York that I could support. This bill extends the child safety pilot program, which provides background checks for volunteer organizations that work with children, for an additional year. Originally created, as the gentleman from Virginia said, in 2003 under the PROTECT Act, the child safety pilot program has proven itself to be an effective resource for protecting our children. Through the pilot project, nonprofit organizations that provide youth-based care may request criminal history background checks from the FBI on applicants for volunteer or employee positions that involve working with children. A study by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provided data that underscores the importance of the pilot program. The National Center found that of almost 90,000 background checks performed through the pilot program, 6 percent of volunteer applicants were found to have a criminal history of concern. These included serious offenses such as sexual abuse of minors, assault, child cruelty, drug offenses and even murder. Further, over 42 percent of those with criminal histories had convictions in a State other than the State in which they then were applying to volunteer. If the volunteer group had performed a search only of the in-state records, many relevant criminal convictions would not have been identified. One youth-serving organization that received 1600 applications for volunteer positions found that over 50 percent of the applicants lied about having a criminal history, even though they knew it would be subjected to a background check. Of the applicants with criminal records, 23 percent had a different name reflected on their record than the one used to apply to volunteer. Without access to the national criminal database, many of these dangerous individuals may have slipped through the cracks. Mr. Speaker, volunteer and other child-serving organizations across the country are working hard to provide safe learning and growing environments for our children. That means hiring professional and responsible employees. This bill will help and continues to help these groups to do just that, by extending the pilot program. The child safety pilot program is supported by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America; the YMCA; the Salvation Army; Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America; and Volunteers of America as well as many other important organizations. Many Members of this body are parents first and Members of Congress second. This legislation is critical to keeping our children safe from criminals. If just a single child does not become a victim of crime because of this program, then obviously it will have been successful. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I reiterate my support for this piece of legislation and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as one of its cosponsors, I rise in support of House Resolution 1540. This draws much needed attention to a problem as suggested by my friend, the gentleman from Virginia, which is the cultivation of marijuana on our Federal lands. There is no doubt that, oh, 15 years ago, when I was Attorney General of California, we saw that Mexican cartels had basically taken over this trade in our State and that they were largely operating on Federal lands, on non-private lands. Of course, in the State of California, I believe the Federal Government owns about 49 percent of our State--a lot of that forest lands and wilderness areas. These are the areas that these cartels are converting into farms for illegal marijuana crops. They are damaging our protected ecosystems there, and they are threatening the safety of visitors and employees. In fact, the DEA calls marijuana the ``cash crop'' that finances drug cartels' drug trafficking operations. Marijuana is grown in remote areas of public lands, where there is a limited law enforcement presence. The two primary regions for these marijuana sites are the Western Region, comprised of California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington; and the Appalachian Region, including Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. This year, when I was visiting one of my counties, the smallest population county in the State of California, Alpine County, which has parts of several U.S. forests and a couple of wilderness areas, the under sheriff told me of some of the largest finds that they had made in those areas. They were finds that were unexpected and finds that were difficult to discover precisely because there are so few people who live in these areas. Of course, we designate them as wilderness areas and as forest lands. In many cases, they are not that often visited by citizens of the United States. The people who recreate these areas do so, enjoying the environment. These pristine lands of our National Forest system are therefore particularly enticing to these drug trafficking organizations as the dense, expansive forests that we find in these areas provide optimum marijuana-growing conditions with very little risk of detection. America's National Forest system, managed by the U.S. Forest Service, is comprised of 193 million acres of land with 153,000 miles of trails and nearly 18,000 recreation sites, but we only have a little under 200 sworn officers and detectives who patrol this vast, expansive land, including 36 million acres of wilderness area. The members of these cartels hike deep into the forests, fell trees, and clear away brush to plant their marijuana crops. They construct rudimentary irrigation systems, and divert water from local creeks or streams. They use these to water the plants. They use Miracle-Gro or other fertilizers, and they even lace the area with animal-killing chemicals. It's obvious they don't file for EPA permits or anything like that. They are destroying much of the beautiful natural resources that we have in these areas. We have discovered that the cartel members set up camp nearby and patrol the areas for intruders; and sometimes, when innocent American citizens are traveling through these areas, they are encountered by these individuals. More and more, we see that these members of the cartels have lethal weapons with them, even automatic weapons. The Justice Department reports that these cartels, particularly in the States of Washington and California, are becoming increasingly aggressive in protecting the marijuana fields. We have found assault rifles, and we have found them engaging in standoffs with law enforcement officers. I would say, in my most rural counties, we do not have the largest law enforcement departments. That, combined with the very few people we have from the Federal Government's law enforcement, make it a prime area for these drug cartels to take over and make it dangerous, as I say, for law-abiding citizens, who want nothing but to recreate in these areas, to utilize these facilities. I will say, late this summer/early this fall, we got tremendous support from the Forest Service and from other elements of the Federal Government in support of our effort to try and clean out these areas and also to protect our local law enforcement officers as they were working on it. In 2010, more than 3 million marijuana plants were seized from Forest Service lands in practically every region of the country. Now, this is a dramatic increase from 2004 when fewer than 750,000 plants were seized. Once their illegal crops are harvested, the growers then abandon the sites, and they leave their garbage and their destruction behind. These fields are easy to plant, easy to harvest, but difficult to eradicate. Law enforcement officers must patrol the thick forest canopy from the sky, hoping to glimpse a marijuana grow site. They must then fly or hike into the site, hoping that they won't be confronted by armed guards or boobytraps. These marijuana sites not only pose a danger to law enforcement officials, park employees, and visitors, but as I say, to the very natural resources the forest designation is intended to protect. Marijuana fields utilized by these illegal cartels cause extensive long-term damage to the forest ecosystems and deplete the drinking water supplies for neighboring communities. Just last month, the Forest Service removed more than 10 cubic yards of garbage from six abandoned marijuana grow sites in northern California. The Forest Service reports that it cost approximately $30,000 to remove the marijuana and restore the ecosystem of each of the 622 marijuana sites discovered in the national forest system for fiscal year 2010. That is a cost of over $18 million in taxpayer dollars to rid our forests of these illegal marijuana grows. It is imperative that Congress and the administration make a commitment to put an end to the marijuana sites on Federal land and protect our precious natural resources from any further destruction. I commend my colleague from California (Mr. Herger) for his tireless efforts to address this growing problem and as I say, I was proud to join him in this case as an original cosponsor of H. Res. 1540. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the author of the bill, the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger).

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume just to say that I support this resolution. The concern is a considerable one. These cartels are in fact violent and vicious, and their violence has gone up over the last number of years, and it is affecting our districts very directly. I might say to the gentleman who just spoke that we happen to be one of the States that allows for medicinal marijuana, and it is not very difficult to get a medicinal purpose for marijuana. But we also had before the voters in the State of California an opportunity to decide whether or not they wanted to make it legal, and it was voted down by a substantial margin. That being the case, I think this resolution needs to go forward, and I would urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of S. Con. Res. 75, authorizing use of the rotunda of the Capitol for an event in January marking the 50th anniversary of the inaugural address of President John F. Kennedy. Madam Speaker, Presidential inaugural addresses are always historic and are often some of the most memorable events during different eras of our country's history. We can recall Abraham Lincoln's inaugural address in 1861, President Franklin Roosevelt's inaugural address in 1933, and President Ronald Reagan's inaugural address in 1981, among many others, as addresses that inspired this Nation at particular moments of importance. In 1961, President Kennedy's inaugural address rightly challenged us to ask what we could do for our country and not what our country could do for us. As people across this land did 50 years ago, so we must continue to do now. We must ask ourselves how we can best contribute to our society--by providing for our families, by participating in our communities, in civil society, in our children's schools, and by looking at the lives and needs intimately and immediately around us and seeking to meet them. Some were then, and some may now, be also called to use their skills and services in our military, diplomatic, and public service sectors. Self-government needs all these attributes and contributions, and President Kennedy's address boldly challenged us to meet them. Madam Speaker, I support this resolution authorizing use of the rotunda. I, too, believe we should look for inspiration to President Kennedy's eloquent address given some 50 years ago this coming January. As I say, I hope all will join us in supporting this resolution. I have no other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Calvin ``Cal'' Worthington, a great American entrepreneur who is turning 90 years old this week. When I think of Mr. Worthington, the first thing which comes to mind is that he is a true ``Renaissance Man.'' He proudly served our country in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II as a B-17 Bomber pilot, and because of his heroic skills during the military campaign in Germany, he was awarded the Air Medal five times, as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross. When Mr. Worthington returned to the States, he eventually became one of the most successful car salesmen in the country. With his dealerships in five States, Cal quickly demonstrated an aptitude for drawing in customers. His name today still evokes memories of tantalizing jingles as well as images of zoo animals and stunts, as he is best known for his lively commercials with his ``dog'' Spot. His advertisements were received with high national acclaim, due to the fact that Spot was never a dog. Instead, Spot was always an exotic animal, such as a tiger, chimpanzee, lion, bear, goose, rhinoceros, skunk, water buffalo, snake, elephant or seal. Mr. Worthington's sense of humor, tremendous business skills, love of music and the arts, and his desire to continually improve his community will be his legacy. It is an honor to recognize Cal Worthington for his immense dedication to improving the quality of life for so many individuals and for his commitment to excellence. He has served our Nation proudly and I am privileged to say that he will always be my friend. Happy 90th birthday, Cal; in dog years you are now officially 630 years old!

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. I yield back the balance of my time.