Ben Luján

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Chairman, we know that that's not in here.

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. LUJAN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is significant, but simple. My amendment does not kill this project. As offered, it simply asks the Congress to respect the religious and sacred sites of our tribal brothers and sisters. This bill does little, if anything, to offer protection to the sacred sites in the area and does not offer true tribal consultation to the tribes. We all know that consultation occurs before, not after, decisions have already been made. The tribes in this area believe Resolution Copper's block cave mining method will have negative impacts on their sacred, cultural, and traditional sites in the area. Again, this amendment will not kill this project. It would show respect and offer protections to both surface and subsurface sites in the proposed land conveyance. More specifically, my amendment states that ``The Federal land to be conveyed may not include any Native American sacred or cultural site, whether surface or subsurface.'' This amendment would merely offer a basic level of respect for many religious and cultural sites to the many tribes in the region. As our good friend, Congressman Kildee, reminds us daily, we have a trust responsibility to our tribal brothers and sisters, and those who oppose this responsibility will dismantle it piece by piece with a scalpel and not all at once with an axe. This is what we're seeing today, Mr. Chairman. In its current form, H.R. 1904 would approve a Federal land exchange to transfer ownership of 2,400 acres of land in the Tonto National Forest to Resolution Copper for the purposes of block cave copper mine. The Federal lands which are proposed to be exchanged, generally known as Oak Flat, are part of the ancestral lands of the San Carlos Apache tribe and other tribes in the region. These lands have unique religious, traditional, and archaeological significance to many tribes in southern Arizona. Behind me is a photo of one of those areas that's most sacred, Apache Leap. You've heard from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that their bill offers protection for sacred, traditional, and cultural sites in the proposed area to be exchanged, but I don't believe that to be true. If it were true, then why is every major tribal organization in the country opposing this bill? It's because they do not believe these so-called protections to be real. Opposing organizations include, but are not limited to, the National Congress of American Indians, the United South and Eastern Tribes, the All Indian Pueblo Council of New Mexico, the San Carlos Apache Tribe, the Jicarilla and Mescalero Apache Tribes of New Mexico, and many other tribes across the country. Mr. Chairman, all of these organizations and tribal leaders know that the degradation of these cultural sites means a loss of identity and culture, not to mention utter disrespect for the religion and history of the tribes connected to this area. Just to be clear: Supporting my amendment will not kill the project. It would simply mean respecting and preserving the religious, cultural, and archeological and historic significance of the lands that mean so much to the tribes in the region. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LUJAN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, look, just to be clear with this amendment, it does not kill the project. The amendment simply states that the Secretary will exclude sacred and cultural sites as identified by the Secretary. If we're serious about protecting sacred sites and respecting tribes across the country, I don't know why this is so complicated. And the only area in the legislation, as we look at section 8 of the bill, talks about preserving and consulting with tribes about Apache Leap. But again, it's too little, too late. It's consulting after the fact, not before the legislation is taken into effect. And so, Mr. Chairman, it's as if we were going to go into a site, say, the cathedral in Santa Fe or the Vatican in Rome, and they were going to go and do something to that land, and they said, well, don't worry, we have some other land that we're going to give you. It's about the religious and sacred nature of these sites that we're talking about. At the very least, and of its very essence, let's look to see what we can do to preserve the government-to-government trust responsibilities that we have with our tribes and respect those religious sites, respect those sacred sites, and see what we can do to work collectively. Again, this isn't going to kill the project. Let's work together to make sure that we respect the tribes that we're so honored to represent here in the Congress. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. LUJAN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LUJAN. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Chairman, the United States has the best research facilities and educational facilities in the world, and we continue to be a leader in developing cutting-edge technology in fields spanning from renewable energy to medicine. But our Nation's competitiveness depends upon our ability to educate our students and equip them with the skills they need to succeed in the jobs of the future. The President, congressional leadership, and business have all agreed that our Nation must do better in order to compete and excel globally in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields. My amendment today simply says that entities include in their application a description of how the school's program would share best practices between charter schools and other public schools, including best practices in instruction and professional development in STEM education. This amendment supports the identification of best practices and encourages opportunities for teacher training and mentoring in STEM. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. high school seniors recently tested below the international average for 21 countries in mathematics and science. This is simply not acceptable. We must make a commitment to restore science and innovation as keys to a new American economy. We must ensure that America's students are trained to be innovators, critical thinkers, problems solvers, and prepared to become part of the work force for the 21st century. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, due to my participation in a meeting with some of my constituents, I was unable to be present for rollcall vote No. 672. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this vote.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask for order. I don't believe that I did yield.

Mr. LUJAN. I don't think there is a question. It is very clear that we have to act to prevent a default and a downgrade of our Nation's credit rating. Sadly, the House Republican leadership's plan is not a serious plan to avoid such a downgrade. It's more smoke and mirrors. We've heard that talked about lately. It will put us right back in the same position in a few months, requiring another vote to raise the debt limit, putting America into a further area where we might be able to see the potential downgrade, costing Americans $100 billion a year and $1 trillion over 10 years. A short-term increase in the debt limit has already been rejected by economists and credit rating agencies, which have made it clear that this plan will likely result in an unprecedented downgrade to our credit rating, leaving higher interest rates for mortgages and student loans for all Americans. In addition, this reckless plan leaves the door open to the same damage as did the Ryan plan.

Mr. LUJAN. After that interruption, may I ask how much time is left?

Mr. LUJAN. I appreciate that, Mr. Speaker. In addition, this reckless plan leaves the door open to the same damage as the Ryan's plan, to attack Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, while protecting tax breaks for billionaires and corporations. It is important that we talk to the American people about this and that we have this conversation. I urge my colleagues to reject the partisan gamesmanship and seek a responsible and balanced solution to this crisis.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of important conversations that are taking place today, but it's important that we talk about what has happened in New Mexico recently. New Mexico has been hit by a series of wildfires during this extremely dry fire season. Many communities have been threatened by fires as families have lost their homes and livestock and tribal lands have been damaged. At a time when many counties are struggling with a drought, the fire damage to our watersheds, which provide New Mexico with the majority of its surface water, has impacted drinking water supplies and increased the threat of floods during monsoon season. With the Midwest recovering from floods and tornados and the West battling fires and drought, the current resources available to fight these disasters are simply not enough. Funds for the Natural Resource Conservation Service's Emergency Watershed Protection program, which assist with the protection of watersheds that have been impacted by natural disasters, have almost been depleted as a result of the disasters around the country. It's vital that we provide more resources for this critical program that can strengthen watersheds affected by the combination of fire, damage, high temperature, and lack of rainfall. I encourage my colleagues to support efforts to address funding shortfalls to the Emergency Watershed Protection program so we can help our communities recover.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the bravery and valor of Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry of Santa Fe, who will be awarded the Medal of Honor today by President Obama. As the second living, active duty Medal of Honor recipient for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan, Sergeant Petry's heroism and sacrifice in the face of extreme danger went above and beyond the call of duty. As an Army Ranger serving in Afghanistan, Sergeant Petry acted without regard for his own personal safety, thinking only of his fellow soldiers when he threw a grenade away from his squad. His selfless actions cost him his right hand yet saved the lives of his brothers in arms. New Mexico has a long tradition of serving our country during times of war. In World War II, Navajo code talkers contributed to the victory of our Allied Forces. Seventy-one daughters and sons of New Mexico have made the ultimate sacrifice in service during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Now, with his courageous actions in the face of great danger, Sergeant Petry takes his place among his fellow New Mexicans as a true American hero.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. LUJAN. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LUJAN. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 1249, the America Invents Act. The America Invents Act provides for the creation of United States Patent and Trademark Office satellite offices. For many small businesses and independent inventors, navigating the patent application process can be challenging. Small businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovators are the foundation of our economy but do not always have the resources that larger corporations or institutions have to assist them in obtaining a patent. By improving access to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, satellite offices have the potential to help small businesses and independent inventors navigate the patent application process. However, this bill essentially provides no guidance to determine the location of such satellites offices. While the language in the bill contains stated purposes for satellite offices, it does not specify that these purposes be part of the selection process. This amendment makes it explicit that the purposes of the satellite offices, which are included in the underlying bill, such as increasing outreach activities to better connect patent filers and innovators with the USPTO, be part of the selection process. It also specifies that the economic impact to the region be considered, as well as the availability of knowledgeable personnel, so that the new patent examiners can be hired at minimal recruitment costs, saving taxpayers money. The selection of USPTO satellite offices should be done in a way that supports economic growth and puts investors and inventors on a path to success. I think this is a commonsense amendment, and I urge the adoption. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. LUJAN. Madam Chair, on the point of order, sadly, I think this may be ruled out of order, but I would ask that maybe there is an opportunity for the committee to work with myself not only as we get to the farm bill but also with the Ag Committee as we talk about the importance of this important product in New Mexico and its impact there, and I would certainly respectfully request from our friends on the other side of the aisle that maybe we can get a chance to work with one another. I would be happy to yield, Madam Chair.

Mr. LUJAN. Thank you, Madam Chair. I rise today to offer an amendment that will protect New Mexico chile farmers from unfair marketing practices. Lately we've seen a disturbing trend where marketers and retailers falsely use the unique quality and brand of New Mexico chile to misleadingly advertise their products. New Mexico is a special place where we take pride in our agricultural products. In particular, we take pride in our chile. We even spell it differently, Madam Chair. We spell it C-H-I-L-E, contrary to the more popular spelling C-H-I-L-I most associated with Texas style chili. Traveling around New Mexico, I've heard the plight of New Mexico farmers. There is concern with the importation of peppers, of chili powders from out of State and even from other countries that are hurting our producers in New Mexico. It's a concern that they may be put out of business, and it's a concern that is attacking the authentic New Mexico chile brand. This unfair practice has led to decreased revenues for New Mexico chile farmers, who work all summer and diligently to raise their crops for harvest in the fall months and whose prices are undercut by imported products that falsely advertise as New Mexico chile. Madam Chair, my amendment is simple and would not impose any costs on the Federal Government. My amendment would prevent any funds from this bill from being used to advertise, describe, label or offer for sale chile peppers as New Mexico chile, unless the chile peppers used are grown in New Mexico. This amendment is important to the protection of New Mexico's local chile producers, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and protect this unique agricultural product. As we know, Madam Chair, anyone who's tried it loves it. I yield back the balance of my time. Point of Order

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Phillip O. Barry in his 15 years at Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari, New Mexico has transformed Mesalands from an area vocational school into a community college. Dr. Barry's vision for Mesalands Community College has been instrumental to the continued development and success of the College. His efforts include leading the College through a rigorous accreditation process, and establishing the College's foundation to assist students in securing their educational futures. Dr. Barry's leadership also created the Mesalands Community College Dinosaur Museum, the North American Wind Research and Training Center, and a nationally ranked intercollegiate rodeo program. Dr. Barry has spent decades working at community colleges to improve access and learning opportunities for all students, and especially those of New Mexico. His efforts and leadership in higher education will be a help to New Mexico and to the community college students of today and tomorrow. Thanks to Dr. Barry and the institutions he has led, a growing number of Americans are able to continue their educations, achieve secondary degrees, and help ensure our country's future competitiveness in an increasingly global economy.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.