Raúl Labrador

Mr. LABRADOR

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

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light is an operational lighthouse located near Ashland, Wisconsin, and is currently owned and managed by the U.S. Coast Guard. In 2007, the Coast Guard announced its intent to give up ownership of the Ashland light, and only the National Park Service expressed interest in maintaining the public access to it. H.R. 4049 adjusts the boundaries of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to include the light station, but protects the ability of the Coast Guard to maintain the light as an aid to navigation. Congressman Sean Duffy should be commended for his work on this issue, which also has the support of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC, November 14, 2014. Hon. Bill Shuster, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: On June 19, 2014, the Committee on Natural Resources ordered reported without amendment H.R. 4049, the Ashland Breakwater Light Transfer Act by unanimous consent. The bill was referred primarily to the Committee on Natural Resources, with an additional referral to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I ask that you allow the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to be discharged from further consideration of the bill so that it may be scheduled by the Majority Leader. This discharge in no way affects your jurisdiction over the subject matter of the bill, and it will not serve as precedent for future referrals. The Committee on Natural Resources concurs with the mutual understanding that when the House considers H.R. 4049, it will consider amended text negotiated between the staffs of our two committees. In addition, should a conference on the bill be necessary, I would support your request to have the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure represented on the conference committee. Finally, I would be pleased to include this letter and your response in the bill report filed by the Committee on Natural Resources, as well as in the Congressional Record during floor consideration, to memorialize our understanding. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely, Doc Hastings, Chairman.

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Duffy).

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

Mr. LABRADOR

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

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am the author of H.R. 5040, which directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey a 31-acre parcel of land to Idaho County, Idaho, to use for public recreation. Idahoans deeply value their Second Amendment rights, and many use firearms for hunting and shooting sports. The safe and proper use of firearms is often a tradition passed down from generation to generation. People need a safe designated area where they may sight in their rifles and teach safe firearms practices. Nearly 6 years ago, a county in my district, Idaho County, began the process of searching for a suitable location to install a shooting range to serve the needs of the county residents interested in exercising their Second Amendment rights. Idaho County, which is 83 percent controlled by the Federal Government, began working with the local BLM office in Cottonwood, Idaho, to identify land that the BLM could transfer to the county for use as a shooting range. The BLM identified a buried landfill in the county as a suitable location because the site is already used casually by recreational hunters and the general public as a shooting range. The land also provides the proper safety barriers because it is situated on an elevated bench, approximately 240 feet above a nearby road and surrounded by hills. The county and the local BLM officials agreed the site was perfect for a shooting range. The county began the process of seeking an administrative transfer from the BLM, but soon ran into procedural roadblocks. The site of the proposed shooting range is within a portion of the Lower Salmon River, which was identified by the BLM for potential inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic River System. Because of existing BLM regulations, the parcel cannot be transferred to the county administratively. As my staff and I met with the Idaho County commissioners to come up with a solution, we determined the only path forward was to introduce legislation in Congress to convey the land from the BLM to the county. My bill, the Idaho County Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act, would convey the 31-acre parcel to Idaho County for use as a shooting range. The BLM has spent a great deal of time and resources studying the proposed site and has determined the land would be perfect for a shooting range. The local BLM office in Cottonwood has been instrumental in gathering necessary environmental data to support the land conveyance, and I am grateful for their ongoing efforts to work with my staff and finally resolve this issue. My office has also worked closely with the Idaho County commissioners and Idaho County sheriff to develop a plan to manage the land for public use as a shooting range. Part of the plan includes allowing Idaho County law enforcement to use the range to conduct firearms training and qualifications. Idaho County has waited nearly 6 years for this process to be completed. Idaho County residents want a safe, remote location to exercise their Second Amendment rights, and my bill will provide a solution that is long overdue. I urge support for the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5040) to require the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain Federal land to Idaho County in the State of Idaho, and for other purposes.

Mr. LABRADOR

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3608) to amend the Act of October 19, 1973, concerning taxable income to members of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 3608 would protect certain funds paid by the State of Minnesota and held by the United States in trust for the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians from Federal and State taxation. Under the bill, the tribe may distribute these funds to its members, and these payments won't be counted against the members' eligibility for Federal financial assistance as long as each payment does not exceed $2,000. The payments made by the State stem from a 1988 settlement in which two Minnesota Chippewa tribes agreed to forgo the exercise of certain treaty hunting and fishing rights. In 1999, legislation was introduced to protect these State settlement payments from taxation. However, by the time the bill was enacted into Public Law 106-568, only one of the two tribes was granted the tax relief. The Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs held a hearing on H.R. 3608. Neither the hearing nor a staff review of the legislative history for Public Law 106-568 reveals any explanation for the exclusion of the Grand Portage Band from the tax relief granted to its sister tribe. Principles of fairness and equity suggest that both bands of Minnesota Chippewa be accorded equal treatment. H.R. 3608 accordingly amends the applicable statute to provide the Grand Portage Band the same tax benefits. The Committee on Natural Resources ordered H.R. 3608 reported by unanimous consent, and Chairman Camp of the Ways and Means Committee and Chairman Goodlatte of the Judiciary Committee have graciously agreed by letter to expedite consideration of this bill by not exercising their jurisdiction. As always, we appreciate their cooperation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, November 5, 2014. Hon. Doc Hastings, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Hastings: I am writing with respect to H.R. 3608, the ``Grand Portage Band Per Capita Adjustment Act,'' which the Committee on Natural Resources reported favorably on September 18, 2014. As a result of your having consulted with us on provisions in H.R. 3608 that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on the Judiciary, I agree to discharge our Committee from further consideration of this bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor for consideration. The Judiciary Committee takes this action without mutual understanding that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 3608 at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and that our Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues in our jurisdiction. Our Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or similar legislation, and asks that you support any such request. I would appreciate a response to this letter confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 3608, and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during Floor consideration of H.R. 3608. Sincerely, Bob Goodlatte, Chairman.

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

Mr. LABRADOR

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, as I sit here and I listen to the other side talk about this issue, I wonder if they even understand what is happening at the border. In 2011, there were only 6,500 children coming to the border. In 2012, the President acted through DACA, and we started seeing an increase of these children coming to the border. Today, in 2014, we will have 90,000 children rushing to the border, and next year, it is estimated that we will have 142,000 children coming to the border. Almost 2 months ago, Gilberto Ramos, a 15-year-old boy from Guatemala, was found lying in brush, dead from the heat. Many of these children that are coming to the border don't make it across the river. There are reports of discoveries of small, lifeless bodies washed up along the riverbanks. Many of these children are abused, they are victimized, and they are raped. We must understand that the President is responsible because of his failure to fully comply with the law. We have heard a lot from the other side that the President acted because we did not act. Well, that is not true. The reality is that the President and his party had majorities in both Houses of Congress for 2 years, and you failed to act, so don't point your finger at us. In November of 2012--in November of 2012--we passed in this House a STEM Jobs Act, which was the beginning of a step-by-step approach to actually deal with the immigration process. What did you do? You didn't vote for it, and the Senate refused to take it up. In September of 2011, we passed here in the House the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, and the Senate again refused to act, which would have been the beginning of a step-by-step approach for us to deal with the immigration process. You have refused to do small things.

Mr. LABRADOR. Stop the hypocrisy. If you truly care about these kids, stop encouraging them to come to the United States illegally. They are crossing the border. Most of them are being harmed, many of them are being abused, and a few of them are dying. It is time for us to stop this nonsense and to have the President of the United States actually follow the law and work with the Congress, so we can actually do immigration reform.

Mr. LABRADOR

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of title VIII of H.R. 2954, which I originally introduced as H.R. 657, the Grazing Improvement Act. I thank Chairman Hastings for recognizing the importance of this issue and for including it in H.R. 2954 for consideration today. Livestock grazing is an important part of the rich ranching tradition in Idaho and the United States. My home State of Idaho produces some of the world's finest lamb and beef. Food production is a major part of Idaho's history, and it is an integral part of our cultural fabric and our economic security. These traditions are under attack, and we must preserve them for future generations. The financial security of ranchers depends upon their responsible stewardship of the land. Unfortunately, the Federal process to review the permits which allows them to produce food has become severely backlogged due to lawsuits aimed at eliminating livestock from public lands. The local Federal land-managing offices cannot keep up with the pace of litigation and the endless environmental analysis. This diverts the already limited resources from these offices and leaves ranchers at risk of losing their grazing permits and jeopardizing their livelihoods. Agriculture is a challenging way to make a living, but producers choose this path because it is their passion, and it is their way of life. Several ranchers in my State of Idaho have said, if they were to lose their grazing permits, they would have to subdivide their land and further reduce their grazing areas. My bill, the Grazing Improvement Act, would provide relief to these ranchers and to ranchers throughout the country. It would, number one, extend livestock grazing permits from 10 to 20 years in order to give producers adequate longevity and production stability. It would codify existing appropriation language to put into statute annual riders. It would also encourage the respective Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to utilize categorical exclusions to expedite permit processing. I believe that protecting our environment can be done in a manner that does not impede our economic growth. It is time that we improve our regulatory structure so that we continue to prosper as a Nation. We can no longer allow the Federal Government to maintain an enormous backlog in processing grazing permits. I thank the cosponsors of this legislation, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on this issue.

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

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment of title VIII of H.R. 2954, which I originally introduced as H.R. 657, the Grazing Improvement Act. My amendment is a commonsense reform to require groups who are not substantially justified or directly affected by final Federal grazing decisions to pay for the legal expenses of the other party when they lose in court. In short, this is a ``loser pays'' system to discourage frivolous legal challenges to Federal land management grazing decisions. Current law gives grazing permittees the right to a hearing in connection with grazing decisions and gives the ``interested public'' the opportunity to participate in the way Federal land is managed. However, it is doubtful that Congress ever intended to elevate the ``interested public'' to a level of equal standing to that of grazing permittees. In 1995, the Bureau of Land Management established grazing regulations that far surpassed the intent of Congress. Some were given the ability to participate in the administrative appeals process allowing them to sue if the nonpermittees disagreed with a final grazing decision. Since then, environmental groups have been increasingly effective at abusing the current appeals process, not to promote environmental health, but for the sole reason of removing livestock from Federal lands. Each year, hundreds of appeals are filed on grazing decisions by groups. The cost to ranchers can hardly be measured. In a recent case in Wyoming, for example, an appeal cost a small group of ranchers over $125,000 in administrative appeal and attorneys' fees alone. My amendment simply addresses this growing problem by clarifying the intent of Congress on who may appeal and litigate a final agency decision on a final grazing decision. It is time we ease the burden that environmental groups have placed on our ranchers.

Mr. LABRADOR. I yield to the gentleman from Idaho.

Mr. LABRADOR. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Chairman, I agree that everyone should have a right to sue, but if you lose, I think you should pay. This amendment will allow Federal land managers to get back to managing lands, create greater certainty in the ranching community, and help strengthen rural economies in the West. This minor reform will save taxpayer dollars and countless hours and dollars spent by ranchers who are forced to defend against these nuisance suits. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LABRADOR

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, over the last few days we keep hearing about how Republicans are terrorists, Republicans have guns to everybody's head. And it's been, actually, really sad to hear the other side talk about these things. At this point in Ronald Reagan's second term, for example, the government had already shut down the government six times, according to The Washington Post and according to many other articles. And this happened under the leadership of Democratic leader Tip O'Neill, precisely the opposite of the political dynamic that exists today. Former O'Neill staffer and MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews has written an entire book extolling the era as a time when politics actually worked. You can probably guess how he feels today about this. But the problem is that, during Tip O'Neill's career, there were seven different shutdowns with the Democrats. The final shutdown of O'Neill's career, according to Andrew Stiles of the National Review, happened in October of 1986. House Democrats had picked a fight with Reagan on a number of issues, including labor, energy, and welfare policy. Today, Democrats insist that this has never happened in history, and the reality is that the history is much different.

Mr. LABRADOR

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the heroic efforts of Colonel Bernard Francis Fisher of the United States Air Force and Lieutenant Thomas Rolland Norris of the United States Navy, both of whom are Medal of Honor recipients from Idaho. Colonel Fisher was with the 1st Air Commando Squadron and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his conspicuous gallantry on March 10, 1966, in the Republic of Vietnam. A Special Forces camp was under attack and hostile troops had positioned themselves between the airstrip and the camp. Colonel Fisher observed a fellow airman crash on the airstrip. In the belief that the pilot was injured, Colonel Fisher decided to attempt a rescue. Directing his own cover, he landed and taxied the full length of the runway to rescue the pilot. In the face of fire, he applied power and took off at the overrun airstrip. Lieutenant Norris was a SEAL Advisor and was awarded the Medal of Honor for supreme bravery in action from April 10 to April 13, 1972, in Vietnam. During the 3-day period, Lieutenant Norris and a 5-man team established a forward operating base deep within heavily controlled enemy territory to conduct a rescue of several downed pilots. It is for their outstanding display of leadership and courage that I am proud to honor and remember the actions of Colonel Bernard Francis Fisher and Lieutenant Thomas Rolland Norris.

Mr. LABRADOR

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 1526. I want to thank Chairman Hastings and the ranking member for all of the work that they have done on this bill. And today I specifically rise in support of title IV of H.R. 1526, which I originally introduced as H.R. 1294, the Self-Sufficient Community Lands Act. I thank Chairman Hastings for recognizing the importance of this issue and including it in the bill. In Idaho and much of the West, the economies of rural communities once relied upon the timber industry for job creation and tax revenues. Over the last several decades, extreme environmentalists have hindered the ability to develop timber from our public lands through litigation. In fact, timber harvests have declined more than 80 percent over the last 30 years. Counties that were once dependent on timber receipts to fund schools, roads, and daily operations find themselves desolate and broke. In 2000, when the Federal Government operated with a budget surplus, and in order to compensate for the decline in timber receipts, as everybody knows, Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act. These payments were supposed to be phased out over time to allow counties to diversify their local economies. However, last year alone, 35 of Idaho's 44 counties received SRS payments totaling over $26 million. While Congress has continually reauthorized this funding, we are still fighting the same issues about multiple use on public land while leaving our counties in limbo. To solve this problem, I introduced H.R. 1294. This legislation empowers counties to generate much needed revenue by turning over management of Federal forests to local and State officials who are best equipped to make these important management decisions rather than bureaucrats in Washington. It is time to permanently provide our counties with a solution which would create jobs, generate tax receipts for the counties, and improve forest health. In a time of record deficits, it is time that we stopped kicking the can down the road and started working toward a solution.

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Chairman, our country continues to spend billions of dollars on this program instead of fixing the program. Traditional rural timber communities have been operating in an environment of uncertainty for decades, and many public lands in Western States have been inaccessible due to Federal policies and litigation. It is time we find a long-term solution to help our counties. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1526.

Mr. LABRADOR

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the heroic efforts of Colonel Bernard Francis Fisher of the United States Air Force. Colonel Fisher was with the 1st Air Commando Squadron and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his conspicuous gallantry on March 10, 1966 in the Republic of Vietnam. A Special Forces camp was under attack and hostile troops had positioned themselves between the airstrip and the camp. Colonel Fisher observed a fellow airman crash on the airstrip. In the belief that the pilot was injured and in danger of capture, Colonel Fisher decided to land and attempt a rescue. Directing his own cover, he landed and taxied the full length of the runway to rescue the pilot. Colonel Fishers' aircraft was struck 19 times. In the face of fire, he applied power and took off at the overrun airstrip. It is for the risking his life above the call of duty that I am proud to honor and remember the actions of Colonel Bernard Francis Fisher. Honoring Lieutenant Thomas R. Norris