Doug LaMalfa

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment made in order by the rule.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Chairman, nationwide, this year has been the most expensive year on record, with over $2 billion spent to combat fires that have burned almost 9 million acres of land. As of October 29, State and Federal firefighters responded to 8,300- plus fires, covering over 1.1 million acres in California alone, nearly doubling the amount of acres burned in 2016. A complete lack of forest management in California has left our forests more combustible than ever, leading to one of the worst wildfire seasons in our State's history. That is why the bill of my colleague, Mr. Westerman, H.R. 2936, is very important. The Resilient Federal Forests Act includes what I believe to be critically important reforms in forest management, such as expedited environmental reviews and the availability of categorical exclusions for forest management activities to help achieve these goals. Our Federal lands are hurting. They are in desperate need to be managed in order to not have these disasters each and every year. We can either thin the trees and the brush out, or watch them go up in smoke every year and become part of our brown skies, instead of the blue skies that we would normally enjoy. We can't afford this inaction anymore. We need to move this legislation and clean up California's forests for all.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Championing Healthy Kids Act. For years, programs such as CHIP and community health centers have been lifelines to underserved, especially rural communities: 9 million children rely on CHIP for health coverage; 25 million patients use community health centers; and 750 residency spots were created by teaching health centers to combat doctor shortages. Yet, despite months of assurances to work together, Democrats continue to stall the reauthorization. It is not unreasonable to ask Medicare recipients making over $500,000 to pay a little extra in premiums or to roll back lengthy enrollment periods so people can't game the system. It is certainly not unreasonable to ask lottery winners who hit the jackpot to forego Medicaid coverage. We can't afford any more delay. These programs are supported time after time in a bipartisan fashion. This bill is worthy of that same support. I urge my colleagues to come together to get this bill done this week.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to honor the passing of Stanley Coolidge and his fiancee, Roseann Hannah, whose lives were tragically lost on October 9, 2017 while trapped in their Northern California home as it was destroyed by the Cascade wildfire. Coolidge, a retired attorney and father to Chico City Council member Andrew Coolidge, was born in San Francisco and spent the last 50 years in the mountains of Loma Rica, California. What began as the faint smell of a distant fire quickly turned to tragedy as the diverse trees and wilderness surrounding Andrew's childhood home were ignited by the rapidly approaching Cascade fire. With little warning, gusts of wind brought the fire sweeping down across Stan's 100 acres of land, leaving only ashes behind. As Stan and Roseann attempted a hurried evacuation, the house was engulfed by flames before they could escape. Their cars, still parked in the driveway, were also destroyed by the flames. Only a brick chimney remained of the house. Roseann was a resident of Grass Valley, California, and both Stan and Roseann were incredibly valued members of their communities. An avid Harley Davidson enthusiast, Stan was an active member in The Americans Motorcycle Club. He often used that platform to help the club raise money for children's cancer research, as well as periodically staging puppet shows for young and sick children. Thousands in Northern California have evacuated as their homes have been destroyed by these catastrophic fires, with many still missing and dozens confirmed dead. My thoughts and prayers are with the Coolidge and Hannah families, as well as the families of all who we've lost as a result of these fires in the West. Their loss will take a heavy toll on both of their families, as well as the many people they have impacted over the years. Stan and Roseann will be missed.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, the wildfires in the West have been very devastating for a lot of people, a lot of property, and a lot of habitat. One of the subjects this week in the Natural Resources Committee was a sage-grouse habitat that has affected so many western States, including my own district in northern California, and my friend in Nevada as well. We worked very hard to have a good sage-grouse plan, except what is the common bond in all this and the inability to have a successful recovery of this species as well as use of the land? The Federal Government. In the past, its involvement has been to merely slow down a process or say no to wise management practices. Cattle graze is a very effective tool, when prescribed correctly, to help make this habitat better and more sustainable long-term. We need more cooperation, we need the Federal Government to be more bold in putting out the type of policy that will help the grazing be an effective tool in that and not cower every time an environmental organization may come along and wish to threaten the entanglement of lawsuits that are stopping good management like that. It is hurting the habitat, it is hurting the sage-grouse population, it is hurting western lands, and western economy. Mr. Speaker, we need solutions coming from Washington, D.C., not impediments.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, California, northern California, where I am from, has been suffering, as so many people know, from devastating fires these last few weeks. I think it is very appropriate to point out the incredible efforts of our first responders and our firefighters in saving so much valuable property and the lives that have been saved, as well as citizens pulling together to help each other. We see the best in Americans during these times of crisis, and that has not gone unnoticed in northern California as well. Our hearts are with those folks who have suffered losses and more loss of life than could be imagined in modern-day America with all the firefighting apparatus and prevention we have. Still, it shows you have to have preparedness; you have to have defensible space; and you have to be ready, at any given time, during this type of fire season. Again, our hats are off to our first responders and our firefighters for the amount of property and lives they have been able to save under these conditions. God bless them.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I want to commend President Trump's decision this week with executive orders to do some of the work we have been unable to do so far in the House and the Senate, helping people overcome the problems with the ACA, the Affordable Care Act. One of the measures he put forth was association health plans to allow employers' employees to form health plans that suit them--indeed, to associate with their type of business, their type of industry on a small scale in their neighborhoods. It makes perfect sense, if you want to give people more choices. Also, short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans, which allow people to have, if they are in between jobs, instead of limiting it to just 3 months, perhaps just a little longer. In the interim, while they are in between jobs, they have choices that they could afford with the elements in the plan they would like. Finally, health reimbursement arrangements, which make it where employees--if they want to provide benefits to their--employers to their employees, that they can reimburse for more issues in their plan, such as helping them pay for their premiums, if that is how the employee wishes to have that. Flexibility is what we need; choices are what we need; and then Congress needs to be able to accomplish something in the Senate so we can bring it back and give this to the American people.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I sit as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs that deals directly with the jurisdiction of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and other territories of the U.S. We had a very good briefing this week led by Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon from Puerto Rico, as well as Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands. It was very important information. As we all know of the difficult situation, especially we are seeing so much in Puerto Rico as well as the Virgin Islands; President Trump visiting Puerto Rico this week. Help is on the way. Indeed, it has been on the way, and we need to just keep pushing to rebuild that infrastructure and push out into the islands where the need is still felt. So we know, we see, we are aware, and we will keep working to achieve positive results in the short term as well, as we look at the situation with Puerto Rico and the difficulty with PREPA, the power company, and other issues that we will address as a committee in order to have a long- term, positive solution for the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico and what they need.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend this evening the Office of Management and Budget and Mr. Mulvaney for the special attention they are taking to the wildfire situation we have in this country, especially in the West. They have put forward a request for $576 million additional funding for fire suppression, but even more importantly is to get at the root of the problem with better forest management that will make sense and make a difference over the coming years of getting rid of the fuel, getting the fuel out of the forest that is so much of the problem, with millions and millions of dead trees, brush, and all the other hazards that cause wildfires, that are going to happen anyway, to become catastrophic fires. So OMB calling for these reforms that we have been talking about, me and my colleagues, for a long time is really a good sign that this administration wants to get serious about cutting way back on the wildfires and the severe damage to air quality, habitat, wildlife, and the asset the American people own, that they are serious about it.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the input from my colleague from Virginia, and we certainly want to have this be a process that works well. By delineating some of the categorical exclusions, we just seek to make it more usable, more user-friendly in that sense. So I thank you for the support on that. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), my neighbor.

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

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 289) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to issue permits for recreation services on lands managed by Federal agencies, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the input by my colleague, Mr. McClintock, as well, who has lived this in some of those same Sierra counties we are talking about, and other areas in the West. So we, again, are very encouraged by the bipartisan support, the strong support coming out of committee, and that H.R. 289, the Guides and Outfitters Act, is something that will open the gateway to more enjoyment of our public lands without the constraints, such as exorbitant, extraneous fees and permits that really don't yield any additional care for the environment or care for the area with people that are already good stewards. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am indeed proud to present my bill today, H.R. 289, the Guides and Outfitters Act of 2017, also known as the GO Act. I would like to thank the Natural Resources Committee for its overwhelming support of this bill, which happened on June 27 of this year. Mr. Speaker, I expect that nearly every Member of this body has fond memories of being on our public lands, whether it be fishing as a kid or with your kids, hunting with friends, hiking, on a horse, or camping with the family. Outdoor activities generate not just memorable moments and a love and respect for the great outdoors but also important, considerable economic activity, which is especially important for our rural areas of northern California, where my district is, and all across our Nation. The Outdoor Recreation Association estimates that recreational activity in the United States contributes nearly $900 billion to our GDP annually, supporting about 7.6 million jobs. Unfortunately, public access to public lands is too often hindered by costly and complex permit requirements that vary from agency to agency, sometimes even crossing from agency to agency what the requirements are to seek a permit. The GO Act enhances and protects access to our public lands by streamlining Federal agencies' special recreation permit process, moving the permit process online, and providing joint permits for activities across a combination of National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Forest Service land. In rural America, where rural economies often depend on annual outdoor events--some events, this might be their only event of the year, a big part of their local economy. We have that in northern California in some areas. The GO Act provides greater assurance that such activities on public lands will continue into the future. This bill also authorizes agencies to use categorical exclusions to grant annual events a streamlined review, ensuring such events don't need expensive and duplicative studies year after year. Really, there is no need to reinvent the wheel each year for an existing permitted activity. Getting more American families and groups and clubs outdoors can only be accomplished by building a permit process that doesn't deter outdoor enthusiasts from enjoying public lands but, indeed, makes them feel welcome and encouraged to enjoy these lands that belong to all of us. The idea behind this bipartisan bill is simple: getting more Americans outside, on their lands, for less cost, less money, less headache of permits, less red tape; that is really what this is about. There is no need for some of the process that people have to go through to get a permit when it is especially an already- known activity with very minimal or no impact. Mr. Speaker, let's make recreating in our public lands an open and simple experience. Once again, I urge swift passage of this bill, H.R. 289, the Guides and Outfitters Act, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC, July 10, 2017. Hon. K. Michael Conaway, Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: On June 27, 2017, the Committee on Natural Resources ordered reported as amended H.R. 289, the Guides and Outfitters Act, by voice vote. The bill was referred primarily to the Committee on Natural Resources, with an additional referral to the Committee on Agriculture. I ask that you allow the Committee on Agriculture 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. In addition, should a conference on the bill be necessary, I would support your request to have the Committee on Agriculture represented on the conference committee. Finally, I would be pleased to include this letter and any response in the bill report filed by the Committee on Natural Resources to memorialize our understanding. Thank you for your consideration of my request and for the extraordinary cooperation shown by you and your staff over matters of shared jurisdiction. I look forward to further opportunities to work with you this Congress. Sincerely, Rob Bishop. Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I don't need to add any more adjectives or an official statement about what happened in Las Vegas last night. It has been said: horrific. What I would like to add is that we see examples of people pulling together to help each other that isn't reported very much. In this horrific thing, giving thanks to the SWAT team who was able to put down that shooter without making it even worse, the emergency personnel, people helping each other get out of the way, hop over a fence, whatever it took, and the people who are so highly impacted in the hospitals around Las Vegas right now making heroic efforts, trying to keep up with the flow there, these are things we should dwell on. Pray for those who are gone, who are injured, who are on life support right now. Console those who are around them. And an action item we can all do wherever you are: give blood. I do, six-gallon club--not to brag, but it is important. I ask all of you, if you have never thought of it before, because only a couple percent of Americans do, think about it now, and go do it. It doesn't hurt: just a little pinprick here to test your blood, and just a little needle right here to take that all-important pint. Just the other day, our friend Steve Scalise, it is a miracle he was here on this floor. It was a miracle he got off that ballfield, because he had 18 pints, units of blood waiting for him there, a miracle he was able to even walk out of that emergency room. Give blood. It makes a big difference.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, a recent Federal audit found that the Obama administration improperly used, via the Bureau of Reclamation, $84 million on California Governor Jerry Brown's pet project, the Delta tunnels. In planning, this is a project that would transfer water from northern California, where my district is, to southern California. This comes after years of assurance that no tax dollars would be spent on the Governor's controversial legacy project, nor was there even an appropriation made by Congress to do so, and that is where the problem is. It is the illegal use of Federal dollars in the planning of this project. Taxpayers ended up paying for a large portion of this project's planning costs without their knowledge and, again, without Congress' authorization, which is obviously unacceptable. The Bureau of Reclamation needs to explain to Congress how and why this happened, and the employees and the appointees who carried it out must be held responsible. More importantly, California needs to repay every penny to the Federal Government and the taxpayers of the other 49 States for this illegal use and improper use. Mr. Speaker, this is not a small thing. Congress and the American people need to know what is happening with this and not be lied to.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, healthcare in rural America faces many challenges and many difficulties. This month, there are a couple of issues we will be facing. On September 30, we have the expiration of a program for community health centers and teaching health centers, which both aid greatly in rural healthcare, where it is difficult to get doctors and others to locate to those areas. On September 30, if Congress doesn't act, we will have to at least get an extension in place to keep those programs alive. Community health centers are often a lifeline to rural residents in areas lacking major hospitals. Teaching health centers, in particular, help train physicians in underserved areas and have been a great tool to address doctor shortages in rural America. Mr. Speaker, we have much to do. We need to reauthorize these programs before the end of the month or, at the very least, have an extension so that we don't put an even greater burden on rural America and its health challenges.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to highlight the importance of the Secure Rural Schools program. It was created to fill a void in the economics left by restrictive forest management practices and regulations that have basically cut off our Federal forests and left many rural communities without the forests that once drove their economy: timber harvest. The program was established in 2000 as only a temporary program to help rural America until we could restore active forest management, which would allow communities to then be self-sufficient, create jobs, work the land, and keep their schools running. Indeed, the temporary program has not seen the practices towards forest management, towards timber harvest that is needed, as we see the West up in smoke once again. We need, in Congress, to put policies in place that allow for timber harvest, for better air quality, for the safety of the habitat, for the economy, and for secure rural schools so they will see funding they need, and for counties as well that rely on that for road money. In Modoc County, they are afraid they may have to close one of their high schools, which means another 50-mile drive through bad weather over a ridge for some of the students there. Congress must implement commonsense forest management for a myriad of reasons: again, forest health, school funding, jobs, all the things that make sense for the West. We need to pass Secure Rural Schools funding

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, appropriately and necessarily, we will be addressing the issue of Hurricane Harvey and its devastating effects on Texas, Louisiana, and our American colleagues down there. But also we have a crisis going on in the West. Tens of thousands of acres of our forests are going up in smoke this year just like every year. The inability of the Forest Service to act due to lawsuits and lack of will is inexcusable. Our people are suffering in the West as well: Montana, tens of thousands of acres; northern California and many other areas. It ruins the habitat, it ruins the air quality, it ruins the water quality, and it ruins the people's assets of what they own in their Federal land and the Forest Service. It eliminates jobs. It is harmful to our part of the country. We need to do something about this crisis that happens every year and is happening right now to the people of the West, to the habitat of the West, and to our natural lands. Mr. Speaker, we must take action very soon on this and not continue to ignore it. It is hardly even in the news of what a devastating effect this is of wildfire every year in our forests in our Western States.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the House was able to pass the extension of the Veterans Choice Act funding for an additional 6 months to allow veterans to have choices, the ability to not wait in long lines, long lists, and have local proximity to treatment and care that they need. We need to do much more on this in the future, but with today's action, at least we can sustain that program for an additional amount of time and serve our veterans who served us so well. The Veterans Choice Act is a good outlet, a good opportunity for them to receive the care they need timely and in proximity to where they live. Mr. Speaker, let's make sure the Senate gets this through and our veterans are served well.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Chair, I am very pleased to be able to work with my colleague, Mr. Costa, to ensure that these concerns are met and addressed as the bill moves through the Senate. I believe the ability to reschedule water deliveries for these periods when they are needed should be offered as widely as possible, and I appreciate the support in that goal. Indeed, the opportunity that we can help the Central Valley with this, I relish that opportunity to do so. More facilities to store more water is, indeed, very important so we have more flexibility for Mr. Costa and his neighbors, constituents. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Chairman, indeed, the water battles in California have been very difficult for many, many years, but what I hear from the other side of the aisle is a whole lot of ``no.'' What I hear from normal Californians who aren't in positions of elected leadership who seem to be more interested in catering to a few environmental groups instead of the needs of Californians, especially on the heels of drought, what these Californians are saying is: Get this stuff done. Get these projects done. Help us out. Help us to have jobs in our State and not cater to just a handful of interests here that will help us through another election. Mr. Chair, I am pleased to present the amendment and proud to work with these folks, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Chair, indeed, whether it is a drought period where we have to work even harder to spread that water around or in a year of abundance like what we had, we have to be wise about storing it where we can and having the flexibility to put it where we need to and having additional facilities in the future to store farther into the drought years that, no doubt, will come. This is what we are looking for in this legislation and what I am trying to promote for my particular area in northern California with this amendment. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.