Doug LaMalfa

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, responsibly funding the government on time is one of the most basic and fundamental tasks of Members of Congress. This entire year, Republicans have been at the table pushing the work through the committee process to determine how best to allocate this funding. And coming into this week, there was healthy debate and negotiations on moving forward with these plans. However, yesterday, the partisan dialogue we witnessed from a number of my colleagues across the aisle was nothing more than a ruse. Five separate motions to adjourn in order to stall a bipartisan bill to tighten our visa system and protect our Nation's security, with purely political procedural votes to push their own gun control agendas is simply ridiculous. It wasted at least 3 hours of legislative time. Mr. Speaker, this is a time when Americans need their Representatives to come to the table and stop letting politics get in the way of actually getting the people's work done around this place.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, recently, President Obama declared climate change to be the number one adversary of the United States. He has proposed wide-ranging regulations to fight this supposed enemy, regulations that not only drastically increase the scope of government but could only irreparably damage our economy. Today, we voted to reject those policies. While he concentrates on crony capitalism disguised as feel-good policies, our true enemy has grown in strength and struck one of our oldest allies. We know this enemy: a radical form of Islam that has sworn to destroy Western civilization, that abuses and enslaves women, that seeks victory through suicide attacks and terrorizing civilians. From manufacturing fake data to fit computer temperature models, to manipulated actual temperatures being rounded up to fit the narrative, and the resistance by government entities to reveal their methodology and internal biases show that, indeed, the debate on climate change is far from settled. Mr. Speaker, it is time for the President to wake up, recognize that no nation should willingly choose to damage its own economy, as he proposes. It is time he recognized the United States' responsibility to the free world and end the self-destructive cycle that his policies would initiate.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. 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. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. LaMALFA. I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia. Mr. GOODLATTE: Twenty years ago Congress made its intention clear that a daycare facility was to have use of the property, and I am pleased to lead the charge in fixing the law. I urge passage of H.R. 2288 to simply remove the deed restrictions on 1 acre of land so that the necessary upgrades may be made to the childcare center and this community investment can continue to thrive.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 2288 removes a use restriction from the deed of an approximately 1-acre portion of land. The property was transferred to Rockingham County, Virginia, in 1989 to construct a child care facility. H.R. 2288 would remove the restrictions on the land so that any necessary upgrades may be made to the Plains Area Daycare Center in Broadway, Virginia, which provides child care for families who otherwise could not afford it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2288) to remove the use restrictions on certain land transferred to Rockingham County, Virginia, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. LaMALFA

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 materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I appreciate the efforts of my colleague from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva). I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1541 provides colleges and universities with a high enrollment of Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American Pacific Islander students access to a grant program that encourages student involvement in historic and cultural projects. This grant program already includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and nontribal colleges with a high enrollment of Native Americans or Native Hawaiians. H.R. 1541 will ensure that historically underrepresented groups are eligible for technical and financial assistance to establish preservation training and degree programs. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1541) to amend title 54, United States Code, to make Hispanic-serving institutions eligible for technical and financial assistance for the establishment of preservation training and degree programs, as amended.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the support of the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), the committee's ranking member, and the unanimous effort to move this bill out of committee. Mr. Speaker, I seek support for my legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2212) to take certain Federal lands located in Lassen County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Susanville Indian Rancheria, and for other purposes, as amended.

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 materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 2212, which would direct the Secretary of the Interior to place into trust 300 acres of Bureau of Land Management land for the Susanville Indian Rancheria. These isolated and surplus BLM lands are adjacent to existing tribal lands in Lassen County, California. Since 2005, the tribe has worked with the local California BLM office to one day complete the transfer of these lands, which are culturally and historically significant to the tribe. Comprised of the descendants of four tribes within the region--the Mountain Maidu, Northern Paiute, the Pit River, and the Washoe--the Susanville Indian Rancheria has a long history of relocation and adversity. The Rancheria's ancestors were party to 18 unratified treaties with the Federal Government, and their lands were taken after passage of the Land Claims Act of 1851. Displaced during the California gold rush of the 1850s, the tribe was homeless until 1923, when the Federal Government purchased and placed into trust 30 acres. Since that time, another 120 acres were added by Congress in 1978 and approximately 950 acres have been added by BIA action. The Rancheria has long ties to this land, which holds a number of cultural, historical, and archeological sites, including grinding stones, petroglyphs, and other important artifacts. Rancheria members also gather traditional herbs, medicines, and vegetables on the land and continue to hunt game in the area as their ancestors did. The land has been classified as surplus by the BLM, which has written in support of transferring the parcel to the Rancheria, and it is adjacent, again, to the Rancheria's existing lands. The Rancheria intends to continue using the land for traditional purposes as well as eventually constructing a cultural center, a museum, and recreational facilities, including sports fields. At the request of the tribe, the bill includes a prohibition on gaming. The Rancheria has long proven to be a conscientious and thoughtful neighbor to the City of Susanville, and I have no doubt that it will prove to be a good steward of this land. Mr. Speaker, this bill was passed by the Natural Resources Committee with unanimous support. The Senate counterpart, sponsored by Senator Boxer, who we found agreement on this legislation on, also received unanimous support in the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. I urge your support and thank you for your consideration of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, again, Mr. Heck is to be commended for bringing forward such a worthy piece of legislation to honor a man who has done so much in that area. Indeed, this legislation will make sure that his story continues to be told and that he will always be commemorated and memorialized in that region because of that. Congratulations to you on this. I am proud to support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I again commend the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Heck), my friend, for his quality legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 2270, introduced by my friend, Congressman Denny Heck of Washington, and cosponsored by the entire Washington delegation would redesignate the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, located in the State of Washington, as the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge and establish within the refuge the Medicine Creek Treaty National Memorial. This bill is intended to honor the life and legacy of Billy Frank Jr., who dedicated his life to bringing together tribes, government officials, and others to improve treaty rights, tribal sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and salmon recovery in the Puget Sound area. Frank Jr., who passed away in 2014, was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism and the Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. The bill also establishes a national memorial within the refuge to commemorate the signing of the 1854 Medicine Creek Treaty, which established reservation land and the right to fish for Puget Sound area tribes. Congressman Heck has worked tirelessly to honor the treaty and the life and work of Billy Frank Jr. I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2270. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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 materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2270) to redesignate the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, located in the State of Washington, as the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, to establish the Medicine Creek Treaty National Historic Site within the wildlife refuge, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, thanks to a measure Congress passed earlier this year, at 11:59 p.m. this past Saturday, the National Security Agency ended its collection of Americans' telephone call data. After revelations about NSA data collection that many Americans, myself included, believe violated Fourth Amendment protections against search and seizure, Congress passed the USA Freedom Act to end this activity. Despite violating privacy of millions of Americans, this program had never generated intelligence that prevented terrorist activity. Americans spoke out, and Congress acted. Our Nation's security should be the government's first priority, yet we should never sacrifice liberty for a program that doesn't even increase our safety. As Benjamin Franklin stated: ``Those who give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.''