George Nethercutt

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Idaho [Mr. Crapo].

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. I certainly want to congratulate him for a very hard effort, well- deserved applause in connection with this bill and certainly to the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Yates] and the gentleman from Washington [Mr. Dicks] who worked very hard on this bill as well. And the staff. I think we too many times overlook how hardworking the staff is to try to put this all together and get it to the floor and keep track of it all. I am a member of this subcommittee, Mr. Chairman. I am delighted to be part of it because it has been a pleasure to work on this bill. It protects our natural resources. Even though it is funded below last year's level, it keeps our Nation on track to achieve a balanced budget. So this was a difficult effort trying to put the numbers together, even though they are below last year's, to meet the priorities of our Nation and protect the environment but also protect our natural resources. So we were able to increase a number of programs in this bill that needed increase. I want to call particular attention to a few of the highlights of the bill as they affect my region of the Pacific Northwest. The National Park Service is an important agency to many Americans. It is going to receive a $78 million increase in funding, making it the third straight year that this committee has increased park operations. The chairman also included a provision that allows parks and refuges and forests which participate in the recreational fee demonstration program to keep 100 percent of the fees, not to send them back here to Washington but to keep them in the location in which they will do the most good. This is going to benefit Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area in my district. It is a new fee demonstration participant. We are going to keep a lot of those fees and use them to improve really the commercial activities and the maintenance activities that are necessary within the park itself. We are going to also achieve a tremendous backlog maintenance problem in our parks, and that program will assist in that regard. The native American programs in this bill are increased. The tribal priority allocation which was mentioned by the chairman is increased by $76 million. This funding goes directly to the tribes, directly affects my district in the Pacific Northwest and it bypasses the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and I think that is a good approach. I am concerned that this bill does not meet the President's request in the area of Indian health because Indian health care's inflation is well above the normal inflationary rate, and for too long the native American population has been a low priority for the administration and the Congress and their health needs. I hope the other body will increase this funding level. What I want to say, too, most importantly, following up on the debate that we have just had here and the discussion regarding our national forests and public lands, over the last 3 years we have spent an unsustainable $2.3 billion fighting fires on our national forest lands. That is unacceptable, but that is due, in my judgment, to the fact that we have diseased forests and we have unmanaged forests. That is unacceptable. Should be to all Americans. As a result of this, we have seriously addressed in this bill the issue of improving forest health. Disease suppression, forest fuel reduction, vegetation management, watershed improvements, research, and reforestation are all increased. This is a good environmental bill. With regard to the timber road issue that is coming up, I urge my colleagues do not be persuaded by some outside group that is going to score this bill on an environmental basis and be pushed into making the wrong judgment. Study the facts. This timber road reduction provision that is coming up is going to hurt the small operator. It will not hurt the big operator. It will hurt the small operator. And that will do damage to the forest health and the multiple use concept in our national forest. Remember that about 80 million visitors go into the national forests and use the forest roads that are currently in place. And we are obliterating forest roads by a ratio of 4 to 1. Four times as many are obliterated as those that are built. So Members should be very careful about this bill and look very carefully at this amendment because it is a red herring and we should not be persuaded by it.

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, what is the relative time left in the debate?

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California [Mr. Packard] for yielding me this time. I certainly want to express my support for this military construction funding bill and certainly want to commend not only the gentleman from California [Mr. Packard] but the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Hefner] for their good work on this bill. I know the Subcommittee on Military Construction had less money to work with this year and they have done an admirable job of crafting a bill which increases the quality of life for American military personnel and makes important investments in our defense facilities. As I heard the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Hefner] comment about what is good and the gentleman from California [Mr. Packard] talk about what is good for our young men and women in the service, I want to give an example of this committee's work that relates to the Air Force Base and the Air National Guard unit at Fairchild Air Force Base in my district in Spokane, WA. Fairchild Air Force Base began in 1942 as an airplane maintenance depot, and then it became a B-29 bomber base after World War II. In 1976, it became the 141st Air Refueling Wing, it moved to Fairchild as a tenant unit, and it houses the KC-135s for the Air National Guard in hangars which were meant for World War II. These hangars are large enough to cover most of the airplane, but not the tail and the fuselage. So for 20 years the rear end of these airplanes has stuck out in the open air. Whenever an Air National Guard mechanic had to go out and work on this airplane, he had to stand out in the cold, and it gets very cold in my part of the country in the wintertime. I just want these two distinguished gentlemen to understand, and the rest of my colleagues to understand, too, that this has a very practical implication in my district because it is correcting a problem that has existed for years, and it really is a readiness issue and it is a service issue for these young men and women who work on these airplanes. So by modifying this Air National Guard hangar in my district, the whole plane is going to be under cover during the winter months and they are going to have maintenance be able to occur. That is just one example of some very important measures in this bill that improve the quality of life of our American men and women in uniform. Mr. Chairman, I recommend support for this bill.

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, I want to express my support for normal trade relations with China, which is our best option for promoting long-term progress in Chinese society. I am deeply concerned by the efforts of the Chinese Government to interfere with the basic human rights of Chinese citizens, including freedom of faith and religious practice, freedom of speech and thought and the freedom to assemble and petition the government without being crushed by tanks. I believe that every government, every leader has the duty to respect basic human rights, and that no government may use tradition as an excuse for oppressing its own citizens. I support MFN status for China because I deplore the repressive tactics of the Chinese Government. I believe in the appeal of the United States and the values of freedom this country represents. Engagement with China means a continuation of the trade, investment and personal interaction which breaks down the tyranny of the Chinese state. While engagement has not improved human rights conditions in China as rapidly as any of us would like, I believe interaction with the world economy and American values will help the Chinese people create the conditions necessary for social change. By increasing access to phones, faxes, the Internet and Western media, American engagement has helped the Chinese people circumvent government controls over information. By spurring stupendous growth in China's coastal regions, trade has helped break down government controls over migration from province to province. By introducing western ideas, engagement has spurred a growing ``home-church'' movement of Chinese who refuse to entrust their souls to state-sanctioned, state-controlled churches. This is real progress. Severing normal trade relations with China would disrupt the process of social change. This action would hurt the people we really want to help, like the citizens of Hong Kong and the Chinese who now owe their livelihood not to the mercy of the Chinese state but to their own contribution to the free market system. Now is not the time to walk away from our ability to promote change. Severing normal trade relations with China would also harm American workers, American unions and American businesses. I have recently spoken with aerospace workers and union leaders who disagree with the anti-trade position of their national organizations and who support continued trade with China. They fear that, if Congress chooses to raise trade barriers, American businesses will lose the China airplane market to Airbus and thousands of good, hard-working Americans will lose their jobs without any real change in Chinese policy. The union workers' arguments are persuasive. In 1980, the farmers of Washington State were devastated by a futile attempt to change Soviet policy with a unilateral grain embargo. I hope we will not be destructive and short-sighted as we once again contemplate unilateral trade sanctions. We owe it to the workers and farmers of Washington State and this Nation to learn from the painful, embarrassing experience of 1980 and refrain from adopting more unilateral sanctions. Finally, severing normal trade relations with China would impose costs on American consumers. The Congressional Research Service has recently estimated that denying China MFN status would cost American families 27 to 29 billion dollars in higher prices. This resolution of disapproval represents a hidden tax on my constituents, fewer jobs for my State and, most important, less freedom for the people of China. I support normal trade relations with China and I hope to work with my colleagues to develop constructive policies which expand freedom in China and convince China's leaders to change their behavior.

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, due to prior commitments in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall votes 219 through 224. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on votes 219 and 220, ``nay'' on vote 221, and ``aye'' on rollcall votes 222, 223, and 224.

Mr. NETHERCUTT

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

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, I am introducing this amendment today for myself and for the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone, who has worked with me, with the two Senators from the State of Washington, Senator Gorton and Senator Murray, as well as the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. McHale, the distinguished gentleman from New Mexico, the former Congressman, Bill Richardson, who is now Ambassador Richardson, the distinguished gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Hamilton, and certainly the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Gingrich, the distinguished Speaker of the House, over the last 2 years to raise the awareness about a constituent of mine, Donald Hutchings from Spokane, WA, who was taken hostage nearly 2 years ago on foreign soil. On July 2, 1995, Donald Hutchings was on a mountain climbing expedition in Kashmir with his wife and other climbers when they were abducted by a shadowy group of militants known as Al-Faran. Don's wife, Jane Schelly, was released immediately, and another American, John Childs, escaped his captors. This group has repeatedly threatened Donald Hutchings, to kill him, and the other three remaining Western European hostages, unless the Government of India agreed to release suspected guerilla fighters from its jails. One hostage was found brutally murdered in August 1995, but the location of the other hostages is unknown. A number of militants have been captured by the Government of India, but they have given conflicting and unconfirmed reports about the hostages. This amendment, Mr. Chairman, expresses the sense of Congress that Al-Faran should immediately release all the hostages from captivity and cease all violent acts in India. It urges the use of the State Department Rewards Program, which this bill, H.R. 1757, improves by raising the cap on available funds in order that those funds can be used to solicit new information pertaining to the hostages. The Nethercutt-Pallone amendment also urges that the Government of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, India, and Pakistan continue to work together to share all investigative information relating to these hostages. Mr. Chairman, this amendment also sends a strong message to Al-Faran that the United States believes such terrorism is reprehensible, we condemn it; and, at the same time, it encourages the flow of new information which will allow Don's courageous wife, Jane Schelly, to know where her husband is being held.

Mr. NETHERCUTT. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I am delighted the chairman would do that. I would just conclude by saying that Jane Schelly has been halfway around the world in order to raise the level of the interest of this amendment and in the finding of her husband.

Mr. NETHERCUTT. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey, and I would hope we can have a recorded vote on this to make certain the whole Congress weighs in very heavily on the importance of this issue. Mr. Chairman, I ask for the adoption of the amendment.

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, for the record, this particular amendment is being introduced for myself and on behalf of the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Pallone] as it relates to a kidnapping that occurred 2 years ago of a constituent of mine in Spokane, Washington, Donald Hutchings. In the interest of orderly proceedings on this bill, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment at this time, reserving the right and intending to have this amendment redrawn and offered at a different point in the consideration of this bill tomorrow.

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, I am happy to join my distinguished colleague, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, in making this point of order. It is well-taken. Mr. Chairman, as a member of the Subcommittee on Agriculture of the Committee on Appropriations who worked very hard to make sure this cap was lifted, and worked with the chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture as well, I support the making of the point of order against this provision because it proposes to change existing law. It constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill. It violates clause 2(d) of rule XXI. It does not apply solely to the appropriation under consideration. It is operative beyond the fiscal year for which the appropriation applies, and it should be stricken. The CRP program should be able to go forward under the farm bill without a limitation on acreage in 1997.

Mr. NETHERCUTT. I thank the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the remarks of the ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations as it relates to wanting to help children. Republicans want that as deeply as Democrats do. There should be no dispute about that. However, I think we also, Democrat and Republican, should expect efficiency. We should demand efficiency. As I hear the ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations talk about numbers, numbers changing, the best estimate of our numbers, the best knowledge of numbers of people needing WIC is uncertain, Mr. Chairman. That is what troubles me about this desire of the sponsors of this amendment to add more money to more money that has already been added, to more money that is carried over, $100 million carried over in a $3.7 billion annual program, in addition to the $50 million that is available through the Secretary of Agriculture in the fund for rural America. My point is this: We owe our constituents, all of us, efficiency. I would expect, and I would expect there to be a commitment on the part of both the Democrat leaders and Republican leaders, if we do not know the numbers, if we are speculating, and I believe we are, we ought to have a study that can be done in 2 or 3 months, signed, sealed and delivered. Let us find out what the numbers are. But let us not gamble with the taxpayers' money at this time when we are adding an additional $38 million. Should we not feel that that is adequate? And the gentlewoman from Ohio [Ms. Kaptur], one of the sponsors of this amendment, has testified in our Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies that she has some concerns about the adequacy and accuracy of the program and the numbers. One final point, and no, I do not have time, I say to the gentlewoman from Ohio [Ms. Kaptur]. Mr. Chairman, one final point. In 1995 and 1996, the Inspector General, with the Department of Agriculture, did an audit of the Food and Consumer Services Agency that administers these food programs in the Government. It found that $13 billion, one-third out of $39 billion appropriated, could not be located. That is the inefficiency that exists, and I urge opposition to this amendment.

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston], the great chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, for his great introduction. Mr. Speaker, I am here pleased to support the work of the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations and working with the ranking minority member, the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey], to bring to the Congress, to the House, a wonderful effort to meet the needs of the flood victims of last year. It is absolutely critical that we pass this bill today, and I totally support it. I also appreciate the comments of the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh], my colleague who was here a moment ago, speaking with regard to CRP. I want my colleagues to understand that, as a member of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations, we really resisted the amendment of the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh] to cap CRP, Conservation Reserve Program, acres at 14 million acres. We want it to be the 19 million acres that are intended to be enrolled in 1997. This is supported by the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture. It is supported by people who care deeply about agriculture across this country, not the least of whom are in my own district, the Fifth District of the State of Washington. CRP is a great program. We should not fool with it in an appropriations bill, especially an emergency supplemental appropriations bill. I happened to be pleased to join with the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture today in raising a point of order to have the cap lifted and the language that the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh] was able to insert in the subcommittee and full committee and have that language removed from the bill, because it is bad policy on an emergency supplemental. It is also bad policy for agriculture. The Conservation Reserve Program helps habitat, it helps the environment, it helps agriculture, it does all of those things for the good of the Nation. The program has been fairly distributed. I am happy to work with the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh] and anybody else to get the Department of Agriculture to enroll acres that are properly to be enrolled, highly erodible acreage. So I will offer this point of order with the gentleman from Oregon [Mr. Smith] today, and I urge the support of my colleagues.

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, today taxpayers throughout America will do their civic duty by paying their Federal income taxes. The typical American family will pay more in all taxes than it spends on food, clothing and shelter combined. Our colleague in the Senate, Senator John Ashcroft, and I believe this is too much, that working Americans know better how to spend their money than the Government does. So I am pleased today, with Senator Ashcroft in the Senate, to introduce the Working Americans Wage Restoration Act. This bill will allow American workers to deduct their share of Federal payroll taxes. These payroll taxes are inherently unfair because workers are taxed twice in the same income. They are taxed once as a portion of gross income for Federal income purposes and for a second time for the contribution to the Social Security trust fund. By allowing workers to deduct on their income taxes their share of Social Security contributions, the Working Americans Wage Restoration Act will eliminate this double taxation and allow workers to keep more of the money they earn. So I urge my colleagues to join with us in this bill in giving fair tax relief to the American workers.

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, today I want to congratulate the girls basketball team of West Valley High School. On March 15, the Lady Eagles won the Washington State AA High School basketball championship, handily defeating the Prosser High School girls squad 61 to 44. The Lady Eagles won 18 of their 22 games in the regular season, defeating many tough teams. Under the leadership of Coach Mark Kuipers and assistant coaches Steve Lawler, Shelli Totten, Robyn Schumacher, and Renee Nilles, the girls squad demonstrated athletic skill, teamwork, and persistence, qualities which helped them play good basketball and win the State championship. Players for the State championship team are Abby Monasmith, Angela Kaltas, Sherry Shollenberger, Cindy Simpson, Gabby McClintock, Chantelle Frost, Dawn Salfer, Kiesha Sowers, Stacey Roberts, Danna Vermeers, Heather Huffman, and Alisha Pedey. Jill Nihoul, Heather Sweet, and Megan Lawk served as the team's managers. Principal Cleve Penberthy, Athletic Director Wayne McKnight, and residents of the West Valley district should be proud of the Lady Eagles' success. I join them in saluting the players, managers, and coaches for their accomplishment. I hope the Lady Eagles' success will encourage others to pursue their goals, recognizing that to succeed, players need to practice and work together as a team. While necessary to their triumph, athletic skill alone was not enough. I hope that my neighbors in eastern Washington-- and Americans across the Nation--will learn from their success, that they will not let the odds discourage them, they will remain confident in their abilities and work together to reach their goals. Skill, teamwork, and persistence allowed the Lady Eagles to triumph on the basketball court. And these qualities will enable students across the country to succeed, whether in an athletic arena or in any other endeavor they would like to pursue.

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. I am happy to yield for a very short supporting announcement by the gentlewoman from Oregon [Ms. Furse].

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, today in the Rayburn House Office Building foyer, for the first time, there is a diabetes screening test that is ongoing for Members, for staff, and for the public to test their blood to see if they have diabetes. The gentlewoman from Oregon, Ms. Elizabeth Furse, and I, were advised by Speaker Gingrich to come over and make this announcement with the hope that all Members, right now, will go over and have their blood tested between 11 o'clock today and 3 o'clock this afternoon and take this very painless step to see if they have diabetes.

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Today, I want to congratulate the boys basketball team of Republic High School in Ferry County, WA and the girls basketball team of Ritzville High School in Adams County. On Saturday, March 8, 1997, their many hours of practice paid off when they defeated strong teams and won the Washington State B Basketball Tournaments. Neither team went into the tournament as the favorite. Indeed, the Republic Tigers almost didn't make the tournament at all. But under the leadership of dedicated coaches, these teams defied the odds and stunned the State, proving that to triumph, confidence, and teamwork are as important as athletic skill. Under the leadership of Coach Rory Rickard, the Republic Tigers boys team came from behind in four games on their road to the final round. In the finals, they defeated the Reardan Indians 38-36. The new State champs had been the fourth seed in district 7. Chuck Wilson serves as the Tigers' assistant coach. The boys State champions are Chad Dinkins, Dave Hanks, Jason Baldwin, Dan Hanks, Kenny Glidden, Sam Hadden, Mark Rickard, Dan Hargrave, Lonnie Grimm, Kris Kuchenmeister, Dorian Russell, Steve Davenport and Chris Wilson. Tyrus and Cory Rickard as well as Josh Burnside served as managers, and Rebecca Hutton and Ryan Rickard kept the team's statistics. Guided by coaches John Foulkes and Howard Manke, the Ritzville Broncos defeated the Wilbur-Creston Wildcats and won the Washington State Girls B Tournament. With a 33-26 victory, the Broncos claimed their second State championship, having last won it in 1979. The players for the championship team are Tracy Warriner, Jennifer Kramer, Erin Weber, Jennifer Horpedahl, Megan Wellsandt, Katie Kirkendall, Shannon Russell, Megan Yerxa, Jamie Alspach, Jaime Wellsandt, Carlye Zicha, and Jennifer Janzen. Managers are Kristen Kramer and Crystal Zicha, and Leona Akers and Cassie Stegmeier served as the team's statistician. Congratulations to them all. It is a great honor for eastern Washington that both the boys and girls State basketball champions--as well as the runners-up--come from our region. I hope their success will encourage others to pursue their goals, recognizing that to succeed, players need to practice and learn to work together as a team. They must not let the odds discourage them and remember always to do their best, remaining confident in their abilities. It was these skills which enabled the Republic Tigers and the Ritzville Broncos to triumph on the basketball court. And it is these skills which will enable students across the country to succeed, whether in an athletic arena or whatever other endeavor they should choose to pursue.

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, March 19, 1997, is a very important day in the fight to cure diabetes. Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. tomorrow, in the Rayburn House Office Building foyer, Members of Congress, the U.S. Senate, staff, family, and the public are invited to undertake a very important test. It is called a blood glucose test. It is free of charge. It takes about 1 minute, and what will happen is this: If you show up in the Rayburn foyer tomorrow morning between 11 in the morning and 3 p.m., there will be a test administered. Your finger will be stuck and a drop of blood will be placed on a test strip and put into a little computer and it will measure your blood glucose level. That test will determine whether or not you may have diabetes. This testing is part of an NIH, National Institutes of Health, study which will focus on a cure for diabetes, and literature will also be there available for members of the public and Members of Congress to learn about this very important disease. It is a very serious disease in our country. Over 16 million Americans have diabetes. About half of that 16 million do not know that they have this disease and they will not be diagnosed until serious complications develop. Diabetes affects all races, both genders, all religions, Democrats, Republicans, it is indiscriminate. All are subject to becoming diabetic and over a million children in our country have insulin-dependent diabetes. The incidence of diabetes is prevailing throughout the world. The earlier diabetes is diagnosed, the easier it is to slow the progression of this disease and prevent very, very costly complications; costly in terms of health status and dollars and cents. This diabetes screening test on Capitol Hill is sponsored by the Congressional Diabetes Caucus. It has 51 Members of Congress who are associated in this fight to cure diabetes. This test is also in association with the Diabetes Prevention Program, which will conduct this test; Eli Lilly & Co.; the American Diabetes Association; the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation; the American Association of Diabetes Educators; the Endocrine Society; and many others who care deeply about curing this disease. Diabetes is a silent disease. It is a serious disease. Taking this simple test could save your life. So I urge my colleagues and the staff who may be listening and watching and learning about diabetes, as well as the public, to come and take this test tomorrow in the Rayburn foyer from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. And I urge others across the country to take this simple test in your hometown or in your area and learn if you have diabetes. It could save your life. I hope that there will be a great turnout tomorrow, with a lot of press focusing on this very important and very serious disease.

Mr. NETHERCUTT

Mr. NETHERCUTT. I thank the gentleman from California [Mr. Doolittle] for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 412 and the American taxpayer. That is what really this bill is all about. I appreciate the leadership of the gentleman from California [Mr. Doolittle] and the gentleman from Washington [Mr. Hastings] on this issue. Frankly, I am very concerned about the future fiscal impact that rejecting this bill would have. The Congressional Budget Office has said that this bill would have no effect on 1997 spending and that there would be a future savings to current law if this bill is passed. I think we need to look carefully at really the background of this case, as Congressman Doolittle and Congressman Hastings have set forth. This was a settlement agreement by the administration, the administration that the gentleman from California [Mr. Miller] I believe supports more often than not, and I find myself not always in agreement with this administration on matters of policy but in this one they are right. I have been practicing law for years and I know that a settlement is a good settlement if both parties agree, and it saves everybody a lot of time and effort and liability and exposure and money in the future, and that is really what this is about. We are going to have a savings of $51 million plus legal fees ranging up to $1 million. So I think that is something that all of us ought to take into great account as we decide whether this is a good bill or a bad. Another thing that is very important, in my judgment, is that if this irrigation district wins only a partial settlement the U.S. taxpayers are still liable for whatever the court decides. The Bureau of Reclamation has stated that they are probably liable for at least $4 million, but that is only an estimate. My judgment is, let us get this settled, let us move on. If the United States were to win this lawsuit and not be liable for the $51 million of exposure that they have, the taxpayers would still have to pay to maintain and operate these facilities. Taxpayer dollars can be better spent, Mr. Chairman, and the Colville Confederated Tribe in my district supports this, the Oroville-Tonasket Facilities District supports this, the Federal Government, Mr. Clinton, Mr. Babbitt support this. We should support it, too. Let the local officials of this irrigation district run this project. Repair the damage that exists and make it work for the farmers of this area. Mr. Chairman, I conclude certainly by saying this is a cost saver. This is a taxpayer saving by passage of this bill. I urge my colleagues to support it.