Steve Pearce

Mr. PEARCE

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 362) recognizing the importance and contributions of sportsmen to American society, supporting the traditions and values of sportsmen, and recognizing the many economic benefits associated with outdoor sporting activities.

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this bipartisan resolution to recognize the valuable contributions of the 38 million sportsmen in the United States. Hunting, fishing and trapping is woven into the fabric of our cultural heritage. There have been many notable hunters and fishermen throughout our history, including the father of the National Wildlife System, President Theodore Roosevelt; the founder of the Audubon Society, John James Audubon; and the great literary writer, Ernest Hemingway. Today's sportsmen contribute more than $70 billion annually to our economy with a positive ripple effect amounting to $179 billion. Both hunters and fishermen voluntarily pay Federal excise taxes on guns, rods, reels, ammunition and outdoor equipment. In fact, since 1937, sportsmen have contributed billions of dollars through the Pittman- Robertson Act and the Dingell-Johnson Act for the benefit of all fish and wildlife species. Mr. Speaker, autumn is rapidly approaching, and soon 28 million Americans will take to the woods and streams to enjoy nature, relax and reaffirm their connection to the land. These sportsmen are the true environmentalists who have sacrificed time, money, and labor to improve habitat throughout the Nation. Let there be no mistake, without fishermen and hunters, there would be no Canadian geese, ducks, striped bass, rainbow trout or wild turkeys because there would be no money to maintain the habitat which is essential to the survival of these species. All of us have fishermen and hunters in our districts. This resolution is important for them and for the millions who enjoy hiking, bird watching, and wildlife photography. Without the dollars and leadership provided by sportsmen, there would be no fish or wildlife to enjoy. I want to compliment the sponsors of this resolution, including the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh), the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes), the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite) for their leadership on behalf of sportsmen in this country. This resolution, which has been endorsed by 44 hunting and conservation groups, will recognize the importance of sportsmen, conservation programs, outdoor sporting activities, and the importance of teaching the traditions of hunting and fishing. I urge an ``aye'' vote on House Resolution 362. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh).

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert). (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PEARCE

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 21) commemorating the Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase.

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 21, introduced by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter), would commemorate the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase. As my colleagues know, the Louisiana Purchase was the largest single land acquisition in our Nation's history, 827,987 square miles, or nearly 600 million acres. Purchased from France in 1803 for $15 million, it stretched from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, nearly doubling the size of the United States at the time. Today, 15 States or parts of States exist within the area carved out by the Louisiana Purchase. House Concurrent Resolution 21 is a commemorative resolution that would pay homage to one of the most significant events of our Nation's history. I urge my colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 21. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PEARCE

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1113) to authorize an exchange of land at Fort Frederica National Monument, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1113, introduced by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston), and amended by the Committee on Resources, would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey 6 acres of land within the boundaries of Fort Frederica National Monument on St. Simons Island, Georgia, to the Christ Church also located on St. Simons Island. In return, the park service would receive 8.7 acres of nearby property that would be acquired first by the church from the Sea Island Company and then exchanged with the park service. The exchange is viewed by all parties as a win-win. Mr. Speaker, Christ Church has doubled in size in the last 9 years, and the additional land is needed for its expansion. In return, the monument would receive lands that are known to contain valuable archeological remains from the colonial period. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1113, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) for sharing such rich cultural heritage of the area. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PEARCE

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2059) to designate Fort Bayard Historic District in the State of New Mexico as a National Historic Landmark, and for other purposes.

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2059. First I would like to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from California (Chairman Pombo); the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich); along with the ranking member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), for allowing the Committee on Resources to consider H.R. 2059 in an expedited manner and for allowing it to be considered on the House floor today. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2059 would designate Fort Bayard Historic District in the State of New Mexico as a National Historic Landmark. On August 21, 1866, troops under the command of Lt. James Kerr, Company B, 125th United States Colored Infantry, began building a new post in Apache country near the mining communities of Pinos Altos and Silver City, New Mexico. The infantry troops stationed at Fort Bayard were nicknamed ``Buffalo Soldiers'' by the Cheyenne and Comanche Indians. The post was named after Brigadier General George D. Bayard, who had been killed in the battle of Fredericksburg. After Geronimo's surrender, Fort Bayard as a military post was no longer needed. As a result, in 1899 Fort Bayard became the first sanatorium dedicated to the treatment of soldiers suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. In 1922, Fort Bayard came under the jurisdiction of the Veterans' Administration and became a treatment center for veterans. During World War II, Fort Bayard housed German prisoners of war. Today, the post is operated as a hospital by the State of New Mexico and presently employs approximately 400 employees. To this day, Fort Bayard continues to play a vital role in the health care of Grant County, New Mexico, and the surrounding area. Designation of Fort Bayard as a National Historic Landmark is important for the preservation of its historical significance. It is also very important to southeastern New Mexico's economic development. The region is currently suffering from high unemployment and stagnant economic growth. This designation would allow Fort Bayard to attract more tourism to the area and would bring in much-needed economic revenue, which could help fuel more investment in the region. H.R. 2059 has the unanimous support of the New Mexico Congressional delegation, is cosponsored by the entire delegation, and also has very strong public support. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2059. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PEARCE

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is a New Mexico day on the floor of the House, and my colleague and I are here to recommend that Senate 246 be passed. It places 4,484 acres of Federal land managed by the Bureau of Lands Management in trust for two pueblos in the State of New Mexico. Specifically 2,484 acres will be added to the Santa Clara Reservation and 2,000 acres to the San Ildefonso Reservation. The gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson) are cosponsors of H.R. 508, the House companion to this noncontroversial measure. The lands being transferred to the pueblos are basically surplus land that the BLM has classified as ``disposal property.'' These lands are situated between the two pueblos in a manner that is not conducive to public access or use, and they are difficult for the BLM to manage. In fact, there has reportedly been almost no use of these lands except by the pueblos for cultural purposes. While the lands are deemed to be disposable property in the eyes of the Federal Government, they are valuable in the hearts of the two pueblos which have always asserted rights to them. Congress will be restoring land to the pueblos claimed as their ancestral homelands before the European settlers arrived. Recognizing the cultural, traditional, and religious importance of the land of the pueblos, the bill forbids any new commercial development as of the date of enactment. Otherwise, the pueblos will have control over managing the property for its intended purposes. The bill specifies which lands are to be transferred based on an agreement worked out between the two pueblos. The transfer is subject to any valid existing rights, and there is a provision to ensure that enactment does not affect any pending land plans by the pueblos. Similar legislation had been considered in the last Congress. It is supported by local governments in New Mexico and by the administration. We should ensure it is finally sent to the President after we pass it today. Mr. Speaker I reserve the balance of my time. (Mr. UDALL of New Mexico asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As I was listening to my colleague from New Mexico, I am completely unfamiliar with the previous attempts to pass this legislation, and though I do not take credit for it, I am glad to be a part of breaking this logjam and getting this legislation to the next level. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 246) to provide that certain Bureau of Land Management land shall be held in trust for the Pueblo of Santa Clara and the Pueblo of San Ildefonso in the State of New Mexico.

Mr. PEARCE

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 733, sponsored by the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hooley), and amended by the Senate, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the McLoughlin House National Historic Site in Oregon City, Oregon, currently an area affiliated with the National Park Service and included within the boundaries of the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The current operators of the house, the McLoughlin Memorial Association, lack the appropriate funds to maintain the historic structure and ask the Park Service to acquire it for purposes of preserving it. If the Speaker recalls, this House considered H.R. 733 earlier this year, in which it authorized the Secretary to acquire the McLoughlin House and administer the site as a unit of the National Park system. The changes made by the Senate, such as the title change, have brought support. The McLoughlin House is named after Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of Oregon, who established the famous British Hudson Bay Company in Vancouver, Washington, in 1825. Dr. McLoughlin supplied American pioneers with the goods they needed to settle and survive at their new home in Oregon. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 733. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. (Mr. UDALL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I do recall those meetings in which those subjects were discussed and compliment both sides of the aisle for cooperating, and we do appreciate the hard work on this; and I would like to congratulate my colleague for his hard work and for the amount of time he consumed here.

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 733) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the McLoughlin House National Historic Site in Oregon City, Oregon, and to administer the site as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Mr. PEARCE

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bills H.R. 74, H.R. 272, H.R. 733 and S. 246.

Mr. PEARCE

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the work of Guadalupe Sanchez de Otero, the director of the Andrew Sanchez Memorial Youth Center. Ms. Otero was recently selected as a 2003 Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leader. She was one of ten people nationally to be selected for this prestigious award, which includes a grant of over $100,000 to enhance her work. Ms. Otero is the founder and director, without pay, of the Andrew Sanchez Memorial Youth Center in Columbus, New Mexico. The center provides a safe play space for local children, many of whose parents are farm laborers who work long hours and cannot afford childcare. The center's programs also include health fairs, community meetings, sewing classes, and craft activities. Ms. Otero expanded the center's services when she saw growing numbers of senior residents suffering from isolation and poor nutrition. To combat this problem, she and her mother cashed in hundreds of aluminum cans to be able to serve seniors hot meals at the center. They also organized young people to deliver food to homebound seniors. Ms. Otero founded the center in 1996 in an old fire station after launching the Health Promotores program in 1995. Through her work with the Health Promotores program, Ms. Otero quickly saw the many needs of the rural area on the U.S.-Mexican border, an area where more than half of the families live below the poverty line. In addition to founding the Andrew Sanchez Memorial Youth Center, Ms. Otero helped launch a mobile health clinic, created a bilingual support group for diabetics, provided farm worker health and pesticide safety education, and assisted with the effort to turn around an abandoned tavern into the Columbus Public Library. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to congratulate Ms. Guadalupe Sanchez de Otero on this well-earned distinction, and express my gratitude for her determination and leadership. I commend Ms. Otero and her staff for the hard work they continue to perform, and I am proud to recognize her today before my colleagues a model of commitment to human service. Ms. Otero's nominator for the award put it best by saying, ``Lupe doesn't just talk about what's needed, but rather recognizes it and takes action in her own special way.''

Mr. PEARCE

Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 763) to designate the Federal Building and United States courthouse located at 46 East Ohio Street in Indianapolis, Indiana, as the ``Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.