Ralph Regula

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California [Mr. Calvert].

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Nevada [Mrs. Vucanovich].

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

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and we certainly will.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 1977) making appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1996, and for other purposes, with Senate amendments thereto, disagree to the Senate amendments and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I want to commend the chairman of the committee and the ranking member. In the face of a very difficult challenge and very high-priority programs, they have achieved a $1.1 billion reduction over the 1995 number and at the same time maintained the high-priority items. Certainly, this bill fights crime, and that is the No. 1 priority with the American people, and all the programs that will impact on crime prevention are fully funded and in some cases extra money has been put in. Second, in Legal Services, which it is controversial, it has been reined in. The criteria have been established that ensure that money expended for Legal Services will be directed to helping people with their personal problems. I call it ``Legal Medicare'' because it does allow the poor to have access to legal representation and avoids the political activities that have happened in the past. Third, it puts a strong management focus on the Commerce Department. It has features in this bill that will ensure that Commerce does just what that name implies, and that is further the commerce of the United States. We are the world's largest exporter. Commerce is very important to the people of this Nation, both from the standpoint of jobs as well as access to the goods and services that they find highly desirable. The last feature that I would like to emphasize is that it does fund the International Trade Administration in the Commerce Department. This ITA is very important because it enforces the trade laws. It ensures the playing field will be level. We have just observed this in the issue between ourselves and Japan, and particularly enforces the two features in the trade laws that are very important for the protection of American jobs, anti-dumping and countervailing. It stops injury to U.S. industries, saves U.S. jobs, I think, a very important feature of the bill.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment. [[Page H 7129]]

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Taylor], a member of the subcommittee.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington, [Mr. Dicks].

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington [Mr. Nethercutt].

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alaska [Mr. Young], the chairman of the Committee on Resources.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Oregon [Mr. Bunn].

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, I urge all of my colleagues to vote against this amendment. It is simply not fair. Every county has the right, or State, to pursue their claim in court without being penalized. This would be an unfair thing to put a penalty on them for exercising their legitimate rights in the courts.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from Oregon [Mr. Cooley].

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California [Mr. Doolittle].

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Utah [Mr. Hansen], chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands of the Committee on Resources. (Mr. HANSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. REGULA. Reclaiming my time, the gentleman is making an assumption as to how they use their PILT money. I am assuming they use it for their schools. If they use their general budget to pursue their legitimate claims in court, that is perfectly their right. But in the meantime, under the law, we have an obligation to make the PILT payments. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Nevada [Mrs. Vucanovich], a member of the subcommittee.

Mr. REGULA. I yield to the gentleman from Colorado.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I understand why the gentleman might propose this, but this changes the PILT formula. This is a situation that the authorizing committee should address. We have an obligation to make the PILT payments under the law. Of course these issues are in the courts. The courts need to make a decision. But in the meantime, States have a right to pursue their legitimate claims, but they also have a right to their PILT payments. Their obligations to schools, to the local government, will not stop just because they file a suit in the court. Let the courts work their will, but in the meantime I think the U.S. Government should honor its obligation as provided in the law. There is nothing in the law that says if there is a lawsuit filed, they do not get the PILT payments. Therefore, we should not interfere with the action by the courts.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. We are going to accept this amendment. This bill has a moratorium on land acquisition. We have no money in the bill to acquire lands in the three counties in question. Therefore, there is no problem whatsoever in accepting the amendment. I understand the gentleman's concern, and we are pleased to put it in as part of the bill.

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to strike the last word.

Mr. REGULA. If the gentleman would continue to yield, the Superintendent of the Statue of Liberty has outlined some concerns and I think they will try to address these to ensure that it does meet all accepted safety standards. On that basis, on the Secretary of the Interior's representations, we have no objection.

Mr. REGULA

Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1977, the legislation which we are about to consider, and that I may be permitted to include tables, charts, and other material.