Rick Renzi

Mr. RENZI

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Chairman, as a member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I see and hear firsthand the scars of battle borne by our veterans during the carnage of war. Veterans do receive affordable, quality health care. However, in expanding the eligibility requirement for health care in 1996, we now have veterans waiting months for an appointment because we are not keeping up with the funding demands. We are obligated to honor the promise this Chamber made to fund veterans' medical care at the March budget leave. As the son of a retired two-star general, I was raised to believe that a man's word is his bond. Those who vote in favor of this bill, whether Republican or Democrat, vote to underfund the needs of those who shed their blood so we can breathe free.

Mr. RENZI

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Chairman, I have respect for the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee), particularly when it comes to the area of salmon fisheries. But I am also privileged to represent a district that is 58,000 square miles of rural Arizona that contains the largest ponderosa pine forest in America, one of the greatest creations in the world. We have no timber industry, none. The only thing that thins any trees in Arizona is bark beetles. Millions of acres we are anticipating will be infested by bark beetles. The exception that has been carved out and shown to be today does not address the ability for us to go in and prevent bark beetle infestation. We have to wait for an emergency to incur. And yet bark beetle infestation does not qualify under your emergency. No jobs. We do not want to clear-cut in the timber industry. We want a reasonable timber industry. Can you imagine have having that great resource and not having a job left? We have a football team in northern Arizona called the Lumberjacks. Under your proposal we might as well call ourselves the Bark Beetles. No ability to thin the forests, no ability to treat infestation. Now, we hear the disparaging remarks about the Federal court in Wyoming, a court that has come out many times in favor of environmental rulings. Let me quote, ``In promulgating the roadless rule, the Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Wilderness Act. Moreover, the roadless rule as now enacted creates 58.5 million of de facto wildness.'' You talk about a public process, you talk about having time for everybody to engage in the wildness debate, and yet what this amendment really does is just establish 58.5 million acres of wildness area. I disagree with the amendment. I ask for a reasonable timber industry that does not clear-cut but allows us to go in and thin the forests. Give us back our jobs, allow us to treat the infestation and allow us to help prevent forest fires before they happen.

Mr. RENZI

Mr. RENZI. I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. RENZI. I appreciate the gentleman's help on this important matter so that the Zuni people have enough water to bring back the original lush environment to the Zuni Heaven. I am grateful for his support.

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to engage in a colloquy between myself and Chairman Taylor. Mr. Chairman, on June 23, 2003, President Bush signed into law the Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2003. This new law settles a longstanding dispute over the water rights of Zuni Heaven among the local, county, State, tribal, Federal and private interests and restores and protects the wetland environments that previously existed on Zuni lands. Specifically, this recently enacted law provides the Zuni people with the resources and protections necessary to acquire water rights from willing sellers. The Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act authorized appropriations for $3.5 million for the Zuni people to help them acquire and develop these water rights. This funding is to be used for the acquisition of water as well as associated lands by the Zuni tribe to facilitate the enforceability of the settlement agreement, including the acquisition of at least 2,350 acre-feet per year of water rights before December 31, 2006. Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the Zuni people, I would appreciate it if you could do all you can to support the inclusion of this funding when we conference this bill with the Senate.

Mr. RENZI

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I was attending Congressman Bob Stump's funeral service today and missed votes on the following measures: On motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Con. Res. 49--Expressing the sense of the Congress that the sharp escalation of anti-Semitic violence within many participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is of profound concern and efforts should be undertaken to prevent future occurrences (Roll No. 315). Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' On motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 199--Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China immediately and unconditionally to release Dr. Yang Jianli, calling on the President of the United States to continue working on behalf of Dr. Yank Jianli for his release (Roll No. 316). Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' On motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 294--Condemning the terrorism inflicted on Israel since the Aqaba summit, expressing solidarity with the Israeli people, and calling on the Palestinian Authority to take immediate and effective steps to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure on the West Bank and Gaza (Roll No. 317). Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. RENZI

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I was attending Congressman Bob Stump's funeral service today and missed votes on the following measures: 1. On motion to suspend the rules and pass S. 858--Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Extension Act, roll No. 312. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' 2. On motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2474--to require that funds made available for fiscal years 2003 and 2004 for the Bill Emerson and Mickey Leland Hunger Fellowships be administered through the Congressional Hunger Center, roll No. 313. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' 3. On motion to suspend the rules and pass H.J. Res. 49--recognizing the important service to the Nation provided by the Foreign Agriculture Service of the Department of Agriculture on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, roll No. 314. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. RENZI

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I too want to share the words and the memories of Congressman Bob Stump. I am privileged to serve a major portion of the district in Arizona that he served so greatly for many, many years and more so, to learn more about him through the experience of his staff members who now work for me here in Washington. In addition, what I have learned greatly with serving with the Committee on Veterans Affairs under his mentorship and leadership has been a great influence on me. I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for those words, and to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) I am also grateful. I will pass those on at the ceremony honoring Bob Stump this Wednesday in Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand here today in support of the thousands of service-disabled veteran small business owners across the Nation who want to do business with the Federal Government. The distinguished members of our community and the successful small businesses are an integral part of the backbone of our economy; the same economy they fought for so bravely; the same economy that they gave their personal sacrifice to preserve and protect. I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman, because it is he who saw this many years ago and helped pull together the various portions of this legislation to build a bill that the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking member, has supported, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo), the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), and also our distinguished ranking member on the subcommittee, the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud). I also want to thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown) for allowing me to move forward this legislation, though it came under jurisdiction of his committee, and I especially want to thank the Committee on Veterans Affairs staff for their leadership and guidance in developing this legislation. They put a lot of hours into making this bill a reality. This bill is a first step in improving our current practice of contracting opportunities, and I look forward to working with the Committee on Veterans Affairs in the future and with the Committee on Small Business to further extend these small business opportunities. Our purpose in introducing this legislation was to give service- disabled business owners and Federal contractors the tools they need to meet the government-wide statutory goal of 3 percent established in Public Law 106-50. When the Committee on Veterans Affairs held an oversight hearing chaired by our committee chairman, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), on February 5, the state of veterans entrepreneurship program was discouraging to hear. In many cases, there were only several agencies that had Federal contracts with any of our service-disabled veterans and many did not even reach 1 percent. This is unacceptable and our veterans deserve better. This bill sets out to lift these barriers that have denied service- disabled veterans the opportunities to fully participate in Federal contracting, and we are morally bound to promote the successful employment of those who have borne the battle and bear the scars of freedom for all Americans. For the first time, this legislation, H.R. 1460, will allow veterans to use the Montgomery GI bill to educate themselves and to take entrepreneurial courses from small business centers. The National Veterans Business Development Centers Corporation will also be included in their ability to teach many of our veterans. This gives veterans the business education and training they need to successfully operate small businesses, and it is a real investment towards improving our economy and our veterans' livelihood. Secondly, we recognize certified small business owners as a source of Federal procurement programs. Service-disabled veterans have a tougher journey ahead of them when they return from duty with a disability, and these veterans are comprised of individuals of all races and both genders. Veterans have earned the right to compete for contracts on the same level as other classes of individuals. We hope that in the future those who have served within the Department of Defense and have provided homeland security will also have a priority in contracting with DOD and the Department of Homeland Security. Small business-contracting Federal officers will note that Public Law 106-50 directed the creation of a database of small businesses that have identified themselves as being owned by service-disabled American veterans. This has been a labor intensive task, and I commend the Department of Veterans Affairs for their progress in realizing this effort. It is critically important that our Federal contractors have access to this information and be able to identify veteran-owned businesses that qualify for prime and subcontractor awards. This legislation is a beginning. This tool can be used by veteran contracting officers to find service-disabled veteran businesses and help them achieve the statutory goal of 3 percent. I want to thank again the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his leadership and his kindness towards me and generosity. I thank everyone on the Committee on Veterans Affairs, and I hope disabled American veterans will find a way now to help grow their businesses and prosper.

Mr. RENZI

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 258, I call up the Senate bill (S. 222) to approve the settlement of the water rights claims of the Zuni Indian Tribe in Apache County, Arizona, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Mexico, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in order for my colleagues to get home and be a little more efficient, we have had discussions on this bill. I think that both sides are now ready to vote on it in agreement. I urge adoption. S. 222, authored by Senator Jon Kyl and identical to legislation introduced by me and Congressman J.D. Hayworth of Arizona, would resolve water rights claims and litigation in the Little Colorado River basin. I would like to commend the commitment and persistence of Senator Kyl on this important settlement. I would also like to recognize the patience and perseverance of the Zuni Tribe. The Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2003 would codify the settlement of the Zuni Indian Tribe's water rights for its religious lands in northeastern Arizona. Congress first recognized the importance of these lands in 1984 when it created the Zuni Heaven Reservation. While land issues were addressed in 1984, water rights remained in question until Sen. Kyl's intervention. Uncertainty existed in several of the rural towns upstream from the newly-created Zuni Heaven. These small communities upstream from this Reservation have now been fully-appropriated. A resolution was reached that avoided costly litigation. Parties included the Zuni Tribe, the United States on behalf of the Zuni Tribe, the State of Arizona, including the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, the Arizona State Land Department, and the Arizona State Parks Board, as well as the major water users in this area; negotiations were conducted for many years to produce an acceptable agreement for all parties. This legislation would provide the Zuni Tribe with the resources and protections necessary to acquire water rights from willing sellers. In addition, this legislation will restore and protect the wetland environment that previously existed on Zuni Heaven. In return, the Zuni Tribe will grandfather existing water uses and waive claims against many future water uses in the Little Colorado River Basin. This legislation exemplifies that the Zuni Tribe can achieve its needs for the Zuni Heaven Reservation and avoid a disruption to local water users and industry. The United States will also avoid costly litigation and satisfy its trust responsibilities to the Zuni Tribe. This legislation provides much needed assurances to all settlement participants and is the result of four years of good faith negotiations. I would like to identify and commend the work of the parties to the Zuni Settlement. The parties consist of rural communities in the First District of Arizona, including the City of St. Johns, the Town of Eagar and the Town of Springerville. In addition, the State of Arizona, specifically, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the State Land Department and the Arizona State Parks Board, Salt River Project, Tucson Electric Power Company, St. Johns Irrigation and Ditch Company, the Lyman Water Company and the Round Valley Water Users' Association. It is now up to this body to take the final step in making this settlement a reality. I ask my colleagues to pass this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RENZI

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I just want to point out to my colleagues that what we are here to debate is the rule as it affects the Zuni tribe of New Mexico and Arizona as it affects the sacred lands and those lands right now that have no water. We were able to provide them with enough land in 1984 to establish Zuni Heaven in Arizona, a reservation, and yet without Senator Kyl's intervention we would not have been able to achieve the kind of water that we see the communities in rural Arizona supplying now. This summer, while we debate separate issues, the Zuni people are hoping to engage in their 4-year migration and trek to their holy lands, to their holy site. So the delay that we imposed 2 days ago, the delay we impose today affects their ability to plan and celebrate this agreement. And there is all kinds of agreement, I think even from both sides, if my colleagues will allow us to get to it. We need to be able to restore the tribe's ability to perform not only the religious duties but the farming and subsistence that they need in order to care for their children. So when we talk about children today, the Zuni people themselves are waiting to plant their crops and feed their children. They are waiting to take their children to their sacred lands, their wetlands, to teach their children their sacred rights. There will be no more delay if we can get this to a vote. Each day, each hour, each minute we allow to pass, the Zuni people feel there are inequities and that the agreement cannot be reached. For the record, I want the Zuni people to know that what they see here today does not reflect upon them as a people. There are hours and times, Special Orders available in this House for this issue to be debated. Instead, my colleagues have taken their issue and turned this into a side show.

Mr. RENZI

Mr. RENZI. 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 S. 222 and S. 273.

Mr. RENZI

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, all of us love this Nation. But how can all of us love this land unconditionally when there exists a law on the books that allows partial-birth abortion? In America today, an abortionist begins partial-birth abortion by causing a woman to go into labor. Involuntary contractions begin that push a pre-born American child into the birth canal. This law, as shown on this diagram, then allows an abortionist to reach into the womb and, with the baby in the breech position, begin to pull the baby out by its feet and legs. The law and the amendment we debate today allows an abortionist to pull the baby almost all the way out of its mother, and as shown here on this diagram, insert his scissors into the base of this pre-born American child's brainstem and vacuum out its brains. This is abuse of pre-born American children. This is violence against pre-born American babies. This is the torture and murder of future American patriots who deserve this Nation. And it is a corrupt law forced upon the land by the Supreme Court. This amendment says that an abortionist may continue to conduct this violence if he is trying to avert serious health consequences. This exemption is so big that it is nothing but a giant loophole. It once again allows the abortionist, the very menace to the child that is waiting to be paid, to define what averting serious health consequences means. Think about it. The possibility of serious pain, serious stress, the possibility of serious health consequences, is what women endure in labor and in giving birth. Therefore, the very act of childbirth under this amendment would trigger the exemption. Those who have written it so broadly, so loosely defined, allow the possibilities of that which is endured during the very act of childbirth itself to be enough of a standard by which this amendment would allow an abortionist to continue his horror. As the father of 12 children, I want to teach my children to love our Nation unconditionally, to revere her, to respect her laws and to be drawn into complying with the laws of this Nation, because her laws represent goodness, because they are filled with integrity, and because we are bound by a moral sense of obligation to abide by them. Let us love our Nation unconditionally by removing these decrepit and immoral corrupt laws from the same books that contain our sacred rights and liberties. Stop the torture and infanticide of our preborn American children and our future patriots which this Nation needs to be born. Let them have life. Oppose this amendment.

Mr. RENZI

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, could I ask for regular order.

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth).

Mr. RENZI. Requesting regular order, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I would ask for a germane issue and regular order; I would ask that the issue at hand, which is the water rights for the Zunis, be addressed and not be used for a side show, and ask for regular order, please.

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

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

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin).

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

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, regular order.

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 222, authored by Senator John Kyl and identical legislation provided by the Senator and introduced by me and other members of the Arizona delegation, would resolve water rights claims and litigation in the Little Colorado River basin. I would like to commend the commitment and the perseverance of Senator John Kyl, who has put many hours and much time into this important bill. The bill provides much-needed assurance to settlement participants and is the result of 4 years of good-faith negotiations between the Federal Government, the Zuni Indian Tribe, the State of Arizona, and local water users and utilities. By settling water rights claims and litigation, the legislation will allow the Zuni Indian Tribe to restore and repair wetlands important to the tribe's religious and cultural traditions. Wetland restoration will be done through a variety of means, including surface and groundwater development, while grandfathering current non-Indian water rights. This grandfathering mechanism provides certainty to the local non-Indian communities that depend on water resources in the Little Colorado basin. The settlement also avoids lengthy and costly litigation. The parties involved have come together to find a responsible, commonsense solution that improves the environment, fulfills religious and cultural traditions, and provides a clear water supply roadmap for the area. It is now up to Congress to take the final steps to make the settlement a reality. I ask my colleagues to pass this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RENZI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 222) to approve the settlement of the water rights claims of the Zuni Indian Tribe in Apache County, Arizona, and for other purposes.