Jim Saxton

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. SAXTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks and include extraneous material.)

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. 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 H.R. 1651, the bill just passed.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, is this debate really about what the definition of terrorism is? Mr. Speaker, terrorism has become a headline issue all too often. When President Clinton bombed strategic targets in Afghanistan and Sudan last year, he attempted to send a strong message to terrorists that terrorists must pay for their crimes. But on August 11 of this year, President Clinton sent a very different message to terrorists here at home by offering clemency to 16 terrorists. Much has been said of the political motives of the clemency offer, but this is not the issue. This is an issue of terrorism and victims' rights. What about the countless victims who have been maimed and killed by the FALN bombs and guns? Yesterday I met with Diana Berger, a constituent from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, who lost her husband in 1975 to these FALN terrorists. What about their rights? Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to vote in support of this very important resolution.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate a young man from Pemberton Township, New Jersey, Matthew Emmons. Matthew brought home the gold with a near perfect score in the men's Prone Free Rifle competition at the 1999 Pan American games in Winnipeg, Canada. Matthew has made his country and the Pemberton Township community proud with his resounding victory under difficult conditions and against some of the world's finest athletes. The sport of small-arms target shooting dates from the invention of the pistol and the rifle in the 16th century. For several centuries, the sport was contested only in sporadic impromptu fashion, because the firearms of that period were too undependable and inaccurate to meet the requirements of large-scale organized competition. Turkey shoots and weekend target-shooting matches were popular among the frontiersmen of colonial America. During the American Revolution (1775-1783) and the American Civil War (1861-1865) rural sharpshooters played a strategic role as snipers. Popular interest in rifle shooting reached new heights after the Civil War, when the sport became a favorite diversion of city dwellers, groups of whom organized weekend target-shooting excursions into the countryside. New advances in the manufacture of weapons and ammunition, meanwhile, resulted in high standards of accuracy and reliability. By 1870, conditions were ripe for organized regional and national competition. Matthew has added to this great and venerable history with his honorable performance. Mr. Speaker, Matthew's mental and physical fortitude guided him to victory. His patience, steadiness, clear vision and accuracy will likely lead to success at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks where he has enrolled, and to greater accomplishments in Olympic competition.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2654, H.R. 1104, and H.R. 747, the bills just passed.

Mr. SAXTON

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

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1104) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to transfer administrative jurisdiction over land within the boundaries of the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site to the Archivist of the United States for the construction of a visitor center.

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1104 is a noncontroversial bill that would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to transfer administrative jurisdiction over land within the boundaries of the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site to the Archivist of the United States for the construction of a visitor center. The visitor center facility would jointly serve the F.D.R. Historic Site and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, located in Hyde Park, New York. The land transferred is authorized to be not more than one acre. H.R. 1104 is the result of efforts by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney) and retired Congressman Jerry Solomon, also from New York. This bill is supported by the administration. I urge my colleagues to support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney) the author of the bill.

Mr. SAXTON

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

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 695 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to convey the administrative site in San Juan County, New Mexico, to San Juan College. H.R. 695 a bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to convey an administrative site in San Juan County, New Mexico, to San Juan College, was introduced by our colleague the honorable gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall). This legislation will require the Secretary to convey a 10-acre parcel known as the ``Old Jicarilla Site'' to San Juan college. The Forest Service no longer requires its use and has not occupied the site for several years. The bill will also require the site to be used for educational and recreational purposes. Our good friend the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) has done a great job on this legislation. I urge all my colleagues to support its passage under the suspended rules. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 695) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to convey an administrative site in San Juan County, New Mexico, to San Juan College, as amended.

Mr. SAXTON

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

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. SAXTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we are considering H.R. 747, a bill to amend the Arizona Enabling Act of 1910 to allow the State of Arizona to manage its State trust differently. The bill was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump), who we will hear from in just a moment. The State of Arizona, like many other States, receives revenues generated from lands that were granted to the State upon admission to the Union. These revenues contribute funds to schools and other public institutions. As currently provided for in the original Enabling Act, the funds must pay all of their own income. This creates a problem because it does not account for or adjust to rates of inflation. Moreover, the current Enabling Act has a number of investment restrictions. While these restrictions may have been appropriate at one time, they are outdated and no longer necessary or advisable. In order to make the necessary changes to allow the State trust fund to be managed differently, it is necessary for Congress to approve and amend the Arizona Enabling Act. This legislation is almost identical to a bill that we passed the last Congress that amended the New Mexico Enabling Act. This is an important piece of legislation that will benefit the State of Arizona. I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 747) to protect the permanent trust funds of the State of Arizona from erosion due to inflation and modify the basis on which distributions are made from those funds.

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

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we are considering H.R. 2454, the Arctic Tundra Habitat Emergency Conservation Act. This bipartisan legislation addresses the devastating impact of an exploding population of light geese, more commonly known as snow geese. Included within the Members' folders is a chronology on the issue. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been monitoring snow geese populations for over 50 years. During that time the mid-continent population, that is the population that frequents the Mississippi flyway, has increased from 800,000 birds in 1969 to more than 5.2 million geese today. In the absence of new wildlife management actions, there will be more than 6 million breeding light geese in 3 years. This unprecedented population explosion is creating serious problems. The geese appetite for Arctic coastal tundra has created a strip of desert stretching for 2,000 miles in Canada. These birds are world- class foragers, and their favorite foods are found in the 135,000 acres that comprise the Hudson Bay lowland salt marsh ecosystem. These geese are literally eating themselves out of house and home and, in the process, destroying thousands of acres of irreplaceable nesting habitat. These wetlands are crucial to the survival not only of light geese but to dozens of other species. On February 16, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued two final rules to reduce this ever-expanding population of light geese. Sadly, in response to a legal challenge, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service withdrew these two regulations on June 17. While the judge did not rule on the merits of the regulations, the Service was instructed to complete an Environmental Impact Statement. This process will take between 12 and 18 months to complete, and during that time the tundra will continue to be systematically destroyed by an ever-increasing population of light geese. This is a simple bill. It will reinstate the two regulations already carefully evaluated, approved and then withdrawn by the Fish and Wildlife Service. States would have the flexibility to allow the use of electronic goose calls and unplugged shotguns, and to implement conservation orders to take mid-continent light geese. H.R. 2454 enacts these regulations in their identical form. In addition, the bill sunsets when the Service has completed both its Environmental Impact Statement and a new rule on mid-continent light geese. In short, this is an interim solution to a very serious and evergrowing environmental problem. Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2454) to assure the long-term conservation of mid-continent light geese and the biological diversity of the ecosystem upon which many North American migratory birds depend, by directing the Secretary of the Interior to implement rules to reduce the overabundant population of mid-continent light geese, as amended.

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. SAXTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a bill that will aid the families of Toms River, New Jersey, a community in my district, as we continue to determine the cause of an unusually high rate of childhood cancers. Through extensive testing, a radioactive substance known as radium 224 has been detected in this drinking water supply. Today, we know very little about radium 224 and it is time we take a closer look at its possible effects on public health. My bill would require the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to complete a study of the toxicological effects of Radium 224 in drinking water. The study is to include an epidemiologic analysis of populations in areas where Radium 224 occurs in drinking water. It would also require the administrator of EPA to establish safe drinking water standards for Radium 224 under the Safe Drinking Water Act. This measure would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to instruct that each state revise its water quality assessment plan every five years and that the results be made available to the public. It has been reported that childhood cancer rates in the United States are increasing each year. More and more, we hear of other cancer clusters appearing around the country. This measure, coupled with the efforts of all those working on the Toms River case, will provide valuable assistance in addressing many of the mysteries associated with cancers in children. We have a commitment to find the cause of this cluster, and failing to do so would be a setback for everyone living near an environmentally hazardous site.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, congratulations to the men and women of the 514th Air Mobility Wing on the commemoration of your 50th anniversary! The citizens of the United States, and especially of New Jersey, recognize and appreciate your impressive contributions to our great nation. Over the past 50 years you have endured changes in your name, command, mission, aircraft, and location. You've been activated and deactivated, stretched far beyond your resources and had your budgets slashed to frightening levels. Through it all, you stayed the course, steadfast in your commitment to serve, professional and dependable, always meeting the demands placed upon you. You continue to enjoy unparalleled success as the premier associate wing in the Air Force Reserve Command. The nation has watched the members of the 514th AMW leave your families and home for the Korean war, the Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam war and the evacuation of South Vietnamese refugees. Alongside your active duty brethren, you were among the first forces into the Vietnam conflict. In fact, it was a reserve crew from the now-deactivated 335th Military Airlift Squadron that flew the last mission of Operation Babylift from Saigon. You continue to support Operation Southern Watch and humanitarian missions too numerous to count. Please accept this tribute of a nation grateful for the tremendous sacrifices you have made and continue to make in defense of the many freedoms we enjoy. We are proud of you. We support you. We thank you.

Mr. SAXTON

Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, we know that today our armed forces are facing serious shortfalls in recruitment. Already, these shortfalls are having a dangerous impact on our Nation's military readiness. We will have all the best tools, and no one to fight the war. In part, the problem may be caused by a blessing: America's flourishing economy, which leads our young people to enter a booming job market rather than the rigors of military service. Therefore, it is essential for our national security that our government do all that it can to support our armed forces in effectively communicating to young people of recruitment age the advantages and benefits of service. Honor, patriotism, and the desire for adventure still engage and motivate America's young men and women. America's armed forces offer the opportunity to be part of something meaningful, to learn self- discipline and sacrifice. For many idealist young people the military offers them an experience unmatchable elsewhere. So we have to get the message out about what service in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines means to their own country, and what opportunities such service entails. And we must recognize that in today's world, we are competing with some of the most effective marketing and recruitment techniques ever devised by U.S. companies, which quite reasonably want to catch as many of the best and the brightest as they can for themselves. Therefore, it is essential that we convey our message by the most effective means possible, employing language and images engaging to young Americans of recruitment age. Programming messages by the U.S. Navy have scored significant recruiting success in recent months, partially reversing the downward trend of Navy recruitment. Programming directed toward high school students for post-graduation enlistment can be particularly beneficial. For example, Channel One, the in-school news analysis program reaches eight million American students daily. Studies have shown that it is particularly well targeted and unusually effective means of increasing awareness of the military service option and positive attitudes toward it. As a result of this exposure, students in Channel One schools are more likely to consider enlisting. Mr. Speaker, the use of innovative methods to educate and encourage young people about the benefits of service to their country is essential in today's marketplace. Our national security demands such an effort. At the same time, service in the United States military truly provides young Americans with an opportunity to gain by giving to their country. I intend to work hard to ensure that our government expands its support for our armed forces' efforts in this direction.