Mike Simpson

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Chairman, I would claim time in opposition.

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Chairwoman, it saddens me that we are here with this manager's amendment. Traditionally, manager's amendments have been noncontroversial--when they have ever been offered on an appropriation bill, have been noncontroversial and have been offered by both sides. That's not the case on this amendment. Surprisingly, my opposition to the amendment isn't because of the substance of the amendment and the provisions of the amendment, it's how it got here. There were a number of amendments that were proposed last night in the Rules Committee; almost all of them were turned down. There were amendments that had substantive purposes offered by Members on my side of the aisle that were turned down. The ranking member of the full committee offered an important amendment that was not made in order. The ranking member of the subcommittee, myself, offered an amendment that was important and was not made in order. And yet we have taken three proposed amendments that were offered in the subcommittee and rolled them together in one manager's amendment and brought it to the floor, three Democratic proposed amendments and rolled it into a manager's amendment. This is not in the tradition of what a manager's amendment should be. And so while I can't complain about the amendments, the amendments that were offered, per se, if they were offered individually and had been allowed by the Rules Committee to be allowed independently along with some of the other amendments that should have been allowed, I would have voted for all of these amendments, most likely. But it's the process that brought us to this state. And, unfortunately, what's been happening with the rules that have been adopted for consideration of appropriation bills, it leads us to these types of incidents that should not happen, that are unnecessary, that we try to get around our own rules and our own traditions of having manager's amendments approved by both sides that are generally noncontroversial. So, again, while I don't oppose the individual provisions of this, how this amendment got here and what it contains is not fair to the rest of the Members who put in thoughtful efforts to go to the Rules Committee and propose amendments. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SIMPSON. Yielding myself the remainder of my time, and I take the gentleman from Washington at his word, I know that he is a gentleman of honor and he wants to work these out in a bipartisan fashion. In fact, I am not sure that the gentleman agrees fully with what has been going on with some of the rules and would like to get back, like many of us would, to regular order, and we would like to do that. But if we had time to confer, and I understand what the gentleman is saying, a very noncontroversial amendment that could have been adopted was Mr. Buyer's amendment that we talked about on the veterans' cemeteries within the National Park Service would have been simple to put in a manager's amendment. But I take the gentleman at his word and I look forward to working with him in the future on this. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the policies and standards put forth by the House Armed Services Committee and the GOP Leadership, I list the congressionally-directed projects I have requested in my home state of Idaho that are contained in the report of HR 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. Project Name: Civil Engineer Maintenance Complex at Mountain Home Air Force Base Amount Requested: $690,000 Account: Air Force Military Construction Account Recipient: 366th Wing, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho Recipient's Street Address: 366 Gunfighter Avenue, Ste 107, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho 83648 Description: The civil engineer functions are currently dispersed among 10 WWII-era wood-frame and Korean war-era facilities. Wood frame facilities have a RAC 2 due to failing roof structures and cracked and spreading concrete foundations that have contributed to failing floors and trusses, presenting risk to squadron members who work in the facilities. Currently, employees must evacuate during heavy snowfall or high winds. The fire safety deficiencies are endemic to all buildings, the patchwork electric wiring is maxed out, which increases fire risk, and the HVAC systems can't keep buildings heated and cooled. The dispersed locations and failing conditions of existing facilities adversely affect all daily Civil Engineering operations and negatively impacts the Wing's mission. I appreciate the opportunity to provide an explanation of the project that was included in the report accompanying the FY2010 Defense Authorization bill on behalf of Idaho and provide an explanation of my support for it.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the policies and standard put forth by the House Appropriations Committee and the GOP Leadership, I would like to place in the Record a listing of the congressionally-directed project I requested in my home state of Idaho that is contained in the report of HR 2892, the FY2010 Homeland Security Appropriations bill. Project Name: Power and Cyber Systems Protection, Analysis, and Testing Program Amount $3,000,000 Account: NPPD Infrastructure Protection and Information Security Recipient: Idaho National Laboratory Recipient's Street Address: 2525 North Freemont Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415 Description: This funding will be used to conduct vulnerability analysis, testing, and protection of power and cyber connected systems for the Department of Homeland Security, utilizing the unique resources available at the Idaho National Laboratory, such as the electric grid, SCADA and control systems, cyber and communication test beds, and the explosives test range. The project entails collaboration with leading universities and other National Laboratories to leverage ongoing research at these institutions and advance the state-of-the-art in building resilience into infrastructure systems. The funding will be used to obtain full-scale systems in sectors of interest to DHS for testing of vulnerabilities, identification of protection strategies, and evaluation of resilient designs; partner with universities and National Laboratories to develop resilient control systems; and establish a program that develops new protection schemes. The INL is uniquely placed to carry out this program, which leverages its ongoing work in this area sponsored by DOD, DHS, and Intelligence Agencies and its established relationships with industry, universities, and National Laboratories. I appreciate the opportunity to provide a list of the Idaho project that has received funding in the FY2010 Homeland Security Appropriations bill and provide an explanation of my support for it.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the policies and standards put forth by the House Appropriations Committee and the GOP Leadership, I submit a list of the congressionally-directed projects I have requested in my home state of Idaho that are contained in the report of HR 2847, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Project Name: Boise Center Aerospace Laboratory (BCAL) Watershed Modeling Utilizing LiDAR at Idaho State University Amount Requested: $500,000 Account: Department of Commerce NOAA Recipient: Idaho State University Recipient's Street Address: 921 South 8th Avenue Stop 8007, Pocatello, Idaho 83209 Description: ISU's Department of Geosciences has developed free spatial analysis tools available to the public for remote sensing and geographic information sciences (GIS). The remote sensing tools include a downloadable toolbox for analyzing light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data LiDAR is an imaging method using a laser mounted on an aircraft to determine precise vertical information (topography) of the earth's surface (15 cm precision). Commonly, this information is translated into high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) LiDAR can provide both a bare earth surface and the vegetated (or built) surface. LiDAR can also provide topographic data below water. Specifically to the concern of NOAA and the State of Idaho, LiDAR can provide up to date and precise flood plain maps for rivers with built environments (such as the Boise River) to guide decisions on flood insurance coverage and land use restrictions. These predictive maps can also aid in evacuation of people and livestock during an impending flood. This project will leverage existing infrastructure and expertise at ISU to develop state-of-the-art watershed modeling tools for NOAA and other federal agencies. These tools will enable better management of watersheds through improved topographic analyses for prediction of runoff, floods, and water storage capacity. Hyperspectral analysis (soils and vegetation) will be coupled with the LiDAR data for a full characterization, spectrally and spatially of the landscape. These analyses will allow for studies of vegetation structure, dependence of vegetation, soils, and earth processes (e.g. fire, erosion) on topology (slope and aspect, drainages, surface roughness). The goal of this research and its resulting algorithms and tools is to significantly benefit NOAA in its ability to convert LiDAR data into usable derivative datasets for environmental and safety applications in Idaho and elsewhere. Project Name: Idaho Meth Project Amount Requested: $1,000,000 Account: Department of Justice COPS Meth Recipient: Idaho Meth Project Recipient's Street Address: 304 N. 8th Street, Room 446, Boise, Idaho 83702 Description: Methamphetamine trafficking and abuse in Idaho has been on the rise over the past few years and, as a result, meth is having a devastating impact in many communities throughout Idaho. Meth is the number one illegal drug of choice in Idaho and the State's leading drug problem. The financial and social consequences of meth abuse in Idaho are devastating. It is a contributing cause for much of the crime in Idaho, costs millions of dollars in productivity, contributes to the ever increasing prison populations and adversely impacts families. The Idaho Meth Project is a large-scale, statewide prevention and public awareness program designed to reduce the prevalence of first-time methamphetamine abuse in Idaho by influencing attitudes through high- impact advertising. The Idaho Meth Project is focused solely upon prevention and, to achieve this goal, is active in three areas: public service messaging, community action and public policy. This includes a pervasive media campaign reaching the target population through TV, radio, billboards, print, and the Internet. Project Name: Idaho State Police to participate in the Criminal Information Sharing Alliance Network (CISAnet) Amount Requested: $500,000 Account: Department of Justice COPS Law Enforcement Technology Recipient: Idaho State Police Recipient's Street Address: 700 South Stratford, Meridian, Idaho 83642 Description: In 2006, the Idaho State Police (ISP) developed and deployed, on a limited basis, a web-based Case Investigative System (CIS). This tool allows investigators to collect, use and share critical law enforcement information across the state. CISAnet provides a bi-directional information-sharing network within and between state and local law enforcement agencies. CISAnet provides ISP and law enforcement across Idaho with real time access to criminal intelligence information shared by law enforcement partner agencies within the states of Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. This ten state area is regarded as one of the most vulnerable to our nation's security--a 'soft spot' through which illegal Mexican immigrants filter, illegal drug trafficking passes and terrorists move freely. It is believed that securing this porous border with Mexico is an effective way to protect American citizens. The CISAnet system provides an effective means for law enforcement agencies to share information across state lines on known or suspected criminal activity. Together, access to CISAnet, Idaho's Fusion Center and remote access to CIS will ensure that Idaho state and local law enforcement officers have the best information available in a timely manner. In today's environment, these systems are an effective way to monitor illegal drug and terrorist activity and identify, target and locate potential terrorists. These systems are important components of an overall prevention strategy and are crucial to protecting the citizens of Idaho and the United States' homeland security. The Criminal Information Sharing Alliance network (CISAnet) FY2010 federal funding will be used to continue the integration of CIS into the CISAnet infrastructure, to expand its capabilities by adding a Geo coding module and by integrating CIS, RMS and CISAnet into Idaho's Criminal Intelligence Center. Project Name: NCOMS Medical and Mental Health Sharing Software Development Amount Requested: $500,000 Account: Department of Justice Byrne Discretionary Grants Recipient: Idaho Department of Corrections Recipient's Street Address: 1299 North Orchard, Suite 110, Boise, Idaho 83706. Description: States are legally mandated to provide appropriate medical care to incarcerated individuals. These funds will be used to create, modularize and implement the medical/mental health module for the National Consortium of Offender Management Systems (NCOMS). This technology will allow public safety organizations that house offenders to track and record the medical information to ensure that offenders receive proper medical treatment. I appreciate the opportunity to provide a list of Congressionally- directed projects in the FY2010 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations bill on behalf of Idaho and provide an explanation of my support for them.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 192 recognizing National Nurses Week from May 6 through May 12, 2009. Not only is today the last day of National Nurses Week, but it is also the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. I hope that my colleagues here at the House of Representatives have had an opportunity to reflect over the last week on all of the contributions that nurses have made to ensure safe and high-quality health care to those under their care. In each of our communities, nurses work collaboratively with patients and other health professionals to improve the safety of patients and advance care in a myriad of settings. Nurses represent the largest single component of the health care profession with nearly 2.9 million registered nurses in the United States who are dedicated to improving the health outcomes of million of patients under their care. I applaud the work that nurses have contributed and because of the ailing economy, we are seeing more nurses filling the shortage that exists. Many are going back to work, or putting off planned retirement to help maintain their family income during tough economic times. Many of those jobs are also being filled by better recruiting tactics by hospitals that have increased wages, offered potential hires signing bonuses, and efforts have been made to retain older nurses by making their jobs less strenuous. But as past economic indicators have shown, nurses shortages occur in times of healthy economic expansion and as baby boomers get older, we hope that hospitals will continue to provide incentives for nurses to fill vacant health care positions. I would like to thank Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, the sponsor of this resolution, and the American Nurses Association for raising public awareness about the contributions that nurses give to our communities. I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SIMPSON

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

Mr. SIMPSON. I appreciate the gentleman's comment. I should note that I also come from a family of dentists; I just couldn't escape. I ended up going into the dental profession where he went into the law profession. We will argue for some time who made the better choice. But I appreciate everyone's support and would encourage their positive vote on this resolution.

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my good friend from Indiana, who has been a supporter of the dental profession for many years, Representative Buyer.

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today to offer this resolution congratulating the American Dental Association on its 150th year of advancing the art and science of dentistry and advocating on behalf of the oral health of the American people. I know many of you join me in offering those congratulations, as the resolution before the House today has 104 cosponsors. The ADA is the professional association of dentists committed to the public's oral health, ethics, science, and the advancement of the dental profession. The ADA traces its origins to the mid-19th century, when representatives of eight regional dental societies and two dental colleges came together in Niagara Falls, New York, to establish a representative body of stability and character. They called their fledgling organization the American Dental Association. Today, seven out of 10 U.S. dentists belong to the ADA, with membership of more than 157,000 dentists. The ADA has 53 State and territorial and 545 local dental societies. It is the largest and oldest national dental association in the world. The association has long been a leader, advocating for improved health care and access for underprivileged Americans. Even today, as Congress wrestles with the issue of health care reform, the ADA is continually reminding us that oral health is an integral part of overall health. The ADA's health care reform principles focus on three things; prevention and wellness, fixing Medicaid, and improving the public oral health infrastructure. The Association is active in cutting-edge dental research. At the Paffenbarger Research Center, housed on the National Institute of Standards and Technology campus just outside of Washington, D.C., ADA scientists are working on improving dental materials, tissue engineering, and cavity-repairing therapies. Some of Paffenbarger's research accomplishments include the development of modern high-speed dental drills, panoramic x-ray machines, protective tooth sealants, tooth-colored composite filling material, calcium phosphate, bone cements, and more. The ADA's Give Kids A Smile is an annual centerpiece to the National Children's Dental Health Month. It is observed every year on the first Friday in February. At more than 1,600 sites nationwide this year, some 45,000 dental professionals provided free services to more than 450,000 children. I can tell you, the spirit behind that one-day event carries over throughout the year. The ADA encourages its members to donate time and services to the underserved. In fact, dentists provide more than $2 billion in charitable and uncompensated care to specific underserved populations each year. That's $2 billion worth of free dental work. I congratulate them on this 150th year of their founding of the American Dental Association. I hope that Members will join me in congratulating the ADA by voting in favor of this resolution. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the work of Terry Tyborowski, Professional Staff for the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee. Unfortunately, Terry will soon be leaving the House of Representatives for a new job at the Department of Energy, but the positive impact of her work will be felt in this House, and across this nation, for many years to come. As a member of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee for over 6 years, I have had the opportunity to work with Terry on a number of vitally important energy issues. I have seen firsthand the professionalism she brings to the job and the respect she has earned from Members, staff, and stakeholders alike. That respect derives not from her position or title, but from the hard work, honesty, reliability, and deep knowledge that are so prominent in Terry's character. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Terry is her commitment to doing that which is right for the nation and its energy future. The Energy and Water Development Subcommittee is one of the most bipartisan, or non-partisan, in Congress and the staff that work there demonstrate it daily--particularly Terry. Her opinions didn't change when David Hobson yielded the Subcommittee's gavel to Peter Visclosky and neither did her approach toward Members, staff, or issues. She remains committed to good policy and providing wise counsel while always being loyal to the Chairman for whom she worked. What more could any of us ask of the professionals who work in this body? I have been in Congress for over 10 years and was a member of the Idaho State legislature for 14 years. I have worked with hundreds of staff members and met with thousands of policy experts over the years. Much like the rest of my colleagues, I have seen the good and bad, the loud and quiet, the effective and ineffective, and those that are honest or not. I can say with certainty that Terry is one of the finest professionals with whom I have worked and a person from whom I have learned a great deal. Her presence here on the Hill, and in the Subcommittee, will be deeply missed by me and by all of my colleagues who work with Terry. At the same time, her expertise, fairness, and good judgment will be put to good use at the Department of Energy and those of us who represent DOE sites are looking forward to continuing our work with Terry in her new capacity. In closing, I would simply like to thank Terry for her hard work, her tenacity, her good counsel, and most of all, her friendship.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Kevin Cook, former Clerk of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, who recently retired after ten years of honorable service for the U.S. Congress and over thirty years of service with the federal government. During my time serving as a Member of this Subcommittee. I had the distinct pleasure of working with Mr. Cook and benefiting from his knowledge and counsel on budgetary, policy and oversight matters. Mr. Cook devoted his career to serving in the federal government and spent almost three decades working for various federal agencies and for Congress. Mr. Cook started his career as a geologist for the U.S. Forest Service before spending over 20 years as a hydrologist, water resources planner, project manager and physical scientist for the Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Cook came to the House of Representatives in 1998, where he served as Science Advisor and Counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Committee and then as a Professional Staff Member, the Majority and then the Minority Clerk for the House Energy and Water Development Subcommittee on Appropriations, where I had the honor of working closely with him. As clerk for the Subcommittee, Mr. Cook oversaw appropriations for the Department of Energy, the Civil Works programs of the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, as well as a number of related agencies. In this role, he oversaw appropriations and conducted oversight of these programs and worked diligently to uphold the interest of the taxpayer to ensure that our taxpayer dollars were spent efficiently and effectively. I was a frequent beneficiary of his guidance and expertise, as I know were the Chairman, Ranking Member and the other members of the Subcommittee. Madam Speaker, I believe that we owe much of our effectiveness as Members to the hard work and dedication of the staff. Kevin Cook exemplifies the highest ideals of public service and served the Committee and the federal government with honor, integrity and enthusiasm. We will miss his expertise and counsel greatly--his knowledge and understanding of the issues at hand will be difficult to match. Thank you, Kevin, for your many years of service to the federal government, the United States Congress and our nation.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the numerous organizers and volunteers of the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Idaho. It was because of the hard work and dedication of the volunteers from Idaho and elsewhere and their commitment to Special Olympics that this great event was possible. I would like to recognize one volunteer in particular, Mr. Jim Schmit. Mr. Schmit served as the Chairman of the Games Fundraising Committee, and he did an exemplary job. The Special Olympics World Winter Games attracted more than 2,000 athletes from nearly 100 countries. It was the largest multi-sport event ever held in the State of Idaho. While my home state was proud to host this prestigious event, we faced many unique challenges along the way. Host sites are typically named four years in advance of the Games, but Special Olympics International awarded the Games to Idaho just 24 months in advance. This left the Fundraising Games Committee with an extremely condensed timeframe in which to raise money and prepare for the event. The Committee faced an even greater challenge created by the difficult economic times that our businesses, corporations, and citizens confronted, which caused donations to charities and non- profits to drop significantly. Working on an unpaid volunteer basis, Mr. Schmit worked tirelessly with businesses and corporations in Idaho and throughout the country to secure both monetary donations and in-kind donations of food and beverages for the athletes as well as supplies needed to run the events. He coordinated with the state and local governments to obtain assistance from them. In addition, Mr. Schmit worked closely with Senator Craig and me to help us in our efforts to secure federal funding in support of the Games. Faced with such a difficult economic environment, Mr. Schmit and his team were able to raise sufficient funds to put on the hugely successful Games and still have funds left over to donate back to the community. Madam Speaker, I have had the honor of knowing and working with Mr. Schmit in his position as President of Qwest Idaho for many years. Today, I am honored to commend him for his tremendous work as the Chairman of the Games Fundraising Committee. His commitment and dedication were critical to making the Games such a huge success, and I would like to take this opportunity to recognize him for all of his hard work.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Senator Crapo for his efforts in creating Idaho's newest wilderness areas in the Owyhee region of Southwestern Idaho. The designation of wilderness in Idaho is long overdue, as it has been nearly thirty years since the late Senator Frank Church created the River of No Return Wilderness. I applaud the Senator for having the patience and perseverance to develop the compromises he has made with numerous ranchers, county officials, sportsman groups and conservation groups. The years of effort he put into creating this legislation are a testament to just how special these lands are. It is assured that Idahoans will be enjoying these unspoiled vistas and areas for generations to come. There are numerous individuals in Idaho to congratulate for their hard work. I won't name them all, but Fred Grant, Chad Gibson, Brenda Richards and Craig Gherke put a lot of effort into this process. In addition, John Hoehne and Layne Bangerter of Senator Crapo's staff did tremendous staff work on the ground in Idaho. If they and so many others didn't commit themselves to the Owyhee initiative, there would have been nothing to work with here in D.C. Finally, I saw first hand here in Washington how this legislation could not have been completed without the efforts of Peter Fischer on Senator Crapo's staff, David Brooks on Senator Bingaman's staff, and Marcia Argust with the Campaign for America's Wilderness. Their commitment and belief in the product developed in Idaho made it possible for this legislation to move forward. Idaho can be proud of the work that Senator Crapo, his staff and its stakeholders have done in creating the Owyhee legislation.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, in accordance with House earmark reforms, I would like to place in the Record a listing of the congressionally- directed projects I have requested in my home state of Idaho that are contained in the report of HR 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009. I'd like to take just a few minutes to describe why I support these projects and why they are valuable to the nation and its taxpayers. division a--agriculture The report contains $254,000 in ARS Salaries and Expenses for NW Center for Small Fruits in Corvallis, Oregon. The Small Fruits Initiative-Plant Improvement project will build upon the strengths of existing cooperative research programs aligned through the Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research. This ongoing tri-state program supports the development of small fruits as an alternative agriculture crop in the Pacific Northwest. The funding will strengthen existing programs throughout the region and add key programs to fill in critical gaps that are not met by the existing infrastructure associated with the Center, providing key resources for Idaho scientists to address problems that negatively impact the emerging berry, grape, and wine industries in the Northwest. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account. The entity to receive funding for this project is the University of Idaho, located at 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, Idaho 83844 through the USDA's ARS located at 29603 U of I Lane, Parma, Idaho, 83660. The report contains $650,000 in Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, salaries and expenses, for Greater Yellowstone Interagency Brucellosis Committee. Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are each required by law to manage brucellosis-infected wildlife within their borders in order to prevent the spread of brucellosis to non-infected wildlife, cattle, or domestic bison. The Committee is coordinating with federal, state, and private actions in eliminating brucellosis from wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Area and preventing transmission of this disease from wildlife to livestock. The funding will be used to develop and implement brucellosis herd unit management plans; to perform functions and duties of Idaho relative to the Greater Yellowstone Interagency Brucellosis Committee; to conduct brucellosis prevention, surveillance, control and eradication activities in Idaho and the Greater Yellowstone Area. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account. The entity to receive funding for this project is the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, located at 2270 Old Penitentiary Road, Boise, Idaho 83712. The report contains $176,000 in Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, salaries and expenses, for the Nez Perce Bio-Control Center. The Nez Perce Bio-Control Center is authorized by the Noxious Weed Control and Eradication Act of 2004 and manages and establishes nurseries to increase biological control organism availability, distribute biological control organisms, monitor their impacts, and provide an increased number of annual technology transfer workshops to Cooperative Weed Management Areas and other landowners and managers regionally. This funding will continue the partnership between USDA and the Nez Perce Tribe to maximize the effectiveness of implementing a complete bio-control of weeds program in an Integrated Weed Management strategy. The Center will increase the availability of agents for landowners and managers throughout the region. Biological control offers long-term management of invasive weeds and can be used with other integrated pest management approaches. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account. The entity to receive funding for this project is the Nez Perce Tribe Bio-Control Center, located at 102 Agency Road, Lapwai, Idaho 83540. The report contains $514,000 in CSREES, research and education, for the Barley for Rural Development Project. Funding for this program will support research directed at the continued development of improved malt, feed, cellulosic ethanol and food barley varieties for growers and value added end-users in rural Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota communities. This research is starting to expand and meet market opportunities, addressing the critical need of growers in production agriculture to increase economic yield, enhance domestic and international market access, improve production technologies, better compete with Canadian imports and reduce dependence on government subsidies. Research supported by this project will increase the manufacture and sale of value-added barley products (malt, beer, fuel, food, livestock) in these states, having a substantial positive impact on their economies, supporting jobs, generating business activity, and federal, state, and local tax revenue. Maintenance of the strength of barley in the Idaho economy requires continual efforts to improve crop quality and productivity. This can only be accomplished by investing in strong research programs that keep the industry at the forefront. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account. The entity to receive funding for this project is the University of Idaho, located at 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, Idaho 83844. The report contains $235,000 in CSREES, research and education, for the Cool Season Legume Research Project. This program is an aggressive cooperative research program between the USDA, the University of Idaho, and the University of Washington that seeks new, high yielding, high quality, nutritious dry pea, lentil, and chickpea varieties to meet producer and consumer needs. This research focuses on the breeding of new, superior varieties of legumes; management of nematodes, insects, plant diseases and weeds that can limit production; and reduction of soil erosion and water degradation associated with production, as well as the development of value-added new products. The technology being generated through the research is essential for the pea, lentil, and chickpea industries to remain competitive and profitable. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account. The entity to receive funding for this project is the University of Idaho, located at 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, Idaho 83844. The report contains $603,000 in CSREES, research and education, for Increasing Shelf Life of Ag Commodities. In order to prevent serious food safety issues, this project will fund research and development of bio-electronic sensors that can detect the presence of microbial pathogens in food and food products. Preventative detection and treatment at the agricultural commodity level and fast, accurate detection of biological pathogens and dangerous food toxins is an important element for ensuring safety and shelf life. The research being conducted in this area at the University of Idaho will advance and expand previous work on biosensor systems to further enhance preventative detection and treatment of biological pathogens and dangerous food toxins. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account. The entity to receive funding for this project is the University of Idaho, located at 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, Idaho 83844. The report contains $349,000 in CSREES, research and education, for Potato Cyst Nematode Research. This funding will be used by the University of Idaho for research and development of means to eradicate and better protect the Idaho potato crop from the soil-borne pathogen potato cyst nematode, hardened nematode bodies filled with eggs which can persist in the soil for up to 25 years. Current eradication depends upon methyl bromide, which is not totally effective and which may be banned because of its ozone depleting properties, as well as other chemicals which are even less effective and several of which may also be banned. The funds will be used to maximize the efficiency of methyl bromide while it is available and develop new ``green'' replacement eradicants (such as green manure or biologically derived nematicides) and procedures (advance hatching frequency), as well as to improve planting material screening procedures and to study plant-vectorvirus relationships, which may also lead to new ways to fight potato viruses. FY08 funding established the groundwork, and the University of Idaho is now prepared to fully implement the needed research. This project will work in concert with the ongoing USDA eradication program by providing new methods of treatment. This crop pest can result in 80% yield reductions and has negatively affected agricultural trade. There is a good chance that if this threat is addressed with adequate research and treatment it can be eliminated. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account. The entity to receive funding for this project is the University of Idaho College located at 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, Idaho 83844. The report contains $1.037 million for potato research (CSREES). This funding would be used to support an on-going research program that provides critical support to the potato industry through the development of new potato varieties and resistance to disease and pests. The ARS research station at Aberdeen, Idaho, has produced eight new potato varieties, and it has participated in the development of twelve other varieties nationwide. With the increasing threat of disease and pests, new varieties are crucial for America's agriculture community. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account. The entity to receive funding for this project is the University of Idaho, located at 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, Idaho 83844 through the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. Research will be performed at the United States Department of Agriculture's Agriculture Research Service, Pacific West Area, located at 1691 S. 2700 W., Aberdeen, Idaho 83210. The report contains $8.294 million in Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, salaries and expenses, for Potato Cyst Nematode Eradication. The USDA is currently conducting an aggressive eradication program to address the outbreak of Potato Cyst Nematode in Idaho, the first discovery in the U.S. This pest can result in up to 80% crop reductions, and agricultural trade has already been affected. It is imperative that our trading partners know we are aggressively addressing this issue. Furthermore, this pest has a very high risk of dispersion. While it is currently confided to a small area in Eastern Idaho, it is very conceivable that, if left untreated, this pest can spread, affecting crops other than potatoes. Through this funding, the program will continue to adequately address this issue, and there is a good potential the pest could be eradicated. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account. The entity to receive funding for this project is the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service located at 1400 Independence Avenue, Washington, D.C.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I feel like I went to bed a couple weeks ago and woke up in bizarro-world. We are about to spend over $1 trillion for a stimulus bill which will do little, if anything, to stimulate the economy. What it will stimulate is the growth of government. I have no doubt that those on the other side of the aisle feel that this is the right thing to do to help the economy, but sincerity does not make something right which is fundamentally wrong, and this bill is fundamentally wrong. We were just told a few minutes ago that the key word here is ``necessary.'' Millions of dollars for mouse habitat? Yes, it is not specifically put in the bill. What they have done is put in a fund for habitat restoration, which the agency says they will spend up to $30 million on mouse habitat restoration. That is beautiful. Necessary? I don't know. Fifty million dollars for the NEA. I love the NEA. Necessary in a stimulus bill? Billions of dollars for a sin express train from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Necessary? I don't think so. And, of course, we have got the infamous Frisbee golf course. And if you are going to have a Frisbee golf course, you had better have green golf carts, So we put money in for green golf carts. That is good, too. Necessary? I don't think so. The list is too long to complete when you look at this bill; but, fundamentally, the problem is the process that created this bill. None of this stuff would have been in here had we gone through a process which allowed Members to have input and debate and so forth on this bill. Instead, this has been created in the Speaker's office, in the President's office, and handed to us and said, ``We have got to pass this bill.'' This process stinks. There is no other word for it. And for the first time in my public life, 4 years on a local city council, 14 years in the Idaho legislature, and 10 years in this body, for the first time in my life I am embarrassed to be a Member of this body.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 51, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 52, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 53, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. I thank the ranking member for the time. Everyone on this floor agrees that something needs to be done in terms of stimulating this economy. We all know that we are in difficult times. I also agree with Speaker Pelosi that any stimulus plan needs to be timely, temporary, and targeted. It is timely. We need to do something. We know we need to do it quickly. Targeted. This would be targeted if your weapon was a scatter gun, because everything but the kitchen sink has been thrown into this appropriation bill. Temporary? It would take a stretch of the imagination to believe that this was temporary. Today, President Obama came and spoke with us. He said that he didn't want programs started that had what he called ``a long tail,'' and that meant that it contributed to the long-term deficit of this country and that they were going to have to cut in later years. I will tell you that there is nothing as eternal on this earth as a temporary government program. We all know that. I give you one example, school construction. We are going to start a school construction program. It has never been authorized before, but we are going to start one here. Does anybody really believe that we will then end it after 3 or 4 or 5 years whenever this slowdown in our economy turns around? It will be going on forever. We all know that. We have a number of programs that have never been debated; I can't remember the exact number, something like 32 new authorizations, that have never been debated in committee. They may be appropriate, I don't know, but we have never debated them to see if they should be authorized and whether they can compete against other programs for the limited amount of money. Well, the unlimited amount of money we apparently have in this bill. In other cases, the spend-out is 3 or 4 or 5 years down the road. And I would ask you, why are we appropriating money for a program that will spend out money in 4 or 5 years down the road when we all hope that this economy has turned around? But yet, we are appropriating money now for that spend-out. It just doesn't make sense. Why don't we go through the regular appropriation process to do that? I will give you one example dealing with the National Mall that we have talked about here today. The Tidal Basin work alone has had huge swings in cost estimates for the very complicated and extensive work. In late December, the Park Service told the subcommittee that the Mall work alone could cost $600 million, and now that number is $20 million. In late December, the Park Service Budget Office told the subcommittee staff that they could use only $15 million to $20 million for planning and design the next 2 years, which seemed honest and logical given the size of the plan. Now, they claim they can spend over $200 million over the next 2 years. Our problem is that these things should be going through the regular appropriation process, and they are not. And there is a reason that they are not: It is because every idea that anyone has ever had for spending that they think is appropriate has been thrown into this bill to avoid the PAYGO rules. We all know that is the case, and we need to redo this bill and target it.

Mr. SIMPSON

Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an exceptional public land manager in my district, Karen Rice, the Assistant Idaho Falls District Manager of the Bureau of Land Management, who is being recognized this week as the Public Lands Foundation's Outstanding Public Lands Professional Technician for 2008. Now in its 20th year, the Public Lands Foundation award is an important recognition for special achievement by professional public land technicians and managers. The Public Lands Foundation is the only national membership organization dedicated solely to the protection and perpetuation of the National System of Public Lands under the administration of the BLM. It is a national nonprofit conservation organization whose members are primarily active and retired BLM employees. As a member of that organization, Ms. Rice has worked hard for over 10 years on projects that protect wildlife habitat and promote responsible recreational activities along the South Fork of the Snake River and in the Henry's Lake Area of Critical Environmental Concern. I am honored to take part in recognizing Ms. Rice today. I commend her for her tremendous efforts and dedication to such a crucial and worthwhile effort. Her efforts are paving the way for a more beautiful state and a more conservation-minded world.