Gregorio Sablan

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, lowering the cost of electricity is extremely important to the people I represent in the Northern Mariana Islands. Residential customers in my district pay 40 cents per kilowatt-hour--three times the U.S. average. And those electricity bills are eating away at families' paychecks. That's why I support H.R. 83. H.R. 83 will help local governments develop and implement plans to reduce reliance on the expensive fossil fuels that make electricity so expensive in America's insular areas, including the Northern Mariana Islands. The plans will propose technical, financial, and policy actions that island governments and local utilities can take to move the islands towards alternative sources of energy--especially renewables. The plans will show how to improve efficiency beginning with production, through distribution, and at the point of use, so that every kilowatt generated in the islands goes unwasted. Last year, Congresswomen Donna Christensen and Madeleine Bordallo, Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi and I were successful in convincing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program in our islands. About 120 families were added to the rolls in the Northern Marianas and the assistance that all 420 families now receive is as much as double the previous amount. But helping some families with the high cost of energy is only a partial fix. We need to lower costs for everyone. That's what Ms. Christensen's bill promises to do. I want to thank Congresswoman Christensen for her years of work to move this important bill forward and congratulate her for bringing the bill to the floor today. I urge my colleagues to support H.R 83.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, twenty-five years ago on June 1, 1989, Delta Air Lines launched its first flight in a twice weekly service from Tokyo's Narita airport to Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. Operated then as Northwest Airlines and using a Boeing 747-200, this inaugural flight was a milestone in air service to my district; and I want to celebrate that event today. Then and now, tourism is the lifeblood of our islands' economy; and this air connection with Japan, begun twenty-five years ago, has been essential to the growth and stability of our visitor industry. Other airlines have come and gone from the market, but Delta's commitment has been unwavering. Today, the company is the only airline providing direct, scheduled, daily flights to and from Japan, carrying some 2,000 passengers per week on Boeing 757s. And these numbers add up: in the past ten years 23,000 Delta flights have provided seats for 4.25 million of our Japanese tourists. Those flights to the Northern Marianas are, of course, only a tiny part of Delta's worldwide business. The company serves nearly 165 million passengers annually, flies to over 300 destinations worldwide, and employs almost 80,000 individuals. But those daily Japan/Marianas flights are crucial to our local economy, supporting numerous businesses and creating jobs. And not only does Delta transport tourists. For many of the residents of the Northern Mariana Islands, whether traveling for business or pleasure, Delta is the airline of choice. The company provides a comfortable lounge at the Narita Airport hub and convenient connections: Delta is the only U.S. flag air carrier offering our community one-stop service to the mainland United States. Delta stands out, too, for its good corporate citizenship, supporting many worthy groups and causes, including the Rotary Club of Saipan, the American Red Cross, the Marianas March Against Cancer, the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, NMI Crime Stoppers, the Northern Mariana Islands Council for the Humanities, and numerous sporting events. Of special note, Delta has been the sole airline sponsor for the Saipan Marathon since 2008. Please, join me in honoring the management and employees of Delta Air Lines as we commemorate their twenty-five years of air service between the Northern Mariana Islands and Japan, and in wishing them many more years of continued success and growth.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the contributions of Joaquin Camacho Arriola, who, with more than 60 years of practice as a highly respected lawyer in the courts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and as one of Guam's first Chamorro lawyers, has received the Hustisia Award. The award is given to recognize a person or organization that has contributed significantly to the administration of justice and the improvement of government in Guam. The Hustisia Award was presented to Mr. Arriola on May 2, 2014 in Guam by the Guam Judiciary. Joaquin Arriola was born on December 29, 1925 to the late Vicente Fernandez Arriola and the late Maria Soledad Camacho Arriola. Mr. Arriola lived an idyllic, rural life up until World War II, when, along with the rest of Guam, he had to endure years of harsh Japanese occupation. But when the U.S. returned to Guam, the teenaged Joaquin Arriola took action and was wounded by a Japanese hand grenade while leading a squad of the 77th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. Following the war, Mr. Arriola graduated from Guam's George Washington High School and then in 1950 cum laude from the College of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Three years later Mr. Arriola earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Minnesota. He helped finance his college education by working part-time during the school year and in the summer laboring fourteen-hour days for a construction and painting company at the minimum wage of seventy-five cents an hour. As an attorney, Mr. Arriola was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the State of Minnesota, the U.S. District Court of Guam, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court of the Northern Marianas, and the Supreme Courts and Superior Courts of Guam and the Northern Marianas. He was also elected to the Third, Fourth, Ninth, and Tenth Guam Legislatures, where he was speaker during his last two terms of office. One of the many milestones in his legislative career took place in 1968. The U.S. Congress was debating the Elective Governor Act of Guam, which contained a provision establishing a U.S. Government Comptroller with audit authority over all funds coming into Guam. Speaker Arriola spearheaded a movement against the Federal Comptroller position, arguing that the people of Guam were entitled to greater self- government and that the establishment of a Federal Comptroller outside the framework of the government of Guam represented a step back from this goal and implied that the people of Guam could not be trusted with the expenditure of public funds. The Federal Comptroller provision was ultimately removed from the federal legislation. In addition to his years in elected office Mr. Arriola was also Legislative Counsel and Parliamentarian for the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Guam Legislatures and legal counsel to many Government of Guam entities, including the Guam Power Authority and Guam Economic Development Authority. He served as Selective Service Government Appeal Agent in 1959, Small Business Administration Disaster Fee Counsel in 1962, Chairman for the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority from 1963 to 1964, Chairman of the Territorial Planning Commission from 1963 to 1966, and Chairman of the Board of Regents of the College of Guam from 1963 to 1966. And Mr. Arriola was a part-time Associate Justice of the Guam Supreme Court from 1996 to 1999. In private practice Mr. Arriola is founding partner of Arriola, Cowan & Arriola--Guam's oldest established law office. His focus has been litigation; and Mr. Arriola still engages in civil trials to this day. He served as general counsel to the Bank of Guam, which he helped to incorporate, and as a member of the Bank's Board of Directors. He has also been secretary for BankPacific. In recognition of all these accomplishments upon his 50th anniversary in practice in 2003, Mr. Arriola received a legislative resolution from the 27th Guam Legislature (Resolution No. 66). He was also honored for his service to the community with the degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) from the University of Guam in 2007. Mr. Arriola was married to former Senator Elizabeth P. Arriola, deceased. Although frequently occupied with legal matters, Mr. Arriola finds time to spend with his children, Jacqueline A. Marati, Vincent P. Arriola, Attorney Anita P. Arriola, Lisa P. Arriola, Franklin P. Arriola, Michael P. Arriola, Attorney Joaquin C. Arriola, Jr., and Anthony P. Arriola, his fifteen grandchildren and five great grandchildren, often while tending to his farm in Merizo. We recognize, commend, and congratulate Mr. Arriola for his extensive professional accomplishments and his deep personal commitment to serving the people of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, most Americans would agree on the essential importance of education to a successful and meaningful life. But knowledge in and of itself is insufficient without a moral and ethical context for its appropriate application. Thus, the importance of Catholic schools, which we celebrate this week. In the Northern Mariana Islands the Catholic schools of Eskuelan San Francisco de Borja on Rota, St. Joseph Catholic School on Tinian, and Mount Carmel School on the Saipan, have been the vanguard not only in educational excellence, but also in the inculcation of spiritual values. Graduates of these schools, who now fill every nook and cranny of leadership in our communities, carry both intellectual skills and a moral compass to their work in our society. We are all better off as a result. And, at least in part, we have Catholic schools to thank. We have also to thank the parents of every Catholic school student. For, over the years, these parents have chosen to sacrifice, to deploy their limited resources, to send their sons and daughters to parochial schools. Even as the quality of free, public education in the Northern Marianas has continued to improve--and I am sure that faculty and students in our fine public institutions would even proudly argue to surpass our Catholic schools--still have parents found something of extra value in those Catholic schools and continued to pay for their children to receive a Catholic education. And we have to thank the religious and lay teachers in our Catholic schools. These women and men have chosen to forego material rewards of life in order to serve as the conduit for the moral system that underlies the academic content of their classrooms. Often among the best educated members of our community, rather than using their knowledge to advance their own interests these teachers disseminate what they know, so that many lives may be enriched. Their service and sacrifice, too, we celebrate and recognize during Catholic Schools Week. Lastly, we congratulate the students in our Catholic schools. You are part of a heritage in the Northern Mariana Islands that we trace back directly to the founding of Mount Carmel School in 1952, but which certainly has its roots with the original Catholic missionaries of the 16th century. That is a remarkable tradition. One to be proud of, as you mark Catholic Schools Week, and to carry on.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands extend their condolences to the people of Guam on the passing of their former Delegate to Congress, General Ben Garrido Blaz. Especially, we extend our sympathies to his sons, Mike and Tom, and to all of General Blaz's family for their great loss. Ben Blaz was a trailblazer for all the Chamorros of the Mariana Islands, the first of us ever to rise to the rank of General in the U.S. Armed Forces. And he served here from the 99th to the 102nd Congresses, often looking out for the interests of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, whom I represent, as well as for his own constituency in Guam. Beyond those professional accomplishments, Ben Blaz was a warm and caring man. He was knowledgeable about policy, committed to finding solutions, and in his passing, the Marianas have lost an important leader. The people of the Northern Mariana Islands share the sadness of our friends and neighbors in Guam. And I thank Ms. Bordallo for bringing us together here this afternoon to salute General Ben Garrido Blaz. May he rest in peace.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands-- and all the Pacific territories--lost a friend in August. Mr. Francis Xavier Solomon, II, veteran and public servant, passed away. Mr. Solomon's service to our country ranged from his tour of combat in Vietnam to his career with the Department of the Interior. There, he helped develop telecommunications infrastructure in the islands and the financial management systems our young governments needed. In his last 13 years he worked as a consultant to the Prior Service Retirement Trust Fund, which provides a pension to former employees of the U.S. Government in Micronesia. Mr. Solomon is remembered by my constituents as ``a true public servant in the finest sense of the term,'' and ``a humble person who possessed extraordinary talent and accomplished great things.'' Francis Xavier Solomon leaves behind a beloved wife of 29 years, Millie, and several children and stepchildren. And he leaves behind a legacy throughout our island communities, for which we will always be indebted.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, forty years ago, Jose Camacho Tenorio, a visionary businessman of the Northern Mariana Islands, saw the need and the opportunity for a locally-owned insurance agency in our island community. In response, he founded Pacifica Insurance Underwriters. 1973 was an exciting time in our islands. The Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America was in the midst of being negotiated. Commercial hotels were beginning to rise Japanese tourists and investors were just starting to appear on our shores. Yet we were still very much in our economic infancy. Insurance coverage of any sort was difficult to obtain. Many individuals and many developing businesses did not even appreciate the value of insurance. Under these circumstances, I took great commitment and some courage to make the financial investment necessary to form Pacifica Insurance Underwriters. The late Mr. Tenorio, affectionately known as ``Joeten,'' took up the challenge, and working with the family of a business associate, Pete Ada, Jr. of Guam, and with the Tokugoro Kuribayashi family of Japan, established Pacifica Insurance Underwriters and installed Joseph Screen, a former official of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, as the company's first corporate executive. Pacifica then teamed up with Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., a formidable Japanese insurer, and, as that company's general agent in the Northern Mariana Islands, began offering property and casualty, liability, and automobile insurance to businesses and individuals. Over the years, Pacifica's business has grown: adding marine and workmen's compensation insurance, medical, dental, and vision plans, as well as term and whole life policies. Along the way, Pacifica entered into other general agency agreements with respected regional insurance companies Pacific Guardian Life and Century Insurance. Throughout these four decades, Pacifica has lived up to the great responsibility of every insurer: Whether addressing a health issue, repairing a car, or recovering from natural or manmade disaster, when the need arises, they have been there for their customers. In addition to writing thousands of policies annually across all lines of insurance, Pacifica has honored the legacy of its founders by becoming a valued corporate partner in our community. Still owned by its founding families and still run by Joeten's descendants, the company donates directly to schools, environmental groups, religious organizations, and other good causes. Pacifica makes substantial charitable donations through the Joeten Charitable Foundation. And its owners and employees individually lend their hands to a wide variety of community projects and events. The Northern Mariana Islands has seen its share of economic highs and lows. In recent years, particularly, the insurance market has become more challenging, with increased competition, a decline in population, and a decreasing number of businesses. Through it all, Pacifica has remained consistent in its commitment to its employees, its customers, and our community. We all feel proud when we witness a homegrown company with humble beginnings do well. So, please, join me in congratulating the owners and employees of Pacifica Insurance Underwriters on their fortieth anniversary, and in wishing them another forty years of success and growth.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, 40 years ago, Jose C. Tenorio, a visionary businessman of the Northern Mariana Islands, founded Pacifica Insurance Underwriters. 1973 was an exciting time in our islands. The Covenant was being negotiated. Hotels, tourists, and investors were starting to appear. Yet we were still in our economic infancy. Insurance was hard to obtain. Many did not appreciate the value of insurance. It took commitment and courage for the late Mr. Tenorio and his partners to invest in Pacifica. Over 40 years, the business flourished, and Pacifica has lived up to the great responsibility of every insurer: when the need arises, they have been there for their customers. Pacifica has also set an example of corporate responsibility with contributions to worthy causes and with the volunteer activities of its employees throughout our community. We feel proud to witness a homegrown company do well. So join me in congratulating the owners and employees of Pacifica Insurance Underwriters on their 40th anniversary.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands know the terror when a typhoon strikes. We know how difficult are the days and months of recovery after, but none of us has known a storm with the power and intensity of Typhoon Yolanda. So our hearts and our prayers go out to the people of the Philippines who are suffering through this terrible tragedy that swept down upon them. We have families and friends there. Some, thank God, we know are safe. The fate of others we wait to learn and whether their homes are standing, whether they have food, water. All we know for certain is the people of the Philippines need our help. America is rising quickly to assist. Our government immediately committed $20 million. Disaster teams are on the way. Much more will be needed from our government and from individuals alike, but I am sure we will all do whatever we can to assist the survivors who have lost so much and now face the long task of rebuilding their homes and lives.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, public education in the Northern Mariana Islands was transformed twenty-five years ago with the enactment of Public Law 6-10, the Education Act of 1988, creating an autonomous Public School System, overseen by an elected Board of Education, and administered by a Commissioner of Education. Establishment of a Public School System, outside of the executive branch of the Commonwealth government, coincided with a new period of political maturation, economic expansion, and population growth in the Northern Marianas; and the intervening years have proven the wisdom and value of this decision. Twenty-five years ago, the Public School System comprised just over 6,000 students throughout 14 schools. Since then, PSS has grown dramatically. Student population is now 10,646, 75 percent greater. There are now 19 schools. Kagman High School, Chacha Ocean View Middle School, Kagman Elementary School, Saipan Southern High School, and Sinapalo Elementary School have all been constructed to better serve our students. And there are now 900 PSS personnel across the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. As PSS has grown in size, so have the achievements of our students. These future leaders of our community regularly participate in national scholastic competitions, winning awards for their acting talent, debate skills, spelling abilities, and science acuity. Their successes are testament not only to students' efforts, but also to the school system that supported them and helped shape their minds. Just this year, the Marianas High School Aeronautical Dolphins won the national Real World Design Challenge here in Washington, DC. Each student on that team was awarded a $50,000 college scholarship. For each of the past three years, PSS students have been recipients of Gates Millennium Scholarships, which pays for up to eight years of postsecondary education. This year alone three students from our small island community were awarded these scholarships. That is an amazing accomplishment--and a tribute to the efficacy of our public schools. The Saipan Southern High School Manta Ray Band and Marianas High School Choir have both received national recognition for their musical talents. Last summer, the Manta Rays were chosen to perform in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. They participated in the London Celebration Music Festival, as well, and brought home a silver medal. These achievements--academic and extracurricular--were made possible through the extraordinary and cumulative efforts of a group of individuals whose dedication knows no peer: the leaders, teachers, and staff of the Public School System. From science teacher to physical education instructor, maintenance employee to bus driver, each of these individuals makes their contribution to the educational success of our youth. They are led by a Commissioner of Education, appointed by the Board of Education. Six men and women have served as Commissioner, each of whom has left an indelible imprint on PSS and the lives of its students. The first Commissioner, Mr. Henry Sablan, led the organization through a period of transition from a Department of Education organized under the Office of the Governor to an autonomous public education system answerable to an elected Board. Dr. Elizabeth Diaz Rechebei then shepherded the school system for two years, followed by Mr. William S. Torres, who served for six years and initiated a move towards regional accreditation. Dr. Rita Hocog Inos, in whose memory the junior and senior high school on the island of Rota is named, served as Commissioner of Education for eight years and implemented the SAT10 testing program and standards-based assessment for students, as well as the PRAXIS highly qualified teacher initiative for instructional staff. Dr. David Borja then led the system for two years, followed by our current Commissioner, Dr. Rita A. Sablan. Dr. Sablan has, since assuming her role in 2008, focused tremendous attention on student academic achievement and guided the organization through a period of declining financial resources and increasing performance standards. Thanks to the cumulative efforts of these six leaders, and their thousands of colleagues over the years, our students are performing better than ever on SAT10 tests, standards-based assessments, and on STAR reading and STAR math assessments. That performance is reflected in the 60 percent of graduating high school seniors who go on to college. Another 30 percent choose to serve our country in the armed forces. And 10 percent join the workforce. Please join me in saluting those elected officials who, twenty-five years ago, recognized the value of an autonomous education system in the Northern Mariana Islands and enacted the Education Act. Also, join me in celebrating the many who built upon that foundation. The prescience of those leaders, and the hard work and dedication of the members of the Board of Education, the Commissioners, and the thousands of instructors and staff has brought us to the present-day successes of our Public School System. Each and every individual who contributed to this achievement deserves the esteem and gratitude of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, public education in the Northern Mariana Islands was transformed 25 years ago by the Education Act of 1988, creating an autonomous public school system outside of the executive branch of government, overseen by an elected board of education. This decision coincided with a period of political maturation, economic expansion, and population growth on the islands; and the intervening years have proven its value. PSS students are excelling, winning national awards for their acting talent, debate skills, spelling abilities, and science acuity. This year alone, the Marianas High School Aeronautical Dolphins won the national Real World Design Challenge and $50,000 scholarships for each team member. Three students were awarded Gates Millennium scholarships. It is the third year in a row students from our small community have won. Last summer, Saipan Southern High School's Manta Ray Band performed at the Olympics and brought home a silver medal from the London Celebration Music Festival. These achievements were made possible through the extraordinary and cumulative support of the leaders, teachers, and staff of the public school system. Please join me in saluting PSS for 25 years of service to our youth.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Powell Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act would transfer 322 acres of Bureau of Land Management lands to the Powell, Wyoming, Recreation District. Currently, the Powell Recreation District manages a shooting range on these lands. We have no objections to this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Denali National Park Improvement Act allows the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for specified small hydroelectric power facilities within the park boundaries. The legislation allows the park service to exchange approximately 18 acres of park land. Finally, the bill provides for right-of-ways for a natural gas pipeline and other natural gas distribution infrastructure. We have no objections to this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Natchez Trace Parkway Land Conveyance Act of 2013 conveys 67 acres of National Park Service property to the State of Mississippi. We have no objections to this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of S. 256. The bill conveys to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 3 miles of surrounding submerged lands, providing parity with America's other coastal States and territories. S. 256 also provides for a hiatus in 2013 and 2015 of the annual 50- cent increase in minimum wage in the Northern Marianas, while retaining the mandate to reach the Federal level. I want to thank the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Ron Wyden, and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski for introducing S. 256 at my request. Its companion, H.R. 573, passed the House unanimously in May of this year, as did predecessor bills in the 111th and the 112th Congresses. Thanks also to leaders and staff from both sides of the aisle: Chairman Doc Hastings of the House Natural Resources Committee and Ranking Member Peter DeFazio; Chairman John Fleming on the Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs Subcommittee; and the chairman on the Education and the Workforce Committee, John Kline, and Ranking Member George Miller. Their assistance reflects a longstanding tradition of treating territorial issues as essentially nonpartisan. To summarize briefly, the Northern Mariana Islands is the only U.S. coastal jurisdiction that does not have ownership of the submerged lands off its coast. S. 256 corrects that irregularity and provides the same ownership rights over the submerged lands surrounding the Northern Marianas as are provided by Federal law to Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. Additionally, S. 256 reschedules the rate of increase of the minimum wage in the Northern Mariana Islands, but it retains the mandate to reach the Federal minimum wage level, which will occur in 2018. The wage has risen 82 percent since 2007--16.5 percent each year. The Government Accountability Office has reported uncertainty over how this rapid change affects the local economy, especially given the negative GDP in most of those years. Congress previously provided for the scheduled 2011 increase to be skipped. In light of continuing unpredictability of the impact of annual increases on an economy where as much as 80 percent of the hourly paid workforce will be affected, similar deferrals of the 2013 and 2015 increases are advisable. I ask for Members to support S. 256 today as the House has supported these same proposals in the past. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield such time as he may consume to my friend, the distinguished gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega). (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, but I would like to thank Doc Hastings for a wonderful way of managing bills. This is probably at the fastest pace, and we should do this more often. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 459 transfers administrative jurisdiction of Forest Service lands in South Dakota to the National Park Service. These lands will be used by the Park Service to provide a visitor facility and administrative site for the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in Philip, South Dakota. We support S. 459 and urge its passage by the House today. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and so in record time, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Chair, education is the most important tool we have to encourage economic development. This is true for our country and it is especially true for my district, the Northern Mariana Islands. If we give our young people a fine education, they will use that education to improve their communities--both economically and by being responsible citizens. That's why I want to make sure that students in the Northern Mariana Islands get the same support from our federal government that students in every other part of America receive. Unfortunately, the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act does not provide parity in federal support for my students. Title I-A, specifically, by setting aside just one percent of total funding to be shared by the Bureau of Indian Education and the ``outlying areas'' of American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands effectively short-changes the students I represent. Just as Title I students everywhere in America, my students come from families that do not have a lot of money for books and basic supplies and educational experiences. That's why Title I exists: to help make up the difference for students unlucky enough to be born to parents who don't have much money. But the one percent set-aside in current law--of which only about one-quarter goes to the outlying areas--is not making up that difference. For that reason, I support the Democratic alternative to H.R. 5. The Democratic alternative, Mr. Miller's substitute amendment, acknowledges that a disparity exists. And it offers a solution. The amendment would reserve one-half of one percent for the outlying areas, exclusively, effectively doubling the current set-aside. Northern Marianas students will still not be getting the same level of federal assistance they would if they lived in a State. Nevertheless, this would be a significant improvement. To ensure that this increase for the outlying areas will not mean a decrease for States, the enhanced set-aside funding is only triggered when, and if, there is an overall increase in Title I funding. So, this is only a partial solution and is contingent upon a set of circumstances that at the moment seems unlikely to happen. But the Democratic alternative does recognize that we have to do something to get us closer to the ideal of equal opportunity for all of our students. For that reason I support the proposal and I thank Mr. Miller for making it part of his Democratic alternative. I urge my colleagues to support the substitute amendment.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. From his days in the California State House and now here in Congress, Congressman Jared Huffman has been a leader in protecting our valuable natural resources. H.R. 1411 is a fine example of this commitment and office leadership. Congressman Huffman's bill incorporates the area known as the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands into the California Coastal National Monument. The bill gives permanent protection to 1,255 acres of wetlands along the Mendocino County coast. The area provides habitat for endangered species, including the Point Arena mountain beaver and the Behren's silverspot butterfly. The Garcia River running through it shelters steelhead and silver and king salmon. While I have the floor, I also want to commend Congressman Huffman for his efforts to protect sharks. In the California Legislature, Congressman Huffman wrote the law banning wasteful trade in shark fins. Here in Congress, he led the effort to protest when the Commerce Department proposed regulations preempting State laws against shark finning. The Northern Mariana Islands, which I represent, has enacted a similar law. So along with other Members who respect State authority, I cosigned Congressman Huffman's letter asking NOAA to withdraw its proposed regulation. Again, I commend Mr. Huffman for his dedication to protecting our natural resources, and I ask all my colleagues to support H.R. 1411.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This legislation provides commonsense access to maintain water facilities within the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area. These water features were present prior to the congressional designation of ``wilderness'' and are necessary to protect individual water rights in the State. I applaud Chairman Simpson for his legislation, and I support the passage of this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is a very important issue before us today. The Senate amended H.R. 588 to allow any new memorial in D.C. to acknowledge donors. The original bill passed by the House only allowed donor acknowledgement for the Vietnam Memorial Visitor Center. The Senate amendment also provided a 4-year extension of the legislative authority for the Vietnam Memorial Visitors Center. The resolution before us today would narrow the Senate language back to apply only to the Vietnam Memorial Visitor Center while continuing to provide the visitor center with a 4-year extension of their authorization. Mr. Speaker, our preference would be to send a bill to the President to sign today; however, the majority is insisting on amending the Senate legislation and sending this bill back to the Senate instead of to the President. While we do not object to a policy of allowing donor acknowledgement, we are concerned that amending the Senate amendment will unnecessarily delay enactment of this legislation. Given this is the only option we have to support the Vietnam Memorial Visitor Center, we support passage of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield as much time as he may consume to a Vietnam War veteran, the distinguished gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega). (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 253 provides for conveyance of approximately 80 acres of Forest Service lands to Brigham Young University. We do not object to this legislation. At this time, I would like to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega). (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)