Dina Titus

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chair, I thank the ranking member for yielding me the time. You know, my Republican colleagues have made no secret about the fact that they want to strangle the EPA and undermine its vital environmental work, but they make little mention of how this bill also threatens our national security. I represent Las Vegas, which is the home of a number of critical radiation response programs, including one of the only two EPA mobile field labs that can quickly be deployed should a radiological incident occur anywhere in the West. They can process air, soil, and water samples. Because of ongoing budget cuts led by the Republicans, however, EPA will soon be moving this unit to Montgomery, Alabama, and decommissioning its other mobile lab. That will leave the whole country with only one EPA radiation response lab, which will be located over 2,000 miles from Los Angeles, 2,600 miles from Seattle, and 1,800 miles from Las Vegas and the Nevada test site. Now, Republicans may be willing to gamble our health and safety to satisfy their corporate friends, but I am not, and that is why I am asking my colleagues to vote against this legislation and fund our agencies at levels necessary to protect our national security.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge Republican leadership to stop blocking the will of the House and immediately call for a vote to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, set to expire June 30. This May I hosted Fred Hochberg, chairman of the Ex-Im Bank, in my district to tour Innova Technologies, a leader in civil-structural engineering and one of 32 Nevada companies working with the Bank. At a time when our local economy was fighting to recover from the recession and unemployment was rampant, the Bank provided critical support that allowed Innova not just to survive but nearly double its workforce. In 2014 alone, the Bank supported 164,000 jobs and reduced the Federal deficit by $675 million. In Nevada, it helped increase our export value by $165 million. Now is the time for a long-term reauthorization to renew, reenergize, and reform the Bank so it can continue supporting businesses and creating jobs in Nevada and across the country.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today with this very simple amendment. It is one that is meant to shed light on inadequate investments that are being made in our Nation's passenger rail service. The bill before us appropriates nearly $16 billion for aviation, over $40 billion for our roads, over $10 billion for public transit, but just $1.1 billion for our Nation's passenger rail service. I represent Las Vegas, where we import everything from tourists to lobsters, so we certainly understand the importance of transportation mobility. It is interesting, many international and domestic travelers alike are shocked to learn, when they are coming to Las Vegas, that a major metropolitan city, home to more than 2 million residents and playground and boardroom to over 42 million visitors a year, we just don't have access to passenger rail service. Visitors from Europe or Asia are accustomed to taking trains from one city to another, and they face a sad reality when traveling to Las Vegas from other Southwestern tourist destinations. From Los Angeles, for example, you would have to take a 7-hour train ride that drops you off in Kingman, Arizona, at 1:30 in the morning. There, you would have to find the bus station, which is 4 miles away, get on a bus at 4 in the morning to travel another 3 hours to downtown Las Vegas. That is just crazy. The last Amtrak train on the Desert Wind line departed the back of the Plaza Hotel in May of 1997, bound for Los Angeles. Well, a lot has changed since the late 1990s. Over the last 17 years, southern Nevada's population has grown by a million new residents, and 10 million more visitors travel to southern Nevada annually, putting enormous strain on our area's highways and the airport, which is among the top 10 busiest airports in the country. More than 42,000 vehicles also cross the I-15 border between California and Nevada daily. If you have traveled along that busy stretch of road, you know the kind of traffic nightmares that you might encounter. In fact, I recently spoke with an airline pilot who frequently makes the short flight between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and he remarked that you can't get lost. All you have to do is follow the red brake lights on I-15 all the way to McCarran. We can and we must do better; but this isn't just about Las Vegas. Cities like Phoenix, Arizona; Nashville, Tennessee; Columbus, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and Boise, Idaho, don't have passenger rail service either. In addition, there is no direct rail service between major metropolitan areas like Houston and Dallas, Atlanta and Orlando, and Kansas City and Oklahoma City. I believe that expanding rail service to unserved communities like those in southern Nevada should be a priority, but, unfortunately, this legislation before us does not really get us there. At the end of April, I organized a roundtable back in my district to discuss the need to restore passenger service to Las Vegas, and I was really surprised by the high level of interest from local stakeholders. We had participants from our State and local transportation authorities, the gaming and hotel industries, the chamber of commerce, labor unions and economic development organizations, all in agreement that southern Nevada should have passenger rail service as part of our long-term economic viability plans. This type of development is a regional and should be a national priority. Now, a lot of attention has been paid to the Northeast corridor, where travelers frequent Amtrak service along the East Coast, but we should not forget that it was the railroad that built the West and still, today, remains a critical piece of our transportation network. China is investing $128 million in rail in 2015 alone and India, $137 billion over the next 5 years; yet we are investing only $1.1 billion. Mr. Chairman, since this amendment really has no monetary impact, I would respectfully ask that you accept it. It is my hope that we recognize this mode of transportation that is so tied to our Nation's history and that we can continue to work together to see that it gets the attention and support that it deserves. Thank you very much for your time and your consideration. I hope that, together, we can work to be sure that passenger rail service is expanded throughout the country and especially in the Southwest. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, this week marks the second anniversary of the Blue Lightning Initiative, a DHS and DOT program to equip airline personnel with the tools to identify and save victims of human trafficking. I represent Las Vegas, which attracts more than 42 million visitors every year. As a premier global destination, we are sadly all too familiar with the impact of this heinous crime. Clearly, we must engage in an all-hands-on-deck approach to identify and apprehend traffickers, which includes our airline personnel who are on the front line. That is why I am introducing legislation to ensure all our airlines take on this challenge and close off the skies to those engaged in this modern-day slavery. Human trafficking is not the only issue that is facing our aviation industry, so I will be hosting industry leaders from across the country at an aviation symposium in my district next week to discuss how we can work together to strengthen our Nation's aviation, create new job opportunities, and foster economic growth.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is about standing up for states' rights and protecting businesses, doctors, and patients who are acting legally under the medical marijuana laws of some 41 States and territories, including Nevada. Congress needs to catch up with State legislatures, and the Federal Government needs to stop wasting money busting good citizens who are trying to do the right thing.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, Nevada lost a very good man when Gary Gray was killed recently in an automobile accident coming down from his beloved Mt. Charleston. Gary has been one of my best friends since he took a master's class from me at UNLV in 1977. And Tom and I have enjoyed many delicious dinners and lively conversations about politics and travel with Gary and his wife Chris Giunchigliani over the years. It is impossible to think of Gary in the past tense because he was larger than life. Who else would serve mountain oysters at a fancy dress party? Who else could turn an inexperienced group of freshman assemblymen (Jim Spinello, Matt Callister, Gene Porter, and Wendall Williams) into a political force the likes of which has not been seen since in Nevada politics? And who else would be brave enough to take on the indomitable Chris G? Life was always an adventure for Gary. No place was too dangerous to visit, no food too strange to eat, no person too threatening to strike up a conversation with. So I would never have been surprised to hear that something had happened and he wasn't coming home. But I expected him to be taken from us by an earthquake in Indonesia, an avalanche in the Alps, or perhaps a revolution in one of the `Stans, not by something so mundane as a car crash. It just doesn't seem right. Gary truly changed the face of politics in Nevada: he elected candidates at every governmental level; he proudly pushed a progressive agenda; and he professionalized the campaign business. He was a civic activist, a pillar of the community, and a citizen of the world. He leaves a void that cannot be filled. Bon voyage, mon ami.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, Asian American and Pacific Islanders' achievements in art, technology, business, and education serve as a reminder that our Nation's success is built upon the foundation of diversity. This is particularly evident in my district, which is home to the largest AAPI community in Nevada. The Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce facilitated the reinvigoration of our economy after the 2008 crash. Chinatown Plaza on Spring Mountain Road is home to one of the country's most popular Chinese New Year celebrations. There is a thriving Filipino district along Maryland Parkway. Dozens of Thai, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese shops, restaurants, markets, and festivals enrich our society and strengthen our economy. As we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, let us acknowledge the value immigrants bring to our lives and recognize how much we all stand to gain from enacting comprehensive immigration reform that honors our country's legacy as the land of opportunity. We don't simply benefit from the myriad contributions of immigrants; we thrive and flourish because of them.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, today the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement was supposed to begin accepting Deferred Action for Parental Accountability, or DAPA, applications. It was to be a day of hope, not disappointment, for millions of families across the country. But because of a politically motivated decision by a Texas judge, implementation has been halted. Now 17,000 hardworking men and women in Clark County, Nevada, must wait for relief in fear of being torn from their families. Mr. Speaker, Nevada is the State with the largest share of undocumented immigrants in its total population--210,000 people, or 7.6 percent, and that is equal to 10.2 percent of our workforce. They are our colleagues, our neighbors, our classmates, and our friends, and they play a vital role in the success of our community. Congress needs to pass comprehensive immigration reform so families across the country and in Nevada can come out of the shadows, legally work, go to school, and contribute to the only community they call home.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, why are we debating an extension of the surface transportation authorization instead of doing the right thing and passing a bill that invests in our future? We should be playing the long game, not betting on the come, as they say in Nevada. For the 2 million residents who live in the Las Vegas valley and the more than 42 million visitors who come to our city from around the world, we must commit to the passage of a long-term surface transportation bill this summer. We can't do yet another extension that creates uncertainty, stifles development, and puts us further behind. We must pass a bill that includes investment that is real, sustainable, and goes beyond just maintaining our current infrastructure but instead sets our Nation on a road that is built to last.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in support of H.R. 474, the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Programs Reauthorization Act of 2015. This bipartisan bill reauthorizes the highly successful Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program, HVRP, which provides grants to train and reintegrate homeless veterans into meaningful employment. H.R. 474 also clarifies that in addition to homeless veterans, those participating in the HUD-VASH voucher program and those transitioning from being incarcerated are also eligible to participate in HVRP. HVRP is unique among Federal programs, as it is dedicated to providing employment assistance to homeless veterans. Other programs that we hear much about focus on needs such as emergency shelter, food, and abuse treatment. Homeless veterans often face a variety of problems that can bar them from traditional employment pathways, including severe PTSD, histories of substance abuse, and encounters with the criminal justice system. HVRP service providers give our homeless veterans specialized intensive counseling and services to help them find a positive pathway forward, resulting in gainful employment. This bill will not incur any direct spending costs, nor will discretionary costs be beyond the minimal. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Wenstrup for his hard work on this bill, as well as Ranking Member Takano for his efforts to advance this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I, too, urge my colleagues to support H.R. 474. It is a good bill that will reauthorize and clarify the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in support of H.R. 1038, the Ensuring VA Employee Accountability Act of 2015. Currently, when a VA employee is reprimanded for misconduct, the paperwork describing the incident is removed from that employee's file after 3 years. Paperwork describing an incident leading to an admonishment is taken out after just 2 years. H.R. 1038 requires the Secretary to maintain all written reprimands and admonishments of any VA employee in that employee's file for the entire duration of his or her employment at VA. As members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee work to ensure effective oversight of VA actions, it is important to maintain a record of VA employees' past misconduct. At the same time we are working toward greater accountability, we must also ensure that increased transparency does not come at the expense of fairness and the equitable treatment of VA employees. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues and all interested parties to clarify the intent of this legislation to ensure that we are not inadvertently affecting the use of negotiated settlement agreements when appropriate and that admonishments and reprimands are not wrongly used to silence whistleblowers. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Costello for his work on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1038 and to work with all of us to make sure going forward that the intent of the bill is accurately realized. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 1313, the Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Relief Act of 2015. Veterans who are rated as 100 percent disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs and who own at least 51 percent of their small business receive preferred status in the Federal contracting process. If the veteran small-business owner passes away, the surviving family members and business partners are not allowed any time to transition away from this preferred status, thereby putting their businesses in jeopardy of losing any Federal contracts they may have. Last year, there were an estimated 500,000 of these businesses nationwide. This bill provides a 3-year transition period during which the business would keep its preferential status and any Federal contracts associated with that status should the veteran owner pass away. Current law does, however, allow the surviving spouse to maintain preferred status for up to 3 years following the death of a veteran owner, but only if that veteran had a 100 percent service-connected disability rating and died due to the disability. H.R. 1313 further expands the transition period from 3 to 10 years after the veteran owner's death if the veteran were either 100 percent disabled or died from a service-connected disability. H.R. 1313 is a fair policy that will ensure we protect the hard work and investment of our service-connected disabled veterans who own small businesses. I would like to thank Chairman Wenstrup and Ranking Member Takano of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the Veterans' Affairs Committee for their support of this bill and Mr. McNerney for bringing it to us. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1313, to ensure that our service-connected disabled-veteran small-business owners are able to leave a legacy for their families and coworkers when they pass away. At this point, I don't have any other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 1382, as amended, the Boosting Rates of American Veteran Employment Act, or BRAVE Act, of 2015. According to the April 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, almost 7 percent of post-9/11 veterans are unemployed, which is higher than the national average. These men and women have dutifully served their country. Now it is our job as Members of Congress to craft policies that will improve and increase employment opportunities for them. This includes improving the Federal contracting process to incentivize private sector companies to hire more veterans when they come home. The Department of Veterans Affairs establishes long-term contracts with private sector businesses to provide veterans medical equipment, supplies, services, and other things. Currently, the VA gives preference for these contracts to veteran-owned small businesses, but it does not give preference to businesses that actively employ veterans. This bipartisan BRAVE Act allows the VA to consider the proportion of veterans employed by a prospective contractor when awarding those Federal contracts. It also encourages and incentivizes current VA contractors to employ more veterans. H.R. 1382 deters companies from exaggerating the number of veterans they employ in order to become more competitive for procurement, requiring debarment for any company that knowingly misrepresents its proportion of veteran employees. H.R. 1382 does not require offsets nor does it add any burdens on taxpayers. This bipartisan legislation will reward companies who hire veterans, thus incentivizing the private sector recruitment of veteran employees. It is, indeed, a win-win-win policy for the private sector, for the Federal Government, and, most importantly, for the veterans, themselves. I want to thank Miss Rice, who is the sponsor of this bill, Chairman Miller for bringing it to the floor, and Dr. Wenstrup and Mr. Takano-- the chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity--for their work on the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Miss Rice), who is the sponsor of this important legislation.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 1382, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I don't have any additional speakers, so I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 91, the Veteran's I.D. Card Act, as amended. This bill directs the Secretary to issue, upon a veteran's request, a veteran's identification card. In most instances, a veteran must be enrolled with the VA to receive a VA ID card or to utilize his or her DD-214 to prove military service. Many veterans are hesitant to carry around their DD-214s, which may contain personal health information. A veteran's ID card would provide those veterans with the ability to prove their service without the need to constantly have to produce official documents like their DD-214 forms. Issuing an optional veteran's ID card is a simple way to provide a reliable and convenient method for our Nation's heroes to prove their honorable service and veteran status. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 91, as amended, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Nevada Senator Howard Cannon. In 1982, I served as Senator Cannon's faculty intern; and every day, in my district office, I have the privilege of sitting behind his personal desk, loaned to me by his daughter Nancy Downey. It serves as a constant reminder of his many heroic acts. From delivering paratroopers in the lead plane on D-Day to passionately advocating for Nevada's interests on the Senate floor, Howard Cannon's valor and courage are truly unmatched. This June, Nancy will travel to France to cut the ribbon on the new extension of the D-Day Paratrooper Historical Center, which features her father's restored C-47, the ``Stoy Hora,'' among other artifacts from the invasion. It is a fitting tribute to Senator Cannon and the brave men and women who risked or lost their lives so we can live in a safer world today. The legacy of Howard Cannon cannot be summed up in 1 minute, Mr. Speaker, so I will now submit for the Record an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, titled: ``Humble'' Air Warrior Had Crucial D-Day Job: France to honor late Sen. Cannon. [From the Las Vegas Review Journal: May 12, 2015] ``Humble'' Air Warrior Had Crucial D-Day Job, France To Honor Late Sen. Cannon, Others for WWII Roles (By Keith Rogers) Among the accomplishments of Nevada's late-Sen. Howard Cannon, from his 33-year political career to his Air Force Reserve service as a major general, his biggest achievement arguably was his role in delivering paratroopers in the lead plane during the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion of Normandy, France. With mental toughness and steady hands, then-Maj. Cannon, co-pilot of the C-47 Skytrain ``Stoy Hora,'' and pilot Col. Frank Krebs, commander of the 440th Troop Carrier Group, spearheaded the assault to free France from the grip of Nazi Germany's forces. Had their plane and others in the 45-ship formation not made it to the drop zone near St. Mere Eglise, the soldiers of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment might never have been able to provide the cover and distraction for the massive troop landings on the Normandy coast that marked a turning point in World War II. For that, the grand opening of the extension at the D-Day Paratroopers Historical Center featuring the restored C-47 ``Stoy Hora,'' the pilot's log book and other artifacts will be held June 12 in Normandy's Saint-Come-du-Mont. A flight simulator with special effects will treat visitors to a simulated 7-minute flight inside the aircraft. Cannon's daughter, Nancy Downey of Genoa, and Krebs' daughter, Christine Goyer, will cut the ribbon with Ethan Wolverton, great-grandson of Lt. Col. Robert Wolverton, commander of the 3rd Battalion's stick of paratroopers, who was killed by Germany machinegun fire while he dangled in his harness after his parachute caught on a tree. ``In our region, we feel that the pilots and crews have not been significantly recognized for their action on D-Day, and we are attempting to not forget them in our museum extension,'' event coordinator Michel de Trez wrote in Downey's invitation. ``It is also our way to honor those who fought and died on the sector where we are located.'' In a telephone interview from Minden last week, Downey said she is looking forward to seeing the C-47 her father flew 71 years ago. ``I think it's a great honor to be a pilot of something that's living history, to be a memorial to people like my dad who risked their lives and lost lives to help, not only France, but the world be a safer place,'' she said, reflecting on her famous father, who died in 2002 at age 90. ``He was very humble and unassuming. He's been a tremendous inspiration to me my whole life,'' she said. Clark County, too, has assembled some of Cannon's photographs and memorabilia for its Cannon Aviation Museum. ``Had we not had the paratroopers, it was highly likely the invasion would not have been successful,'' said Mark Hall- Patton, administrator of the Clark County Museum on Boulder Highway in Henderson. ``And to have somebody who later was the local DA and Nevada senator who was co-pilot of the lead plane is huge,'' he said. ``He was the one who, among other things, deregulated the airlines and played a key role in passage of the Civil Rights Act. He was a Democrat who was able to bring the Republicans in and get that passed for (President Lyndon B.) Johnson,'' Hall-Patton said. After his death in 2002, a Review-Journal editorial recognized his political savvy. ``The senator would never tell what deal President Lyndon Johnson offered him for his role in ending the Southern filibuster which would otherwise have prevented the Civil Rights Act from coming to a vote in 1964.'' Cannon served 24 years as one of Nevada's U.S. senators, from 1959 to 1983. As a member of the Armed Services and Commerce, Science and Transportation committees and chairman of the Tactical Air Power, Military Construction and Stockpiles subcommittees, he helped secure funding and upgrades for Nellis Air Force Base. Born in St. George, Utah, in 1912, he became intrigued by the budding aviation industry while attending Dixie Junior College in the 1930s. ``I admit I was more than just a little impressed by the glamour of flying in those days,'' he said in an interview for the December 1971 edition of Air Line Pilot magazine. ``Lindbergh had recently made his epic ocean-crossing flight, and that added to the pilot mystique that dominated that era.'' As a second lieutenant in the Utah National Guard, he was called to active duty in 1941 and promoted to first lieutenant in charge of a combat engineers unit. He was assigned to the 40th Division in San Luis Obispo, Calif., when Japanese warplanes attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Responding to the need for experienced pilots, he joined the Army Air Corps and graduated from light aircraft and glider school in New Mexico as a captain. In his biography that Downey helped him write, Cannon described the historic D-Day flight. ``Anti-aircraft fire at us as we passed the Channel Islands but we were too low and out of range from them. . . . As we approached the target, we let down through the stuff and broke out at 700 feet over the green fields of France.'' He saw one of the U.S. planes explode as his C-47 powered toward the drop zone. ``Many positions firing tracers,'' he wrote. ``Many of them had me flinching. Over target--green light--there go the troops. Time 0140 (1:40 a.m.) 6 June 1944.'' His awards and decorations included a Purple Heart, a Distinguished Flying Cross, a presidential citation, and the French Croix de Guerre. On Sept. 17, 1944, Cannon and Krebs were again flying paratroopers behind enemy lines. This time it was for the allied invasion of the Netherlands for Operation Market Garden. After they had dropped the troops, their plane was hit by anti-aircraft flak, forcing them to bail out. What followed was a 42-day odyssey during which they evaded their captors with the help of Dutch civilians. ``When I parachuted into Holland, I felt I was nothing-- someone small and unimportant--a speck in the universe leaving a disabled plane,'' he told Air Line Pilot magazine. ``When I left Holland, I sensed I had accomplished far more than our original mission. I had learned from the `defeated' the true meaning of freedom and how we must never give up fighting for it.''

Ms. TITUS

Ms. TITUS. I thank my colleague for the time. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to bring attention to a provision that is included in this package that, besides being completely unnecessary, may have far-reaching impacts on the management of our Nation's public lands. Specifically, this package contains language that would allow the Department of Defense to utilize certain public lands designated as national monuments for whatever purpose it chooses. Our national monuments are part of America's story. Sixteen Presidents, both Democrats and Republicans, from Teddy Roosevelt to George Bush to President Obama, have utilized their authority under the Antiquities Act to designate land as national monuments. These designations have protected iconic parts of our Nation, such as Chimney Rock in Colorado, San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound, and the ancient flint quarries in the Texas Panhandle. In each and every case, careful consideration and collaboration with other Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, occurred. Now, representing southern Nevada, I have an acute understanding of the importance of our armed services and the training necessary to support national security missions, but the language included in this package ignores the fact that today's military operations continue at our national monuments. Just look to Oregon Mountain-Desert Peaks National Monument in New Mexico, which was created with clear exceptions for military overflight operations, or the Sonoran Desert National Monument in Arizona, designated by President Clinton, which abuts the Barry Goldwater Range and to this day continues to serve as an example of how our national security and conservation goals can coexist. Closer to home, the recently designated Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument north of Las Vegas was designed in coordination with the needs of neighboring Nellis and Creech Air Force bases. If this provision were to become law, it would essentially cede national monuments to the Department of Defense, dismissing the long history of the armed services working to conserve our sensitive lands while protecting the mission.

Ms. TITUS. So instead of having the DOD at the table to evaluate and inform the monument creation process on a case-by-case basis, this provision would grant a virtual veto over any future designations. Mr. Chairman, as this legislation moves forward, I hope that we can remove unnecessary provisions such as this one that are really just solutions in search of a problem.