Bruce Westerman

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the majority leader.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), who is on the Natural Resources Committee and is also the chair of the Education and Workforce Committee.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 845.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4285, the Semiquincentennial Tourism and Access to Recreation Sites Act, or STARS Act, led by my colleague, the gentlewoman from Utah (Ms. Maloy). This bill designates September 17, 2026, as a fee-free day across our national parks and other Federal recreation lands in honor of the 250th anniversary of our Nation's independence. September 17 was also the date on which the U.S. Constitution was signed 11 years later, bringing together two foundational milestones in American history. By waiving entrance and recreation fees at more than 400 National Park Service units and thousands of Federal recreation sites, the STARS Act ensures that families across the country can celebrate America 250 by connecting with our natural landscapes and historic places. From our forests and lakeshores to our battlefields and monuments, these sites tell the story of our liberty, resilience, and shared civic values. This is a simple, bipartisan bill that expands access to our public lands, encourages public participation in the semiquincentennial, and reaffirms the ideals that continue to guide our Nation. I commend Representative Maloy, as well as my fellow Arkansan, Senator John Boozman, for leading this bipartisan legislation in the House and the Senate, respectively. I also recognize the work of Representative Pete Stauber, who offered a thoughtful amendment during our Natural Resources Committee markup to expand this bill to national forests, refuges, and all public lands. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4285, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as we get ready to celebrate our 250th anniversary--and, actually, we are already in it with some of the Revolutionary War battles being fought already over 250 years ago--we look forward to Americans being able to have a very affordable day when they can go to our parks and Federal lands for free. It is already an exciting time in America. I commend the gentlewoman who brought this bill to us and the effort that she has put forth to make sure that Americans can have an affordable day on our Federal lands. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Utah (Ms. Maloy), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4285, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4285) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to designate an entrance-fee free date in 2026 at National Park Service sites in order to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, as amended.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I, once again, thank Representative Maloy and Chairman Boozman for their leadership on the STARS Act in their respective Chambers of Congress. This is a good bill that gives every American the opportunity to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Nation's independence in the very places that conserve our history and our heritage. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. As has been noted, for more than 60 years, the Oscar Cross Boys and Girls Club of Paducah has provided dedicated service to their community. H.R. 1276 is a straightforward bill that will enhance this legacy of service by removing an unnecessary Federal deed restriction and allowing the city of Paducah to transfer land directly to the club. This will pave the way for long-planned improvements that will directly benefit Kentucky children and families. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support Chairman Comer's legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1276) to remove restrictions from a parcel of land in Paducah, Kentucky, as amended.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1276, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation offered by my good friend and the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Representative Comer. This legislation would remove Federal deed restrictions from a building and the surrounding parcel of land in Paducah, Kentucky. For more than six decades, the Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club of Paducah has provided a safe place for young people in McCracken County, Kentucky, to learn, grow, and thrive. The club is a model of community service, offering affordable mentorship, recreation, and educational opportunities to hundreds of children each year. Today, the club is ready to make long-overdue improvements, including renovating and expanding its building, adding new classrooms, and refurbishing its gymnasium so that it can serve even more children and bolster its educational and recreational programming. To do so, the Boys & Girls Club is hoping to acquire the current building and surrounding land from the city of Paducah. However, these plans are stalled by an outdated Federal deed restriction put in place by the National Park Service on the land where the Boys & Girls Club currently operates. H.R. 1276 removes that restriction, which would, in turn, allow the city of Paducah to transfer the parcel directly to the club. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Comer for working with the Natural Resources Committee to amend this bill during our committee's markup to ensure that this area remains dedicated to public and recreational purposes in perpetuity. This is a commonsense bill that cuts red tape, empowers local leaders, and strengthens a vital community institution. Chairman Comer has played a vital role in leading and representing his community. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1276, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, this legislation will allow the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians to place land into trust in a way that will benefit both the Tribe and the surrounding area. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman for his work on this important issue and representing his district so well. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2302) to take certain Federal land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2302, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2302, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Land Transfer Act of 2025, introduced by Congressman McClintock, would place approximately 80 acres of BLM land and 185 acres of fee land into trust for the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. Descendants of the Miwok Indians once lived throughout north central California, inhabiting land from the Sacramento area to the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Shingle Springs Band, however, was displaced by the Gold Rush of the 1850s, prompting the Federal Government to refer to the Tribe as the ``Sacramento-Verona Band of Homeless Indians.'' In 1920, the government provided the Tribe a 160-acre parcel of land known as the Verona Tract, which serves as the Tribe's rancheria. As the years have passed, and without the realignment of Highway 50 in California, the rancheria has become largely landlocked. This has prohibited the Tribe's growth and restricted its housing opportunities. In 2014, roughly 41 acres of BLM land were placed into trust for the Tribe to assist with Tribal housing needs. Developing the land for housing has proved difficult, however, due to the land's rough terrain. Recently, the Tribe purchased land near the rancheria known as the Indian Creek Subdivision, which was previously approved for a now- defunct subdivision. The Tribe seeks to place this land into trust and is pursuing this goal legislatively, as their previous attempts to obtain fee-to-trust approval through the Federal administrative process have been mired in bureaucracy. The other parcels involved in this legislation comprise approximately 80 acres of BLM land that will be transferred into trust for the Tribe. These parcels have suffered from various management issues, which have led the Tribe and other surrounding landowners to raise concerns about increased wildfire risk. Despite lacking ownership, the Tribe has performed needed management functions on this land, a fact that reflects positively on the Tribe's stewardship capabilities and deep- felt concern for the land's overall health. Currently, the Tribe has no immediate commercial or development plans for these parcels. Pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, gaming on these lands is prohibited. I applaud Mr. McClintock for working with the Tribe to develop H.R. 2302, which would place land into trust for the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), the lead sponsor of this bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 356, the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025, which is a lifeline for rural school districts that have experienced severe budget impacts since 2023 when the program was not reauthorized. This bill is vital to restoring critical funding, preventing further school closures, and ensuring rural students have access to quality education that can compete with urban communities. However, this is not just an education issue. This is about investing in the future of rural America and supporting communities surrounded by Federal forests. It is something I hear about regularly from the men and women of the Fourth District of Arkansas who share my understanding that our schools must be supported in a way that allows them to play a role as a community hub while also supporting our timber industry that is the lifeblood for many of our communities. For generations, Arkansas counties with large swaths of Federal forest land have received a share of Federal timber harvest revenue on Federal land. Unfortunately, reduced timber revenue since the 1990s, as a result of declining rates of timber harvesting, litigation, and misguided environmental regulations, has drastically affected county revenue, creating very real economic impacts in its wake. Franklin, Garland, Hot Spring, Howard, Johnson, Logan, Montgomery, Newton, Pike, Polk, Pope, Scott, and Yell Counties have lost millions of their SRS funding while waiting for this legislation to be reauthorized. Communities across Arkansas and the United States are sounding the alarm, and it is time for Congress to listen. This bill not only shines a light on an educational issue but underscores the need for an increase in responsible forest management. That is why I introduced the Fix Our Forests Act earlier this year, which passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support. FOFA would not only result in more stable funding for working families, but it would also mitigate the devastation of wildfires in our wildland-urban interfaces through the restoration of forest health and commonsense management. I hope the Senate will act soon so we can send FOFA to the President's desk quickly to help our rural communities throughout Arkansas and the Nation. It is time to restore revenue, revitalize resilience, and reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools legislation for our rural timber communities. This will be for our rural timber communities all across the country. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague, Mr. LaMalfa, for the work that he has done on this, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 299.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, ICAS, the North Slope Borough, and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, ASRC, that specifically states BLM failed to engage in meaningful government-to-government consultation with ASRC, the Borough, and ICAS. This admission contradicts Federal consultation requirements and disregards the voices of the very communities most affected. Our leadership has consistently raised concerns about this process and its outcome, yet those concerns were ignored. October 3, 2025. Re Support for S.J. Res. 80 and H.J. Res. 124--Congressional Review Act Disapproval of the BLM NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) Record of Decision (ROD). Hon. Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Hon. Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Hon. Nicholas Begich III, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Senators Murkowski, Sullivan, and Representative Begich: On behalf of the North Slope Inupiaq leadership-- including Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), the North Slope Borough (Borough), and the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope (ICAS)--we write in strong support of S.J. Res. 80, introduced by Senators Sullivan and Murkowski, and H.J. Res. 124 in the House, each providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management relating to the ``National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska Integrated Activity Plan Record of Decision.'' Background The North Slope Inupiat have called the Arctic home for over 10,000 years. We are proud of our self-determination efforts to ensure future generations of Inupiat continue to reside in our communities and have access to essential services. Without a stable economy, our communities will suffer, along with our ability to fully engage in and sustain our Inupiaq cultural traditions, including our vital subsistence way of life. The North Slope of Alaska spans an area nearly the size of the state of Minnesota and, within that expansive area, there are eight Inupiaq communities--Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Kaktovik, Nuiqsut, Point Hope, Point Lay, Utqiagvik, and Wainwright. None of our communities are connected by a permanent road system; all supplies must be flown or barged in, making the cost of living extremely high and economic opportunities generally low. Over fifty years ago, the Federal Government directed Alaska Native people to organize into a new structure of indigenous representation. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) was a dramatically different and transformative approach by the Federal Government to federal Indian policy. The fact that our ancestral lands were claimed by the Federal Government before our people had a right to settle aboriginal land claims should inform every decision the Federal Government makes in managing those lands. Unlike the Lower 48 model of indigenous representation where tribal governments typically administer the delivery of services such as healthcare, public safety, education, land management, and economic development, the passage of ANCSA created a shared system of Alaska Native representation and delivery of services. Our region has a multitude of Alaska Native entities that work together to effectively serve, provide for, and enrich the lives of the North Slope Inupiat we represent. Our three regional entities, the ICAS, the Borough, and ASRC are three of those entities. While our roles differ, our constituencies overlap, which is why we work closely together to protect the cultural and economic interests of the North Slope Inupiat. While our leaders over fifty years ago were initially wary of any development on our lands, our Inupiaq leaders have spent decades prioritizing open communication and transparency in planning with industry. We have exercised true self-determination through a unique framework of Alaska Native governance--a framework that relies on our tribal governments, municipal governments, and Alaska Native corporations established by Congress to serve our indigenous constituents. For millennia, Inupiaq ingenuity has transformed our relationship with industry into a partnership that has both protected our environment and our way of life and has brought significant economic benefits to the region that would have otherwise been absent. Our North Slope residents are keenly aware that advances in our communities-- running water, local schools, health care, public safety, electricity, and more--have come because of the coordination and cooperation of Alaska Native leaders and entities across the region.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I point out that, while the current administration did recently rescind the 2024 rule this month, passage of a CRA is still necessary to prevent a future administration from, again, weaponizing IAPs similar to this one that ignore congressional intent. By replacing the 2022 IAP, BLM wouldn't be left in limbo. They would revert back to the initial IAP finalized under the first Trump administration, which did take into account Native Tribal voices, and it is consistent with the requirements included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Begich), the lead sponsor of the House companion to this legislation.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would submit that a recipe for disaster is when an administration goes out on their own, goes around the laws that Congress passed, and implements bad rules on their way out the door and expects no repercussions from that. I would say a recipe for good governance is when Congress acts within their power to disapprove of these rules, and that is exactly what we are doing with the CRA to make sure that these rules are followed. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.