Bruce Westerman

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Waltz), the lead sponsor of this bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8012) to establish the Jackie Robinson Ballpark National Commemorative Site in the State of Florida, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I, again, commend Representative Waltz for his efforts in leading this important bill. This is a straightforward way of recognizing a historic venue that played a critical role in the fight for equality for all Americans. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1101 would extend Federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, ensuring its members are eligible for the services and benefits provided to members of all federally recognized Tribes. Again, I thank the sponsor for his work on this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Brecheen).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Oklahoma.

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

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1101) to amend the Lumbee Act of 1956, as amended.

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. 1101, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, when we talk about Tribal recognition bills, it often comes with a lot of passion. There are people who support the bills and people who oppose the bills, and it is hard to get consensus on these Tribal recognition bills. As we consider this bill today, I just want to lay out the facts of what is at stake here in this particular Tribal recognition bill. H.R. 1101 would extend Federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and remove a statutory bar that has impacted the Tribe since 1956. According to the Tribe, this statutory bar has prevented them from being federally recognized through any administrative procedure. Under the legislation, the Lumbee Tribe would be eligible for services, benefits, and immunities available to other federally recognized Indian Tribes. In 1956, an act of Congress designated certain Indians as Lumbee Indians of North Carolina. It declared that they shall enjoy all rights as citizens of the State of North Carolina and the United States, but in 1989, the Department of the Interior solicitor issued an opinion stating that the 1956 act effectively denied the Lumbee Tribe eligibility to petition for recognition under the Federal acknowledgment process at the Department. In 2016, the Department of the Interior solicitor withdrew the 1989 opinion and replaced it with a new opinion, stating that the Lumbee Tribe may pursue Federal recognition under the current administrative procedures for federally recognizing a Tribe. This complex history has created legal confusion, and the Lumbee Tribe has chosen to seek Federal recognition through Congress rather than apply through the Federal acknowledgment process. H.R. 1101 would use Congress' plenary power over Indian affairs to federally recognize the Lumbee Tribe. Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsor of this legislation, Representative Rouzer, for his work on this bill. I urge support, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I again thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore) for his work on this bill and his work as a Member of this body to increase recreational access to our public lands. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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. 6127, 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 H.R. 6127, the Modernizing Access to Our Public Waters Act, or MAPWaters Act, sponsored by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore). This bill seeks to improve recreational access for our country's boaters and anglers by requiring agencies to digitize maps of Federal waterways and information related to the regulations and restrictions to accessing those waterways. The bill then calls upon Federal land management agencies to publish this information online and work with the private sector to make this information easily available to the public. This bill is necessary because access to information related to regulations and restrictions to Federal waterways can often be hard to come by. The Natural Resources Committee heard testimony about a specific example of an unfortunate situation that happened at Yellowstone National Park. A group of backpackers was hiking to a remote lake in the park where the group planned to fish. Upon arriving at the lake, they discovered that half the lake was off-limits to fishing because of nesting swans. It just so happens that the half of the lake that was closed to fishing was the part of the lake they were permitted to fish. This is unacceptable. Passing this bill would prevent incidents like this by ensuring this information is easily available to the public. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6127) to provide for the standardization, consolidation, and publication of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways among Federal land and water management agencies, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Bentz), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7938 would provide important tools and certainty for both wildlife and people living in the Klamath River Basin. The irrigated lands of the Klamath Project support family farms and ranches, Tribal fishing rights, and the recovery of several ESA- listed fish species. This legislation builds upon vital work being done by these groups. Mr. Speaker, I again thank my colleague, Mr. Bentz, for his work on the bill. I urge Members to support this commonsense legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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. 7938, 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 H.R. 7938, the Klamath Basin Water Agreement Support Act of 2024. This legislation, sponsored by Congressman Cliff Bentz, would uphold the commitments made by the Federal Government in the agreements concerning dam removal and species restoration, which are aimed at ensuring farmers are shielded from the adverse effects of these actions. The Klamath River Basin in southern Oregon and northern California encompasses more than 12,000 square miles with some of the most productive irrigated agriculture in the country. The basin is partially supported by the Bureau of Reclamation's Klamath Project and is home to six national wildlife refuges, which rely on basin waters to sustain migratory bird habitats and support Native American Tribal fishing grounds. However, this basin has been plagued by decades of disagreement and conflicting agency opinions on how to best conserve the ESA-listed species. While H.R. 7938 provides the Department of the Interior the authorization to operate and improve infrastructure, it makes clear that Klamath Project irrigators are not responsible for those costs. The bill also enables Reclamation to implement conservation measures for ESA-listed species through fish screens and other restoration projects. This would protect Tribal resources in the basin and avoid additional regulatory burdens on other stakeholders. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Bentz for his diligent leadership on this issue and tireless support of the Klamath Basin. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7938) to amend the Klamath Basin Water Supply Enhancement Act of 2000 to provide the Secretary of the Interior with certain authorities with respect to projects affecting the Klamath Basin watershed, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Proceedings will resume on questions previously postponed. Votes will be taken in the following order: The motion to recommit on H.R. 115; Passage of H.R. 115, if ordered; and Motions to suspend the rules with respect to: S. 3448; and