Don Young

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I thank the gentleman for his presentation. He has done an excellent job. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2337) to provide for the conveyance of the Forest Service Lake Hill Administrative Site in Summit County, Colorado.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 2337 authorizes the Forest Service to convey approximately 40 acres of the White River National Forest to Summit County, Colorado. The parcel, sandwiched between Interstate 70 and a local highway and largely isolated from the rest of the White River National Forest, would be utilized by Summit County to construct affordable workforce housing. This conveyance would benefit both the county and the Forest Service by eliminating the agency's management over this isolated parcel. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the author of the bill, an outstanding Member from California.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 330) to designate a Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 330 designates the memorial located at March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California, as the Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial in honor of current and former members of the Armed Forces who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. This national memorial will not be a unit of the National Park System, and the designation does not require or permit any expenditures of Federal funds. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 330, which has passed the House as part of the most recent Department of Defense authorization bill, as well as a stand-alone bill in the 112th Congress by a vote of 392-1. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 623 transfers by warranty deed a 2.79-acre parcel of federal land located in Anchorage, Alaska, from the Indian Health Service to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. This consortium is a nonprofit authorized by Congress to render health services to Alaska Natives under a contract with the Indian Health Service. The land has been used for parking to accommodate nearby facilities run by the consortium and the Indian Health Service. It will be used to construct a patient housing facility, thereby expanding its capacity to offer vital health services for Alaska Native patients, some of whom travel great distances from rural areas to receive care. Following a subcommittee hearing on the bill in May, the Indian Health Service administratively conveyed the land to the consortium by quitclaim deed. H.R. 623 remains necessary because transferring the land by warranty deed provides cleaner title to the property than by quitclaim deed. The bill was also referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The chairman of that committee, Mr. Upton, has kindly foregone action on the bill in the interest of expediting it for consideration on the House floor. I thank him for his cooperation and have an exchange of letters memorializing our agreement. CBO estimates that H.R. 623 would have no significant impact on the Federal budget and would not affect direct spending on revenues. H.R. 623 is non-controversial, and I hope the House will pass it. I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC, October 1, 2013. Hon. Doc Hastings, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Hastings, I write concerning H.R. 623, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Land Transfer Act, which was ordered to be reported out of your Committee on July 31, 2013. I wanted to notify you that the Committee on Energy and Commerce will forgo action on H.R. 623 so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor for consideration. This is done with the understanding that the Committee on Energy and Commerce is not waiving any of its jurisdiction, and the Committee will not in any way be prejudiced with respect to the appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional prerogatives on this or similar legislation. I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming this understanding, and ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during consideration of H.R. 623 on the House floor. Sincerely, Fred Upton, Chairman.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 623) to provide for the conveyance of certain property located in Anchorage, Alaska, from the United States to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, as amended.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for commenting on this bill and supporting it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, the Corps has been good, but they are expanding. They just spent money, instead of on solving a problem, on a UAV, and they spent $2.3 million on a yacht. There is no reason for that, Mr. Chairman; there is no reason. This doesn't keep them from surveying, it doesn't keep them from contracting, but I don't want them to expand this program. We have another government agency, and we are trying to save money and we are going to allow them to expand it. I know how these agencies go. They will start buying more and more and they will expand and say, We don't have to contract anymore. Mr. Chairman, with all due respect, you know that is true. I have watched these agencies. As chairman of this committee, I watched them and tried to stop them. This is not the time to spend money foolishly. We have the contractors out there. Let's use them where they are available. Let's not let them build a machine within the Corps of Engineers themselves. Keep that in mind. You ought to adopt this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri).

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I reluctantly respect the gentleman's opinion, but at this time I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan).

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I suggest respectfully this is a very simple amendment. It is about the intrusion by the Corps into the private sector of mapping. They have been very good in the past about contracting out. I found out by reports that certain areas of the Corps have bought equipment, they have bought, frankly, a yacht, and they have gotten into the mapping business. In doing so, that is in direct competition to the private sector. Today, with the scarce amount of money we have for infrastructure, we ought to keep that infrastructure available for, in fact, all the moneys for building and not for getting into the private sector business of mapping. They can still do it. If there isn't a contractor close by or it is not practical, they can still do their own work, but I see the expansion occurring as an invasion into an area that already has plenty of qualified people to do it. I think this amendment is a very simple amendment. We ought to adopt this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, my fellow colleagues, this is an important piece of legislation. When you vote against this legislation, you are voting against the first Americans. Every one of you in this room is an immigrant. We made a trust relationship with American Indians to take care of them, provide for them, and a trust relationship we should fulfill. You say this won't go anywhere. Very frankly, we should have done this a long time ago. We should set up a system because of the trust system that they are front-end loaded for their health care primarily. We have a system now that does not work. They have to hold their hand out and beg; and a lot of you on that side, all of you will say, Don't say too much. Take your blanket and your half a beef and go home and be quiet. No other minority would be treated that way. This health system has to be fixed. We have an opportunity to fix it now. We should fix it now. When people stand up and say, I support the American Indian, the first Americans, you are not really supporting them. You are paying lip service. You are paying lip service. That is all you have been doing for all these years ever since Columbus landed on these shores. And you broke treaty after treaty after treaty, both sides of the aisle. I have been under eight Presidents, and they pay lip service. They pay lip service. The President will have a big first American conference, the fifth one, and all they do is tell them again is, Be quiet. Take your blanket and half a beef and go home. For those who talk about the minority, this is the first minority. Yes, I get a little emotional about this because I have 10 American Native grandchildren. I have two beautiful American Native children that have given me those 10 grandchildren, and I had a wife that was, in fact, one of the first Americans, and I am proud to be associated with that. We should vote ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following exchange of correspondence between myself and Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, August 1, 2013. Hon. Frank Lucas, Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture, Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Lucas, I write today to highlight a program of significance to rural Alaska and many of our Alaska Native villages. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the Rural Utilities Service, helps provide financing for the construction of water and waste water systems in remote Alaska villages that face unique, significant obstacles to providing residents with potable water and safe sanitation systems. These obstacles include Alaska's extreme climate and geography as well as the fact that most villages are not connected to the road system and are only accessible by air. The water systems assisted by the program are not a matter of convenience for these communities, but meet a critical public health need. Currently, more than 30 villages in Alaska still use ``honeybuckets'' as their method of waste collection. A honeybucket is a five gallon bucket used as a toilet by everyone in a household and emptied by the family on a daily basis. Honeybuckets are a reality for many communities in my state and pose serious health risks for residents, particularly children. Thankfully USDA, the State of Alaska, and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium are working together through the program to create better sanitation facilities in rural Alaska and help make honeybuckets a relic of the past. I would like to bring this issue to your attention and would greatly appreciate your assistance in Farm Bill conference negotiations with the Senate to help reauthorize this important program. Thank You, Don Young, Congressman for all Alaska.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I want to thank Chairman Latham for his leadership on this bill. It's difficult times. This is a very simple amendment. In 1978, when Congress deregulated the airline industry, it also provided a means to protect rural communities. The Essential Air Service program ensures the continuation of service to communities that would have lost all air service through deregulation. While this is a vital program, I respect the efforts of the chairman to find cost savings. The bill excludes communities from participating in the program if they receive a per-passenger subsidy of greater than $500. Current law excludes communities if they receive over $1,000 per passenger, with the exception of communities in Alaska and Hawaii. This recognizes that communities in Alaska and Hawaii are completely dependent on air travel. Alaska has limited road infrastructure. Eighty-two percent of Alaskan communities do not have a road system. In many of these communities, everything has to come in by air. My amendment clarifies that the proposed reforms will not alter the longstanding recognition of the realities in Alaska and Hawaii--no roads, no alternatives, complete dependence on aviation. My amendment has no score per CBO and does not impact funding levels of the program. My amendment provides a no-cost solution to ensure the most remote areas of our Nation are not excluded from participating in this program. I'd just like to remind my colleagues if you take all the land east of the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean, from Maine to Florida, that's Alaska. And you think about it, in that area, there's 253 Congressmen and 52 Senators. That's really different. Hawaii has the same problem--not quite as large, but we have only one way to communicate, and that's with air service. I urge the passage of this amendment. It is a very simple amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute. Mr. Chairman, this bill that has been proposed to us actually took one successful program out, the very successful Hawaiian Natives and Alaskan Natives program. It is destroying a program that works. This is a different program than the other Indian areas have, but it should have been left in this bill. And as I talked with the chairman, why take out some successful program and try to take and change it when there's other problems with No Child Left Behind? I'm asking my colleagues to vote for my amendment, which puts it back in. It restores title VI moneys, and it does retain a working program that we should leave. I say this because Alaska Natives and Hawaiian Natives are not under the BIE funding programs, and it would be impossible for them to receive the moneys under the grant program. All I want to do is keep my Natives on a right plain, which they've been doing very well in actually improving their lives, being better educated, achieving their goals. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, at this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Denham).