Don Young

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

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

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).

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. At this time, Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to Congresswoman Gabbard.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. I urge the chairman to accept this amendment. This amendment takes no money away from anyone, other than the Natives themselves. This program has worked. It has worked so well that I'm asking my colleagues to keep it in the existing bill that's coming before us. I'm not going to argue about Leave No Child Behind or the new bill, H.R. 5. But if a program is working and it's neutral, for God's sake let's leave it in there. Why take it out? Everybody says, Well, they have a chance at it. Not when we don't have BIE funding in the State of Alaska. This is a neutral bill financially. It doesn't take away from any other programs. I ask very respectfully for my colleagues to vote for this legislation to promote American Indian, Hawaiian Indian, and Alaska Native educational programs. It's the right thing to do, and let's do what's right today. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of a devoted wife and mother, a respected spiritual and community leader, and most importantly, a great Alaskan. On June 2, 2013, the Alaskan community of St. Paul Island lost one of its most revered elders, Mary Nicolai Bourdukofsky. ``Aunty'' Mary, as she was affectionately known throughout her community, was a staunch supporter for the continuation and preservation of Aleut culture, language and tradition. To paraphrase Mary's life in a few sentences would serve only to cheapen it, for her accomplishments were widespread and varied as they were valued. She was an advocate for her Aleut community during years of involuntary internment during World War II, served as a delegate to the Alaska Federation of Natives, and assisted with the development of cultural exhibits at the Alaska Native Heritage Center and for the Smithsonian's Alaska Native Collections. Mary also taught at three universities throughout the state and promoted the importance of cultural education. Her memory will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of those who had the privilege of knowing her, and the great many that were touched by her tireless efforts and countless deeds. For those who did not, I pray that they too have the opportunity to know someone like Mary, a person whose unrelenting dedication and resolute sense of character cannot be easily duplicated. Mr. Speaker, today I mourn with Mary's family and community and share my sadness at the loss of one of Alaska's most dedicated daughters. In the words of Thomas Campbell: ``To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.''

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, over a month ago, the House passed the Vietnam Veterans Donor Acknowledgment Act by a resounding vote of 398-2. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago, the Senate substantially changed this bipartisan and noncontroversial piece of legislation. Instead of only allowing donor recognition at a soon-to-be-built Vietnam Veterans Education Center, the Senate changed the bill to allow donor recognition, across the entire Mall, on all future commemorative works. While I am not fundamentally opposed to this idea, neither the House nor the Senate has done any hearings to consider the implications of this issue. In fact, neither the House nor the Senate has done a markup on this issue to allow Members to add their input. Mr. Speaker, put simply, this is just a poor legislative process, and the American people deserve better. Today, we are here to undo what the Senate has done and to, once again, send the Senate a bipartisan and noncontroversial bill. Today's resolution merely strikes the Senate language that allows donor recognition across The Mall and reinserts my original language from H.R. 588. This language has been through the full committee process and is sound legislative text. However, not all of the Senate additions are bad. In this bill, we will keep one portion of the Senate's language, which extends the legislative authority to construct the Vietnam Veterans Education Center from 2014 until 2018. It is unfortunate that we must provide this extension, though. Our Nation's Vietnam veterans have waited too long for this education center. It is a shame that a long line of political gamesmanship has delayed its construction. Mr. Speaker, after the Vietnam War, many of our Nation's bravest were welcomed home not with joyous cheers or words of thanks, but dirty looks and snide remarks. Let us end these political games. I call upon my colleagues in the House, but especially on my colleagues in the Senate, to quickly pass this resolution so this education center can finally be built. I think we can all agree that this legislation and this center are a long time coming.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise to thank my good friend and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee for including my amendment on section 811 of the fiscal year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act in one of today's en bloc packages and to ask if he is concerned, as I am, that implementation by Federal agencies of section 811 of the FY10 National Defense Authorization Act has been inconsistent and contrary to the congressional intent.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I thank the gentleman and ask the distinguished chairman of the Armed Services Committee if he agrees with me that section 811 was not intended to be a cap or bar on sole-source awards above $20 million, and to also ask if he is concerned about the growing number of reports that agencies are treating the threshold requiring sole-source justification as a prohibition on such awards.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I ask you to join me and my colleague from Hawaii (Ms. Hanabusa) in continued oversight of Federal agency implementation of section 811 and in requesting the Comptroller General provide us a full report with respect to any inconsistencies in the ways agencies are implementing section 811, the negative impacts such section is having on Native American contractors, and provide recommendations on how the provision should be better implemented. Such a report will aid Congress in ensuring that section 811 is implemented so as to make clear that the provision does not impose a cap or limit on awards covered by the provision, so long as the justifications and approval are obtained pursuant to provision, and that the provision is intended to provide a level of oversight and approval, not act as a prohibition or limit on awards.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I thank the chairman for including my amendment in this package. My amendment is very simple. It asks the Department of Defense to report on what actually makes an installation in the Pacific strategically important. In my many meetings with military leaders, I'm always told about the strategic importance of various installations in Alaska and all across this country; however, ``strategic'' is never fully defined. My amendment merely asks the Department of Defense to qualify and quantify exactly what makes an installation strategic. As every Alaskan knows, Alaska has numerous strategic installations that proudly protect this country from harm. Among those bases is Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, which is the home to the 18th Aggressor Squadron. This squadron provides our Nation's pilots with real-life training they need to be the best in the world. Throughout the year, but especially during Red Flag-Alaska, the F-16 Aggressors fight realistic mock battles in the largest training range in the United States, and it's one of the most terrain diverse training areas in the world. Eielson Air Force Base is also home to the strategically important 168th Air Guard Refueling Wing. These KC-135s provide legs for our Nation's northern air bridge, which allows us to project power into the Arctic and the Northern Pacific. I have confidence that my amendment and the following DOD report will show what General Billy Mitchell recognized in 1935, namely, that Alaska is the most strategic place in the world.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, last year, Jan Scruggs, president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, came to my office and told me about an absurd fund-raising problem he had. He told me that in order to build a much- needed education center at the Vietnam Wall, he had to raise nearly $100 million of private money. Normally, this would not be a big problem; however, in this case, VVMF had to raise all of this $100 million without the ability to recognize their donors because current law did not allow donor recognition. Mr. Speaker, I think we can agree that it is ridiculous to force any organization to fund-raise without the ability to recognize donors. How are we supposed to raise any money? Even the National Park Service understands the importance of donor recognition. I personally have seen hundreds of benches in national parks all across this country that have little metal plaques on them thanking people for their generous donations. In spite of current law and this donor recognition handicap, VVMF has raised over 25 percent of the nearly $100 million needed to build this education center. My bill, H.R. 588, will give them the extra pulling power they need to quickly complete their fund-raising and finally cross the $100 million finish line. Overall, my bill is very straightforward. It merely provides VVMF the ability to recognize their donors. This recognition will lead to larger donations, a faster fund-raising pace, and quick and timely construction of the education center. It will also make the act of giving more personal and more rewarding. Put simply, every donor deserves a ``thank you,'' and my bill will finally allow VVMF to give the ``thank you'' their donors so rightly deserve. Also, in order to ensure that appropriate standards for donor recognition were met, I made sure that H.R. 588 dovetailed exactly with existing Parks Service guidelines. This regulatory overlap ensures that any donor recognition will be discreet, unobtrusive, and will not contain any advertising or company logos. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 588 is supported by numerous veterans' organizations, including the VFW, the American Gold Star Mothers, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart, among many others. I urge my colleagues to support the quick passage this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 588) to provide for donor contribution acknowledgments to be displayed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Visitor Center, and for other purposes.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield back 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 in which 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. 507) to provide for the conveyance of certain inholdings owned by the United States to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona, and for other purposes.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 507 directs the Secretary of the Interior to take two 10-acre parcels into trust for a tribe in Arizona. These two parcels are both completely surrounded by either the tribe's reservation or by fee lands owned by the tribe. Before the parcels can be taken into trust, however, the Tucson Unified School District will first need to relinquish its possessory interest in one parcel. The school district no longer needs the land, which it had previously received under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act. The Secretary of the Interior will also need to approve a lease agreement between the tribe and the school district for the construction and operation of a regional transportation facility on the tribe's land. Both parcels would be utilized as part of a golf course that is currently under construction. Neither parcel is necessary for the construction of the golf course, but if the tribe does not acquire and use these parcels, they will be orphaned and of relatively no use to either the tribe or to the United States. As has become customary when taking land into trust, the bill includes language that prohibits any gaming on the two parcels to be taken into trust. Finally, I would like to commend the gentleman from Arizona for his bill, and I urge its adoption. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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 ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which 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. 291) to provide for the conveyance of certain cemeteries that are located on National Forest System land in Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem), the author of the bill, to explain the bill.