Don Young

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Clerk be directed to make the change in the engrossment of H.R. 5183 that I have placed at the desk.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that this is a resolution continuing present law until September 24 for highways and until the end of the month of September for transit and other activities under present law. That is my understanding. We must do this, as the gentleman is well aware, because, if we do not, then the ongoing activities of States across this Nation will be brought to a halt. We have high hopes that by the 24th of September, as the gentleman mentioned, we will have a meeting of the minds on what we call the total bill and there will be no longer any need for a continuing resolution. That is the hope of this chairman, and I am sure it is the hope of the gentleman also. Basically, that is what this resolution does.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee on Science, and the Committee on Resources be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 4916) to provide an extension of highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund pending enactment of a law reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, last week at the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, the world's attention was drawn to the 38 million people around the world who are living with HIV-- nearly a million of whom live in the United States. Moreover, many HIV positive individuals in the United States face significant hurdles that prevent them from engaging in long-term health care, including unstable financial and housing situations and a lack of trust between patients and health care providers. As a result, approximately 250,000 individuals who are aware of their HIV status are not receiving regular primary medical care; a population the Health Resources and Services Administration defines as the ``unmet need'' in the domestic epidemic. However, the United States should not and must not consider this lack of HIV health care inevitable because solutions do exist. With this in mind, I rise today to recognize and share with you work that is being done in my own state of Alaska to successfully bring HIV treatment and care to the people who need it. The Alaska AIDS Assistance Association in Anchorage uses ``Inter-Agency Networking'' to connect HIV positive Alaskans to a system of integrated health care and support. The activity accomplishes this by providing health care agencies with opportunities to exchange information and share resources, thus increasing the agencies understanding of community needs and enhancing their ability to provide care to more people living with HIV. Inter-Agency Networking is indebted to a capacity-building initiative called Connecting to Care, which was developed by AIDS Action in collaboration with the Health Resource and Service Administration, Connecting to Care identified the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association's activity as a ``model practice'' and disseminated it to more than 10,000 health providers throughout the country as a model intervention that has been successful in connecting HIV positive individuals to care. My hope is that the Connecting to Care initiative will guide other communities in their own development of activities that connect HIV positive individuals with the health care they want and need.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. I thank the gentleman for bringing this to our attention. I was unaware of this problem. I do appreciate his suggestions. We will look into it. Concerning the previous conversation, in this legislation there is a provision in the bill to tell the Coast Guard to get off their you- know-what and get busy and finish that problem that the gentleman from Michigan was talking about, and we are going to take care of that. With respect to the gentleman from Ohio's issue, I now will be contacting the pilots association to find out what is the problem. I was reading with dismay the amount of delays that did occur because there were no pilots available. I cannot quite understand that myself because these are fine-paying jobs; and very honestly, the revenue is quite attractive. I am anticipating my career, and I am really shocked. Maybe there is a place for me, after all, if I get out of this position. I will be working with the gentleman very closely to see if we can do it.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the conference report on H.R. 2443, the Coast Guard Authorization and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004. This conference report is the result of a very bipartisan effort. I notice this is a word being used often today on this floor, but I want to compliment especially the committee I serve on. It was worked out with the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), the ranking members from the full committee and the subcommittee, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner), and all of the conferees; and it deserves the support of all Members. As this body's only licensed mariner and elected Member for all of Alaska, I am extremely interested in making sure the Coast Guard has the tools necessary to carry out its many varied missions. This bill gives the Coast Guard the resources and authorities necessary to protect the safety and security of lives and property on U.S. waters. H.R. 2443 authorizes $8.2 billion to support activities of the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2005 and includes a number of provisions which will result in a safer, more effective system of maritime transportation. My State of Alaska contains nearly one-third of the Nation's exclusive economic zone, the Nation's largest fishery, and significant cruise ship and oil tanker traffic. Therefore, I am concerned about the ability of the Coast Guard to carry out its traditional search, fisheries law enforcement, and vessel inspection missions. Mr. Speaker, all of us recognize the exceptional work performed by the Coast Guard, often under dangerous conditions and circumstances. I urge all of my colleagues to support the conference report. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. John Rayfield and Mr. Mark Zachares for their hard work, and thank the staff on both the Senate and House side. The staff has worked very hard to ensure this has been done correctly. Again, may I stress, I hope we can do the same thing on the highway bill as we have done on this bill, and through a bipartisan effort, achieve our goal. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 730, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 2443) to authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2004, to amend various laws administered by the Coast Guard, and for other purposes.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), the chairman of the subcommittee, who has done an outstanding job on this legislation.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my debate time to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) and, pending that, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman be permitted to control the time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that today the House is considering H.R. 2828, the Water Supply Reliability, and Environmental Improvement Act. This bill reauthorizes the CALFED Bay-Delta Program, a Federal-State cooperative effort to manage water resources in California. The purpose of the program is to increase the supply of available water for municipal, agricultural, and industrial use, and to engage in watershed restoration. Water is a very precious resource, particularly in the West. The supply of water is governed by State law. However, many Federal and State programs and projects also manage water resources and impact water supply. Eighteen Federal and State agencies are partners in the CALFED program. Two of those agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, fall under the jurisdiction of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. EPA has some existing authorities that can help meet the goals of the CALFED program. The Corps also has many water resources development projects either under study or under construction in the Bay-Delta area, including the Sacramento/San Joaquin river basins comprehensive study. This legislation does not authorize any EPA programs or Corps projects, even if a project is specifically mentioned in the August 28, 2000, programmatic record of decision that H.R. 2828 establishes as the general framework for addressing the CALFED program. EPA and Corps activities in furtherance of the CALFED program must fall under existing authorities and nothing in this bill changes those authorities, or directs the USA of EPA or Corps funds. Additional Corps projects in the Bay-Delta area may be authorized later, but those projects will go through the regular Corps of Engineers feasibility study process and regular authorization process in a water resources development act. This does not mean that EPA and the Corps are not full participants in the CALFED program. In carrying out existing programs and projects, EPA and the Corps will coordinate their activities with all the Federal agencies participating in CALFED, and the State of California. I congratulate Mr. Calvert and Mr. Pombo for bringing this legislation to the House floor. It has been a long time coming and reflects a lot of hard work by many Members. I urge all Members to support this bill.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for this colloquy.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Chairman, this bill reinstates the discretionary spending caps for fiscal year 2005 and 2006 and extends the highway and transit firewalls for fiscal years 2004 through 2009 at the levels contained in H.R. 3550, as passed by the House earlier this year. The inclusion of the highway and transit firewalls in the bill before us today is an important statement that the House intends to continue the budget reforms that were achieved for the Highway Trust Fund in TEA-21. It is my understanding that the level of the highway and transit firewalls will ultimately be determined by the conference of H.R. 3550 in which the gentleman is a member, in accordance with the fiscal year 2005 budget resolution, which provided for an adjustment in the transportation funding levels. I would like to clarify my views with the gentleman from Iowa and ask for his assistance in ensuring that the highway and transit firewalls ultimately enacted into law will reflect the agreement of the conferees on H.R. 3550.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I was listening to the gentleman speak on the issue about the needs for a user fee, and he is absolutely right. Again, I hope the American public will speak out, because every day that it goes up higher, I believe last year it was $2.55 for the premium gas, it is now $2.25 for regular, none of that goes into the highway construction. It goes overseas. Unless people like supporting those countries who are not friendly to us, those countries that take our dollars and use them for terrorism purposes, maybe unknowingly, I hope the American public will wake up and say enough is enough. If we have to spend this on fuel, then let us spend it in America. So I compliment the gentleman for his comments and the concept that we will continue to talk about, which are the needs. Again, I want to stress, not the ``wants,'' contrary to what you may read, but the ``needs.'' So I do compliment the gentleman.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the H.R. 4635, the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2004 Part III is the continuation of the highway construction and highway safety transit, motor carrier, and surface transportation research programs for an additional 10 months beyond the end of fiscal year 2003. This is the fourth extension of the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century, which expired on September 30, 2003. In September 2003, we extended these programs for 5 months until February 29, 2004. Since then, we have passed two subsequent 2-month extensions, STEA 2004, parts 1 and 2, and are now facing the expiration of the current extension on June 30. This extension will continue highway transit and highway safety programs for one more month until July 31, 2004. It is the hope of the conferees that H.R. 3550, the 6-year service transportation reauthorization bill, that we will complete conference before the extension expires. H.R. 4635 authorizes almost $27 billion in contract authority to the States to continue the core Federal aid highway program. This bill also authorizes $6 billion to continued grants to transit agencies around the country and other programs of the Federal Transit Administration. It authorizes $306 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for State grants to enforce safety regulation on our Nation's highways and to continue safety inspections at our border with Mexico. And, finally, the bill authorizes $249 million to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for highway safety grants, occupant protection grants, and impaired driving countermeasure grants. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), the chairman of the subcommittee that wrote this bill.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Not at this time; I do not believe I will.

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the gentleman for his comments and especially the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for his comments. I can assure him there will not be any less out of this conference than we passed in the House, and I am praying that there will be more. It is ironic that when we meet with the other side of the aisle, I know I am not supposed to mention that, I want their number, and we are suggesting that maybe their number is correct, but I am faced with a very difficult task now of bringing a third party into this agreement; and I am not giving up on this legislation. I think it is vitally important for the Nation. I think if we stand together shoulder to shoulder that we will eventually prevail. If we do not, it will be a terrible disservice to this Nation as far as our transportation, not wants, but needs; and I want to stress that. I believe, Mr. Speaker, that when I first came out 3 years ago for $375 billion I was correct then. I am more correct now, and I will be more correct in the future. It is a number that we need to solve this very serious problem. We all know, and anybody on this floor that has constituents knows, that the one issue we all share in common is not the necessary fear of terrorism. That is very serious in itself, but it is the constant problem of moving oneself, be it their children or himself or herself, to and from the home, to school or to work, and to receive goods on time, and we have to understand that; and the public is crying out, let us solve this problem, and they are willing to pay for it. I have lost that battle now, but in the House bill my colleagues are well aware we have a reopening clause, and I am going to continue the pursue, and I am confident that the public finally will raise up and say let us fix it. This extension gives us some time. I am hoping we will not have to ask for another, but let us fix the problem of this transportation challenge we have in this Nation. Let us do it quicker than later. Mr. Speaker, 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. 4635) to provide an extension of highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund pending enactment of a law reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.