be in order a practice a will be offered by our chaplain father that lord god you were all to mentally the beginning and the end all time stands before you as ever present be present to all the members of congress and all who work with them and beside them this day and this week made the daily decisions that your people may be assigned to that acting with hearts set on what is right seeking only lasting good for this nation and for all peoples they will prove themselves to be faithful and free children of their of their heavenly father a routine be transformed by your spirit and so be filled with meaning maybe ordinary work of this institution having consequences around the world be undertaken by all as a mighty work with fear of the lord and give glory to your holiness both now and forever the chair will entertain a request for one minute speeches a gentleman text press commission to address the house one minute without objection so ordered thank you mr baker and competent seems to be running loose in a couple of federal foreign aid programs the united states dumps millions of american dollars for programs all over the world some of these might be worthwhile but i want to mention some that defies common sense according to washington times united states has been giving millions of dollars to t palestinian universities with links to the terrorist organization hamas the money is sent through the united states agency for international development and through a sister group called the american near east refugee aid islamic university which is controlled by office has received money for student scholarships and money to build a state of the art facility alcott's university also got millions of dollars for scholarships for two thousand students this is the same university that held a week long celebration honoring the founder of the suicide belt that kills americans and innocent so it seems the good ole u s taxpayer is paying for both sides of the war on terror nor american money should be given to any university that preaches and teaches hate in terror and that's just the way it is i yield back record votes on postpone questions will be taken after record votes on postpone questions be taken after six thirty p m today one twenty two a bill to and then the reclamation waste water and groundwater study and c and facilities act to authorize the secretary of the interior to participate in the inland empire regional recycling project and in myself as much time as i may consume the purpose of h r one twenty two as amended introduced by our colleague congressman dreier of california is to amend the reclamation waste water and groundwater study and facilities authorize the secretary of the interior to participate in the inland empire regional water recycling project and in the cocoa monga valley water district satellite recycling plant h r one twenty two as amended would add approximately one hundred thousand acre feet of new water annually to one of the largest recycled water distribution systems in the santana river watershed some of the recycled water will be used to reclaim the ground water basin and help drought proof the service area these water recycling plants will develop a recycled will develop recycled water near where it will be used offsetting the energy costs associated with pumping the subcommittee on water and power subcommittee on water and power held hearings of similar legislation in the hundred eighth congress and in the hundred one thousand congress similar legislation was passed by the house h r one twenty two as a d will provide a very modest amount of federal financial assistance to help in the construction of these were worthy water recycling projects i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman has reserve recycling projects in southern california to allow the water districts there to be less reliant on imported water as water demand grows and supplies become more scarce in the in california this bill would help to drought proof this arid area these projects would add over seventy five if the gentleman from arizona has no speakers we do not sir i would like mr speaker to to yield as much time as he may consume to the to the sponsor this piece of legislation the gentleman california mr dreier gentleman from california is recognized margery without objection so ordered the speaker i rise in strong support of this bill as i was just told by a distinguished member of the committee staff we hope that the third time is a charm here we have been pursuing this for quite a while and i hope very much that will be able to to see final implementation of this i'd like to recognize the leadership again on both sides of the aisle the committee on natural resources of course mr bishop who served with great distinction on the committee on rules and i will say that we miss him upstairs the rules committee i specially missed the fact that we're no longer in the majority of the rules committee but he's serving very ably now as an important member the natural resources committee and the water and power subcommittee and i want to thank of course on the majority side the distinguished chairman of the full committee mr ray hall the my very good friend from california ms napolitano with whom i worked closely on this and of course the ranking member of the subcommittee cathy mcmorris rodgers in the course the ranking member of the of the full committee mr young i also i i want to really underscore the great commitment and support that was provided in this effort by my california who is an original co sponsor of this bill and has long been a great champion for many many years of regional water solutions i'm also very pleased to have had the continued support and co sponsorship of other southern california colleagues in a bipartisan way can calvert gary miller and of course i am pleased to say that we've just been joined on the floor here by my good friend who represents the inland empire mr baka and i should say mr speaker that i've just signed one of those co sponsors sheets and turn it in at the desk that will now include mr baucus name as one of the co sponsors of this important legislation as many will recall this bill was passed as i said by the last congress but it was held up in the other body over issues that were much larger or larger regarding overall reform of the bureau of recommend take reclamation zz title sixteen program and i do share the concern of the program w popular successful and competitive is oversubscribed and underfunded that being said mr speaker the need to reform the program shouldn't hold back good projects like this one the inland empire water recycling initiative authorizes thirty million dollars for the inland empire utilities agency and the cucamonga valley water district to assist in constructing two water recycling projects the projects will produce nearly one hundred thousand acre feet of new water annually to the area's water supply this initiative has the support of all member agencies of the inland empire utilities agency which encompasses two hundred forty square miles and southern california it also serves a number of cities that i'm very honored to be able to represent the cities of rancho cucamonga upline in montclair some of the fastest growing cities in our nation it's imperative that we can tinubu approved measures preventing water supply shortages in the western united states and mr speaker this recycling initiative will help meet the water needs of the inland empire and began a strategic federal local partnership to bring a significant amount of new water supply to this very important region in southern california this project has already been recognized nationally as one of the most cost effective water reuse projects that we have the one empire's utilities agency and the cucamonga valley water district are innovative leaders and using high quality recycled water in environmentally sensitive and creative ways this allows fresh water to be conserved for drinking reducing our dependence on expensive imported water the hard work district i'd also like to commend the boards of these agencies for their leadership in providing our region with safe clean and affordable water and i will say mr speaker that a time when we're focusing constantly on the need to look at ways for week to recycle and focusing on the issue of environmentally sound planning for our future meeting our needs this measure is again a model that can be used for the rest of the country and  addressed and he has constantly addressed the issues of water in the island empire not only now but in the past and i rise in support of h r one twenty seven the island empire recycling project and i appreciate grace apollo  leadership in this endeavor because this is a bipartisan effort for the island empire and its region in the area this is not a republican or a democratic issue but an issue that pertains to water and water that's important to a lot of us in that region and throughout the state of california this projects is important for my district and he not only mention his district that that covers upland in rancho cucamonga but it's important for my district and across southern california because it would help solve california statewide water shortage and we all have been one about global warning and its impact it's going to have in terms of the future and the possibility of the lack of water well this addresses some of that by recycling water in our region that will be able unable to increase the local water supply and reduce our independence on important water from san francisco bay delta area the bureau of reclamation has ranked this project as one of the most cost effective new water supply projects in california i state the most effective cost effective water supply project in california and it's also endorsed by all cities including  on tanna and ontario as well as community groups and business groups and environmental leaders groups and i state environmental groups and leaders throughout the inland empire i rise to give my soul my full support  my colleagues to do the same on this important issue on water that impacts not on the island empire but the state of california and i ask full support i yield back the balance i think my friend for his a very able contra the let me just say mr speaker  closing that i think that this legislation underscores once again how the california congressional delegation continues as it has in the past to work in a bipartisan way addressing priority concerns that we have whether it be transportation dealing with the whole issue of base closure or dealing with the challenge of illegal immigration dealing with this very important water resources issue health care issues california's delegation is working together in a bipartisan way to address them and this legislation today is evidence of our great success at implementing the shared vision that we have for the constituents who we're honored to represent in california i again thank both democrats and republicans on the natural resources committee for their strong support of this important legislation and again as mr baucus said i hope very much that the committee and others will utilize this very successful program in the opinion pinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill this passed and without objection the most a motion to reconsider is laid on the table the gentleman from arizona thank you ms speaker i move to spend the rules and pass the bill h r four to sixty seven as amended the clerk will report titled the bill h r four sixty seven a bill to authorize early retain of obligations to the bureau of reclamation with indy and the irrigation district in the state of idaho pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from arizona mr and the gentleman from utah mr bishop will each control twenty minutes the administrative consistency between the landowners within the district and those within other districts or by the minute doc a project mr speaker this legislation simply allows the landowners to pay off their financial obligations related to bureau of reclamation mina dhaka project we believe this legislation is appropriate and in fact we provided slight financial benefit to the united states in the one hundred ninth congress the subcommittee on water and power a hearing on similar doses glacier this legislation was subsequently passed by the house we have no objection to this non controversial bill and i reserve the balance of my time gentleman reserves gentleman from utah i rise  existing law the landowners who benefit from this way water project cannot pre pay the cap across the aisle to the federal government but this bill gives the viewer reclamation the ability to accept repayment for these landowners fluctuation benefits the american taxpayer because it allows early revenue to flow into the u s treasury suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table for what purpose the gentleman from arizona writes the speaker i move to suspend the rules and pass h r two seventy six the clerk will report t a bill h r two seventy six a bill to designate to be a generous blank of light station and the surrounding public land as an outstanding natural area to be administered as part of the national landscape conservation system and for other purposes pursuant to the rules the gentleman from arizona mr b and the gentleman from utah mr bishop each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona thank you both speaker and i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend and include extended material related to this bill into consideration without objection so ordered misspeak or the other is blank as light is one of the one of only a handful of tall seacoast lighthouses built on the west coast it is located in the sun and wiesel be spoke only in southern california completed in eight hundred seventy five the lighthouse was manned by the coast guard until one nine hundred seventy five when it was automated the coast guard transferred the lighthouse and the surrounding public land to the bureau of land management in two thousand and one this area is not only historically significant but it's also home to a population  to be managed by the bureau of land management as part of the existing national landscape conservation system this area would be managed by the b l m to conserve the significant historical and natural resources found there the speaker representative capps has worked tirelessly on behalf of this legislation and we commend her for her efforts identical legislation with approved by the house in the last congress and we urge our colleagues to support this measure once again with speaker i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman has reserved the gentleman from utah mr bishop i rise in support of h r two seven six and of myself such time as i may consume without objection last year the republican majority was supportive of this measure in this bill was passed in the house of representatives this year we once again support this bill and commander option of caps for her work to recognize this is store excite in her district i reserve the balance gentleman from arizona mr beheld a thank you was speaker representative is traveling back from our district in california and could not be here on the floor she has to submit a statement for the record which we will be submitting for for the record today and i reserve without objection ordered the gentleman seventy six those in favor say aye those opposed and the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table options for protecting the open space characteristics of certain lands in an adjacent into the air rapido and roosevelt national forest in colorado and for other purposes pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from arizona mr the gentleman from utah mr b bishop each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona and i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend and include exten and which undeveloped lands may be at risk of development as well as a praising congress of appropriate accidents that could be taken to preserve the open and then develop character of these lands rapid population growth in the northern front range of the colorado is spreading west from denver pushing homes and shopping centers up the valleys and along the highways this development that spreads out along the ridges and mountain tops that make up this broad this backdrop new homes and businesses the wild urban interface also create new liabilities for first responders and a more complicated management framework for forest managers the result of these changes is the potential loss of many of the very qualities that attract new residents and contribute to the quality of life of the region h r nine hundred three is designed to help provide a better understanding of what steps might be done to lessen the risk mr speaker i want to com d and congratulate my colleague mr yudof for his commitment and leadership on this matter a hearing was held on a nearly identical measure last congress and the bill was approved by the natural resources committee and passed by the house by voice vote last september with speaker we strongly support h r nine hundred three and urges adoption by the house today and i reserve the balance of my time gentleman reserves the gentleman from utah i write in support of h r nine zero three and heal myself such time as i may consume that objection mr speaker h r and i know three would require the forest service to review nonfederal land in or adjacent to the arapahoe roosevelt national forest and recommend strategies to maintain open space republicans do not object to this legislation but considering the current budget constraints on the forest service we believe funds would be better used to tackle the enormous risk of catastrophic wildfire in colorado currently forty two percent of colorado's forests are suffering from bark beetle infestation which continues to spread  will likely kill thousands of acres of trees these dead and dying trees pose extremely high wildfire risk colorado's forests surely fines would be better spent on removing dead and dying trees the pose a tremendous threat to homes and communities watersheds and wildlife habitat moreover we believe that the local and state government should address open space and smart growth option options rather than federal government agencies based here in washington d c while we command mr utils good intentions we believe recommendations some solutions to question is will the outspend the rules and pass h r nine zero three those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the fermat it the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table for what purpose of the gentleman from arizona right the speaker i move to suspend the rules and pass h r nine nine five the clerk will report title of the bill h r ninety nine five  was six dash three forty eight to extend the authorization for establishing a memorial in the district of columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the armed forces of the united states and include experience but serial on the bill under consideration without objection so it was speaker of the hundred six congress authorized the disabled veterans life memorials foundation to establish a memorial in washington d c to honor disabled veterans the law specified that the memorial is to be established pursuant to the commemorative works act and memorial site located near the rayburn house office building was the dead of sight but the project has yet to advance due to security and traffic concerns raised by the architect of the capitol and the u s capitol police the foundation is in the process of negotiating a solution to that probably however  illinois representative phil hare amend the original authorization to extend authority to establish the memorial to october twenty fourth two thousand and fifteen this extension will allow additional time to ensure an appropriate commemoration to our nation's disabled veterans to whom we owe a tremendous obligation well representative hair is a new member of this house he is well acquainted with the sacrifices made by our nugent's veterans both from his service in the army reserves and he is more than twenty years as district director for a former colleague and advocate for veterans mr lane willie evans be congratulated representative ha for his work on this on behalf of this important legislation and if i mean the speaker i might add that given the ongoing and recent scandal regarding the care and support of our current disabled veterans this legislation h r ninety five is timely and appropriate to honor and remind us of the sacrifice of all veterans and those that are disabled as a consequence of their service to this country that is an obligation that is owed to them this memorial would be a fitting reminder that we have an ongoing obligation and responsibility to their care and comfort r nine nine five has been adequately explained by the majority and we support the extension to establish a memorial honoring our disabled veterans i know that the original authorizing this memorial was authorized by our own war hero congressman sam johnson of texas speaker today a license board of h r ninety five the bill to extend the authorization for the americans veterans disabled for life memorial i introduced h r nine hundred five with my colleague congressman mark kirk to provide the time necessary to raise a private funds and navigate the approval process in order to bring this memorial to life in washington d c without this bill the charter for the memorial will expire in october of this year i'd like to think chairman ray for quickly moving this legislation to the resources committee and and lois the chair of disabled veterans life memorial foundation was worked tirelessly to establish this memorial since one thousand nine hundred six i also appreciate the efforts of congress and kirk in venice more to ensure the memorial is funded and dedicated by two thousand and ten and all the other members who have made this legislation a priority in the one hundred tenth congress there are more than three million disabled veterans living today and millions of veterans from past future conflicts who will be honored by this long overdue memorial it is my hope as a member of the committee on veterans affairs that this memorial will only be the beginning of our recognition of the credible sacrifices of our veterans this memorial cannot repay the sacrifice of our disabled veterans but it will serve as a reminder of the debt that we owe to each and every one of them transcending conflicts service branches and generation the american veterans disabled for life memorial will express america's lasting gratitude to the men and women whose lives were forever changed in service to our country due to its proximity to the capital the memorial will remain on the side of america's lawmakers serving as a cause to reminder of the human cost of conflict and the sacrifices of our disabled veterans the memorial will be a setting for school groups to learn about disabled veterans the cost of freedom and the challenges faced by those with disabilities most importantly it will be a place for disabled veterans to come and know they are recognized by a grateful nation i'm proud to be a freshman legislator in the hundred tenth congress because we're changing this country's priorities in our recently passed  we increase veterans health care by over three point six billion dollars and we're taking swift action to hold those who are responsible for the inexcusable conditions at walter reed accountable congress has a responsibility to plan for the long term well being in health of our troops and i am committed to taking care of our veterans when they're in conflict and when they return home this bill is a critical first step in honoring the sacrifices of our military men and women and have made and continue to make for our country i my colleagues to pass h r nine one five and join me and the other twenty eight co sponsors to ensure this memorial is built and dedicated as soon as possible i thank you the speaker i yield back the balance of my time jamel yield back to the gentleman from utah those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the past and without objection reconsider is like the one that i asked for the gays and for what purpose the gentleman from arizona right with speaker i move to spend the rules and pass h r two ninety nine the clerk will report title of the bill h r two ninety nine a bill to adjust  national historic storable park and for other purposes pursuant to the world a gentleman from arizona mr b how divine the gentleman from utah mr bishop bishop each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona thank you for speaker and i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend and include extending this material in the bill and or consideration without objection so ordered the speaker h r two hundred ninety introduced by my colleague from massachusetts  representative me and provides for a minor boundary adjustment to the local national historic park lol national park was established in one nine hundred seventy eight to commemorate the city of lowell's prominent role in the american industrial walkway along lowell's five point six miles historic power canal system these parcels provide the access points needed for the development maintenance and surveillance necessary to complete the historic canal way with a total boundary adjustment while the total job under your judgment is less than one acre it would allow public asset access to at least two miles of this historic canal way i want to commend my colleague from massachusetts represented to me and and for his efforts on behalf of local national historic park he has worked diligently to advance many partnership efforts such as this one which would bring together federal state and local resources to pursue serve and interpret the part  is supported by the administration the city of lowell and the commonwealth of massachusetts identical legislation was approved by the house last congress and we are just colleagues to support this measure today and i reserve the balance of r two ninety nine those in favor say aye those opposed no and the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the firmament of the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table for what purpose of the gentleman from arizona right speaker i move to suspend the rules and pass h r two hundred seventy the clerk will report the title of the bill h r two hundred forty seven and fail to designate a forest service trail while the lake in the willamette national forest as the state of oregon as a national recreation trail in honor of jim weaver a former member of the house of representatives where so much of the world the gentleman from arizona mr b how divine the gentleman from utah mr bishop each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona thank you ms speaker and i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend and include extended material in the bill under consideration without objection sorted speaker h r two hundred seven was introduced by may colleague on the natural resources committee the gentleman from oregon representative peter de fazio this legislation designates an existing forest service trail in the national forests in oregon as a national recreation trail in honor of jim weaver a former member of the house of representatives this trail will be designated jim weaver loop trail four and it forms a nineteen point six loop around  the late congressman weaver served in this body from the ninety fourth congress through the ninety ninth congress and was a former subcommittee chairman of the committee of natural resources he was a strong advocate of conservation and public lan the establishment of this trail around one of the organs largest and most beautiful lakes is a fitting tribute to our former colleague under this bill an interpretive sign will be installed at the trailhead to indicate the name of the trail and provide information on the life and career of our former colleague congressman weaver this built before us today's identical to a measure that was reported favorably by the natural resources committee last year but speaker we strongly support a chart two four submitted to the record and i yield back the balance of our time without objection so order question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r two four seven those in favor say aye those opposed no and the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection a motion to reconsider is laid on the table the gentleman from  arizona moved to spend the rules and passed the bill h r ten forty seven the clerk will report titled the bill maher ten forty seven a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior to conduct a study to determine the suit ability and feasibility of designating the soldiers memorial military museum located in st louis missouri and a unit of the national park system pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from arizona michigan out of on the gentleman from utah mr bishop beach will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona thank you ms speaker and i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend and include experience but terio on the bill under consideration without objection so ordered the speaker h r ten forty seven introduced by my colleague from missouri representative clay directs the secretary of interior to carry out a study to determine the suitability and the feasibility of designating th the soldiers memorial military museum located in st louis missouri as a unit of the national park system construction of the memorial and and military music museum began in one nine hundred thirty five the site was dedicated by president franklin roosevelt in one nine hundred thirty six on memorial day nine hundred thirty eight the building officially open to the public the soldiers memorial building is a the structure which in addition to serving as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the service of their country also contains exhibit rooms that house a collection of military items the building has been found eligible for listing in the national register of historic places it is operated by the city of st louis and made available to the public free of charge i want to commend my colleague from missouri representative clay for his efforts to preserve this memorial and museum which was built to honor those who gave their lives to this country recognized thank you myself such time as i may consume without objection the majority has adequately explained h r ten forty seven but i wish to note that while this legislation passed the house in the hundred ninth congress it is not supported by the administration because the memorial is not distinguished beyond that of many other war memorials and it is not known whether it meets the criteria national significance i reserve the balance gentleman reserves gentleman from arizona thank you and i would at  the american people are unanimous in supporting the courageous men and women serving in our armed forces in recent days we were appalled to learn that our veterans are not receiving high quality health care we have been sickened by some of the stories and images of the patients at walter reed hospital who have been the glad and left untreated and we are beginning to understand that this is a nationwide crisis we are all somewhat ashamed that we have failed to provide for those who have given the most to keep our nation free and secure with these reasons and a vents in mind i want to address the legislation before us today h r ten forty seven which is a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the soldier memorial his military museum in the city of saying the laws as a unit of the national park system this memorial is a shining landmark to those brave men and women who gave their lives in world war one today as much as any time in our history the american people feel a very special connection to our military forces and the citizens of our nation and they have a real need to visit shrines that honor  war time hero of the saying those soldiers memorial is a valuable shrine where citizens can participate in the tradition of honoring our nation's veterans initiated by the residents of singles in the nineteen after many years of run fund raising the land was acquired and the monument was constructed and on october fourteenth nineteen thirty six the sign over soldiers memorial military museum was officially dedicated by a sitting u s president to soldiers monument is a national treasure and it is and it is recognized as an agricultural masterpiece designed by one of the twentieth century's foremost  art deco sculptures mr walter hancock and the entrance to the memorial is flanked by four limestone sculptures which symbolize the most important virtues in a soldier's life courage a sacrifice and vision the ceiling of the monument is decorated with mosaic tiles in the shape of large gold stars that are dedicated to our nation's gold star mothers today of soldiers memorial is an important cultural resource and gathering place it attracts about forty thousand visitors each year and provides a standing for more than twenty ceremonies annually including change from several states and hosting more than one hundred marching units in recent years the city of st those had relied upon the support and contributions of active military personnel and veteran enable it to maintain this cherished monument we all want to honor our veterans and citizens of our nation and should have found all monuments to help us all remember those family members and friends who have given their lives for us in combat it is the right time for the federal government to consider acquiring the single soldier of memorial military museum in its inventory of national monuments i believe that  study on the monument will show that it is the state's dog lay important structure with a national significance h r ten body seven is strongly supported by veterans groups and other civic art is a i hope the two thirds being in the form of the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table for what purposes a gentleman from arizona writes the speaker moved to spend the rules and passed the bill h r three seven six the clerk will report the title of the bill h r three seventy six a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of including the battlefields and related site of the first and second battles of newtonian missouri during the civil war as part of wilson's cree national battlefield or designating the battlefields and related sites as a separate unit of the national park system and for other purposes pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from arizona mr b why in the gentleman from utah mr bishop only control twenty speaker i rise in strong support of a chart three seven six introduced by the gentleman from missouri representative blunt this legislation would direct the national park service to conduct a study to determine how best to protect the si troops and six thousand five hundred union soldiers and it is believed to be the only civil war battle in which full american indian units fought on both sides of the conflict the second battle of newtonian occurred of tolbert twenty eight hundred sixty four and involved fifteen hundred union cavalry engaged in a confederate army returning from unsuccessful missouri and kansas campaign a confederate of the unsuccessful missouri and kansas campaign of confederate general sterling price this is speaker i want to commend and congratulate my colleague mr blunt for this bill a hearing was held under dental measure last congress and the bill eventually passed the house we strongly support h r to be seven six and urge its adoption by the house today and i reserve the balance of my time general reserves gentleman from utah mr bishop is recognized thank you mr speaker i rise in support of h r three seven six and i am myself such time as i may consume without objection h r three seventy six is introduced by the distinguished minority whip roy blunt of missouri and it would authorize the secretary of interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability of designating the first and second battles of newtonian missouri as a part of wilson's crick national battlefield or as a separate unit of the national park system  i support this bill i commend the leadership and persistence of mr blunt on this issue and with that i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman reserves the gentleman from arizona reserve the bounds of my time because gentlemen reserve general from utah mr speaker i wish to at this time yield first of all to apologize the speaker for having you to axing comment there it's really wilson's creek wilson script as we say back home but i would yield to the sponsor of this bill the minority whip as floor the language we're discussing today is designed to authorize a study by the national park service to determine the feasibility of creating a new civil war battlefield at newtonian missouri or bringing those battlefield lands under the management of the wilsons creek national battlefield near springfield and also near the newtonian battlefield side this measure is a necessary first step to determine if this really is this battlefield as i believe it will fits the criteria necessary for being preserved as part of the national park system i believe the study will find that the two civil war battles at the same battlefield like the monastics battlefield south south where we are now  this this battlefield had two battles both of which were significant one in eight hundred sixty two where large numbers of american indian troops on the confederate side and on the side both having large numbers of those troops had those troops meet each other in battle at this battlefield there were other non american indian troops there and american indian troops fought on both sides in the civil war my understanding is that this is the place where those troops actually fought each other in a war where we had people who had many common things fighting each other in many places this is one where american indians fought american indians in the civil battles in the civil war and this was the final battle in our state this legislation is has really been strongly supported by the local community as has the idea of preserving this battlefield the  newtonian battlefield protection association has spearheaded preservation efforts and note that newtonian in two thousand and two the association acquired eleven acres of the battlefield along with the ritchie mansion which is on the national register of historic places for around three hundred thousand dollars a year later i delivered a ceremonial check for about half of that from the american battlefield protection program to reimburse the local group that had put this association together the national park service rated the one nine hundred sixty four battlefield as a priority one for preservation and the one nine hundred sixty two side as a priority to  these sites are largely similar they overlap in some places but they're right next to each other a review by the national park service found the one nine hundred sixty four battlefield  park service has provided archaeological and historical surveys and assessments of the battlefield i think this study will answer the questions that need to be answered before any further steps are taken and i'm grateful to the committee for  bringing this legislation the floor today in a time that this study if the agreed to by both bodies might even be funded in this years of appropriations process and i yield back my time sen mondale gentleman from arizona reserve favor say aye it was opposed no and the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table for what purposes a gentleman from arizona wri speaker i move to suspend the rules and pass the building h r eight o seven clerk will report the title of the bill h r eight o seven mayfield the director secretary of the interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the feasibility mr bishop each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona thank you mr speaker and i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend and include extend the extenders but tiriel and in the bill under consideration without objection so ordered the speaker as we all remember february first two thousand and three the space shuttle columbia suffered a tragic failure during re entry into the earth's atmosphere as a result seven crew members sadly lost their lives h r eight zero seven introduced by representative gomer would authorize a study to determine how best to protect four parcels of land in east texas where large portions of the wreckage were recovered in addition to specific sites identified in the bill the secretary of interior would be authorized to recommend additional sites to congress mr speaker the nation continues to mourn the loss of the columbia we support the passage of h r eight o seven an important step toward ensuring that the sacrifices made by her crew and their families will always be remembered and we commend the congressman for introducing this legislation i reserve the balance of my time money reserves gentleman from utah my pleasure to as much time as you may consume this particular piece of legislation the distinguished and debonair congressman from texas gentleman is recognized thank you mr baker and all of the gentleman from arizona for his kindness and sensitivity in this issue as well as the gentleman from utah mr speaker i rise today to properly commemorate memorialize one of this nation's most heroic yet heartbreaking tragedies the disintegration of the space shuttle columbia as a reentered out that sphere in the spring of two thousand and two or a desire of such memorial this legislation will serve to begin the process of appropriately honoring the gallantry and sacrifice not only of the seven brave souls of our crew and their families but also the vast number of citizens who worked tirelessly in the strewn over hundreds of miles of east texas in my district and the commitment he's texans in the effort to recover as much of the wreckage as possible was pivotal in determining the cause of the incident in order to save future lives the ultimate sacrifice was made by commander rick husband pilot what you mccool payload commander michael anderson mitchell's mission specialist david brown mission and friend john clarke who himself is also a patriot as a captain of the united states navy john in law also have a wonderful son all of these american heroes deserve a memorial befitting their devotion to their fellow man with their us their spirit of exploration and discovery as well as their courage in the days and weeks following the tragedy countless east texans volunteered to help and support the tireless federal workers who are charged with locating the shuttle debris volunteers gave selflessly their time their resources bopper to spading in searches opening their homes preparing food and serving the many people taking part in the recovery effort in towns such as as well as most of these texas itself said augustine city manager deukalion said at the time the volunteers provided three to four thousand meals per day in his area alone and did all that they could provide shelter and anything else that was needed the legendary hospitality of east texas was on display as business owners donated supplies building space and others assets to support the forest service f national guard and other governmental entities taking part in the recovery all told east texas spent countless weeks supporting the ten thousand people searching for the shuttle remains the efforts of these constituents  best summed up by three fellow east texans texas ranger pete my skin is said we got to see a small portion of east texas pull together in a big way the people here don't have much but we gave everything that we had we showed the nation that here in east texas we've got a big heart and we're here to make things a lot better for people we don't even know san augustine county judge wayne holt said from the smallest child to the oldest man if you being asked to teach seminars on how to mobilize an entire area in a sudden emergency our jim our colleagues to vote yes on h r eight zero seven the columbia space shuttle memorial study act because those involved deserve it thank you again to chairman gentleman from arizona from ranking member and i yield back my time channeling him in from arizona reserve my time and the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table for what purpose that the gentleman from arizona writes with speaker i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h r four hundred seven h r four ninety seven a deal to authorize the marion park project a committee of the palmetto conservation fund to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the district of columbia and its environs to honor that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend and include experience but serial in the bill under consideration without objection so ordered thank you mr speaker mr speaker brigadier general francis marion commanded the williamsburg militia revolutionary force in south carolina during the revolutionary war he is distinguished for is innovative warfare techniques his pivotal victory at utah springs in september seventeenth eighty one and first commanding the first racially integrated troop force general merriam is perhaps even better known by the nickname given to him by an it exasperated british commander the swamp fox h r four hundred seven introduced by representative joe wilson would authorize the private indeed the marion park project to establish a commemorative commemorative work in washington d c to honor general merriam the memorial is to be established pursuant to the commemorative works act and is to be privately funded this is speaker of the house approved identical legislation in the last congress and we strongly support h r four ninety seven today and i reserve the balance of my time the gentleman reserves gentleman from utah all right i rise to support h r four ninety seven and yell my time is as much you know myself as much time as i shall consume without objection so already h r four ninety seven introduced by congressman joe wilson of south carolina authorize the marion park project to establish a commemorative work on said land in the district of columbia to honor brigadier general francis marion this work authorized by this legislation will complete the private funds provided by the marion park project and not by the federal government a congressman joe wilson and congressman henry brown should be commended for sending us such an outstanding bill i urge my colleagues to support h r four ninety seven and i reserve general in reserves the gentleman from arizona reserves about my time and payment on a reserve gentleman from utah i am i am pleas time for this wonderful project honoring general francis marion better known as the swamp fox in the revolutionary war to the distinguished gentleman from south carolina henry browne for as much time as he shall consume commanded light in raids on british convoys and then he and his forces would retreat to the swamps to avoid capture the british general tarleton stated that as for this damned old fox the devil himself could not about the gentleman yield gentleman from arizona reserve my time's term i mean the speaker gentleman from arizona reserves gentleman from utah thank you mr speaker anything anything that deals with something some place called utah springs in south carolina has to be a good project to you back about my time the gentleman yield the gentleman from arizona was speaker let me thank congressman wilson for this legislation mr brown as well mr claiborne was just brought mr barrett from south carolina for introducing the following bill that we have just finished and i also want to before i  will the house suspend the rules and pass h r four ninety seven those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table on this question will be postpone