Date: 2000-05-11
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Chairman. I think the House of Representatives can be very proud of itself over these last 2 days of debate. I think our constituents are going to be very proud of us because. as the beginning of our summer vacation season starts. as millions of Americans will travel to its National Parks to its wilderness areas. to its forests. to its wildlife refuges and to its beaches. they will know that the House of Representatives once again restored a promise that the Congress made to them 36 years ago and then broke. that this House of Representatives had the courage to put the money back that it had borrowed from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. almost $13 billion. just as we have had the courage to put money back into the Social Security Trust Fund and into the Highway Trust Fund. because that is what we told the people we were going to do with their money. I hope all Members feel very proud about their work product as we defeat this substitute and pass the bill. I would like to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman YOUNG) for all of his effort and for his courage in working with this legislation. the gentleman from Michigan for all of the work. all of the talent. all of the history that he brought to our considerations. the gentleman from Louisiana . the gentleman from Louisiana . who made it possible for us to understand the needs. the needs of what was happening in the Gulf Coast. as was witnessed here in their closing arguments. and with the threat to wildlife. the threat to their cities. the threat to their economy. to the gentleman from New Mexico . who sat there during negotiations and was terribly. terribly helpful. and even the gentleman from California . who I disagree with on many. many issues. but kept after us. kept after us and kept after us and wanted a set of language here on behalf of property rights that is not in existing law that strengthens the hands of -individual property owners. I want to thank him for his participation. I want to give special thanks to a person in this body that probably knows more about public land than anyone else and anyone else I have ever served with. and that is the gentleman from Minnesota . The gentleman from Minnesota is going through very difficult times now. But he has been here for every vote. He was there for all of the negotiations. His retirement from Congress is going to be a great loss on public lands. I am very. very proud to be associated with this bill. This will be a historic bill. This will be a landmark bill. We will be addressing one of the very highest priorities of the American people. We are going to do it on a bipartisan basis. We are going to send it over to the Senate. The Senate leadership has met. They are waiting for this legislation. The Senate Majority Leader is a cosponsor of similar legislation. along with many Democratic Senators. The White House has pledged its effort to get this bill passed and get it enacted into law. At the end of the year. Charles Kuralt. before he died. used to have at the end of his Saturday morning shows during the holiday season. he had what he called "the gifts we gave to ourselves." The camera would go out in silence for 2 or 3 minutes and visit a wildlife refuge in Louisiana or the North Slope. and we just panned the vistas. It would pan the- vistas of the Grand Canyon and of the Everglades. This is about a continuation of the gift that this Congress gives the people of the United States in perpetuity and to the people of the rest of the world who come here to see these grand. grand environmental assets.