Date: 1982-05-11
Speaker: PHILLIP BURTON (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I wish to thank my good friend. the chairman of the subcommittee. the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. SalBERLING). and our distinguished colleagues on the other side of the aisle for their efforts in this respect. I would particularly like to note. with reference to the California Trails System. the leadership given by Congressmen DON C.AusEN. LARGOMARsiNo. and PAsHAYAN on that side of the aisle. as well as Congressmen MILLER. PATTERSON. and COELuo on the Democratic side of the aisle. I would also note the leadership of the gentleman from California and the gentleman from California . who were also coauthors of the California trail section of this bill. Mr. Chairman. I wish to thank my good friend. Chairman JOHN SEIBERLINO for his efforts in bringing H.R. 861 before this body. Representative SEIBERLING Is not only one of our most dedicated. and hardworking Members. he is quite simply a statesman .of great knowledge and principle whose presence in the House of Representatives aids all of us. Mr. Chairman. in the 96th Congress I brought before the House H.R. 8087. a bill almost the same as H.R. 861. On September 22. 1980. with bipartisan support. the House passed that bill by voice vote. My remarks on that day are essentially relevant to todays debate. Subsequently. the Senate passed the text of H.R. 8067. with some modifications. as part of another measure. but disagreement over items in that measure unrelated to trials issues prevented final enactment of the bill in the 96th Congress. Chairman SEIBERLINo has worked diligently during this Congress to eliminate any known controversy from this measure and to bring the bill language as closely into agreement with the Senate language of the 96th Congress as possible. H.R. 861 designates three scenic trails. the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. the Florida National Scenic Trail. and the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail. Because of some conflict four trial designations that were in the measure proposed in the 96th Congress have been excluded (the Santa Fe. Chisholm. Shawnee. and Western National Historic Trails). The bill also designates six trails for study. Juan Bautista de Anza. Trail of Tears. Ill.. Jedediah Smith. General Crook. and the Beale Wagon Road. Again I note that H.R. 861 has been modified to parallel the Senate Inguage for trail studies. Mr. Chairman. I wish to make it clear that our efforts in the 96th Congress to work out agreements on this bill with our Republican friends in the House as well as in the other body date from late in the 96th Congress. in fact from after November 1980. I am confident that these understandings were and are based on the idea of achieving the very best possible amendments to the National Trails Act. Mr. Chairman. finally. as the author of this legislation. I wish to call attention to section 211 of the bill which limits the collection of entrance fees in certain units of the National Park System and National Wild and Scenic Rivers or Trails under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service. This language is duplicative in part of language already in law as section 402 of Public Law 9687. We have replicated a ban on entrance and admission fees to doubly underscore our unambiguous opposition to any such fees in any units of the National Trails System. the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System or national recreation areas. Mr. Chairman. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 861.