[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 32 (Monday, March 21, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: March 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 1994
Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
Senate bill (S. 476) to reauthorize and amend the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
S. 476
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
TITLE I--AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION
ESTABLISHMENT ACT
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation Improvement Act of 1994''.
SEC. 102. COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS WITH NATIONAL OCEANIC AND
ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION.
Section 2(b) of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3701) is amended by inserting
``and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration''
after ``the United States Fish and Wildlife Service''.
SEC. 103. MEMBERSHIP OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF FOUNDATION.
(a) Consultations Regarding Appointments.--
(1) In general.--Section 3(b) of the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3702(b)) is
amended by adding at the end the following: ``The Secretary
of the Interior shall consult with the Under Secretary of
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere before appointing any
Director of the Board.''.
(2) Application.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall
apply to appointments of Directors of the Board of Directors
of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation made after the
date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) Expansion of Board.--Section 3(a) of the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3702(a))
is amended--
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by striking
``nine'' and inserting ``15''; and
(2) in paragraph (2) by striking ``three'' and inserting
``4''.
(c) Initial Terms.--Of the Directors on the Board of
Directors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation first
appointed pursuant to the amendment made by subsection
(b)(1), notwithstanding the second sentence of section 3(b)
of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment
Act (16 U.S.C. 3702(b))--
(1) 2 shall be appointed to a term of 2 years;
(2) 2 shall be appointed to a term of 4 years; and
(3) 2 shall be appointed to a term of 6 years;
as specified by the Secretary of the Interior at the time of
appointment.
(d) Completion of Appointments.--The Secretary of the
Interior shall appoint the additional members of the Board of
Directors of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
authorized by the amendment made by subsection (a), by not
later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
(e) Authority of Board Not Affected.--The authority of the
Board of Directors of the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation to take any action otherwise authorized by law
shall not be affected by reason of the Secretary of the
Interior not having completed the appointment of Directors of
the Board of Directors of the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation pursuant to the amendment made by subsection
(b)(1).
SEC. 104. REAUTHORIZATION OF NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE
FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT ACT.
(a) Reauthorization.--Section 10 of the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3709) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a) by striking ``not to exceed
$15,000,000'' and all that follows through the end of the
sentence and inserting ``$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years
1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Additional Authorization.--The amounts authorized to
be appropriated under this section are in addition to any
amounts provided or available to the Foundation under any
other Federal law.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--Section 10(b)(1) of the National
Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C.
3709(b)(1)) is amended by striking ``paragraphs (2) and
(3)'', and inserting ``paragraph (2),''.
SEC. 105. CONVEYANCE OF SENECAVILLE NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY.
(a) Conveyance Authorized.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law and within 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall
convey to the State of Ohio without reimbursement all right,
title, and interest of the United States in and to the
property known as the Senecaville National Fish Hatchery,
located in Senecaville, Ohio, including--
(1) all easements and water rights relating to that
property, and
(2) all land, improvements, and related personal property
comprising that hatchery.
(b) Use of Property.--All property and interests conveyed
under this section shall be used by the Ohio Department of
Natural Resources for the Ohio fishery resources management
program.
(c) Reversionary Interest.--All right, title, and interest
in and to all property and interests conveyed under this
section shall revert to the United States on any date on
which any of the property or interests are used other than
for the Ohio fishery resources management program.
TITLE II--BROWNSVILLE WETLANDS POLICY CENTER
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Brownsville Wetlands
Policy Act of 1994''.
SEC. 202. ESTABLISHMENT OF WETLANDS POLICY CENTER AT THE PORT
OF BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS.
(a) Establishment of Center.--For purposes of utilizing
grants made by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
there may be established in accordance with this title, on
property owned or held in trust by the Brownsville Navigation
District at the Port of Brownsville, Texas, a wetlands policy
center which shall be known as the ``Brownsville Wetlands
Policy Center at the Port of Brownsville, Texas'' (in this
title referred to as the ``Center''). The Center shall be
operated and maintained by the Port of Brownsville with
programs to be administered by the University of Texas at
Brownsville.
(b) Mission of the Center.--The primary mission of the
Center shall be to utilize the unique wetlands property at
the Port of Brownsville and adjacent waters of South Texas to
focus on wetland matters for the purposes of protecting,
restoring, and maintaining the Lagoon Ecosystems of the
Western Gulf of Mexico Region.
(c) Board of Directors.--The Center shall be governed by a
Board of Directors to oversee the management and financial
affairs of the Center. The Board of Directors shall be
cochaired by the Port of Brownsville, the University of Texas
at Brownsville, and the designee of the Director of the Fish
and Wildlife Service, and shall include as members other
representatives considered appropriate by those cochairs.
(d) Oversight of the Center.--
(1) Annual report.--The Board of Directors of the Center
shall prepare an annual report and submit it through the
Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to
the Congress.
(2) Contents.--Annual reports under this subsection shall
cover the programs, projects, activities, and accomplishments
of the Center. The reports shall include a review of the
budget of the Center, including all sources of funding
received to carry out Center operations.
(3) Availability of information.--The Board of Directors of
the Center shall make available all pertinent information and
records to allow preparation of annual reports under this
subsection.
(4) General accounting office.--The Comptroller General of
the United States shall periodically submit to the Congress
reports on the operations of the Center.
SEC. 203. GRANTS.
The Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, make
grants to the Center for use for carrying out activities of
the Center.
SEC. 204. LEASE.
The Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, subject to the availability of appropriations, may
enter into a long-term lease with the Port of Brownsville for
use by the Center of wetlands property owned by the Port of
Brownsville. Terms of the lease shall be negotiated, and the
lease shall be signed by both parties, prior to the disposal
of any Federal funds pursuant to this title. The lease shall
include a provision authorizing the Director to terminate the
lease at any time.
SEC. 205. OTHER REQUIREMENTS.
As conditions of receiving assistance under this title--
(1) the University of Texas at Brownsville shall make
available to the Center for fiscal years 1994, 1995, 1996,
and 1997--
(A) administrative office space;
(B) classroom space; and
(C) other in-kind contributions for the Center, including
overhead and personnel; and
(2) the Port of Brownsville shall make available up to
7,000 acres of Port Property for the programs, projects, and
activities of the Center.
The Board of Directors of the Center shall include in their
annual report under section 202(d) a statement of whether
these conditions have been met.
SEC. 206. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service $5,000,000 for
fiscal year 1994, $4,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, $4,000,000
for fiscal year 1996; and such sums as may be necessary for
fiscal year 1997, for making grants to the Center under
section 203, including for use for the establishment,
operation, maintenance, and management of the Center.
SEC. 207. RELATIONSHIP OF CENTER WITH THE CENTER FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND SERVICES, CORPUS
CHRISTI, TEXAS.
None of the funds appropriated pursuant to this title may
be used to relocate any of the administrative operations of
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service from the Center
for Environmental Studies and Services Building on the campus
of Corpus Christi State University, to the Brownsville
Wetlands Policy Center at the Port of Brownsville, Texas,
established pursuant to this title.
TITLE III--WALTER B. JONES CENTER FOR THE SOUNDS AT THE POCOSIN LAKES
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
SEC. 301. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, located in
northeastern North Carolina, provides unique opportunities
for observing and interpreting the biological richness of the
region's estuaries and wetlands.
(2) Although there are 10 national wildlife refuges in
eastern North Carolina, not one has an educational or
interpretative center for visitors.
(3) The State of North Carolina, Tyrrell County, the town
of Columbia, the Conservation Fund, and private citizens have
proposed to enter into a partnership with the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service to establish an educational and
interpretative facility to be known as the Center for the
Sounds.
(4) Establishment of the Center for the Sounds would bestow
economic benefits upon Tyrrell County and the town of
Columbia.
(5) The Federal Government has designated the Albemarle-
Pamlico estuary system of northeastern North Carolina as an
estuary of national concern.
(6) Throughout his congressional career, the Honorable
Walter B. Jones was a strong supporter of the National
Wildlife Refuge System.
(7) During his years of service in the House of
Representatives, Walter B. Jones supported the establishment
and expansion of National Wildlife Refuges in eastern North
Carolina; these include 6 new National Wildlife Refuges
established in his district, including the Alligator River
National Wildlife Refuge and the Pocosin Lakes National
Wildlife Refuge, which are respectively the third largest and
fifth largest National Wildlife Refuges east of the
Mississippi River.
(8) Walter B. Jones helped increase refuge acreage in his
district by over 303,000 acres, thus ensuring the protection
of these lands for wildlife habitat and public recreation.
(9) Walter B. Jones' support for reintroducing endangered
red wolves into the wild at Alligator River National Wildlife
Refuge was a major factor in securing public acceptance of,
and support for, this first successful effort to reintroduce
endangered predators into formerly occupied habitat.
(10) Walter B. Jones devoted much of his congressional
career, including his years as Chairman of the Merchant
Marine and Fisheries Committee, to the conservation of fish
and wildlife, for the benefit of the Nation and the people of
North Carolina.
(11) Walter B. Jones should most appropriately be
recognized for his work on behalf of fish and wildlife
conservation by having the Center for the Sounds at the
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge System named in his
honor.
SEC. 302. AUTHORITY TO CONSTRUCT AND OPERATE FACILITY.
The Secretary of the Interior may, subject to the
availability of appropriations, construct and operate a
facility at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in
Tyrrell County, North Carolina, which shall be known as the
``Walter B. Jones Center for the Sounds'', for the following
purposes:
(1) Providing public opportunities, facilities, and
resources to study the natural history and natural resources
of northeastern North Carolina.
(2) Offering a variety of environmental educational
programs and interpretive exhibits.
(3) Fostering an awareness and understanding of the
interactions among wildlife, estuarine and wetland
ecosystems, and human activities.
(4) Providing office space and facilities for refuge
administration, research, education, and related activities.
SEC. 303. DESIGN.
The Secretary of the Interior shall ensure that the design,
size, and location of a facility constructed under this title
are consistent with the cultural and natural history of the
area with which the facility will be concerned.
SEC. 304. COST SHARING.
The Secretary of the Interior may accept contributions of
funds from non-Federal sources to pay the costs of operating
and maintaining the facility authorized under this title, and
shall take appropriate steps to seek to obtain such
contributions.
SEC. 305. REPORT.
Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit a report
to the Congress on progress made in designing and
constructing a facility under this title, including steps
taken under section 304 to obtain contributions and any such
contributions that have been pledged to or received by the
United States.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Massachusetts [Mr. Studds] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Fields] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Studds].
Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 476, the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation Improvement Act of 1994.
Since it was established by legislation from the Committee on
Merchant Marine and Fisheries in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation has funded almost 800 conservation projects in literally
every corner of our Nation. By using a partnership approach, $90
million worth of conservation projects have been funded with only $28
million in Federal appropriations.
This bill applies the adage, ``if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'' It
makes only minor changes to this legislation: it expands the
Foundation's Board of Directors from 9 members to 15; it gives explicit
authority for the Foundation to work with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration on marine conservation projects; and it
authorizes Federal appropriations at the current level of $25 million
per year for the next 5 years.
This bill also contains two other provisions. It authorizes the
establishment of the Brownsville Wetlands Policy Center at the Port of
Brownsville and directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey the
Senecaville National Fish Hatchery to the State of Ohio. All of these
provisions are identical to those contained in H.R. 2684, which
overwhelmingly passed the House by a vote of 368 to 59 on November 3,
last year. However, it does not include the section that authorizes the
Secretary of the Interior to construct and operate the Walter B. Jones
Center for the Sounds in North Carolina. The amendment that we are
sending back to the Senate includes the Walter B. Jones Center which I
understand has now been cleared in the other body.
Mr. Speaker, the provisions of this bill would enhance fish and
wildlife research and management. I urge the Members to continue their
strong support for these goals and pass this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FIELDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mr. FIELDS of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. FIELDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 476, a bill
to reauthorize and improve the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. I
would note that this bill was adopted by the House in November 1993.
When legislation establishing the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation was adopted by this House almost a decade ago, we were all
hopeful that the Foundation would be successful in forming partnerships
to improve our country's ability to conserve our natural resources. I
doubt any of us expected it to be as successful as it has been.
The Foundation has done an outstanding job of combining federally
appropriated funds with private contributions. Since its creation in
1984, the Foundation has achieved a match ratio of between $2 to $4 for
every Federal dollar appropriated. This has resulted in more than 873
grants, worth more than $108 million, for conservation projects
throughout the United States and in 16 other countries.
We are all aware of the need to prioritize Federal spending. This
legislation provides us with the opportunity to reauthorize a program
that is exemplary in its use of Federal money and serves the valuable
functions of promoting habitat conservation, environmental education,
and natural resources management.
Under the terms of this legislation, the Fish and Wildlife Foundation
would be reauthorized for 5 years at its current authorization level
and their Board of Directors would be increased from 9 to 15 members.
Mr. Speaker, I also support the committee amendment to the bill. The
language adds to the text a non-controversial fish and wildlife bill
recognizing the years of service of the late Walter B. Jones of North
Carolina. This language was previously adopted by the House, but
inadvertently dropped by the Senate. This amendment corrects this
situation.
Mr. Speaker, I support the adoption of this important legislation and
urge my colleagues to support this bill as well.
Mr. Speaker, if I could, I would also like to point out to my
colleagues that we on the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries
feel that we serve as an example to the House where Members of
disparate ideologies and different philosophies can sit down and work
with reason and promote and pass good and sound pieces of legislation,
which we have done today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, I want to heartily second the observations
of my distinguished ranking member, and also add that the provisions
with regard to our late colleague, Walter Jones, have now been cleared
of their previously inexplicable hurdle in the Senate, and I think the
bill is now on its way. And once again I echo the very warm remarks of
the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. LANCASTER. Mr. Speaker, I support S. 476, a bill to reauthorize
the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. It also authorizes the
Walter B. Jones Center for the Sounds at the Pocosin Lakes National
Wildlife Refuge in eastern North Carolina.
Walter B. Jones was our former colleague and chairman of the House
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. This bill authorizes the
Secretary of the Interior to construct and operate the Walter B. Jones
Center for the Sounds, which will serve as the headquarters for the
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Tyrrell County in eastern
North Carolina.
This center will provide public opportunities and facilities so that
children and adults may study the region's natural history and
resources. It will offer environmental education programs and exhibits,
and it will provide office space for the operation of the refuge. Any
Federal spending will be subject to future appropriations, but we
anticipate significant cost-sharing between the Department of the
Interior and local and State governments. The exact cost of the center
is not certain, although previous centers of this type have cost in the
range of $2 million to $5 million. After the center is designed, we
will be able to determine its cost more exactly.
Congressman Jones introduced in the 102d Congress legislation which
would establish this center, but unfortunately, his death in 1992
intervened before it could be enacted. It was amended that year so that
the center would become a memorial to him, and it subsequently was
passed in the House of Representatives, but there was no action in the
Senate before adjournment. This Congress, I introduced H.R. 2961, and
it was approved by the House on September 21 by a vote of 425-0.
Subsequently, similar language was included in H.R. 2684 which was
approved by the House on November 3 by a vote of 368-59. So, during the
103d Congress, the House has already approved this language twice.
Walter B. Jones was chairman of the Committee on Merchant Marine and
Fisheries for 12 years, but served on the committee for the entire 26
years of this career in Congress. He was an especially strong advocate
for the National Wildlife Refuge System and during this term in
Congress the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge and several other
refuges were established in his district. Over 303,000 acres in his
district were added to refuges, in the then First District of North
Carolina. Now, much of that lies within my district, the Third
District.
There are 10 national wildlife refuges in eastern North Carolina, but
not one has a visitors' center or educational facility.
The Pocosin Lakes Refuge was established with over 110,000 acres but
through a land donation from the Conservation Fund, so that no Federal
funds to this point have gone into acquisition of lands for this
refuge.
This acreage extends over a wide area in parts of three counties, in
one of the poorest regions of North Carolina. These counties, along
with others in the region, have formed a consortium called the
Partnership for the Sounds, to develop ecotourism as a draw to that
region and as a source of economic growth for the region.
While many counties object to taking property out of their tax base
to establish wildlife refuges, Tyrrell County, where the bulk of this
wildlife refuge is located, has enthusiastically embraced wildlife
refuges and the role that they in ecotourism. Officials there are
pursuing a strategy to put that small county on the map as a center for
study of ecology and the coastal estuaries and streams of eastern North
Carolina. The Fish and Wildlife Service needs to recognize and reward
such a positive attitude by the local officials. Establishment of the
Center for the Sounds would do so.
We believe this is important legislation that will not only honor our
former colleague and friend, Walter B. Jones, but will serve as an
important educational tool for the people who will visit this region,
and also as a headquarters for the refuge.
Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, 3 years ago, I began to search for a
legislative vehicle which would accomplish three basic objectives: to
expand educational opportunities for young Hispanics; to study ways to
preserve the delicate wetlands environment, particularly around
industrial complexes along the border; and to find actual wetlands for
scientists and students to examine in conjunction with academic
pursuits.
First, I sought out the Port of Brownsville to see if they had an
interest in moving forward a project with so many goals in mind. In an
act of monumental generosity, the Port committed over 7,000 acres of
valuable wetlands property adjacent to the Port Authority industrial
complex--land which students and scientists could examine to discover
the effects of industry on the fragile ecosystems of the wetlands in
south Texas.
I wanted to create a center under which a consortium of colleges and
universities could establish programs to provide research, training,
and academic classes for minority undergraduate and graduate students
in the field of wetlands environmental science, engineering,
management, and policy. The natural partner for this enterprise was the
University of Texas at Brownsville [UT-B].
From the beginning, we believed that academic institutions and
scientists from other countries would become involved in the
consortium. The participation of UT-B is important because it is an
institution which already has an international component, as well as a
student exchange program. Anticipating the passage and implementation
of the North American Free-Trade Agreement [NAFTA], I felt that
collaboration efforts on the study of wetlands by both the scientific
community and the Governments of the United States and Mexico would be
especially important.
I introduced the bill we call the Brownsville Wetlands Policy Center
Act in the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, on which I
serve, in July 1991. It was referred to a variety of committees, and
the House did not act on it that year. I introduced a more focused
version of the bill in August of 1992, and it was referred only to the
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. The committee passed the bill
quickly, a compliment to all the time and energy of the people who
helped develop the foundation for the bill.
In the fall of 1992, the House of Representatives passed the bill.
The Senate did not have the opportunity to deal with the bill before
Congress adjourned, so I introduced the bill again last year in the new
Congress. When it was introduced this time, the only change we made was
to make explicit the strength of the commitments by the Port of
Brownsville and UT-B in terms of land, educational facilities,
personnel, and other costs.
The new administration, particularly the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, was very helpful to me and my staff as we wrote the bill. The
Fish and Wildlife Service was anxious both to help with the bill and
participate in the science of studying the land. Senator Hutchison
graciously agreed to sponsor the bill in the Senate, and the help and
support of both she and Senator Gramm guaranteed the congressional
passage of this bill.
The Brownsville Wetlands Policy Center Act was eventually wrapped
into a larger bill which incorporated a number of noncontroversial
proposals approved by the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee--
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Improvement Act of 1993--and
passed by the House in November 1993. The Senate passed the bill in
March of this year, and it will be signed shortly by the President and
become law.
The scope and the importance of the bill have grown since the passage
of NAFTA. As more people show a genuine interest in preserving or
cleaning up the environment in an age when our economic interests
demand it, the Brownsville Wetlands Policy Center Act is a bold step in
taking the lead to discover how best to accomplish that end. The field
of environmental engineering has expanded for Hispanics, many of whom
probably never thought that breaking into the field would be a matter
of timing centered on international economic policy.
But with the attention of the Nation touching occasionally on
environmental policy during the heat of the NAFTA debate, those of us
who live along the international border with Mexico have a prime
opportunity to create a better climate for improving the conditions of
those who live here. Hispanics, particularly those who have lived along
the border, have a firsthand knowledge of the language, customs, and
traditions of their Mexican counterparts similarly involved in the
study and improvement of the border environment.
This center will accomplish all the original purposes we set out to
achieve--it will expand educational opportunities for young Hispanics;
it will enable the study and preservation of the wetlands environment
close to industrial complexes along the border; and, most importantly,
it provides actual wetlands as an outdoor laboratory resource for
scientists and students to examine in an industrial setting. This
center, I believe, will attract scientists from all over the world to
Brownsville for the study of wetlands preservation.
I am proud of what the good people of south Texas can do when we put
our minds to it. I thank the Port of Brownsville, UT-B, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, Senators Hutchison and Gramm, Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee Chairman Gerry Studds, Democrat of Massachusetts,
and Congressman Jack Fields, Republican of Texas, the ranking minority
member of the committee--all of whom were a great help in crafting the
bill. But most of all, I thank the people in the community who saw a
need, designed a solution, then saw it through to the end. The rewards
of this endeavor will benefit the valley, and the rest of the border
area, for a very long time.
Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Studds] that the House suspend the
rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 476, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill, as amended, was
passed.
The title of the Senate bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to
reauthorize and amend the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Establishment Act, and for other purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________