[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.

                          ____________________