[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 138 (Wednesday, September 28, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 28, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4602, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED 
                   AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1995

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                               speech of

                         HON. RONALD D. COLEMAN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 27, 1994

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the conference 
report on H.R. 4602, the Department of the Interior appropriations bill 
for fiscal year 1995, and to express my appreciation for the leadership 
of Chairman Sidney Yates and the ranking Member Ralph Regula, in 
crafting this important piece of legislation. I would also like to 
thank my colleagues on the subcommittee for their support and the 
positive manner in which all approached the conference.
  Once again, the chairman conducted the conference in a fair and 
statesmanlike manner. As we all know, the subcommittee was give a 
particularly tight 602b allocation. Many difficult choices had to be 
made, and the chairman should be commended for shaping a fair and 
balanced bill.
  I would like to thank the committee for including several provisions 
important to my State, as well as, several of importance to my 
district, including $3.3 Million natural resource management funds 
related to the implementation of the North American Free Trade 
Agreement. Under the Fish and Wildlife Service's account for land 
acquisition, the committee provided funding for the Trinity River 
National Wildlife Refuge, Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife 
Refuge, Balcones Canyonland National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the 
Balcones Habitat Conservation Plan. Under the National Park Service, 
the committee has provided funding for the San Antonio Missions 
National Historic Preservation, the LBJ Ranch National Historical Site, 
the Big Thicket National Park, the Palo Alto National Monument, the 
Stubblefield Recreation Area and the Haley's Ferry Campground.
  H.R. 4602 also includes much needed funding to complete a study on 
the Camino Real and Colonial Missions of the southwest in the National 
Park Service and funding for improvements to the Chamizal National 
Memorial. In addition, the conference committee included my report 
language expressing the concern of the managers that issues raised in 
the Smithsonian Institute's Report of the Task Force on Latino Issues 
regarding its recommendations and the planning, allocation, and 
administration of the Latino programming funds be properly addressed by 
the Institution.

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