[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 150 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H11553-H11558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF S. 1132, BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT 
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPROVEMENT AND WATERSHED PROTECTION ACT OF 1998 AND S. 
              2133, PRESERVATION OF THE ROUTE 66 CORRIDOR

  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 604 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 604

       Resolved, That upon the adoption of this resolution it 
     shall be in order without intervention of any point of order 
     to consider in the House the bill (S. 1132) to modify the 
     boundaries of the Bandelier National Monument to include the 
     lands within the headwaters of the Upper Alamo Watershed 
     which drain into the Monument and which are not currently 
     within the jurisdiction of a Federal land management agency, 
     to authorize purchase or donation of those lands, and for 
     other purposes. The bill shall be considered as read for 
     amendment. The previous question shall be considered as 
     ordered on the bill to final passage without intervening 
     motion except: (1) one hour of debate on the bill equally 
     divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority 
     member of the Committee on Resources; and (2) one motion to 
     recommit.
       Sec. 2. Upon the adoption of this resolution it shall be in 
     order without intervention of any point of order to consider 
     in the House the bill (S. 2133) an act to preserve the 
     cultural resources of the Route 66 corridor and to authorize 
     the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance. The bill 
     shall be considered as read for amendment. The previous 
     question shall be considered as ordered on

[[Page H11554]]

     the bill to final passage without intervening motion except: 
     (1) one hour of debate on the bill equally divided and 
     controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the 
     Committee on Resources; and (2) one motion to recommit.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon) is 
recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield half 
our time, 30 minutes, to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), pending 
which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration 
of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a straightforward rule providing for 
the consideration of two Senate bills that are pending now before the 
House.
  First, the resolution provides for consideration in the House, 
without intervention of any point of order, of S. 1132, the Bandelier 
National Monument Administrative Improvement and Watershed Protection 
Act of 1998.
  The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by 
the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Resources, 
and the rule also provides for one motion to recommit on this bill.
  Secondly, the rule provides for the consideration in the House, again 
without intervention of any point of order, of S. 2133, the 
Preservation of the Route 66 Corridor.
  The rule also provides 2 hours of debate on that bill equally divided 
and controlled by the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on 
Resources.
  Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit on the second bill 
as well.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 1132, Bandelier National Monument Administrative 
Improvement and Watershed Protection Act of 1998, was introduced by 
Senator Bingaman on July 31, 1997, was reported by the Senate Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources on April 19 of this year, and was 
adopted by the Senate on July 17, 1998.
  Likewise, S. 2133, the Preservation of the Route 66 Corridor, was 
introduced by Senator Domenici on June 4 of this year, was reported by 
the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on September 25, 
last month, and passed the Senate on October 9, just a couple of weeks 
ago.
  Mr. Speaker, both these Senate bills were considered by the House 
last week under the suspension of the rules procedure. That is a 
procedure where we bring noncontroversial legislation to the floor and, 
instead of requiring a majority vote of 50 percent plus one, it 
requires two-thirds to pass, because it is being brought under a 
special procedure. However, both of these bills, which have bipartisan 
support in both Chambers, failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds 
support of the House required under that procedure. There were some 50 
Members missing on that particular day.
  Nevertheless, both these bills did receive the support of a majority 
of the House. Consequently, this rule allows the House to consider 
these bills under a regular order procedure that will most efficiently 
get them to the President's desk for signature in the waning days of 
this Congress, and might I say the waning day of this House of 
Representatives. This should be the last day that we are going to be 
meeting on legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, considering Senate bills in an expeditious manner at the 
end of a session of Congress is a common House practice. This rule will 
help the 105th Congress to expeditiously conclude its work, and I urge 
adoption by the House of both the rule and the two bills that it does 
make in order.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume, and I wish to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon), 
the chairman of the Committee on Rules, for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a closed rule. It will allow for consideration 
of two resolutions, one is S. 1132, the Bandelier National Monument 
Administration Improvement and Watershed Protection Act of 1998, and S. 
2133, which is called the Route 66 Preservation Act.
  As my colleague from New York has described, this rule provides for 1 
hour of general debate to be equally divided and controlled by the 
chairman and the ranking minority member on the Committee on Resources. 
No amendments will be in order under this very closed rule.
  Mr. Speaker, on the last day the House will be in session in the 
105th Congress, once again we are asked to vote on measures for which 
there have been no House hearings, no committee reports, and without 
any opportunity to perfect these bills on the House floor.
  My objection to this rule is more on process than substance. The 
Route 66 Corridor bill is controversial, should not be coming up under 
a closed rule without House hearings or committee markup or committee 
report. There are several uncontroversial bills that the Committee on 
Resources has considered and approved and these bills are not being 
brought to the House floor. The two bills we are taking up today, 
including one which is controversial, should not be given this special 
treatment.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
to say that there is no one I have greater respect for than the 
gentleman from Ohio, but I would just say that I think he protests too 
much.
  These bills do have committee reports. There were hearings held in 
the Senate. They are relatively noncontroversial and, as everyone 
knows, in the waning days of any session that I have been here for, for 
the last 20 years, legislation like this passes back and forth between 
the two Houses, and that is what is happening here today. It is 
absolutely regular order.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from New Mexico (Mr. Redmond), an outstanding relatively new Member of 
this body, but he has certainly left his mark in such a short time and 
we admire him.
  Mr. REDMOND. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for 
yielding to me this time to speak in favor of this rule.
  I rise in support of the rule for S. 1132, the Bandelier National 
Monument Administration Improvement and Watershed Protection Act, and I 
urge the support of my colleagues on this legislation.
  The Bandelier National Monument was established by the President on 
February 11, 1916 to preserve the archeological resources of a vanished 
people, with as much land as may be necessary for the proper protection 
thereof. At various times since the establishment of the monument, the 
Congress and the President have adjusted the boundaries and purpose of 
the monument to further preservation of the archeological and natural 
resources within the monument.
  S. 1132 was introduced by Senator Bingaman in the Senate. This bill 
will expand the boundaries of Bandelier National Monument, located in 
northern New Mexico, next to the Santa Fe National Forest.
  With passage of S. 1132, the State of New Mexico will see 
approximately 900 acres of expansion of the Bandelier National 
Monument, one of the oldest national monuments in the United States. 
The National Park Service will be able to fulfill a long-time goal to 
acquire the Alamo Headwaters and to protect the watershed from any 
upstream contamination.
  S. 1132 expands Bandelier National Monument to include the lands 
often known as Elk Meadows within the headwaters of the upper Alamo 
Watershed which drains into the Monument, but which are not currently 
within the jurisdiction of the Federal Land Management Agency because 
they currently reside on privately owned land.
  This bill has both bipartisan and bicameral support. The Senate 
support of S. 1132 was the result of efforts of both Senator Domenici 
and Senator Bingaman. S. 1132 passed the Senate with unanimous consent.
  S. 1132 will authorize the National Park Service to purchase 
approximately 900 acres from a willing seller located adjacent to 
Bandelier. This land is an inholding within the Santa Fe National 
Forest. It makes sense to add it to the Federal inventory of property.
  There is no doubt in my mind that if the Federal Government does not 
purchase this land at this time, it will be developed and the 
protection of the

[[Page H11555]]

monument watershed will be lost forever. If this bill does not pass 
this year, then the National Park Service will not be able to use the 
money appropriated in the omnibus bill that Congress will pass later 
this week. This is money for the purchase of the land called Elk 
Meadows.
  S. 1132 will allow the National Park Service to readjust the 
boundaries of the Bandelier around Elk Meadows, and to take in the 
watershed north of the Monument for protective purposes.
  This bill should be noncontroversial. The National Park Service fully 
supports this. Members on the other side of the aisle should support 
this bill introduced by a Senator from their own party. The residents 
of the region are very supportive of this bill.
  Currently, Bandelier's boundaries tend to ignore the natural 
geographic features, particularly on the western side that cuts across 
the mid-watershed of the Alamo Canyon.
  In March 1997, the Sandoval County Commission approved a subdivision 
on Elk Meadows of an approximately 90 private acre parcel that 
straddles the headwaters. That development will be inevitable if this 
bill does not pass. Development in what may be considered to be an 
environmentally and ecologically sensitive area would permanently 
seriously disturb the Bandelier Wilderness Area.

                              {time}  1415

  The National Park Service's recommendations for fixing these problems 
are two. One, expand the Bandelier boundary to include the Alamo 
headwaters and, two, acquire the title to the land to include the 
adjacent boundary.
  Under current law, the U.S. Forest Service has blanket authority to 
purchase lands outside the Forest Service boundaries in every state 
except New Mexico and Arizona. That is why the boundaries are needed to 
be changed legislatively before the purchase can take place. S. 1132 
would make the necessary boundary adjustment and authorize the purchase 
of land.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to speak in favor of the Route 66 
component of this rule. I think it is important for us to understand 
that Route 66 is very important to the culture of America. Long before 
the information superhighway came about, there was an American 
superhighway. It was called Route 66. Just mentioning its name invoked 
the restless American spirit of exploration and adventure and yet it 
linked America together.
  I cannot help but think of Route 66 without thinking of the words to 
the song from Woodie Guthrie as he states, ``I roamed and rambled and 
followed my footsteps through the sparkling sands of her diamond 
desert, and all around me the voice kept saying `this land was made for 
you and me.' ''
  Route 66 is that land that was described by John Steinbeck in the 
novel ``The Grapes of Wrath.'' Truly, Route 66 has deep roots in 
American culture and protection of this is very important.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Miller), who is the ranking minority member on the 
Committee on Resources.
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule because, once again, 
the Republican majority is misusing the procedures of this House to 
deny the Democratic Members an opportunity to participate fully in the 
legislative process, which is our right.
  Last week the House voted down two resources bills that are now back 
before us today. These bills have only been recently introduced. They 
have never had hearings. They have never been subjected to review by 
the Committee on Resources, and they have never been debated or marked 
up.
  So this House is being called upon to vote to spend nearly $20 
million on projects that we have never reviewed. They may be good. They 
may be wasteful. We do not know.
  The proponents of these bills never asked for a hearing. Or if they 
did, they never got them. They certainly did not make a case for these 
bills. Now, at the last hour, we are told we have to pass them, without 
full debate, without any amendment, without questions being answered. 
Why? Because everyone in this Chamber knows, for election reasons, pure 
and simple.
  Once again, the Republican leadership of the Committee on Resources 
and the House is demanding that only Republican-sponsored bills be 
allowed to come to the House floor. When they tried this tactic two 
weeks ago, the House overwhelmingly defeated their Omnibus Parks bill. 
And then we did what we should have done in the first place. We 
negotiated out an agreement where an equitable number of Democratic and 
Republican bills were passed.
  Now the Republican leadership is desperate to enhance the image of 
the vulnerable Members with terrible environmental voting records who 
did not do their jobs to get these bills considered in the normal 
procedure. These rules let them steamroll this House into passing 
legislation that was never considered by any subcommittee or committee 
of the House.
  And what of the promises of fair treatment? Request after request for 
consideration of Democratic sponsored bills, bills that have passed the 
committee, that have passed the Senate, just like the two we are 
presenting here today, are ignored. We are told the Democratic bills we 
have requested cannot be considered. Not the bill of the gentlewoman 
from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Christian-Green), not the bill of the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), not the bill of the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Rodriguez), not the bill of Senator Daschle, not the bill of 
Senator Landrieu. None of them. Just Republican bills for vulnerable 
incumbents. Does anyone doubt that politics is at work here?
  Let us look at the bill of the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands 
(Ms. Christian-Green), a bill that affects only her district that was 
approved unanimously by the Committee on Resources, a bill without any 
known controversy. I have asked no fewer than five times that this 
noncontroversial bill be brought before the House and each time I am 
told that it cannot be considered, that it is out of our hands at the 
Committee on Resources. Whose hands is it in? We do not know. No one 
will say.
  Lo and behold, yesterday a story appears in the Virgin Islands Daily 
News quoting a Republican staffer of the Committee on Resources who 
denies that there has been any effort to block consideration of the 
bill of the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Christian-Green). 
He claims delays are common at the end of session. He conveniently 
ignored that our committee passed over 30 bills last week, many of them 
having received less consideration than the committee-approved bill of 
the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Christian-Green).
  What we are seeing is a stealth effort to kill Democratic bills while 
trying to pass unknown and expensive legislation simply to benefit 
marginal Republican Members. This House should not do that.
  We should oppose these rules because they are designed simply to 
silence the minority, deliver election year favors to vulnerable 
Republicans. We should oppose these rules because they are an attempt 
to misuse the rules of this House to prevent full consideration of this 
legislation at last hour and to prevent any Member of this House from 
offering an amendment to approve these bills. We should oppose these 
rules because they disenfranchise the entire Democratic Caucus of this 
House.
  This action does not suspend the rules, as they tried last week, but 
it does bend the rules to play partisan politics with taxpayers' money. 
We should vote no on the rules and we should vote no on the bills.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I am going to retire at the end of this year, after 20 years in this 
House, and the one thing I will not miss about this body, although I 
will miss almost everything else, is statements like my good friend and 
nextdoor neighbor in the second floor of Rayburn, when he stands up 
here and he criticizes Republicans for bringing these bills up in a 
political way on the last day of the session. He says we are doing it 
to help marginal Republicans.
  Well, first of all, Senator Bingaman, last I knew, was not a 
Republican. He is a Democrat. He is not marginal. And he wants this 
bill. He has asked for it.

[[Page H11556]]

 Senator Domenici is a Republican in the other body. He certainly is 
not marginal. And he is an outstanding Member and he wants this bill.
  We are doing exactly what the Democrats did for 40 years on the last 
days of the session. Only this time we are bringing two bills before 
the House that did pass the House with a majority vote, not with two-
thirds as required under suspension, because 50-some Members were 
missing that day. And now we are bringing the bills up and that is the 
way it should be, and I am very proud to have done it.
  Over here we have two outstanding Members, one I spoke of, the 
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Redmond) and how he is one of the most 
highly respected Members. He replaced a good friend of mine, Bill 
Richardson. Bill Richardson and I served together for many years. He 
was the UN ambassador. And although he and I did not agree 
philosophically on a number of things, he was a good Member. And he is 
replaced by an equally good Member.
  And we all remember Steve Schiff. Steve Schiff, serving on the 
Committee on the Judiciary, was respected on both sides of the aisle. 
He was a member of the Committee on Ethics. And every Member of this 
body praised him. And he died of cancer not too long ago and he was 
replaced by the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson). And in this 
short time, I would just say to her, I have never seen any Member come 
to this body and take hold and be able to carry out her duties like she 
has done. And I just greatly admire and respect her.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman 
from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson). Then I would ask my colleagues to tell 
me if they think this is a political act.
  Mrs. WILSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support today of this rule and in 
support also of Senate bill 2133. The fact is that this bill had a 
hearing on the Senate side and was marked up in the Senate and passed 
the committee by unanimous voice vote.
  It passed the Senate floor under unanimous consent and came over here 
to the House. It is important to my district, but not in a partisan 
political way. It is an important part of Americana and it is something 
that my predecessors and Senator Bingaman and Senator Domenici and 
others who live along this historic route have been working on for 5 
years now. Something that is as simple as this little bill that does 
not appropriate a dime, it merely authorizes expenditures over 10 years 
and recognizes this historic route, should not be lost in the waning 
days of this session.
  It is supported by the National Parks and Conservation Association, 
which endorses this bill, and by the National Park Service, and enjoys 
bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.
  Route 66 is 2,448 miles long. It crosses 8 States and three time 
zones, stretching from Chicago all the way down to Los Angeles, and it 
is firmly rooted in Americana.
  Almost every child in America who studies English in high school 
reads ``The Grapes of Wrath,'' where John Steinbeck writes Highway 66 
is the migrant road; 66, the long concrete path across the country, 
weaving gently up and down on the map from the Mississippi to 
Bakersfield, over the red lands and the gray lands, twisting up into 
the mountains crossing the divide and down into the bright and terrible 
desert, and across the desert to the mountains again and into the rich 
California valleys. 66 is the path of a people in flight, refugees from 
dust and shrinking land, from the thunder of tractors and shrinking 
ownership, from the desert's slow northward invasion, from the twisting 
winds that howl up out of Texas, from the floods that bring no richness 
to the land and steal what little richness is there.
  From all of these, the people are in flight and they come into 66. 
From the tributary side roads, from the wagon tracks and the rutted 
country roads, 66 is the mother road, the road of flight. 250,000 
people over the road. 50,000 old cars wounded, steaming wrecks along 
the road, abandoned. Well, what happened to them? What happened to the 
folks in that car? Did they walk? Where are they? Where does the 
courage come from? Where does the terrible faith come from?
  Here is a story we can hardly believe, but it is true and it is funny 
and it is beautiful. There was a family of 12 and they were forced off 
the land. They had no car. They built a trailer out of junk and loaded 
it with their possessions. They pulled it to the side of 66 and waited, 
and pretty soon a sedan picked them up. Five of them rode in the sedan 
and seven on the trailer and a dog on the trailer. They got to 
California in two jumps. The man who pulled them fed them, and that is 
true.
  How can such courage be and such faith in their own species? Very few 
things would teach such faith.
  The people in flight from the terror behind, strange things happened 
to them, some bitterly cruel and some so beautiful that the faith is 
refired forever.
  Route 66 is a part of our history and a part of our literature and a 
part of our lives, and it continues to be part of our lives from 
Chicago all the way down to L.A.
  There is a little elementary school in Moriarty, New Mexico, the east 
mountains of my district. It is called Route 66 Elementary School. I 
showed last week the hubcap that they gave to me, and one of their 
teachers there wrote me a letter, and some of the children did, too, 
about their school and how it is designed around the Route 66 theme.
  There is one of them that I wanted to read, or at least read a part 
of it, from Kelsey Byrne in Ms. Trujillo's fourth grade class. It says,

       Honorable Congressman Wilson, our principal told us about 
     the hubcap. It is an honor to have had you show it on 
     television. I am very glad to get part of my education here 
     at Route 66. It is historical, you know. I believe that this 
     school will go on for generations. I think a good education 
     is very important, especially if you want to be something, 
     like a computer technician, a teacher or an astronaut. People 
     use their school education all the time, even us kids. That 
     is why I think everyone deserves a good education. Route 66 
     is very important to me. It is old, but it is in very good 
     shape. I would like to thank you for supporting us and good 
     luck.

  Unlike today's interstate highways, Route 66 is a collection of 
roads, tied together by highway signs. It is a means to an end and a 
bona fide destination in itself. It is now decommissioned but it 
remains a preferred means of travel for those who want to get a little 
bit off the beaten path. Remember Phillips 66? It used to be the 
Phillips Petroleum Company. It changed its name near Tulsa, Oklahoma, 
on Route 66.
  Many of us have gotten our kicks on Route 66, and much of our culture 
surrounds this great migration westward on Route 66.
  When America entered World War II, traffic on Route 66 slowed to a 
trickle because of gas rationing. Military convoys began to travel 
across the highways with men and machines renewing the need for a fast, 
complete corridor from the heart of the country to the coast. Chicago 
mobsters like John Dillinger, Al Capone, Bugsy Moran used Route 66 as 
their getaway route.
  Route 66, the start of it moved to Chicago in 1933 when the World's 
Fair reclaimed land that was previously a swamp.
  There are many sites along that great route: The Chain of Rocks 
Bridge in Missouri; the Jessie James Wax Museum also in Missouri; in 
Kansas, and Galena, Kansas, the home of the 1935 United Mine Workers 
strike that erupted into violence; the Will Rogers Museum in Oklahoma; 
and on into Texas, and the art deco Conoco Service Station there in 
Shamrock.

                              {time}  1430

  There is, of course, Cadillac Ranch where Stanley Marsh is buried in 
cement, rear end upward, 10 famous tail-fin Cadillacs built from 1948 
to 1964. And then, of course, New Mexico through Tucumcari and Santa 
Rosa to Moriarty, the home of Route 66 Elementary School, and into 
Albuquerque, my hometown, where Route 66 is now central, and one can 
drive it from one end to the other looking at the old motor courts and 
the curio shops, most of which still operate, and have lunch at the 
Route 66 diner. In Arizona, the Petrified National Forest and the 
Painted Desert, the Meteor Crater and the gateway to the Grand Canyon 
National Park. And finally on into California, the home of Ray Crock's 
first McDonald's in San Bernardino, and then on down in Pasadena along 
the route of the Tournament of Roses Parade.
  Route 66 is truly America's Main Street. This is a simple bill that 
recognizes that, promotes tourism along it

[[Page H11557]]

and will help those small businesses that are a part of our heritage.


                                          Route 66 Elementary,

                                                     Edgewood, NM.
       Dear Representative Heather Wilson: Greetings from Route 66 
     Elementary. Thank you for your interest in our area. Although 
     our school building is new, it has a lot of history around it 
     and within it. In many ways our school is like one of the 
     original Route 66 Main Street communities.
       Our school is located near the site of Old Barton, one of 
     the many Route 66 filling stations between Tucumcari and 
     Albuquerque, New Mexico. Old Barton is now only a broken-down 
     building and windmill. Where the school stands was a cow 
     pasture. Just down Barton road is the grave of a man who 
     claimed to be Billy the Kid.
       The design of our school includes many features related to 
     Route 66. When you walk in the front doors you find yourself 
     on a ``walking map'' beginning at Chicago. To get to our 
     room, follow the map down the hall, and take a left 
     immediately after you cross the Arizona border into 
     California. Our signs in the halls are replicas of the old 
     highway signs. The front of our school bears up a huge neon 
     ``Route 66'' sign. There is a time capsule buried in the 
     walls of our building, with things the students chose to 
     include. Many of our building's features were generated by 
     the students during the planning phase of our permanent 
     structure. Our student council raises money by selling the 
     states on the walking map and, as you well know, cool old 
     hubcaps.
       The folks around here call our part of the historic roadway 
     ``Old 66'', never ``New Mexico 333'' as the people from the 
     State have renamed it. Although Interstate 40 runs alongside 
     66 and is much faster, many of our families prefer to take 
     the more leisurely drive into Albuquerque on 66. Several 
     families of the students in our class own their own 
     businesses on or near Route 66, and many others are second, 
     third, fourth or even fifth generation in this community. We 
     have strong ties here.
       Our school is so small that we have to have combination 
     classes, and barely have enough students to put together a 
     sixth grade traveling basketball team, but the students, 
     families, teachers . . . all of us pitch in to make our 
     school the best it can be.
           Sincerely,
       Mr. Tyrrell's 5th/6th grade combination class.
                                  ____

                                                 October 16, 1998.
       Honorable Congresswoman Wilson:  It was wonderful for you 
     to present the hubcap on television that we gave to you. As 
     you know, our school is located near the Historic Route 66 
     road. That is why our school's name is Route 66 Elementary.
       I heard that you were invited to the Grand Opening but 
     couldn't make it.
       I really think that education is very important. I believe 
     that everyone needs an education. I think staying in school 
     is the coolest thing anyone could ever do.
       Route 66 Elementary is a very important place to me. One 
     thing I know about the Historic Route 66 is that it is very 
     old.
       Thanks again!!
           Sincerely Yours,

                                              Rebecca Rasbeck,

                                        Mrs. Trujillo's 4th Grade,
                                              Route 66 Elementary.
       P.S. Good luck in the next election!
                                  ____

                                                 October 16, 1998.
       Honorable Congresswoman Wilson: Thank you for showing the 
     hubcap we gave to you on Cable Television. I'm very honored 
     to be writing this letter to you. I'm also honored to be in a 
     ``famous school.'' I feel education is important to our 
     future life, because I think it helps us do whatever career 
     we get. For example if I become an engineer, I would need to 
     know about spelling, mathematics, social studies, and 
     science.
       Route 66 road goes from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific 
     Ocean. I don't know very much about Route 66, but I do know 
     it's very old. Route 66 is important to me. Good luck on the 
     election! Ohi! Thanks again for making our school famous.
           Sincerely,

                                                Nicole Aurand,

                                        Mrs. Trujillo's 4th Grade.
     Route 66 Elementary School.
                                  ____

                                                 October 16, 1998.
       Honorable Congresswoman Wilson: Our principal told us about 
     the hubcap. It is an honor to have had you show it on 
     television! I am very glad to get part of my education here 
     at Route 66. It is historical you know. I believe that this 
     school will go on for generations!
       I think a good education is very important. Especially if 
     you want to be something like a computer technician, a 
     teacher, or an astronaut.
       People use their school education all the time. Even us 
     kids do! That's why I think everyone deserves a good 
     education.
       Route 66 is very important to me. It is old but is in very 
     good shape. I would like to thank you for supporting us. Good 
     luck at the election!
           Sincerely yours,
                                                     Kelsey Byrne,
     Mrs. Trujillo's 4th grade.
                                  ____

                                                 October 16, 1998.
       Honorable Congresswoman Wilson: I think education means 
     helping children with there lifes. Route 66 elementary gets 
     kids to do better with education. We sent you your hubcap 
     because we are good citizens. Route 66 was built from the 
     east to west in the 50's.
           Sincerely yours,

                                           Steven Christensen,

                                                         Route 66,
     Mrs. Trujillo's 4th grade.
                                  ____

                                                 October 16, 1998.
       Honorable Congresswoman Wilson: Thank you for showing the 
     hubcap that we gave to you on television. I really appreciate 
     you doing that!
       My principle Mr. Marshall said for me to write this letter. 
     It is about our school.
       I will tell you about it. Route 66 starts at the Pacific 
     and ends at the Alantic Ocean. As you know our school is on 
     it. I will also tell you about the history about it. Route 66 
     is a very old road.
       Now I will tell you about education. It means a lot to me. 
     You get a job from education and a lot more. The most thing I 
     like about education is knowing that you learning something.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Jennifer Hunt,
                                       From Mrs. Trujillo's class.

  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As my colleagues know, that to me was so reminiscing. I enjoyed it 
immensely. But I would like to just point out to the Members that the 
gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson) not only is a mother of two, 
and she is serving here in this body, but she also is the first woman 
graduate of the United States Air Force Academy ever to be elected to 
Congress. I wish we had more like her. I wish we had more veterans 
serving in this body. I am going to have more to say about that when we 
bring up the omnibus bill in just a few minutes and about how we ought 
to be defending the defenders of our Nation, and I thank the 
gentlewoman.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman 
from New Mexico (Mr. Redmond).
  Mr. REDMOND. Mr. Speaker, again I would like to stand in support of 
the rule on this bill for both the Bandelier National Monument 
expansion and also the Route 66 designation.
  And, Mr. Speaker, you are aware that in America there are a number of 
symbols in our Nation that unite us as a people. We have the Statue of 
Liberty, we have the monuments here in Washington, D.C., but there is a 
symbol that the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson) has 
identified for us, the symbol of Route 66 that stretches from my 
hometown, Chicago, through my new home state, New Mexico, and on into 
California, and again during the years of the Depression and many times 
strong relationships and ties were built during that era for our 
people, and part of our national heritage is identified by that 
defining point in our history. And, as I stated earlier, the song by 
Woody Guthrie talks about this land is your land, this land is my land, 
from California to the New York islands, from the redwood forests, to 
the Gulf stream waters, this land is made for you and me. And the Route 
66 embodies that symbol and unites all Americans. Mr. Guthrie goes on 
in his song, and I believe that he was describing Route 66 when he 
wrote: ``As I was walking that ribbon of highway, I looked above me, 
the endless skyway, I saw below me the golden valley, this land was 
made for you and me.''
  I would respectfully ask that my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle support the Route 66 and also the Bandelier expansion because 
both these are symbolic of who we are as Americans and how we are 
united as a people.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, before I yield back the balance of my time, I would just 
simply say that we in the minority will probably, almost 100 percent, 
be against this rule and for a variety of reasons. Number one, it is a 
closed rule. Number two, the bill itself really has not had any 
hearings in the House of Representatives, and in this particular rule 
there is not really a chance to change it, so it is up or down. We do 
not have a choice because it says in the rule that we cannot make 
amendments. There has been no committee report. It has been said by 
papers that I have here by the ranking minority member that one of the 
bills that is up before us is somewhat controversial, and if we put all 
those things together, one is enough for us to oppose the bill. The 
majority really does not give us much of a choice.
  So, for that reason we will oppose the rule.

[[Page H11558]]

  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), and in 
closing let me just repeat one more time these are two noncontroversial 
bills. The people that have been on the floor listening, the people 
that have been back in their offices listening and certainly the 
viewing audience, I think they have made up their mind there is nothing 
controversial about these bills. They were brought to the floor under 
regular order. I have here a whole list of Members who were not here 
for the vote on these two bills, 50 some Members and an awful lot of 
Democrats. I do not know where they were:
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman), the gentleman from Maine 
(Mr. Allen), the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman), the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Brown), the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards), 
the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Frost), the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Furse), the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Green), the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hefner), 
the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Johnson), the gentlewoman from 
Connecticut (Mrs. Kennelly), the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Lantos), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski), the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
McIntyre), the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan), and it goes 
on, and on, and on.
  They ought to have a chance to vote on this. I urge support of the 
rule.
  In closing, let me point out to anyone who has any question about 
either one of these bills: Because of the changes that I and the 
Committee on Rules made when we took control here 4 years ago, the 
minority party always has the right to a motion to recommit, and that 
means they can offer their alternative. They have an alternative; now 
is their time to offer it.
  Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in objection to S. 2133 
which is being brought to the floor today without having undergone 
review by the House Resources Committee.
  First of all, the program will, if enacted, divert $10 million from 
underfunded and backlogged projects, possibly even in the National Park 
system in my own district, the U.S. Virgin Islands. Today, my 
constituents have been asked to pay a fee, despite the fact that when 
the property was deeded to the Park Service it was with the stipulation 
that residents especially on the Island of St. John where over 60% of 
the land is park, would never be charged for use. This would not be 
necessary if we were funded adequately, and so I object to this bill.
  But even more insulting to our territory is what happened in the case 
of my bill, H.R. 4313, which is similar to provision passed for Guam, 
and which was submitted upon a resolution passed by the local 
representatives in the Virgin Islands. Our legislature asked to be 
given the authority to reduce the size of our legislature even though 
it was passed unanimously out of committee, it still has not come to 
the floor for passage.
  This is similar to the fate of several of the Democratic bills that 
are languishing and apparently about to die as we close out this 
Congress.
  This is no way to do the people's business, Mr. Speaker. I urge my 
colleagues in the interest of fairness to vote no on the rule and on 
these bills.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I 
move the previous question on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaTourette). The question is on the 
resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

                          ____________________