[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 129 (Friday, October 4, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1750-E1751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECLAMATION RECREATION MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2002

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JAMES V. HANSEN

                                  utah

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 1, 2002

  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I request that the attached letters for H.R. 
5460 be submitted for the Record under General Leave.
  As you know, H.R. 5460 passed the House under suspension of the rules 
on Tuesday, October 1, 2002. These letters are an exchange between the 
Committee on Resources with the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure and the Committee on Science, concerning the mentioned 
legislation.


[[Page E1751]]


         U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on 
           Transportation and Infrastructure,
                                  Washington, DC, October 1, 2002.
     Hon. James Hansen,
     Chairman, Committee on Resources, Longworth Building, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Hansen: I am writing with regard to H.R. 
     5460, to reauthorize and amend the Federal Water Project 
     Recreation Act, which was referred to the Committee on 
     Resources on September 25, 2002. This legislation affects 
     programs under the jurisdiction of the Transportation and 
     Infrastructure Committee.
       I recognize your desire to bring this bill before the House 
     in an expeditious manner. Accordingly, I will not exercise my 
     Committee's right to a sequential referral of the 
     legislation. By agreeing to waive its consideration of the 
     bill, however, the Committee on Transportation and 
     Infrastructure does not waive its jurisdiction over H.R. 
     5460. In addition, the Transportation and Infrastructure 
     Committee reserves its authority to seek conferees on 
     provisions of the bill that are within its jurisdiction 
     during any House-Senate conference that may be convened on 
     this legislation. I ask for your commitment to support any 
     request by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 
     for conferees on H.R. 5460.
       I request that you include a copy of our exchange of 
     letters in the Congressional Record during consideration on 
     the House Floor. Thank you.
           Sincerely,
                                                        Don Young,
                                                         Chairman.

                                  ____
                                  

         U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Resources,
                                  Washington, DC, October 2, 2002.
     Hon. Don Young,
     Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
         Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter regarding H.R. 
     5460, to reauthorize and amend the Federal Water Project 
     Recreation Act, and for other purposes. As you know, 
     scheduling this bill for Floor consideration was a last-
     minute decision on the part of our Leadership, and I 
     apologize for not consulting with you earlier about this bill 
     and its unintended affect on programs within the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure's jurisdiction. 
     Fortunately, when the House considered the bill yesterday on 
     the Floor, we were able to pass it with an amendment worked 
     out between our staffs which should resolve your concerns.
       In response to your letter, I agree that by not pursuing a 
     sequential referral of H.R. 5460, you did not waive your 
     jurisdiction over the bill. Moreover, in the unlikely event 
     that a House-Senate conference should be required on H.R. 
     5460, 1 would support your request to have Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure represented on that 
     conference for matters within your Committee's jurisdiction. 
     As requested, I also plan to insert both your letter and my 
     response in the Congressional Record.
       Thank you again for your cooperation on this matter and for 
     the good work of Susan Bodine of your staff.
           Sincerely,
                                                  James V. Hansen,
                                                         Chairman.

                                  ____
                                  

                                    U.S. House of Representatives,


                                       Committee on Resources,

                                  Washington, DC, October 1, 2002,
     Hon. Sherwood Boehlert,
     Chairman, Committee on Science, Rayburn House Office 
         Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for agreeing to allow H.R. 
     4792, to reauthorize funding for the Water Desalination Act 
     of 1996, and for other purposes, to be brought to the Floor 
     of the House of Representatives as part of a larger 
     legislative package dealing with water projects. H.R. 4792, 
     authored by our colleague Mr. Horn, was referred primarily to 
     the Committee on Resources and additionally to the Committee 
     on Science.
       It is my intention to include the text of H.R. 4792 as one 
     of several amendments to H.R. 5460 and consider the resulting 
     bill on the Floor under suspension of the rules this week.
       By allowing this bill to be scheduled, I agree that the 
     Committee on Science has not waived its jurisdiction over the 
     measure, nor should this action be taken as precedent for 
     other bills. In addition, in the unlikely event that a 
     conference on H.R. 5460 becomes necessary, I would support 
     the Committee on Science's request to be represented on that 
     conference for those matters within its jurisdiction. 
     Finally, I would be pleased to include this letter and any 
     response you might have in the Congressional Record during 
     debate on H.R. 5460.
       Thank you again for your cooperation on this matter, and I 
     look forward to seeing H.R. 4792 enacted soon as part of H.R. 
     5460.
           Sincerely,
                                                  James V. Hansen,
                                                         Chairman.

                                  ____
                                  

                                    U.S. House of Representatives,


                                         Committee on Science,

                                  Washington, DC, October 1, 2002.
     Hon. James V. Hansen,
     Chairman, Committee on Resources, U.S. House of 
         Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Hansen: On May 22, 2002, Mr. Horn introduced 
     H.R. 4792, a bill ``to reauthorize funding for the Water 
     Desalination Act of 1996, and for other purposes,'' which was 
     referred to the Committee on Resources in addition to the 
     Committee on Science. It has come to my attention that you 
     intend to include the text of H.R. 4792 as one of several 
     amendments to H.R. 5460.
       In deference to your desire to bring this legislation 
     before the House in an expeditious manner I will not exercise 
     this Committee's right to consider H.R. 4792. Despite waiving 
     its consideration of H.R. 4792, the Science Committee does 
     not waive its jurisdiction over H.R. 4792. Additionally, the 
     Science Committee expressly reserves its authority to seek 
     conferees on any provisions that are within its jurisdiction 
     during any House-Senate conference that may be convened on 
     this or similar legislation which falls within the Science 
     Committee's jurisdiction. I ask for your commitment to 
     support any request by the Science Committee for conferees on 
     H.R. 4792 as included in H.R. 5460 as well as any similar or 
     related legislation.
       I request that you include this letter as part of the 
     Record during consideration of the legislation on the House 
     floor. Thank you for your consideration and attention 
     regarding these matters.
           Sincerely,
                                             Sherwood L. Boehlert,
                                                         Chairman.

     

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