[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 52 (Thursday, March 26, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H4044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, during rollcall votes No. 157 
through 162, I was on a leave of absence due to the funeral of a very 
close friend.
  Had I been present for rollcall vote No. 157 on the Perlmutter 
amendment to H.R. 1404, to clarify that authorized suppression 
activities for the Flame Fund include containment activities in 
response to crisis insect infestations to reduce the likelihood of 
wildfires, I would have voted ``aye.''
  Had I been present for rollcall vote No. 158 on the Hastings 
amendment to H.R. 1404, to require advance notice, in writing, to 
adjacent landowners whenever the Department of Agriculture sets a 
prescribed fire on National Forest System land, I would have voted 
``aye.''
  Had I been present for rollcall vote No. 159 on the Minnick amendment 
to H.R. 1404, to require that the Secretaries, in considering severity 
of and threat posed by a fire for the purposes of determining whether 
to declare that a wildland fire suppression activity is eligible for 
funding from the flame Fund, take into account areas where insect 
infestation has created an extreme risk for wildfire, I would have 
voted ``aye.''
  Had I been present for rollcall vote No. 160 on the Kirkpatrick 
amendment to H.R. 1404, to amend the definition of ``fire-ready 
community'' in the bill to provide that a community satisfies the 
definition if it is located within a priority area identified by the 
fire risk maps required by the bill, and meets two of the other four 
criteria listed in the bill for ``fire-ready communities,'' I would 
have voted ``aye.''
  Had I been present for rollcall vote No. 161 on the Goodlatte 
amendment to H.R. 1404, to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to 
enter into sole source contracts with States to prepare and implement 
``good neighbor'' projects on National Forest System lands, I would 
have voted ``no.''
  Had I been present for rollcall vote No. 162 on final passage of H.R. 
1404, the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act, I 
would have voted ``aye.''

                          ____________________