[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 8, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AUTHORITIES AND CORRECTIONS ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. PAUL TONKO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 7, 2009

  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, as a new Member of Congress, I have spent 
this year actively seeking opportunities to offer constructive 
legislative proposals on issues important to my constituents and to the 
Nation. I have been honored to sponsor measures dealing with improving 
highway safety and fostering research and development for alternative 
energy.
  In addition to my other legislation focused on energy and 
transportation safety, I also directed my staff to contact the National 
Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee because the protection and 
preservation of our parks, heritage areas, forests and public lands are 
of vital interest to me and the people I represent.
  The committee informed me that the National Park Service needed 
legislation to deal with a number of technical concerns facing the 
agency, and I was honored to act as the sponsor.
  H.R. 3804 includes 10-year reauthorizations for two important 
advisory boards, the National Park System Advisory Board and the 
National Park Service Concession Management Advisory Board.
  The National Park System Advisory Board was first authorized in 1935 
and advises the NPS Director and the Secretary of the Interior on 
matters relating to the agency, the National Park System, and programs 
administered by the NPS, including the designation of national historic 
landmarks and proposed national historic trails. A full, 10-year 
reauthorization of the Board is critical to maintaining the excellent 
management standards set by the National Park Service.
  The Concession Management Advisory Board was established by the 
National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998. The seven-member panel 
advises the Secretary of the Interior and the National Park Service on 
matters relating to the effective management of concessions in units of 
the National Park System. Reauthorization of this Board is important to 
ensure that the lodging, transportation, dining and other services 
provided to park visitors are of the very highest quality.
  H.R. 3804 also raises the ceiling for the popular Volunteers in Parks 
program from $3.5 million to $10 million. Volunteers, of course, are 
not paid, but many receive reimbursement for travel costs or other 
small expenses. Our national parks simply could not function without 
these volunteers, and the VIP program is really the least we can do to 
repay their enormous contributions.
  At the request of the National Park Service, H.R. 3804 changes the 
designation of the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site 
in Atlanta to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, to 
better reflect the size and complexity of the unit.
  The bill also makes several minor boundary adjustments that will 
allow the National Park Service to cooperate with other sites near the 
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial to make ticketing easier for visitors and makes 
technical corrections for six provisions in the omnibus parks bill from 
earlier this year.
  Finally, H.R. 3804 will strengthen law enforcement in our national 
parks by increasing and standardizing penalties for violations of park 
laws.
  I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill so that our Park 
Service can move to a more stable future.

                          ____________________