[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 27, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2709-S2710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mrs. HUTCHISON:
S. 3261. A bill to establish the Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Area
in the State of Texas, and for other purposes; to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill to
designate the Buffalo Bayou as a National Heritage Area. This
legislation will designate the 25-mile stretch of the Houston Ship
Channel as the first National Heritage Area in Texas. This distinction
will allow up to $1 million annually for 10 years to the area and
provide the tourism benefits of Federal recognition without restriction
on land or commerce.
In 2002, Congressman Gene Green and I introduced the Buffalo Bayou
National Heritage Study Act, which directed the U.S. Department of the
Interior to conduct a study to determine if the Buffalo Bayou was
eligible to receive National Heritage Area distinction. The Department
of the Interior has concluded that the Buffalo Bayou has met the
criteria needed for National Heritage Area distinction, and I support
this distinction. I wish to recognize Congressman Green for
spearheading the efforts to designate the Buffalo Bayou as a National
Heritage Area.
The Buffalo Bayou has played an important role in the development of
Texas and our nation's commerce. The Buffalo Bayou has helped the City
of Houston become the fourth largest city in the United States by
supporting oil refining, petrochemical production and commercial trade.
The history of the Buffalo Bayou begins on August 30, 1836, when
Augustus Chapman Allen and his brother, John Kirby Allen, founded the
City of Houston near the banks of the Buffalo Bayou. The city was
incorporated on June 5, 1837, and named after the former General and
President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston. One of the most
significant battles in the history of Texas, the Battle of San Jacinto,
was fought at the mouth of Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River. It
paved the way for the Republic of Texas to become an independent
country.
If approved by Congress, the Buffalo Bayou's National Heritage Area
status would enhance as well as promote the national significance of
this historic waterway.
______
By Mr. AKAKA (for himself and Mr. Ensign):
S. 3263. A bill to establish a Chief Veterinary Officer in the
Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes; to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill, along
with Senator Ensign, to establish a Chief Veterinary Officer within the
Department of Homeland Security. I want to acknowledge the leadership
that our colleagues in the House, especially Representative Rogers of
Alabama, have shown in introducing a bipartisan companion bill. This
bipartisan, bicameral legislation advances increased focus on
veterinary health, food defense, and agricultural security within the
Department of Homeland Security. Importantly, it does this without
creating an additional layer of management within the Department.
Animal disease and zoonotic outbreaks are a looming threat to the
United States. A major foreign animal disease outbreak, such as foot-
and-mouth disease, could have far-reaching effects, threatening our
food supply and harming both domestic commerce and international trade.
The Department of Homeland Security would be called upon to provide
leadership and to integrate the necessary assets and people from across
the Nation to respond to such an incident.
This bill would strengthen the Department's capacity to prepare for
and respond to such a crisis by ensuring that there is a veterinary
leader within the Department who is fully prepared and empowered to
respond. The Secretary of Homeland Security would be required to
appoint a veterinarian with expertise in veterinary public health,
emergency preparedness, and other related fields as the Department's
Chief Veterinary Officer. He or she would lead the division of the
Department with primary responsibility for veterinary issues, food
defense, and agricultural security, and would serve as the Department's
lead policy advisor and principal point of contact on those issues.
This senior leader also would provide overall guidance for the health
of the Department's working animals that play a vital role in the
Nation's defense.
I have long been concerned about the Nation's ability to prepare for
and respond to agriculture disasters, such as a catastrophic foreign
animal disease outbreak. In February, 2009, I held a hearing on
protecting public and animal health and received testimony from several
agencies, including the Government Accountability Office, GAO, which
had recently completed a review of the Federal veterinary workforce.
GAO reported troubling shortfalls in our veterinarian workforce and our
planning to respond to foreign animal disease and zoonotic outbreaks. I
believe that this bill will help address this challenge and support a
more capable and prepared Department of Homeland Security.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 3263
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CHIEF VETERINARY OFFICER OF DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY.
(a) In General.--Title III of the Homeland Security Act of
2002 (6 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
``SEC. 317. CHIEF VETERINARY OFFICER.
``(a) In General.--There is in the Department a Chief
Veterinary Officer, who shall be appointed by the Secretary.
``(b) Reporting Relationship.--
``(1) In general.--The Chief Veterinary Officer shall
report directly to the Chief Medical Officer.
``(2) Exception.--If an individual other than the Assistant
Secretary for Health Affairs is serving as the Chief Medical
Officer, the Chief Veterinary Officer shall report directly
to the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs.
``(c) Qualifications.--The individual appointed as Chief
Veterinary Officer shall be a veterinarian who possesses--
``(1) a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of veterinary
public health and emergency preparedness; and
``(2) other professional experience, as determined by the
Secretary, including experience in agriculture, food defense,
and disaster medicine.
``(d) Responsibilities.--The Chief Veterinary Officer
shall--
``(1) be the head of the division of the Department with
primary responsibility for veterinary issues, food defense,
and agriculture security; and
``(2) have primary responsibility within the Department for
responsibilities relating to veterinary medicine and
veterinary public health, including--
``(A) serving as the principal authority in the Department
responsible for advising the
[[Page S2710]]
Secretary, in coordination with the Assistant Secretary for
Health Affairs, on veterinary public health, food defense,
and agricultural security issues;
``(B) providing guidance for the health and welfare of the
working animals of the Department, including those used to
enhance transportation, border, and maritime security, and
for other purposes;
``(C) leading the policy initiatives of the Department
relating to--
``(i) food, animal, and agricultural incidents, and the
impact of such incidents on animal and public health; and
``(ii) overall domestic preparedness for and collective
response to agricultural terrorism;
``(D) serving as the principal point of contact in the
Office of Health Affairs for--
``(i) all veterinary preparedness and response research and
development; and
``(ii) sharing homeland security veterinary medical
information with Department officials, including all
components with veterinary, food, or agricultural interests;
``(E) serving as the principal point of contact within the
Department with respect to veterinary homeland security
issues for--
``(i) the Department of Agriculture, the Department of
Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, and
other Federal departments and agencies; and
``(ii) State, local, and tribal governments, the veterinary
community, and other entities within and outside the
Department; and
``(F) performing such other duties relating to the
responsibilities of the Chief Veterinary Officer as the
Secretary may require.
``(e) Advance Notice of Reorganization Required.--Not later
than 180 days before carrying out any reorganization within
the Department that would affect any responsibility of the
Chief Veterinary Officer, the Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report on the proposed
reorganization.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section
1(b) of such Act is amended by adding at the end of the items
relating to title III the following:
``Sec. 317. Chief Veterinary Officer.''.
______
By Mr. McCAIN (for himself, Mr. Tester, Mr. Graham, Mr. Begich,
Mr. Burr, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Bennett,
Mr. Wicker, and Mr. Isakson):
S. 3265. A bill to restore Second Amendment rights in the District of
Columbia; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs.
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I am proud to introduce the Second
Amendment Enforcement Act today with Senator Tester. I have always
supported Americans' Second Amendment rights and was pleased when the
Supreme Court found in June 2008 that the District of Columbia had
reached too far in restricting the District's residents from owning
firearms and defending themselves in their home. The legislation that
we introduce today seeks to implement the Supreme Court's decision in
District of Columbia v. Heller.
Specifically, the Second Amendment Enforcement Act would codify many
of the laws the District of Columbia City Council has put in place in
response to the Supreme Court's decision. For example, this legislation
would codify the District's repeal of the semiautomatic ban and retain
the District's ban on fully-automatic machine guns. The legislation
would also codify the District City Council's law that prohibits the
carrying of firearms into the District's public buildings that have
implemented security measures and codify the Council's law regulating
the carrying of rifles or shotguns.
The legislation would correctly restore the right of self-defense for
any District resident in his or her home. Previously, the District had
a requirement that any firearm kept in a home be stored in a manner
that made it essentially useless for self-defense, e.g. kept ``unloaded
and either disassembled or secured by a trigger lock, gun safe, locked
box, or other secure device.'' The legislation would also clarify that
landlords cannot prohibit firearms in rented homes or offices or
dictate what firearms tenants may own.
Most egregious was the District's restrictions on the purchase of
firearms and outright ban on the purchase of ammunition. At the heart
of the Supreme Court's decision was that District residents must be
able to own operable firearms for lawful purposes, which must then
allow residents meaningful opportunities to purchase firearms and
ammunition. Since the District does not have traditional retail gun
shops and current federal law prohibits a person from purchasing
handguns outside the person's State of residence, the legislation would
amend Federal law to allow District residents the ability to purchase
guns from federally-licensed dealers in Maryland and Virginia and then
transport them back to their homes in DC. Let me be very clear on this
point, this legislation would not allow residents of the District to
buy firearms from anyone who is not a federally-licensed dealer, even
at a gun show. I believe this is a very reasonable restriction and one
that again, like much of this legislation, takes into consideration the
concerns of the District's City Council.
Some may ask why a Senator from Arizona and a Senator from Montana
would introduce legislation that impacts the lives of District
residents. It is simple--we believe that residents across this country
should have access to firearms to protect themselves, particularly in
their own home or place of business. It is a constitutional right and
one that was put in place by the Founding Fathers, recognized by the
Supreme Court and cherished by many Americans. However, the District of
Columbia City Council did not follow the Supreme Court's directive in
fully updating their city's laws regarding firearms, and so now it is
up to Congress to ensure that District residents' rights are respected
by their government.
I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this important
legislation that will not only restore District residents' rights, but
also ensure that no resident in any State, territory or the District is
prevented from exercising his or her Second Amendment right.
Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Second
Amendment Enforcement Act of 2010 with Senators McCain, Begich,
Bennett, Brownback, Burr, Chambliss, Graham, Hatch and Wicker to codify
the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision District of Columbia v.
Heller, which ruled Washington, DC's, decades-old ban on firearms
unconstitutional. This bill will repeal the District of Columbia's
restrictions on semiautomatic firearms, current gun storage law and
complicated firearms registration system. It will ensure that law-
abiding persons in Washington, DC, are able to fully exercise their
Second Amendment rights just like all other Americans.
My cosponsors and I, all signers of the bipartisan friend-of-the-
court brief for District of Columbia v. Heller, urging the Court to
support gun rights, think this is a very important bill and we welcome
our colleagues' support.
____________________