[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 84 (Monday, June 7, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4611-S4612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING NORTHEASTERN NEVADA HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
Mr. REID. Madam President, I rise today to congratulate the
Northeastern Nevada Historical Society Museum on their acceptance to
the American Association of Museums' Museum Assessment Program. The
Northeastern Nevada Historical Society has been serving Nevada for 54
years, preserving its history and educating communities. Through
participation in the Museum Assessment Program, MAP, the museum will
undertake extensive improvement projects for the benefit of the entire
community.
The Northeastern Nevada Historical Society Museum, located in Elko,
is the only museum in Elko County and the largest museum in
northeastern Nevada. The museum houses two history galleries, three art
galleries, archives, a theatre, a gift shop, and an extensive library
collection. The exhibits range from ``Murray'' the mastodon, a set of
2-million-year-old mastodon bones discovered in northern Nevada, to
modern abstract paintings. Every year 18,000 people from all parts of
the country visit the museum. Children from five counties make field
trips here to learn about Nevada, wildlife, and history. The museum
also runs educational programming and hosts community events, making it
one of northern Nevada's most treasured establishments.
Last year, the Northeastern Nevada Historical Society was accepted
into the prestigious Museum Assessment Program, which is an intense
yearlong improvement process with three phases. In the first phase
museums receive guidance from the American Association of Museums, AAM,
in the form of written documents to help them asses their own
effectiveness and areas for improvement. In the second phase, the
museum is peer-reviewed through a visit by a surveyor. Together, the
museum staff and surveyor design an improvement plan for the museum,
which is implemented in the third phase of the program.
The dedicated staff at the historical society worked tirelessly
throughout the first few months of this year to complete the self-
assessment portion of the MAP program. Recently, they received a visit
from a surveyor, with whom they developed a thorough museum improvement
plan. Throughout this process, the historical society has shown the
utmost dedication to meeting the highest standards in museum
excellence.
I am very thankful to the Northeastern Nevada Historical Society
Museum for its work preserving Nevada's history. I have lived in Nevada
all of my life and have been deeply influenced by our unique culture
and history. The historical society aims to capture this culture and
history and share them in a way that is engaging and educational. I am
pleased to see that the American Association of Museums has recognized
this goal and will be supporting the Northeastern Nevada Historical
Society Museum in furthering it. The museum's commitment to the
communities it serves is evidenced by its choice to participate in such
a rigorous improvement program. I commend the Northeastern Nevada
Historical Society for its dedication and look forward to its
contribution to Nevada's communities for many years to come.
Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have my letter
[[Page S4612]]
to the Senate minority leader regarding the Global Food Security Act,
S. 384, printed in the Congressional Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
U.S. Senate,
May 27, 2010.
Hon. Mitch McConnell,
Senate Minority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Senator McConnell: I recently objected to a unanimous
consent request to pass S. 384, the Global Food Security Act.
As you will recall, I sent a letter to the entire Senate at
the beginning of this Congress in which I outlined four basic
principles that would give me cause to object to any
legislation that violated them. Among them are the principles
that any new spending commitment authorized must be paid for
by reducing spending in other areas of the federal budget and
that any new programs or initiatives should not duplicate
existing ones.
Along these lines I have two primary concerns with S. 384.
First, according to the Congressional Budget Office, this
bill will cost taxpayers $6.5 billion; yet, the legislation
provides no offset to avoid increasing our national debt,
which recently reached $13 trillion.
Second, it appears several components of S. 384 may overlap
with existing federal programs and authority relating to
agricultural assistance and research. For example, S. 384
creates the Higher Education Collaboration for Technology,
Agriculture, Research and Extension program (HECTARE), which
authorizes research and teaching activities for academic
exchanges for students, faculty, extension educators, and
school administrators. However, according to the
Congressional Research Service, this section overlaps with
several programs at the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Specifically, USDA already has research, extension and
teaching activities authorized in Section 1458 of the 2008
farm bill. Other farm bill programs, such as the Competitive
Grants for International Science and Education Programs (Sec.
1459A), the Borlaug International Agricultural Science and
Technology Fellowship Program (Sec. 1473G), and the Cochran
Agricultural Fellowship Program for Middle Income Countries,
Emerging Democracies and Emerging Markets (Sec. 1543) also
authorize USDA to carry out the kinds of activities that
would be funded by the HECTARE program.
Additionally, this bill adds new provisions and authority
for conservation farming and other sustainable agriculture
techniques. At the same time, USAID already operates the
Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management
Collaborative Research Support Program, which American
universities carry out to support sustainable agriculture
research and natural resource management internationally.
USAID also operates the Consultative Group on Program, which
American universities carry out to support sustainable
agriculture research and natural resource management
internationally. USAID also operates the Consultative Group
on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which is an
alliance of international agricultural centers that mobilizes
science to benefit the poor by promoting conservation and
sustainability of natural resources and biodiversity.
Further, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service
conducts an International Technical Assistance program.
Through this program, the U.S. provides technical assistance
internationally to enhance conservation and management of
natural resources. Finally, one component of USDA's Foreign
Agricultural Service's mission is to provide food aid and
technical assistance in foreign countries.
The statutory authorities to implement these initiatives
already exist. Congress should conduct better management of
programs already authorized rather than create new ones as
outlined in S. 384. The past failures of Congress to
streamline federal programs where appropriate have resulted
in a vast expansion of our government, often to the detriment
of taxpayers and in violation of the principles set forth in
the U.S. Constitution.
During this time of national economic unrest, Congress must
do the hard work of paying for its commitments rather than
passing along debt to future generations and risking
financial collapse. Additionally, Congress must first
evaluate existing programs to eliminate or consolidate
overlapping functions before it creates new programs or
embarks on new initiatives.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you
may have. Thank you for your service to our country.
Sincerely,
Tom A. Coburn,
U.S. Senator.
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