[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 126 (Thursday, July 25, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H7388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                              {time}  1100
                          RELEASE AUSTIN TICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Kilmer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, almost 7 years ago, Austin Tice, an American 
journalist, disappeared in Syria. Since the day he vanished, his 
parents, family, friends, and supporters have tirelessly worked to 
ensure that no stone is left unturned and no avenue ignored in a global 
campaign to see Austin returned home safely.
  As we approach the end of the seventh year of Austin's captivity, we 
request that whomever continues to hold Austin release him immediately 
so that he can return to his family and his friends.
  We also ask for the assistance of the Government of Syria. I ask that 
they do whatever they can to help facilitate Austin's release.
  There are things that transcend politics and diplomacy, bridge 
cultural divides, and need no translation across different languages. 
Those are things like love and hope, represented by a mother and a 
father who wake up each day with the unshakable faith in their son and 
the belief that today could be the day when they get the chance to hug 
him again.
  We ask for your help, without the assignment of blame or malice to 
anyone, so that this year is the last that Austin remains so far from 
home and from family.


                           Restore Our Parks

  Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Restore Our Parks 
Act, and I thank Mr. Bishop for his leadership and partnership on this 
bill.
  I was lucky enough to grow up near one of the crown jewels of our 
national park system, the Olympic National Park, right in my backyard 
in the Pacific Northwest. I have seen firsthand how our public lands 
have captivated both visitors and residents alike and served as key 
economic drivers for our local communities.
  I think there is little doubt that our national parks are some of 
America's greatest natural and cultural treasures. I am proud that my 
home State boasts not only Olympic National Park, but also Mount 
Rainier National Park and North Cascades National Park, true gems of 
the national park system.
  Unfortunately, these crown jewels are getting a bit rusty, and they 
require our attention to return them to glory. If you have visited one 
of our parks lately, you will no doubt have noticed that they are 
facing a good problem.
  In 2017, Washington State had a record 8.45 million park visitors, 
including families, campers, and adventurers, who came to explore our 
iconic landscapes. While they were there, these visitors spent more 
than $500 million, supported more than 6,600 jobs, and created nearly 
$700 million in economic impact.
  While this is undeniably great news for Washington's growing outdoor 
economy, the rise in visitation has also strained our park resources, 
like roads, interpretive centers, campsites, and trails, that visitors 
rely on to access and truly experience our parks. If we as a country 
don't start investing in our parks, I believe we risk loving them to 
death.
  The National Park Service manages more than 400 sites across the 
country and is facing a nearly $12 billion backlog in necessary 
repairs. In Washington State alone, our national parks suffer from 
nearly $400 million in deferred repairs needed to restore historical 
structures, fix eroding trails, fix roads, and update unsafe electrical 
and drinking water systems.
  This significant maintenance backlog threatens the health, 
accessibility, and safety of our parks, their visitors, and the 
communities that depend on them. That is why we need to take this 
opportunity to build on recent successes of investing in our public 
lands and turn our attention to passing the Restore Our Parks and 
Public Lands Act.
  Passing this legislation sponsored by my good friend from Utah (Mr. 
Bishop) will establish a long-term investment in our parks that will 
create jobs and boost economies throughout Washington State and across 
this country. An analysis commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts 
shows that investing in the maintenance of our national parks could 
create or support more than 3,800 new jobs in Washington State alone 
and 100,000 jobs across the country.
  Now, these days, Congress can hardly agree on what day it is or what 
color the sky is; but, with 300 Members of the House of Representatives 
cosponsoring this bill and 40 Members of the Senate, it is crystal 
clear that this is an area that we might actually see some progress. My 
hope is that we can get folks behind this and get this done.

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