[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 108 (Thursday, June 11, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2901-S2902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       BUSINESS BEFORE THE SENATE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Over the last several weeks, major challenges have 
dominated the headlines on a daily basis. Following the sacrifices 
Americans have made to fight the coronavirus, our Nation is gradually 
beginning to reopen. Our economy has started adding back jobs. But as 
some States are seeing their numbers increase, the fallout for American 
workers remains historic, and schools, universities, and employers are 
still looking for smart and safe ways to step back toward normal.
  The Senate is working to ensure that our efforts to treat, contain, 
and recover from the pandemic can succeed. We have confirmed a Special 
Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. Committees are overseeing the 
CARES Act, and Senator Cornyn is crafting measures to make sure a 
second epidemic of frivolous lawsuits does not block schools and 
colleges from reopening or employers from rehiring workers.
  At the same time, the killings of Black Americans like George Floyd 
and Breonna Taylor have accelerated important conversations. With the 
leadership of Senator Scott of South Carolina, the Senate is preparing 
to add to the conversations surrounding law enforcement with our own 
serious proposal--policies that would take smart steps without 
attacking the vast majority of police officers who bravely do their 
jobs the right way.
  Of course there is also a long list of legislative priorities which 
the Senate was going to tackle before these new issues materialized. 
This week, Chairman Inhofe and the Armed Services Committee have been 
marking up the 60th consecutive National Defense Authorization Act, 
which I hope the full Senate will be voting on later this month.
  Here on the floor, we have also been considering a landmark bill to 
protect and preserve our Nation's public lands for future generations
  In my home State of Kentucky, we know all about the important role 
that public lands play in preserving our physical heritage, providing 
access for outdoor recreation, and sustaining jobs and prosperity in 
the process. Across the Commonwealth, outdoor recreation supports 
120,000 jobs and drives nearly $13 billion in consumer spending. From 
natural wonders like Red River Gorge and Mammoth Cave National Park to 
historic sites like Mill Springs Battlefield and Camp Nelson, 
Kentuckians have grown up enjoying our public lands, and we intend to 
protect them for future generations.
  Let me give just one example. As I mentioned yesterday, when I came 
to

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the Senate, Kentucky was the only State without its own national 
wildlife refuge. We had plenty of history and heritage. We just needed 
a little help to preserve it.
  With the support of hunters, boaters, and outdoorsmen in the Jackson 
Purchase region, I led the establishment of the Clarks River National 
Wildlife Refuge. It was a huge step to protect local species and our 
treasured Kentucky pastimes. This refuge has continued to grow over the 
years. Thanks to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and many willing 
sellers, it now makes thousands of acres available for appreciation, 
recreation, and tourism.
  Like many public lands, these wildlife areas make great neighbors. In 
a single year, more than 50 million visitors come to America's wildlife 
refuges nationwide and spend billions in nearby communities.
  Decades later, another Kentucky community was looking to safeguard 
its own natural treasure. The Green River, which flows through Kentucky 
and meets the Ohio River near Henderson County, is one of the most 
biodiverse waterways on the entire continent. I was proud to take the 
lead once again, and alongside strong local supporters and a broad 
coalition of groups, we sent a bill to President Trump, and he signed 
it into law. We welcomed the Interior Secretary to Western Kentucky 
last year to cut the ribbon on the Green River National Wildlife 
Refuge.
  But Kentuckians know that ribbon cuttings are just the beginning. Our 
State has newly designated public lands that need attention to get off 
the ground. We have well-established public lands that have 
opportunities to grow and improve, and we have places like the Daniel 
Boone National Forest, established more than 80 years ago, that need 
our careful attention and upkeep.
  This legislation before the Senate will help all of them. It will 
help us repair levees at the Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge. It 
will also help our two wildlife refuges continue to grow. It will help 
Mill Springs Battlefield and Camp Nelson continue to teach the history 
of emancipation and the Civil War to new generations. It will help us 
make infrastructure upgrades at Mammoth Cave National Park for the 
safety of 2 million annual visitors. It will help enhance the Land 
Between the Lakes and its $600 million economic impact. It will fund 
transportation and structural maintenance in the Daniel Boone National 
Forest, which supports more than 900 jobs. It will help us rehabilitate 
the Cumberland Gap and give future Americans the opportunity to 
literally follow in the footsteps of our early explorers.
  Kentucky is proud of our public lands. We are proud of the role our 
natural inheritance plays in our vibrant present and our promising 
future. Of course, we are only just one State. Every one of my Senate 
colleagues has parks, forests, refuges, and historic sites they are 
equally proud of that are equally central in their communities. That is 
why we voted to advance this legislation earlier this week by an 
overwhelming bipartisan margin.
  President Teddy Roosevelt once said this about our Nation's national 
treasures: ``We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage people 
ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that 
the Nation is worthy of its good fortune.''
  I want to thank Senator Daines and Senator Gardner for their 
leadership in making sure that we keep up our end of the bargain with 
the generations of Americans who came before us and those yet to come. 
I am also grateful for Senator Alexander, Senator Portman, and our 
Democratic colleagues, Senators Manchin and Warner, for helping to 
assemble this bipartisan bill. I will be proud to speak for Kentucky 
and to vote for it.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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