[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 1, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3137-S3138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. PADILLA:
S. 4222. A bill to adjust the boundary of the Mojave National
Preserve in the State of California to include the land within the
Castle Mountains National Monument; to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources.
Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce Mojave National
Preserve Boundary Adjustment Act.
The Mojave National Preserve Boundary Adjustment Act is a commonsense
bill that would expand the Mojave National Preserve to include the land
within the Castle Mountains National Monument.
The Mojave National Preserve, located in Southern California in the
Mojave Desert, was established by the 1994 California Desert Protection
Act, which was one of the late Senator Feinstein's signature
achievements. Today, the Mojave National Preserve is one of the largest
national preserves within the continental United States and plays an
important role in safeguarding a diverse group of ecological habitats,
mountains, and canyons in the region.
The adjacent Castle Mountains National Monument is surrounded on
three sides by the Mojave National Preserve and is also home to
important historic resources along with resident populations of and
migratory corridors for desert bighorn sheep, quail, chukar, rabbit,
mule deer, and other big game. Expanding the Mojave National Preserve
to encompass Castle Mountains will simplify management of this vast
desert landscape.
I am proud to work with a broad range of stakeholders to introduce
this commonsense legislation to expand the Mojave National Preserve.
Doing so would allow the National Park Service to further the
conservation values and permanent protections in the Mojave Desert
while boosting public access and outdoor recreation to the area.
I look forward to working with our colleagues to pass the Mojave
National Preserve Boundary Adjustment Act as quickly as possible.
______
By Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Wyden, Mr.
Fetterman, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Peters, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Warnock,
Ms. Butler, Mr. Welch, Ms. Smith, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Markey,
Mr. Lujan, Ms. Warren, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Bennet, and Mr.
Padilla):
S. 4226. A bill to decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, to provide
for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the War on
Drugs, to provide for expungement of certain cannabis offenses, and for
other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, over the decades, millions of
Americans--most often Americans of color--have had their lives derailed
and destroyed by our country's failed war on drugs. The consequences of
this harmful campaign linger on to this very day. So I was pleased by
yesterday's news that the DEA, under the Biden administration, is
preparing to take a truly historic step: rescheduling cannabis from a
schedule I substance to a schedule III substance under the Controlled
Substances Act.
Reclassifying cannabis is a necessary and long overdue step, but it
is not at all the end of the story. It is time for Congress to wake up
to the times and do its part by passing the cannabis reform that most
Americans have long called for. It is past time for Congress to catch
up with public opinion and to catch up with the science.
So, today, I am proud to join with my colleagues Senators Booker and
Wyden to reintroduce the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, a
comprehensive and necessary update to the Federal Government's approach
to cannabis. I am proud to be the first majority leader ever to call
for an end to the marijuana prohibition because I have seen both the
consequences of outdated drug laws and the benefits of commonsense
cannabis regulation at the State level, and it is time for Congress to
follow suit.
Support for cannabis reform is growing in the Senate. Our bill now
has 18 sponsors, the most ever for this bill. We will keep working to
build more support because when liberals and conservatives and
activists and entrepreneurs and veterans groups can all come together
on one issue, that is a clear sign the momentum is real.
I am very proud of the bill we are releasing today. Our legislation
will finally remove marijuana from the Federal list of controlled
substances. It will expunge the criminal records of so many Americans
with low-level marijuana offenses that haunt them--inhibit them--for
decades. And it will help our country close the book, once and for all,
on the awful and harmful and failed War on Drugs, which all too often
has been nothing more than a war on Americans of color.
In short, our bill is about individual freedom and basic fairness. We
cannot tolerate any longer the tragedy of the young person getting
arrested because they have a small amount of marijuana in their pocket.
For years, that is all it took--getting caught with a little bit of
marijuana--for you to get saddled with a serious criminal record that
prevented you from getting a good job, buying a home, getting ahead in
life. And, of course, this injustice happens predominantly in Black and
Latino communities. That is unfair. It is un-American. And our bill
will right this grave wrong.
In place of the War on Drugs, our bill would lay the foundation for
something very different: a just and responsible and commonsense
approach to cannabis regulation. It would call for new guidelines on
how marijuana products are labeled, require new standards to prevent
impaired driving, require HHS and NIH to support research into
cannabis's health aspects, and more. Our bill, if passed, would close
the door on outdated and very harmful modes of thinking at the Federal
level, while allowing for reform and sensible regulation to take root.
So, again, I want to thank Senators Booker and Wyden for being
terrific partners in putting this bill together. It has been a
longstanding effort, one that has required a lot of feedback from the
public and a lot of perseverance.
As Senate majority leader, I will continue to push for every chance
we get to bring cannabis policy into the 21st century, and passing our
bill would be an excellent way to make that happen.
______
By Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Ms. Butler):
S. 4227. A bill to amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994
to expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park; to the Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources.
Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce legislation to
expand the Joshua Tree National Park by approximately 17,842 acres of
public lands.
In 2016, the National Park Service, in cooperation with the Bureau of
Land Management, prepared the Eagle Mountain Boundary Study for an area
Mountains, located in Riverside County, CA. The purpose of the study
and environmental assessment was to consider whether to expand Joshua
Tree National Park to include additional lands and to develop
alternatives for protecting cultural, natural, and scenic resources
related to the purpose of the national park.
NPS' selected alternative recommends expanding the National Park by
the more than 17,000 acres of federally managed lands covered by my
legislation. Notably, these lands are adjacent to the national park.
NPS found
[[Page S3138]]
that doing so could allow for greater protection of existing habitat,
restoration opportunities, and landscape connectivity for wildlife such
as bighorn sheep, as well as new visitor opportunities.
I urge my colleagues to swiftly pass this straightforward boundary
adjustment as soon as possible.
______
By Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Ms. Butler):
S. 4228. A bill to redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at
Joshua Tree National Park as the ``Senator Dianne Feinstein Visitor
Center''; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce legislation to
rename the visitor center at Joshua Tree National Park in honor of
Senator Dianne Feinstein.
This legislation would redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at
Joshua Tree National Park to the ``Senator Dianne Feinstein Visitor
Center.''
Dianne Feinstein was a towering figure not just in modern California
politics but in the history of our State and our Nation. Her
contributions to our Nation, particularly in environmental
conservation, are a reminder of the public power of public service. For
Californians, so much of our lands have been preserved thanks to her
singular drive and leadership, from the redwoods of the Headwaters and
the San Francisco Bay, to Lake Tahoe and, most notably, the California
desert.
Senator Feinstein was known as a great protector of the California
desert, and some have lovingly referred to her as the ``Queen of the
Desert''. Senator Feinstein was the driving force behind the
establishment of Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park,
the Mojave National Preserve, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains
National Monument, the Mojave Trails National Monument, the Sand to
Snow National Monument, and the Castle Mountains National Monument. In
all, it is estimated that Senator Feinstein protected over 3 million
acres of the California desert.
In 2019, on the 25th anniversary of the passage of Senator
Feinstein's landmark California Desert Protection Act, Senator
Feinstein wrote: ``When I think of the California desert, I think of
magnificent landscapes and mountain vistas. I think of beautiful
species like bighorn sheep, mule deer and desert tortoises. I think of
unique vegetation like the beautiful wildflower blooms and iconic
Joshua trees. And I think of the long history of local Native American
tribes. The California desert is a true American treasure. Our efforts
over the past 25 years have resulted in the largest areas of public
lands protected in the lower 48 states--that is something truly to
celebrate.''
It is only fitting that we celebrate Senator Feinstein's memory by
renaming the visitor center at Joshua Tree National Park in her honor.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this legislation
as soon as possible.
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