[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 25535-25536]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    SAINT CROIX ISLAND HERITAGE ACT

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 663, I 
call up the Senate bill (S. 2485) to direct the Secretary of the 
Interior to provide assistance in planning and constructing a regional 
heritage center in Calais, Maine, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The text of S. 2485 is as follows:

                                S. 2485

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Saint Croix Island Heritage 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) Saint Croix Island is located in the Saint Croix River, 
     a river that is the boundary between the State of Maine and 
     Canada;
       (2) the Island is the only international historic site in 
     the National Park System;
       (3) in 1604, French nobleman Pierre Dugua Sieur de Mons, 
     accompanied by a courageous group of adventurers that 
     included Samuel Champlain, landed on the Island and began the 
     construction of a settlement;
       (4) the French settlement on the Island in 1604 and 1605 
     was the initial site of the first permanent settlement in the 
     New World, predating the English settlement of 1607 at 
     Jamestown, Virginia;
       (5) many people view the expedition that settled on the 
     Island in 1604 as the beginning of the Acadian culture in 
     North America;
       (6) in October, 1998, the National Park Service completed a 
     general management plan to manage and interpret the Saint 
     Croix Island International Historic Site;
       (7) the plan addresses a variety of management 
     alternatives, and concludes that the best management strategy 
     entails developing an interpretive trail and ranger station 
     at Red Beach, Maine, and a regional heritage center in 
     downtown Calais, Maine, in cooperation with Federal, State, 
     and local agencies;
       (8) a 1982 memorandum of understanding, signed by the 
     Department of the Interior and the Canadian Department for 
     the Environment, outlines a cooperative program to 
     commemorate the international heritage of the Saint Croix 
     Island site and specifically to prepare for the 400th 
     anniversary of the settlement in 2004; and
       (9) only 4 years remain before the 400th anniversary of the 
     settlement at Saint Croix Island, an occasion that should be 
     appropriately commemorated.
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to direct the 
     Secretary of the Interior to take all necessary and 
     appropriate steps to work with Federal, State, and local 
     agencies, historical societies, and nonprofit organizations 
     to facilitate the development of a regional heritage center 
     in downtown Calais, Maine before the 400th anniversary of the 
     settlement of Saint Croix Island.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Island.--The term ``Island'' means Saint Croix Island, 
     located in the Saint Croix River, between Canada and the 
     State of Maine.
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National 
     Park Service.

     SEC. 4. SAINT CROIX ISLAND REGIONAL HERITAGE CENTER.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary shall provide assistance in 
     planning, constructing, and operating a regional heritage 
     center in downtown Calais, Maine, to facilitate the 
     management and interpretation of the Saint Croix Island 
     International Historic Site.
       (b) Cooperative Agreements.--To carry out subsection (a), 
     in administering the Saint Croix Island International 
     Historic Site, the Secretary may enter into cooperative 
     agreements under appropriate terms and conditions with other 
     Federal agencies, State and local agencies and nonprofit 
     organizations--
       (1) to provide exhibits, interpretive services (including 
     employing individuals to provide such services), and 
     technical assistance;
       (2) to conduct activities that facilitate the dissemination 
     of information relating to the Saint Croix Island 
     International Historic Site;
       (3) to provide financial assistance for the construction of 
     the regional heritage center in exchange for space in the 
     center that is sufficient to interpret the Saint Croix Island 
     International Historic Site; and
       (4) to assist with the operation and maintenance of the 
     regional heritage center.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) Design and Construction.--
       (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this Act (including the design and construction of 
     the regional heritage center) $2,000,000.
       (2) Expenditure.--Paragraph (1) authorizes funds to be 
     appropriated on the condition that any expenditure of those 
     funds shall be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by funds 
     from non-Federal sources.
       (b) Operation and Maintenance.--There are authorized to be 
     appropriated such sums as are necessary to maintain and 
     operate interpretive exhibits in the regional heritage 
     center.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Barrett of Nebraska). Pursuant to House 
Resolution 663, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentleman 
from California (Mr. George Miller) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young).
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of S. 2485, the St. Croix Island Heritage Act. This 
bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance in 
planning and constructing a Regional Heritage Center in Calais, Maine.
  St. Croix Island is located in the St. Croix River between Maine and 
Canada. It is the only international historic site in the national park 
system. In 1604, the French landed on the island and began construction 
of a settlement, which became the first permanent settlement in the New 
World. In October 1998, the National Park Service completed a general 
management plan to manage and interpret the St. Croix Island 
international historic site. In the year 2004, the U.S. and Canada will 
celebrate the 400th anniversary of the settlement of the St. Croix 
Island. This bill will facilitate the development of a Regional 
Heritage Center in downtown Calais, Maine, to be a central focus point 
for this celebration.
  The bill authorizes $2 million for the planning and construction of 
the heritage center and requires a dollar-for-dollar match by non-
Federal sources. I believe that this bill has merit, and I support its 
passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  S. 2485 is a noncontroversial bill that authorizes the Secretary of 
the Interior to assist in the construction of a Regional Heritage 
Center on St. Croix Island. St. Croix Island is located in the middle 
of the St. Croix River, which forms the boundary between the United 
States and Canada. The proposed heritage center will be built as part 
of the upcoming 400th anniversary of the settlement of St. Croix 
Island.

[[Page 25536]]

  The National Park Service administers the St. Croix Island 
international historic site on the island. The proposed heritage center 
is consistent with Park Service plans for interpretation of the 
historic site and the island.
  The Secretary is authorized to contribute $2 million toward the 
construction of the heritage center, provided that each Federal dollar 
is matched by funds from non-Federal sources.
  A House companion measure was introduced by the gentleman from Maine 
(Mr. Baldacci).
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, last week, the Republican leadership hastily 
sandwiched a minimum wage increase into its tax bill, that was so 
poorly written it repealed the minimum wage for six months. Today, they 
are using the bill before us to correct this major error. Perhaps, if 
they had only chosen to work in a bipartisan way to craft their tax 
bill, a sloppy mistake like this could have been avoided. The 
Republican leadership chose, instead, to push through a bill that was 
all their own, that is destined for a veto because it is full of bad 
policy and tax benefits for their special interest friends. The tax 
bill is being used by the Republican leadership to claim they are for 
increasing the minimum wage, when they are really not. They knew that 
by tying it to a doomed tax bill, it could not become law. The 
Democrats in this Congress, on the other hand, strongly support a $1 
increase in the minimum wage and would take effective action to make it 
happen. We rejected the Republican's scheme, which now requires a quick 
fix in order to maintain the illusion they sought to create. Let's do 
the right thing for American Workers and pass a real minimum wage 
increase now!
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  The Senate bill is considered as having been read for amendment.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 663, the previous question is ordered.
  The question is on the third reading of the Senate bill.
  The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the 
third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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