[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16] [House] [Pages 23048-23053] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT AMERICANS SHOULD TAKE TIME DURING NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH TO RECOGNIZE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY NATIVE PEOPLES Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 270) expressing the sense of Congress that Americans should take time during Native American Heritage Month to recognize the many accomplishments and contributions made by native peoples. The Clerk read as follows: H. Con. Res. 270 Whereas Native Americans were the original inhabitants of the lands that now constitute the United States of America; Whereas Native American governments developed the fundamental principles of freedom of speech and separation of powers in [[Page 23049]] government, and these principles form the foundation of the United States Government today; Whereas Native American societies exhibited a deep respect for the Earth and its resources, and such values are widely held today; Whereas Native Americans have served with valor in every American conflict, from the Revolutionary War to the war against terrorism, often serving in greater numbers, proportionately, than the population of the Nation as a whole; Whereas Native Americans have made distinct and important contributions to the United States and the rest of the world in many fields, including agriculture, medicine, music, language, and art; Whereas Native Americans deserve to be recognized for their individual contributions to American society as artists, sculptors, musicians, authors, poets, artisans, scientists, and scholars; Whereas November has been declared Native American Heritage Month because it is traditionally the month when Native Americans harvested their crops and is generally a time of celebratory feasting and giving thanks; and Whereas, now, more than ever, Americans of all origins, faiths, and beliefs need to come together as a Nation in support of our people, our common values, and our republican principles: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the Congress-- (1) supports the goals and ideals of Native American Heritage Month, and (2) encourages Federal, State, local, and tribal governments; interested groups and organizations; and the American people to honor and recognize the accomplishments, contributions, and heritage of Native Americans with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth). Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As we gather here, returning from our Thanksgiving recess, I think it is especially important to pause and consider the contributions made by native peoples, by the first Americans, to our unique constitutional Republic. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, I am honored to represent the Sixth Congressional District of Arizona. At the outset of the formulation of this sixth district, nearly one quarter of the constituency is Native American. Especially at this time in our history, when once again the winds of war blow across our planet, and our Nation is involved in protecting our constitutional Republic, it is worth noting that more than any other ethnic or racial group, Native Americans answer the call to duty in our Nation's Armed Forces. Indeed, the contributions of many have been highlighted. Just a few months ago, our Commander in Chief joined us here at the Rotunda of the Capitol to memorialize and recognize the Navajo code talkers, those so vital to our victory in the Pacific theater. I think of Ira Hayes, and what would now be the Gila River Indian community, then simply noted as a Pima Indian, one of those proud Marines who raised our Nation's flag during the battle of Iwo Jima, forever memorialized in the Marine Memorial. It is incumbent on each of us to recall not only the actions of today but what has transpired in our past, all of it, including what every schoolchild learns of the first Thanksgiving, and the real contribution of the first Americans to those European settlers and their survival and their recognition of a new start in a new land. In passing this legislation, the House of Representatives will encourage Federal, State, local and tribal governments, as well as all the American people, to join us in honoring and recognizing the accomplishments, contributions, and heritage of our Nation's Native Americans. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of the pending resolution to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of American Indians and Alaskan Natives during this month designated as National American Indian Heritage Month. Native Americans continue to honorably contribute and serve our Nation in virtually every field imaginable, including medicine, education, the arts, the justice system, and scientific research. Tribal members have valiantly fought in every American military action from the Revolutionary War and continue today in the war against terrorism and elsewhere around the world. It is right that we honor their work and contributions. If this Congress truly wants to honor Native Americans, however, we need to do it by honoring our treaties and past commitments made to them. The Federal Government took control as legal trustee of Indian trust lands, promising to protect the lands, produce and collect revenue derived from them, and invest and manage all revenue. We have failed miserably in this task, and we continue to pile bad policy upon bad policy, leaving proper management of some 1,500 tribal and over 300,000 individual Indian trust fund accounts hanging in limbo. The mismanagement of Indian trust funds dates back almost 100 years and only gets worse with each passing day. The Reagan administration listed this as one of the top five Federal liabilities. Yet today, the Department of the Interior cannot tell us if the accounts have the correct money in them, if the money is invested correctly, or even if the names of the accounts are correct. Just last week, the Secretary of the Interior announced she was going to create a brand new agency to deal with trust funds. Unfortunately, this decision was made without consulting with the account holders or the Congress. In fact, details of this brand new agency are almost nonexistent, so we do not know if this is a good answer or just another hastily thrown together concept. I want to impress upon my colleagues that this is not just some messed up pile of Federal funds. These are funds, billions of dollars, belonging to Indian tribes and American Indians who depend on these revenues to pay rent and buy medicine and foods. Imagine if our banks sometimes correctly deposited our income into our accounts and sometimes did not, but then could not tell us what they did with the money or denied ever receiving it. Imagine if the IRS lost billions of dollars slated to be refunded to taxpayers. Imagine if the Department of Transportation sent billions of highway trust fund dollars to the wrong States. Imagine if billions of dollars of Social Security checks owed to senior citizens in each of our districts were unaccounted for. These events would make the front page of every newspaper in the Nation and would quickly be reconciled. I say that if we truly want to honor Native Americans, it is incumbent upon the Federal Government to restore the word ``trust'' when it comes to the management of tribal trust assets once and for all. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support the pending resolution, but I would be much more proud if this Congress would put some muscle behind the idea of honoring Native Americans, not just this month but every month, by ensuring that the Federal Government's trust responsibilities to these people is being honored. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My friend from West Virginia, Mr. Speaker, encapsulates a problem with which this government has been dealing for nearly a century. Indeed, my good friend from Michigan joined me in cochairing a task force dealing with the disposition of these trust funds; and I would hope that, for the record, we would show, as we articulated some years ago, that this problem has been one sadly of bipartisan neglect. Indeed, a circuit court judge found a previous Secretary of the Interior in contempt as well as a Secretary of Treasury, and I think that has extended to other administrations. So, yes, we welcome the opportunity in a nonpartisan fashion to solve this legitimate problem. As I have often reflected, Mr. Speaker, when we come to this floor, we may line up on different sides of the aisle, [[Page 23050]] we may have an R or a D beside our names, but there are really only two types of people who serve in the Congress of the United States, those who represent what we now call Indian country, and those who represent what was once Indian country. So in that nonpartisan spirit, I look forward to working with the gentleman from West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon), who occupies one quarter of the Four Corners area. Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank my colleague from Arizona for bringing forward this resolution, and I would also like to associate myself with his comments in respect to the trust funds and the problems in administering those that have existed for a very long period of time, and which I believe this administration is trying to resolve and we want to support them in doing that. I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 270. This resolution expresses the sense of Congress that Americans should take time during the month of November to recognize the various accomplishments and contributions made by Native Americans. While many of my colleagues will take this opportunity to speak of the many accomplishments and contributions of Native Americans, I would like to mention one particular area in which Native Americans have made an important and often overlooked contribution to our country, and that is in their continued willingness to serve and sacrifice in the defense of our country. Native Americans have participated with distinction in the United States military actions for more than 200 years. From the Revolutionary War to the American Civil War, to Vietnam, to the Persian Gulf, Native Americans have showed a continued willingness to serve. In each of these conflicts, Native Americans have served with valor, patriotism, and courage. As a proportion of the population, Native Americans have sent more of their sons to war than any other ethnic group. One estimate is that over 12,000 American Indians fought in World War I. In World War II, more than 44,000 American Indians, out of a total Native American population at that time of less than 350,000, served with distinction in both Europe and the Pacific theaters of war. {time} 1815 Today, there are nearly 190,000 Native American military veterans. Indeed, history shows that Native Americans have disproportionately shouldered the military burden of this country. At the bare minimum, this legacy of service and sacrifice deserves our utmost respect and honor. One of the most striking examples of Native American military service can be found in the history of the World War II Navajo code talkers. The Navajo Code Talkers Program was established in September, 1942. The idea came from Philip Johnston, the son of a missionary to the Navajos and one of the few non-Navajos who spoke their language fluently. Johnston, reared on the Navajo reservation, was a World War I veteran. He knew the military's search for a code that would withstand all attempts to decipher it. He believed the Navajo language answered the military requirement for an indecipherable code because Navajo is an unwritten language, it is complex, and has no alphabet or symbols. It is only spoken only on the Navaho lands of the American Southwest. One estimate is that less than 30 non-Navahos, none of them Japanese, could understand the language at the outbreak of World War II. During the 3 years the Navajo code talkers participated in the war, Japanese intelligence was able to break almost every U.S. Army code and Army Air Corps code, but not once was it able to break the Navajo code. Eventually, over 400 Navajo Marine code talkers served in World War II. These code talkers participated in every assault the Marines took part in from late 1942 to 1945. After the war, many military officials admitted battles such as Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Peleliu would have been lost without the Navajo code talkers. Long unrecognized because of the continued value of their language as a security classified code, the Navajo code talkers of World War II were recently honored for their contributions to our Nation's defense in Washington, D.C. Their patriotism, resourcefulness, and courage also have earned them the gratitude of all Americans. As a representative of Utah's Congressional Third District, I represent at least six Indian tribes. They include the Northwestern Shoshone, the Goshutes, the Paiutes, the Utes, the White Mesa or Southern Utes, and the Navajos. I feel that these tribes, as well as the descendents of the Navajo code talkers and all other Native American veterans, deserve our respect and appreciation. Mr. Speaker, I support House Concurrent Resolution 270. Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. Mr. Speaker, to respond to the gentleman from Arizona, I want to work closely with the gentleman on this issue. I am sorry if he got defensive, but I cannot see in my remarks where I was partisan. Perhaps I should have spoken a little slower when I said the mismanagement of Indian trust funds dates back almost 100 years. I do not believe that the gentleman's party has been in power that long, and it covers a number of administrations. It gets worse with each passing day. I further said, the Reagan administration, and perhaps I should have added ``to its credit,'' listed this as one of the top five Federal liabilities. If the gentleman interpreted my remarks as being partisan, I regret that misinterpretation of my remarks. I have written the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) under whose jurisdiction all Indian issues come directly before our full committee and requested a hearing on this and look forward to participating with the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth). Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), who has long been an advocate for Indian tribal rights. Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 270, a resolution that expresses a sense of Congress that Americans should take time during Native American Heritage Month to recognize the many accomplishments and contributions made by Native American peoples. I thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth), who serves as Republican co-chair and co-founder of the Congressional Native American Caucus, for introducing this important resolution, and I am proud to be a cosponsor with him. Mr. Speaker, honoring the accomplishments and contributions of Native Americans is long overdue. In July, as many of us stood in the Rotunda and saw the President present the Congressional Gold Medal to those who did so much and who suffered so much. I am convinced, Mr. Speaker, that my brother, Kenneth Kildee, would have been killed in the South Pacific were it not for the Navajo code talkers. It is time that we express our gratitude to all Native Americans for contributions that they have made during times of war and conflict. Native Americans serve in the United States armed services in greater numbers, proportionately, than the population of the Nation as a whole. Mr. Speaker, Native Americans play a vital role in this country by making many significant contributions in many fields, including science, medicine, math, law, agriculture, music, language, literary works and art. Mr. Speaker, the United States works with the tribal governments on a government-to-government basis, recognizing their sovereignty. We must increase the quality of health care of Native Americans, improve employment opportunities, boost economic development on Indian reservations, and develop better educational opportunities for Indian students. We must do these things so that the generations to come will have a brighter future. I ask my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. [[Page 23051]] Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the gentleman from West Virginia and the gentleman from Michigan for their constructive remarks and thank them very much for their diligence in days past and their promise of diligence in the days ahead as we deal with the challenges we confront. Mr. Speaker, as I heard the gentleman from Michigan think about the unique contributions of Native Americans not only in his home State but in mine as well, I am struck by the comment of one of my constituents in my first term who came here to Washington to visit not only his congressman but to see the monuments memorializing the contributions of so many. This particular gentleman was a veteran of the Vietnam conflict. He was mindful of the fact that Ira Hayes appeared in the Marine Memorial, but at the end of his time in the immediate vicinity of the mall, he said, ``I just have one question, Congressman: Where is the Indian?'' That question challenges us today on a myriad of legislation with which we deal, as we recognize sovereign rights, as we deal with, as the gentleman from West Virginia pointed out, with a century-old dilemma of trust funds that administrations of both parties have tried to deal with, and Congress even employing a task force, which I mentioned earlier. Today we stand and say let us take an important step to recognize our first Americans and their contributions, and that is the intent that we join today and that is the spirit on which we endeavor to move this sense of Congress resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson). Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for introducing this legislation, recognizing the contributions of Native Americans to our society. When I grew up, the place I lived, the southern border, was on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, and I worked many years on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, working on farms with Native Americans, and I came to respect the Native Americans for the contributions they have made to our society. When I became Speaker of the House in Idaho, I realized I did not know enough about Native American history and what they had contributed to our society; and so I started studying them. In Idaho, we have the Nez Perce tribe, which I am sure many Members have heard the name Chief Joseph who was one of the true leaders of the American Indians, the Nez Perce tribe; the Coeur d'Alene tribe; the Shoshone-Bannock tribe down where I came from. Sacajawea was Shoshone. They contributed much to our society. Mr. Speaker, we need to do all we can to make sure that Americans are aware of the contributions that Native Americans have made to our society. As has been mentioned by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon), they have contributed to our defense probably more than any other ethnic group that there is. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Benefits of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, I know of the contributions that they have made and that we have to keep our commitments to our veterans and to our Native Americans. I compliment the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) for his introduction of this resolution, and I encourage all Americans to take some time to study what contributions have been made by Native Americans and how they have really influenced our society for the good. We should strive to make sure that we do not lose that individuality that these Native Americans represent. Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega). Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to first commend the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) and the gentleman from Utah and the gentleman from Connecticut for their sponsorship of this legislation. I wish I had known, I would have been more than happy to have been an original cosponsor of this legislation. I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 270 which expresses the sense of Congress that Americans should take time during Native American Heritage Month to recognize the contributions made by this country's first Americans. Mr. Speaker, I have come to this floor numerous times over the past 13 years to speak in support of Native Americans. In 1993, the 103rd Congress passed and the President signed into law House Joint Resolution 271 which I sponsored. This resolution designated the month of November in the years 1993 and 1994 as National Indian Heritage Month. I would have liked to have seen the designation made permanent. However, since that time our government has continued each November to recognize the traditions and accomplishments of Native Americans. In some ways I feel we have gone full circle in recognizing the benefits and wisdom of the earliest residents of this land. For instance, the Native Americans all understood the value of respecting the land, the rivers, the mountains, the seas, the oceans and all things that live around us. As European culture took over North America, I think we did not realize how much an impact western civilization would have on the land and the cultures of the indigenous people throughout the Western Hemisphere. Slowly over the past 40 years, we have been gaining some of that respect again. Through the passage of legislation such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, our Nation has taken some action to improve the environment throughout our country. With the passage of scores of bills designating national park and wildlife refuges as heritage areas, we are preserving special places within our borders. Visits to these designated areas are increasing faster than the growing population. This is a further indication of our appreciation of that which Native Americans have held sacred. Today most people feel they are environmentalists, and the transition we have gone through in this country to get to that point has had a significant impact on our actions as a government and as individuals. Even with this change in thinking, Mr. Speaker, I wish we would have done more to help today's Native Americans. After taking land from the Indians in the country's formative years and forcing tribes to move to land not of their choosing, we still have problems in Indian country. Recent statistics reflect the poverty rate at over 26 percent, well above the average of our country, and median household income is well below the average of the country. The Census Bureau released some statistics last month which I find interesting, Mr. Speaker. The opportunity for Americans to choose more than one ethnicity in the 2000 census resulted in 4.1 million Americans saying they are at least part Native Alaskan or American Indian. This more than doubled the number who indicated that they were Native Americans in the year 1990. {time} 1830 California and Oklahoma had the greatest numbers of Native Americans living within their boundaries, with over 1 million residents between the two States and 19 percent of Alaska's population indicated they were at least part American Indian or native Alaskan. I am sure part of the increase as reported in the 2000 census is caused by the ability of Native Americans to select more than one race on the census forms, but I believe part of this increase is also attributed to an increased sense of pride among Native Americans and their willingness to acknowledge their heritage. Our Nation's Native Americans continue to support our armed services by enlisting and also serving as officers in the military and have done so with valor and distinction. How ironic, Mr. Speaker. We have just celebrated our national Thanksgiving with emphasis on the tribulations of the early Pilgrims, but so little is said that the Pilgrims would have starved to death if it had not been for the kindness and hospitality of the Native Americans who taught these early Europeans how to grow corn and to eat and prepare many other varieties of fruits and vegetables unknown to the Pilgrims or the first Europeans. Yes, let us give thanks to Divine Providence [[Page 23052]] for all the blessing we have received from Him as was the case with the early Pilgrims, but we should also give thanks and some sense of appreciation how our Native American people taught and literally demonstrated their sense of compassion and concern for their fellow man. Native Americans did not need to be taught the parable of the Good Samaritan, or who is my neighbor. History has not dealt kindly with our Nation's treatment of our first Americans: the trails of many tears; our contradictory policies of first kill all the Indians; then the policy of assimilation as if by some means of osmosis Native Americans were then to be integrated and be part of mainstream America; then the policy of nonrecognition of Native Americans, that is, terminate the existence of any tribal nation. Still yet, our government has now established an administrative and regulatory process that has made it almost impossible to grant Federal recognition of a Native American tribe. Mr. Speaker, for the past several years I have tried earnestly to work with our colleagues to congressionally mandate the process of Federal recognition of Native American tribes. The gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McIntyre) and I have introduced H.R. 1175 to better streamline the process. I want to thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) for their support and leadership to conduct a hearing in the short while to come. Yes, let us support this legislation in recognition of the contributions of our first Americans. I commend the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for their leadership and cochairmanship of our Native American Caucus. Our Native American community asks only to be treated fairly and opportunities to be economically self-sufficient. Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from American Samoa, who is no stranger to the good people of Arizona and has accompanied me there to work on various Native American housing issues. I thank him for that even as I yield 3 minutes to another good friend who joins me on the Committee on Ways and Means, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Watkins). Mr. WATKINS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) and also the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) for his work in behalf of Native Americans. As was indicated, the State of California and the State of Oklahoma have the greatest number of Native Americans. In fact, Oklahoma has the highest percentage of Native Americans since we are a lot smaller State to say the least; but we have the highest percentage of Native Americans, which we are very proud of because Oklahoma stands for ``red man.'' With this population, I know from my personal experience in my area which used to be very dominant, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) knows where it is, down by Durant and Bryan County. I grew up in Bennington, Oklahoma. I was the only non-Native American on the baseball team, I was the only non-Indian on the basketball team because all of us were brothers and sisters together in that community. It was predominantly Native American Choctaws. I am also proud to be the grandfather of two Creek grandchildren and one Cherokee grandchild in my family, and so we have had very much a family discussion about some of the concerns and problems over the years. The Native Americans in many ways have been forgotten. Many of my friends and Native Americans, I have sat with them and talked long hours. All they want is an opportunity. In their socioeconomic conditions, we know they have a tremendous problem in alcoholism and drugs. We need to make sure we work in these areas to try to help them overcome their problems. They are increasing the opportunities in health. We all know they have made great contributions in the military. I think the gentleman from Arizona mentioned this and others. They are usually some of the first ones there to volunteer because they feel very strongly about their native land as Native Americans. Let me say, I have wanted to try to help build the kind of jobs, opportunities so they can have real jobs. I have had pending before this Congress and we are asking it be extended, section 168(j) of the Tax Code which accelerated depreciation. That piece of legislation works, 168(j) and 45(a), which gives tax credits for hiring Native Americans. Many companies are locating so Native Americans can be employed. If we want something to help stimulate the economy, if we want something to help stimulate the economic conditions for a group of people that has the worst economic conditions, I ask this Congress to move forward and to extend at least a year those two provisions of the Tax Code. I want to thank again my two colleagues whom I greatly admire for their tremendous work and role in bringing this to recognize November as Native American Heritage Month. We need to all be doing a great deal more to try to build opportunities for the Native American people. Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee), a member of our Committee on Resources. Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I wish my colleagues could have been with me in Spokane, Washington, yesterday at the National Congress of American Indians. You would have felt the same honor that I felt when folks walked up and did an introduction of their service to America in virtually every war in the last century, from every tribe in the United States. It took a long time because there were a lot of veterans who gave of themselves individually truly as American patriots in numbers perhaps greater than the rest of our population. It really was a moving experience. I appreciate my colleagues bringing this resolution to the floor to note our respect for this part of the American fabric. But I must tell you, having listened to some of the concerns of those Americans yesterday in Spokane, I am disappointed in the sense of the numerous times where this House in the last 10 months has failed to honor our commitment to these Americans. Let me just mention four ways. Number one, just the other day, the administration issued an edict that it was going to recreate an organizational structure to deal with this trust fund problem without any consultation at all with the people who will be affected by this major change in organization, the people that have these millions of dollars in trust. They never even picked up the phone to talk to tribal leaders about this issue. What type of government-to-government relationship is that? This resolution does not speak to that issue. Secondly, we have tribal members who have land resources that are tremendously affected by our energy policies. I was up in Alaska in the Arctic Village meeting with the Gwich'in people leadership about the Arctic drilling controversy. They pleaded with the U.S. House not to drill in the Arctic because they think it could endanger the caribou runs which their entire tribe depends on for sustenance. So what did the House do? We ignored their rights, we decided to drill anyway, abusing their long, long history of their relationship with the caribou herds. A second transgression. Third, contract support payments. Uncle Sam has a statutory commitment to contribute to the tribes contract support costs to administer health care plans. But have we fulfilled that commitment in the last 10 months? No, we have not. Another unfilled promise after 2 or 3 centuries of abuse of these peoples. Fourth, and this is one that we are going to continue to have debate on in the Committee on Resources, I am afraid. There are efforts in this House that folks now want to intrude on sovereignty on issues regarding taxation. We have already seen efforts now to create an impediment of the working relationship of tribes with States in dealing with taxation issues, rather than allowing tribes to work on a good- faith basis with States. [[Page 23053]] So I must come to the well to applaud the makers and my colleagues for expressing the sentiments and the good feelings and good tidings we have for this part of community, but let us do more than give these people good tidings. Let us give them respect and legislation and solve these problems. Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 270, a resolution expressing the sense of Congress that Americans should take time during Native American Heritage Month to recognize the many accomplishments and contributions made by native peoples. As our Nation enters into the 21st century, it is important that we recognize the elements that have shaped our history and our culture. The contributions made by Native Americans represent a significant aspect of American heritage, not only in a cultural sense, but also in the sacrifices, dedication, and patriotism displayed by Native Americans throughout our history. In my home state of Wisconsin, there are 11 federally recognized tribes representing close to 50,000 American citizens. In addition, a large number of Wisconsin cities, counties, lakes, and rivers hold names representative of the strong Native American heritage in the area. This rich history in Wisconsin is also illustrated through Native American educational programs in public schools and many cultural celebration events. Indeed, the common values of many Wisconsin communities reflect Native American heritage including a deep respect for land, air, and water resources, agriculture, and history. This legislation encourages Americans to celebrate Native American Heritage Month and honor Native American contributions to our national history and culture. As a member of the Native American Caucus, I appreciate the emphasis this resolution puts on Native American Heritage Month, and I am hopeful such efforts continue. Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Isakson). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 270. The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________