February 11, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 26 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
MAKING FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 26
(Senate - February 11, 2019)
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[Pages S1152-S1155] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] MAKING FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019--MOTION TO PROCEED Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 6, H.J. Res. 1. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the motion. The legislative clerk read as follows: Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 6, H.J. Res. 1, a bill making further continuing appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2019, and for other purposes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia. Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for no more than 10 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. S. 47 Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, Chairman Murkowski and I have been working with the majority leader and minority leader to resolve the few remaining issues on our bill, which is the land management bill we have before us. I would like to thank all Senators for their cooperation and for the work they have put in to get this to this point. I believe we are making good progress. We will vote on the motion to invoke cloture at 5:30. I will be joining Chairman Murkowski in voting yes on cloture, and I encourage all of my colleagues to do the same. I understand that Senator Lee, my dear friend from Utah, may want a vote on his amendment to exempt Utah from the Antiquities Act. I have talked to Senator Lee many times about his concerns with national monuments in his State. While I respect his views, I will oppose any amendment that threatens the success of this lands bill. At this point, any amendment would threaten the success of the bill. This bill is truly a great piece of legislation for our country. This package includes numerous important provisions that will enhance conservation, recreation, and hunting, fishing, and shooting opportunities for sportsmen on Federal lands. In my view, one of the most important provisions in the bill is the permanent--I repeat, the permanent--reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. I have long supported the permanent reauthorization of the LWCF, which has played a crucial role in making my State all the more wild and wonderful. In fact, since 1965, $243 million of LWCF funds have been spent to enhance recreation and conservation in West Virginia alone. LWCF funds have been used to provide public access and protect many of West Virginia's most popular recreation sites, including the Dolly Sods Wilderness in the Monongahela National Forest, as well as every access point on the Lower Gauley River in the Gauley River National Recreation Area. As you can see on this chart, LWCF funds have protected 57,000 acres in the Gauley River and the New River Gorge. While LWCF funds are used to protect important Federal conservation and recreation lands, the program also provides essential funding to States to enhance State and local park and outdoor recreational opportunities. These are not free giveaways to States but, rather, they are matching grants that result in increased recreational opportunities at the State and local levels. This is Ritter Park in Huntington, WV. Ritter Park offers miles of walking trails along an area called Fourpole Creek. Ritter Park also has numerous tennis courts, playground facilities, and an amphitheater that is used by the community for small events, such as concerts and plays. The rose garden, which you can see here, is a wonderful place to spend some time, and in 2012, Ritter Park was named as one of the ``Great Public Spaces'' by the American Planning Association. Over the years, more than $625,000 in State Land and Water Conservation funds has been spent on improvements at Ritter Park. The Land and Water Conservation Fund also provides other important financial assistance to States, including funding for the Forest Legacy Program, which helps to protect working forests on private lands; the American Battlefield Protection Program, which helps to protect Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefield sites on State and private lands; and grants to protect endangered species' habitats on non-Federal lands. On the Federal side, LWCF funds have been used to safeguard some of our Nation's iconic public lands. Here you can see just a few examples of areas where LWCF funds have been used to ensure that we can set aside these areas for future generations and help our land management Agencies follow their conservation missions as directed by Congress. LWCF funds help to complete the protection of and provide important public access to areas set aside by Congress in recognition of their national significance, including lands managed by the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Forest Service. In West Virginia, we have the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Canaan was established in 1994 and was the 500th wildlife refuge to be established. Since 1994, every single acre of the 16,613-acre area was acquired using LWCF funds. As one can see here, the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a truly beautiful place that would not have been possible had we not had the LWCF. Permanent reauthorization of the LWCF will ensure States and Federal land management Agencies will continue to protect and conserve nationally significant lands for future generations--all without relying on taxpayer dollars. It is past time for Congress to permanently reauthorize the LWCF. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is one of the many pieces of legislation in this package. It is another reason we need to pass this bill without [[Page S1153]] amendments and send it over to the House and then to the President for his signature. I am pleased that we are making good progress, and I hope we will be able to move to its final passage without additional delays. I thank the Presiding Officer. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, we are here this Monday afternoon to continue debate on S. 47, which is our Natural Resources Management Act, which we introduced just last month with Senator Cantwell. We have been working on this bill with not only Senator Cantwell and Senator Manchin but with the chairman and ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee. We did that last fall when the composition of that committee on the House side was a little bit different and now in this new year. We have been working forward with the commitment from our respective leaderships to bring this measure to the floor early in this Congress, and here we are. I am very thankful and appreciative to Leader McConnell and Senator Schumer for keeping their word to allow us a few days of debate on this very important natural resources and lands package. We have a great partnership going on in working with my new ranking member on the committee, Senator Manchin, in working with his team in conjunction with ours, and, again, in building on the great, great work that we have had with my friend and colleague from the State of Washington, Senator Cantwell, and her team. There have been so many who have really come together in a very collaborative way and in a very dedicated way to help make this happen. I make mention of the contributions of a few Members on our side and a few Members on the Democratic side who have really been engaged with us throughout this process--Senator Gardner, Senator Daines, Senator Wyden, Senator Heinrich--and of the dozens of Members who are on this measure as cosponsors. We truly appreciate it. We made some good progress last week. We reached agreement to enter into debate on our bill. We considered two amendments. Both of those amendments were tabled in order to preserve what we would refer to as the spirit of the bicameral-bipartisan agreement. We anticipate one more amendment to process today before we move to a cloture vote. I am pleased that we are at this point as we near the end of the floor debate on this measure, and I would like to spend just a few moments this afternoon, if I may, speaking to the really extensive process that has gone into this bill. It is a substantive bill. There is no doubt about it. It is substantive because of the many, many different, discrete, small provisions that have been incorporated into it. Reaching this point has been no small task. I mentioned last week the way that we handle many of these lands matters before the U.S. Senate. It is an imperfect process--that is certainly for sure--but so many of these issues are so parochial that they just do not command the floor time that is available here. Invariably, what we effort to do is to put together a package of these measures. We really haven't seen a lands package before the Congress that has been ready to move out or, actually, be signed into law--that is, I guess, the best way to say it--since 2014. So that is 5 years of really pent-up demand, if you will, to address these matters. So over the course of several years and multiple Congresses, both the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee have held dozens of hearings and business meetings to prepare the more than 100 bills we have now incorporated into S. 47. So when you think about, again, the process that goes into it--this is endless hours, countless hours of Member time, of staff time that go into these meetings as we work on very local priorities and then drafting the legislative text and refining it to make it right and refining it yet again to make it right. We have also worked for months on a bipartisan, bicameral basis to truly negotiate every word in this bill, literally down to one-tenth of a mile for a certain designation on a specific conveyance there, so really taking a very sharp eye and a sharp pencil to all of the provisions that are in here. We have really worked to try to incorporate as many local, State, and Member priorities as possible. The process these matters went through in order to get where we are today--the regular order process in the House, in the Senate, and in many cases, in both--is really quite impressive. I mentioned some of the Member priorities last week. Members have come to the floor. I indicated that we have included provisions sponsored by at least 50 different Senators within this bill. That number rises to about 90 Senators when we count the cosponsorship of various Members. So, again, it was very collaborative in terms of how we reached out to everyone to ensure their priorities are heard. We have heard a lot on the floor about the contributions contained within the sportsmen's provision--something I have worked on with Members over the course of years, with different partners on the other side, whether it was Senator Tester or Senator Heinrich. It has been three Congresses running that we have tried to advance a bipartisan sportsmen's bill. So there are so many who are looking with great interest into finally passing these sportsmen's provisions. There is a provision in here that helps the folks in Tennessee. One of Senator Alexander's priority projects is a special resource study for the James K. Polk Presidential home in Columbia, TN. It was built in 1916. It is the only surviving private residence of our 11th President. What we do within this bill is we take that first step to make a determination, to ask the question of whether this special place should be designated as a national park unit at some point in the future. So pretty parochial, pretty small, but it is important to those in Columbia, TN. I mentioned some of the Arizona provisions. Udall Park in Tucson, AZ, is a priority for the Arizona delegation. This is one of those issues where they have a pretty popular local community park in the city, and there are all kinds of activities one would anticipate taking place in a small park--baseball, swimming, farmers market. Up until just a couple years ago, the city of Tucson was actually unaware that the Federal Government even owned this local park. So what we do in this bill is we clean up the ownership issue, which allows the city to move forward with the day-to-day activities without facing these Federal bureaucratic hurdles that happen back here. So when they want to do something that would be good for that community, such as expanding a farmers market or improving cell service on the softball fields, they don't have to come to us to ask for permission--pretty common sense. I mentioned some of the priorities coming out of the State of Louisiana and a measure that Senator Cassidy has been working on, the Lake Bistineau Land Title Stability Act. I shared the story of some homeowners who had been on a parcel for 13 years, built their home, wanted to sell, and then they found out they couldn't because they didn't have clear title to their land due to an issue with the BLM management survey. So we worked with BLM and the State of Louisiana-- all this bipartisan work--to clear up the title. Again, this is something that you wouldn't think you would need an act of Congress to do, but we do that. Up in the State of Minnesota, we worked with their delegation to modify the boundaries of the Voyageurs National Park. In Georgia, we are expanding the Ocmulgee National Monument--this is a prehistoric American Indian site--and we are doing this at the request of the local communities and the Tribes. It has strong support from the Creek Indian Tribe and the local community. It is a designation that will help preserve the historic and cultural values of the area as well provide economic benefit by giving greater opportunities for visitors. So these are some of the various priorities we have included in this very [[Page S1154]] comprehensive package. These are not things that are going to make the front page of the Washington Post or the New York Times. These are very local. But I can pretty much guarantee that they will be on the front page of the Ocmulgee--I still don't know if I am pronouncing that correctly--within the Creek Indian Tribe. They are going to make sure people know that this is something we have been working on for a long period of time and that it has finally been addressed in Congress. Working over the years to help address these priorities is very, very important. We have received the support of not only so many colleagues in the Senate and in the House, Republicans and Democrats, but we have heard it from organizations and communities around the country. Some of these names are pretty well known to us: Ducks Unlimited, the Boone and Crockett Club, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, the U.S. Travel Association, the Nature Conservancy. That is just a few of the many that have weighed in. I want to give a couple more examples of groups that have written in to share their support. The Southeast Tourism Society wrote that ``S. 47 has earned the enthusiastic support of the travel and tourism industry.'' I mentioned last week that so many of the provisions contained in this bill really help these little local economies or the broader economies within the region, so you can see where the travel and tourism industry would be appreciative. The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable--this is a consortium made up of a number of recreation associations--wrote that our bill should be passed to ``guarantee American's great outdoors receive the attention and resources they so richly deserve and to ensure the outdoor recreation economy continues to grow.'' We are also hearing from communities that have been waiting for congressional action to resolve longstanding Federal land management issues. I mentioned the one in Louisiana. I also mentioned the situation in Tucson, AZ. We did receive a letter from the mayor of Tucson in support of our package because of the provision we have included that he says ``will bring closure to a historic agreement made between the city of Tucson and Bureau of Land Management at a popular urban park in Tucson's northeast business and residential areas.'' That mayor knows this is going to allow the local community to do some of the more simple tasks, such as operating a farmers market, without going through these bureaucratic hoops and hurdles. Another provision in the bill will convey a parcel of land on the shores of Lake Fannin to Fannin County in Texas. The county commissioner shared that with the conveyance of this land, they will be able to ``continue the process to restore, preserve, and protect the historical significance and beauty this lake has to offer for years to come.'' So, again, there is the encouragement we are getting from the communities and from the organizations. I have certainly heard from a lot of Alaskans who are very pleased about where we are with this lands package. We heard from Sheri Buretta. Sheri is the chair of Chugach Alaska Corporation, and she wrote that ``Section 1113 of S. 47, while long overdue from our perspective, provides a welcome and extremely helpful mechanism for addressing serious inequities relative to our land settlement.'' Again, the land settlement in Alaska is decades old, and we are still attempting to address some of those inequities, and this legislation allows us to do that. David Fee, who is the coordinating scientist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, noted that ``current volcano monitoring capacity in the United States is deficient, and we are unable to accurately forecast and detect eruptions at an adequate level. . . . Passing and funding [this measure will provide] for a safer and more resilient United States.'' The benefits we provide for so many around the country--these are just a few of the examples of the many communities and organizations that support the passage of the bill. We have a full list of our supporters that is available on the committee's website--it runs almost 7 pages long--that I am going to be submitting for the record--not only that consolidated list but also the many, many letters of support we have received. These folks--these individuals, these groups, these communities--are writing in to make their support known because there is good policy in this package. It is policy that fosters economic development in rural America. It is policy that ensures that incredible landscapes are conserved for future generations to enjoy. It is policy that ensures access for sports men and women. It also allows for greater access for some of our off-highway vehicles. It is policy that enhances our volcano-monitoring systems. It empowers local water managers to make decisions on how to conserve water and endangered species. I want to just kind of segue off of that because there hasn't been a lot of discussion about the water provisions within this bill. I keep referring to S. 47 as the lands package, but the truth is, it is not just about land; it is about water as well, and it includes a number of important western water provisions. We improve water management by taking important steps to provide greater local control over water resources and promote management that balances the needs of water users with fish and wildlife protection. As an example of this, we create a new Bureau of Reclamation title transfer program. This is going to facilitate conveyance of water facilities to the local agencies that have been managing them for decades and in some cases longer than decades--almost over a century-- and that have fully repaid the government for the cost. So effectively what we are talking about here is we are simplifying the process for local utilities, States, and Tribes to pursue title transfers for reclamation projects, not by requiring an act of Congress to do it. So it is simplification. It is common sense. It is making things work. It is a straightforward change in the law that will make a huge difference for the entities in 17 of our Western States that manage water projects, canals, and other water infrastructure that irrigate more than 11 million acres of land--land that provides fresh fruits and vegetables for millions of Americans every day. In the bill, we also authorize individual title transfers to California and Oklahoma. These provisions will greatly improve water management and incentivize capital investment in water infrastructure while conserving water resources and protecting public safety. The reauthorization of the Upper Colorado and the San Juan River fish recovery program and phase 3 of the Yakima Basin Water Enhancement Project are both included in this bill. I think both of these are great examples of how a collaborative approach to water challenges, rather than litigation and conflict, results in solutions that benefit water users and the environment. We have certainly heard from Senator Cantwell on this as it relates to the Yakima Basin project and the very collaborative effort that was involved with that. The Colorado River project involves bringing four species of endangered fish back from the brink of extinction while water development projects move forward. There are other important water provisions that didn't make it into the bill for various reasons. I think many of us were disappointed, it is fair to say. It is clear to me that there is a lot more that we have to do to address these major challenges with western management of water and drought resilience. We have some issues to work through on that, certainly not the least of which is the Colorado River drought contingency plan. This involves an interstate agreement to keep Lake Mead from dropping to critical levels. It has taken years of negotiation with cities, Tribes, farmers, and elected officials. I clearly understand that this is a time-sensitive issue. I had hoped we might be able to finalize it for this package, but I am looking forward to working with both Senator McSally, who is the new chairman of the Water and Power Subcommittee of the Energy Committee, and Senator Cortez Masto, who is the ranking member, so we can get this over the finish line as quickly as we can. We also need to complete our work to reauthorize the Bureau of Reclamation's infrastructure funding programs [[Page S1155]] to better utilize Federal lands and water facilities for aquifer recharge and eliminate duplication in the permitting of reclamation pump storage projects. We are making good strides on the water side with this measure as well. I think it is important to remind folks that it is a lands package; it addresses many of the issues related to water; it is a sportsmen's package; and it is truly a conservation package as we look to what we have included and incorporated as the permanent authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This is a good bill we have in front of us. We have been able to make it even a little better through our substitute amendment. I do know that we have many colleagues who, if we had more time, would say that they have more amendments they would like to offer for the package. We are not going to have the time or the ability to come to an agreement to add them here, but it is not without a great deal of work that we have gotten to this place. Again, the fact that we have been working for years--literally, years--to put this together is demonstration of our good faith to try to incorporate as much as we possibly can. I do want to repeat, and I know Senator Manchin has, as well, that this is not going to be our last chance to pass natural resources legislation in this Congress. As soon as we get done here--hopefully, no later than early tomorrow--we are going to be right back at work. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee is going back to work, holding hearings, moving lands legislation. This is our effort, what we are dealing with right now, to clear the deck, and then move on to some new issues. We will be back again to move many of the provisions that perhaps weren't quite ready for this particular package. Later this afternoon, we are going to vote on motions to end debate on S. 47. I strongly, strongly encourage all Members to support that motion and to allow us to take final steps to move this important package with good, strong, robust bipartisan support, and send it over to the House of Representatives so that we can finally get this enacted into law. I see my friend from Nebraska is here. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska. LEAD Program Students Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I offer my thanks and appreciation to the chairman of the committee, Senator Murkowski, and the ranking member, Senator Manchin, for the work they have done on this lands package. They have tried their best to bring to the forefront a number of different viewpoints and, obviously, a wide variety of issues that are included in this package. They have worked hard to meet many demands on all sides, and I thank them for getting that done. I am going to be installed this week as one of the chairmen of the sportsmen's caucus, and we are thrilled to be able to have the sportsmen's bill included in this package so that we can continue to see this great American tradition of families and friends enjoying the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and recreating in this beautiful land that we have here in the United States of America. I am very fortunate today to welcome a number of conservationists from Nebraska to Washington, DC. This is a group of bright, young people who are taking part in Nebraska's Leadership Education/Action Development Program, true conservationists who are ag producers, ag business people, and are here visiting us. This is known as the LEAD Program. They are individuals from various backgrounds who participate in this premier agriculture leadership program. Over the course of 2 years, Nebraska LEAD fellows engage in monthly seminars all across the State; they visit our Nation's Capital; and they even have the opportunity to study agriculture systems overseas. The goal of the LEAD Program is to develop the next generation of innovative thinkers, problem solvers, and decision makers who will work to provide food and fuel to our world. As a proud LEAD alum myself, I can tell you that it has helped to shape who I am today. This program continues to be near and dear to my heart. Through the LEAD Program, I learned valuable leadership skills that I have carried with me in serving my community in the Nebraska Legislature and right here in the U.S. Senate. Many may not know this statistic, but by the year 2050, there will be an additional 2 billion people to feed in this world. It is important that the future generations of agricultural leaders are motivated and prepared to deal with unforeseen challenges on the road ahead. The LEAD Program is an extraordinary opportunity for Nebraskans to learn more about international trade, about foreign policy, and the unique agricultural systems that we have in our State, in our country, and in our world. Participants in the program will gain firsthand experience in what it means to be an agricultural leader here at home. Agriculture is the beating heart of my State's economy. The hard work of our farmers and ranchers in Nebraska produces abundant bounties every year. We feed the world. We are privileged to do this and proud of this responsibility, and we pass it on to the next generation. We also know that putting food on family dinner tables around the world does not come easy. It is the result of calloused hands and long days. It is chopping ice in the tank for thirsty cattle when it is 20 below, and moving irrigation pipes for thirsty crops when it is 110. It is the product of bright innovations, new technology, critical thinking, and fresh solutions in addressing some of our world's most pressing challenges. Now it is in the hands of the next generation of leaders. Nebraska's LEAD Class 38 understands this. They know that our future is filled with promise. So I am expecting great things from each and every one of them, and I look forward to meeting with them this afternoon after I leave the floor. LEAD Class 38, we are grateful for the work that you are doing now and the good work that you will do to help build a stronger Nebraska and a stronger world. I want to again extend a formal, warm welcome to all members of LEAD 38, and I hope you will enjoy your time in our Nation's Capital. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. ERNST). The majority leader. Cloture Motion Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk for the motion to proceed. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cloture motion having been presented under rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion. The bill clerk read as follows: Cloture Motion We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the pending motion to proceed to Calendar No. 6, H.J. Res. 1, making further continuing appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2019, and for other purposes. Pat Roberts, Susan M. Collins, Michael B. Enzi, Roger F. Wicker, Lisa Murkowski, Marco Rubio, James M. Inhofe, Deb Fischer, Mike Crapo, Chuck Grassley, Mike Rounds, Lamar Alexander, John Boozman, Richard C. Shelby, John Thune, Joni Ernst, Mitch McConnell Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls be waived. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. McCONNELL. I withdraw the motion to proceed to H.J. Res. 1. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has that right. The motion is withdrawn. ____________________