CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS AND WATERTRAILS NETWORK REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 38
(House of Representatives - February 26, 2020)
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From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS AND WATERTRAILS NETWORK REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF
2019
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2427) to amend the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998 to
reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2427
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 ``Chesapeake Bay Gateways and
Watertrails Network Reauthorization Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS AND
WATERTRAILS NETWORK.
Section 502(c) of the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998
(54 U.S.C. 320101 note; Public Law 105-312) is amended by
striking ``2019'' and inserting ``2025''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Colorado (Mr. Neguse) and the gentleman from California (Mr.
McClintock) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado.
General Leave
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Colorado?
There was no objection.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 2427, introduced by Representative Sarbanes,
would reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network.
The Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network is a State,
local, and Federal partnership that helps the National Park Service and
its partners connect people to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
This system of more than 170 sites tells the story of the connection
between people and nature throughout the region and has been critical
for expanding public access to the Chesapeake Bay, supporting enhanced
interpretation, education, youth employment, and recreation associated
with the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
This program is a great example of collaboration and partnership, and
I want to thank my colleague from Maryland for his hard work to ensure
that it succeeds.
The Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network deserves our
support, and so I urge my colleagues to support this bill and authorize
this program for an additional 5 years.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
H.R. 2427 reauthorizes appropriations at current levels for the
Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998 taking us through the year 2025.
Much of the early history of our country was written on the
Chesapeake Bay. Eight recognized American Indian Tribes maintain
ancestral homes there. It is the site of Jamestown and the early
English settlements. It was a center for the great Yankee trading
ships, the birthplace of George Washington, the site of Fort McHenry,
and the main line of the Underground Railroad which took so many to
their freedom.
The Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network, originally
authorized through the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998, set up a
network of Chesapeake Bay-related sites such as parks, wildlife
refuges, and trails. The program includes 160 sites in six States and
the District of Columbia. The National Park Service provides matching
grants for projects that enhance public education about and access to
the Chesapeake Bay.
At a time when so many are losing touch with our country's proud
heritage--or even denigrating that heritage--it is all the more
important to keep alive the memory of those great days that set the
American Nation on its path to prosperity and freedom.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for
his support of the bill.
In closing, Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Jackson Lee). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2427, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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