Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1483, Celebrating America's Heritage Act
Floor Speech
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1483, CELEBRATING AMERICA'S HERITAGE ACT -- (House of Representatives - October 23, 2007)
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Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 765 provides for consideration of H.R. 1483, the Celebrating America's Heritage Act. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate controlled by the Committee on Natural Resources and makes in order the substitute reported by the Committee on Natural Resources.
The rule also contains a self-executing provision to the base text consisting of a technical correction that inserts a map reference for a map that was not completed yet by the National Park Service prior to filing the reported bill. The rule also provides for one motion to recommit with or without instructions.
Mr. Speaker, before I begin to address the rule and the underlying bill, I want to also extend my feelings of empathy and concern for those out in California dealing with the fires that are plaguing that area of our country. We are all watching and we are all, in spirit, hoping that the fire ravaging will end. We appreciate the hard work and the fearless dedication of our fire service and our firefighters, and we hope that that situation is under control in the very, very near future.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule and the underlying bill. At the outset, I would like to commend my Republican colleague and neighbor, Congressman Regula, for his leadership in sponsoring this bipartisan piece of legislation.
This bill will provide additional support to nine national heritage areas and allow for the designation of six new heritage areas, making them eligible for Federal support.
I am proud that the Ohio and Erie National Heritage Canalway is among these nine national heritage areas. And I can tell you from firsthand experience that I've had with the Ohio and Erie National Heritage Canalway, that these heritage areas are an invaluable asset, both to the local communities and to our Nation, from the preservation of local culture and history, to increasing tourism, and as centerpieces for economic growth.
The designation of heritage areas provides for a partnership approach to heritage development, allowing the sites to be locally managed with a local organization coordinating in partnership with local residents.
These areas provide unique opportunities to understand the larger context of these regions' traditions, landscapes and people, and the heritage of this great country.
The Ohio and Erie National Heritage Canalway is not a traditional park. It's a lived-in region where the national, cultural, historic and recreational resources combine to form a nationally significant landscape that celebrates the significance of the Ohio and Erie Canal and its contribution to the region, the State of Ohio, and the United States.
The Ohio and Erie Canal helped connect the Ohio frontier with New York and New Orleans in the early 19th century, playing a key role in linking a previously isolated Ohio with economic centers east and south. And the canal was crucial to the development of Ohio's economy, attracting businesses to the area and providing a viable transportation route for emerging industries.
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that with increased Federal support, the Ohio and Erie National Heritage Canalway and other heritage areas included in this legislation will continue to play central roles in their communities and equally important roles in our national heritage.
Similarly, Mr. Speaker, in addition to the Ohio and Erie National Heritage Canalway, the Celebrating America's Heritage Act will provide support to the National Coal Heritage Act in West Virginia, the Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area, the Augusta Canal and National Heritage Area in Georgia, the Steel Industry American Heritage Area in Pennsylvania, the Essex National Heritage Area in Massachusetts, the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, America's Agricultural Partnership in Iowa, and the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area in New York.
This legislation will also recognize and bring the benefits of heritage areas to six new communities throughout the Nation: Journey Through Hallowed Ground Heritage Area in Virginia, Niagara Falls National Heritage Area in New York, Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area in Alabama, Freedom's Way National Heritage Area in Illinois, and Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area in Arizona.
And it's important to note, Mr. Speaker, that this legislation specifically includes language that protects private property rights. And the bill makes clear that a national heritage area designation does not alter existing regulations or land use plans.
This is a good bill that will help communities and our country celebrate our heritage and use our history for future prosperity and collective pride. I urge my colleagues to support it.
I'm proud to be a cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation. And, again, I would like to thank Congressman RALPH REGULA from my home State of Ohio for introducing this bill and for being a champion of Ohio's heritage.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to remind my colleague from Washington that this legislation does not affect private property rights. The bill makes it clear that a National Heritage Area designation does not alter existing regulations or land use plans, either.
With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, I only wish the same commitment and tenacity on behalf of veterans that is being expressed here today continues into the future, and I wish that it had been a little bit more at the surface in the past.
As you know, Mr. Speaker, the Democrats, when they came into the majority in this House, passed the biggest increase for veterans health care in history. They passed in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill $6.7 billion above the fiscal year 2007 budget, which, by the way, was the largest single increase in the 77-year history of the VA, $3.8 billion above the President's request. So we are indeed on the same page in terms of protecting our Nation's veterans, and we are working diligently, not just with our words, but with our votes and with our actions to make sure that we live up to the promise that we make to our veterans.
Returning to the legislation and the rule at hand, Mr. Speaker, the Celebrating America's Heritage Act would provide support for some of our Nation's cultural treasures and will expand support to additional heritage areas. I cannot overstate the importance of many of these areas, not only to the local communities and the regions in which they exist, but to preserving the history of the United States, that history that those veterans fought for, by the way, and these heritage areas stand out for national parks and they are overseen by a coalition of local leaders, community members and local organizations all with an interest in the preservation in their areas' traditions and culture and in the continued vitality of their communities. These heritage areas play a key role in spurring economic development, which serve as a bridge to the future for communities as well as a constant reminder of our past and the cumulative history that has led to where we are today.
I know what the Ohio and Erie National Heritage Canalway means to northeast Ohio, and I know what increased Federal support will do to help it continue serving our community and our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.
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