Statemet by Rep. Culberson: Birthday Parties Over Job Creation

Statement

Statemet by Rep. Culberson: Birthday Parties Over Job Creation

Once again the Democrats in Congress have rushed through another massive spending bill. The 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act, H.R. 146, will cost the American taxpayers $5.5 billion more in new spending over the next five years. And what does their hard earned money buy? A $3.5 million birthday party for the city of St. Augustine, FL, a $200,000 tropical botanical garden in Hawaii, and $250,000 to study the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The bill also blocks millions of acres from energy exploration - exploration that would create well-paying jobs and make us less dependent on foreign oil. It is sad and disappointing that in these difficult economic times, the Democrats in Congress would rather throw a birthday party in Florida than create jobs and develop energy resources here at home.

Under this bill, every tourist who picks up a rock on federal land and places it in their car becomes a criminal. H.R. 146 makes it a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, to pick up or alter a rock with a fossil in it on federally owned land without a permit. The bill also allows the federal government to impose criminal penalties for mislabeling fossils.

I voted against this legislation because it is time to stop the wasteful spending spree in Washington and focus on getting our economy back on track. It is time to start trusting and empowering the individual Americans instead of the federal government.

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