Jerry Lewis: “I certainly hope it is the last word, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman and my colleagues, I do not intend to take a lot of…”

“I certainly hope it is the last word, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman and my colleagues, I do not intend to take a lot of time, and I certainly want to join my friend, the gentleman from California [Mr. Fazio], in expressing our sensitivity about keeping you here this late regarding this matter. It is an item that happens to affect the districts of five Members from California. As this amendment applies, however, it is almost entirely in my own district, a district in which you can put five eastern States in just the desert that we are talking about. The gentleman from California [Mr. Fazio] is correct in saying that last year we had a very, very extended debate and, as a result of that debate, some very unusual things occurred. The chairman of the Natural Resources Committee last year brought a bill to the floor, did a very fine job representing the Senate sponsor of that bill, but there were many aspects of the bill that were not supported by those people who represented the territory affected, and as a result of that, on 10 different occasions the House, in a bipartisan way, chose to change that legislation, overrode the committee and, indeed, reflected the will of the people who live in and work in the territory involved.”