Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4973, the National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Improvement Act, was introduced by our colleague from Maryland, Representative Frank Kratovil. The National Wildlife Refuge System encompasses a national network of public lands and waters set aside to conserve habitat and protect natural resources and, consequently, plays an integral role in our national network of Federal public lands. During these difficult economic times, the government has looked for efficient and practical solutions to lower costs while maintaining critical refuge systems services. The National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Program serves this purpose. Last year, volunteers contributed to more than 1.5 million hours of support, the equivalent of nearly 750 full-time employees. This is better than $7 returned on each dollar invested. The pending measure would make the volunteer program permanent, establish a volunteer coordination strategy, and formalize a reporting schedule to ensure oversight and accountability. I commend Mr. Kratovil for his important work on behalf of this initiative, and I ask Members on both sides to support passage of this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.”