Tina Smith: “I do not know about the other bill that was attempted to be added to my request for consideration of a bill, but I would…”

“I do not know about the other bill that was attempted to be added to my request for consideration of a bill, but I would just like my colleagues to know that this bill, S. 1174, passed unanimously out of committee with bipartisan support. It was placed on the calendar by the majority leader. It has the unanimous support of everyone on the Republican side. It has the support of my State of New Hampshire. It has the support of the individuals who helped to put this river into the wild and scenic bill. It is 12 miles of a beautiful river that we now preserve under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, if this legislation passes. I find it outrageous that, for whatever reasons, political or otherwise, a piece of legislation that has that much support would be objected to; tying it, linking it to some other legislation. I think the other legislation can rise or fall on its own merit. This is a good bill. Mr. President, on August 10, 1995, Senator Gregg and I introduced S. 1174, the Lamprey Wild and Scenic River Act, to designate a segment of the Lamprey River in New Hampshire as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Since introduction, a hearing was held on the legislation in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and soon thereafter, as I said, the bill was reported unanimously out of the committee. I introduced this legislation after receiving the vote of support from each of the affected communities along this segment of the River.”