Jon L. Christensen

He is a young man, born in my district in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He started his musical career very early, at about 5, mostly in the piano and one other instrument. But at about 12, he pretty much lost all of his sight. He became blind…

Congresswoman Tubbs Jones, it's a pleasure to be back with you on the floor this evening. We were here together last week discussing SCHIP and the situation in Jena with the Jena 6 high school students, which was also a part of our…

H.R. 31 will help the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District build a recycled water treatment and distribution system. This fast-growing area in southern California is heavily dependent on water from rivers and storage reservoirs that…

In 1790, the Non-Intercourse Act was enacted reserving the right to acquire land, or an interest in land, owned by an Indian tribe in the United States. It was intended to prevent third parties from taking advantage of Indians by…

H.R. 2383 recognizes the service of the late C.W. ``Bill'' Jones to the California Water Commission and his 2 years of service as president of the Delta-Mendota Water Authority. This legislation rightly renames the Bureau of Reclamation's…

As congressional action is required for land and trusts to be sold, and the Paiute Indian Tribe has contacted us for assistance, we are very supportive of authorizing the Secretary to convey these lands for the tribe. We support the…

H.R. 1630 as it is being brought to the floor today is not the same bill that passed the Committee on Resources in July. An issue was raised by the majority on the acquisition of the private lands within the park, but I am pleased that the…

Mr. Speaker, this bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to work with local interests to study possible projects to stabilize groundwater levels in San Joaquin County in California. I appreciate the efforts made by the chairman…

H.R. 3768, as amended, is a small, noncontroversial measure. The legislation involves the inclusion of 8.5 acres of land within the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in northern Florida. This parcel of land, known as American…

The legislation would benefit the Bend Metro Park and Recreation District, which has had a difficult time in purchasing excess Forest Service property in Bend, Oregon. The legislation includes provisions to ensure that the property to be…

As stated, we did have some concerns about the expense of the bill and the funding for it, given the limitations of the land and water conservation fund, but we are supportive of the bill.

H.R. 3249 extends the term of the Forest Counties Payments Committee until September 30, 2007. This date coincides with the expiration date of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. The committee, whose term…

It would be difficult to overstate the historical significance of the Louisiana Purchase. Looking back, it is difficult to imagine a single land purchase which doubled the size of this Nation, and it is equally hard to imagine what America…

H.R. 2210 would dismantle Head Start and take dedicated teachers from the children and families who depend on them.

I am also pleased to rise in support of H.R. 856, legislation introduced by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), that would provide financial relief to the Tom Green Water District in Texas. Persistent drought continues to devastate…

H.R. 255, introduced by the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), is a fairly simple and straightforward piece of legislation. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is being developed in Nebraska City, Nebraska; and the local county…

Mr. Speaker the purpose of H.R. 4944 has been explained by the majority and our colleague on the other side. This legislation is a result of a National Park Service study that worked with the local community on developing joint efforts to…

H. Con. Res. 395 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Mindful of the spirited debate over Puerto Rico's political status, the resolution was crafted to be nonpartisan and status neutral…

I rise in support of H.R. 3971; and I want to commend the sponsors of this legislation, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings), the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Nethercutt), the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Dunn), but also on…

The HMOs are not going to provide that type of benefit. They have pretty much said that. So as the gentleman has pointed out and others have pointed out, to provide it as sort of a program that has to be accessible, like access to HMOs…

I think it is common sense. I do not think we really have to provide specific numbers. I guess someone could probably do that for us, but it is just common sense, with years of dialysis and many hospitalizations in between, because…

I think our seniors are probably the most qualified to speak, and they have been speaking very loudly about this issue. The vouchers that Republicans are proposing for education will not help our children any more than vouchers for…

Just take hypertension and diabetes. This is something that affects all Americans, but it affects African Americans more so because we have more difficulty accessing care and medication. If we just take hypertension or diabetes, either…

November 11th is Veterans Day period. On behalf of the veterans of the U.S. Virgin Islands, who have fought in every one of this country's wars from the Revolutionary war forward, I support H. Res. 298, and commend our colleagues for…