Rob Wittman

I believe the basic premise of H.R. 2304 is on point but that we need to expand and refine some provisions before moving forward if we are to make this bill helpful to the entire regulated community.

H.R. 2304 addresses a timely issue that must be addressed before the end of this year, to prevent uninformed fishery management decisions.

Preserving these resources requires attention to detail--to science, resource allocation, and management.

Conserving our natural resources for generations to come is a priority for me and many of the folks here with us today.

I urge my colleagues to support sound science and resource management by supporting H.R. 2304, the Fishery Science Improvement Act.

I appreciate you taking the opportunity to schedule this important hearing on amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

This bill is a common sense measure to add sunlight to the fisheries management process, and I urge the Committee to support it.

I strongly urge the Committee to move these bills as soon as possible.

I too support the concept of adding SSC oversight.

I think both of the conflicts are very, very similar, and to me they ought to be able to be taken up and those issues taken care of in a fairly timely manner.

With that widespread support, I am wondering why the Department determined not to go forward with this in the 2012-2017 plan.

I want to bring to your attention a letter from myself and other colleagues from the Virginia congressional delegation to ask you to reconsider that determination made on Lease 220.

I want to ask this. As you look across the board with that broad bipartisan support, you look at the Governor of Virginia, the Virginia legislature, local officials, state officials have all said let us go forward with Lease 220.

It seems like spreading this out over another five years is less than what we are capable of.

It was disappointing when the announcement came out on the 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program that Lease 220 in Virginia was not included as part of that.

I want to thank you on behalf of the citizens of the Commonwealth for your work in protecting and preserving historic Fort Monroe.

A great country can't live on borrowed money forever. You can't have a strong and growing economy by having a huge deficit and debt.

Gentlemen, thank you so much for your service to our Nation. And I want to begin by noting that everybody that serves in our Armed Forces is special.

If the price goes up, the number of purchases will go down and potentially result in less revenue.

I happen to be one, too, that buys multiple duck stamps.

I want to compliment the lead cosponsor of the bill, Congressman Ron Kind (Wisconsin), for his leadership, commitment and passion for sportsman's issues and waterfowl conservation.

I am the author of this legislation that would continue to allow hunters to electronically purchase the annual federal duck stamp required to hunt migratory waterfowl.

Our federal parks and monuments should be available for all Americans to enjoy--not something to be admired from afar and from behind a chain link fence.

This bill is necessary because the only way to guarantee public access is to require it by law.

Your viewpoints on Goldwater-Nichols, the idea of jointness and where we can go there to really have a multiplying effect on our Force, I think, is very, very important for all of us to realize.