The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“COMMERCE-JUSTICE-SCIENCE APPROPRIATIONS BILL” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Senate section on pages S3842-S3843 on June 14, 2016.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
COMMERCE-JUSTICE-SCIENCE APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Mr. PERDUE. Mr. President, I rise today to speak very briefly to highlight my opposition to the cloture motion on the appropriations bill for the Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, and the Science agencies and to discuss an issue of critical importance to my home State of Georgia and what I think is a direct abuse of what the Founders intended for Senate debate.
For over 20 years, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and the Army Corps of Engineers have been engaged in various lawsuits over water rights among those three States. Georgia has two reservoirs in question--Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona--that are operated by the Corps, that provide drinking water for Metro Atlanta, and that provide water downstream for the Chattahoochee, Flint, Coosa, and Tallapoosa Rivers. These river basins also provide water to South Georgia and parts of Alabama and Florida.
Currently, litigation is pending in the U.S. Supreme Court, the Federal DC district court, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Negotiations are also ongoing between the State governments on this very topic, and I believe they are closer to a solution right now than we have ever been.
Clearly, this is an issue that should be left to the States to settle through negotiation and, if needed, litigation. But now another attempt is being made by some in the Senate to surreptitiously influence the courts through language included in the report that accompanies this CJS bill.
We will vote on that bill sometime this afternoon. I strongly oppose this bill. This is the business of the States and should not be resolved or influenced in this manner. Let me be clear. It is not this body's place to try and tip the scales in any way on this matter.
Furthermore, we have already had this fight. This same language was inserted last year during debate over the omnibus spending bill. Then it was removed after further examination and explanation was given to leaders in both Chambers over its purpose. Let me reiterate that. When the leaders of this body and the leader in the House saw what was really happening in this language, they both independently removed the language. It was removed then, and nothing has changed to merit having this debate again in this Senate this year.
Multiple lawsuits and negotiations between the States are ongoing. There is nothing unusual about that. Any attempt to create a role for Congress during the appropriations process on this issue would set a dangerous precedent and should alarm every Senator who cares about the rights and integrity of the States. Injecting Congress into this would give an unjust advantage to other States involved, stripping away any incentive for them to negotiate in good faith with our State of Georgia.
Furthermore, this congressional involvement would establish a dangerous precedent for any State involved in water resource negotiations. The negotiations on water rights in the West make these pale in comparison. That is not a role our Founders intended for Congress to play, and inserting the Federal Government into another issue where it doesn't belong would be emblematic of why folks back home are so fed up with the dysfunction in Washington.
For these reasons and others, as I will discuss throughout this week as we debate this bill, I will definitely vote no on advancing to the CJS appropriations bill.
I yield back and note the whip is in the Chamber.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority whip.
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