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.
“RECOGNIZING NORTHEASTERN NEVADA HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S4611-S4612 on June 7, 2010.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING NORTHEASTERN NEVADA HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
Mr. REID. Madam President, I rise today to congratulate the Northeastern Nevada Historical Society Museum on their acceptance to the American Association of Museums' Museum Assessment Program. The Northeastern Nevada Historical Society has been serving Nevada for 54 years, preserving its history and educating communities. Through participation in the Museum Assessment Program, MAP, the museum will undertake extensive improvement projects for the benefit of the entire community.
The Northeastern Nevada Historical Society Museum, located in Elko, is the only museum in Elko County and the largest museum in northeastern Nevada. The museum houses two history galleries, three art galleries, archives, a theatre, a gift shop, and an extensive library collection. The exhibits range from ``Murray'' the mastodon, a set of 2-million-year-old mastodon bones discovered in northern Nevada, to modern abstract paintings. Every year 18,000 people from all parts of the country visit the museum. Children from five counties make field trips here to learn about Nevada, wildlife, and history. The museum also runs educational programming and hosts community events, making it one of northern Nevada's most treasured establishments.
Last year, the Northeastern Nevada Historical Society was accepted into the prestigious Museum Assessment Program, which is an intense yearlong improvement process with three phases. In the first phase museums receive guidance from the American Association of Museums, AAM, in the form of written documents to help them asses their own effectiveness and areas for improvement. In the second phase, the museum is peer-reviewed through a visit by a surveyor. Together, the museum staff and surveyor design an improvement plan for the museum, which is implemented in the third phase of the program.
The dedicated staff at the historical society worked tirelessly throughout the first few months of this year to complete the self-
assessment portion of the MAP program. Recently, they received a visit from a surveyor, with whom they developed a thorough museum improvement plan. Throughout this process, the historical society has shown the utmost dedication to meeting the highest standards in museum excellence.
I am very thankful to the Northeastern Nevada Historical Society Museum for its work preserving Nevada's history. I have lived in Nevada all of my life and have been deeply influenced by our unique culture and history. The historical society aims to capture this culture and history and share them in a way that is engaging and educational. I am pleased to see that the American Association of Museums has recognized this goal and will be supporting the Northeastern Nevada Historical Society Museum in furthering it. The museum's commitment to the communities it serves is evidenced by its choice to participate in such a rigorous improvement program. I commend the Northeastern Nevada Historical Society for its dedication and look forward to its contribution to Nevada's communities for many years to come.
Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have my letter to the Senate minority leader regarding the Global Food Security Act, S. 384, printed in the Congressional Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
U.S. Senate,
May 27, 2010.Hon. Mitch McConnell,Senate Minority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Senator McConnell: I recently objected to a unanimous consent request to pass S. 384, the Global Food Security Act.
As you will recall, I sent a letter to the entire Senate at the beginning of this Congress in which I outlined four basic principles that would give me cause to object to any legislation that violated them. Among them are the principles that any new spending commitment authorized must be paid for by reducing spending in other areas of the federal budget and that any new programs or initiatives should not duplicate existing ones.
Along these lines I have two primary concerns with S. 384. First, according to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill will cost taxpayers $6.5 billion; yet, the legislation provides no offset to avoid increasing our national debt, which recently reached $13 trillion.
Second, it appears several components of S. 384 may overlap with existing federal programs and authority relating to agricultural assistance and research. For example, S. 384 creates the Higher Education Collaboration for Technology, Agriculture, Research and Extension program (HECTARE), which authorizes research and teaching activities for academic exchanges for students, faculty, extension educators, and school administrators. However, according to the Congressional Research Service, this section overlaps with several programs at the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Specifically, USDA already has research, extension and teaching activities authorized in Section 1458 of the 2008 farm bill. Other farm bill programs, such as the Competitive Grants for International Science and Education Programs (Sec. 1459A), the Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program (Sec. 1473G), and the Cochran Agricultural Fellowship Program for Middle Income Countries, Emerging Democracies and Emerging Markets (Sec. 1543) also authorize USDA to carry out the kinds of activities that would be funded by the HECTARE program.
Additionally, this bill adds new provisions and authority for conservation farming and other sustainable agriculture techniques. At the same time, USAID already operates the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program, which American universities carry out to support sustainable agriculture research and natural resource management internationally. USAID also operates the Consultative Group on Program, which American universities carry out to support sustainable agriculture research and natural resource management internationally. USAID also operates the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which is an alliance of international agricultural centers that mobilizes science to benefit the poor by promoting conservation and sustainability of natural resources and biodiversity. Further, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service conducts an International Technical Assistance program. Through this program, the U.S. provides technical assistance internationally to enhance conservation and management of natural resources. Finally, one component of USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service's mission is to provide food aid and technical assistance in foreign countries.
The statutory authorities to implement these initiatives already exist. Congress should conduct better management of programs already authorized rather than create new ones as outlined in S. 384. The past failures of Congress to streamline federal programs where appropriate have resulted in a vast expansion of our government, often to the detriment of taxpayers and in violation of the principles set forth in the U.S. Constitution.
During this time of national economic unrest, Congress must do the hard work of paying for its commitments rather than passing along debt to future generations and risking financial collapse. Additionally, Congress must first evaluate existing programs to eliminate or consolidate overlapping functions before it creates new programs or embarks on new initiatives.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. Thank you for your service to our country.
Sincerely,
Tom A. Coburn,U.S. Senator.
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