FISA Bill YES I supported this legislation because it provides for the continuation of key surveillance efforts targeting foreign terrorist suspects in foreign countries, it streamlines the process to obtain FISA court orders, it includes civil liberty protections for US citizens, and it includes immunity for telecommunications companies who worked in good faith with the federal government to provide records on suspected terrorists. FISA expired earlier this year and this legislation is long past due. This bill will give the intelligence community the tools it needs to locate and track suspected terrorists and it aids our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan by providing them with the most accurate intelligence in their fight against terrorists overseas.

H.R.2964 --Would add “nonhuman-primates” (monkeys and apes) to the list of prohibited species under the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981– NO The bill would make it illegal to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase any nonhuman primate between states or internationally; would exempt certain entities, such as research facilities, importers, exhibitors, and dealers that already obtain licenses or registrations to transports nonhuman primates under the Animal Welfare Act; and would make exceptions for persons transporting nonhuman primates for the purpose of taking the animal a qualified veterinarian. This bill is an unnecessary expansion of federal government regulations because nonhuman primate pets pose almost no threat to humans and are closely regulated by the states and other agencies; regulations regarding the ownership of nonhuman primates are better determined by state governments and the USDA (not DOI). Cost: cost $17 million

H.R.3702 --Montana Cemetery Act of 2007– YES This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to Jefferson County, Montana, 9.7 acres of National Forest System land known as the Elkhorn Cemetery to be used as a County cemetery. Cost: Less than $50,000.

H.Res.1275 --Honoring the life of Timothy John Russert, Jr., public servant, political analyst and author – YES

Lampson Amendment (NASA Authorization) YES Exempts NASA from Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-140). This would allow NASA to purchase a generally available fuel, as long as the contract does not specifically require the contractor to provide an alternative or synthetic fuel or fuel from an nonconventional petroleum source, is not aimed at obtaining an alternative or synthetic fuel or fuel from an unconventional petroleum source, or provide incentives for a refinery upgrade or expansion to use or increase the use of petroleum from unconventional sources.

Hodes Amendment (NASA Authorization) YES Requires the Administrator of NASA to establish a scholarship program in honor of Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who died in the 1986 Challenger disaster. The scholarship program would provide $10,000 annually to three women going to college and studying fields related to NASA, with goals of having careers in space science or aeronautics.

H.R. 5710 --Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System Authorization Act Suspension bill– NO Provides up to $360 million to assist the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority in planning, designing, conducting preconstruction activities, and constructing the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System; It is very rare for the federal government to provide more than $100 million for local water reclamation projects; costs should be borne by local and state governments. Cost: $360 million.

H.R. 5511 --Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Remediation Act of 2008– YES Requires the Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), to participate in the clean up and repair of the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel (LMDT) in Leadville, Colorado; In 1983, the EPA designated the LMDT as a Superfund site, which made the tunnel eligible for priority environmental funding. However, under the Superfund law, the EPA is not authorized to use Superfund money on projects that are owned and managed by another federal agency. H.R. 5511 would require the Department of Interior, which still maintains possession of the LMDT through the BOR, to take steps to treat the blocked water in the LMDT and ensure tunnel’s structural integrity. Cost: $10 million in FY 2009 and $90 million over the FY 2009-FY 2013