SW Arkansas Times

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed seven bills from the House Committee on Natural Resources with notable bipartisan support. The committee's chairman, Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), commented on the achievements:

"In the first week of President Trump's second term, House Republicans are delivering wins for Americans across the country. From recognizing heroic recipients of the Medal of Honor on the national mall to holding our land management agencies accountable for critical forest management work and expanding access to public lands and waters, we're advancing commonsense policies and working with the new administration for the American people."

The legislation includes H.R. 165, introduced by U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), which would designate approximately 40 acres within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation as a sacred site and memorial for those killed in the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.

H.R. 186, introduced by U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), authorizes a location for a National Medal of Honor Memorial within the National Mall.

Another bill, H.R. 187, also introduced by Rep. Moore, aims to improve access to outdoor recreational opportunities by digitizing mapping information related to federal waters.

H.R. 197, introduced by U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), involves a land exchange between the U.S. Forest Service and Big Winnie Land and Timber, LLC., facilitating continued use of a marina in Minnesota.

The ACRES Act (H.R. 204), introduced by U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), seeks transparency from federal land management agencies regarding wildfire fuel reduction efforts.

U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) introduced H.R. 207, which mandates establishing a task force to address shark depredation issues.

Lastly, H.R. 375 requires collaboration between federal departments and Hawaii's state government to tackle rapid ohia death.