Statement by the Press Secretary on House Resolutions

On Tuesday, November 30, 2004, the President signed into law:

H.R. 1113, which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey approximately 6 acres of land within the boundary of the Fort Frederica National Monument to the Christ Church of St. Simons Island, Georgia, in exchange for approximately 8.7 acres of land to be acquired by the Church.

H.R. 1284, which increases by $6.5 million the authorization for the Federal share of the San Gabriel Basin Demonstration Project, California.

H.R. 1417, the "Copyright Royalty and Distribution Reform Act of 2004," which replaces the copyright arbitration royalty panels process for resolving disputes regarding copyright royalty rates between owners and users of copyrights with Copyright Royalty Judges.

H.R. 1446, the "California Missions Preservation Act," which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide technical and financial assistance to the California Missions Foundation to restore and repair California's Spanish colonial missions and preserve mission artwork and artifacts.

H.R. 1964, the "Highlands Conservation Act," which authorizes the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grant and technical assistance for certain land conservation projects in the Highlands region of the northeastern United States.

H.R. 3936, the "Veterans Health Programs Improvement Act of 2004," which makes changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs authorities relating to health care and management and disposal of real property and facilities.

H.R. 4516, the "Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004," which requires the Secretary of Energy to carry out a research and development program to advance U.S. high-end computing systems.

H.R. 4593, the "Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004," which designates wilderness areas, promotes conservation, and provides for high quality development in Lincoln, County, Nevada.

H.R. 4794, which extends and amends United States authority to enter into a contract with a Mexican wastewater treatment facility to treat sewage flowing from Tijuana, Mexico, into the San Diego, California, area.

H.R. 5163, the "Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act," which reorganizes the Department of Transportation's pipeline safety, hazardous materials transportation safety, and research activities.

H.R. 5213, the "Research Review Act of 2004," which requires the Department of Health and Human Services and the Government Accountability Office to conduct studies on certain aspects of health care.

H.R. 5245, which extends the authority for Federal indemnification of commercial space launches and reentries through December 31, 2009, and requires an independent study of the liability risk sharing regime for commercial space transportation.