mr. perlmutter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. perlmutter: i thank my friend, mr. polis. and, mr. speaker, i heard my friend from texas talk about our rules committee meeting last night. and what he forgot to mention to you and to this body was that this bill that is before us concerning the virgin islands is an authorization bill. now, to the world what does that mean? it means it only gives the authority for the national park system to decide whether they want to accept a donation of the property, they want to pay for the property or make an exchange for the property. there is no appropriation. there is no money spent. and i appreciate my friend's comment about the need for the study. well, the study will be there before any money is spent by the united states of america. but according to the testimony, this is property that has cultural value as well as scenic value, something that is important to the preservation of these islands and that is important to the united states of america. so this bill just authorizes it, doesn't pay

mr. perlmutter: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor catholic schools in my district and across the country for their contributions to their students and communities. jan 31 through -- january 31 through february 62010 has been designated as catholic schools week by the national catholic education association and the united states conference of catholic bishops. i have a number of catholic schools in my district, including st. therese, our lady of fat ma -- fatima, saint answer, and st. peter and paul. each of these schools is advancing strong academic goals in the classroom and developing well wounded young adults in our communities. i congratulate these catholic schools as well as the students, parents, and teachers for their ongoing dedication to a quality education. receiving a quality education is key to our children's success and as a parent of three i am well aware of this. in closing, i extend my best wishes to the students who attend the catholic schools in the seventh congressional district and wish every