863 



AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. KETGHUM 



Mr. Ketchum. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment. 

 The Clerk read as follows : 



Amendment offered by Mr. Ketchum : Page 23, line 2, after the period, insert 

 "And such differences shall be resolved through public hearings conducted in the 

 state or local area concerned." 



Mr. Ketchum. Mr. Chairman, I shall not take the 5 minutes. 



This is an area of concern that I expressed in my dialog with the 

 gentleman from New York (Mr. Murphy) . 



I simply want to point out in law, that it is a concern of this House 

 that when there are disagreements they be resolved where the disagree- 

 ment occurs, rather than asking our people to come to Washington. 



Mr. Murphy of New York. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield? 



Mr. Ketchum. I yield to tlie gentleman from New York. 



Mr. Murphy of New York. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman's amend- 

 ment codifies the statement of agreement we had earlier. We are happy 

 to accept the amendment. 



Mr. Du Pont. Mr. Chairman, Avill the gentleman yield? 



Mr. Ketchum. I yield to the gentleman from Delaware. 



Mr. DU Pont. Mr. Chairman, I feel sympathetic with the gentleman's 

 amendment and hope that it will be adopted and that we will have the 

 gentleman's support. 



Mr. Ketcih'M. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman. 



The Chairman. The question is on the amendment offered by the 

 gentleman from California (Mr. Ketchum). 



The amendment was agreed to. 



amendment by MR. GONZALEZ 



Mr. Gonzalez. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment. 

 The Clerk read as follows : 



Amendment offered by Mr. Gonzalez : Page 51, after line 8 add new section : 

 "Sec. 5. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to deny, reduce or abrogate any 

 existing rights of freedom of access to the public beaches." 



(Mr. Gonzalez asked and was given permission to revise and extend 

 liis remarks.) 



Mr. Gonzalez. INIr. Chairman, this amendment is very clear. 



There is no equivocation about it. It merely says that nothing in this 

 act shall be constnied as reducing any existing right of access to the 

 ?")ublic beaches, such as there are today. I believe that this is an impor- 

 tant fact so t1iat there could not be any misconstruction as to the inten- 

 tion of the House in approving this type of coastal management legis- 

 lation. 



From time immemorial, it has been clearly established in every jur- 

 isdiction and every land that the public beaches are in common owner- 

 ship bv the people. The people shall have undiminished, untrammelled 

 access to those beaches. All my amendment savs is that there is nothing 

 in this act to be construed in any wav diminishing or diluting or reduc- 

 ing the existing rights tliat any citizens or group of citizens might have 

 to access to the beaches. 



Mr. Murphy, of New Yoik. Mr. Cliairman, will the gentleman yield? 



Mr. Gonzalez. I am delighted to yield to the gentleman from New 

 York. 



