A bill for the relief of Tchisou Tho.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 30 at 10:30 a.m. to receive testimony regarding issues relating to low level radioactive waste.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

committee on the judiciary

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to continue its markup on Thursday, September 30, 2004 at 9:30 a.m. in Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226.

Agenda

I. Nominations

Claude A. Allen, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit; Susan B. Neilson, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit; Micaela Alvarez, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas; Keith Starrett, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi; Christopher Boyko, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio; Raymond L. Finch, to be Judge for the District Court of the Virgin Islands for a term of ten years, reappointment; David E. Nahmias, to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia; Richard B. Roper, to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas for the term of four years; Lisa Wood, to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia for the term of four years; Ricardo H. Hinojosa, to be Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission; Michael O'Neill, to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission; Ruben Castillo, to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission; Beryl Alaine Howell, to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission; and William Sanchez, to be Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practice.

II. Legislation

S. 1635, L-1 Visa (Intracompany Transferee) Reform Act of 2003, Chambliss;

S. 2396, Federal Courts Improvement Act of 2004, Hatch, Leahy, Chambliss, Durbin, Schumer;

S. 2204, A bill to provide criminal penalties for false information and hoaxes relating to terrorism Act of 2004, Hatch, Schumer, Cornyn, Feinstein, DeWine;

S. 1860, A bill to reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy Act of 2003, Hatch, Biden, Grassley;

S. 2195, A bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to clarify the definition of anabolic steroids and to provide for research and education activities relating to steroids and steroid precursors Act of 2004, Biden, Hatch, Grassely, Feinstein;

S. 2560, A bill to amend chapter 5 of title 17, United States Code, relating to inducement of copyright infringement, and for other purposes Act of 2004, Hatch, Leahy, Graham;

S.J. Res. 23, A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing for the event that one- fourth of the members of either the House of Representatives or the Senate are killed or incapacitated Act of 2003, Cornyn, Chambliss;

S. 2373, A bill to modify the prohibition on recognition by United States courts of certain rights relating to certain marks, trade names, or commercial names, Domenici, Graham, Sessions;

S. 1784, A bill to eliminate the safe-harbor exception for certain packaged pseudoephedrine products used in the manufacture of methamphetamine Act of 2003, Feinstein, Grassley, Kohl, Biden, Kyl, Schumer;

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 30, 2004, to consider the nominations of Mary J. Schoelen and William A. Moorman to be Judges, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims, and Robert Allen Pittman to be Assistant Secretary of Human Resources and Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs. The hearing will take place in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building at 2:00 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Communications be authorized to meet on September 30, 2004, at 2:30 pm. on ICANN Oversight/Security of Internet Root Servers and the Domain Name System (DNS).

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Financial Management, the Budget, and International Security be authorized to meet on Thursday, September 30, 2004 at 10:30 a.m. for a hearing entitled, ``Oversight Hearing

on Section 529 College Savings Plans: High Fees, Inadequate Disclosure, Disparate State Tax Treatment and Questionable Broker Sales Practices.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to continue its markup of Thursday, September 30, 2004 on Monday, October 4, 2004 immediately following the stacked roll call votes which are scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m. in S-219, The Capitol.

I. Nominations: Claude A. Allen to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit; Susan B. Neilson to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit; Christopher Boyko to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio; Beryl Alaine Howell to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission.

II. Legislation: S. 2396--Federal Courts Improvement Act of 2004; Hatch, Leahy, Chambliss, Durbin, Schumer; S. 2204--A bill to provide criminal penalties for false information and hoaxes relating to Terrorism Act of 2004; Hatch, Schumer, Cornyn, Feinstein, DeWine; S. 1860--A bill to reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy Act of 2003; Hatch, Biden, Grassley; S. 2560--A bill to amend chapter 5 of title 17, United States Code, relating to inducement of copyright infringement, and for other purposes Act of 2004; Hatch, Leahy, Graham; S.J. Res. 23--A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing for the event that one- fourth of the members of either the House of Representatives or the Senate are killed or incapacitated Act of 2003; Cornyn, Chambliss; S. 2737--A bill to modify the prohibition on recognition by United States courts of certain rights relating to certain marks, trade names, or commercial names Act of 2004; Domenici, Graham, Sessions; S. 1784--A bill to eliminate the safe-harbor exception for certain packaged pseudoephedrine products used in the manufacture of methamphetamine Act of 2003; Feinstein, Grassley, Kohl, Biden, Kyl, Schumer; S. 2863--A bill to reauthorize the Department of Justice Act of 2004; Hatch, Leahy, DeWine, Schumer; H.R. 2391--To amend title 35, United States Code, to promote cooperative research involving universities, the public sector, and private enterprises Act of 2003; Smith--TX; S. 2760--A bill to limit and expedite Federal collateral review of convictions for killing a public safety officer Act of 2004; Kyl, Hatch, Craig, Cornyn, Sessions, Chambliss; S. 1297--A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, with respect to the jurisdiction of Federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court over certain cases and controversies involving the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag Act of 2003; Hatch, Talent, Kyl; S. 2089--A bill to allow aliens who are eligible for diversity visas to be eligible beyond the fiscal year in which they applied Act of 2004; Chambliss, Kennedy, Miller; S. 2302--A bill to improve access to physicians in medically underserved areas Act of 2004; Conrad, Feingold, Kennedy, Schumer, DeWine, Kohl; S. 989--A bill to provide death and disability benefits for aerial firefighters who work on a contract basis for a public agency and suffer death or disability in the line of duty, and for other purposes Act of 2003; Enzi, Reid; S. 1728--Terrorism Victim Compensation Equity Act of 2003; Specter, Leahy, Schumer; S. 1740--Anthrax Victims Fund Fairness Act of 2003; Leahy, Feingold; S. 549--A bill to amend the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note; Public Law 107- 42) to provide compensation for victims killed in the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, and for other purposes Act of 2003; Schumer; S. 115--Private Bill; A bill for the relief of Richi James Lesley Act of 2004; Cochran; S. 2331--A bill for the relief of Fereshteh Sani Act of 2004; Allen; S. 1042--Private Bill; A bill for the relief of Tchisou Tho Act of 2003; Coleman; S. 2314--A bill for the relief of Nabil Raja Dandan, Ketty Dandan, Souzi Dandan, Raja Nabil Dandan, and Sandra Dandan Act of 2004; Durbin; S. 353--Private Bill; A bill for the relief of Denes and Gyorgyi Fulop Act of 2003; Feinstein; H.R. 867--Private Bill; For the relief of Durreshahwar Durreshahwar, Nida Hasan, Asna Hasan, Anum Hasan, and Iqra Hasan Act of 2003; Holt-- NJ; S. 2012--Private Bill; A bill for the relief of Luay Lufti Hadad Act of 2004; Levin.

Mr. President, I rise today to once again introduce my flat tax bill, S. 1040. Although I fully support the President's plan for economic growth, I believe that we can do even better. Like the President's plan, my bill eliminates the double taxation of dividends. However, instead of retaining the current progressive tax rates that impede economic growth, S. 1040 creates a single rate for all taxpayers--seventeen percent when the tax is fully implemented--and gives tax-free treatment to all savings and investment, not just dividends.

A major reason why I support the flat tax is because it will place more money into the hands of hardworking Americans and will allow individuals--not the government--to decide how to best spend their money. Lowering taxes gives Americans more money for a large number of things such as monthly bills, insurance coverage, educational costs, prescription drugs, and family getaways. Lowering taxes also makes it easier for Americans to plan for their future through private savings. Although I strongly believe in the importance of private savings, my bill leaves the Social Security system intact and, in fact, provides seniors with more money by repealing the current tax on Social Security benefits.

I have said many times before that our current progressive tax system is unfair in that it punishes success. The only way to ensure true fairness is to adopt a single tax rate for all taxpayers. Transitioning to such a tax will not only increase the fairness of the tax code, but it will also increase the incentives to work and thus boost economic growth.

The flat tax is not only fairer than the current income tax, but it's also undeniably less complex. Under a flat tax, taxpayers would be able to fit their return on a form the size of a post card. Rather than spending hours pouring over convoluted IRS forms, or resorting to professional tax assistance, the flat tax allows taxpayers to determine their taxes quickly and easily. Paying taxes may never be a pleasant experience, but at least under a flat tax it wouldn't be mind-boggling.

I fully realize that the bill I am introducing today is a monumental shift from the current tax code. However, we must not allow the enormity of the task to deter us from enacting better, more efficient tax laws. I therefore urge my colleagues to join me in support of this legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill for the relief of Tchisou Tho be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill for the relief of Tchisou Tho be printed in the Record.