A bill to provide a cost-sharing requirement for the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit in the State of Colorado.

Mr. President, this week, May 11 through 17, is ``National Police Week 2003.''

This is the week when thousands of law enforcement officers from all over the United States gather here in our Nation's Capital. Representing a full spectrum of our Nation's law enforcement personnel including local, State, and Federal officers, they gather here to honor their fallen comrades, as well as to celebrate all who serve this country and its citizens. Some of this year's highlights include the May 11 ``Law Ride,'' the May 13 ``Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial'' and the May 15 ``National Peace Officers' Memorial Day Service'' which will be held on the Capitol grounds. These events are being held to specifically pay tribute to the more than 145 peace officers who were killed in the line of duty across the U.S. during 2002.

In honor of ``National Police Week,'' today I am introducing two bills that will help improve our Nation's justice system and protect the law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line for us all on a daily basis.

The first bill I am introducing is the ``Stolen Gun Penalty Enhancement Act of 2003'' which would increase the maximum prison sentences for violating existing stolen gun laws.

A growing number of crimes in our country are being committed with stolen guns. The extent of this problem is reflected in a number of recent studies and news reports which indicate that almost half a million guns are stolen each year.

This problem is increasing, and is therefore especially alarming among young people. A Justice Department study of juvenile inmates in four States showed that over 50 percent of the inmates in those prison systems had stolen a gun. In the same study, gang members and drug sellers were also more likely to have stolen a gun.

Specifically, this bill would increase the maximum penalty for violating four provisions of the firearms laws. Under title 18 of the U.S. Code, it is illegal to knowingly transport or ship a stolen firearm or stolen ammunition. It is also illegal to knowingly receive, possess, conceal, store, sell, or otherwise dispose of a stolen firearm or stolen ammunition. The penalty for violating either of these provisions is a fine, a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, or both.

My bill increases the maximum prison sentence to 15 years.

I am a strong supporter of the rights of law-abiding gun owners. However, I firmly believe we need tougher penalties for the illegal use of firearms.

The ``Stolen Gun Penalty Enhancement Act of 2003'' will send a strong signal to criminals who are even thinking about stealing a firearm. I urge my colleagues to join in support of this legislation.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the Stolen Gun Penalty Enhancement Act of 2003 be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, the second bill I am introducing today is the ``Officer Dale Claxton Bullet Resistant Police Protective Equipment Act of 2003''.

This bill is named in honor of Officer Dale Claxton of Cortez, CO, a fine law enforcement officer and family man, who was fatally shot through the windshield of his patrol car on May 29, 1998, after stopping a stolen truck. His assailants turned out to be dangerous fugitives and as a result, a large-scale man hunt was launched. The assailants were brought to justice, but Officer Claxton was tragically and prematurely taken away from his wife and four children.

``The Officer Dale Claxton Bullet Resistant Police Protective Equipment Act'' would aid law enforcement agencies in acquiring bullet resistant equipment for their forces, including bullet

resistant glass for law enforcement vehicles, hand-held shields and any other equipment that officers may need when they serve on the front lines of law enforcement. Specifically, this legislation would help our Nation's State and local law enforcement officers acquire the bullet resistant equipment they need in order to protect themselves from would-be killers. This legislation would authorize the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance to administer a $40 million matching grant program to assist these agencies purchase bullet resistant equipment.

This legislation is a worthy companion, and similar in many ways, to S.764, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act, which I recently introduced for reauthorization. Like S. 764, today's bill would help State and local law enforcement agencies acquire bullet resistant equipment--however this bill would simply provide for a wider array of bullet resistant equipment to supplement bullet proof vests.

As a former deputy sheriff, I am personally aware of the dangers which law enforcement officers face on the front lines every day. One way in which the Federal Government can improve their safety is to help them acquire bullet resistant glass and other equipment for patrol cars. These partnership grants are especially crucial for officers who serve in small, local jurisdictions that often lack the funds to provide their officers with the life saving equipment they may need.

The second component of this legislation would launch expedited and targeted research and development by authorizing $3 million over 3 years for the Justice Department's National Institute of Justice, NIJ, to conduct research and development of new bullet resistant technologies, such as bonded acrylic, polymers, polycarbons, aluminized material, and transparent ceramics.

Promising new bullet resistant materials now being developed could be as revolutionary in coming years as the development of Kevlar was in the 1970s for the manufacture of body armor. These exciting new technologies promise to be lighter, more versatile and hopefully less expensive than traditional heavy bulletproof glass.

Our Nation's police officers, sheriffs and deputies regularly put their lives in harm's way as they protect the people and preserve the peace. They deserve to have access to the bullet resistant equipment they need. The Officer Dale Claxton Bullet Resistant Police Protective Equipment Act will both accelerate the development of new lifesaving bullet resistant technologies and then help get them deployed into the field where they are needed. Officers lives will be saved.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of Officer Dale Claxton Bullet Resistant Police Protective Equipment Act of 2003 be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 15, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a markup of S. 811, the ``American Dream Downpayment Act'', of S. 300, the ``Jackie Robinson Congressional Gold Medal bill.'' The committee will also vote on the nominations of Mr. Harvey S. Rosen, of New Jersey, and Ms. Kristin J. Forbes, of Massachusetts, to be members of the Council of Economic Advisors; Ms. Julie L. Myers, of Kansas, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement; and Mr. Peter Lichtenbaum, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration.

Following the votes, the Subcommittee on Securities and Investment will meet in open session to conduct a hearing on ``The Future of the Securities Markets.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet on Wednesday, October 15, at 9:30 to conduct a business meeting to consider legislation S. 1643, S. 1066, S. 1663, and S. 1669, and the nomination of Michael O. Leavitt, to be Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The meeting will take place in SD 406, hearing room.

committee on finance

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday, October 15, 2003, at 10 a.m., to hear testimony on ``Company Owned Life Insurance.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 15, 2003, at 2 p.m. to hold a hearing on The Middle East Road Map: Overcoming Obstacles to Peace.

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

committee on indian affairs

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, October 15, 2003, at 10 a.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a Hearing on S. 550, the American Indian Probate Reform Act of 2003.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a Judicial Nominations hearing on Wednesday, October 15, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. in the Dirksen Office Building room 226.

Agenda

Panel I: Senators.

Panel II: D. Michael Fisher to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit.

Panel III: Dale S. Fisher to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California; Gary L. Sharpe to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of New York.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on Wednesday, October 15, 2003, at 2:00 p.m. on ``Indecent Exposure: Oversight of DOJ's Efforts to Protect Pornography's Victims,'' in the Dirksen Senate Office Building room 226.

Witness List

Panel 1: Mr. John Malcolm, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Department of Justice, Washington D.C., Mr. J. Robert Flores, Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department of Justice, Washington D.C.; Mr. Lawrence E. Maxwell, Inspector in Charge, Fraud and Dangerous Mail Investigations, United States Postal Inspectors, Washington D.C.; Honorable Mary Beth Buchanan, U.S. Attorney

for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PA.

Panel 2: Mr. Bruce A. Taylor, President and Chief Counsel, National Law Center for Children and Families, Fairfax, VA; Mr. Victor Cline, Emeritus Professor, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Mr. Steve Takeshita, Officer in Charge, Pornography Unit, Organized Crime and Vice Division, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles, CA.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 15, at 2:30 p.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 943, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into one or more contracts with the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, for the storage of water in the Kendrick project; S. 1027 and H.R. 2040, bills to amend the Irrigation Project Contract Extension Act of 1998 to extend certain contracts between the Bureau of Reclamation and certain irrigation water contractors in the States of Wyoming and Nebraska; S. 1058, a bill to provide a cost-sharing requirement for the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit in the State of Colorado; S. 1071, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, to conduct a feasibility study on a water conservation project within the Arch Hurley Conservancy District in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes; S. 1307, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to assist in the implementation of fish passage and screening facilities at non Federal water projects, and for other purposes; S. 1308, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to pursue and complete actions related to the implementation of a U.S. District of a U.S. district court consent decree; S. 1355, a bill to authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to participate in the rehabilitation of the Wallowa Lake Dam in Oregon, and for other purposes; S. 1577, a bill to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project in the State of Wyoming; H.R. 1284, a bill to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to increase the Federal share of the costs of the San Gabriel Basin Demonstration Project; and S. Res. 183, a resolution commemorating 50 years of adjudication under the McCarran amendment of rights to the use of water.

Mr. President, an historian and poet once penned that the history of Colorado would be written in water. In the midst of Colorado's worst drought in 300 years, this prediction has proven an accurate account of life in the headwater State and has proven a strong reminder that water is indeed our most precious natural resource. Yet in Southeastern Colorado, home of the Arkansas River, finding clean, inexpensive water, can be difficult. That is why today I am introducing legislation that will ensure the expedited construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit--a pipeline that will provide the small, financially strapped towns and water agencies along the Arkansas River with safe, clean, affordable water. By creating a Federal/Local cost share formula to help offset the costs of constructing the Conduit, this legislation will protect the future of Southeastern Colorado.

By way of background, the Arkansas Valley Conduit was originally authorized by Congress forty years ago as a part of the Fryingpan- Arkansas Project. Due to the authorizing statute's lack of a cost share provision and Southeastern Colorado's depressed economic status, the Conduit was never built. Until recently, the region has been fortunate to enjoy an economical and safe alternative to pipeline-transportation of Project Water: the Arkansas River. Sadly, the water quality in the Arkansas has degraded to a point where it is no longer economical to use as a means of transport. At the same time, the Federal government has continued to strengthen its unfunded water quality standards.

In order to comply with these standards, the region's municipalities have begun exploring options for water treatment, some of which are estimated to cost between $20 million and $40 million. Taken together, the municipalities alone are facing potential expenditures of up to $640 million simply to comply with federally mandated water quality standards. Construction of over a half a billion dollars worth of water treatment facilities is simply not a feasible alternative for the financially strapped farming communities along the Arkansas River. With the Conduit, the communities will not need to build new water treatment facilities.

In an effort to resurrect the Conduit, last year, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell and I, worked to secure $200,000 for a Bureau of Reclamation Re-evaluation Statement on the project. Thanks to this effort, the people of the valley are beginning to realize that the Conduit is much more than just a pipedream, and that Congress is serious about fulfilling the promise of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project.

According to the draft feasibility study, the Conduit is estimated to cost $200 million. My legislation calls for a 75/25 Federal/Local cost share, meaning that the local communities will be required to come up with at least $50 million to pay for their share. This is a sizeable sum, but is a far cry from the $640 million it would cost to build the new treatment facilities that would be required if the Conduit is not built. This will leave $150 million for the Federal government's share. However, I would like to point out that this $150 million undoubtedly would be exceeded if the communities were forced to seek Federal grants to help build new treatment plants.

The Arkansas Valley Conduit will deliver fresh, clean water to dozens of valley communities and thousands of people along the river. The local sponsors of the project have initiated and are nearing the completion of an independently funded feasibility study of the Conduit, and have developed a coalition of support from water users in Southeastern Colorado. They continue to explore options for financing their share of the costs, and are working hard to develop the organization that will oversee the Conduit project.

With the help of my colleagues, the promise made by Congress forty years ago to the people of Southeastern Colorado, will finally become a reality.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the legislation be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, an historian and poet once penned that the history of Colorado would be written in water. In the midst of Colorado's worst drought in 300 years, this prediction has proven an accurate account of life in the headwater State and has proven a strong reminder that water is indeed our most precious natural resource. Yet in Southeastern Colorado, home of the Arkansas River, finding clean, inexpensive water, can be difficult. That is why today I am introducing legislation that will ensure the expedited construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit--a pipeline that will provide the small, financially strapped towns and water agencies along the Arkansas River with safe, clean, affordable water. By creating a Federal/Local cost share formula to help offset the costs of constructing the Conduit, this legislation will protect the future of Southeastern Colorado.

By way of background, the Arkansas Valley Conduit was originally authorized by Congress forty years ago as a part of the Fryingpan- Arkansas Project. Due to the authorizing statute's lack of a cost share provision and Southeastern Colorado's depressed economic status, the Conduit was never built. Until recently, the region has been fortunate to enjoy an economical and safe alternative to pipeline-transportation of Project Water: the Arkansas River. Sadly, the water quality in the Arkansas has degraded to a point where it is no longer economical to use as a means of transport. At the same time, the Federal government has continued to strengthen its unfunded water quality standards.

In order to comply with these standards, the region's municipalities have begun exploring options for water treatment, some of which are estimated to cost between $20 million and $40 million. Taken together, the municipalities alone are facing potential expenditures of up to $640 million simply to comply with federally mandated water quality standards. Construction of over a half a billion dollars worth of water treatment facilities is simply not a feasible alternative for the financially strapped farming communities along the Arkansas River. With the Conduit, the communities will not need to build new water treatment facilities.

In an effort to resurrect the Conduit, last year, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell and I, worked to secure $200,000 for a Bureau of Reclamation Re-evaluation Statement on the project. Thanks to this effort, the people of the valley are beginning to realize that the Conduit is much more than just a pipedream, and that Congress is serious about fulfilling the promise of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project.

According to the draft feasibility study, the Conduit is estimated to cost $200 million. My legislation calls for a 75/25 Federal/Local cost share, meaning that the local communities will be required to come up with at least $50 million to pay for their share. This is a sizeable sum, but is a far cry from the $640 million it would cost to build the new treatment facilities that would be required if the Conduit is not built. This will leave $150 million for the Federal government's share. However, I would like to point out that this $150 million undoubtedly would be exceeded if the communities were forced to seek Federal grants to help build new treatment plants.

The Arkansas Valley Conduit will deliver fresh, clean water to dozens of valley communities and thousands of people along the river. The local sponsors of the project have initiated and are nearing the completion of an independently funded feasibility study of the Conduit, and have developed a coalition of support from water users in Southeastern Colorado. They continue to explore options for financing their share of the costs, and are working hard to develop the organization that will oversee the Conduit project.

With the help of my colleagues, the promise made by Congress forty years ago to the people of Southeastern Colorado, will finally become a reality.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the legislation be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, October 15, at 2:30 p.m. in Room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 943, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into one or more contracts with the city of Cheyenne, WY, for the storage of water in the Kendrick Project; S. 1027 and H.R. 2040, bills to amend the Irrigation Project Contract Extension Act of 1998 to extend certain contracts between the Bureau of Reclamation and certain irrigation water contractors in the States of Wyoming and Nebraska; S. 1058, a bill to provide a cost-sharing requirement for the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit in the State of Colorado; S. 1071, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, to conduct a feasibility study on a water conservation project within the Arch Hurley Conservancy District in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes; S. 1307, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to assist in the implementation of fish passage and screening facilities at non-Federal water projects, and for other purposes; S. 1308, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to pursue and complete actions related to the implementation of a U.S. District of a U.S. District Court consent Decree; S. 1355, a bill to authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to participate in the rehabilitation of the Wallowa Lake Dam in Oregon, and for other purposes; S. 1577, a bill to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project in the State of Wyoming; H.R. 1284, a bill to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to increase the Federal share of the costs of the San Gabriel Basin demonstration project; and S. Res. 183, a resolution commemorating 50 years of adjudication under the McCarran Amendment of rights to the use of water. Contact: Shelly Randel 202-224-7933, Kellie Donnely, 202-224- 9360, Erik Webb 202-224-4756 or Meghan Beal at 202-224-7556.

Because of the limited time available for the hearings, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send two copies of their testimony to the Subcommittee on Water and Power, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510- 6150.

committee on indian affairs