A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine the national significance of the Miami Circle site in the State of Florida as well as the suitability and feasibility of its inclusion in the National Park System as part of Biscayne National Park, and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be authorized to conduct a business meeting on Wednesday February 5, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. in SD-124. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss and vote on the following: Committee funding resolution, subcommittee assignments, and committee rules.

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 February 5, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. to conduct a hearing on the nomination of Mr. William H. Donaldson to be a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. on the state of professional boxing.

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 Wednesday, February 5, 2003, at 10 a.m. to consider pending calendar business.

agenda

On Wednesday, February 5, at 10 a.m., the Committee will hold a Business Meeting in Room SD-366 to consider the following items on the Agenda:

Agenda Item #1: S. 111--A bill to direct the Secretary of

the Interior to conduct a special resource study to determine

the national significance of the Miami Circle site in the

State of Florida as well as the suitability and feasibility

of its inclusion in the National Park System.

Agenda Item #2: S. 117--A bill to authorize the Secretary

of Agriculture to sell or exchange certain land in the State

of Florida, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item #3: S. 144--A bill to require the Secretary of

the Interior to establish a program to provide assistance

through States to eligible weed management entries to control

or eradicate harmful, nonnative weeds on public and private

land.

Agenda Item #5: S. 210--A bill to provide for the

protection of archaeological sites in the Galisteo Basin in

New Mexico, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item #9: S. 214--A bill to designate For Bayard

Historic District in the State of New Mexico as a National

Historic Landmark, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item #10: S. 233--A bill to direct the Secretary of

the Interior to conduct a study of Coltsville in the State of

Connecticut for potential inclusion in the National Park

System.

Agenda Item #11: S. 254--A bill to revise the boundary of

the Kaloko-Honkohau National Historical Park in the State of

Hawaii, and for other purposes.

In addition, the Committee may turn to any other measures that are ready for consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, at 2:15 p.m., to hear testimony on Revenue Proposals in the President's FY 2004 Budget.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet in open Executive Session during the session on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, at 10:00 a.m., to mark up original bills, entitled, the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act of 2003 and the CARE Act of 2003.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 5, 2003 at 10 a.m. to hold a committee business meeting.

Agenda

The Committee will consider and vote on the following agenda items:

TREATY: Treaty Doc. 107-8, Treaty Between U.S. and Russian Federation on Strategic Offensive Reductions (``Moscow Treaty'')

LEGISLATION: S. , an original bill, the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003 (tentative)

S. , an original resolution regarding committee funding for the 108th Congress

COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION MATTER: 1. Sub-commitee Membership for the 108th Congress

NOMINATIONS: 1. FSO Promotion List, Nicely, et al dated January 15, 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, February 5, 2003, in Dirksen Room 226 at 9:30 a.m.

Tentative Agenda

Panel I: the Honorable Paul Sarbanes; the Honorable Barbara

Mikulski; the Honorable Byron Dorgan; the Honorable Mike

DeWine; the Honorable John Ensign, and the Honorable Earl

Pomeroy.

Panel II: Jay S. Bybee to be U.S. Court of Appeals Judge

for the Ninth Circuit.

Panel III: Ralph R. Erickson to be United States District

Judge for the District of North Dakota; William D. Quarles,

Jr. to be United States District Judge for the District of

Maryland; Gregory L. Frost to be United States District Judge

for the Southern District of Ohio.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Small Business Entrepreneurship be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate for a hearing entitled ``The Small Business Healthcare Crisis: Possible Solutions'' and other matters on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in room 428A of the Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Aviation of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be

authorized to meet on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, at 2:30 p.m. on aviation security.

Mr. President, I rise to submit a resolution with my colleagues, Senators Harkin and Warner, commending the United States Institute of Peace on the occasion of its 20th anniversary and recognizing the Institute for its contribution to our Nation's capacity to manage international conflict by peaceful means. Since its founding by Congress, the Institute has been a pioneer in promoting the study and application of non-military approaches to the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict.

The Congress established the Institute as an independent, nonpartisan Federal institution dedicated to strengthening our national capabilities for conflict management and resolution. The resolution we are submitting today recognizes the importance of the Institute as a national and international resource for peaceful conflict management. It stresses that Congress looks forward to continuing to gain from the Institute's knowledge, teaching, and practical applications of conflict management as a way to promote the security interests of the United States and peace around the world. The resolution also expresses appreciation to the founding men and women of the Institute and support for the Institute from the American people. Finally, the resolution congratulates the Institute on its 20th anniversary and on its achievements in fulfilling its mandate from Congress.

Many in the Senate recall the personal dedication and efforts of our predecessors, led by Senators Spark Matsunaga and William Jennings Randolph who played essential roles in establishing the Institute. While Senator Matsunaga's bravery on the battlefield led to our country's awarding him a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts, he was also a man who knew the importance of peace. In 1979 he set in motion many of the critical events that eventually led Congress to create the U.S. Institute of Peace. Senator Matsunaga's unyielding commitment to peace began long before he arrived in this chamber. In 1938, as a student at the University of Hawaii, he wrote an essay that included the sentence: ``If we want peace we must educate people to want peace.''

The founders of the Institute and the countless Americans who supported elevating the importance of peace education in our national dialogue would be proud of the way the Institute has grown and adapted to the ever-changing world. Today, the Institute is a national resource for education, professional training, and applied programs in peaceful conflict management and the practical application of conflict management strategies as a way to promote United States security and peace in the world.

Some of the vital work currently being undertaken by the Institute of Peace includes helping countries break out of cycles of violence and peacefully resolve their conflicts. At the same time, the Institute is educating new generations of Americans about novel approaches to conflict management, and enhancing curricular materials related to the changing character of international conflict and nonviolent approaches to resolving international disputes. Over the past twenty years, the Institute has used its knowledge and expertise to train American and foreign government officials, military and law enforcement personnel, humanitarian aid workers, and civic activists in the skills of professional peacemaking. It has awarded numerous grants and fellowships to individuals, universities, and non-governmental organizations of many nations to deepen the field of conflict resolution education and ensure its application to conflict situations abroad.

In its twenty year history, the Institute has played key roles in facilitating the management of critical conflict situations, such as assisting then President Nelson Mandela in the development of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and developing a detailed plan to handle accountability in the wake of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which became the basis for Rwandan Genocide Law. More recently, the Institute has taken an active role in facilitating peace processes in Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Afghanistan, and the Philippines. The Institute is using its expertise in Iraq in specialized areas where conflict resolution programs play a key role in stabilizing peace and nation building, such as training new ministries about conflict resolution techniques, working with the emerging judicial system to develop a reconciliation tribunal for former war criminals and human rights violators, facilitating inter-religious and inter-ethnic dialogue, and working with Iraqi universities to promote peace and conflict education. The Institute is also anticipating new opportunities for peace and conflict resolution activities on the Korean peninsula and in Sudan. In the years to come, Congress will be looking to the Institute to focus its skills and resources on peacemaking in the greater Middle East and throughout the Muslim world.

The Institute is a unique national treasure. We hope that our fellow Senators will join us in cosponsoring this resolution and stressing the United States commitment to peace.

Mr. President, I rise today to submit a resolution supporting the ongoing important work of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in combating anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia, discrimination, intolerance and related violence. As Co- Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I remain concerned over manifestations of anti-Semitism that prompted me to introduce S. Con. Res. 7, a bipartisan initiative that unanimously passed the Senate last May. That measure provided impetus to efforts to confront and combat anti-Semitic violence in the OSCE region, the subject of a May 2002 Helsinki Commission hearing.

The resolution I submit today is aimed at building upon these efforts. The OSCE and its participating States have done much to confront and combat the disease of anti-Semitism and intolerance, and I urge our government and all other OSCE countries to continue their efforts with vigor and determination. Much of what has been accomplished can be attributed to U.S. leadership, especially to the work of U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE, Stephan M. Minikes, and his team in Vienna.

Last month the OSCE convened an historic conference in Berlin focused on anti-Semitism and violence against Jews and Jewish institutions and tools to combat this age old problem. The U.S. delegation was represented at the highest level with the participation of Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. The conference brought together elected officials and NGOs from around the globe in common support of efforts to fight anti-Semitism.

The resolution I am submitting today follows up on several of the initiatives from Berlin. The conference was punctuated with the ``Berlin Declaration,'' a statement given by the Bulgarian Chairman-in- Office, Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, during the closing plenary session. In addition to declaring that ``international developments or political issues, including those in Israel or elsewhere in the Middle East, never justify anti-Semitism,'' the Declaration advanced efforts to monitor anti-Semitic crimes and hate crimes, as all OSCE participating States committed to ``collect and maintain'' statistics about these incidents and to forward that information to the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for compilation. The resolution urges all participating States to ensure these promises are fulfilled, and calls upon the Bulgarian Chairman-in- Office to designate a ``personal envoy'' to monitor compliance with these commitments.

The resolution also speaks to the importance of confronting instances of racism, discrimination and xenophobia wherever it occurs. It is important to note that in September, the OSCE will convene a meeting on these matters, the Brussels Conference on Tolerance and the Fight against Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination. This meeting is very important, as no OSCE participating State is immune from these evils.

As Co-Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I have been impressed by the efforts of the OSCE and its participating States to address issues of anti-Semitism and intolerance. However, the time for words has passed, and I urge all OSCE countries, including the United States, to take real action. This resolution highlights several areas where steps can and should be taken. I urge bipartisan support and speedy passage of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) for yielding me this time. I also wish to thank the members of this committee and the chairman of the Committee on Resources, the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), as well as the chairman of the subcommittee. Additional thanks to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), the ranking member of the Committee on Resources. I met both of them in the course of consideration of this legislation, and I am very much appreciative of the fact that with their assistance, we were able to move this legislation forward to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, this is very important to every Floridian and should be important to every American as it relates to the Tequesta Indians and what they were able to do in such a time, in prehistoric time, as relates to having a sun dial, or a dial to be able to determine the months of the year or the time of day. This is definitely something that we find is a gift in south Florida.

Those individuals that believe in preservation in Florida put together their resources to make sure we make it to this point. I would like to commend Senator Bob Graham of Florida for bringing this bill up. I would like to also commend Congresswoman Carrie Meek for her work in the last Congress in bringing this bill to the floor. I would also like to thank the Florida delegation for its work in a bipartisan way to make sure this bill made it to the floor and supporting it as cosponsors.

This bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study on the possibility of inclusion of the Miami Circle, which we call it now, as a part of the National Park System, as a part of Biscayne Bay National Park. The Circle is truly a wonderful historic site. In 1998, workers preparing land for development at the mouth of the Miami River noticed a strange circle formation in the limestone bedrock, which we call the Miami Circle.

The circle itself is 38 feet in diameter within a 2.2-acre archaeological site in downtown Miami. It is very interesting because the developers, when they stumbled upon this site, thought it was quite interesting, and individuals in Miami raised almost $2.4 million to be able to purchase the land.

Mr. Speaker, this would point the National Park Service into conducting a study and must give consideration to be able to add this to Biscayne National Park, which is one of our national treasures.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to vote for this bill to allow it to become law so we can preserve and learn more about what these Tequesta Indians put together almost 2,000 years ago, which is definitely a part of our civilization.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the passage of S. 111, a bill to study the inclusion of the Miami Circle in the Biscayne National Park. This important archaeological site must be preserved for education and cultural benefit.

Over 2,000 years ago, the Tequesta civilizations inhabited the Biscayne and Miami Circle areas in what is present-day Miami. Although at times numbering only 800 inhabitants, the Tequesta were one of the largest South Florida civilizations. Their marine village consisted of a complex network of jobs, including set tasks for fishing and gathering of food. As a result of disease and territory disputes, the Tequesta began to lose power and eventually all but disappear in the early 1800's, but their society remains a historical part of South Florida.

While speculation continues on the use of the Miami Circle site, its archaeological importance is unquestioned. Many scholars believe that the site was used as a large astronomical tool or a center of culture in their society. On a national scale, the Miami Circle deserves preservation as the only cut-in-rock prehistoric footprint in the United States. While many of the smaller Tequesta sites are included in Biscayne Bay National park, this new site which is thought to house the bulk of the civilization remains an unprotected treasure.

Mr. Speaker, S.111 is a good bill and one that will continue the efforts of this Congress to preserve our important historical places across the Nation. To study the inclusion of the Miami Circle in the Biscayne National Park is a significant step towards our goals and I urge its passage.