A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 339 Hicksville Road in Bethpage, New York, as the "Brian C. Hickey Post Office Building".

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 22, 2003, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on ``Counterterror Initiatives in the Terror Finance Program.''

Mr. President: I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, October 22, 2003, at 9:30 am on the Federal Involvement in the Regulation of the Insurance Industry.

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 22, 2003 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a hearing Anti-Semitism In Europe.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, October 22, 2003 at 10:30 a.m. to hold a business meeting to consider pending Committed business.

Agenda

Legislation

1. S. 129, Federal Workforce Flexibility Act of 2003.

2. S. 1741, National Women's History Museum Act of 2003.

3. S. 1267, District of Columbia Budget Autonomy Act of

2003.

4. S. 1522, GAO Human Capital Reform Act of 2003.

5. S. 1561, a bill to preserve existing judgeships on the

Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

6. S. 1567, Department of Homeland Security Financial

Accountability Act.

7. S. 1612, Homeland Security Technology Improvement Act of

2003.

8. S. 1683, Federal Law Enforcement Pay and Benefits Parity

Act of 2003.

9. H.R. 1416, Homeland Security Technical Corrections Act

of 2003.

10. H.R. 3159, Government Network Security Act of 2003.

post office naming bills

1. S. 1405, a bill to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 514 17th Street in Moline,

Illinois, as the ``David Bybee Post Office Building.''

2. S. 1415, a bill to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 141 Weston Street in

Hartford, Connecticut, as the ``Barbara B. Kennelly Post

Office Building.''

3. S. 1590, a bill to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 315 Empire Boulevard in

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, as the ``James E. Davis

Post Office Building.''

4. S. 1659, a bill to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 57 Old Tappan Road in

Tappan, New York, as the ``John G. Dow Post Office

Building.''

5. S. 1671, a bill to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 10701 Abercorn Street in

Savannah, Georgia, as the ``J.C. Lewis, Jr., Post Office

Building.''

6. S. 1692, a bill to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 38 Spring Street in Nashua,

New Hampshire, as the ``Hugh Gregg Post Office Building.''

7. S. 1718, a bill to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 3710 West 73rd Terrace in

Prairie Village, Kansas, as the ``Senator James B. Pearson

Post Office Building.''

8. S. 1746, a bill to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 339 Hicksville Road in

Bethpage, New York, as the ``Brian C. Hickey Post Office

Building.''

9. H.R. 1610, to redesignate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 120 East Ritchie Avenue in

Marceline, Missouri, as the ``Walt Disney Office Building.''

10. H.R. 1882, to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 440 South Orange Blossom

Trail, in Orlando, Florida, as the ``Arthur `Pappy' Kennedy

Post Office Building.''

11. H.R. 1883, to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 1601-1 Main Street in

Jacksonville, Florida, as the ``Eddie Mae Steward Post Office

Building.''

12. H.R. 2075, to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 1905 West Blue Heron

Boulevard in West Palm Beach, Florida, as the ``Judge Edward

Rodgers Post Office Building.''

13. H.R. 2254, to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 1101 Colorado Street in

Boulder City, Nevada, as the ``Bruce Woodbury Post Office

Building.''

14. H.R. 2309, to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 2300 Redondo Avenue in

Signal Hill, California, as the ``J. Stephen Horn Post Office

Building.''

15. H.R. 2328, to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 2001 East Willard Street in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the ``Robert A. Borski Post

Office Building.''

16. H.R. 2396, to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 1210 Highland Avenue in

Duarte, California, as the ``Francisco A. Martinez Flores

Post Office Building.''

17. H.R. 2452, to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 339 Hicksville Road in

Bethpage, New York, as the ``Brian C. Hickey Post Office

Building.''

18. H.R. 2533, to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 10701 Abercorn Street in

Savannah, Georgia, as the ``J.C. Lewis, Jr., Post Office

Building.''

19. H.R. 2746, to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 141 Weston Street in

Hartford, Connecticut, as the ``Barbara B. Kennelly Post

Office Building.''

20. H.R. 3011, to designate the facility of the United

States Postal Service, located at 135 East Olive Avenue in

Burbank, California, as the ``Bob Hope Post Office

Building.''

Nominations

1. Jerry S. Byrd to be an Associate Judge of the Superior

Court of the District of Columbia (Family Court).

2. Joseph Michael Ryan to be an Associate Judge of the

Superior Court of the District of Columbia (Family Court).

3. Dale Cabaniss to be Chairman, Federal Labor Relations

Authority.

4. Brian F. Holeman to be an Associate Judge of the

Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

5. Craig S. Iscoe to be an Associate Judge of the Superior

Court of the District of Columbia.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on Wednesday, October 22, 2003, at 10 a.m., on ``Judicial Nominations,'' in the Hart Senate Office Building room 216.

Witness List:

Panel I: Senators.

Panel II: Janice R. Brown to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 22, 2003 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed hearing.

Mr. President: I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries, and Coast Guard be authorized to meet on Wednesday, October 22, 2003, at 9:30 a.m., on Fisheries Oversight to be held in SR-428A.

Mr. President, I rise to speak on the nomination of Governor Tom Ridge to head the newly created Department of Homeland Security. Although I support his confirmation, I would like to elaborate on my expectation that Governor Ridge will be responsive to Congressional committees as he carries out his duties.

As the ranking member on the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, I have been deeply concerned about the creation of this new department. I voted against the legislation creating the Homeland Security Department in part because of concerns about the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, role in the new organization and its ability to carry out its mission once moved into the Department. The Environment and Public Works Committee, EPW, will continue to have oversight of FEMA within the new department. I fully expect Governor Ridge to answer any and all questions we may have about FEMA's new role in a responsive and timely fashion.

I also expect the Department to act to protect our chemical and nuclear plants from attack and to support legislation such as S. 157, the Chemical Security Act sponsored by Senator Corzine and myself in the 108th Congress, and favorably reported by the EPW Committee in the 107th Congress as S. 1602, and S. 1746, the Nuclear Security Act sponsored by Senator Reid and reported favorably by the EPW Committee in the 107th Congress.

Governor Ridge expressed his concern about these important security issues in testimony before the EPW Committee on July 10, 2002, stating, ``The fact is, we have a very diversified economy and our enemies look at some of our economic assets as targets. And clearly, the chemical facilities are one of them.'' The Washington Post published a letter on Sunday, October 6, 2002 from Governor Ridge and Administrator Whitman expressing the commitment of the Bush Administration to reduce the vulnerability of America's chemical facilities to terrorist attack. In this letter the Governor stated that voluntary efforts alone are not sufficient to provide the level of assurance Americans deserve. I agree with the Governor and expect his engagement in the development of legislation to address this issue.

As Senator Levin pointed out in Governor Ridge's confirmation hearing before the Government Affairs committee last week, language contained in section 214 of the implementing legislation for the Homeland Security Department could be interpreted to exempt from disclosure any information included in a voluntary submission, including evidence of illegal activity such as hazardous waste dumping. Further information, even if discovered independently of the submission, could not be used in any action against that company. Even a Member of Congress would be prevented from taking any action with that information.

In other words, this language could give substantial legal shelter to companies acting illegally. The potential environmental consequences of this are enormous.

While I note the potential for this interpretation, I do not believe it is the correct interpretation, and I was heartened to hear that Secretary Ridge shares my views on this. In last week's confirmation hearing, he said, ``That certainly wasn't the intent, I'm sure, of those who advocated the Freedom of Information Act exemption--to give wrongdoers protection, or to protect illegal activity. And I'll certainly work with you to clarify that language.''

I agree with the Secretary that ambiguities in this language must be clarified to make clear that it is only the physical document being submitted to the Department of Homeland Security that is intended to be protected by this provision. Records generated elsewhere or by other means, even if they contain similar or identical information to that which was submitted to Homeland Security, would not be affected by this provision but would continue to be treated under existing Freedom of Information Act provisions or other applicable law. This allows confidentiality of the information voluntarily submitted to Homeland Security, while still allowing other Government agencies to proceed with their duties under existing law. It also allows the public continued access to information to which it has traditionally been entitled under our public information laws.

I look forward to working with Governor Ridge as he assumes his new post.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following bills be indefinitely postponed: Calendar No. 326, S. 1415; Calendar No. 327, S. 1671, Calendar No. 328, S. 1746.