A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of real property to Beaver County, Utah.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 9:30 a.m. on Home Products Fire Safety.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 2:30 p.m. on Adult Stem Cell Research.

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, July 14, at 11:30 a.m. to consider pending calendar business.

Agenda Item 1: S. 203--A bill to open certain withdrawn land in Big Horn County, Wyoming, to locatable mineral development for bentonite mining.

Agenda Item 4: S. 931--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a program to reduce the risks from and mitigate the effects of avalanches on visitors to units of the National Park System and on other recreational users of public land.

Agenda Item 7: S. 1211--A bill to further the purposes of title XVI of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992, the ``Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act'', by directing the Secretary of the Interior to undertake a demonstration program for water reclamation in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 14: S. 2052--A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to designate El Camino Real de los Tejas as a National Historic Trail.

Agenda Item 16: S. 2140--A bill to expand the boundary of the Mount Rainier National Park.

Agenda Item 17: S. 2167--A bill to establish the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in the States of Washington and Oregon, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 18: S. 2173--A bill to further the purposes of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2000.

Agenda Item 19: S. 2285--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of real property to Beaver County, Utah.

Agenda Item 20: S. 2287--A bill to adjust the boundary of the Barataria Preserve Unit of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in the State of Louisiana, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 21: S. 2460--A bill to provide assistance to the State of New Mexico for the development of comprehensive State water plans, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 22: S. 2508--A bill to redesignate the Ridges Basin Reservoir, Colorado, as Lake Nighthorse.

Agenda Item 23: S. 2511--A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study of a Chimayo water supply system, to provide for the planning, design, and construction of a water supply, reclamation, and filtration facility for Espanola, New Mexico, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 24: S. 2543--A bill to establish a program and criteria for National Heritage Areas in the United States, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 27: H.R. 1284--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.

Agenda Item 29: H.R. 1616--To authorize the exchange of certain lands within the Martin Luther King, Junior, National Historic Site for lands owned by the City of Atlanta, Georgia, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 30: H.R. 3768--To expand the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Florida.

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 in open Executive Session during the session on July 14, 2004, at 10 a.m., in a mock markup to consider proposed legislation implementing the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement; and to consider favorably reporting S. 2610, the U.S.- Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act; and the nominations of Joey Russell George, to be Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, U.S. Department of Treasury; Patrick P. O'Carroll, Jr., to be Inspector General, Social Security Administration; Timothy S. Bitsberger, to be Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets, U.S. Department of Treasury; Paul B. Jones, to be Member, IRS Oversight Board; and, Charles L. Kolbe, to be Member, IRA Oversight Board.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 9:30 a.m., to hold a hearing on Pakistan: Balancing Reform and Counterterrorism.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a hearing on U.S. Policy Toward Southeast Europe: Unfinished Business in the Balkans.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 10 a.m., in room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building, to conduct an oversight hearing on the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 10 a.m. on ``Examining the Implications of Drug Importation'' in the Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226. The witness list will be delivered later today.

Witness List

Panel I: Hon. John Breaux, U.S. Senator; and Hon. Bryon Dorgan, U.S. Senator.

Panel II: William K. Hubbard, Associate Commissioner for Policy and Planning, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; John Taylor, III, Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and Elizabeth G. Durant, Director of Trade Programs, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

Panel III: Hon. Rudolph Giuliani; Carmen Catizone, M.S., RPh, DPh, Executive Director/Secretary, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Boards; Kathleen Jaeger, President and CEO, GPhA; Ms. Joanna Disch, Board Member, AARP; and Ms. Elizabeth A. Wennar, M.P.H, D.H.A., President and CEO, United Health Alliance of Bennington, VT and Principle, HealthInova of Manchester, VT, United Health Alliance, Health Care Economist.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Rules and Administration be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, July 14, 2004, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct an oversight hearing on the Federal Election Commission.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, July 14, at 2:30 p.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 2317, to limit the royalty on soda ash; S. 2353, to reauthorize and amend the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992; H.R. 1189, to increase the waiver requirement for certain local matching requirements for grants provided to American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes; and H.R. 2010, to protect the voting rights of members of the armed services in elections for the delegate representing American Samoa in the United States House of Representatives, and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at 2:30 p.m., in closed session to mark up the Department of Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2005.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at 9:30 a.m., for a closed hearing on steroids.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at 10 a.m., in the 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``The Benefits of Healthy Marriage.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on Wednesday, May 5, 2004 at 10 a.m. on ``Oversight Hearing: Aiding Terrorists--An Examination of the Material Support Statute'' in the Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226.

Witness List

Panel I: The Honorable Chris Wray, Assistant Attorney General, Criminal

Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC; The Honorable Daniel Bryant, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC; and Mr. Cary Bald, Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

Panel II: Mr. David Cole, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; and Mr. Paul Rosenzweig, Senior Legal Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation, Washington, DC.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 5, 2004, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a closed hearing on intelligence matters.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Forests and Public Lands of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 5, at 2:30 p.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 155, to convey to the town of Frannie, WY, certain land withdrawn by the Commissioner of Reclamation; S. 2285, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of real property to Beaver County, UT; S. 1521, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land to the Edward H. McDaniel American Legion Post No. 22 in Pahrump, NV, for the construction of a Post building and memorial park for use by the American Legion, other veterans' groups, and the local community; S. 1826, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain land in Washoe County, NV, to the Board of Regents of the University and Community College System of Nevada; S. 2085, to modify the requirements of the land conveyance to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas Research Foundation; and H.R. 1658, to amend the Railroad Right-of-Way Conveyance Validation Act to validate additional conveyances of certain lands in the State of California that form part of the right-of-way granted by the United States to facilitate the construction of the Transcontinental Railway, and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Personnel of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at 9 a.m., in closed session to mark up the personnel programs and provisions contained in the Department of Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2005.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at 10 a.m., in closed session to mark up the readiness and management support programs and provisions contained in the Department of Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2005.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space be authorized to meet on Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at 2:30 p.m., on Space Shuttle and the Future of Space Launch Vehicles.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at 11:30 a.m., in closed session to mark up the strategic forces programs and provisions contained in the Department of Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2005.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that would direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of property to Beaver County, UT. This bill would allow Beaver County in Southwestern Utah to obtain and maintain, without restrictions, the former Minersville State Park. In sum, this bill is necessary to allow County officials to sell a small portion of this land--which has essentially been under their control for over 40 years--in order to offset funding needed to maintain the remainder of the park.

Some history might be beneficial at this point. In 1961, Beaver County obtained a lease for 207 acres of land from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to develop a recreational locale under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act. In 1963, Beaver County turned over the acreage to the State for the development of a park. Over the course of nearly 40 years, the State of Utah spent about one million dollars to develop campsites, a boat ramp, a dock, and other camping amenities to turn this area into the Minersville Reservoir State Park. In 2002, in an endeavor to reduce operating costs, Utah State Parks transferred control of the area back over to Beaver County. As County officials stated during negotiations, in order for Beaver County to afford management of the day to day operations of the would-be county park, they would need to sell some of the property to private investors. However, it was not until after park management responsibility was transferred to the county that the BLM pointed out that the state had not yet acquired the property through the Recreation and Public Purposes Act process. The plan for Beaver County to sell some of the land to pay for park operation, however, is not allowed under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act lease, which only allows the property to be developed for recreation or other purposes. The only way for Beaver County to undertake responsibility for park is to remove the current Federal restrictions on the property.

Today, Beaver County faces financial constraints in operating this park that threaten its continued use. Due to the prevailing restrictions in the Recreation and Public Purposes Act lease, initiated more than 40 years ago, the good people of southern Utah and visitors to the area will not be able to access and enjoy this county park. The campsites would be littered and unkept. The boat ramp and the boat docks would have to be closed. The park would become a destitute recreation area, because there would be no one to administer park maintenance and upkeep. The only public access to Minersville Reservoir, which features a converted blue ribbon trout fishery, would go to waste because of the Federal government's current Recreation and Public Purposes Act lease restriction.

I don't believe that letting management of the park revert to the BLM is a viable option either. The intensive, day to day management this small park requires can be best accomplished to local officials. If Beaver County acquires the property, it will continue to make this park an excellent recreational refuge, a superb fishery, and a great place to visit. Beaver County will be able to provide a clean and safe park enjoyed by all who visit. That is why I am introducing this legislation this legislation that would convey the Minersville Park land to Beaver County.

I thank the Senate for the opportunity to address this issue today, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that would direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey a parcel of property to Beaver County, UT. This bill would allow Beaver County in Southwestern Utah to obtain and maintain, without restrictions, the former Minersville State Park. In sum, this bill is necessary to allow County officials to sell a small portion of this land--which has essentially been under their control for over 40 years--in order to offset funding needed to maintain the remainder of the park.

Some history might be beneficial at this point. In 1961, Beaver County obtained a lease for 207 acres of land from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to develop a recreational locale under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act. In 1963, Beaver County turned over the acreage to the State for the development of a park. Over the course of nearly 40 years, the State of Utah spent about one million dollars to develop campsites, a boat ramp, a dock, and other camping amenities to turn this area into the Minersville Reservoir State Park. In 2002, in an endeavor to reduce operating costs, Utah State Parks transferred control of the area back over to Beaver County. As County officials stated during negotiations, in order for Beaver County to afford management of the day to day operations of the would-be county park, they would need to sell some of the property to private investors. However, it was not until after park management responsibility was transferred to the county that the BLM pointed out that the state had not yet acquired the property through the Recreation and Public Purposes Act process. The plan for Beaver County to sell some of the land to pay for park operation, however, is not allowed under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act lease, which only allows the property to be developed for recreation or other purposes. The only way for Beaver County to undertake responsibility for park is to remove the current Federal restrictions on the property.

Today, Beaver County faces financial constraints in operating this park that threaten its continued use. Due to the prevailing restrictions in the Recreation and Public Purposes Act lease, initiated more than 40 years ago, the good people of southern Utah and visitors to the area will not be able to access and enjoy this county park. The campsites would be littered and unkept. The boat ramp and the boat docks would have to be closed. The park would become a destitute recreation area, because there would be no one to administer park maintenance and upkeep. The only public access to Minersville Reservoir, which features a converted blue ribbon trout fishery, would go to waste because of the Federal government's current Recreation and Public Purposes Act lease restriction.

I don't believe that letting management of the park revert to the BLM is a viable option either. The intensive, day to day management this small park requires can be best accomplished to local officials. If Beaver County acquires the property, it will continue to make this park an excellent recreational refuge, a superb fishery, and a great place to visit. Beaver County will be able to provide a clean and safe park enjoyed by all who visit. That is why I am introducing this legislation this legislation that would convey the Minersville Park land to Beaver County.

I thank the Senate for the opportunity to address this issue today, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. President, today I introduce legislation to continue the relief to six hospitals in Nebraska that have been struggling financially under the current Medicare payment structure.

Local hospitals can best meet the unique needs of rural communities which is why I am committed to ensuring that these hospitals have the resources they need. Vital services like hospitals are increasingly important for the survival of our rural communities. Towns can't adequately serve residents--or attract new residents--without access to basic services. We need to focus on ensuring that hospitals and other vital services have the resources they need, so that communities will have the essential services they require.

Last year, Senator Brownback and I proposed legislation to provide cost-based reimbursement for rural community hospitals. Rural Community Hospitals (RCH) are hospitals with between 25-50 beds. Those hospitals had been adversely affected by Medicare formulas that set rates for reimbursement nationwide. These rates did not take into account the higher costs of practicing medicine in rural areas as these areas do not have the benefits of volume that larger hospitals enjoy. RCHs are also too large to qualify for critical access designation given to hospitals with fewer than 25 beds.

I am pleased that provisions from this legislation were included in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 as a pilot program. The program provided cost-based reimbursements for inpatient services.

The legislation Senator Brownback and I are introducing today will expand the pilot program to cover outpatient services as well. This legislation will again address a critical shortcoming in current reimbursement practices and help Rural Community Hospitals serve their communities and invest in the future of rural health care.

Six Nebraska hospitals would be affected by expanding the scope of the pilot program. Those hospitals are: Beatrice Community Hospital, Columbus Community Hospital, McCook Community Hospital, Jennie Melham Memorial Medical Center in Broken Bow, Phelps Memorial Health Center in Holdrege, and Tri County Hospital in Lexington.

We made some progress for our rural hospitals by creating the RCH pilot program last year. This legislation would expand on that victory by ensuring that all Medicare treatments, whether inpatient or outpatient, would receive cost-based reimbursement. Expanding this program will make a big difference to these hospitals and more importantly, the patients they serve.