A resolution designating November 2004 as "National Runaway Prevention Month".

Mr. President, today I submit, along with some fellow members of the unofficial, bipartisan Senate Burma Caucus, a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United Nations Security Council should immediately consider and take appropriate actions to respond to the growing threats posed by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in Burma to its immediate neighbors and the entire region.

What are these threats? The unchecked spread of HIV/AIDS that is further aggravated by the SPDC's use of rape as a weapon of war against the people of Burma, particularly ethnic women and girls; the illicit production and trafficking in narcotics, which destroys the lives of Asian youth and families; trafficking in persons and brutal crackdowns on ethnic minorities that create significant populations of internally displaced persons and refugees; alleged efforts to purchase weapons from North Korea, the People's Republic of China and Russia.

For the past decade, we have know that the SPDC poses a clear and present danger to the people of Burma, including democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and other senior members of the National League for Democracy (NLD). Resolutions, statements and reports by the U.S. State Department, the United Nations, the European Nation (E.U.), and human rights organizations have repeatedly documented and condemned brutal human rights violations committed with impunity by the SPDC.

Today, there is no question that Burma's myriad problems are no longer the internal affair of a handful of psychopathic generals in Rangoon.

Last May, the NLD called upon the U.N. Security Council to intervene.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the United Kingdom, and the Administration, who are scheduled to take over chairmanship of the Council in October and November, respectively should heed their call.

In Burma, time now favors the democrats. With the international community's continued vigilance, appropriate pressure can be placed on the SPDC before they assume chairmanship of the ASEAN in 2006 to secure a meaningful path toward reconciliation that includes the full and unfettered participation of the NLD. If the Security Council takes up the matter of Burma, significant strides will be made toward democracy and justice in that country.

It is an understatement to say that I am disappointed with the E.U.'s decision to allow ``low level'' participation by the SPDC in the upcoming ASEM meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam. Such action serves only to prolong the suffering of the Burmese people, including the hundreds currently languishing in prisons for peacefully championing the principles of freedom and justice, and the three NLD youths recently arrested for the ``heinous'' crime of gathering signatures on a petition calling for Suu Kyi's release from house arrest.

With France, Spain and Portugal reportedly clamoring to derail the toughening of sanctions against Burma, it is only fair to ask: When will they act to support the democrats of Burma?

It is time the world's democracies make 2006 the ``Year of Democracy'' in Burma.

I want to recognize Senators Feinstein, McCain, Mikulski, Feingold, Leahy, and Dole for their support of the resolution, and freedom and justice in Burma.

I ask unanimous consent that an article by William Ashton that appeared in the Irrawaddy on the SPDC's efforts to procure weapons be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for a resolution submitted yesterday by Senator McConnell and myself that urges the United Nations Security Council to respond to the growing threats posed to the Southeast Asia region by conditions in Burma under the rule of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

I have been proud to work with Senator McConnell to raise awareness about the situation in Burma and to put pressure on the SPDC to respect the wishes of the Burmese people, restore democracy, and release from house arrest the leader of the National League for Democracy and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi. Congress has acted decisively in support of these efforts by passing the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 to impose a complete ban on Burmese imports for one year and renewing that ban this past July.

There is still much work to be done. The threat posed by the military junta goes beyond Burma's borders and extends to the entire Southeast Asia region. The SPDC has committed numerous human rights abuses and detained over 1,300 political prisoners. It has allowed the spread of HIV/AIDS to go unchecked. It has engaged in the illicit production and trafficking of narcotics. It has engaged in the trafficking of human beings. It has attempted to purchase weapons from North Korea, China, and Russia.

The international community simply cannot afford to ignore these threats any longer. Inaction will only strengthen the regime in Rangoon and foster greater instability in the Southeast Asia region. This resolution simply encourages the United Nations Security Council to consider the situation in Burma carefully and take appropriate action.

While I am proud that the United States has acted in support of freedom and democracy in Burma, we need the help of our friends and allies to put pressure on the SPDC to change its behavior and respect the wishes of the Burmese people and the international community. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

Mr. President, I rise today to commend the Senate for passing S. Res. 430, a resolution designating November 2004 as National Runaway Prevention Month. National Runaway Prevention Month is a public education initiative to increase awareness of issues facing runaways. This resolution will sensitize the public about solutions to the runaway dilemma and educate them on the role they play in preventing youth from running away.

Runaway and ``throwaway'' episodes among our Nation's youth are a widespread problem, with one out of every seven children and youth in the United States running away or being turned out of their home before the age of 18. A recent study by the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention estimates that nearly 1.7 million youth experienced a runaway or throwaway episode in a single year. The primary causal factors of running away or being turned out are severe family conflict, abuse and neglect, and parental abuse of alcohol and drugs.

All of the conditions that lead young people to leave or be turned out of their homes are preventable. However, we need to make interventions available to strengthen families and support youth in high-risk situations. Successful interventions are grounded in partnerships among families, community-based human service agencies, law enforcement agencies, schools, faith-based organizations, and businesses.

Preventing young people from running away and supporting youth in high-risk situations are a family, community, and national responsibility. Please join us in increasing public attention to the challenges that youth are facing today and in encouraging all Americans to play a role in supporting the millions of young people who have run away from their home environments or who are at-risk of doing so each year.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions at the desk be discharged from their respective committees and the Senate proceed to their consideration, en bloc.

I ask unanimous consent that the amendments at the desk be agreed to; the resolutions, as amended, if amended, be agreed to; the preambles, as amended, if amended, be agreed to; the title amendment, where applicable, be agreed to; and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, all en bloc.