A resolution congratulating the SpaceShipOne team for achieving a historic milestone in human space flight.

Mr. President, I would like to give notice to Members and staff of the Senate that the Committee on Rules and Administration has approved amendments to six committee regulations. Pursuant to Title V of the Rules of Procedure for the Committee on Rules and Administration, and having provided advance notice of our intention to approve the following amendments to the regulations attached hereto, we hereby approve said amendments effective November 1, 2003, except for amendments to the regulations governing furniture, accessories and special allowances policy which shall be effective January 3, 2005.

I. The following regulations are approved as amended:

A. Committee Regulations Governing the Payment of Funeral Expenses of Deceased Members, as amended, by adding, deleting and substituting as follows:

Delete the last sentence in the first paragraph and substitute-- ``Such arrangements may include ordinary and necessary expenses for the following:''

Add the following after item 4--``(floral expenses themselves are personal in nature and are not considered an official expense, with the exception of one floral arrangement from the United States Senate);''

Delete the word ``Service'' and substitute the word ``Reasonable'' at the beginning of item 6, and insert the words ``use of a'' after the word ``for'' and before the word ``church''. Also insert the word ``other'' after the word ``or'' and before the word ``place''.

Substitute ``$5,000'' for ``$2,000'' for casket expense in item 9.

Substitute ``$2,000'' for ``$1,000'' for burial plot in item 10.

Add the following as item 11--``Miscellaneous expenses directly related to the funeral (e.g., fee for minister and musician) and not personal in nature (e.g., food, flowers, cards), not to exceed $2,500 in the aggregate.''

Add the following as item 12--``Any request for exceptions to this list must be made to the Sergeant at Arms, and approved by the Committee on Rules and Administration.''

A copy of the Committee Regulations governing funeral expenses for deceased Members, as amended, is included as Attachment A. These amended regulations shall be effective as of November 1, 2003.

B. Committee Regulations Governing Advance Payment, as amended, by adding new sections (l) and (m) as follows:

``(l) Metro subsidy, one week in advance of the new month''

``(m) Pre-paid cellular and telephone communications''.

A copy of the Committee Regulations governing advance payment, as amended, is included as Attachment B. These amended regulations shall be effective as of November 1, 2003.

C. Committee Regulations Governing Furniture, Accessories and Special Allowances Policy for Senate Office Buildings, as amended, by substituting as follows:

Substitute ``$5,000'' for ``$2,500'' under Operational Policy for Senators' Special Furniture and Accessory Allowance.

A copy of the Committee Regulations governing furniture, accessories and special allowances policy, as amended, is included as Attachment C. These amended regulations shall be effective as of January 3, 2005.

D. Committee Regulations Governing Payments and Reimbursements From

the Senate Contingent Fund for Expenses of Senate Committees and Administrative Offices (adopted by the Committee on Rules and Administration on July 23, 1987 as authorized by Senate Resolution 258, 100th Congress, 1st session, these regulations supercede regulations adopted by the Committee on October 22, 1975 and April 30, 1981), as amended, by substituting as follows:

Substitute ``$50'' for ``$35'' in Section 1.

Substitute ``$50'' for ``$35'' in Section 3.

Substitute ``$50'' for ``$35'' in Section 6 in both instances.

Substitute ``$50'' for ``$35'' in Section 8.

A copy of the Committee Regulations governing reimbursements for Senate Committee expenses, as amended, is included as Attachment D. These amended regulations shall be effective as of November 1, 2003.

E. Committee Regulations Governing Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Accounts (adopted by the Committee on Rules and Administration Pursuant to Senate Resolution 170 agreed to September 19, 1979), as amended, by substituting as follows:

Substitute ``$50'' for ``$35'' in Section 2.

Substitute ``$50'' for ``$35'' in Section 3.

Substitute ``$50'' for ``$35'' in Section 6 in both instances.

A copy of the Committee Regulations governing Senators' official personnel and office expense accounts, as amended, is included as Attachment E. These amended regulations shall be effective as of November 1, 2003.

F. Committee Regulations Governing Assignment, Accountability, and Inventory Control of Equipment, as amended, by adding a new section as follows:

``De Minimis Exception for Use of Senate Equipment

Sec. 11. It is the normal and standing policy of the Senate

that official Senate resources may only be used in connection

with official business. However, in recognition of the

infrequent need for authorized users of official Senate

resources or equipment to take care of occasional personal

matters during normal business hours, pursuant to S. Res. 238

(108th Congress, 1st Session), the de minimis use of official

Senate resources (i.e. computers, Internet services, cellular

telephones, copiers and facsimile machines and other such

similar devices) is hereby permitted.

For purposes of this policy, ``de minimis use'' is defined

as the incidental, unofficial use of Senate resources or

equipment when such use is significantly negligible in nature

and frequency and at nominal expense to the government. Such

use must also not create the appearance of impropriety. The

de minimis use of official resources as described herein is

considered to be in the interest of the Senate. The de

minimis uses permitted herein are only acceptable when such

uses are performed without measurable interference to the

performance of the official duties of the authorized user and

are in compliance with the Senate Code of Official Conduct.

Nothing contained herein shall be construed to permit the

use of Internet services or any other official resources for

partisan, political or campaign purposes--such use is

strictly prohibited under any circumstances. Nothing

contained herein shall be construed to permit the use of

official Senate resources for any commercial activity or any

income-generating purpose or for any other illegal activity.

It is the responsibility of each Senator, Committee

Chairman, Officer of the Senate, or administrative office

head to oversee the use of official Senate resources by their

office and to ensure that the use is consistent with the

requirements established by this policy as well as any other

applicable laws and regulations. Nothing contained in the

above policy shall prevent a Senator, Committee Chairman,

Officer of the Senate or administrative office head from

adopting a more restrictive de minimis use policy.''

A copy of the Committee Regulations governing Assignment, Accountability, and Inventory Control of Equipment, as amended, is included as Attachment F. These amended regulations shall be effective as of November 1, 2003.

I ask unanimous consent that the attachments be printed in the Record.

Mr. President. today I join my friend and colleague from New Mexico, Senator Domenici, in support of a resolution declaring next week National Character Counts Week. Senator Demenici and I have worked together for many years on the issue of character education and hope that by designating a special week to this cause, students and teachers will come together to participate in character building activities in their schools. In 1994, Senator Domenici and I established the Partnerships in Character Education Pilot Project and have worked regularly since then to commemorate National Character Counts Week. I am pleased that we are continuing our efforts today to help expand States' and schools' abilities to make character education a central part of every child's education.

Our schools may be built with the bricks of English, math and science, but character education certainly is the mortar. Character education means teaching students about such qualities as caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, and other qualities that their community values.

Character education provides students a context within which to learn. If we view education simply as the imparting of knowledge to our children, then we will not only miss an opportunity, but will jeopardize our future. Character education is not a separate subject, but part of a seamless garment of learning. Taking this to heart, teachers and administrators at the Ivy Drive Elementary School in Bristol, CT, incorporate the fundamentals of character education into a school wide program. In its eighth year, the Character, Assets & Resiliency Education, C.A.R.E, program integrates several pillars of character into daily lessons and special events. This year Ivy Drive chose ``swimming to success'' as their theme to build on the previous year's ``lets go fishing'' giving each child the opportunity to focus on the fundamentals of character education.

Two Hartford, CT Elementary Schools, Burr Elementary and Kennelly Elementary, recently demonstrated outstanding community service through their character education program. Supervised by their teachers, students raised close to $1000 in financial support for the family of a fifth grade student who died of leukemia. In doing so, they implemented the character pillars of caring, citizenship, and diligence.

The New Haven Public Schools recently implemented a 4-year character education curriculum within a pre-existing social development program. Grades K-3 experience the ``incredible

years'' curriculum, focusing on social skills and peer relations through service learning, community outreach, and teacher and parent training. A total of 700 character related lessons were taught in 2003- 2004. Community service projects included visits to the central firehouse, local animal shelter and elderly care home.

Character education programs work. Schools across the country that have adopted strong character education programs report better student performance, fewer discipline problems, and increased student involvement within the community. Children want direction, they want to be taught right from wrong. The American public wants character education in our schools, too. Studies show that about 90 percent of Americans support schools teaching character education.

As all education policy should be, character education is bi- partisan. This year we have 31 cosponsors to our resolution, cosponsors on both sides of the aisle. Character education is also actively supported by a number of national education and youth organizations including 4-H and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Character education can and is being incorporated into children's lives in and outside of the classroom.

This measure provides a helping hand to our schools and communities to ensure those children's future are bright and filled with opportunities and success. Character education not only cultivates minds, it nurtures hearts. While our children may be one quarter of our population, they are 100 percent of our future.

s. res. 462

Mr. President, I rise today to support, with my friend Senator Dodd this resolution regarding National Character Counts Week.'' Our resolution says the week of October 17th of this year will be known across the country as National Character Counts Week.

Nearly a century ago President Theodore Roosevelt said the following about character:

Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the

life of an individual and of nations alike.

I submit that character truly does transcend time as well as religious, cultural, political, and socio-economic barriers. I believe our country is having a renewed focus on character and this sends a wonderful message to Americans, and will help those of us involved in character education reinvigorate our efforts to get communities and schools involved.

I say that because a number of years ago we started this approach to character education called ``character counts.'' Senators Nunn, Dodd and I first submitted the resolution that has now passed the Senate on innumerable occasions. The resolution simply declares that for all of America, one week during the year will be known as National Character Counts Week.

Frankly, we hear a lot about how we should help our young people growing up in this often difficult society. However, I believe the key is finding those ideas and programs that work. We all understand that there are certain people who have the primary responsibility to care for our children like mothers, fathers, siblings, and grandparents. We are not in any way talking about negating that responsibility of raising a child with good values. However, we have found the teachers in our schools have been yearning for something they could teach our children that for some reason had been eliminated from both the public and private school agenda curriculum. It is sometimes referred to as character education.

I choose to speak about the ``character counts'' program that is being used in many public schools in our country, and certainly in my State of New Mexico where teachers embrace the six pillars of character. The values comprising the six pillars are everyday concepts that Americans across this land wish their children would have and hope America will keep. They are simply: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. They transcend political and social barriers and are central to the ideals on which this Nation was built.

I could speak for hours about the 200,000 New Mexico schoolchildren in public, private and parochial schools learning about good character. About 90 percent of the grade school children, and a significant portion of the others, are now participating in character education programs that simply and profoundly bring them into contact with each of these Pillars one month at a time.

So if one walks the halls of a grade school in Albuquerque, they might see a sign outside that says, ``This Is Responsibility Month.'' And all the young people will be discussing the concept of responsibility in their classrooms, and they will put up posters saying, ``responsibility counts.'' At the end of that month they may have an assembly where responsibility will be discussed by all the kids, and awards will be given to those demonstrating the most responsibility. The next month it might be ``respect.'' The month after that it might be ``caring.''

I could go on for quite some time talking about ``character counts'' in New Mexico. The bottom line is that I believe it is working in New Mexico and other parts of the country. Consequently, I think we need to salute the efforts already underway and encourage even more character education across our country.

So today, Senator Dodd and I are here to submit a resolution to accomplish just that and hopefully our renewed effort will bring together even more communities to ensure that character education is a part of every child's life.

I hope that my colleagues will support this effort.

Mr. President, I rise today in support of the resolution with my colleague, Senator Lamar Alexander, designating November, 2004, as American Music Month.

Of all the creative and artistic contributions our Nation has offered to the world in its short history, our music is perhaps the most definitively American aspect of our culture.

America's vast and profound repertoire of music expresses our country's vital cultural and social identities and empowers us to preserve our past and pursue our future; it transforms our wondrous and harsh experiences into potent messages that freely declare democratic choice and freedom of expression; it inspires social justice, enlivens collective action, and reflects our Nation's dynamic social movements.

Senator Alexander and I ask our colleagues to join with us in recognizing American musical heritage as an expression of this country's democratic freedoms and indomitable spirit.

Several prominent music organizations and their members have been celebrating American Music Month in November for many years. The contributions of these groups, in music education, preservation, scholarship, promotion and performance, should be highlighted during American Music Month. They help us experience and appreciate our Nation's musical heritage.

The Society for American Music, first named in honor of Oscar G.T. Sonneck, early director of the music division in the Library of Congress and pioneer scholar of American music, strives to stimulate the appreciation, performance, creation, and study of American music and its cultures in all their diversity.

The MENC: The National Association for Music Education was established in 1907 to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music to celebrate and preserve our cultural heritages. Today it includes a membership of more than 100,000 active music teachers, university faculty and researchers, college students preparing to be teachers, high school honor society members, and music afficianados.

The College Music Society actively promotes music teaching and learning, music research and dialogue, and diversity and interdisciplinary interaction among cultural institutions.

The Music Library Association provides a forum for study and action on issues that affect music libraries and assures that users of music materials are well served by their libraries.

The American Musicological Society was established in 1934 as a body of scholars devoted to the advancement of research in the various fields of music as a branch of learning and scholarship.

The organization Americans for the Arts, created in 1996 as a result of the merger of the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies and the American Council for the Arts, is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts.

The United States Marine Band was established by an Act of Congress in 1798 and represents America's oldest professional musical organization. Its primary mission is to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. November 2004 marks the sesquicentennial of the birth of John Philip Sousa, director of the Marine Band from 1880 to 1892. Sousa brought ``The President's Own'' to unprecedented levels of excellence and shaped the band into a world-famous musical organization. The band continues to maintain Sousa's standard of excellence for the performance of America music today, through White House performances, public concerts, and national tours.

In June of 2004, the Illinois House of Representatives adopted a measure similar to that which we offer today. Approval by the Senate will be an important step toward the national recognition of this month of celebration. I urge the Senate to pass this resolution in a timely fashion so that we can properly honor American Music in all its forms.

s. res. 461

Mr. President, I rise today in support of this resolution that commemorates the annual Red Ribbon Week. The purpose of Red Ribbon Week is to educate and advocate a commitment to a drug-free life style. Red Ribbon Week also remembers the contribution of one soldier in the war against drugs, DEA Special Agent Enrique ``Kiki'' Camerena. I am honored to seek the Senate's recognition and support again for the Annual Red Ribbon Campaign.

In my State of Alaska, Red Ribbon Week will be a Statewide celebration involving thousands of school children and those people and organizations who care about the welfare of our children and community. On October 22, the City of Anchorage of will celebrate with a series of Red Ribbon events coordinating with the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Alaska National Guard, the Alaska State Troopers, the Mayor of Anchorage, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Alaska, many PTA groups and many others across the community.

Throughout the week, Alaskans will be encouraged to show gratitude for all the lives that remain drug free, pledge to live a safe and drug-free life and remember those we have lost in the fight against drugs.

The Red Ribbon Week Campaign was started in 1988 by the Federation of Parents. It was organized as a 8-day event and was then chaired by President and Mrs. Reagan. The event began as a tribute to DEA Special Agent Enrique ``Kiki'' Camerena who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by drug traffickers in 1985. I suggest to those who advocate that drugs are a victimless crime talk to the widow and children of Agent Camerena. His sons, Erik and Enrique, Jr. continue to honor their father and work to help children and families that are victims of crimes. His death has become symbolic of the cost of illicit drugs.

The Red Ribbon which we put on is a symbol of zero tolerance for illegal drug use and a commitment to drug abuse prevention. The ribbon will be worn or displayed in the up coming Red Ribbon Week by millions of Americans in an act of unity and remembrance of Agent ``Kiki'' Camerena.

Illicit drugs, the abuse of drugs, and the business of illegal drugs are not a private matter. Drugs harm children. Drugs harm our communities. Illegal drugs only facilitate dependency, addiction and the breakdown of the families.

Alaska has the highest rates of domestic violence in the Nation and one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the Nation. According to the Anchorage Police Department in almost 80 percent of these cases alcohol and drugs were contributing factors to these crimes. In one rural area of Alaska, 97 percent of all the domestic cases involve drugs or alcohol.

We must encourage our children to make better choices by making the same commitment in our own lives. We as parents and leaders must set good examples.

Our children are growing up in a community that continues to send confusing and mixed signals. Our children are confronting difficult choices on a continuous basis. The popular idols in the media, the movies, television, and music often encourage them to make the wrong decisions. The Red Ribbon Campaign is one effort to help our children make the right decisions.

I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this resolution to help illustrate the Senate's commitment to ensure our children are safe and to encourage all people to live a healthy drug-free life.