Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program Act of 2009

Mr. President, it is no longer a secret that fraud represents one of the fastest growing and most costly forms of crime in America today. In no small part, our current economic crisis can be attributed to unchecked mortgage fraud. Mortgage fraud itself was spurred by rampant accounting fraud, which enabled crooked executives to fatten their larders on a bubble of fake equity. And on the back- end, securities fraud, in the form of market manipulation and insider trading, hastened the eventual market crash and maximized its impact on Main Street and average American investors. In response, this body passed the Fraud Enforcement Recovery Act, FERA, which directed critical resources and tools to anti-financial fraud efforts.

FERA was passed in response to an unprecedented financial crisis. Americans should expect Congress to do more than simply react to crises after their most destructive impacts have already been felt. We owe it to our constituents to be proactive and to seek out and solve problems on the horizon so that disaster can be averted.

In the midst of the debate concerning comprehensive health care reform, we must be proactive in combating health care fraud and abuse. Each year, criminals drain between $72 and $220 billion from private and public health care plans through fraud. We pay these costs as taxpayers and through higher health insurance premiums. As we take

steps to increase the number of Americans who are covered by health insurance, and to improve the health care system for everyone, we must also ensure that law enforcement has the tools that it needs to deter, detect, and punish health care fraud.

The Finance and HELP committees have worked long and hard to find ways to fight fraud and bend the cost curve down. They have done a great job. There's more work to be done, however, which is why today I, along with Senators Leahy, Specter, Kohl, Schumer, and Klobuchar, introduce the Health Care Fraud Enforcement Act of 2009.

This bill makes straightforward but critical improvements to the Federal sentencing guidelines, to health care fraud statutes, and to forfeiture, money laundering, and obstruction statutes. The bill would also make available more Federal resources to activities specifically designed to target health care fraud. Taken together, these measures send a strong and unmistakable signal to those who would engage in health care fraud that they will be caught, and they will be punished.

The bill makes important changes to the Federal sentencing guidelines to ensure that health care fraud offenses will be punished commensurate with the cost that these offenders inflict upon our health care system. Health care represents \1/6\ of our national economy, and so unchecked health care fraud has the potential to inflict devastating harm to our national prosperity.

Despite the enormous losses in many health care fraud cases, analysis from the United States Sentencing Commission suggests that health care fraud offenders often receive shorter sentences than other white collar offenders in cases with similar loss amounts. And according to statements from cooperating health care fraud defendants, many criminals are drawn to health care fraud because of this low risk-to- reward ratio. For this reason, the bill directs the Sentencing Commission to increase the offense score of health care fraud offenses by two to four levels, depending on the dollar amount involved in the crime.

The bill also clarifies that courts should refuse to entertain arguments by defendants that they can avoid stiff punishment because only a portion of their fraudulent claims were likely to be paid.

In addition, the bill updates the definition of ``health care fraud offense'' in the Federal criminal code to include violations of the anti-kickback statute, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and certain provisions of ERISA. These changes will allow the full panoply of law enforcement tools to be used against all health care fraud.

The bill also strengthens whistleblower actions based on medical care kickbacks, which tempt by health care providers to churn unnecessary medical care at great risk to patients and great cost to the taxpayer. By making all payments that stem from an illegal kickback subject to the False Claims Act, this bill leverages the private sector to help detect and recover money paid pursuant to these illegal practices.

The Department of Justice has had success both prosecuting illegal kickbacks and pursuing False Claims Act matters based on underlying violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute. Nevertheless, defendants in such FCA cases continue to mount legal challenges that sometimes defeat legitimate enforcement efforts.

For example, a court recently held that, even though a device company may have paid a kickback to a doctor to use a particular medical device, the bill to the government for the procedure to implant the device was not false or fraudulent because the claim was submitted by the innocent hospital, and not by the guilty doctor. In other words, a claim that results from a kickback and that is fraudulent when submitted by a wrongdoer is laundered into a ``clean'' claim when an innocent third party finally submits the claim to the government for payment. This has the effect of insulating both the payor and the recipient of the kickback from False Claims Act liability. This obstacle to a successful action particularly limits the ability of the Department of Justice to recover from pharmaceutical and device manufacturers, because in such instances the claims arising from the illegal kickbacks typically are not submitted by the doctors who received the kickbacks, but by pharmacies and hospitals that had no knowledge of the underlying unlawful conduct.

This bill remedies the problem by amending the anti-kickback statute to ensure that all claims resulting from illegal kickbacks are ``false or fraudulent,'' even when the claims are not submitted directly by the wrongdoers themselves. I want to emphasize that in such circumstances, neither anti-kickback nor False Claims Act liability will lie against the innocent third party that submitted the claim.

The bill also addresses confusion in the case law over the appropriate meaning of ``willful'' conduct in health care fraud. Both the anti-kickback statute and the health care fraud statute include the term ``willfully.'' In both contexts, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has read the term to require proof that the defendant not only intended to engage in unlawful conduct, but also knew of the particular law in question and intended to violate that particular law.

This heightened mental state requirement may be appropriate for criminal violations of hyper-technical regulations, but it is inappropriate for these crimes, which punish simple fraud. The Finance Committee health care reform bill, America's Healthy Future Act, addresses this problem for the anti-kickback statute, but not for the general health care fraud offense. Accordingly, the Health Care Fraud Enforcement Act tracks the Finance bill and clarifies that ``willful conduct'' in this context does not require proof that the defendant had actual knowledge of the law in question or specific intent to violate that law. As a result, health care fraudsters will not receive special protection that they don't deserve.

Next, the bill provides the Department of Justice with critical subpoena authority for investigations conducted pursuant to the Civil Rights for Institutionalized Persons Act, also known as CRIPA.

Pursuant to that important statute, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice investigates conditions in publicly operated institutions, such as nursing homes, mental health institutions, facilities for persons with disabilities, residential schools for children with disabilities, as well as jails and prisons, where there has been an allegation of pattern or practice of violating residents' Federal civil rights. Under CRIPA, only injunctive relief is available; the statute does not provide for the award of damages.

CRIPA investigations commonly concern allegations of inadequate medical and mental health care, unsafe living conditions, and the failure to protect residents from harm. The majority of CRIPA investigations are conducted with the voluntary cooperation of state and local jurisdictions. When unlawful conditions are identified, CRIPA investigations are typically resolved through a negotiated settlement agreement that addresses the reforms necessary to correct policies, procedures and practices to address the identified deficiencies.

Some jurisdictions, however, have refused to cooperate with the Division. CRIPA does not authorize the Department of Justice to issue subpoenas for documents, records, or even for access into the institution that is the target of the investigation. As a result, investigations have been hamstrung and the effectiveness of CRIPA to remedy systemic abuse of institutionalized persons has been unnecessarily limited.

For example, in a CRIPA investigation of a county nursing home in New Jersey, the local jurisdiction would not cooperate. The Division's investigation revealed inadequate medical and mental health care, unlawful restraint, and inadequate nutrition and hydration. In one particularly serious incident, which occurred weeks after a meeting with the county officials to request their cooperation with the investigation, a resident was fed so quickly by staff that she aspirated and died. Emergency room physicians extracted a volume of mashed potatoes from the resident's lungs that filled a Ziploc bag. Another nursing home resident slowly starved to death because staff improperly positioned that resident's feeding tube. The Division was compelled to file suit, resulting in a negotiated settlement more than 4 years after the investigation began. To be sure, these

abuses are a civil rights issue that demand attention even in the absence of fraud prevention. But substandard care also represents fraud and waste, because taxpayers have paid for the provision of satisfactory medical services at facilities that fall under CRIPA jurisdiction.

The absence of subpoena authority enables non-cooperating jurisdictions to obstruct and delay the Division in its mission to ensure that the Federal rights of persons in the custody of state and local officials are respected. The resultant litigation when jurisdictions exploit the absence of subpoena power is extraordinarily costly, yet the substantive outcome, appropriate injunctive relief, is the same.

The bill addresses the problem by authorizing the Department of Justice to issue subpoenas for access to any institution that is the subject of an investigation related to a violation of CRIPA, and for any documents, records, materials, files, reports, memoranda, policies, procedures, investigations, video or audio recordings, and quality assurance reports of such institution.

In a final substantive change, the bill corrects an apparent drafting error by providing that obstruction of criminal investigations involving administrative subpoenas under HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, should be treated in the same manner as obstruction of criminal investigations involving grand jury subpoenas.

Finally, the Health Care Fraud Enforcement Act provides the resources needed for law enforcement to uncover and go after these frauds. Health care fraud cannot be fought effectively without more investigators and prosecutors. This bill authorizes the appropriation of $20,000,000 each year from 2011 through 2016 for investigations, prosecutions, and civil or other proceedings relating to fraud and abuse in connection with any health care benefit program. The bill authorizes the United States Attorneys' Offices to be appropriated an additional $10,000,000 each year for this purpose, the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, $5,000,000 each year, and the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, $5,000,000 each year.

As we move toward meaningful health care reform, we must ensure that criminals who engage in health care fraud, and those who contemplate doing so, understand that they face swift prosecution and substantial punishment. Congress should move quickly to pass this legislation so that American taxpayers can be confident that their government has the tools and resources necessary to protect its investment in the health and welfare of our Nation.

I urge my colleagues to support the Health Care Fraud Enforcement Act of 2009.

Mr. President, today I will reintroduce, along with Senators Klobuchar, Tester, Harkin and Kerry, the Same Day Registration Act of 2009, a bill that would significantly increase voter participation by allowing all eligible citizens to register to vote in federal elections on Election Day or the same day that they vote.

In many ways, the machinery of our democracy needs significant repair. We live in an age of low turnout and high cynicism. The American people have lost faith in our election system, in part because they are not confident that their votes will be counted or that the ballot box is accessible to each and every voter regardless of ability, race, or means.

What we see instead are long lines at polling places; faulty voting machines; under-trained, under-paid, over-worked poll workers; partisan election administrators; suspect vote tallies; caging lists; intimidation at the polling place; misleading flyers; illegal voter- file purges; and now, the Supreme Court approving discriminatory voter ID laws. If people cannot trust their elections, why should they trust their elected officials?

Three years ago, Professor Dan Tokaji, a leading election law expert, called for a ``moneyball approach to election reform.'' Named after Michael Lewis' book about the Oakland A's data-driven hiring system, Tokaji's approach is quintessentially progressive, as that term was understood at the turn of the century. ``I mean to suggest a research- driven inquiry,'' Tokaji wrote, ``in place of the anecdotal approach that has too often dominated election reform conversations. While anecdotes and intuition have their place, they're no substitute for hard data and rigorous analysis.''

This bill embodies the moneyball approach to election reform. In stark contrast to many so-called election reform proposals, this bill addresses a real problem--low voter turnout; it targets a major cause of the problem--archaic registration laws; and it offers a proven solution--same day registration SDR sometimes known as Election Day registration, EDR.

The bill is very simple: it amends the Help America Vote Act to require every state to allow eligible citizens to register and vote in a Federal election on the day of the election, or on any day where voting is permitted, like during early voting. Voters may register using any form that satisfies the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act, including the Federal mail in voter registration form and any state's standard registration form. North Dakota, which does not have voter registration, is exempted from the bill's requirements.

The bill itself is simple, but it addresses a significant problem: the low voter turnout that has plagued this country for the last 40 years. We live in a participatory democracy, where our government derives its power from the consent of the governed, a consent embodied in the people's exercise of their fundamental right to vote. It is self evident that a participatory democracy depends on participation.

This may be a government of the people, Mr. President, but the people are

not voting. Since 1968, American political participation has hovered around 50 percent for Presidential elections and 40 percent for congressional elections. Even in 2008, a record-breaking year, national turnout was only 61.7 percent of the voting age population. The U.S. may be the only established democracy in the world where the fact that nearly 40 percent of the electorate stayed home is considered cause for celebration.

In fact, our predecessors in the Senate would be surprised to find us celebrating such low turnout: a 1974 report by the Senate Committee on the Post Office and Civil Service bemoaned the ``shocking'' drop in turnout in the 1972 election. And what was the number that so troubled the Committee? Fifty-five percent.

The report went on: ``[i]t is the Committee's conviction that our disquieting record of voter participation is in large part due to the hodgepodge of registration barriers put in the way of the voter. Such obstacles have little, if anything, to recommend them. At best, current registration laws in the various states are outmoded and simply inappropriate for a highly mobile population. At worst, registration laws can be construed as a deliberate effort to disenfranchise voters who desperately need entry into the decision-making processes of our country.''

What a shame, that the Committee's findings are still valid. Our archaic registration laws have been reformed, but they are still archaic. We have passed a number of important bills designed to combat low turnout, but turnout is still low. America is even more mobile than it was in 1974, and yet our registration laws are still out of touch with the reality that more than 40 million Americans move every year. Worst of all, our registration laws still fall especially hard on the young, the old, and the poor.

We have long known that complicated voter registration requirements constitute one of the major barriers to voting. In fact, many states adopted voter registration in order to prevent certain segments of the population from voting. Alexander Keyssar, the preeminent scholar on the history right to vote in this country, writes that although ``[r]egistration laws emerged in the nineteenth century as a means of keeping track of voters and preventing fraud; they also served--and were intended to serve--as a means of keeping African-American, working-class, immigrant, and poor voters from the polls.''

It is time for a fundamental change. A large body of research tells us that unnecessarily burdensome voter registration requirements are the single largest factor in preventing people from voting. Simply put, voter registration restrictions should not keep eligible Americans from exercising their right to vote. The solution to this problem is same day registration.

Decades of empirical research confirm same day registration's positive impact on turnout. As one academic paper states, ``the evidence on whether EDR augments the electorate is remarkably clear and consistent. Studies finding positive and significant turnout impacts are too numerous to list.'' Mr. President, studies indicate that same day registration alone increases turnout by roughly 5 to 10 percentage points.

In general, States with same day registration boast voter turnout that is 10-12 percentage points higher than States that require voters to register before Election Day. Turnout in Minnesota and Wisconsin, which implemented same day registration over 35 years ago has been especially high: in 2004, for example, when national turnout was just 55 percent, 78 percent of eligible Minnesotans and 75 percent of eligible Wisconsinites went to the polls. The last time national voter turnout was above 70 percent, it was 1896, there were only 45 States, and the gold standard was the dominant campaign issue.

Critics might worry about the possibility of fraud, but same day registration actually makes the registration process more secure. Voters registering when they vote do so in the presence of an elections official who verifies the voter's residency and identity on the spot. Mark Ritchie, Minnesota's Secretary of State, points out that same day registration ``is much more secure because you have the person right in front of you--not a postcard in the mail. That is a no-brainer. We have 33 years of experience with this.''

In contrast to most election reforms, the cost of same day registration is negligible. A recent survey of 26 local elections officials in six same day registration States found that ``officials agreed that incidental expense of administering EDR is minimal.'' In fact, same day registration may actually result in a net savings because it significantly reduces the use of provisional ballots. Provisional ballots, which are required by the Help America Vote Act, are expensive to administer. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that provisional ballots cost State and local governments about $25 million a year.

In some States the number of provisional ballots cast is surprisingly large. For example, in 2004, more than 4 percent of California's registered voters cast provisional ballots--that is 644,642 provisional ballots. In Ohio, 157,714 provisional ballots were cast, about 2 percent of all registered voters.

In contrast, in 2004 only 0.03 percent of voters in SDR states cast a provisional ballot. In Wisconsin, only 374 provisional ballots were cast. In Maine, only 95 provisional ballots were cast. In fact, only 952 provisional ballots were cast in all the SDR states combined in 2004. To be sure, this bill is no cure-all: it does not address long lines, deceptive flyers, and faulty voting machines. Other bills, good bills, address those issues.

The bottom line is this: the Same Day Registration Act would substantially increase civic participation, improve the integrity of the electoral process, reduce election administration costs, and reaffirm that voting is a fundamental right. It has been proven effective by more than 30 years of successful implementation in Minnesota and Wisconsin and decades of empirical research. Same day registration is good for voters, good for taxpayers, and good for democracy.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, today I am introducing landmark legislation that will provide critical assistance to veterans and their family caregivers. The Caregiver and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009, contains provisions from S. 252, the Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009, and S. 801, the Caregiver and Veterans Health Services Act of 2009. The Committee reported both S. 252 and S. 801, and but they are being held by a single Senator. Today, I reintroduce these vital improvements to veterans' health care as S. 1963.

The bipartisan provisions contained in S. 1963 provide needed assistance and support to family members and others who are serving as caregivers for the most seriously injured veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This assistance includes health care, counseling, support and a living stipend. They also expand services for women veterans, those with traumatic brain injury, and veterans that live in rural areas. Because the Nation's veterans and their caregivers cannot wait any longer for this help, I am introducing S. 1963, and asking that it be immediately placed on the Calendar.

S. 1963 has one simple theme: that every veteran deserves access to high quality health care, whether that care is provided by VA, or by a family caregiver. The Congress has previously recognized the contributions of caregivers. S. 1963 also contains many other important veterans' health improvements, including expanding services for women veterans; telemedicine technologies; transportation grants; and scholarship and loan repayment programs; and eliminating copayments for catastrophically disabled veterans. States which have an especially high number of veterans living in rural areas, such as Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, Virginia, Idaho, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, would benefit greatly from the provisions in the bill which are designed to improve health care for rural veterans.

Mr. President, today, I am introducing the Mutual Fund Transparency Act of 2009. Mutual funds are vital investment vehicles for middle-income Americans that provide diversification and professional money management. Many working families rely on their mutual fund investments to pay for their children's education, prepare for retirement, and attain other financial goals.

I first introduced a version of this legislation in 2003. That fall, appalling abuses of investor trust were exposed. Ordinary investors were being harmed by the greed of brokers, mutual fund employees, and institutional and large investors. The transgressions made it clear that the boards of mutual fund companies were not providing sufficient oversight and failed to adequately protect the interests of their shareholders.

After the introduction of my bill, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Chairman William Donaldson proposed several rules that mirrored the provisions in my bill, including a requirement that funds relying on certain exemptive rules have an independent chairman and that 75 percent of board directors be independent. However, legal actions taken against the SEC by the Chamber of Commerce and subsequent inaction under his successor, Chairman Christopher Cox, have prevented the adoption of these rules. The SEC needs additional statutory authority to finish these reforms and ensure that investors can rely on independent mutual fund boards to protect their interests.

My bill will ensure the independence of mutual fund boards, increase the transparency of fees and expenses of mutual funds, and impose a fiduciary duty on all investment advisors.

I have included in this legislation a number of provisions intended to ensure the independence of mutual fund boards. Poor board governance was a contributing factor to the mutual fund scandals in 2003. Independent directors must have a dominant presence on the board to ensure that investors' interests are the top priority. Once again, my legislation requires mutual fund boards to have an independent chairman and that 75 percent of their members be independent. The legislation strengthens the definition of an independent director. These changes will ensure that the interest of investors will be the paramount priority of the board.

My legislation will ensure that investors are provided with relevant and meaningful disclosures from which they can make better informed decisions. Mr. President, my bill will increase the transparency of the complex financial relationship between brokers and mutual fund companies in ways that are both meaningful and easy to understand for investors. Shelf-space payments and revenue-sharing agreements between mutual fund companies and brokers present conflicts of interest that must be disclosed to investors. Without such disclosures, investors cannot make informed financial decisions. Investors may believe that brokers are recommending funds based on the expectation of solid returns or low volatility, when the broker's recommendation may be influenced by hidden broker commissions. I have included a point-of- sale disclosure requirement in my legislation. In my bill, investors would have to be provided with the amount of differential payments and average fees for comparable transactions. My legislation also requires that confirmation notices be provided for mutual fund transactions, which will indicate how their broker was compensated.

Investors are not provided with a complete and accurate idea of the expenses involved with owning a particular fund. Consumers often compare the expense ratios of funds when making investment decisions. However, expense ratios fail to take into account the cost of commissions in the purchase and sale of securities. To further increase the transparency of the actual costs of the fund, brokerage commissions must be counted as an expense in filings with the SEC and included in the calculation of the expense ratio. Currently, brokerage commissions are disclosed to the SEC, but not to individual investors. Brokerage commissions are only disclosed to investors upon request. My bill strengthens brokerage commission disclosure provisions and ensures that commissions will be included in a document that investors have access to and can utilize. The inclusion of brokerage commissions in the expense ratio creates an incentive to reduce the use of soft dollars. Soft dollars can be used to lower expenses since most purchases using soft dollars do not count as expenses and are not calculated into the expense ratio. This change will make it easier for investors to know the true cost of the fund and compare the expense ratios of funds meaningfully.

When I reintroduced a version of this bill in 2005, I added a provision pertaining to the fiduciary duty of brokers. Although I have modified that provision for the current bill, my intent to apply a fiduciary duty to brokers remains the same. This is an essential provision because it ensures that all financial professionals have the same responsibility to act in the best interests of their clients whether they are an investment advisor or a broker.

We must improve the financial literacy of mutual fund investors so that they can make more sound investment decisions. I have included a requirement that the SEC study financial literacy among mutual fund investors. The SEC would be required to develop a strategy to increase the financial literacy of investors that results in positive change in investor behavior. In addition, the bill requires the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on mutual fund advertising and make recommendations to improve investor protections and ensure that investors can make informed financial decisions when purchasing shares.

We must enact this vital legislation to help protect the investments that our working families make in mutual

funds. These reforms are long overdue. I will build upon the administration's regulatory modernization proposal on fiduciary duty for brokers and pre-sale disclosure of mutual fund expenses.

I look forward to working with my friend, SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro, to bring about structural reform in the mutual fund industry and increase disclosures in order to provide useful and relevant information to mutual fund investors.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill and letters of support be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that will be an important component in our efforts to rebuild Louisiana's vast wetlands. Today, the coastline of my home state is the site of one of the Nation's most pronounced ecological disasters: the massive erosion of Louisiana's coastal wetlands. Few are aware that the marsh and wetlands along Louisiana's coast comprise some 40 percent of the Nation's total salt marshes. Louisiana's coastline is a national treasure. Yet, this national treasure is disappearing at an alarming rate due to a number of natural and man-made factors, including the destruction of wetlands caused by non-native feral pig populations that are literally eating away the coast. The loss of our wetlands threatens not only our teeming wildlife, but also land, lives, energy infrastructure, and navigation.

That is why I rise today, to introduce the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program Act of 2009, address the challenges these species pose to our efforts to reverse coastal wetland deterioration.

Every 30 minutes, a portion of Louisiana's coast the size of a football field is converted from healthy marsh into open water. Since 1930, 1.2 million acres have been lost--an area roughly the size of Delaware. Scientists predict that Louisiana will lose another 700 square miles of coastal wetlands by 2050--an area the size of the greater

Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro areas.

Louisiana's coastal land loss problems are caused by a number of natural and man-made factors. The primary factor has been the leveeing of the Mississippi River for purposes of flood control and navigation. Historically, the river would flood seasonally, taking silt from the Midwest and depositing it across the Mississippi Delta. Levees provided the needed flood protection, yet prevented vital land-building sediments and nutrients from replenishing and elevating deteriorating marshes. Additional activity added to the problem, including dredging thousands of miles of access canals for petroleum extraction and navigation. Those canals accelerated saltwater intrusion, further weakening the marsh.

Another human activity that resulted in significant wetland loss was the introduction of two invasive species to the marshland habitat: the nutria and the feral pig. These non-native species are consuming our wetlands at an alarming rate. Nutria were initially introduced by those who wanted to raise them for their furs. Their population exploded in the wild and their appetite for marsh grass is boundless. Scientists estimate that nutria are currently affecting an estimated 100,000 acres of coastal wetlands.

The feral hog is another exotic species which has expanded its range throughout most of Louisiana. Feral swine cause extensive damage to natural wildlife habitat. In Louisiana, the wild omnivores compete with native wildlife for food resources; prey on young domestic animals and wildlife; and carry diseases that can affect pets, livestock, wildlife and people. Scientists now believe that the feral hogs are not only wreaking enormous damage to the marsh, but are also negatively impacting native freshwater mussels and insects by contributing E. coli to water systems.

According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the wild pig is the most prolific large mammal in North America and given adequate nutrition, its populations in an area can double in just 4 months.

As I mentioned earlier, Louisiana's landscape has already been ravaged by the nutria rodent. In 2002, the first program was created to combat the increasing nutria populations. This program, the Coast-wide Nutria Control Program, CNCP, incentivized trappers to catch nutria in return for monetary compensation. This program has proven successful at decreasing nutria populations and significantly reducing their impact to coastal wetlands.

However, more effort was needed to further reduce the nutria damage to wetlands, both in Louisiana and in other marshy environments, including Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. The Nutria Eradication and Control Act was enacted in 2003 to provide a critical supplement of funding to strengthen the Coast-wide Nutria Control Program. In July, I joined my friend and colleague Senator Cardin in introducing the reauthorization of the Nutria Eradication and Control Act. These two measures have been instrumental in reducing the nutria damage to Louisiana's wetlands.

Now, it is my hope that we can achieve similar success with the problem of feral hogs. Feral swine are listed by the World Conservation Union, IUCN, as one of the top 100 invasive species worldwide. If action is not taken to control the feral swine population, our biologists fear these animals will undo much of the progress Louisiana has made in controlling the nutria population. It is my hope that with the help of my colleagues, we can pass this bill to help eradicate these pests from our vanishing coastline once and for all.

The bill I am introducing today authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to allocate funding to create a pilot program modeled off of the Nutria Eradication and Control Act. This program will assess the nature and extent of damage to the wetlands in Louisiana and develop methods to eradicate or control the feral swine population, and restore the coastal areas damaged by this invasive species.

It is a small program, but rewards it could reap are potentially vast. Consider this, Louisiana's wetlands are not only the home to our famed wildlife, they are also the most effective protection we have against future storm damage.

Coastal wetlands are the last barrier between the sea and the land. Wetlands reduce high winds and absorb the deadly storm surges that often accompany hurricanes. Scientists estimate that every 3 to 4 miles of wetlands can absorb enough water to reduce the height of a storm surge by 1 foot. That protects the millions of hardworking men and women who live along Louisiana's coast.

But I would also like to remind my colleagues of the vital strategic importance these wetlands serve to the Nation's energy security: Louisiana is one of the economy's largest producers of energy. Without wetlands as a buffer, storms could devastate the Nation's critical energy infrastructure.

It is for all of these reasons that this legislation is crucial. I ask that my colleagues support its prompt passage.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that will be an important component in our efforts to rebuild Louisiana's vast wetlands. Today, the coastline of my home state is the site of one of the Nation's most pronounced ecological disasters: the massive erosion of Louisiana's coastal wetlands. Few are aware that the marsh and wetlands along Louisiana's coast comprise some 40 percent of the Nation's total salt marshes. Louisiana's coastline is a national treasure. Yet, this national treasure is disappearing at an alarming rate due to a number of natural and man-made factors, including the destruction of wetlands caused by non-native feral pig populations that are literally eating away the coast. The loss of our wetlands threatens not only our teeming wildlife, but also land, lives, energy infrastructure, and navigation.

That is why I rise today, to introduce the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program Act of 2009, address the challenges these species pose to our efforts to reverse coastal wetland deterioration.

Every 30 minutes, a portion of Louisiana's coast the size of a football field is converted from healthy marsh into open water. Since 1930, 1.2 million acres have been lost--an area roughly the size of Delaware. Scientists predict that Louisiana will lose another 700 square miles of coastal wetlands by 2050--an area the size of the greater

Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro areas.

Louisiana's coastal land loss problems are caused by a number of natural and man-made factors. The primary factor has been the leveeing of the Mississippi River for purposes of flood control and navigation. Historically, the river would flood seasonally, taking silt from the Midwest and depositing it across the Mississippi Delta. Levees provided the needed flood protection, yet prevented vital land-building sediments and nutrients from replenishing and elevating deteriorating marshes. Additional activity added to the problem, including dredging thousands of miles of access canals for petroleum extraction and navigation. Those canals accelerated saltwater intrusion, further weakening the marsh.

Another human activity that resulted in significant wetland loss was the introduction of two invasive species to the marshland habitat: the nutria and the feral pig. These non-native species are consuming our wetlands at an alarming rate. Nutria were initially introduced by those who wanted to raise them for their furs. Their population exploded in the wild and their appetite for marsh grass is boundless. Scientists estimate that nutria are currently affecting an estimated 100,000 acres of coastal wetlands.

The feral hog is another exotic species which has expanded its range throughout most of Louisiana. Feral swine cause extensive damage to natural wildlife habitat. In Louisiana, the wild omnivores compete with native wildlife for food resources; prey on young domestic animals and wildlife; and carry diseases that can affect pets, livestock, wildlife and people. Scientists now believe that the feral hogs are not only wreaking enormous damage to the marsh, but are also negatively impacting native freshwater mussels and insects by contributing E. coli to water systems.

According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the wild pig is the most prolific large mammal in North America and given adequate nutrition, its populations in an area can double in just 4 months.

As I mentioned earlier, Louisiana's landscape has already been ravaged by the nutria rodent. In 2002, the first program was created to combat the increasing nutria populations. This program, the Coast-wide Nutria Control Program, CNCP, incentivized trappers to catch nutria in return for monetary compensation. This program has proven successful at decreasing nutria populations and significantly reducing their impact to coastal wetlands.

However, more effort was needed to further reduce the nutria damage to wetlands, both in Louisiana and in other marshy environments, including Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. The Nutria Eradication and Control Act was enacted in 2003 to provide a critical supplement of funding to strengthen the Coast-wide Nutria Control Program. In July, I joined my friend and colleague Senator Cardin in introducing the reauthorization of the Nutria Eradication and Control Act. These two measures have been instrumental in reducing the nutria damage to Louisiana's wetlands.

Now, it is my hope that we can achieve similar success with the problem of feral hogs. Feral swine are listed by the World Conservation Union, IUCN, as one of the top 100 invasive species worldwide. If action is not taken to control the feral swine population, our biologists fear these animals will undo much of the progress Louisiana has made in controlling the nutria population. It is my hope that with the help of my colleagues, we can pass this bill to help eradicate these pests from our vanishing coastline once and for all.

The bill I am introducing today authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to allocate funding to create a pilot program modeled off of the Nutria Eradication and Control Act. This program will assess the nature and extent of damage to the wetlands in Louisiana and develop methods to eradicate or control the feral swine population, and restore the coastal areas damaged by this invasive species.

It is a small program, but rewards it could reap are potentially vast. Consider this, Louisiana's wetlands are not only the home to our famed wildlife, they are also the most effective protection we have against future storm damage.

Coastal wetlands are the last barrier between the sea and the land. Wetlands reduce high winds and absorb the deadly storm surges that often accompany hurricanes. Scientists estimate that every 3 to 4 miles of wetlands can absorb enough water to reduce the height of a storm surge by 1 foot. That protects the millions of hardworking men and women who live along Louisiana's coast.

But I would also like to remind my colleagues of the vital strategic importance these wetlands serve to the Nation's energy security: Louisiana is one of the economy's largest producers of energy. Without wetlands as a buffer, storms could devastate the Nation's critical energy infrastructure.

It is for all of these reasons that this legislation is crucial. I ask that my colleagues support its prompt passage.