To authorize the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the manmade famine that occurred in Ukraine in 1932-1933.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 16, 2006, at 9:30 a.m., in open session to receive testimony on the priorities and plans for the atomic energy defense activities of the Department of Energy and to review the fiscal year 2007 President's budget request for atomic energy defense activities of the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 16, 2006, at 10 a.m. to conduct an oversight hearing on the semi-annual monetary policy report of the Federal Reserve.

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 Thursday, February 16 at 10 a.m. The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony regarding S. 2253, to require the Secretary of the Interior to offer certain areas of the 181 areas of the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas leasing.

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 Thursday, February 16 at 2:30 p.m. The purpose of this hearing is to discuss the Energy Information Administration's 2006 annual energy outlook on trends and issues affecting the United States energy market.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Thursday, February 16, 2006, at 10:30 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``Administration's Trade Agenda for 2006''.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 16, 2006, at 10 a.m. to hold a hearing on Nominations.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 16, 2006 at 10 a.m. in SD-G50.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, February 16, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. in the Senate Dirksen Building Room 226.

Agenda

I. Nominations: Timothy C. Batten, Sr. to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia; Thomas E. Johnston to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of West Virginia; Aida M. Delgado-Colon to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico; Leo Maury Gordon to be a Judge of the United States Court of International Trade; Carol E. Dinkins to be Chairman of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board; Alan Charles Raul to be Vice Chairman of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board; Paul J. McNulty to be Deputy Attorney General; Steven G. Bradbury to be an Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel; Reginald Lloyd to be U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina; Stephen King to be a Member of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States.

II. Bills: H.R. 683, Trademark Dilution Revision Act of 2005 Smith-- TX; S. 1768, A bill to permit the televising of Supreme Court proceedings Specter, Leahy, Cornyn, Grassley, Schumer, Feingold, Durbin; S. 829, Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2005 Grassley, Schumer, Cornyn, Leahy, Feingold, Durbin; Graham, DeWine;

S.__, Comprehensive Immigration Reform [Chairman's Mark]; S. 489, Federal Consent Decree Fairness Act Alexander, Kyl, Cornyn, Graham, Hatch.

III. Matters: S.J. Res. 1, Marriage Protection Amendment Allard, Sessions, Kyl, Hatch, Cornyn, Coburn, Brownback.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 16, 2006, for a committee hearing on the Administration's proposed fiscal year 2007 Department of Veterans Affairs budget. The hearing will take place in room 418

of the Russell Senate Office Building at 10:30 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 16, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed business meeting.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on National Parks of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 16 at 1:30 p.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S.J. Res. 28, a joint resolution approving the location of the commemorative work in the District of Columbia honoring former President Dwight D. Eisenhower; S. 1870, a bill to clarify the authorities for the use of certain National Park Service properties within Golden Gate National Recreation Area and San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, and for other purposes; S. 1913, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease a portion of the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center for use as a visitor center for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and for other purposes; S. 1970, a bill to amend the National Trials System Act to update the feasibility and suitability study originally prepared for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail and provide for the inclusion of new trail segments, land components, and campgrounds associated with that trail, and for other purposes; H.R. 562, a bill to authorize the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the manmade famine that occurred in Ukraine in 1932-1933; and H.R. 318, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating Castle Nugent Farms located on St. Croix, Virgin Islands, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the National Ocean Policy Study be authorized to meet on Thursday, February 16, 2006, at 2:30 p.m., on the NOAA Budget.

I first of all would like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), the chairman and ranking member of the committee, for their mutual interest and work on this and also to the chair of the subcommittee, Chairman Pearce, and also to Ranking Member Christensen. I also would like to thank cochairs of the Ukrainian American Caucus, Members Kaptur, Weldon and Bartlett, for their support and also to my friend and colleague from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) who is a cosponsor and who is on the committee; and also to thank the leadership for moving this along.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation, H.R. 562, to authorize the government of Ukraine to donate a memorial in the District of Columbia honoring the victims of the manmade famine that killed millions of Ukrainians in 1932-33. I am proud to have introduced this legislation that this body is considering it today. This legislation is important for all of humanity. It is very important to the 1.5 million Ukrainian-Americans throughout our country, many of them my constituents. It has special meaning to the people of Ukraine, as the gentleman from West Virginia has mentioned, who have embarked on a courageous effort to build a free, democratic, open society, and indeed to all of us who value freedom.

During the famine genocide of 1932-33, between 7 and 10 million Ukrainians were deliberately and systematically starved to death.

The memorial authorized by this bill will not only honor their memory, but serve as a tangible reminder to all of us that we must work together to prevent such tragedies in the future.

We are familiar with the terrible suffering caused by famine that is the result of natural forces. But this famine is all the more tragic because it resulted from criminal acts and deliberate decisions by political officials. Yet, it is also one of the least known of human tragedies.

Despite efforts by the then-Soviet Government at the time and afterwards to hide the planned and systematic nature of this famine genocide, it is clear that the Soviet Union used food as a weapon. By introducing unrealistically high quotas on grain and other agricultural products which were strictly enforced by Red Army troops, the Soviet Government deliberately starved 7 to 10 million Ukrainians. The harvest of 1932 was only 12 percent below 1926 to 1930 averages, but millions of Ukrainians died a slow agonizing death of hunger.

In his book, ``The Harvest of Sorrow,'' British historian Robert Conquest provided a vivid picture of the devastating effects of the famine genocide in Ukraine: ``A quarter of the rural population, men, women and children, lay dead or dying, the rest in various stages of debilitation with no strength to bury their families or neighbors.''

Materials now being found in KGB archives have shown the premeditated political nature of the famine. We in our beloved country must persist in standing with those living under oppressive and tyrannical regimes as they struggle for their freedom. Part of the struggle is to remember the brutal acts of these regimes and their victims.

Preventing the recurrence of crimes against humanity, such as the Ukrainian famine genocide, begins with remembering the tragedies of the past. That is why I believe it is so important for there to be this monument, remembering the millions of innocent victims.

I urge my colleagues to join together in honoring their memories and ensuring they are never forgotten by supporting this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mr. RAHALL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, we are all too aware of the damage that can be inflicted during wartime by conventional weapons. However, the Ukrainian genocide is evidence of the shocking and deadly potential of an unconventional weapon such as hunger.

In an attempt to permanently cement the Ukrainian people under Soviet control, the grain supply to Ukraine was purposely manipulated by Joseph Stalin, beginning in 1932 and leading to widespread hunger and starvation. While precise figures are difficult to calculate, historians place the number of dead as a result of this policy between 8 and 10 million men, women and children. In rural Ukraine, it is thought that one in four people starved to death. These deaths have rightly been labeled one of the worst genocides in human history.

Yet outside of Ukraine, this horrific chapter in human history is not well known. Working with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, our colleague and valued Member, Congressman Sandy Levin, from Michigan hopes to change that beginning with H.R. 562.

This legislation amounts to formal acceptance by the United States Government of a memorial gift offered to this country by the people of Ukraine. The memorial is to be located here in our Nation's Capital and is intended to commemorate for Americans, as well as visitors from around the world, the incredible sacrifice made by the people of Ukraine in their long struggle for freedom.

In addition, the memorial gift honors the 1.5 million Americans of Ukrainian descent who treasure their heritage and cling to the memory of their ancestors' struggle for freedom, a struggle which was finally won with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, true independence was achieved more recently in Ukraine as the world watched in awe as the Orange Revolution swept away a corrupt regime without a single drop of bloodshed.

Mr. Speaker, Congressman Levin is to be commended for his dedication and hard work in bringing this measure to the floor today. He has talked to me numerous times personally about it. I commend him for his tenacity and dedication. It is not only appropriate that we pass this legislation to accept this memorial gift; it is an honor.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin).

(Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been rescheduled before the Subcommittee on National Parks.

The hearing originally scheduled for Thursday, February 16, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. in Room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building will now be held at 1:30 p.m. on February 16, 2006 in the same room.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S.J. Res. 28, a joint resolution approving the location of the commemorative work in the District of Columbia honoring former President Dwight D. Eisenhower; S. 1870, a bill to clarify the authorities for the use of certain National Park Service properties within Golden Gate National Recreation Area and San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, and for other purposes; S. 1913, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease a portion of the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center for use as a visitor center for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and for other purposes; S. 1970, a bill to amend the National Trails System Act to update the feasibility and suitability study originally prepared for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail and provide for the inclusion of new trail segments, land components, and campgrounds associated with that trail, and for other purposes; H.R. 562, a bill to authorize the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the manmade famine that occurred in Ukraine in 1932-1933; H.R. 318, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating Castle Nugent Farms located on St. Croix, Virgin Islands, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send two copies of their testimony to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, SD-364 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510-6150.

For further information, please contact Tom, Lillie at (202) 224-5161 or David Szymanski at (202) 224-6293.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 562) to authorize the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the manmade famine that occurred in Ukraine in 1932-1933, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 562 introduced by Congressman Sander Levin authorizes the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial on Federal land in Washington, DC, to honor victims of the 1932-1933 Ukrainian famine. Known by historians as the Harvest of Sorrow, the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933 was the result of a naturally caused low harvest and harsh Soviet policies, including forced collectivization and grain seizures in order to neutralize the Ukrainian population.

Over 7 million people died of starvation as Russians stopped Ukrainians from entering Russia to obtain food. Attempts by the United States to intercede were stalled by Stalin's regime.

Proponents of H.R. 562 hope that building a memorial in the District of Columbia will bring awareness to the event and honor its victims.

Finally, no Federal funds will be used for the establishment or maintenance of the memorial. I urge adoption of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.