Floor Statements

Will my colleague yield for a comment?

I urge us all, if we can possibly finish this tonight, as many of my colleagues know, it is a very important holiday for some of us tomorrow. I have to travel all across country, and others do as well, and it becomes tough to get it all in with families if we are not able to leave by 10 in the morning. So I hope my friends would offer amendments and vote on them tonight.

Madam President, today I am introducing legislation to protect communities from pollution

emitted by heavy-duty diesel trucks. I am pleased to be joined in this effort by Senators Feinstein and Jeffords. The Clean Trucks Act will require all trucks operating within the United States to comply with Federal clean air requirements. It will also require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to collect and provide information on long-haul heavy-duty truck travel and fuel consumption to the United States Environmental Protection Agency to enable the EPA to estimate emissions.

More than 130 million Americans continue to breathe dirty, unhealthy air. The Los Angeles and San Joaquin Valley air basins have the highest levels of ozone, or smog, pollution in the Nation, and are among the most polluted from particulate matter, or soot. Many other areas of California also face severe air quality threats, including the Imperial Valley as well as Riverside, Sacramento, and Ventura Counties.

According to the California Air Resources Board, almost 59 percent of California's pollution is from mobile sources. Although overall mobile source emissions have decreased since 1975, the percentage contributed by diesel vehicles has increased. In California, heavy-duty diesel trucks account for 4 percent of vehicle traffic, but cause 40 percent of all nitrogen oxide emissions, which is a cause of smog. Emissions from diesel-fueled engines include over 40 other cancer causing substances, particulate matter, and ozone-forming pollutants.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, hazardous pollutants in the air increase the risk of cancer--and 78 percent of that increased risk is due to diesel exhaust. Individuals are also at greater risk of developing asthma, respiratory conditions, and cardiovascular disease.

Pursuant to the NAFTA and a recent Supreme Court decision, the United States will begin allowing foreign heavy-duty diesel truck to operate freely within the United States. But, under current law, those trucks will not be required to meet Federal or state air quality standards. This will only make the air quality problem and the health risk worse.

The Clean Trucks Act is a reasonable measure to protect our communities as millions of foreign trucks are added to our highways. It simply says that all trucks, foreign and domestic, must meet the same emissions standards. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this measure.

Madam President, today I am introducing legislation to protect communities from pollution

emitted by heavy-duty diesel trucks. I am pleased to be joined in this effort by Senators Feinstein and Jeffords. The Clean Trucks Act will require all trucks operating within the United States to comply with Federal clean air requirements. It will also require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to collect and provide information on long-haul heavy-duty truck travel and fuel consumption to the United States Environmental Protection Agency to enable the EPA to estimate emissions.

More than 130 million Americans continue to breathe dirty, unhealthy air. The Los Angeles and San Joaquin Valley air basins have the highest levels of ozone, or smog, pollution in the Nation, and are among the most polluted from particulate matter, or soot. Many other areas of California also face severe air quality threats, including the Imperial Valley as well as Riverside, Sacramento, and Ventura Counties.

According to the California Air Resources Board, almost 59 percent of California's pollution is from mobile sources. Although overall mobile source emissions have decreased since 1975, the percentage contributed by diesel vehicles has increased. In California, heavy-duty diesel trucks account for 4 percent of vehicle traffic, but cause 40 percent of all nitrogen oxide emissions, which is a cause of smog. Emissions from diesel-fueled engines include over 40 other cancer causing substances, particulate matter, and ozone-forming pollutants.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, hazardous pollutants in the air increase the risk of cancer--and 78 percent of that increased risk is due to diesel exhaust. Individuals are also at greater risk of developing asthma, respiratory conditions, and cardiovascular disease.

Pursuant to the NAFTA and a recent Supreme Court decision, the United States will begin allowing foreign heavy-duty diesel truck to operate freely within the United States. But, under current law, those trucks will not be required to meet Federal or state air quality standards. This will only make the air quality problem and the health risk worse.

The Clean Trucks Act is a reasonable measure to protect our communities as millions of foreign trucks are added to our highways. It simply says that all trucks, foreign and domestic, must meet the same emissions standards. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this measure.

Mr. President, I will vote for the nomination of Porter Goss to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

I served with Porter Goss during my time in the House of Representatives. He is a good, intelligent man with a tremendous work ethic. He has served his country honorably in the Army, as a CIA officer, and as a congressman from Florida.

He is the President's choice and I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt. However, the two days of nomination hearings held by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence highlighted several areas of concern, and my vote today should not be seen as support for Congressman Goss to become the National Intelligence Director.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Beale Air Force Base as the United States Air Force winner of the 2004 Commander in Chief's Installation Excellence Award. This award recognizes the outstanding efforts of the people who operate and maintain Department of Defense installations and who best utilize their resources to support the mission. In recognition of this prestigious accomplishment, Team Beale has been awarded $1 million for quality of life improvements.

The Commander in Chief's Installation Excellence Award recognizes the best United States Military installations worldwide, demonstrating innovative programs that help sustain excellent base operations. Each base was evaluated in the following categories: improving work environment or physical plant; improving quality of life; enhancing productivity of the work force; increasing customer satisfaction or improving customer service; encouraging bottom-to-top communication and team problem solving; promoting unit cohesiveness and recognizing outstanding individual efforts; and, promoting environmental safety, compliance, remediation, and stewardship.

In fiscal year 2003, Team Beale established itself as the benchmark for the United States Air Force. Teamwork was Beale's cornerstone among the core units, associate units, and the civilian community as they embraced the Installation Commander's motto, ``One Team, One Fight.'' Beale Air Force Base put intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance on the offensive with an unprecedented 3,450 sorties, 1,175 combat missions, and 13,300 combat hours during Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. Team Beale led coalition forces in battle space preparation and time-critical targeting by producing more than 89,000 imagery products and 25,000 special intelligence products for two combatant commanders.

In addition to Beale's history-making, record-breaking contributions to the United States' combat efforts, it also worked to improve in other areas. Beale Air Force Base took a lead role in its $180 million housing privatization efforts for 1,344 homes in conjunction with $114 million in base-wide improvements and $56 million in RQ-4A Global Hawk bed down initiatives. In recognition of their outstanding performance, individual and team awards included: United States Air Force Air Force Outstanding Unit Award; United States Air Force Maintenance Effectiveness Award; United States Air Force Twelve Outstanding Airmen of the Year Award; United States Air Force Explosives Safety Plaque; 33 Air Combat Command award; United States Strategic Command's Omaha Trophy; and, Eight Numbered Air Force awards.

The men and women of Beale Air Force Base have set the Air Force standard for installation excellence. By embracing the Air Force core values of ``Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do,'' Team Beale used creative innovations to establish themselves as the best of the best. It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Beale Air Force Base on the receipt of the prestigious Commander in Chief's Installation Excellence Award.

Mr. President, I wish to recognize and share with my colleagues an important milestone for Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary will observe its 15th anniversary on October 2.

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary was established in 1989 when a House joint resolution was signed by the President. I was pleased to be an original cosponsor of the resolution which was sponsored by Congressman Doug Bosco.

The sanctuary encompasses 530 square miles of marine waters, off the coast of Point Reyes National Seashore, about 45 miles north of San Francisco. The boundary includes a unique granite bank, the Cordell Bank, and is located along the continental shelf.

The sanctuary encompasses exceptional and diverse marine life, both above and below the surface, providing a home for resident marine species and a destination feeding ground for many migratory marine mammals, fish and seabirds.

Twenty-six marine mammal species live in the waters of Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary as do over 250 fish species. It is among the most important feeding grounds in the world for the endangered Humpback and Blue whales. It also serves as a crucial foraging area for resident, migratory and seabound birds. In fact, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary is otherwise known as the ``Albatross capital of the Northern Hemisphere.''

In the 15 years since the sanctuary was established, threats to the Cordell Bank and other points along our coast have grown. California's population has continued to increase near the coast, and oil and gas exploration proposals continue to threaten our marine ecosystems.

Because of these threats, I believe preserving and celebrating our protected areas off the California coast is particularly important. Since the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary was established, the sanctuary's

resources have grown with it, providing better protection for the sanctuary's future. Staff has increased from one to five and a half full time employees. The staff now has an office, a sea-bound vessel, monitoring programs, an advisory council and a new management plan to serve the sanctuary and its mission into the future.

I applaud everyone who has worked to protect the marine ecosystems of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and I wish the sanctuary staff and volunteers many years of ongoing success in protecting the California coastal environment. Please join me in celebrating the 15th Anniversary of Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

Mr. President, I honor and share with my colleagues today the memory of a very special woman, Dorothy Hughes of Marin County, who died July 25, 2004. She was 80 years old.

Dorothy Hughes was born on her parents' sheep ranch in Woodland, CA in 1923. As a young girl, she attended the Hamlin School in San Francisco and in 1943 she graduated from Stanford University. She went on to earn her master's degree in European history at California State University at Sacramento.

Dorothy Hughes was a lifelong champion of humanitarian causes. Envisioning a ``world that works for all of us,'' she campaigned tirelessly for peace and social justice. Dorothy also deeply felt the need to ensure decent health and social services for her community, and her unwavering dedication left a legacy of community-based health organizations in Marin County. In addition to founding the Campaign for a Healthier Community for Children, Marin Suicide Prevention Center and Marin Family Action, she also served as executive director of the Marin Association of Mental Health for more than two decades. Throughout her life, Dorothy remained committed to her convictions, often in the face of powerful opposition.

Dorothy Hughes was recognized numerous times for her invaluable contributions to the community. The Human Rights Commission's Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award, and induction into the Marin Women's Hall of Fame are among the many honors she received.

A dynamic figure in Marin County, Dorothy touched countless lives during the 35 years she resided there. She was a deeply-loved member of the community whose courage and conviction inspired others, and she will be greatly missed. We take comfort in the knowledge that future generations will benefit from Dorothy's dedication, vision and leadership.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the tremendous public service of Wilmer Amina Carter. Mrs. Carter has long served as a leader, mentor and an advocate for children in San Bernardino County. For her longstanding personal commitment to her community and to the academic achievement of young people, the city of Rialto's third high school will be named Wilmer Amina Carter High School in her honor.

The Wilmer Amina Carter High School is the first high school in the Inland Empire to be named after a living African-American woman. Mrs. Carter earned this honor through the many pioneering and leadership roles she has assumed in her community.

Born in an era when adequate public education for African-American children was not provided, Mrs. Carter was fortunate to receive an education from her grandfather. In her professional and personal pursuits, Mrs. Carter has always worked to provide others with the immensely important and empowering opportunities afforded her through education. She capped this service with 16 years as a member of the Rialto Board of Education.

Mrs. Carter also served for 23 years as district director for the late, much revered United States Congressman George Brown, Jr. There, she carried out Congressman Brown's directive that everyone receive careful attention and compassionate service.

Mrs. Carter used her scholarship and expertise to guide educational policy and curriculum in her community and beyond. Under her leadership, a school career education venture of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. and the United States Department of Labor became a nationwide model for high school career development programs.

In her service to the Rialto Unified School District, Mrs. Carter became the first African-American member of the Rialto Board of Education in 1983 and served until 1999. Throughout her tenure on the board of education, Mrs. Carter sought to make education a valued community endeavor, helping both young people and parents navigate the school system to optimize positive outcomes. She has been an inspiring force in ensuring that our Nation's future leaders have the tools they need to achieve their dreams.

The dedication of this school reflects the impact of a woman who has provided an outstanding model of determination and service. I am confident that, true to Mrs. Carter's life work, this school's name will serve as a constant reminder to the students who pass through its doors of their immense potential to achieve and effect positive change in their local and national communities. And knowing Mrs. Carter's penchant for hands on involvement, it would not surprise me to see her at the school, working to instill those values in its students. It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Mrs. Wilmer Amina Carter on this much-deserved recognition.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the men and women of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar which was recently recognized as the 2004 Commander-in-Chief's Top Marine Corps Installation.

Annually, one military installation from each service receives the award for outstanding achievement in areas including mission support, family services, environmental stewardship, and quality-of-life programs.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego consistently excels as a supportive, productive, and contributing member of the community. Miramar hosts and supports many events that integrate the San Diego community into the work of the base. It stages the largest military air show in the United States, has Cockpit Days at the Flying Leatherneck Museum which hosts 16,000 visitors annually, bimonthly tours which give community members a chance to become familiar with the Marine Corps, as well as Educators' Workshops, Community Leaders' Forums, and it provides color guards at local events.

Integral to the most powerful concentration of Navy bases in the Nation, Miramar is responsible for supporting combat-ready expeditionary aviation forces capable of worldwide, short-notice deployment as part of a Marine Corps Air-Ground Task Force. Miramar is the home of Third Marine Aircraft Wing Headquarters, Marine Corps Air Bases Western Area and Reserve Support Unit and more than 10,000 Marines, Sailors, and civilian Marines.

Miramar's Marines continue to significantly contribute to Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. While friends and family members are serving abroad, Operation Enduring Families, a support network for families of deployed service members, operates on the base. Miramar's dedication to defending our country while enhancing quality of life for its service members and broader community is evident as the Marines contribute to the San Diego community as speakers, teachers, mentors, and sport coaches.

Miramar achieves excellence in environmental standards, innovation, safety, efficiency, and a dedication to teamwork, honesty, and integrity. Their exemplary service continues to lead the Nation and to innovate for the next generation. It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Miramar and the women and men who support it for their receipt of the 2004 Commander-in-Chief's Installation Excellence Award.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I ask the pending amendment be set aside and that we take up amendment No. 3641, which has been cleared on both sides.

Mr. President, this is a very simple amendment. I give tremendous thanks to Senator Tom Carper of Delaware who has worked so hard on this amendment, and Senator Biden for his strong support. They have been a real leadership team, in terms of real security for Amtrak. I am pleased we were able to work together.

I also thank Senator Cochran enormously, because he has been so helpful to us, and of course Senator Byrd. Basically, last March we received what should have been a wake-up call when terrorists blew up a commuter train in Madrid, Spain, killing nearly 200 people and injuring 1,400. I don't think there is any American who will not remember our shock and sadness at what occurred.

Obviously, we have to address the vulnerabilities of America's rail systems. We must act now. I am so pleased that the bill before us includes more than $207 million for rail and transit security. This amendment that Senator Carper has done so much work on and which I have worked with him on will make it clear that all rail operators will be eligible for this vital funding. This will allow the Secretary of Homeland Security to use full discretion to allocate funds to those operators with the greatest need regardless of whether they are local transit agencies, Amtrak, or freight railroad. This minor change will go a long way toward helping, and clearly many of us believe we need to do more.

I proudly sit on the Commerce Committee. That committee has now twice voted out rail security bills that are very strong. But adding more dollars to rail security would enable us to do more checking on what may be lying on the railroad tracks and set up a system so we can be sure that baggage on trains does not contain bombs. We have K-9 teams.

There are many things we want to do. It is a great frustration for me that even though Senator McCain and Senator Hollings and the whole committee in a bipartisan way passed railroad security not once but twice, that bill sits at the desk, as does the port security bill that we voted out, as does the nuclear plant security bill the Environment Committee voted out, and the chemical plant security bill. It is frustrating. But tonight, at least we have a chance to do a little bit more for rail security. I am very grateful for that. I know this amendment has been cleared on both sides.

I see Senator Carper coming to the Senate floor, so I will yield the floor. But once more, I give him my tremendous thanks for his very hard work. It is wonderful to see that we can accomplish something when we reach across the aisle. We have taken a big step. Of course, we want to take even bigger steps to make sure our rail passengers are safe.

I will yield the floor at this time. I would like to know, because I would like to leave the floor at this time, if it is OK to ask for this amendment to be adopted in a unanimous consent fashion at the conclusion of Senators who wish to speak.

All right. At the end of Senator Carper's remarks, if no other Senator seeks recognition, then he can make that request. Would that be appropriate at that time?

My thanks to everyone involved.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today, it is with a heavy heart that I pay tribute to a fallen California firefighter.

Firefighter Eva Schicke was killed on Sunday, September 12, when her crew was overwhelmed by flames after being dropped by helicopter to fight a wildfire in the Tuolumne River Canyon of the Stanislaus National Forest.

Eva Schicke was part of an elite 7-person helicopter wildfire crew stationed at Columbia Air Attack Base in Columbia, CA. She and the six other members of this helicopter crew selflessly risked their lives trying to protect our communities and our treasured forests.

A graduate of California State University at Stanislaus where she played basketball and majored in criminal justice, Eva Schicke worked part time as a firefighter for more than 4 years. When she died she was beginning to pursue a career in nursing--yet another testament to her generosity of spirit and her desire to serve the community.

Not only was Ms. Schicke one of the few female firefighters to serve, she is now, tragically, the first ever female firefighter from the California Department of Forestry to die in the line of duty.

I offer my sincere condolences to her family, friends, and classmates. I know they must be devastated by the loss of this courageous, young woman.

I take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the search and rescue team that went back in to recover Ms. Schicke's body.

I also extend my gratitude and express my admiration for all of our firefighters, particularly the six members of the Columbia Helitack Team that fought by Ms. Schicke's side and were themselves injured in that fire. The people of California honor their work. May God bless them for their dedication and service.

Mr. President, recognize Donald R. Doser, business manager emeritus of Operating Engineers, Local 3, as he prepares to retire.

Donald Doser has been a man committed to excellence. He has been a major force in the construction trades since 1958. A graduate of Harvard University's trade union school, he dedicated his career to improving the lives of working men and women in the construction trades. Donald has served as Local 3's district representative and business manager. He also served as general vice president for the International Union of Operating Engineers.

During his tenure with Operating Engineers Local 3, Donald organized, trained staff and diligently worked to keep business operations on a sound financial footing. The list of his achievements and accomplishments during his leadership over the years is long. He increased the membership of Local 3 and focused on organizing new workers, creating equalized health benefits for members and improved vision-care coverage.

Donald Doser, in addition to his more obvious accomplishments, established and maintained a higher standard of integrity in his organization. He undertook his many tasks with great determination and dedication. I am pleased to congratulate and pay tribute to him, and I encourage m colleagues to join me in wishing Donald Doser and his family the very best as he embarks on the next chapter in his life.

Mr. President, I am pleased and honored to salute my good friend Jack Valenti, who retired last week after 38 years as president and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, MPAA, and its international counterpart, the Motion Picture Association, MPA.

Jack came to MPAA in 1966 directly from the White House, where he had served with distinction as special assistant to President Lyndon Johnson. His Government background prepared him to become an effective ambassador for the motion picture industry both at home and abroad. During his long and productive tenure at MPAA, he worked with eight Presidents of the United States and established an international ``diplomatic corps'' with offices around the world to promote the movie industry and protect its intellectual property rights.

When Jack Valenti took the helm at MPAA, its member companies were focused on domestic production and distribution, with little thought about international markets. Today American films, TV programs, and home entertainment are shown in more than 150 countries worldwide, with international revenues of more than $16.5 billion a year.

Along with his work in the global arena, Jack will be remembered as the pioneer of the film industry's voluntary movie rating system. In developing the system, Jack reached out to film studios, independent producers, writers, directors, theater owners, the religious community, and children's advocacy groups. The resulting system helps families to make informed decisions about the movies they see.

Under Jack Valenti's leadership, the U.S. film industry has thrived and remained a vibrant source of entertainment, creativity, jobs, and economic growth. Along with moviegoers across America and round the world, I thank him for his brilliant work and wish him all the best in the years to come.

Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of myself, Senator Feinstein and Senator Harry Reid, and I ask for its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. President, I thank Senators Cochran and Reid for giving me this opportunity to send my amendment to the desk. I understand I may be interrupted for a unanimous consent request. At any time, that is fine. But this is a very important amendment.

I say to my Republican colleagues who seem to be voting against all of our amendments to increase funding for homeland defense, we pay for this amendment. We do something very important in this amendment, and we pay for it by cutting out a frill that happens to be included in this particular legislation. Let me explain what we do. My amendment will increase Federal support for local efforts to improve homeland security by providing $70 million to State and local agencies for interoperable communications. What does that mean, interoperable communications? That is so our various first responders can talk to each other, can communicate with each other across jurisdictional lines as they respond to a tragedy, to an emergency. As I said, we fully pay for this amendment, so all we need is a majority vote and we will be able to get this help to the police who need it so badly, and to the firefighters--the first responders.

One of the most painful parts of the September 11 attacks in New York was the loss of more than 300 firefighters and other law enforcement personnel who died inside the collapsing Twin Towers, trying to save so many beautiful, innocent lives that also wound up being lost. So many of our finest were killed--police officers, firefighters, other public servants--because they couldn't communicate with one another on the equipment they had. Imagine, they could not communicate in this crisis with one another because of the bad equipment that they had.

This was not a new problem. As the 9/11 commission report points out:

The New York Fire Department's radios performed poorly

during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, for two reasons.

First, the radio signals often did not succeed in penetrating

the numerous steel and concrete floors that separated

companies attempting to communicate; and second, so many

different companies were attempting to communicate on the

same point-to-point channel that communications became

unintelligible.

We have known this from the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The inability for our first responders to communicate with one another hampered them way back then. We have a repeat of those two problems 8 long years later, on September 11, 2001.

There is a lot of talk in Washington about the fact that we are going to get hit again. We were called up to a secret room up there and we were told that. Then 5 minutes later Secretary Ridge told the whole country--so I am not saying anything out of school here--that we were going to be hit in this country before the election. Under this administration--forget about any new administration, whether there will be a new one or the same one--we were told by this administration that we were

going to be hit this year. This is an important bill on which my colleagues are working so hard.

I commend both sides of the aisle for their work on this bill. This bill is deficient and we are trying to make it better. One of the ways we can make it better for a relatively small amount of dollars--and I will tell you how I pay for this in a moment--is to make sure our first responders across our country get help so that they have the funds to be able to communicate with one another.

We have not fixed the problem after the World Trade Center. We have not fixed the problem after the Twin Towers calamity and the Pentagon calamity, and it is unacceptable. That is the bad news. The good news is we can do something about it today. Thank goodness this bill is before us so we can let the American people know their security and protecting them is not so many words; it is reality. We are doing something. But in the area of interoperability, what is in this bill is so small and it doesn't even call for a grant to actually purchase equipment. Can you imagine? It doesn't even call for grants to purchase the equipment. Our local responders know what they need, and we should be helping them purchase the equipment they need.

Our emergency public safety personnel must be able to speak to one another in real time. I am on the first floor of the building and I have gotten a report that something is wrong on the fourth floor of the building and communicate that to all of the emergency personnel so they know something is happening on the fourth floor of the building, and they can act because time is life in that world. Time is life in that world.

Almost every community in California I visited over this break--I spent my entire July and August at home. I visited small cities and big cities and small counties and big counties and rural counties and suburban counties and urban counties. Let me tell you, they all told me they need interoperable communication, that they need our help in funding it and they need it as soon as possible.

Let me go on the record stating that we have been warned. If, God forbid, there is another tragedy and the first responders can't talk to one another, it is our fault because we have the resources to do it. We have to do it. Lots of secret meetings don't do us any good to find out we are going to be attacked if we don't act.

Senator Byrd said the emperor has no clothes. That is one way of putting it. Today is a chance to put some clothes on the emperor. It is also a chance to have a real defense--not a Wizard of Oz defense that has a lot of bells and whistles, and color codes and orange lights and red lights and duct tape and all the other things--to put some equipment into the hands of our first responders and have a real defense so they can catch something before it happens, and if they catch it when it happens they can make sure people's lives are saved.

Developing a single radio system will make a real difference in public safety, but paying for it is a huge burden on our local people. We need to give them the funding they need to purchase the technology that makes interoperability possible. Our first responders must be able to communicate with one another in that real time. They should not have to rely on their cell phones in a time of emergency. We need to do our job so they can do their job.

The administration's budget contains nothing for interoperable communication. The appropriations bill we are now considering only has $31 million for research and technical assistance. Our first responders' first priority is not research, it is equipment. They know what they need. They are smart. This is their life. This is what they do every day. They are ready to make the purchases they need. So what are we doing? We have technical assistance from Uncle Sam. That is not what they need. They need to be able to have the hard dollars to go do what they have to do from the ingenious American technology sectors of our great country and put those units to work so they can talk to each other and they can rely on those communications.

My amendment goes a long way to addressing this issue. It would provide an additional $70 million to help State and local agencies improve existing communications systems or purchase new systems. This funding would help our local agencies purchase equipment for real time, interoperable communications between first responders. This $70 million would be above the $30 million in the bill I talked about for research and technical assistance. The funding in my amendment is offset.

Let me repeat that. We are paying for this. I am going to ask the American people to judge along with the Senators how that $70 million should be spent.

There is $70 million in the bill from the human resources account. The Office of the Under Secretary of Management wants to design and deploy a new human resources system--a human resources system--and they are going outside the Federal Government to do it, hire high-paid consultants to do it instead of keeping the money where it belongs, in the hands of the first responders. We are going to have a new human resources system, another layer of bureaucracy brought to you by outside consultants who are going to probably go to lunch at the fancy places in Washington and send us the bill. I would rather give the money to my firemen and my policemen and policewomen any day of the week. That is the case you have. You can keep the money in there for this human resources account and spend this money on outside fancy consultants who are going to tell us how to deal with our human resources or we can get that $70 million and give it to the first responders.

That is what we say we are for. We say we are for defending the homeland. Let us prove we are for defending the homeland.

I propose shifting the funds from the luxury and the frills while our emergency responders can't even talk to one another in a burning building. There is time for frills, my friends, and there is time for real decisions to be made. This is not the time for frills. This is a time to make a decision that our first responders are more important than some consulting firm that is going to make millions off the taxpayers for no reason whatsoever.

If our people do not know how to handle human resources, then get new people who know how to handle human resources. I thought that is why we paid management. That is what I think you should do. I have been in the private world, and the bottom line in the private world is you hire people to handle management. If you are going to take the money out of the business and go outside to hire high-paid consultants, then fire the people you have. If you want to do that, fire the people you have. If you have no trust in their management capability, fire them and then take care of that and put it into first responder funding.

After 9/11 we all asked what could we have done better? How could we have been better prepared? And the answer came back to me. I represent the largest State in the Union. We have high targets in our State, beautiful bridges and buildings. We have very famous landmarks in my State. We worry about terrorist attacks. My people are no-nonsense people. They know frills when they see it. And they know. I have talked to them. They know that one of the most important things our fire people and our police people need is to be able to talk to one another in an emergency in real time. If there is a terrorist attack on a railroad track, they have to get that word out up and down that rail line.

If there is an attack on a high building, on a high floor, the people coming in the building need to know something has collapsed up there. They need to know not to run up there and face the chaos of hell. They need to talk to one another. It is fairly basic.

The choice is clear. This amendment is an important step in fulfilling our responsibility to protect the homeland and to do it in a fiscally responsible way.

I am pleased Senator Reid is a sponsor of this amendment, and I am very proud that Senator Feinstein is. I hope we can get some Republican support. This is paid for by a frill that we do not need.

The first responders in our States are the heroes. We say it every day. There is not one Member who does not say it every day. If they are the heroes and they are telling us they need this, then let's do it.

I ask unanimous consent to add Senator Clinton as a cosponsor to my amendment.

I have some articles, including this one from the PR Newswire Association. It says:

Almost three years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks,

thousands of police and fire divisions in cities and counties

across the USA still do not have coordinated communications

capabilities. This unresolved national crisis--referred to as

a lack of ``interoperability''--is prompting the First

Response Coalition to reach out directly to more than 43,000

local police and fire officials to solicit their help to get

Congress to. . . .

I ask unanimous consent to have that printed in the Record.

I ask unanimous consent to have an article from the Desert Sun, Palm Springs, CA, printed in the Record. In this particular area of my State, the Republicans are in most of the elected offices. They say every single day they are all on a different radio frequency and they don't have the ability to communicate. It is amazing, because it is 2004.

And from the Contra Costa Times, ``Gaps in Communication'':

We have a patchwork of communication systems out there, and

we do what we must to make it work. . . . But there are times

where we're only one step above tin cans and string.

Further in the article:

We can literally be rolling side by side with a unit from

another city and not be able to talk to them. It's not too

difficult to imagine how crazy things could get with several

agencies converging for one incident.

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

Mr. President, I hope and pray the vote on this amendment is bipartisan. This amendment is paid for. It does not add to the deficit. It makes a choice between a frill of outside consultants coming in to tell management how to run the show.

If the administration is not happy with who is running the show, fire those people and get somebody else. But do not spend 70 million bucks of the hard-earned taxpayer money, when these working men and women who are our first responders, who are our heroes, who we rely on, are telling us they are one step above tin cans and a string to communicate.

I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

I yield the floor.

It is $30 million in the bill and we increase it by $70 million for $100 million.

Will the Senator yield for a question?

Wouldn't my friend agree that we are now saying to our first responders all across the country, regardless of where they are, whether they are in Oregon, whether they are in Mississippi, whether they are in Nevada, whether they are in New Hampshire or whether they are in California, are we not saying to them that they, in essence, have to respond to an attack on our homeland that is, in fact, part of the war on terror? Are we not telling them when 9-1-1 is called at a local level, regardless of the crisis, if it is attached to terrorism, it is, in fact, a national attack?

We pay for it.

I say to my colleague, in an attempt to get some votes from the other side of the aisle, we actually found an offset. We are not adding; we are cutting out a part of this bill that deals with an outside consulting contract to bring people in on human resources development.

As I said to my friend, if this administration does not think they have the right management in place that can handle their human resources, then they should get rid of them and get new people. But the fact is, they are spending in this bill $70 million on fancy-dressed outside consultants who eat in the best restaurants in town, while the least we could do is put that off and let the management do their job there and use this funding to help our people on the ground.

Does my friend agree this is a time when we cannot really afford frills, that we need to spend the money where it is most needed, in the hands of our first responders?

That is right.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor the Rev. Dr. Cecil L. ``Chip'' Murray, who is retiring after 37 years of distinguished service with the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles.

Dr. Murray is a man of great passion and vision who has inspired his congregation to go ``beyond the walls'' of the church to help the broader community. Under his leadership, volunteers from First AME Los Angeles have changed thousands of lives for the better.

When Dr. Murray was first assigned to First AME in 1977, his new church family had 300 active members. Today the congregation has more than 18,000 members. Led by Dr. Murray, the church ministry fills the sanctuary with an awe-inspiring spiritual worship service that draws people of all faiths from far and wide.

While tending to his congregation's spiritual needs, Dr. Murray has also led them to look beyond the walls of the church at those less fortunate than themselves. Each member of the congregation is asked to join one of 40 task forces addressing community needs such as health, homelessness, substance abuse, emergency food and clothing, general and specialized housing, tutoring, employment services, and entrepreneurial training.

As he heads into a well-deserved retirement, Dr. Murray will receive accolades and appreciation from a grateful congregation and community. I wish to join them in expressing my deep appreciation for his great life's work and my very best wishes for the future. I am sure that even in retirement, Dr. Murray will continue to work wonders and inspire others for many years to come.