Floor Statements

Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that today I honor and recognize more than 25 years of service by Laura Rhea to our great State of Arkansas. Laura has served the Arkansas Rice Depot with steadfast leadership as President and CEO, ensuring the organization remained a faith-based ministry and developing innovative solutions to ending hunger.

Hunger and poverty are not just global issues; they are so pervasive that we all have some experience with them in our local communities. Worldwide, three billion people, nearly half the world's population, live on merely $2 per day. In our Nation alone, almost 36.2 million Americans struggle day in and day out to find adequate nutritious food. More than 12.4 million children live in households that are food insecure. According to the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, approximately 80 percent of supplemental nutrition assistance goes to households with children, many of them in working families, including military families.

In Arkansas, Laura Rhea has been making a difference to reduce those figures. Under her leadership, Arkansas Rice Depot has grown from a small hunger program that distributed only rice, to a comprehensive hunger agency that distributes almost 7 million pounds of food and supplies in Arkansas each year.

Laura grew up in North Little Rock. As a child she dreamed of becoming a missionary, but never dreamed that her mission field would be feeding hungry Arkansans. She is a certified volunteer manager and was recognized as a certified fund raising executive in 1995.

Laura developed Food for Kids, a backpack program serving over 600 schools in Arkansas, sending home backpacks of food to over 25,000 students who face food insecurity. This program has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and has been replicated in over 40 States.

Laura also developed Simple Pleasures, a gourmet gift shop that sells the Rice Depot line of soup and chili mixes. Proceeds from the gift shop are used to purchase food for Rice Depot's hunger relief efforts.

Faith is an important part of Laura's life. In 2003, Laura suffered a heatstroke unloading a truck. Although she would continue to serve her life's mission from a wheelchair, she is not limited by her disability. She often quotes Psalms 37:11 to sum up her life, ``Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.''

And last but certainly not least, Laura's family--her husband Don, daughter Allison, and four grandchildren are not only inspirations for her but also stalwart supporters. In fact, her daughter Allison shares her mother's mission and has served the Rice Depot for the past 12 years. In addition, Laura's granddaughter worked there over the summer, bringing three generations of her family to the effort to wipe out hunger.

As you can see, Laura Rhea is a generous, compassionate, and dedicated individual. So as Rice Depot celebrates its 27th year of progress in finding sensible solutions to hunger in Arkansas, I salute The Rice Depot, its staff, the many volunteers, and especially Laura Rhea for their commitment to feeding those who hunger in Arkansas.

Mr. President, it is with Arkansas pride that today I honor one of the great sons of the Natural State, Parker Westbrook of Nashville, AR. On October 20, 2009, the Howard County Democratic Central Committee is sponsoring a dinner to honor his lifelong public service to Arkansas and his country.

The day after Christmas in 1948, Westbrook set out with newly elected Congressman Boyd Tackett of Nashville for Washington, DC. Over the course of the next 26 years, Parker served his home State in our Nation's Capital for four members of the Arkansas congressional delegation, most notably as a special assistant to U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright. In 1975, he returned to Arkansas and served as a special assistant to Governor David Pryor.

Although public service in government was a calling for much of Mr. Westbrook's life, his true passion was historic preservation. Westbrook was born in 1926 and was the third generation of the Westbrook-Parker families to live in the home of his maternal grandfather, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house and farmstead provided Parker with an early appreciation for historic preservation, and after leaving Washington in 1974, he set out on a course to help preserve Arkansas's cultural legacy.

While working for Governor Pryor, Westbrook was elected to the Pioneer Washington Foundation, Inc. Board, a private nonprofit group committed to preserving Historic Washington. Washington, AR, is home to the oldest continuous post office in Arkansas, established on February 23, 1820 shortly after Arkansas became a territory. In 1979, Westbrook became a full-time volunteer and restoration adviser. In 1980, he became the executive director and was elected president of the foundation in 1990. He continued in that role until May of this year.

In 1975, Westbrook was elected to the Historic Arkansas Museum Board of Directors and has served that organization continuously for 34 years. For many years, he was chairman and now holds the title of chairman emeritus.

Westbrook was also appointed to the Arkansas State Review Board of the Historic Preservation Program in 1975. He was reappointed three times by Governor Bill Clinton and again by Governor Jim Guy Tucker and served as chairman for 4\1/2\ years.

In addition, Westbrook has served on a number of other Arkansas historic entities including the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas, Department of Arkansas Heritage Advisory Board, the President William J. Clinton Birthplace Foundation, Corinth Cemetery Association in Howard County, Friends of the Carousel, and Main Street Arkansas Advisory Board.

He has been awarded the Arkansas Historical Association's Endowed History Award and was recognized in 1986 as Arkansas's Distinguished Citizen for his volunteer work.

In 1995, President Clinton recognized Westbrook's longstanding service to historic preservation and appointed him to the President's Council for Historic Preservation where he served until 2003.

In addition, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit twice appointed Parker to the National Park System Advisory Board where he served as chairman of the Committee on National Historic Landmarks.

As you can see, Parker Westbrook has a long and distinguished career serving his community, Arkansas, and our Nation.

As the Howard County Democratic Central Committee recognizes Mr. Westbrook's service, I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation on behalf of all Arkansans for his devotion and commitment to public service throughout his life.

Madam President, I thank the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He is a good and trusted friend, and I appreciate all the hard work he and all of our colleagues on the Judiciary Committee have done and all the efforts they have put into this nomination and hearing process.

I rise today to discuss what I think is one of the most consequential and long-lasting decisions in the duties a Senator can perform under the Constitution--the confirmation of a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. It is a rare practice, so rare, in fact, that my consideration of the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor will mark only the third Supreme Court nomination I will have considered since I was first elected to the Senate in 1998.

Even though the President today making this Supreme Court nomination has changed from the previous two nominees, as the chairman of the Judiciary Committee has mentioned, my standards and the standards of any of us for evaluating a nominee have not changed, nor should they have changed.

I believe the people of Arkansas, our great State, and certainly our Nation deserve a Supreme Court Justice who is able to interpret and apply the rule of law fairly without political favor or bias. Ensuring that a nominee meets this standard is an obligation I have sworn to uphold as a Senator and, moreover, is the standard I expect for a lifetime appointment to our Nation's highest Court.

In making my decision about Judge Sotomayor, I have taken a number of factors into account in evaluating her qualifications for serving on our Nation's highest Court.

First among these are the opinions of my constituents in my home State of Arkansas, including those in the legal community. I have heard from a number of Arkansans who have expressed strong support for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, emphasizing her unique background, impressive resume, and solid judicial record.

I also gained a lot of insight when we met at length in June. I was able to learn firsthand about who she is as a person, her temperament, and her unique life experiences--all of which I believe will help give her the ability to give every litigant who comes before the Supreme Court a fair shake.

Arkansans can readily identify with her because Judge Sotomayor is no stranger to hard work. She was born in New York, and is the daughter of parents who came to the United States from Puerto Rico. After her father died, when she was young, Judge Sotomayor was raised by her mother, a nurse, a hard-working woman with tremendous values. She went on to become valedictorian of her high school, a member of Phi Beta Kappa at Princeton, and editor of the Law Review at Yale Law School.

She has a breadth of professional experience, having served as an assistant district attorney and in private practice before beginning her 17 years serving as a Federal judge. She has a long history, and, again, one that starts with hard work and dedication to hard work.

Arkansas is known for its ability to grow self-made Americans, and those are Americans who are no strangers to hard work. They understand what is involved in putting into who you are, and what you are trying to become, and what it is you want to achieve on behalf of others.

Judge Sotomayor even told me in our personal meeting that she had entered her practice in real estate and business law because she had a great appreciation for business and the industries of this great country and she wanted to increase her knowledge of corporate law and broaden her experience.

Moreover, I was impressed during our meeting with her eagerness to learn more about Arkansas and her attentiveness to what issues were most important to my constituents in my home State of Arkansas.

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings also provided me with an opportunity to learn about her record and judicial philosophy. I was able to monitor the hearings and watch her performance under intense scrutiny and pressure, and I was impressed with her knowledge, her composure, and her candor.

Given the weight of this decision and the responsibilities I have to my constituents and my country, I have carefully examined the information available about Judge Sotomayor's nomination and am ready to announce I will support Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court.

I have confidence, as she made clear through the committee hearings, that she understands a judge's obligation is first and foremost a ``fidelity to the law.''

As the chairman of the Judiciary Committee mentioned earlier, I was raised as an avid duck hunter and a gun owner. Gun ownership is a unique part of my State's heritage. I was pleased to hear Judge Sotomayor made a promise before the Senate Judiciary Committee to have an open mind on the issue of the second amendment and to understand what it means in terms of our rights as American citizens.

In response to questioning, Judge Sotomayor expressed caution in declaring how she would rule on an unsettled constitutional issue likely to come before the Supreme Court before hearing the arguments and studying the opinions before her. I would have been concerned about a nominee who had already made up their mind about an unsettled legal issue that is likely to come before the Court. Her responsibility is to not come in there prejudging or predetermined in her decisions, but to come to the Court with an open mind.

Based on her substantial record, serving on two courts, I am satisfied Judge Sotomayor will give future cases involving the second amendment and the rights of Americans to own firearms for recreation and self-protection a very fair hearing. I am also satisfied that her past rulings on these issues follow precedent and fall within the judicial mainstream.

And I think Senator Sessions mentioned some of that in his comments in terms of being judicial mainstream.

Overall, I appreciated Judge Sotomayor's approach to the judiciary hearings and her willingness to respond to questions from Senators on both sides of the aisle on many important topics.

Based on her answers, I believe Judge Sotomayor cares more about following the law and maintaining the respect for the judiciary than she does about politics and ideology.

As Judge Sotomayor stated:

The task of a judge is not to make law. It is to apply the

law.

Finally, I have again searched my conscience and reflected on my principles as a Senator for the people of the great State of Arkansas, using my experiences a legislator both here and in the House of Representatives and also as a farmer's daughter, my experience as a wife, a mother, a neighbor, to evaluate a decision of such great weight.

It has become apparent to me Judge Sotomayor does meet the test to serve in our Nation's highest Court. I base this conclusion on the respect and support she has earned from those in my home State, colleagues on both sides of the aisle who know her well, on the evidence and the record from her own comments and those of her colleagues, that she has had an abiding respect for the Court's decisions, and that she understands the value of continuity in our law.

We also see the support from industry representatives, such as the Chamber of Commerce, as well as labor organizations. The Senate Judiciary Committee received a letter of support for Judge Sotomayor's nomination from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation, representing businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

The U.S. Chamber wrote, in their letter:

Pursuant to our long-standing endorsement policy, the

Chamber evaluated Judge Sotomayor's record from the

standpoint of legal scholarship, judicial temperament, and an

understanding of business and economic issues. Based on the

Chamber's evaluation of her judicial record, Judge Sotomayor

is well-qualified to serve as an Associate Justice of the

U.S. Supreme Court.

Her extensive experience both as a commercial litigator and

as a trial judge would provide the U.S. Supreme Court with a

much needed perspective on the issues that business litigants

face. Consistent with her Senate testimony, the Chamber

expects Judge Sotomayor to engage in fair and evenhanded

application of the laws affecting American businesses.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the letter to the Senate

Judiciary Committee from the Chamber of Commerce be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I do believe Judge Sotomayor will make an excellent Supreme Court Justice and she will give all who come before the Court on which she is poised to serve a fair hearing and the attention and respect they deserve. So in this very important decision that each of us as Senators must make, I am proud to be able to support her nomination.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

Madam President, with Arkansas pride and heartfelt gratitude, I would like to thank and honor the brave Arkansans who served as Women Airforce Service Pilots--or WASPS, as they were more commonly called--during World War II.

During the war, women were recruited to fly noncombat missions under the Army Air Corps, so that male pilots could be deployed in combat. They served as test and instructor pilots, towed targets for air-to-air gunnery practice and ground-to-air anti-aircraft practice, ferried and transported personnel and cargo, including parts for the atomic bomb, and simulated combat maneuvers. In short, they flew every type of military aircraft on every type of mission, except direct combat missions.

Between 1942 and 1944, 25,000 young American women volunteered for flight training and service. Of these, 1830 were accepted and 1074 would eventually successfully complete their training. Four of those who received their wings were from Arkansas.

Dorothy Rae Barnes, from Hot Springs, AR, graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1935. She became a WASP, she said, because she had friends who were early WASP recruits and they encouraged her to join. She graduated from flight school in July 1943 and, as a WASP, flew the AT-6, a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train fighter pilots, and the BT-13, a basic trainer flown by most American pilots during World War II. After her wartime experiences, she returned to Hot Springs, where she still lives today.

Geraldine Tribble Vickers Crockett, from Stevens, AR, became interested in flying because of an older brother, who was a flight instructor. He enrolled her in a civilian pilot training program that he was teaching in Little Rock and it was there that she earned her private pilot license. She went into the WASPs in 1944 and, like Dorothy Barnes, flew AT-6 and BT-13 aircraft. After deactivation, she went on to get her instructor and commercial licenses and taught flying to veterans on the G.I. bill. She now lives in Palm Springs, CA.

Betty Fulbright White, from Clarksville, AR, was in the last WASP class to graduate in December 1944. During her shortened service, she pulled targets for gunnery practice and transported cargo. After the war, she returned to Clarksville, where she passed away in 1985.

Thirty-eight women died during their service. They were denied military honors and their families bore all the costs of transporting their bodies home and arranging for their burials. One of those was Lea Ola McDonald. Lea McDonald was born in Hollywood, AR, on October 12, 1921. She entered WASP training in Houston, TX, in January 1943 and graduated in April 1944. She was killed less than 4 months later while flying an A-24 attack bomber on a practice flight at the age of 22.

During their time in service, these women faced overwhelming cultural

and gender bias. They received unequal pay, did not have full military status, and were barred from becoming military officers. At the end of the war, the women were ordered to leave military service and paid for their own transportation home. It was not until 1977 that the WASPs who served during the war were provided veterans' benefits.

WASPs were America's first women to fly military aircraft and are a source of inspiration for current and future generations of Americans. I am so proud of these women from Arkansas, and from all over the United States, who served our country under dangerous and difficult circumstances. While we could never fully express the extent of our appreciation for their service, President Obama signed Public Law 111- 40 on July 1, 2009, authorizing Congress to bestow a gold medal in honor of these patriotic Americans. I was honored to be an original cosponsor of the bill and I am happy that Congress has bestowed this long-overdue honor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that amendment No. 1487 be called up.

Mr. President, I thank the chairman, Senator Levin, and Senator McCain, Senator Graham, and the others for allowing me to bring up this amendment.

This is a critical amendment at a critical time. Many of us visit our home States, and we see the disadvantaged youth all across our States who are having difficult times. We know unstable economic times bring about instability in our schools, in our families, and in a host of different places.

One of the ways we have of combating this is with the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. It is an excellent program put on by our National Guard in many of our States where these at-risk youth come in and they are surrounded by both structure and support and guidance to be able to meet their needs of getting a GED and their high school education and then going on to make something of their lives, really turning themselves around and making sure they are becoming great parts of our communities, whether it is finding a job or entering the military on their own but certainly turning their lives around and being productive.

What we do in this amendment is we open up our National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program to new States. Right now, we have it in several of our States. Many of us have been able to see the rewards of this program, but this will open it up to other States to be able to participate.

One of the biggest problems we have had with this program is not the success, because the success has been tremendous, but it is the ability of our States to be able to financially support these programs. Right now, they have to come up with 40 percent of the resources that are necessary. Quite frankly, our States are not entering into these programs because they do not have the resources. These are excellent programs. They have tremendous results. And one of the things we want to make certain of is that we don't lose the opportunity to catch these young people early on and turn their lives around. So our amendment provides a 75-25 percent cost sharing with the States instead of the 60-40. We don't change the amount of money spent, we just change the way it is allocated. We also allow the opportunity for some new States that want to start these programs to come in, and for the first 2 years the Federal Government will support 100 percent of those programs as they get their feet on the ground and they get these programs started, and then they must again resume that 25-percent State responsibility in these programs.

We have a great bill we have introduced. We have tremendous bipartisan support. We have 32 cosponsors of our bill. I am joined in this amendment by Senators Byrd, Casey, Cornyn, Hagan, Landrieu, Murkowski, Risch, Rockefeller, Snowe, and Udall of Colorado, along with Senator Wyden. So we have great support for this amendment. It is something that is important for our kids, and it is certainly a great opportunity for us to see how our military can empower our youth by giving them the kind of support that is necessary to turn their lives around through both education and opportunity, helping them to develop skills, working in the community, and really making something of themselves.

I thank the chairman for the ability to be able to offer this amendment on behalf of our States and on behalf of our National Guard, which is doing a tremendous job in these programs, but most importantly on behalf of our children and the great things it does for our children all across this Nation.

Mr. President, a special thanks to the chairman and the ranking member for their indulgence in letting me offer this amendment. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing how we can move it forward.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

Mr. President, today I rise to speak in support of five amendments that I have introduced to the bill before us, the National Defense Authorization bill for fiscal year 2010. Each amendment focuses on improving the benefits and care for the members of our Nation's National Guard and Reserve forces so that we can improve military readiness and strengthen our efforts to recruit and train quality men and women to serve.

I know each of us from our States recognizes the tremendous bravery, courage, and the dedication of our National Guard and reservists in each of our States. They are part of our community. They certainly, in many instances I know of from our seeing the deployments, are people of public service, but they are also people who are serving their communities. Whether they are firemen or police officers, maybe they are school principals, maybe they have small businesses that hire a tremendous number of people in those communities, they are hard-working Americans who also find time to serve their country. They are dedicated, they are brave, and we certainly know the critical role they play.

It is a reality that our military is relying increasingly upon our reserve components as an operational reserve, not just simply a strategic reserve. My amendments reflect that reality by taking needed steps to honor the increased service and invest in these men and women who give so much on our behalf. When duty called, they stepped up to the plate, and now it is time for Congress to do the same.

My first amendment is identical to the Selected Reserve Continuum of Care Act I introduced in May. This legislation will ensure that periodic health assessments for members of the Guard and Reserve are followed by government treatment to correct any medical or dental readiness deficiencies that are discovered at those screenings. We know we will begin to see these periodic health assessments, because they are mandatory beginning in September, and we need to make sure we follow up on these.

As an operational force serving frequent deployments overseas, these men and women require greater access to health care so they are able to achieve the readiness standards demanded by current deployment cycles. Far too many men and women are declared nondeployable because they have not received the steady medical and dental care they need to maintain their readiness.

We have all heard the horror stories of the military simply pulling soldiers' teeth and sending them on to Iraq and Afghanistan because they don't have the time to provide adequate dental care to bring them up to the medical/dental readiness status necessary in order to be deployed.

Now that we are going to have mandatory assessment, there is no reason we would not want to provide them the medical care they need in order to meet that assessment. This is absolutely unacceptable, that we would not. And it is inexcusable. Considering the sacrifices we are asking them to make on our behalf, the least we can do is provide them the care they need to meet the readiness standards we have set. Pulling their teeth and rushing them to war is simply not going to get it done.

This practice itself has become so prevalent, we now have a name for these men and women. They are called pumpkin soldiers. How absolutely awful is that? It is awful that it is such a prevalent practice that it has a nickname.

Compounding this challenge is the fact that short-notice deployments occur regularly within the Reserve Forces. When men and women are declared nondeployable, it can cause disruption in the unit by requiring last-minute replacements from other units or requiring treatment periods that should be set aside for the predeployment preparation and training.

Last year, prior to the second deployment of the Arkansas National Guard's 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team to Iraq, members from 11 units across our State were pulled to fill out the combat team. Some of these cross-leveled members had as little as 2 or 3 three weeks' notice prior to their deployment. They were having to fill in because when it came time, those who were in those units, the regular Guard and Reserve who were there, did not meet the deployable standards, and so consequently we had to pull people from all different units at a late notice to put them in there while these others met that medical and dental readiness.

My amendment would prevent, in large, all of this from happening in the future by providing the necessary care at the front end of these assessments. Instead of compressing treatment costs into a short predeployment period or the bottlenecked medical support unit at the mobilization station, my amendment would spread the same costs over a longer period, with a more orderly and reliable result.

We are having a huge debate right now on health care reform. One of the things we see is that if we can provide prevention or wellness, or certainly make sure that medical care gets there when we first detect what that medical problem is, the outcome is better and it is usually less costly in the overall. The further out from the deployment uncorrectable conditions are discovered, the more time a unit will have to replace a discharged member and mitigate the effects from that loss. So it is not just the well-being of the soldiers we are looking at, it is also the well-being of the unit.

We can and should do more to bring our Selected Reserve members into a constant state of medical readiness for the benefit of the entire force. My amendment does just that. That is why it has been endorsed by the Military Coalition, a consortium of nationally prominent uniformed services and veterans associations representing over 5.5 million members across this country.

I am proud to have worked with Senators Landrieu, Tester, Risch, and Byrd on this important legislation and thank them for that support and realization of how important, how practical, and how much sense it makes for us to use these assessments to quickly provide the medical treatment that is necessary to ensure our soldiers, when they do receive those orders to be deployed, are meeting the medical and dental readiness they need to meet in order to be deployed.

Mr. President, my second amendment calls for an increase in the Montgomery GI bill rate for members of the Selected Reserve to keep pace with their increased service and the rising costs of higher education. I am pleased my friend, Senator Mike Crapo, and I have joined in this effort. Mike and I have worked together on so many different issues, everything from wildlife to education and certainly with our military, representing States that have large rural areas and therefore large numbers of Guard and Reserve. It has also been endorsed by the Military Coalition as well, the group I mentioned earlier.

This amendment would simply tie education benefit rates for guardsmen and reservists to the national average cost of tuition standard that is already applied to Active-Duty education benefit rates. We have worked hard to try to increase the educational benefit to be commensurate with the time these guardsmen and reservists are working on our behalf, who are so bravely deploying and working and serving alongside our Active- Duty military. The problem is, now that we have increased their access to a more commensurate educational benefit, the value of that benefit is immediately losing value because they depend on the appropriators and us to increase that amount. When it is increasing at half the rate of the cost of higher education, then they are getting further and further behind each year in keeping that commensurate benefit at a rate that makes sense and certainly is adequate for their needs in education. I believe it is absolutely critical that we do this. It builds upon

my Total Force GI bill, first introduced in 2006, which was designed to better reflect a comprehensive total force concept that ensures members of the Selected Reserve receive the educational benefit more commensurate with their increased service. The final provisions of this legislation became law last year with the signing of the 21st Century GI bill. Now it only makes sense that we would maintain that benefit at a rate, again--just at the rate of increase we are seeing in higher education. It certainly makes sense for our Guard and Reserve.

My third amendment would lower the travel reimbursement threshold for National Guard and Reserve members who are traveling for drills from 100 miles to 50 miles. Our current high threshold has caused undue hardships for members of the Selected Reserve, especially those in rural areas who often incur significant expenses because they have to travel significant distances. If we cannot ease their burden, I fear we are creating significant obstacles to recruiting and retaining men and women to serve in the Guard and Reserve--particularly during times of economic hardship. We saw the price of gasoline explode last year. We know how difficult it is, particularly for many of our Guard and Reserve who live in those rural areas. I believe this is a commonsense thing we can do on behalf of these brave men and women.

I am so very pleased to be joined here by Senators Tester and Wyden in offering this amendment. It was among the recommendations of the independent Commission on the National Guard and Reserves. It is supported by numerous military and veterans service organizations. It only makes sense that we would appropriately provide them the reimbursement they need and the travel expenses to get to where they need to be for their drills and for their training.

My fourth amendment would enable a valuable program, the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, to expand to new cities and new sites and reach even more of our young troubled Americans. Currently operating in 22 States, the Youth ChalleNGe Program trains and mentors youth who have dropped out of high school. It puts them on a path to become more productive, employed, and law-abiding citizens.

I recommend to any of my colleagues in this body who have not visited a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program to go and visit. I have visited our Youth ChalleNGe Program on more than one occasion and have been amazed, both at those who have graduated from that program and come back to mentor these other youths--who are disadvantaged, who have found themselves in the court system, have been thrown out of school, or are certainly in a troubled nature--and amazed at those who are able to come into this environment and to feel the security of the military and the rules of the military that prompt them into a sense of pride and a sense of courage and a sense of accomplishment so they finish their education and they go on to do so many great things, so many things that otherwise could have turned sour for these youths.

As I said, I encourage any of the Members of this body, if you have never visited one of those National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Programs, I really encourage you to do so.

For 22 weeks, these young men and women receive more than 200 hours of classroom learning designed to prepare them to take the general equivalency diploma exam. I attended the graduation of a class in Arkansas, and I can attest to the program's positive results.

At a time when we know financial insecurity in our country is shaking our families, our youth who are finding themselves in, certainly, different circumstances than many of us did growing up, with all kinds of temptations and distractions and things that can put them on the wrong pathway, here we have an opportunity, when they start out on that wrong pathway, to grab them and put them into a program that is going to continue to build on the positive things they have to offer and set them on a good pathway.

Since the inception of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, more than 85,000 young men and women have graduated from the program nationwide, and they have received their high school degrees. Nearly 80 percent have gone to college, earned productive jobs, and joined the military. Currently, the Department of Defense provides 60 percent of the funding, while States are responsible for the remainder. Unfortunately, the current cap on funding has restricted many of our States from establishing additional programs or building on their existing programs.

Along with additional funding, this amendment would help jump-start the Youth ChalleNGe Program by fully funding new programs for 2 years while they get their feet on the ground. When they better understand the tremendous value of this program and, more importantly, how their States can begin to invest in a program such as this, it ensures that the Federal Government's share is 75 percent into the future instead of the current 60 percent that it is right now.

This amendment is endorsed by the National Guard Youth Foundation, the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, and the National Guard Association of the United States.

I am so pleased to be joined by Senators Byrd, Casey, Cornyn, Hagan, Landrieu, Murkowski, Risch, Rockefeller, Snowe, Udall of Colorado, and Wyden in this effort. It is identical to the legislation I have previously introduced which has 32 bipartisan cosponsors. It is a great move, to help our children, particularly our troubled children and, more importantly, it really sends them in the right direction so they can become contributing parts of this great Nation. I encourage my colleagues to look at this amendment and help us get it passed in this very important bill.

Mr. President, you have been incredibly patient. I appreciate that patience, having to talk about five different amendments, but these are issues that are critically important to me and critically important to the people of Arkansas, particularly our Guard and Reserve.

My final amendment is an amendment that would grant full veteran status to members of our Nation's Reserve Forces who have 20 or more years of service. I am joined in this effort by Senator Hutchison of Texas. This amendment is endorsed by the Military Coalition, which is the large group, the coalition of military groups.

Under current law, members of Reserve components who have completed 20 or more years of service are considered military retirees. At the age of 60, they are eligible for all the benefits received by Active- Duty military retirees. Unfortunately, they are denied the full standing and honor that comes with the designation of ``veteran'' if they have not served a qualifying period of Federal Active Duty other than Active-Duty training. As a result, these men and women are technically not included in various veterans ceremonies and initiatives, such as an effort to have veterans wear their medals on Veterans Day or Memorial Day, or in legislation authorizing veterans to offer a hand salute during the playing of the national anthem or the presentation or posting of the colors.

I don't know about you, but when I am at an event at home in Arkansas--or here as well but certainly at home--when I am surrounded by my family of Arkansas people and the flag comes down the parade or the colors are presented, I support making sure everyone who has stood up and said ``I am ready to serve my country when it calls on me'' should be given that respect of being noticed as a veteran.

My amendment does not seek to change the legal qualifications for access to benefits. Instead, it simply seeks to correct this inequity by honoring and recognizing those who have served their country for 20 years or more, those who have said continually over those 20 years: When my Nation needs me, if my Nation needs me, I will be there. I will take up my arms. I will do what is asked of me as a member of the military forces.

Those men and women wore the same uniform, were subject to the same Code of Military Justice, received the same training, and spent 20 or more years being liable for callup whenever it did happen. This amendment recognizes their long careers of service and would entitle them to receive proper recognition as a veteran of the United States of America.

I know of few designations that embody such dignity and honor. These men and women certainly embody those traits, and it is time we grant them the recognition they have earned.

I ask my colleagues to give these efforts thoughtful consideration. These five proposals help us keep our promise to these brave men and women and will help to strengthen recruitment and retention for our National Guard and Reserve and increase their readiness as an operation force in the continued defense of this great Nation that we all love and are all so very pleased to be a part of.

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

Mr. President, I rise today to thank the Senate for adopting my resolution that authorizes a marker to be placed in the new Capitol Visitor Center. The marker recognizes the role of African Americans in the building of this great U.S. Capitol Building.

I also thank Susan and my legislative director, Jim Stowers, who have been tireless in their work and certainly have done an incredible job in bringing forth this resolution, along with many others we have been working on to try and recognize the tremendous work and labor that was put into building this magnificent symbol of our freedom and particularly that which was done by the slave labor in this country when the Capitol was built. Those two individuals have done a remarkable job in working on this resolution. I am very grateful to them and all of the work they have put into it.

I also thank Congressman John Lewis for his unbelievable leadership in moving this resolution through the House and for his leadership of the Slave Labor Task Force. I had the privilege of serving with Congressman Lewis in the House, and upon my election to the Senate, we worked together on a number of issues, including funding for the Little Rock Central High Visitor Center and the Slave Labor Task Force. It has been an honor to work with him on these very important issues. He is a tremendous gentleman to work with on all issues, but I have had the particular pleasure of being able to work with him on these two. It has been a great learning experience for me and certainly an honor.

The crowning feature of our Nation's Capitol is the majestic statue that stands atop its dome. It was designed by an American, Thomas Crawford, to represent ``Freedom triumphant in War and Peace.'' It has become known simply as the Statue of Freedom to those of us who come in and out of the Capitol on a daily basis.

Thomas Crawford cast the five-piece plaster model of his statue at his studio in Rome, Italy. Before it was shipped to the United States to be cast, Crawford passed away. Once it arrived in Washington, DC, problems soon arose. A workman who assembled the plaster model for all to see, just as it is downstairs, soon got into a pay dispute, and when it came time to disassemble it and move it to a mill in Maryland where it would be cast in bronze, he refused to reveal how it had been taken apart. Work on the statue stalled until a man named Philip Reid solved the mystery.

Mr. Reid was an enslaved African American who worked for the owner of the foundry selected to cast the bronze statue. Mr. Reid figured out how to disassemble the plaster model by attaching an iron hook to the statue's head, and he gently lifted the top section until a hairline crack appeared. The crack indicated where the joint was located. Then he repeated that operation until all five sections were visible.

If you go down to the Capitol Visitor Center, you can see this huge plaster cast and you can see how large it is, how cumbersome it is, and how difficult it would be to work with even in today's age with the tools and all of the mechanics we have. Yet this gentleman on his own figured it out with very little other than just a hook to be able to pull up and figure out where he would find that path of least resistance.

We know about Philip Reid today because Fisk Mills, the son of the foundry owner, told the story to a historian who recorded it in 1869. It describes Philip Reid as an ``expert and an admirable workman'' and ``highly esteemed by all who know him.''

Philip Reid's story is probably the best known among the enslaved African Americans who worked so diligently on our Nation's Capitol. Unfortunately, there are many others who worked in obscurity.

When the Capitol was first being built in the late 1700s and early 1800s, enslaved African Americans worked in all facets of its construction. They worked in carpentry, masonry, carting, rafting, roofing, plastering, glazing, painting, and sawing. These slaves were rented from their owners by the Federal Government for about $60 a year.

For nearly 200 years, the stories of these slave laborers were mostly unknown to the visitors of this great building, our Capitol. Then in 1999, old pay stubs were discovered that showed slaves were directly involved in the construction of the U.S. Capitol.

To recognize these contributions, I sponsored a resolution in July of 2000 to establish a special task force to make recommendations to honor the slave laborers who worked on the construction of this great Capitol.

The bicameral, bipartisan Slave Labor Task Force brought together historians and interested officials to work on this issue. In 2007, the task force presented the congressional leadership with our recommendations.

This resolution fulfills one of those recommendations, the resolution we passed in the Senate. It authorizes a marker to be placed in Emancipation Hall to serve as a formal public recognition of the critical role that

enslaved African Americans played in the construction of the Capitol.

Much of the original Capitol no longer stands, due to the fires of war and renovations to create more space for the ever-growing body. In fact, some of the stones that were removed when the Capitol was renovated have been stored in Rock Creek Park. It is our hope that those very stones that were quarried years and years ago by the slaves will be used to make the CVC marker we hope to place in the CVC.

I also would like to take a moment to remember one of the members of the Slave Labor Task Force, Curtis Sykes, who was a native of Little Rock, AR, and an original member of Arkansas's Black Advisory Committee.

I asked Mr. Sykes if he would come and serve on this committee. I selected him because he was, first and foremost, an educator. During his time on the task force, he was focused on the need to ensure that as many citizens as possible be made aware of the contribution of enslaved African Americans in the building of this great U.S. Capitol.

Unfortunately, Mr. Sykes passed away before our work was completed. Nevertheless, he made important and lasting contributions to our work. I know he is looking down with a great sense of pride for what we have been able to accomplish.

The heart of this effort and the mission of the Capitol Visitor Center is education. It was at the root of what Mr. Sykes stood for, and it certainly has been at the root of what our task force has been professing and wanting more than anything to create for the visitors who come through our Nation's Capitol. That is why there is no more appropriate place for this marker to recognize those who built the Capitol than our new Capitol Visitor Center, an education model in itself.

The plaster model of the Statue of Freedom, the same one that was separated by Philip Reid, now stands tall in Emancipation Hall of the CVC for all visitors to see. Visitors look at the model each and every day and can compare it to the actual statue standing atop the Capitol dome. I want to make sure every visitor who comes to the CVC, our Capitol Visitor Center, knows how that statue got up there and that they know the story of Philip Reid and the other enslaved African Americans who played such a critical part in the building of this Capitol--our symbol of freedom in this Nation.

In closing, I thank Chairman Schumer and Ranking Member Bennett of the Rules Committee for their help and guidance on this resolution. I also certainly cannot finish my remarks without offering my tremendous thanks to my colleague and friend, Senator Chambliss from Georgia, who, along with Senator Schumer, was an original cosponsor of this resolution.

Senator Chambliss has done a tremendous job. He is a delight to work with, and I am not only grateful for the hard work he has put in on this issue but other issues we have worked on, but without a doubt for his friendship in working on so many issues.

Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for again adopting this resolution in the Senate. We look forward to being able to add many other of those recommendations of the task force as we move forward and as our Capitol Visitor Center continues to grow.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Susan Kalasanas, who is a fellow in my office, be granted the privilege of the floor for the duration of my remarks.

Mr. President, I rise to thank my colleagues for their support of my amendment to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act with respect to the preemption of certain interest rate limitations that are applicable to the State of Arkansas. The adoption of this provision in the 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act will aid in the economic recovery of Arkansas as demonstrated in the various letters from Governor Beebe, the Arkansas congressional delegation and the related data and communications that are to be printed in the record after my remarks.

With regard to the amendment itself, it is the intention of the drafters and the Senate, that despite the ordering of its paragraphs, the language concerning the uniform accessibility of provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 are to apply to all bonds and obligations issued under that act for all purposes for which bonds under the act may be issued and are not limited to matters associated with housing. Without this amendment, Arkansas may not have ready access to the same Federal programs to which our sister States have access. Again, thanks to my colleagues for recognizing that the economy of and commerce in Arkansas affects and is affected by every other State and their respective commerce.

I ask unanimous consent that the following documents be printed in the Record as supporting documentation of the intent and reasoning behind this important provision: (1) a letter from Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe dated May 14, 2009, (2) a letter from Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe dated March 14, 2008, (3) a letter from the Arkansas Congressional Delegation dated May 14, 2009, (4) a letter from the Council of Development Finance Agencies dated May 29, 2009, and (5) Presentation to the Arkansas House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs regarding a proposed State constitutional amendment to deal with this issue. The inclusion of these documents serves to make clear our intent regarding this important provision.

Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

Mr. President, I wish to applaud my colleague from Pennsylvania because he shared not only our dreams for the recovery-- or, as we call it in Arkansas, the ``jump-start'' bill--but, more importantly, not just our dreams but the things that are actively happening in our States, the great things, whether it is highway projects or for us in Arkansas the new market tax credits, which have been a tremendous boost for capital infusion into small businesses and for entrepreneurs. We can also look at the SBA 7(a) Loan Program, which is tremendous for small businesses. Education alone--I met with principals and administrators last week when I was home, talking about the opportunities for education and the infusion of resources coming from the Recovery Act, along with water projects and broadband. The Senator from Pennsylvania did an excellent job in mentioning those and, most importantly, focusing on the fact that this will help us get our country and our economy back on track and get Americans back to work or keep them in the jobs they are clinging to. I appreciate him coming to the floor and mentioning some of that, all of which many of us have been seeing as we travel home to our States over the weekend or during the breaks.

Madam President, I rise today to pay tribute to a young man, Army PVT William Andrew Long, of Conway, AR. Last week, he was laid to rest at the Arkansas Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock. He was buried with full military honors and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Good Conduct Medal.

Private Long was a loving son, brother, and friend whose life was tragically cut short on June 1 in a senseless attack outside of an Army-Navy Career Center in Little Rock, AR. PVT Quinton Ezeagwila was also injured in the attack. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, and we hope he makes a very speedy recovery.

Private Long had recently finished Army training and was set to deploy to South Korea. He had been appointed to the Army's Hometown Recruiter Assistance Program in Little Rock and was at the Army recruiting office on that fateful day because he had volunteered to tell others about his experience in the U.S. military.

Known to his friends and family as Andy, Private Long will always be remembered by all of us and all of them for his boundless energy, his keen intelligence, his infectious smile, and his great sense of humor. His country and all Arkansans will remember him as a hero with the courage to serve his Nation during a time of war. He will also be remembered as a young man whose life was ended way too soon.

Private Long hailed from a fiercely patriotic family, with four generations of uniformed service to the United States. Andy's great grandfather and grandfather served. Both of his parents served, and his brother, PFC Triston Long, continues to serve today and will be deployed to Iraq later this summer. On behalf of my colleagues in the Senate and the people of Arkansas, I wish to take this moment to thank the Long family for their extraordinary dedication and service to our Nation.

On that tragic day, Andy was targeted in what I view as an act of terrorism because of the uniform he wore--a uniform that stands as a symbol of this great country.

Ours is a nation where we resolve our differences through debate and democratic elections, not through violence. This is a country where freedom is cherished and liberty is recognized as an inalienable right for all people.

Terrorism has absolutely no place in this country, and as elected representatives of the people, it is our duty to ensure we are doing everything we can to combat terrorism, bring justice to its perpetrators, and protect our communities and our families. That is why I stand here today to put forth a resolution condemning the murder of Private Long and condemning the use of violence to achieve political ends. Additionally, I call for the swift prosecution, to the fullest extent of the law, of the perpetrators of this senseless shooting.

The men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces risk their lives every day, both overseas and here on our own soil in the United States. Let it be

known that their resolve will not and cannot be shattered. The ideals represented by the uniform worn by Andy Long, his parents, and the generations of brave American men and women before them, still serve to represent liberty and justice for all, and no act of terrorism can diminish that. It can only strengthen our resolve and reaffirm our commitment to America's most basic ideals and values.

Our country owes a great debt to Private Long for his service, as well as to the brave men and women in the Armed Forces who protect and defend the freedoms we cherish as Americans each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Private Long's family and to all of those who knew and loved him. We are a grateful nation for incredible individuals like Private Andy Long.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, paragraph 4 of rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate provides that, ``If during consideration of a bill or joint resolution, a Senator proposes an amendment containing a congressionally directed spending item, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit which was not included in the bill or joint resolution as placed on the calendar or as reported by any committee, in a committee report on such bill or joint resolution, or a committee report of the Senate on a companion measure, then as soon as practicable, the Senator shall ensure that a list of such items (and the name of any Senator who submitted a request to the Senator for each respective item included in the list) is printed in the Congressional Record.''

The term ``congressionally directed spending item'' is broadly defined to include ``a provision or report language included primarily at the request of a Senator providing, authorizing, or recommending a specific amount of discretionary budget authority, credit authority, or other spending authority for a contract, loan, loan guarantee, grant, loan authority, or other expenditure with or to an entity, or targeted to a specific State, locality or Congressional district, other than through a statutory or administrative formula-driven or competitive award process.'' In accordance with rule XLIV, I provide the following information relating to my amendment. No. 1181, that was adopted by the Senate during consideration of H.R. 2346. The amendment will modify interest limitations allowable in a State, as defined in 12 USC 1831 u(f), where the maximum rate of interest is not more than 5 percent above the Federal Reserve discount rate--Arkansas. Specifically, it will relax the maximum rate of interest allowed, increasing it to seventeen percent, effective from date of enactment through December 31, 2010. The provision is generally applicable to any lending occurring within that state that is not conducted by an insured depository institution. I am the principal sponsor of the amendment.

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the outstanding humanitarian assistance recently provided by Company C, 153rd Infantry of the Arkansas National Guard.

In early April, Mena, AR, was hit by an F3 tornado which devastated this small town in western Arkansas. These severe storms killed 3, injured more than 100, and left thousands of residents without power. The tornado also damaged important emergency response centers in the town and county, including the hospital, the police and fire departments, and the courthouse, which houses the 911 emergency dispatch center.

However, under the leadership of CPT Rodney Lay, Company C of the 153rd Infantry, including team leaders 1LT Brian Lawrence Inman, 1SG Eric Schnell, SSG James Schnell, SSG Jacob Sullivan, SSG Neal Badger, and WO Jeffrey Shores, helped to immediately restore order to the devastated community. Company C provided downtown security during the aftermath of the tornado and went door to door to check on area citizens. In addition, they provided aid to victims of the storm that could not be transported to the city's hospital.

Our military simply could not function without the thousands of reservists and guardsmen on bases and armories in communities across this country. Since September 11, 2001, they have been called upon to serve in unprecedented numbers. We honor the tremendous service they provide in preserving our freedoms, but we must also not forget the critical role they play in responding on the homefront in communities like Mena that desperately need their help in restoring order and stability in their time of need.

I am honored to recognize the outstanding service of these citizen soldiers to the State of Arkansas and to the thousands of others who have helped provide assistance and support to communities in need.

Mr. President, I thank my colleagues, Senator Lieberman and Senator Graham, for their thoughtful dedication to this issue and certainly looking for the right compromise and, more importantly, for their support of our troops, the men and women in uniform and those who serve this country all across the globe.

Mr. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support and pass the legislation that is currently before the Senate, and that is the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act would implement important marketing restrictions on tobacco products and especially on the marketing practices that have been shown to increase tobacco use among our Nation's young people.

I, like so many of my colleagues, some of whom are experiencing at the same time I am, and some who have already been through it--I am just beginning the teen years with my children. My twin boys will be turning 13 in a couple of weeks. Let me tell you, the pressure on our young people across this country is very real and very tough.

What we are talking about in this bill--the authority--is absolutely critical. The tobacco industry has a long and disturbing history of marketing its products to appeal to young people. Last year, the National Cancer Institute published a comprehensive report on tobacco marketing that documented the powerful influence that tobacco marketing has on our children.

The report found that ``the evidence base indicates a casual relationship between tobacco advertising and increased levels of tobacco initiation and continued consumption'' and that even brief exposure to tobacco advertising influences kids' attitudes and perceptions about smoking, as well as their intentions to smoke.

The tobacco industry spends more than $13 billion per year to promote their products. Many of these marketing efforts directly reach our children. I want to share with folks an ad. Here is an ad that appeared in a convenience store in Delaware. Yes, it says what you think it says. It is a back-to-school special for Camel cigarettes--a back-to- school special.

I have to say, I so enjoyed when my kids were in elementary school and taking them to the store to get their crayons and their pencils and their notebooks. I think about now even in their teen years, we go and maybe we get a couple of new outfits, we talk about graph paper and what they are going to learn and all the exciting things. We prepare them for school, getting back to school. We are ending up school right now, but we will go through it in the fall again. It is unbelievable to me that we would run ads: back to school, get your bargain, here it is, a pack of cigarettes.

The industry also reaches our kids by saturating convenience stores, drugstores, and gas stations with tobacco advertisements, often placing ads and products near the candy and gum displays, or using other visual tricks such as bright colors and also through sponsorship of sports and entertainment events which are obviously what kids are interested in so often in the sports arena and other things with which they are involved.

Tobacco companies know that almost all new smokers begin as kids. They carefully design their products to make them more attractive to kids. For example, in this ad, flavors are used to make the smoke less harsh, more flavorful, and easier for kids to smoke.

We see in this ad, R. J. Reynolds has heavily marketed products with fruit

flavors such as Twista Lime, Warm Winter Toffee, and Winter Mocha Mint. Bright colorful ads for these cigarettes have appeared in magazines that are very popular with our children.

Who do we think candy and fruit-flavored products are for? Certainly they are not for the adults who have been smoking Marlboros or Camels all their lives. Survey evidence shows what we would expect: that these candy and fruit-flavored products are far more popular with our young people than among adults.

Targeting our children like this is absolutely unacceptable-- unacceptable for the health of our children and for the well-being of our health care system. Here we are debating health care reform at a time when we realize that it is 18 percent of our GDP, and over the next 10 years health care is going to be one-fifth of our economy. To be advertising to our children to start something that we know is going to be detrimental to their health is absolutely unacceptable.

If we are ever going to address the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the United States, we need to provide the FDA with the authority to restrict tobacco companies marketing to our children.

While progress has been made in the last decade, youth tobacco use remains far too high. More than 20 percent of high school students in my home State of Arkansas smoke, and more than 18 percent of Arkansas's high school boys use smokeless tobacco. Each year, a staggering 13,100 Arkansas kids try cigarettes for the first time, and another 3,900 additional kids become new and regular daily smokers. Ninety percent of all adult smokers began smoking in their teen years. Tobacco companies know they have to attract kids to be able to survive. They know that if they get kids hooked, then they will have those adult smokers, and their marketing efforts have paid off.

According to recent studies by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 80 percent of kids smoke the three most heavily advertised brands. While tobacco companies claim they do not market to our children, they are surely doing a good job of getting kids to use their products.

We simply must do more to protect our children from the tobacco company advertising and promotion. Effective regulation of the tobacco industry must provide FDA with the authority to restrict tobacco company marketing to children. That is one of the key goals of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Act. It imposes those specific marketing restrictions on tobacco products, restrictions on those forms of tobacco marketing I mentioned earlier that have been shown to increase youth tobacco use.

Even more importantly, the bill gives the FDA the flexibility to further restrict tobacco marketing so it can respond to the inevitable innovative attempts by the tobacco companies to get around specific restrictions. The restrictions on marketing included in the FDA tobacco bill are critical to any effort to prevent kids from starting to smoke and reduce the toll caused by tobacco.

Even though tobacco companies claim they have stopped intentionally marketing to kids, they continue their tradition of designing products that appeal explicitly to new users. The large majority--and we cannot ignore it--the large majority of those new users are our children.

I mentioned that my children are about to be teens, and as the mother of twins about to be teens, I know that parents want to do all they can to protect their children. Children are faced with so much in today's world, whether it is violence, whether it is issues such as this, whether it is peer pressure. Our children are faced with many things. We want to protect them. We want to help them learn to wear seatbelts and bicycle helmets. We want to teach them all that we can, the skills they need in life so they can remain safe and healthy.

I look at the restrictions we put on our children each day to make sure they are wearing those helmets, to make sure they are not on the computer too much, to make sure they are using the computer safely. All of these things we do as parents to ensure we are doing our job to keep our children as safe as we possibly can.

We also need to protect our children from tobacco companies--their advertising and promotion. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act does this. It would end special protection for the tobacco industry, and it would be safeguarding our children and creating a healthier nation in the process.

Again, I encourage my colleagues to work with me and all of the other Senators working on this bill to move this bill forward on behalf of our children, certainly on behalf of the health care needs of this country but, most importantly, for parents who are trying so hard to ensure their kids will get off on the right foot and that they will learn to make wise decisions and will not be faced with these types of temptations and others to stray in a way that is going to be unhealthy for them and unhealthy for their future.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to reserve the remaining majority time.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.