Floor Statements

Madam President, I thank my leader, Mitch McConnell. Winston Churchill observed that ``Democracy is not always a polite employer.'' That is the case in my reelection effort. Yet I feel nothing but gratitude to the people of my State.

I acknowledge the wisdom of the people of Kentucky in your reelection and of the wisdom of my colleagues for electing you again as our leader. You are an articulate advocate for causes that I think are important for America not to forget in the coming days. It is one of the high privileges of my life that I have been able to serve with you as a friend and as a colleague.

I thank you and I thank my Senate family, without respect to party, for the help that was given to Sharon and me at the most painful time of our lives--to find additional meaning in the life of our son by helping the sons and daughters of others. I hope and pray that my Senate colleagues, while I am gone, will not forget those who struggle with mental illness. I am so proud of Senator Domenici, Senator Kennedy, and others who championed mental health parity. It has been a privilege to be on their team in this cause. It is a silent cause. It is one that does not get a lot of ink or much attention because America is still opening its mind to this important area of medicine. But we have blazed a new trail, and much of it was because of your leadership, sir.

For the privilege of serving with you, of serving my State, of serving with these colleagues here, I thank God and I thank the State of Oregon and I say God bless America.

Madam President, I rise today to congratulate a young man who has not only achieved beyond his years but has also advanced the state of the art of solar power technology. William Yuan of Beaverton, OR, is a seventh grader at Meadow Park Middle School whose achievements are both jaw-dropping and important.

Recently, William earned a $25,000 scholarship from the Davidson Institute and became a Davidson Fellow for his work in renewable energy research. William's project, ``A Highly-Efficient 3-Dimensional Nanotube Solar Cell for Visible and UV Light,'' featured a novel solar panel that enables light absorption from visible to ultraviolet light. The carbon nanotubes William designed can overcome the barriers of electron movement, doubling the light-electricity conversion efficiency. His optimized design provides 500 times more light absorption than commercially available solar cells and nine times more than the cutting-edge, three-dimensional solar cell.

Given the current energy crisis, everyone must pitch in to reduce our dependence on oil consumption. In Congress and in the private sector, we are working to facilitate advancements in renewable energies. However, we cannot be successful without brilliant minds like William's.

Winning the Davidson scholarship is far from William's only achievement. This year alone, William won second place at the Northwest Science Expo, Best Engineering Project at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and second place at the Oregon Chess for Success State Tournament. The list goes on. Last year, William also received a junior black belt pum certification from the World Taekwondo Headquarters in Seoul, Korea. He has also received a number of awards from various Intel Oregon competitions and First Place in Oregon in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Talent Search in both quantitative and verbal sections.

At 12 years old, William is only just getting started. He intends to continue his research in renewable energy and eventually select a major for his college study toward a Ph.D. degree. John F. Kennedy once said:

Our nation's first great leaders were also our first great

scholars.

I look forward to watching William progress as a scholar and a leader.

Madam President, the late Oregon Governor Tom McCall once said:

Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They

are individuals who say, ``This is my community and it is my

responsibility to make it better.''

The community of Eugene and the entire State of Oregon lost a true hero 2 weeks ago with the untimely passing of Randy Pape. I have had the privilege of dealing with countless community leaders during my 12 years in the U.S. Senate, but I can't think of anyone who was more dedicated to making his community, State, and Nation better than was Randy.

As the chief executive officer of The Pape Group, a 2,000-employee, seven-State conglomerate of industrial equipment, aviation and recycling businesses, Randy was one of Oregon's most respected and admired corporate leaders.

Guiding his business empire was more than a full-time job, yet Randy found time to give his talent and treasure to an endless variety of worthy causes. There was no bigger booster of his alma mater, the University of Oregon, than Randy. There was no better cheerleader and fundraiser for the United Way than Randy. As a member of the Oregon Transportation Commission, there was no better advocate for Oregon's roads and highways than Randy. There was no more committed member of the Nature Conservancy of Oregon, and the Oregon Trail Council of Boy Scouts of America than Randy. I had no wiser counselor than Randy.

And above all, there was no one who loved and cherished his family more than Randy.

Randy's wonderful wife, Susie, was at his side for 34 years. She knew him better than anyone else, and she captured him better than anyone else, when she said:

He was the most positive person, the most upbeat. He was a

joy to live with.

Randy was justifiably very proud of his three sons, Ryan, Christian, and Jordan, all of whom chose to follow their dad into the family business, and all of whom inherited his values of honesty, decency, and a dedication to making their community better.

The Greek poet Sophocles, once wrote:

One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day

has been.'' For his family, his friends, his community, his

State, and our Nation, the evening of Randy's life came much,

much too soon. But let us take solace in the fact that in

that evening, Randy Pape could look back at a life filled

with the love of family; a life filled with accomplishment; a

life filled with making a positive difference; a life filled

with the heroism that came from making his community better,

and say: The day has indeed been splendid.

Mr. President, I agree with Senator Lincoln. We made good progress in enacting the timber tax provisions in the farm bill, but we must take the important next step of making the provisions permanent or, at the very least, extending them.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the need for hate crimes legislation. Each Congress, Senator Kennedy and I introduce hate crimes legislation that would add new categories to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society. Likewise, each Congress I have come to the floor on many occasions to highlight a separate violent, hate-motivated crime that has occurred in our country.

On Saturday, September 6, 2008, in Portland, ME, a 31-year-old resident was walking home at 12:30 a.m. when he was stopped by two men and assaulted. According to the police statement, one of the assailants used homophobic slurs toward the victim, questioning his sexual orientation before attacking him. The police are searching for two suspects in connection with the weekend assault that they have classified as a hate crime. The victim was hit once in the head and recalls little else, the police said. A passerby reportedly found the victim unconscious on the sidewalk and called police. The victim was taken by ambulance to Maine Medical Center where he was admitted for treatment of a head injury.

I believe that the Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Matthew Shepard Act is a symbol that can become substance. I believe that by passing this legislation and changing current law, we can change hearts and minds as well.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to speak about a recent act of hate and intimidation in my home State of Oregon.

On Tuesday morning, September 23, 2008, the custodial crew at George Fox University found a life-size cardboard cutout of Senator Barack Obama hung by fishing wire from a tree on the campus. Attached to the cutout was a sign that read, ``Act Six reject.'' George Fox is a Christian university of 1,800 undergraduate students in Newberg, OR. In an effort to expand diversity on campus, George Fox instituted a university scholarship program--Act Six--that provides full scholarships to students chosen for their leadership potential from Portland high schools. While not a requirement, many of the recipients are from a minority group.

Sadly, this crude and incendiary act of racial intimidation highlights our continued need to address the issue of civil rights in our country as racism still lurks in many dark corners of our Nation. Hate crimes and acts of racial intimidation seek to marginalize entire groups of Americans--and it simply cannot be tolerated in a democratic society.

The freedom and opportunities in the United States are the envy of the world. And while our Nation has made significant strides in protecting minority groups, the recent event at George Fox is a reminder that the civil rights struggle remains far from finished.

I praise the actions of George Fox President Robin Baker for acting quickly to unite the campus in expressing outrage to the act, and in urging students to show that the incident has no place in our society.

Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague, Senator Blanche Lincoln to introduce a very important bill for our Nation's working families, the Child Care Investment Act of 2008. Throughout our Nation, so many families today are struggling to provide for their families. One important action we can take to support working parents is to help ensure that their children are taken care of in safe and affordable childcare, and, most importantly, that this childcare is available to them. Unfortunately, we know that so many families are not able to access childcare, much less childcare that is high quality. This leads some to leave their children with unqualified caregivers, and, too often, in a dangerous situation.

Because families were facing such dire shortages of affordable child care, Congress developed the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 that founded the CCDBG program. Since that time, this program has benefited low-income families by providing them with the help they need to remain employed, care for their children and have the peace of mind that their children are being well cared for. However, much more can be done to support and increase the funding for this important program. Recently, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, NACCRRA, released a report on the cost of child care for parents in our Nation.Their findings were startling and further underline the call to action that Senator Lincoln and I feel is necessary for working parents. The NACCRRA report says that the cost of child care is rising at nearly twice the rate of inflation in most states. In fact, my home state of Oregon is the ninth least affordable state for infant care in a child care center. They found that in Oregon, on average, nearly 46 percent of a single parent's salary goes towards child care for an infant. This study also found that in every region of our Nation, child care costs more than food.

During difficult economic times, the resources of families in our Nation become even more stretched. Decisions are often made within family budgets and sacrifices are made during times of lean. However, we owe it to our Nation's children to ensure that they are safe and cared for by responsible care providers while their parents work. Low- income parents should not be placed in a situation when they have to choose between their job and the safety of their children.

The bill that Senator Lincoln and I are introducing today will work to ensure more quality children care is available as the cost of this care increase and family budgets are squeezed. This bill will increase funding for the CCDBG program from $2.9 billion to $4 billion. It will also incorporate new quality goals for States to ensure quality care is given to our Nation's children.

I thank Senator Lincoln for her continuing commitment to this issue and to children in our Nation and ask my colleagues for their support of this legislation and quick passage.

Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague, Senator Blanche Lincoln to introduce a very important bill for our Nation's working families, the Child Care Investment Act of 2008. Throughout our Nation, so many families today are struggling to provide for their families. One important action we can take to support working parents is to help ensure that their children are taken care of in safe and affordable childcare, and, most importantly, that this childcare is available to them. Unfortunately, we know that so many families are not able to access childcare, much less childcare that is high quality. This leads some to leave their children with unqualified caregivers, and, too often, in a dangerous situation.

Because families were facing such dire shortages of affordable child care, Congress developed the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 that founded the CCDBG program. Since that time, this program has benefited low-income families by providing them with the help they need to remain employed, care for their children and have the peace of mind that their children are being well cared for. However, much more can be done to support and increase the funding for this important program. Recently, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, NACCRRA, released a report on the cost of child care for parents in our Nation.Their findings were startling and further underline the call to action that Senator Lincoln and I feel is necessary for working parents. The NACCRRA report says that the cost of child care is rising at nearly twice the rate of inflation in most states. In fact, my home state of Oregon is the ninth least affordable state for infant care in a child care center. They found that in Oregon, on average, nearly 46 percent of a single parent's salary goes towards child care for an infant. This study also found that in every region of our Nation, child care costs more than food.

During difficult economic times, the resources of families in our Nation become even more stretched. Decisions are often made within family budgets and sacrifices are made during times of lean. However, we owe it to our Nation's children to ensure that they are safe and cared for by responsible care providers while their parents work. Low- income parents should not be placed in a situation when they have to choose between their job and the safety of their children.

The bill that Senator Lincoln and I are introducing today will work to ensure more quality children care is available as the cost of this care increase and family budgets are squeezed. This bill will increase funding for the CCDBG program from $2.9 billion to $4 billion. It will also incorporate new quality goals for States to ensure quality care is given to our Nation's children.

I thank Senator Lincoln for her continuing commitment to this issue and to children in our Nation and ask my colleagues for their support of this legislation and quick passage.

Mr. President, I wish to speak about the need for hate crimes legislation. Each Congress, Senator Kennedy and I introduce hate crimes legislation that would add new categories to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society. Likewise, each Congress I have come to the floor on many occasions to highlight a separate violent, hate-motivated crime that has occurred in our country.

On the evening of August 9, 2008, 24-year-old Michael Roike was leaving the Playbill Cafe a Washington, DC, area bar with three of his friends when they noticed an SUV parked next door nearby. The SUV carried several men who reportedly spoke with Roike and his friends. The conversation allegedly began casually but escalated when the men from the SUV repeatedly used the word ``faggot.'' One of Roike's friends, Stevon-Christophe Burrell, 29, allegedly became upset and asked the men to leave them alone. In response, a male from the SUV reportedly approached Burrell aggressively. Roike said he stepped between them and tried to diffuse the situation, but Roike recounts that he suddenly felt pain in the left side of his head and hit the ground. Burrell was also struck before the attackers fled back to the vehicle and drove away. While no suspects have been apprehended, the Metropolitan Police Department report lists the attack as a ''simple assault,'' filing it as a hate crime based on sexual orientation.

I believe that the Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Matthew Shepard Act is a symbol that can become substance. I believe that by passing this legislation and changing current law, we can change hearts and minds as well.

Mr. President, former Oregon Governor Tom McCall once said, ``Heroes are not statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say, `This is my community and it is my responsibility to make it better'.''

Today I pay tribute to a remarkable lady who truly earned the title of ``hero,'' because few individuals have done more in the past several decades to make the community of Portland, OR, a better place than Mary Mark. Mary passed away recently, and last week I joined with over 600 other Oregonians in attending a tribute service that honored Mary's life and legacy.

I first met Mary some 13 years ago when I was just beginning my campaign for the Senate. I had heard from many friends of the sterling reputation of Mary and her husband Pete and their status as two of Oregon's most generous philanthropists, but since I was from east of the mountains, I had not had the opportunity to meet them. And, unfortunately, the purpose of our meeting was for me to do something I hate to do, but which is a necessary evil for running for office--and that's to ask people for money.

It didn't take me but a few minutes into the meeting to reach a few conclusions--conclusions that have been reinforced time and time again over the years. First, Mary and Pete were two of the warmest and most gracious people I had ever met. There is a tradition here on the floor of the U.S. Senate where members refer to each other as ``gentleman'' or ``gentlelady.'' We yield to the ``gentleman from Iowa,'' or we agree with the remarks of the ``gentlelady from Maine.'' There are some who believe the terms are quaint and old-fashioned. I do not. I don't think that manners and kindness and courtesy ever go out of fashion. And I can't think of better words to describe Pete and Mary as a ``gentleman'' and a ``gentlelady.''

The second conclusion I reached is that Mary and Pete were two of the keenest observers of the political scene that I had ever met. I always looked forward to our meetings, because I knew that Mary was going to ask me some tough questions, and I knew she would share with me her very perceptive opinions. To be frank, in our business it is easy to find individuals who will tell me what they think I want to hear. Mary Mark always told me what I needed to hear.

It was also easy to see that as much as Mary loved her country and her community, the true great love of her life was her husband, and their wonderful children and grandchildren. Mary understood instinctively that our success as a society depends not on what happens in the conference tables of Washington, DC, but on what happens at kitchen tables in every community in Oregon. And when Sharon and I experienced a tragedy in our family, Mary and Pete reached out to us with kindness and compassion.

Mr. President, the Greek poet Sophocles once wrote, ``One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been.'' For her family, for the community of Portland, and for Mary's countless friends and admirers, the evening of Mary's life came much too soon. It is my hope, however, that we can find solace in the fact that in the evening of her time on earth, Mary Mark could look back at a life filled with family, a life filled with generosity, a life filled with service to others, a life filled with making a positive difference, and say that the day had indeed been splendid.

May God bless Mary Mark, and may we all carry on her legacy by loving our community and by loving our family.

Mr. President, today I introduce the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act of 2008, with my colleague, Senator Joseph Lieberman. This legislation would tackle one of the nation's most pressing domestic challenges, ensuring all Americans have access to affordable, high quality health care. While the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act may not be the panacea to all of our Nation's healthcare woes, I believe it is a reasonable first step along the path of reform and it represents a viable solution to cover the uninsured.

In my view, that solution begins with helping small employers gain access to affordable, high quality health insurance. Over half of the Nation's uninsured has a connection to a business that employs fewer than 100 employees. By extending access to affordable health coverage to those individuals through their employers, we can make significant progress in reducing the number of Americans who do not have health insurance.

Broadly, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act incentivizes reform of the existing small group market so employers have access to affordable coverage options to meet their particular needs. It provides national direction to ensure consistency across the entire system, but relies upon the existing infrastructure forged by the States and the private market to ultimately provide new coverage options for small employers. Additionally, it provides graduated, income-sensitive subsidies through tax credits to low-income individuals to help offset the cost of their health coverage. It also provides graduated tax credits to small employers who contribute at least 50 percent toward the cost of their employees' premiums to encourage them to purchase coverage through new, regional purchasing exchanges.

One of the key principles of the proposal is regional cooperation. The existing system of state-based regulation of the small group market has resulted in a great deal of inefficiency in the marketing and selling of health coverage products. One of the key elements of reform from the Federal perspective should be encouraging regional cooperation--and consistency of regulation--across State lines. The Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act accounts for this by apportioning States with similar existing insurance regulations into new ``Health Coverage Exchange Regions.'' Each of these regions will be charged with developing a common set of rating guidelines so that all insurance products sold in the health coverage exchange are regulated by the same set of rules. Over time, such common regulatory policies will have the effect of stabilizing the small group market, and generating efficiencies that could lead to longterm stabilization of premium cost increases.

A stakeholder board will govern each Health Coverage Exchange Region and must include at a minimum representation from the insurance commissioners from all member States. That way, States will be the driving force in determining how to harmonize existing rating guidelines to improve stability in the small group market. Each Regional Board will have the flexibility to develop its own common rating guidelines, in addition to allowing other hard-to-cover groups, like sole proprietors and individuals, to participate in programs sponsored by the Health Coverage Exchange Region.

While adoption of the common rating guidelines is voluntary, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act provides States with generous incentives to do so. First, small employers in a given State will be unable to purchase health coverage through its region's Health Coverage Exchange unless their State has adopted the common guidelines. Additionally, small employers and employees only will have access to the Federal subsidies once the guidelines are adopted. Change can be difficult, especially in regard to reform of current regulatory structures. The bill recognizes this fact by allowing States a strong voice in developing the common rating guidelines, as well as additional flexibility to implement such guidelines in special cases where they differ significantly from existing policy.

Another key issue the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act addresses is that of ensuring small employers, regardless of their location, has access to a comprehensive health benefit package. We should not expect our small employers to settle for coverage that is far less comprehensive than what a majority of Americans have access to. Congress can and should do better on this front, and the proposal does. All small employers will have access to a standard benefit package that mirrors the benefits available to Members of Congress and other Federal employees. Over time, this benefit package will be updated to ensure that covered services reflect advances in medical science and are supported by sound, evidence-based research.

While the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act leaves most responsibility for day-to-day operations of the Health Coverage Exchange to state-based regional boards, it recognizes the need for uniformity across the entire system by creating a National Health Coverage Policy Board comprised of key stakeholders representing the health care field. This Executive-appointed, independent body will apportion States into Health Coverage Exchange Regions and set broad policy guidelines for the overall system. While I firmly believe the reforms needed to improve access in the small group market should occur at the State level, there needs to be a national presence in the overall effort to ensure health care quality, greater regulatory consistency and maximize administrative efficiencies.

I also would like to comment on the subsidies available in the legislation. Researchers and policymakers alike are well aware that there are some working Americans who simply will be unable to afford the cost of health insurance no matter how inexpensive it might be. The rhetoric surrounding the issue of the uninsured always includes reference to making health insurance more affordable and I fully support that intent. In the work Senator Lieberman and I have done on this issue, we have found that there are very few politically viable reform policies that would significantly reduce the cost of health coverage for small employers. We can implement initiatives to increase market efficiencies and provide employers with more coverage options, but those efforts still will not always make health coverage affordable for all Americans. In our proposal, allocating targeted, advanceable and refundable tax credits to those who need them is the Federal Government's primary responsibility.

To further encourage participation in the Exchange and to recognize the important role employers have in funding health benefits, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act also includes advanceable, refundable tax credits for employers. Employers that contribute at least 50 percent of employees' premiums would be eligible for these tax credits to help offset the cost of their share of health coverage. I believe this approach will help employers who may be struggling to make ends meet and provide their employees the health coverage they need to stay healthy and productive.

It is essential that Congress act on this issue. We owe it to our small employers to ensure they have the same health benefit options available to them as larger employers, whose size and structure allow them to self-fund insurance coverage for their employees. The small business community is the backbone of the American economy, representing over 99 percent of all the Nation's businesses. But we often fail to recognize the essential role small businesses play in the economy. Each year, they provide approximately 75 percent of new jobs; account for over half of private sector output; and provide 40 percent of private sales. Small businesses represent the realization of the American dream. However, even with all their successes, there are many challenges that threaten their continued vitality.

In the unfurling healthcare reform debate, there is no shortage of innovative ideas. Aggressive proposals have been introduced on both sides of the aisle just this year. With over 46 million Americans uninsured and many more struggling with the cost of coverage, the time has come for Congress

to seriously reform our health care system to ensure all Americans have access to care. Should support exist to pursue a comprehensive change, there are several proposals that hold a number of good ideas that combine the best of private and public section ingenuity. Recognizing that many people like receiving their health insurance through their employer; Congress may choose to pursue a more incremental approach-- focusing first on fixing the part of the system that is not working-- the small group market. For a reform debate to be successful, we need to bring all key stakeholders to the negotiating table, including employers. We share common problems, and we must work to develop common solutions.

As Congress continues its discussion of healthcare reform; I am hopeful that the concepts included in this proposal will be given full consideration as we begin to develop solutions to the difficult, long- standing problems in the health insurance market. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft policies that significantly expand small employers' access to quality health insurance coverage. This is the help they deserve, and this is the help that I know we can give them if we put our ideological differences aside and begin working together to make real progress on this issue.

Mr. President, today I introduce the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act of 2008, with my colleague, Senator Joseph Lieberman. This legislation would tackle one of the nation's most pressing domestic challenges, ensuring all Americans have access to affordable, high quality health care. While the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act may not be the panacea to all of our Nation's healthcare woes, I believe it is a reasonable first step along the path of reform and it represents a viable solution to cover the uninsured.

In my view, that solution begins with helping small employers gain access to affordable, high quality health insurance. Over half of the Nation's uninsured has a connection to a business that employs fewer than 100 employees. By extending access to affordable health coverage to those individuals through their employers, we can make significant progress in reducing the number of Americans who do not have health insurance.

Broadly, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act incentivizes reform of the existing small group market so employers have access to affordable coverage options to meet their particular needs. It provides national direction to ensure consistency across the entire system, but relies upon the existing infrastructure forged by the States and the private market to ultimately provide new coverage options for small employers. Additionally, it provides graduated, income-sensitive subsidies through tax credits to low-income individuals to help offset the cost of their health coverage. It also provides graduated tax credits to small employers who contribute at least 50 percent toward the cost of their employees' premiums to encourage them to purchase coverage through new, regional purchasing exchanges.

One of the key principles of the proposal is regional cooperation. The existing system of state-based regulation of the small group market has resulted in a great deal of inefficiency in the marketing and selling of health coverage products. One of the key elements of reform from the Federal perspective should be encouraging regional cooperation--and consistency of regulation--across State lines. The Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act accounts for this by apportioning States with similar existing insurance regulations into new ``Health Coverage Exchange Regions.'' Each of these regions will be charged with developing a common set of rating guidelines so that all insurance products sold in the health coverage exchange are regulated by the same set of rules. Over time, such common regulatory policies will have the effect of stabilizing the small group market, and generating efficiencies that could lead to longterm stabilization of premium cost increases.

A stakeholder board will govern each Health Coverage Exchange Region and must include at a minimum representation from the insurance commissioners from all member States. That way, States will be the driving force in determining how to harmonize existing rating guidelines to improve stability in the small group market. Each Regional Board will have the flexibility to develop its own common rating guidelines, in addition to allowing other hard-to-cover groups, like sole proprietors and individuals, to participate in programs sponsored by the Health Coverage Exchange Region.

While adoption of the common rating guidelines is voluntary, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act provides States with generous incentives to do so. First, small employers in a given State will be unable to purchase health coverage through its region's Health Coverage Exchange unless their State has adopted the common guidelines. Additionally, small employers and employees only will have access to the Federal subsidies once the guidelines are adopted. Change can be difficult, especially in regard to reform of current regulatory structures. The bill recognizes this fact by allowing States a strong voice in developing the common rating guidelines, as well as additional flexibility to implement such guidelines in special cases where they differ significantly from existing policy.

Another key issue the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act addresses is that of ensuring small employers, regardless of their location, has access to a comprehensive health benefit package. We should not expect our small employers to settle for coverage that is far less comprehensive than what a majority of Americans have access to. Congress can and should do better on this front, and the proposal does. All small employers will have access to a standard benefit package that mirrors the benefits available to Members of Congress and other Federal employees. Over time, this benefit package will be updated to ensure that covered services reflect advances in medical science and are supported by sound, evidence-based research.

While the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act leaves most responsibility for day-to-day operations of the Health Coverage Exchange to state-based regional boards, it recognizes the need for uniformity across the entire system by creating a National Health Coverage Policy Board comprised of key stakeholders representing the health care field. This Executive-appointed, independent body will apportion States into Health Coverage Exchange Regions and set broad policy guidelines for the overall system. While I firmly believe the reforms needed to improve access in the small group market should occur at the State level, there needs to be a national presence in the overall effort to ensure health care quality, greater regulatory consistency and maximize administrative efficiencies.

I also would like to comment on the subsidies available in the legislation. Researchers and policymakers alike are well aware that there are some working Americans who simply will be unable to afford the cost of health insurance no matter how inexpensive it might be. The rhetoric surrounding the issue of the uninsured always includes reference to making health insurance more affordable and I fully support that intent. In the work Senator Lieberman and I have done on this issue, we have found that there are very few politically viable reform policies that would significantly reduce the cost of health coverage for small employers. We can implement initiatives to increase market efficiencies and provide employers with more coverage options, but those efforts still will not always make health coverage affordable for all Americans. In our proposal, allocating targeted, advanceable and refundable tax credits to those who need them is the Federal Government's primary responsibility.

To further encourage participation in the Exchange and to recognize the important role employers have in funding health benefits, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act also includes advanceable, refundable tax credits for employers. Employers that contribute at least 50 percent of employees' premiums would be eligible for these tax credits to help offset the cost of their share of health coverage. I believe this approach will help employers who may be struggling to make ends meet and provide their employees the health coverage they need to stay healthy and productive.

It is essential that Congress act on this issue. We owe it to our small employers to ensure they have the same health benefit options available to them as larger employers, whose size and structure allow them to self-fund insurance coverage for their employees. The small business community is the backbone of the American economy, representing over 99 percent of all the Nation's businesses. But we often fail to recognize the essential role small businesses play in the economy. Each year, they provide approximately 75 percent of new jobs; account for over half of private sector output; and provide 40 percent of private sales. Small businesses represent the realization of the American dream. However, even with all their successes, there are many challenges that threaten their continued vitality.

In the unfurling healthcare reform debate, there is no shortage of innovative ideas. Aggressive proposals have been introduced on both sides of the aisle just this year. With over 46 million Americans uninsured and many more struggling with the cost of coverage, the time has come for Congress

to seriously reform our health care system to ensure all Americans have access to care. Should support exist to pursue a comprehensive change, there are several proposals that hold a number of good ideas that combine the best of private and public section ingenuity. Recognizing that many people like receiving their health insurance through their employer; Congress may choose to pursue a more incremental approach-- focusing first on fixing the part of the system that is not working-- the small group market. For a reform debate to be successful, we need to bring all key stakeholders to the negotiating table, including employers. We share common problems, and we must work to develop common solutions.

As Congress continues its discussion of healthcare reform; I am hopeful that the concepts included in this proposal will be given full consideration as we begin to develop solutions to the difficult, long- standing problems in the health insurance market. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft policies that significantly expand small employers' access to quality health insurance coverage. This is the help they deserve, and this is the help that I know we can give them if we put our ideological differences aside and begin working together to make real progress on this issue.

Madam President, I thank the Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Dodd, for his statement on health parity. When I first began wrestling with this issue, he was unusually helpful to me in breaking the dam, this cause of mental health and suicide prevention. I thank him for that. I will never forget him for that. I think of Senator Kennedy and of Pete Domenici and others who have been my allies to move not just the youth component but mental health parity as an essential ingredient, to help move it forward and put it on a basis that is equal with physical health. The truth is, if you have physical health and you don't have mental health, you do not have health. In fact, you may have something just as lethal as leukemia or any other dreaded disease.

America is taking a great step forward with the passage of this extenders package today. I suspect many of my colleagues are having their phones ring off the hook as we speak on the issue of financial insecurity that is leading the headlines of the papers and on all the news shows and talk shows. It is something that is deeply distressing to every American and certainly to this American.

What we have in this country that we are dealing with, at its root, is a crisis in confidence over credit. Right or wrong, like it or not, commerce in this country runs on credit. Small businesses without cashflow have to take out loans. As I evaluate this package--and I have made no decision on it--I am going to be looking to make sure there are no golden parachutes, to make sure this is not a bailout of fat cats but that this goes to Main Street in ways that help people who are already suffering the consequences. We can do things such as extending unemployment insurance, improving LIHEAP. We can even add additional funds to food stamps. But at the end of the day, what does matter to the people who have a job and go to work is to have employers who are creditworthy. If their banks are not creditworthy, if their banks have written their assets down so much that when you put your money in, they keep it, they don't lend it out--when that happens, commerce stops. Jobs are lost. The carnage spreads. That is what we are dealing with in this very difficult week in the Senate, to make sure we do the best we can in this deliberative body that the Constitution gives the purse strings.

We have to do it right. If it comes up wrong, we have to start over and do it better. There is no place for golden parachutes for those who have taken advantage of the rules on Wall Street in ways that have victimized many people. We have already put $300 billion toward the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These are government-sponsored enterprises. In those institutions, apparently the leaders, the boards, were playing fast and loose with the terms Congress gave them in their charter in a way that is both deplorable and more than lamentable. There are people who need to be held accountable for what has happened. But Fannie and Freddie are the central plank in the problem of our credit. That is what started the dominos.

Having said that, I do wish to suggest that this extenders package is most worthy of passage, not just because of the mental health parity that is included, but I wish to talk about another feature that my colleague Ron Wyden and I have been working on ever since we have been in the Senate together. That is the secure rural schools extension. This has been most difficult because it has not been easy to explain to our colleagues all over the country who do not know what it is like to have the Federal Government own most of your State. When the Federal Government owns your State, the local governments cannot tax the Federal Government. So dating back to the beginning of statehood in Oregon in 1859, there was a relationship developed between the Congress and Oregon, and other similarly situated States, whereby they would receive 25 percent of what are called timber taxes or mining taxes or extraction taxes, these kinds of resources that come from public lands.

It is through that, because the counties don't have a tax base, that rural folks are able to have schools, streets, and neighborhoods that are safe, with police protection. That worked very well, even through a big reformation period under Teddy Roosevelt, when these things were redone. It has worked very well. But in the 1990s, there came a great effort to save the spotted owl. There came a change in forest policy with the Clinton administration. The purpose was to save the spotted owl. We learned now, decades later, that the spotted owl was not imperiled by logging. It is now imperiled by catastrophic wildfire. It is now imperiled by a nonnative owl called the bard owl, and the bard owl likes to eat the spotted owl. Nevertheless, the carnage has been done. At the end of the Clinton administration, the President was good enough to sign replacement revenues which are called county payments or secure rural schools funding.

It has been hard to get these funds reauthorized. We had it extended by one year last year. This package extends it 4 years. It needs to be extended. This is not a golden parachute. This is keeping the covenant with rural counties. This is vital if we are to keep faith with rural places and people in very vulnerable areas.

I am delighted this legislation is included in the package. The Senate has passed it before with huge majorities because Senator Wyden and I--he has worked that side of the aisle and I have worked this side of the aisle--made sure we got it in, that we keep enough support on both sides that it could make it to the House of Representatives, where I hope and I pray it will be accepted.

But I would conclude my remarks by saying: I understand from some of my neighboring States that the formula had to be changed. This bill represents a declining interest to Oregon of 60 percent. The 60 percent is based on a cut to Oregon, which is based on a new formula. The new formula is not based on history. You see, the old formula was that the money goes to those counties where God put the trees. Now, it is distributed differently, so our neighboring States can get more, and Oregon gets less. I do not like that.

But I want to say there is a way to remedy that deficiency, and that is to go back to a balance on forest policy that allows for a sustainable yield, allows for the creation of timber jobs, allows for the development of American timber for American homes and American commerce. Instead of being a nation that imports lumber, we can once again be a self-sufficient country in lumber.

We need the help of the administration. We have had it with President Bush. We have not had it with the courts. But the courts, I hope, are changing because this is literally a matter of economic life and death for vulnerable rural communities. So what we have to have is this, which is the best we can get, and we need it for 4 years.

Then we need to make up this deficiency the old-fashioned way, by letting men and women in rural places go back to work, to manage our forests, these public lands that can be managed in a way that is consistent with the environment and creates the economic blessings Oregon and other places have known in the past. Those blessings, in short, are family-wage jobs, the kinds of jobs that pay property taxes, build schools, pave streets, and keep neighborhoods safe. If we can do that, all will be well and this day will represent a good day for the State of Oregon and particularly its rural parts and places.

With that, I thank the Presiding Officer for the time and yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to commend Dr. Ephraim Zuroff and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for their efforts to track down the last Nazi war criminals from World War II. Their work is enormously important, both in bringing the guilty to justice and preventing future acts of genocide. The statute of limitations does not--must not--expire on crimes against humanity. Earlier this year, I introduced the World War II War Crimes Accountability Act with Senator Nelson, which I hope will help Dr. Zuroff and the Simon Wiesenthal Center in their noble effort.

One of the main targets of this effort is Milivoj Asner, who during World War II was the fascist police chief of Pozega, Yugoslavia. Serving the Nazi-allied Ustasha regime in his native Croatia, Asner presided over the destruction of the local Jewish, Serb, and Gypsy populations. After the war ended, Asner fled to Austria, where he lived in obscurity until he was finally charged with war crimes by Croatia in 2005. His extradition has been delayed, however, by Austrian federal and local bureaucratic obstruction. Austrian authorities have claimed that Asner is in poor health, though apparently that infirmity did not stop him from attending a Euro 2008 soccer game this past summer, where he was spotted by a British newspaper. In light of this evidence, the local and national Austrian authorities must summon the political will to bring Asner to justice.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center launched Operation: Last Chance in 2002 to identify and assist in the prosecution of the remaining Nazi war criminals still at large. Dr. Zuroff, who has been leading this effort, should be highly commended for his outstanding efforts in bringing the most guilty Nazis to justice. Of these, Asner is near the top of his list.

Even today, the crimes of people such as Asner in the service of pro- Nazi regimes strain our understanding of hate. National Socialist Germany today is an icon remembered only for its brutality, its mantra of genocide, and its culture of racism. And those last Nazis, who are waiting out their last days under the coming twilight, must not be allowed to go quietly into the night, as did too many of their victims. For the souls that were lost, and even more for those that remain, there must be justice. I commend Dr. Zuroff and the Simon Wiesenthal Center in the highest possible terms, and urge the U.S. Government to do all it can to help them in their cause.

Mr. President, I wish to congratulate the exceptional educators at Sojourner Elementary School of Milwaukie, OR. Last week, Intel Corporation named Sojourner the ``Star Innovator'' among six winners of the 2008 Intel Schools of Distinction Awards and among hundreds of applicants who entered the competition.

Intel Corporation chose Sojourner Elementary because of its groundbreaking teaching strategies in mathematics and the marked improvement of its young math students. Oregon State Assessment data indicate that mathematics achievement at Sojourner has steadily improved over the past 4 years. Sojourner uses an innovative ``team teaching'' approach. At each level, at least one teacher completes additional coursework and training in mathematics. This ongoing professional development has resulted in teachers specializing in content and academic knowledge in mathematics.

Increasingly, technology is playing an important role in the classroom, and teachers at Sojourner are using it effectively to excite and engage students. Computers at Sojourner are equipped with the software necessary to complete computer-based units from the school's math curriculum, and teachers are trained to implement these units. With Intel's Star Innovator award, Sojourner Elementary will receive additional funds, products, and services to continue its unique program.

Sojourner also involves parents in the learning process, a proven strategy for improving the performance of young students. Newsletters produced at each level inform parents as to the

specific content in class so that parents can provide appropriate support at home. All families have math ``kits'' at home so that students can continue to develop ideas at the conceptual level. Families also have access to the district Web site, where the online Student Learning Center provides valuable resources for practice activities at a variety of levels.

In the field of education, there is no single path to success. That is why it is important to highlight those programs like Sojourner's that are successful and reward their efforts. Intel's work in promoting mathematics and science education comes at a critical time when America needs more engineers and more mathematicians to stay competitive in a globalizing economy. I am grateful to the teachers at Sojourner Elementary who have worked so hard to set a new standard in math education and that Intel has taken on the responsibility of awarding these remarkable achievements. Our Nation benefits tremendously from sharing these best practices, and I am proud to honor the exceptional work that Sojourner Elementary is doing to educate our Nation's children and the future leaders of America.