Floor Statements

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, if all goes well, Members will not use the full 2 hours. This, I think, is the only remaining vote Members would have to worry about tonight unless something untoward happens. Is that right?

Mr. President, if everything goes well, Members may have a vote on this very important conference report.

There is no objection on this side.

Reserving the right to object.

If the Senator will allow us the opportunity, we have some people who are not expecting the vote to occur right now.

Mr. President, if the distinguished chairman of the committee will allow a 5-minute quorum call, we think we will have this matter worked out very quickly.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I direct this question to the distinguished Senator from Alaska, the chairman of the committee, who has worked so hard on this bill. Would he and Senator Byrd allow the vote to begin at 7:15?

I ask the distinguished Senator from Iowa, Mr. Grassley--we have about 4 minutes until the vote occurs. Would he like to speak for that period of time?

I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Iowa be recognized until 7:15, when the vote occurs.

I announce that the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Graham), the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Harkin), and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kerry) are necessarily absent.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I was on the Senate floor a few weeks ago with the distinguished chairman of the HELP Committee. At that time there was an attempt to move the bill.

I said at that time this bill could be done. There were ways we could accomplish it. This is an extremely important piece of legislation. Through the Chair to the distinguished majority leader, he knows better than I. He is a

physician. But from what I know of patient safety, this is an extremely important piece of legislation, and we have been able to do it. We are going to be able to go to conference. There has been agreement between the Chair and the ranking member. I think this is an important step forward.

I would say, through the Chair to my friend who is not here, the distinguished chairman of the HELP Committee, I am glad he brought this to the Senate's attention. I am glad we did not agree to what his unanimous consent request was at that time. But we were able to get it done, and I am very happy for that.

I have no objection. This is an important piece of legislation. I now wish the conferees well.

No objection. I wish the next time the distinguished chairman of the committee had a consent request, we would have somebody over here.

We have no objection, Mr. President.

I thank my distinguished colleague.

In connection with these nominations, I would like to acknowledge the assistance I have from my distinguished ranking member, Senator Levin, who joined me in moving these and Senator McCain, who worked with me on several of these nominations. I am very pleased the Committee on Armed Services was able to effect these nominations.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Reserving the right to object, Mr. President, I appreciate very much the distinguished Senator from Virginia moving this matter. As the Senator knows, the ranking member on this important committee, Senator Kerry, wholeheartedly supports the action of the Senator from Virginia.

Mr. President, they say good fences make good neighbors.

I do not know if that is always true, but I do know that the security fence Israel is building along the West Bank has been good for the security in the region.

Already, the fence has resulted in a 90 percent drop in terrorism coming from the northern West Bank. In 2004, no Israeli nationals were killed or wounded by suicide bombings in areas protected by the fence, while 19 Israeli citizens were killed and 102 wounded by suicide attacks in areas without the fence.

So, it is clear that this fence is saving innocent lives.

Like so many others who know the region and have traveled to Israel and Palestine many times, I wish that a fence was not necessary. In an ideal world, neighbors would not need fences, and Israel and Palestine could have a more open border where goods, services and people move freely.

But that is not the world we live in, and that is not the position in which Israel finds itself. We know that terrorist organizations operating in the West Bank and elsewhere have sworn themselves to one main goal: the destruction of the State of Israel.

These murderers target innocent civilians, women and children in Israeli busses, markets and cafes. Since the start of the Intifada some 4 years ago, almost 1,000 Israelis have been killed. Every man, woman and child in Israel lives with the fear that a terrorist attack could be carried out at any time, on any given day, and in any given location.

When confronted with such threats, free nations look to their military, their law enforcement personnel, and above all else, they look to the rule of law.

A commitment to the rule of law separates free nations from dictatorships. It separates democracies from corrupt and dangerous regimes. It is what binds people together under common values, shared principles and an agreed framework to live in peace.

Israel has a right to live in peace. It has a right, under law, to protect itself and to defend its people from attack. This is not only what the law allows, it is what the people are entitled to. Much of the United Nations Charter, in fact, is based on the inherent right to self-defense.

That is why the recent International Court of Justice, ICJ, advisory opinion on the security fence is so wrong, and why it sets a very dangerous precedent. It is yet another low point for this court and for the UN.

The ICJ declared itself ``not convinced'' that the barrier Israel is building is a security necessity. I suppose such judgments are easy to make when sitting in the opulence of the Hague some 2,000 miles away. Let the judges live along the Israeli border to the West Bank for some time, and then let them call the fence unnecessary.

Beyond the wrongness of the opinion, the court should never have taken the case to begin with.

The ICJ had no business interfering in the security of a sovereign nation. Israel's democratic institutions and its commitment to the rule of law make it more than able to handle issues arising from the construction of the fence without interference from the ICJ.

Israel's supreme court, for example, ruled that a segment of the security fence must be re-routed to reduce the impact on the Palestinian population, even though the judges noted that ``in the short term, this judgment will not make the state's struggle against those rising up against it any easier.''

This is what democratic nations do; they act in accordance to the law. They make outside interference by the ICJ not only unwelcome and unnecessary, but even dangerous.

Although the ICJ opinion is non-binding, it could lead to the introduction of anti-Israel measures at the UN and strengthen attempts to isolate Israel.

This is why some 40 nations, including the United States, submitted briefs to the ICJ objecting to the court's consideration of the case.

This is why I, along with 78 other Senators, wrote the UN Secretary General, calling upon him to reject the ICJ's interference with Israel's right to self defense.

Unfortunately, the UN's action and the ICJ's opinion is another in a long line of anti-Israel positions they have taken. There have been some 400 anti-Israel Resolutions passed at the UN since 1964, while the terrorist atrocities committed against the Jewish people have never been investigated by the UN.

This is wrong, and it is an assault against Israeli sovereignty and its legal systems.

Israel's allies must continue to speak out against this wrong-headed action by the ICJ. This is why Senate has introduced and I have co- sponsored another bi-partisan resolution condemning the recent ICJ decision on the legality of Israel's security fence and urging no further action by the UN to delay or prevent the fence's construction.

We need to pass that resolution, keep the pressure on the UN, and continue to protect Israel's right to self defense. The law authorizes it, and the people of the region deserve it.

Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate Reverend Marion Daniel Bennett, Sr., on his recent retirement as pastor of the Zion United Methodist Church. It pleases me to be able to speak today of Rev. Bennett's tremendous contributions to Nevada's spiritual, civic, and political life.

Reverend Bennett's dedicated service and inspired leadership of the Zion United Methodist Church in Las Vegas has spanned over four decades. During his tenure, he oversaw the relocation of the Church to its current West Las Vegas site, and spearheaded the development of a much-needed day care center in the community.

Reverend Bennett's commitment to public service, however, has extended well beyond his West Las Vegas congregation. As president of the Las Vegas Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People from 1963-1967 and 1971-1973, Rev. Bennett was among the foremost leaders in the struggle for civil rights in Nevada. He has continued to remain active in the Las Vegas NAACP as an executive board member for the past 30 years.

Reverend Bennett also served as a member of the Nevada State Assembly for 10 years. As chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee, he worked hard to ensure that the State's health care and social welfare services kept pace with Nevada's dramatic growth and development. In doing so, Reverend Bennett helped expand the opportunities available to Nevadans and improve the quality of life in the Silver State.

His lifetime of service to his church and community has been recognized by many organizations including the University of Nevada, which conferred upon him its Distinguished Nevadan Award.

I also want all within the sound of my voice to understand the quality of friend Reverend Bennett has been to me. The quality has been the best, for which I will always be grateful.

In short, Reverend Bennett has led a distinguished career and life. Please join me in congratulating him on his recent retirement from the Zion United Methodist Church, and wishing him health and happiness in the future.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Death Valley National Park Administrative and Visitor Facilities Act of 2004.

This is a simple common sense bill. It allows the Death Valley National Park to accept a donation of about 15 acres of land and buildings near Beatty, NV.

This small parcel of land and the buildings on it will be used by the park as a maintenance and administrative station. These facilities are needed to consolidate and improve maintenance operations and other administrative functions of the park.

The station would be donated by the Barrick Gold Corporation to the Park Service at no cost and is superior to the Park Service's current facilities in the area. This is an easy way for us to improve maintenance and administrative functions at Death Valley National park at absolutely no cost to the government. This legislation has long been advocated by Nye County and would benefit the nearby community of Beatty, NV.

The current owners have already completed a Phase One Environmental Assessment that concluded there were no ``hazardous substances'' or ``pollutant or contaminants'' associated with the land parcels or the structures. We should take advantage of this opportunity to improve park operations while we can.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation as an easy, efficient way to improve one of America's great national parks.

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

Mr. President, there are still small towns in America where the citizens wait for a doctor to make rounds, a mail truck to drop off the mail. These families have elected to stay in their communities despite all the obstacles, and they deserve an opportunity to enjoy a good quality of life.

But sometimes, the challenges of living in rural America can be overwhelming--especially as they relate to identifying and securing Federal education funding.

There are hundreds of Federal education grants that currently provide an array of support for local education agencies: literacy programs, English learner's programs, after school programs--just to name a few.

Most of the time these Federal dollars and grants end up going to larger urban school districts, not to the little rural ones. One reason is because rural school districts simply don't have the resources needed to write the grant applications or oversee the program.

Or perhaps rural educators don't even realize they are qualified to apply for a particular grant, or they don't have the infrastructure needed to support the initiative.

Many years ago when I attended school in Searchlight, we had one teacher who taught grades 1 through 8. There are still schools in Nevada where this is the case.

I walked to school, and when it was time for high school I hitched a ride into a town 40 miles away and had to stay with a family during the week. That was the transportation system in rural America back then: walk or hitchhike.

Now we have school buses. But many rural areas are operating outdated, unsafe school buses that are driven until they finally can't pass inspection any longer. The skyrocketing gas prices of the past seven months have only made the problem worse.

These local education agencies are strapped. They can't afford to buy newer, safer buses. I was astonished to learn that the school buses in some rural Nevada counties travel a combined 1 million miles in a school year.

The superintendents in my State asked me for help. They identified their need for school buses, and I want to help.

I am introducing legislation today that will help rural school districts transport children to school in a way that is safe, affordable and environmentally sound.

The ``Bus Utility and Safety in School Transportation Opportunity and Purchasing Act of 2004''--or BUS STOP--authorizes the Federal Government to provide $50,000,000 in grants on a competitive basis to rural local educational agencies seeking Federal share assistance to purchase school buses. The Federal share will be 75 percent.

Each applicant must provide documentation that at least 50 percent of their school buses are in need of repair or replacement; the total mileage each bus traveled in the most recent school year; documentation that the applicant is operating with a depleted fleet; and assurance that the school system will pay the local share for the purchase of new school buses.

In an effort to promote clean air, the Environmental Protection Agency has already established a cost-share grant program that will help local school systems replace old school buses, install pollution control devices, and eliminate unnecessary idling.

The EPA is seeking to improve air quality by encouraging large school districts to voluntarily cut emissions. The EPA awarded $5 million in grants to 20 school districts last month and $5 million to 17 school districts last year.

Unfortunately this is an example of a program that my rural counties didn't apply for because they don't have the infrastructure in place to support clean buses. However, working in the spirit of clean air and healthy children, rural school districts can buy newer buses that are better for our air, and safer for our children.

My office has already received phone calls from the education departments from other states. They want to know if the rumor is true: is there finally going to be legislation to help us purchase school buses?

The answer is yes.

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

Mr. President, I rise today with my good friend Senator Sununu to cosponsor the Presidential One Dollar Coin Act of 2004. When enacted, this measure will provide a valuable educational tool to help children and adults alike learn about our presidents, will lead to substantial savings for consumers, and earn billions of dollars for the government.

Let me begin by describing in detail how the program established by this legislation will work. Beginning in 2006, four presidents would be honored each year on dollar coins in the order of service, with their name, dates of service, and a number indicating the order in which they served on the front of the coin.

The Statute of Liberty will appear on the reverse side of the coin, while the date and mintmark will appear on the edge of the coin, leaving room for dramatic images on the faces.

The bill also continues the tradition that no image of a living president appear on coins and also seeks to address the several barriers to circulation that have in the past hindered more widespread use of the dollar coin.

The educational benefits of this program are clear. We all know that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, but how many know the dates of his presidential service to our country? Those were momentous years for our young nation, and this program will put that kind of information in the pockets of every consumer and in the hands of every school child in the nation.

This bill also will provide financial benefits to consumers and the government. The cost of counting and handling change is much lower than that of counting and handling currency. The widespread availability and use of a dollar coin will help lower costs for consumers in sectors of the economy that rely on regular low-dollar-value transactions, such as vending machines and transit systems.

The Department of Treasury also estimates that the dollar coin, if in full circulation, would create as much as $500 million each year for the government. This money, which goes directly to the general fund, arises from the difference between the costs of making the coin and the amount of worth it carries in commerce. While this amount varies depending on a number of factors, for the Golden Dollar, it averages about $0.80 for each coin.

It should be noted that the Department of Treasury estimated that the 50 State Quarter Program would produce $2.6 billion to $5 billion in revenues for the government; halfway through, the program already has earned more than $4 billion.

The second part of this bill would establish a program to honor presidential First Spouses with a nearly pure gold coin. Each coin would bear the likeness of a presidential spouse on one side and an image symbolic of the spouse's works or interests on the other. In the five cases in which presidents had no spouse during their term of office, the measure provides for an image of ``Liberty'' as was used on a coin during the president's term, with the reverse having an image related to the period of the president's term. I believe the presidential spouse program will build on the benefits-- both educational and financial--of the presidential series.

Finally, my bill directs the U.S. Mint to produce a new, one-ounce, pure gold bullion coin with the famous image of the ``Indian Head'' or ``Buffalo'' nickel. This fine looking coin is so well known and popular that when it was struck as a silver dollar to help finance the National Museum of the American Indian, all 500,000 were snapped up by consumers and collectors in just two weeks.

While other countries have made coins like these, the Mint has never made a pure gold coin for investors and collectors, and I believe it is time to do so. Not only will these coins increase investment opportunities, they will produce earnings for the government. As my home state of Nevada is a principle gold producing state in the nation, it will also create jobs for my constituents.

I conclude my statement by addressing an important issue that relates to this proposal. I understand that there are those in this body and elsewhere who do not wish to see the image of Sacagawea, which is now on the dollar coin, removed for any reason. It is their view that to do so shows disrespect to her and to all Native Americans. I share their commitment to honoring the memory of Sacagawea, which is why my bill provides for the continued release of Sacagawea dollar coins throughout the Presidential coin program and beyond. Furthermore, I believe this program will actually honor Sacagawea by ensuring that the dollar coin with her image and the images of U.S. Presidents is widely circulated and used by all Americans.

Mr. President, I look forward to working with the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the rest of my colleagues to ensure this measure's review and passage.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Death Valley National Park Administrative and Visitor Facilities Act of 2004.

This is a simple common sense bill. It allows the Death Valley National Park to accept a donation of about 15 acres of land and buildings near Beatty, NV.

This small parcel of land and the buildings on it will be used by the park as a maintenance and administrative station. These facilities are needed to consolidate and improve maintenance operations and other administrative functions of the park.

The station would be donated by the Barrick Gold Corporation to the Park Service at no cost and is superior to the Park Service's current facilities in the area. This is an easy way for us to improve maintenance and administrative functions at Death Valley National park at absolutely no cost to the government. This legislation has long been advocated by Nye County and would benefit the nearby community of Beatty, NV.

The current owners have already completed a Phase One Environmental Assessment that concluded there were no ``hazardous substances'' or ``pollutant or contaminants'' associated with the land parcels or the structures. We should take advantage of this opportunity to improve park operations while we can.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation as an easy, efficient way to improve one of America's great national parks.

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

Mr. President, there are still small towns in America where the citizens wait for a doctor to make rounds, a mail truck to drop off the mail. These families have elected to stay in their communities despite all the obstacles, and they deserve an opportunity to enjoy a good quality of life.

But sometimes, the challenges of living in rural America can be overwhelming--especially as they relate to identifying and securing Federal education funding.

There are hundreds of Federal education grants that currently provide an array of support for local education agencies: literacy programs, English learner's programs, after school programs--just to name a few.

Most of the time these Federal dollars and grants end up going to larger urban school districts, not to the little rural ones. One reason is because rural school districts simply don't have the resources needed to write the grant applications or oversee the program.

Or perhaps rural educators don't even realize they are qualified to apply for a particular grant, or they don't have the infrastructure needed to support the initiative.

Many years ago when I attended school in Searchlight, we had one teacher who taught grades 1 through 8. There are still schools in Nevada where this is the case.

I walked to school, and when it was time for high school I hitched a ride into a town 40 miles away and had to stay with a family during the week. That was the transportation system in rural America back then: walk or hitchhike.

Now we have school buses. But many rural areas are operating outdated, unsafe school buses that are driven until they finally can't pass inspection any longer. The skyrocketing gas prices of the past seven months have only made the problem worse.

These local education agencies are strapped. They can't afford to buy newer, safer buses. I was astonished to learn that the school buses in some rural Nevada counties travel a combined 1 million miles in a school year.

The superintendents in my State asked me for help. They identified their need for school buses, and I want to help.

I am introducing legislation today that will help rural school districts transport children to school in a way that is safe, affordable and environmentally sound.

The ``Bus Utility and Safety in School Transportation Opportunity and Purchasing Act of 2004''--or BUS STOP--authorizes the Federal Government to provide $50,000,000 in grants on a competitive basis to rural local educational agencies seeking Federal share assistance to purchase school buses. The Federal share will be 75 percent.

Each applicant must provide documentation that at least 50 percent of their school buses are in need of repair or replacement; the total mileage each bus traveled in the most recent school year; documentation that the applicant is operating with a depleted fleet; and assurance that the school system will pay the local share for the purchase of new school buses.

In an effort to promote clean air, the Environmental Protection Agency has already established a cost-share grant program that will help local school systems replace old school buses, install pollution control devices, and eliminate unnecessary idling.

The EPA is seeking to improve air quality by encouraging large school districts to voluntarily cut emissions. The EPA awarded $5 million in grants to 20 school districts last month and $5 million to 17 school districts last year.

Unfortunately this is an example of a program that my rural counties didn't apply for because they don't have the infrastructure in place to support clean buses. However, working in the spirit of clean air and healthy children, rural school districts can buy newer buses that are better for our air, and safer for our children.

My office has already received phone calls from the education departments from other states. They want to know if the rumor is true: is there finally going to be legislation to help us purchase school buses?

The answer is yes.

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

Mr. President, I rise today with my good friend Senator Sununu to cosponsor the Presidential One Dollar Coin Act of 2004. When enacted, this measure will provide a valuable educational tool to help children and adults alike learn about our presidents, will lead to substantial savings for consumers, and earn billions of dollars for the government.

Let me begin by describing in detail how the program established by this legislation will work. Beginning in 2006, four presidents would be honored each year on dollar coins in the order of service, with their name, dates of service, and a number indicating the order in which they served on the front of the coin.

The Statute of Liberty will appear on the reverse side of the coin, while the date and mintmark will appear on the edge of the coin, leaving room for dramatic images on the faces.

The bill also continues the tradition that no image of a living president appear on coins and also seeks to address the several barriers to circulation that have in the past hindered more widespread use of the dollar coin.

The educational benefits of this program are clear. We all know that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, but how many know the dates of his presidential service to our country? Those were momentous years for our young nation, and this program will put that kind of information in the pockets of every consumer and in the hands of every school child in the nation.

This bill also will provide financial benefits to consumers and the government. The cost of counting and handling change is much lower than that of counting and handling currency. The widespread availability and use of a dollar coin will help lower costs for consumers in sectors of the economy that rely on regular low-dollar-value transactions, such as vending machines and transit systems.

The Department of Treasury also estimates that the dollar coin, if in full circulation, would create as much as $500 million each year for the government. This money, which goes directly to the general fund, arises from the difference between the costs of making the coin and the amount of worth it carries in commerce. While this amount varies depending on a number of factors, for the Golden Dollar, it averages about $0.80 for each coin.

It should be noted that the Department of Treasury estimated that the 50 State Quarter Program would produce $2.6 billion to $5 billion in revenues for the government; halfway through, the program already has earned more than $4 billion.

The second part of this bill would establish a program to honor presidential First Spouses with a nearly pure gold coin. Each coin would bear the likeness of a presidential spouse on one side and an image symbolic of the spouse's works or interests on the other. In the five cases in which presidents had no spouse during their term of office, the measure provides for an image of ``Liberty'' as was used on a coin during the president's term, with the reverse having an image related to the period of the president's term. I believe the presidential spouse program will build on the benefits-- both educational and financial--of the presidential series.

Finally, my bill directs the U.S. Mint to produce a new, one-ounce, pure gold bullion coin with the famous image of the ``Indian Head'' or ``Buffalo'' nickel. This fine looking coin is so well known and popular that when it was struck as a silver dollar to help finance the National Museum of the American Indian, all 500,000 were snapped up by consumers and collectors in just two weeks.

While other countries have made coins like these, the Mint has never made a pure gold coin for investors and collectors, and I believe it is time to do so. Not only will these coins increase investment opportunities, they will produce earnings for the government. As my home state of Nevada is a principle gold producing state in the nation, it will also create jobs for my constituents.

I conclude my statement by addressing an important issue that relates to this proposal. I understand that there are those in this body and elsewhere who do not wish to see the image of Sacagawea, which is now on the dollar coin, removed for any reason. It is their view that to do so shows disrespect to her and to all Native Americans. I share their commitment to honoring the memory of Sacagawea, which is why my bill provides for the continued release of Sacagawea dollar coins throughout the Presidential coin program and beyond. Furthermore, I believe this program will actually honor Sacagawea by ensuring that the dollar coin with her image and the images of U.S. Presidents is widely circulated and used by all Americans.

Mr. President, I look forward to working with the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the rest of my colleagues to ensure this measure's review and passage.

Mr. President, I will speak very briefly. People watching sometimes wonder what is going on in the quorum call. This is hours' worth of quorum call right here. It took only 20 seconds to read it. It is one reason we have the quorum calls.

No objection.

No objection.

Mr. President, I briefly say it should be noted in the Executive Calendar we just approved there is not a single member of the minority in this. We have tried to show our good faith. We have received the assurance of the majority leader and others in the administration that we will work to release some of the people we want through, people nominated by Senator Daschle. We are going to work to try to do a good job as soon as we get back.

I want the record also to reflect that Admiral Stone was approved tonight, with the Transportation Security Agency. That simply would not have happened but for the good work of Senator Ensign who worked very hard on that, working to get this man's name

cleared. But for him, that would not have been done tonight.

Mr. President, will the distinguished majority leader allow me to call a quorum?

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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