Floor Statements

Mr. President, I pay tribute and congratulate Mrs. Lillian S. Robinson of Mt. Sterling, KY on her selection as a 2003 Experience Works Time Award honoree.

Mrs. Robinson was nominated for this award for her dedication to the educationm of the children of Kentucky. A youthful 83, she serves as the assistant director of the Community Education Program in Montgomery County, where she organizes volunteer programs including Pee Wee Basketball, the Cookie Candy Club and Parent-Child Tea.

The citizens of Kentucky are fortunate to have the leadership of Mrs. Robinson. Her example of dedication, hard work and compassion should be an inspiration to all throughout the Commonwealth.

Congratulations, Mrs. Robinson for receiving the 2003 Outstanding Older Workers award. You have my most sincere appreciation for your work and I look forward to your continued service to your of our Commonwealth.

Mr. President, I pay tribute and congratulate the members of the Frenchburg Job Corps of Mariba, KY on their ``Make A Difference Day'' program.

The Frenchburg Jobs Corps conducted a wide-ranging program of community service in Northern Kentucky. From cleaning parks to building handicap accessible ramps to visiting the elderly, these Kentuckians truly made a difference on October 24, 2003.

The citizens of Kentucky are fortunate to have the leadership of the Frenchburg Job Corps. Their example of dedication, hard work, and compassion should be an inspiration to all throughout the Commonwealth.

They have my most sincere appreciation for this work, and I look forward to their continued service to Kentucky.

Mr. President, I pay tribute to Mary Alice Zettel of Bardstown, KY, on being recognized as one of the Nation's top principals in the 2003 National Distinguished Principal Program by the U.S. Department of Education.

The annual National Distinguished Principals Program was established in 1984 to honor elementary and middle school principals who set high standards for the pace, character, and quality of the education their students receive.

Ms. Zettel, a principal at Holy Trinity Parish School in Louisville, KY, has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for her tireless work in exhibiting excellence at Holy Trinity Parish School and has made outstanding contributions to the Louisville community. It has been said when entering Holy Trinity Parish School you will hear Ms. Zettel's laughter and happiness throughout its hallways. Ms. Zettel sets an example of excellence for the rest of the faculty, and the faculty follows that example, and she inspires her students to achieve academically and contribute to the community.

I now ask my fellow colleagues to join me in thanking Mary Alice Zettel for her dedication and commitment to the education of America's future. In order for our society to continue to advance in the right direction, we must have principals like Mary Alice Zettel in our schools and communities.

Mr. President, I am pleased the Senate has agreed to pass S. Con. Res. 21, the Direct Support Professional Recognition Resolution. Earlier this year, I introduced this bipartisan resolution with Senator Lincoln. This resolution recognizes the importance of direct support professionals who are responsible for helping those with mental retardation and disabilities integrate into and excel in communities across the nation.

These professionals provide a wide range of supportive services to their clients on a daily basis, including habitation, health needs, personal care and hygiene, employment, transportation, recreation, housekeeping and other home management-related supports and services so that these individuals can live and work in their communities. These jobs are demanding both physically and emotionally, and these direct support professionals should be commended for the important work they do. This resolution and action by the Senate recognizes just how important they are to others in need.

The recruitment and retention of quality, trained direct support workers is critical to providing high-quality support and services to disabled individuals. Unfortunately, there is a crisis in the direct support field, particularly in finding and keeping quality direct support workers. In fact, the annual turnover rates of direct support workers range from 40 percent and 75 percent.

Several factors have contributed to this crisis, including a tightened labor market, growing demand for community-based care, and legal decisions supporting community integration. Unfortunately, many parents who rely on direct support professionals to help care for with disabled child in the community are becoming concerned that these professionals may not be available in the future. No parent should be faced with these types of worries.

This resolution draws much-needed attention to the problems surrounding the long-term care infrastructure for individuals with developmental disabilities who live in their communities. The resolution calls on the Federal and State governments to make it a priority to promote a quality, stable direct support workforce that advances this nation's commitment to community integration for individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities.

Without well-trained and quality direct support professionals, many disabled individuals may find living in the community more difficult. We shouldn't let that happen, and I hope this resolution can help focus Congress's and the Nation's attention on this important matter.

I am grateful for the Senate's passage of this resolution and its concern for our direct support professionals and those individuals they care for.

Madam President, today I come to the floor with joy in my heart knowing we will finally put an end to the death of unborn children through partial-birth abortions. I am joyful that our efforts will not go in vain this year because President Bush is eager to sign this bill.

But my heart is also heavy knowing that this procedure has gone on too long. Too many children have died in this horrific way. The vast majority of Congress has been trying for the better part of a decade to ban partial-birth abortions but has been stymied by President Clinton and the current minority party in the Senate. I am glad the days of obstruction and vetoes have come to an end and this bill will become law.

I can think of no more clear-cut case between right and wrong. All one needs to know is a description of the process to understand how wrong partial-birth abortions are. First, an abortionist induces dilation of the mother so the baby can be almost fully delivered. Next, the baby is delivered to the point that only its head remains inside the mother. Third, the child is stabbed in the back of the skull with scissors or some other sharp object. Finally, a tube is used to suck the child's brains out of the hole left by the stabbing.

There is no gray area or middle ground when it comes to this procedure and there are no justifications for it. The child is delivered to within inches of breathing its first breath. If the doctor lets the head of the baby slip just an inch or two, the child would be born and the doctor would be prosecuted for murder. Nevertheless, some abortion supporters cannot see through the fog of their fervor to realize just how wrong that is.

I do not mean to suggest that there is widespread support for partial-birth abortions. There is not. The vast majority of the American people want the procedure to end. Congress has voted overwhelmingly many times in the last few years to enact a ban like the one before the Senate today. Most doctors oppose the procedure including quite a few who perform other forms of abortion.

There is no evidence that this procedure is ever necessary to preserve the health of the mother. In fact, it is quite dangerous. Babies being killed in this manner can feel the pain of its skull being pierced and have been seen

writhing in pain, flailing tiny arms and legs until its skull collapses after its brains have been vacuumed out. I do not understand how anyone can believe this should go on.

Doctors and medical researchers have made great progress in fetal health care. Babies can be operated on while still in the womb. Premature babies can survive outside their mother at younger and younger ages. With those and other advancements Americans are continually placing a greater value of life. By passing this law Congress will further advance the cause of life and send an unmistakable message that ours is a just society that values every human being and believes in the sanctity of life.

I look forward to President Bush signing this bill into law. I am proud of his support of this bill and for life.

Mr. President, I pay tribute to the Fern Creek Quilt Lovers for the charity and goodwill they have demonstrated to ailing children in Kentucky.

The Fern Creek Quilt Lovers, which is a group of approximately a dozen members, has been meeting for several years at the home of one of the members for ``quilt work day.'' The group sews in the morning, breaks for lunch, and then returns to the quilting work in the afternoon. This work has rendered over 500 quilts in the past several years, each of which has been donated to Kosair Children's Hospital.

Kosair Children's Hospital, a hospital in Louisville, KY, is home to many critically ill children. The most severely ill of these children in Kosair Children's Hospital each receive a quilt as a gift of love and compassion. Often, as the Fern Creek Quilt Lovers hope, these quilts provide more than just warmth and comfort to these children, but hope as well.

I am grateful to the Senate to allow me to honor and recognize the Fern Creek Quilt Lovers today. I appreciate their loyalty to Kentucky and their community. They have been a shining example of leadership, hard work, and compassion. They are an inspiration to all throughout the Commonwealth. Congratulations, Fern Creek Quilt Lovers. You are Kentucky at its finest.

Mr. President, I rise today in the Senate to honor and pay tribute to Charleen Combs and Bob Harris for each being named the Kentucky Small Business Person of the Year.

Almost 20 years ago, Charleen Combs and Bob Harris found themselves in a quandary. Their employer had been sold and was downsizing, but Charleen and Bob used this setback as a catalyst to strike out independently and started planning the formation for their own software development company. In Harlan, KY in 1983, Charleen and Bob established Data Futures Inc. Today, it has carved its own sizable niche, producing and providing administrative software to K-12 school districts and health care facilities throughout Kentucky and other states.

Data Futures is an outstanding example of how two Kentuckians used their entrepreneurial talent, drive and vision to create opportunities not just for themselves, but for others. What began as a humble home- based computer services business almost 20 years ago is now a leading developer of management systems software for school districts in at least seven States.

Eastern Kentucky is fortunate to have Data Future as a home-based business. But more importantly, it is fortunate to have Charleen and Bob call Eastern Kentucky home. I appreciate their loyalty to Kentucky and their community. They have been a shining example of leadership, hard work, and compassion. They are an inspiration to all throughout the Commonwealth. Congratulations, Charleen and Bob. You are Kentucky at its finest.

Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to Dr. Adewale Troutman. Dr. Troutman was recently appointed to the position of Louisville Metro Health Director. Dr. Troutman, who formerly served as head of the health department in Fulton, GA, will also serve Kentucky as a faculty member of the University of Louisville's School of Public Health.

Dr. Troutman hails from New York City's South Bronx and has considerable health care experience in both the United States and Nigeria. In addition to serving as head of the health department in Fulton, GA, he has also served as a senior scientist at Morehouse University College of Medicine with former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher.

Dr. Troutman brings vision and leadership to a position that will influence the well-being and livelihoods of many Kentuckians. Some of the issues Dr. Troutman endeavors to undertake include access to health care for the uninsured and the disparity in health services based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

I am pleased to honor Dr. Troutman as a new addition to Kentucky's health care leadership. We are fortunate to have his direction and look forward to the considerable progress his tenure and administration promises to produce. I thank the Senate for allowing me to pay tribute to our newest Kentuckian.

Mr. President, the Commonwealth of Kentucky lost one of its greatest statesman on October 14, 2003. Former Gov. Ned Breathitt left us last night and is on his way to a better place.

Governor Breathitt left a great imprint on Kentucky's history and his bloodline ran deep in Kentucky's heritage. There is even a Breathitt County which is named after his distant uncle who was also a Governor of Kentucky.

Kentuckians elected Ned Breathitt as their Governor in 1963. He served until 1967 with great leadership and accomplishment. The 1960s were somewhat and sometimes tumultuous for the South. Governor Breathitt's progressive politics and compassion for all enabled him to be one of the true civil rights leaders in Kentucky. With conviction and purpose, he fought racial discrimination and ushered in a lasting equality for Kentuckians.

Governor Breathitt also worked tirelessly to help improve our schools and education system in Kentucky. He truly believed that Kentucky's pride and best assets were its citizens. This led him to create and implement the community college system under the University of Kentucky, and to this day it is one of the best systems around. Besides wanting to ensure Kentuckians a strong education, he also was deeply concerned about their health and environment. This led him to help strengthen our conversation and environmental laws, and ensuring that our pristine treasures and waters were protected and preserved for generations to come.

But aside from him being my Governor, he was also my friend. Whan I first arrived in Congress in 1987, Ned and his wife Lucy were living in Washington, DC. They welcomed my wife Mary and me with open arms. We were newcomers to the area and Ned and Lucy had moved out a few years before we did. We became good friends. We played bridge together, dined out and socialized together. We all laughed a lot. Mary and I enjoyed their company so much.

Our prayers and thoughts go out to Lucy and her family. We all know it is

difficult to lose a loved one. But Lucy is strong. I know she is left with the comfort that Ned is in a better place, that his life was extraordinary in the way it touched others, and that he loved her and their family and Kentucky so dearly. Ned Breathitt was as good as they come. He was Kentucky at its best.

Mr. President, I rise to raise a few points on the war on terror and offer my support for the President's supplemental request.

First, I am compelled to address the latest round of attacks against the President's request to fund our Armed Forces and rebuilding efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

We are at war. We may not have tens of thousands of soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy. There are no forces with tanks positioned against a potential Soviet advance into Europe.

But let there be no misunderstanding. The war against terror is every bit as important as our fight against fascism in World War II. Or our struggle against the spread of communism during the cold war.

I have full confidence that Kentuckians and the American people realize this. But sometimes I wonder if some of my colleagues do, because appeasement in this war is not an option.

Over the past decade, we have seen the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, 19 American soldiers dead in the bombing of the Kohbar Towers, and two U.S. Embassies in Africa blown up in 1996, and the bombing of the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen in 2000.

And then, instead of facing the threat of Islamic radicalism, we virtually looked the other way, and sent American forces as peacekeepers elsewhere into places like Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo.

We still have thousands of American peacekeepers in Bosnia and Kosovo. And these roles should be played by European forces who refuse to get serious about cleaning up their own backyard.

During the 1990s, the Western world was riding high as the cold war ended. Millions of people around the world found their first taste of freedom. Anti-American rhetoric was a mere fraction of what it is today. The global economy was humming along quite nicely.

However, some in the world digressed as we progressed. The Taliban came to power in Afghanistan with its brutal regime over the Afghan people. Afghan girls were kept out of school.

The regime executed political and religious dissidents. And al-Qaida established training camps freely under the Taliban government.

Saddam Hussein never accounted for his weapons of mass destruction programs. He kicked out the UN weapons inspectors. He defied UN resolutions. He made payments to families of suicide bombers. Mass graves were filled with bodies. He was a destabilizing threat.

And we let our guard down.

We all know what happened next-- 9/11. And that day changed everything. President Bush and Members of Congress from both parties vowed never again to let our guard down. We vowed to protect the American people at all costs. And the war on terror began.

Difficult times require difficult decisions, but supporting this bill shouldn't be a difficult decision.

Let's show our resolve with our commitment to finish this war on terror. Passing this supplemental will help get us closer.

We cannot pull back out of Iraq now, and should a vote come up in the Senate to pull our support out of Iraq, it would fail overwhelmingly.

Contrary to what opponents say, the war in Iraq is neither a ``fraud,'' a ``quagmire,'' nor a ``miserable failure.''

This would suggest that our troops sent to liberate Iraq and fight terrorism have died in vain. Nothing could be further from the truth.

From watching the news, one would think the Iraqis want us out of their country. But an overwhelming majority of Iraqis support our involvement there. Our freedom is contagious and we helped liberate them.

Much progress has been made in relatively little time. American troops stayed in Germany for 4 years and Japan for 7. We are still in Bosnia and Kosovo. We can't expect democracy overnight.

Saddam invested in palaces and terror and not his economic infrastructure. Many Iraqis had to wait until Saddam was gone to find their loved ones in one of his mass graves.

It is now time to ensure that the days of mass graves in Iraq ends.

Our military forces deserve quick Congressional action on this bill.

I have been following the 101st Airborne in Iraq. They are based at Fort

Campbell, KY. Just this week, the commanding general of the 101st, General Petraeus, told me that over in Iraq ``money is ammunition. It's the key to all we are doing.''

The 101st is doing some great work in northern Iraq. Besides killing Saddam's two sons and accepting the surrender of Saddam's Defense Minister, the 101st has worked on over 3,200 projects in the rebuilding of Iraq. These range from repairing schools to repairing oil refineries. They are doing truly remarkable work along with all our forces.

Some in Congress believe we should make the rebuilding funds a loan and not a grant. I oppose this approach.

While Iraq certainly has the resources to become a wealthy country, its revenue from oil should be used to invest in its own future, not to pay off old debts incurred under Saddam or be burdened with the debts of a loan as it tries to transition to a free economy.

And besides, there is no established Iraq government to transfer a loan to.

I find great irony in the arguments of some who oppose the war. Many argued this war was all about the President's desire for oil.

Now many of these same people say we should use Iraqi oil to repay our Government. And President Bush is leading the charge on allowing Iraqis to keep their oil revenues for themselves.

Planning for an Iraqi oil fund is now in the works. It will give Iraqis a stake in the future of their country for the first time. Funds would go to public goods, such as national defense, education, and infrastructure.

This is the type of approach Iraq needs. We need to give the Iraqi people a hand up and not keep their heads down with debt.

If we don't act swiftly on this bill and terrorism prevails in this war, then we risk having to fight this war on America's turf. And that is why it is so vital to defeat the enemy on its turf as opposed to allowing them to regroup and hit us at home as they did on 9/11.

I don't like getting casualty notifications on soldiers, especially soldiers in my State, and I don't like it for anybody's state. No Senator likes seeing them. It is difficult.

We all feel for the families and friends of the brave soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know what it is like for those with loved ones still there. My wife and I felt the same way when our son Bill served in Operation Desert Storm and later in Afghanistan.

But we must remember that our cause is just and that we are on the right side of history.

We must remember that the war on terror may continue for some time. I am going to repeat that because I want the American people to understand that the war on terror may continue for some time. I acknowledge that this is a difficult point for many Americans to grasp. Indeed, it is difficult for many of us.

This is why it is time for us to move swiftly on this bill to protect our troops and help rebuild both countries. This bill is an investment in not just Iraq and Afghanistan, but it is an investment in our security, freedom, and future.

I thank the Chair and I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Realistic Roofing Tax Treatment Act of 2003 which would amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide a more realistic depreciation schedule for commercial roofs.

In 1981, Congress eliminated component depreciation and put into place a general depreciation period of 15 years for all building components. In 1993, the recovery period for nonresidential property was extended to 39 years in order to raise revenue. The current 39-year depreciation period is not a realistic measure of the average life span of a commercial roof. It is a disincentive for building owners to replace non-performing roofs, because replacing failing roofs more frequently than 39 years means carrying the burden of roofs that no longer exist on the books.

A study by Ducker Worldwide, a leading industrial research firm, found the current aggregate commercial roof life span is 17.45 years. Ducker estimates that a shortened depreciation schedule will stimulate economic activity and generate 30,000 new jobs in a two-year period. I am particularly concerned that we help America's manufacturers and this legislation will provide them immediate tax relief. It will also provide relief to America's small businesses, which find it more difficult to absorb the impact of capital improvement expenditures than larger entities.

Congressman Foley will shortly be introducing similar legislation in the House of Representatives. I am pleased that this proposal has the support of the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers, and I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation when it comes before the Senate.

Mr. President, today, I am pleased to introduce a bill that will address an issue of inequity in the U.S. Tax Code. Current tax law requires that certain production expenses of a product for sale by a manufacturer be capitalized into the inventory cost of that product. One such expense is the allocable portion of interest expenses that are attributable to equipment used in that production. However, this capitalization requirement only applies when the product being produced has a production period in excess of 2 years.

The bill I am introducing today will clarify that, for the production of distilled spirits, the production period for purposes of this capitalization rule includes only the distilling of the liquor--it does not include time that the liquors are naturally aged following the distillation.

This is an important clarification to insure that distilled spirits that are aged for long periods of time--in some cases many years--do not face adverse tax consequences merely due to this aging process. The clarification of this inequity will aid many small distilleries located in the United States by not forcing them to carry additional inventory costs over long periods of time.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. President, I would like the opportunity to talk for a few minutes with my colleague from Iowa about the important role of adoption and foster care. Today, I am proud to be supporting legislation that the Senator from Iowa is introducing to reauthorize the Adoption Incentive Program. This is an important program that encourages States to do all they can to find permanent homes for children in foster care.

I am pleased that we are continuing the bonuses for States that increase the number of adoptions each year, along with keeping the additional incentive for adoptions of special needs children and providing a new incentive for States to focus on the adoptions of older children.

I am proud to say that Kentucky has also done fairly well under the Adoption Incentive Program over the years, and I am glad we are continuing the program. From 1998 to 2001, Kentucky received $1.6 million adoption incentives. For 2002, the Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that my State will receive $204,000 in adoption incentives.

I am sure the Senator from Iowa will agree with me that we need to make it as easy as possible for loving families to either adopt or become foster parents for children in need. There is nothing more special than a family opening up their home to a child and providing a safe and supportive environment. This is why I have worked on adoption and foster care issues for so long in Congress.

In fact, last year I was pleased that one of my foster care initiatives was passed as part of the 2002 economic stimulus bill. Many families who take in foster care children receive stipends from the placement agency which helps pay for food, clothes and other expenses.

In the past, some of these stipends were tax-free for families, while others were taxable. I didn't feel that was fair, so my provision made all stipends that foster care families receive to be tax free. This provision corrected an inconsistency in the tax code that unfairly punished foster care families and the children for whom they care, and I was happy we could finally correct this problem.

I certainly agree with you that the adoption tax credits are good policy, and I am very familiar with them. In fact, back in 1996, I worked as a Member of the Ways and Means Committee to pass the original legislation providing for the tax credits to help families afford to adopt children. We finally got this credit passed as part of the Small Business Job Protection Act which passed over seven years ago. I was very supportive of the provisions in the 2001 tax bill to expand these credits, but would like to take them one step further.

Within the next couple of weeks, I will be introducing legislation to make these tax credits permanent. If we don't eliminate the sunset which was built into the tax bill, then the current maximum credit of $10,000 will be reduced back down to $5,000 in 2010. To me, this seems like a common-sense change that needs to be made.

I introduced a similar bill in the 107th Congress, and I am hopeful that we can get this bill passed before the end of the 108th Congress.

Finally, I would like to say a few words about the importance of promoting interracial adoptions. In the past, many times there were barriers to families adopting minority children. This isn't fair to the family or the child. That is why in 1996, I pushed for legislation stopping discrimination against minority children in order to make it easier for them to move from foster care into a loving, permanent home.

All of these initiatives are designed to help find permanent or temporary homes for our Nation's children. Today, we are taking another important step by reauthorizing the Adoption Incentive Program, and I hope that we can get this bill through the Senate and onto the President's desk soon.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Realistic Roofing Tax Treatment Act of 2003 which would amend the Internal Revenue Code to provide a more realistic depreciation schedule for commercial roofs.

In 1981, Congress eliminated component depreciation and put into place a general depreciation period of 15 years for all building components. In 1993, the recovery period for nonresidential property was extended to 39 years in order to raise revenue. The current 39-year depreciation period is not a realistic measure of the average life span of a commercial roof. It is a disincentive for building owners to replace non-performing roofs, because replacing failing roofs more frequently than 39 years means carrying the burden of roofs that no longer exist on the books.

A study by Ducker Worldwide, a leading industrial research firm, found the current aggregate commercial roof life span is 17.45 years. Ducker estimates that a shortened depreciation schedule will stimulate economic activity and generate 30,000 new jobs in a two-year period. I am particularly concerned that we help America's manufacturers and this legislation will provide them immediate tax relief. It will also provide relief to America's small businesses, which find it more difficult to absorb the impact of capital improvement expenditures than larger entities.

Congressman Foley will shortly be introducing similar legislation in the House of Representatives. I am pleased that this proposal has the support of the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers, and I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation when it comes before the Senate.

Mr. President, today, I am pleased to introduce a bill that will address an issue of inequity in the U.S. Tax Code. Current tax law requires that certain production expenses of a product for sale by a manufacturer be capitalized into the inventory cost of that product. One such expense is the allocable portion of interest expenses that are attributable to equipment used in that production. However, this capitalization requirement only applies when the product being produced has a production period in excess of 2 years.

The bill I am introducing today will clarify that, for the production of distilled spirits, the production period for purposes of this capitalization rule includes only the distilling of the liquor--it does not include time that the liquors are naturally aged following the distillation.

This is an important clarification to insure that distilled spirits that are aged for long periods of time--in some cases many years--do not face adverse tax consequences merely due to this aging process. The clarification of this inequity will aid many small distilleries located in the United States by not forcing them to carry additional inventory costs over long periods of time.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. President, I would like the opportunity to talk for a few minutes with my colleague from Iowa about the important role of adoption and foster care. Today, I am proud to be supporting legislation that the Senator from Iowa is introducing to reauthorize the Adoption Incentive Program. This is an important program that encourages States to do all they can to find permanent homes for children in foster care.

I am pleased that we are continuing the bonuses for States that increase the number of adoptions each year, along with keeping the additional incentive for adoptions of special needs children and providing a new incentive for States to focus on the adoptions of older children.

I am proud to say that Kentucky has also done fairly well under the Adoption Incentive Program over the years, and I am glad we are continuing the program. From 1998 to 2001, Kentucky received $1.6 million adoption incentives. For 2002, the Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that my State will receive $204,000 in adoption incentives.

I am sure the Senator from Iowa will agree with me that we need to make it as easy as possible for loving families to either adopt or become foster parents for children in need. There is nothing more special than a family opening up their home to a child and providing a safe and supportive environment. This is why I have worked on adoption and foster care issues for so long in Congress.

In fact, last year I was pleased that one of my foster care initiatives was passed as part of the 2002 economic stimulus bill. Many families who take in foster care children receive stipends from the placement agency which helps pay for food, clothes and other expenses.

In the past, some of these stipends were tax-free for families, while others were taxable. I didn't feel that was fair, so my provision made all stipends that foster care families receive to be tax free. This provision corrected an inconsistency in the tax code that unfairly punished foster care families and the children for whom they care, and I was happy we could finally correct this problem.

I certainly agree with you that the adoption tax credits are good policy, and I am very familiar with them. In fact, back in 1996, I worked as a Member of the Ways and Means Committee to pass the original legislation providing for the tax credits to help families afford to adopt children. We finally got this credit passed as part of the Small Business Job Protection Act which passed over seven years ago. I was very supportive of the provisions in the 2001 tax bill to expand these credits, but would like to take them one step further.

Within the next couple of weeks, I will be introducing legislation to make these tax credits permanent. If we don't eliminate the sunset which was built into the tax bill, then the current maximum credit of $10,000 will be reduced back down to $5,000 in 2010. To me, this seems like a common-sense change that needs to be made.

I introduced a similar bill in the 107th Congress, and I am hopeful that we can get this bill passed before the end of the 108th Congress.

Finally, I would like to say a few words about the importance of promoting interracial adoptions. In the past, many times there were barriers to families adopting minority children. This isn't fair to the family or the child. That is why in 1996, I pushed for legislation stopping discrimination against minority children in order to make it easier for them to move from foster care into a loving, permanent home.

All of these initiatives are designed to help find permanent or temporary homes for our Nation's children. Today, we are taking another important step by reauthorizing the Adoption Incentive Program, and I hope that we can get this bill through the Senate and onto the President's desk soon.

Mr. President, in June, the Federal Communications Commission, FCC, issued an order that modified its media ownership rules in accordance with the 1996 Telecommunications Act. The modified rules increased from 35 percent to 45 percent of households the cap governing broadcast network ownership. The new rules also make easier newspaper-broadcast cross ownership by largely lifting the ban prohibiting a newspaper from buying a TV or radio station in the same market.

S. J. Res. 17 would overturn all aspects of the FCC ruling. I do not believe the FCC ruling is without flaw, but a blanket negation of the rule-making is not an appropriate response. Though I am not in favor of the increased cap governing broadcast network ownership, I do support the modified newspaper-broadcast cross ownership rule. I believe the relaxed cross ownership ruling encourages a concordant relationship between newspapers and television stations that will offer a higher standard of quality in news content and reporting. This, in turn, reaps innumerable benefits for communities across America. As I believe the value of the modified cross ownership ruling usurps the potential dangers of the increased cap governing broadcast network ownership, I cannot support S. J. Res. 17.

To unequivocally vacate all aspects of the FCC ruling is to do a disservice to incalculable citizens across this country who will benefit from the modified newspaper-broadcast cross ownership rule. For the aforementioned reasons, I am voting ``no'' on S. J. Res. 17.