Floor Statements

Mr. President, from April 30 to May 2, 2005, more than 1,200 students from across the United States will visit Washington, D.C. to take part in the national finals of ``We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution,'' an educational program developed specifically to educate young people about the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Administered by the Center for Civic Education, the ``We the People'' program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education by an act of Congress.

I am proud to announce that, because of their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, the following students from West Warwick High School from the

city of West Warwick will represent the State of Rhode Island in this national event: Mikaela Condon, Ahmahd Elshanawany, Michela Fleury, Katelyn Grandchamp, Jaclyn Henry, Katelyn Kelly, Shaina Lamchick, Adam Larocque, Lyndsey Miller, Johnathon Myers, Cheryl Nary, Amanda Simas, William Stranahan, Larissa Swenson, and David Yates. Led by their teacher Mr. Marc Leblanc, these outstanding students won their statewide competition and earned the chance to come to Washington and compete at the national level.

The three-day ``We the People'' National Finals Competition is modeled after hearings in the U.S. Congress. The students are given an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge before a panel of judges while they evaluate, take, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues.

I wish the students of West Warwick High School the best of luck at the ``We the People'' national finals and applaud their achievement. I am sure this valuable experience will encourage these young Rhode Islanders to remain engaged with government and public policy issues in the future.

Mr. President, I rise today as a proud cosponsor of the amendment offered by the Senator from Wisconsin. I support this amendment because of my grave concern about our budget deficit. We in Congress have an obligation to put and keep this Nation's fiscal house in order. By passing this tough pay-go amendment, we can send a signal that we do not intend to shirk this duty.

I think all of the Members of the Senate know what this amendment does. It simply imposes a budget rule that requires any new tax cuts or entitlement spending to be offset. If no offset exists for new tax cuts or entitlement spending, then 60 Senators will need to vote to override the rule. In short, this amendment forces Congress to make the tough budget choices. There is no doubt that we would all like to provide the American people with more tax cuts. Many would also like to provide better and more efficient entitlement programs. Under the current budget rules, we are not forced to make many, if any, difficult decisions about our priorities. If we want more entitlement spending or tax cuts, we simply provide for them in the budget. That is no way to ensure fiscal discipline. I wonder what effect a true pay-go rule would have had on our debate regarding the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. Would Congress have thought the new benefit was so important that we were willing to re-prioritize and actually pay for it?

I have listened to distinguished Senators argue against this amendment because the economy is showing improvement. But, the fact that aspects

of the economy are improving does not mean that our Federal budget is in good shape. Forsaking measures that require budget discipline is the wrong policy. With all due respect, it is the type of thinking that got us into the current problem in the first place.

In 1990, Congress, which at that time included many of the same Senators here today, realized that Federal spending was out of control. Congressional will to control spending was not enough to put us on the path to fiscal responsibility. So, as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 Congress enacted some tough budget measures--including pay-go. Pay-go was extended in 1993 and again in 1997. Senators realized then that pay-go was a good idea and it was actually working.

We went from deficits and red ink ``as far as the eye can see'' in 1990 to an actual $236 billion budget surplus in 2000. It is at this point that Congress thought the need for budget discipline had ended. So, when pay-go expired in 2002, it was not extended. This has led us to the point where we find ourselves today. In 2004, the Federal deficit was $412 billion. In 5 short years, we have gone from a $236 billion surplus to a $412 billion deficit.

Pay-go is not perfect. Congress has found, and will continue to find if it is included in this budget, ways to get around it. But, despite its flaws, it does have a proven track record. It tests policies of both parties in the same way--pay for your priorities, or find 60 Senators willing to override the rule. This is the way it should be. At a time when our budget is awash in red ink it only makes sense to bring discipline and accountability back to the budget process. If new tax cuts or entitlement spending is so important, shouldn't we be able to find a way to address the costs? Including pay-go in the budget made sense in the 1990's, when the stock market was at historic highs and unemployment at historic lows, and, it makes sense today.

Mr. President, today I honor Michael Creasey for his work as the Executive Director of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. For the last 10 years, Michael has been a driving force in the Blackstone Valley, completing projects, building advocacy and partnerships, and instilling pride in the people who live beside this historic river.

Michael has devoted his career to public service and national park stewardship since 1986. After honing his skills in Utah and New Mexico, he was assigned to the Blackstone Corridor in 1995 as Deputy Director and became the Executive Director in 1999. What a gift he has been! His boundless energy and devotion to the Blackstone Corridor, and his skill in working with the Corridor Commission and its large group of stakeholders, have spawned a revitalization that includes the creation of new jobs, the preservation and enhancement of historic sites, and the restoration of valuable wildlife habitat.

In April 2000, shortly after I came to the Senate, Michael took me on a tour of the Valley to point out some of the Federal and private sector investments that had been made in the Heritage Corridor. I could not help but be impressed with his energy and passion as we viewed the Blackstone River Bikeway--or Riverway, as he has dubbed

it--along with renovated mills, a canoe and boat landing, and parks that have been developed since the authorization of the Blackstone Heritage Corridor in 1986. The progress I observed that day was a result of collaboration among the residents of the Valley, State agencies and the Federal Government, and is proof that industrial rivers like the Blackstone can be saved if we all work together.

Above all else, Michael is a ``river guy'' who understands the significance of the ``power of place'' and the potential of people to shape their communities. In a recent news article announcing his appointment as superintendent of the Lowell National Historical Park, he states, ``It's been a great honor to serve the Corridor Commission for nearly a decade. I have always been impressed with the passion, creative ideas and commitment that the people have had for achieving the Heritage Corridor vision.''

The Blackstone River Valley Heritage Corridor is a unique institution that has brought together many divergent groups and raised the national profile of this very special region. I thank Michael for his years of service to this historic slice of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and I also wish him luck in his new endeavors in Lowell.

Mr. President, today marks the 15th anniversary of National Sportsmanship Day, which is celebrated on the first Tuesday of each March. National Sportsmanship Day was the creation of the Institute of International Sport at the University of Rhode Island, and it is now the largest initiative of its kind in the world.

On March 6, 1990, the Institute celebrated the first National Sportsmanship Day in approximately 3,000 schools. By promoting sportsmanship through this ceremonial day over the ensuing 15 years, the institute has made a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of young student-athletes. The institute has received thousands of letters and e-mails commending its leadership in this area. National Sportsmanship Day also has spawned many local sportsmanship initiatives, led to the creation of an annual essay contest on sportsmanship in USA Today, and inspired the celebration of sportsmanship days in foreign countries such as Australia and Bermuda.

This year, through the institute's Team Sportsmanship initiative, groups of college athletes will visit their local elementary, middle, and high schools to further a dialogue among youth about sportsmanship and fair play. As evidenced by media reports on drug scandals and on- field fights, the promotion of sportsmanship among youngsters remains a useful and beneficial endeavor.

I applaud this year's participants in National Sportsmanship Day, and congratulate the institute for its ongoing work to instill the best of values in America's youth.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the rules of the Committee on Environment and Public Works be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise to note the recent death of Marine Corps COL Anthony Walker, a Rhode Islander who served his country with the highest distinction.

After graduating in 1939 from Yale College, Mr. Walker enlisted in the Marine Corps, was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1941 and was deployed to the South Pacific during World War II.

As a Raider Company commander, he led part of the successful attack on Viru Harbor, New Georgia. He was wounded in New Georgia at the battle for Bairoko. Returning to combat, he fought in the campaigns of Emirau, Guam, and Okinawa. In Okinawa, he commanded the 6th Marine Division's Reconnaissance Company, leading numerous night patrols and attacks. The end of the war marked 30 continuous months for him in the Pacific Theater.

Colonel Walker later served tours of duty as a U.N. observer in Kashmir, as a battalion and regimental commander in the Fleet Marine Force, as a commander of Marine Barracks at Fort Campbell, KY, and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was a student and an instructor at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, and in 1971 concluded 32 years of active duty, including a year in South Vietnam as the Operations Officer of the Joint Military Assistance Command.

In the Marine Corps, this Vietnam War veteran was known as ``Cold Steel'' in recognition of his particular

skill in close combat and small unit tactics. Colonel Walker was highly regarded for his tactical and leadership skills. His decorations included two Silver Stars, the Purple Heart, a Presidential Unit Citation, a Navy Unit Commendation and the Legion of Merit.

A devoted military historian, he published two books and numerous articles, many on the Revolutionary War. His book, ``So Few the Brave,'' is the definitive history of the Rhode Island regiments in the Revolution.

Colonel Walker served as president of Middletown Little League and was a volunteer for the Sachuest Point Wildlife Sanctuary. He was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and the Middletown Historical Society.

Colonel Walker leaves behind Judith Walker, his wife of 57 years, three sons, William W. Walker of Winston-Salem, NC, Daniel A. Walker of Hartford, CT, and Lt. Col. Andrew D. Walker, USMC, retired, of Poolesville, MD; and six grandchildren.

Colonel Walker was a man of integrity and honesty, a leader respected and loved by his family, friends, colleagues and military alumni in the Newport area. He will truly be missed.

Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity to recognize the retirement of an extraordinary Rhode Islander, Dr. Walter Thayer.

Walter Thayer was born in East Providence in 1929--back when there were farms in what is now an urban area. He graduated from Providence College and left for Tufts University Medical School in 1950. He returned to Rhode Island in 1965 to become the first Director of the Gastroentorology Division of Brown Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital after having worked at the National Institutes of Health, Georgetown, and Yale University School of Medicine.

Dr. Thayer's professional qualifications are outstanding. He served for 30 years as the Chief of Gastroenterology at Brown University and affiliated hospitals, and has been a professor at Brown since 1972; he was the Head of Gastroenterology at Rhode Island Hospital from 1965 to 1994 and continued as a practicing physician until this year. He has been presented with the Distinguished Clinician Award by the American Gastroenterology Association, the Humanitarian of the Year Award by both the Rhode Island and New England Chapters of the Crohns Colitis Foundation of America, and the W.W. Keene Award for Contribution to Brown Medical School. Walter has presented at the Quadrennial Lecture on Crohns Disease at the Third World Congress in Copenhagen, and served as the chairman of the NIH-NFIC Sponsored Symposium on Infectious Agents in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and as the Governor for Rhode Island to the American College of Gastroenterology.

One of the great ironies is that Walter, who became such a fixture at Brown Medical School and trained and mentored so many fine physicians there, so desired to attend Brown University and was not admitted. Indeed, his experience in the world outside of Brown and the Ivy League was one of the factors that made him such a valuable bridge between town and gown between patient care and academic research.

This bridging between patient care and academic research is a key facet of Dr. Thayer's career. His true caring and empathy for his patients informed his extensive research. That research, where Walter sought to understand the causes of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and find effective treatments to these and other debilitating gastrointenstinal illnesses, has been remarkable and extensive, and has garnered Walter national and international renown.

To honor Dr. Thayer's service to the health and academic communities in Rhode Island, many of those whom Walter has affected, including mentors, colleagues, students and patients, gathered on October 7 to wish him well in his life in retirement, and to thank him for his service, dedication, caring, and friendship. At that time, one colleague said that Walter had earned the highest respect a doctor could earn--his colleagues would refer their family members to him. He was described as the father of gastroenterology in Rhode Island, someone who is a masterful teacher and had great love for his patients. Dr. Jose Behar said that Walter's patients trusted him so completely that when Dr. Behar would treat one of them, perhaps when Walter was on vacation, they would invariably ask him ``Do you think Dr. Thayer would agree with you?'' Dr. Behar said that as an accomplished doctor having his treatments questioned so bluntly was a little off-putting, but he came to realize that it did not stem from a lack of confidence in him as much as the patients remarkable level of trust, respect and belief in Walter.

To only speak of his professional life, however, is to miss a great deal about Walter. He is someone who is constantly curious, as is demonstrated by the fact that even now, well beyond the age of 70, he finds himself back in school pursuing an associate's degree in wildflower ecology. He has a great love of books, and is often found in his favorite chair, his glasses perched on his nose, a great book open in his hands. He is extremely active--he has run triathlons, marathons, and he spends many winter hours cross-country skiing. And he is a loving husband, father, and friend.

He sincerely cares about issues far from the realm of medicine, important social issues, and tries to address them in a real and admirable fashion. For example, as his children were growing up, he did not want them to only have knowledge of the city, so one summer he took his kids to an Amish farm and they all worked on that farm. He did not want his children to grow up isolated from questions of race, and made many efforts to bring them into close contact with families and children of different races and ethnicities.

Now, even though Dr. Thayer is officially retired, he continues his long volunteer service at the Veterans Affairs hospital and in his teaching at Brown University. He is looking forward to the opening of the new infectious bowel disease research laboratory that will open at Rhode Island Hospital--which will be named ``The Walter R. Thayer Inflammatory Bowel Disease Laboratory.'' What a fitting honor that this new, state-of-the-art research laboratory will be named for him.

Walter leaves behind a remarkable legacy. I know my colleagues join me in saluting him on his well-deserved retirement.

Mr. President, I want to pay tribute to a great Rhode Islander who passed away on Election Day: Walter L ``Salty'' Brine.

Salty Brine was a local broadcasting legend one might even say he was the voice of Rhode Island. For half a century, he hosted the morning program on WPRO-AM. It was Salty's voice that thrilled three generations of schoolchildren on snowy mornings with the announcement, ``No school, Foster-Glocester!''

Salty's show was the soundtrack of a Rhode Island morning. The sound of his voice conjures up the following scene: It is dark outside, a bowl of steaming oatmeal is on the kitchen table, there is a mad scramble to locate a missing mitten before the school bus arrives.

Salty would preside over the recounting of the news and the weather. His wife Mickie would call in and give a report on what birds were at the birdfeeder. We would be on the edges of our seats waiting for him to say our school was closed. I suppose it is fair to say that Rhode Islanders associate Salty Brine with that singular elation aroused by a snow day. Salty was the ultimate bearer of good news.

Of course, Salty's career encompassed much more than reading the rollcall of school closures. From 1958 to 1968, he hosted a children's television program called ``Salty Brine's Shack,'' which costarred his collie Jack and ended reliably with the admonition, ``Brush your teeth and say your prayers!'' Having lost a leg in a train accident when he was a boy, Salty was a firm support and wonderful example for youngsters who were coping with a similar disability. Salty would demonstrate how the loss of a limb really would not set them back one bit.

Many charitable endeavors benefited from Salty's talent, energy, and good name. He was especially involved in the Big Brothers of Rhode Island, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and was a board member, appropriately enough, of Save the Bay. Cardi's Furniture for whom he had recorded a trademark commercial--honored Salty for his service to our community just last year.

Born in 1918, Salty's life was framed by Red Sox World Series victories. This is entirely appropriate, as Salty was an ardent and devoted fan and even had aspired to be a ball player. Just last August, on Rhode Island Day at Fenway Park, Salty Brine was given the well- deserved honor of throwing out the first pitch.

Like the Big Blue Bug and Mr. Potato Head, Salty Brine, with his skipper's hat, was a Rhode Island icon, a one-of-a-kind and endearing institution that bound all Rhode Islanders together in a single fond experience. He was so much a part of our landscape that the legislature renamed a Narragansett State beach after him. The Salty Brine Beach endures as a permanent affirmation of our affection for our Salty.

Salty Brine was married to his first wife, Marion, known to all as Mickie, for 56 years. She died in 2000. He is survived by his wife, Roseanna, and his son Wally, who co-hosts the ``Loren & Wally Morning Show'' on WROR-FM in Boston.

Rhode Island will miss him.

Mr. President, I introduced S. 2759, along with my colleague, Senator Rockefeller, to help States with healthy State Children's Health Insurance programs remain strong, so that they may continue to provide high-quality health care coverage to the children they serve. Our bill achieves this objective by allowing States to keep $1.1 billion in expiring funds in the SCHIP program and continuing current law redistribution rules through 2007.

Concerns have been expressed that S. 2759 would not reallocate SCHIP funds in an effective manner and that States cannot utilize their current SCHIP allotments. Proponents of this view believe the expiring SCHIP funds could be more effectively used for outreach and enrollment in the program. We fully support greater outreach and enrollment, but do not believe that it should come at the expense of providing adequate health insurance to children currently served by the program. In 2003, due to State budget deficits, seven States capped enrollment in their SCHIP. Over the next few years, unless we extend the availability of existing SCHIP funds and target them to the States with the most need, many States will lack adequate funds to meet their existing need, much less enroll more eligible but uninsured children. It is also important to note that ten percent of the amount States spend on coverage can be spent on administrative costs, including outreach. Consequently, an increase in coverage would also increase the funding States have for outreach and enrollment. Moreover, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation currently provides SCHIP outreach grants to community health centers, hospitals, and faith-based organizations through its Covering Kids & Families Initiative.

Another criticism of S. 2759 deals with the amount of money States will have available in fiscal year 2005.

States and territories will have $10.8 billion available to provide health insurance coverage to children in 2005. It has also been estimated that States will only require $5.3 billion in fiscal year 2005 to provide adequate coverage. Although this is true in the aggregate, this funding figure does not take into account the realities of the existing SCHIP financing system. These excess funds are concentrated in low-spending States that have not utilized their SCHIP allotments in previous years, and they are not available to States facing Federal funding shortfalls. In the absence of a fundamental alteration of the current SCHIP financing system, the aggregate funding in the program is not relevant to critical issue of whether there is adequate funding within specific States.

Lastly, it has been proposed that the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services has the authority to redistribute unspent allotments from fiscal year 2002 to States where Federal funding shortfalls are anticipated in fiscal year 2005. While it is encouraging that the concerns of States facing an immediate shortfall in 2005 would be alleviated under this approach, our larger concern about the long- term financial health of the SCHIP in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 persists. Eleven States would receive less in redistributed fiscal year 2002 funds under this proposal than they would otherwise receive, and they would not have access to the $1.07 billion in federal SCHIP funds that are scheduled to expire.

The Children's Health Protection and Improvement Act addresses the long-term Federal funding shortfalls in the SCHIP program over the next 3 years. The Governors of all 50 States have endorsed our proposal and view it as a comprehensive approach to addressing the Federal SCHIP funding shortfalls that will occur prior to the program's reauthorization in fiscal year 2007. We stand ready to work with the Senate leadership and the administration to keep the SCHIP strong so that it may continue to provide critical health care coverage to uninsured children through fiscal year 2007, when a more comprehensive resolution of the formula problems can be explored.

Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Rockefeller and others today in introducing a bipartisan proposal to extend and redistribute expiring State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) funds.

This legislation will allow States to retain $1.07 billion in funds originally allocated for fiscal years 1998, 1999, and 2000, and currently scheduled to revert to the Federal Treasury on September 30, 2004. The bill also applies a 70-30 redistribution formula to the 1998- 2000 allotments. States with surplus funds scheduled to revert in September will keep 30 percent of the money and cede 70 percent to States that have exhausted their allotments. Additionally, the bill will continue the current law redistribution rules through 2007. It allows States unable to spend all of their fiscal year 2002, 2003, and 2004 SCHIP allotments within the 3-year limit, to keep half of the unspent funds. The other 50 percent would be redistributed to States that have exhausted their allotments.

This proposal will prevent States from losing unexpended SCHIP allotments and allows States like Rhode Island, with efficient programs and a high-level of need, to receive redistributed money. Without this proposal, the overwhelming success of State SCHIP programs and quality health coverage to millions of uninsured children will be jeopardized.

Preserving the expiring funds is essential to guaranteeing that more than 200,000 children will not lose their health insurance coverage between now and 2007. At a time when our Nation's uninsured rate has climbed to 43.6 million, it makes little sense to take away Federal funding from States that are desperately trying to enroll needy children. This legislation is crucial to many States including my State of Rhode Island. Without this remedy, Rhode Island is set to run out of SCHIP funds by 2005. At 5 percent, Rhode Island currently has the third lowest uninsured rate of any State in the Nation for children. This bill will enable Rhode Island to continue offering health coverage to this vulnerable population.

I urge my colleagues to join Senator Rockefeller and me in supporting this important legislation. It is a crucial step toward ensuring that our Nation's children will have long-term access to quality health insurance.

Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Rockefeller and others today in introducing a bipartisan proposal to extend and redistribute expiring State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) funds.

This legislation will allow States to retain $1.07 billion in funds originally allocated for fiscal years 1998, 1999, and 2000, and currently scheduled to revert to the Federal Treasury on September 30, 2004. The bill also applies a 70-30 redistribution formula to the 1998- 2000 allotments. States with surplus funds scheduled to revert in September will keep 30 percent of the money and cede 70 percent to States that have exhausted their allotments. Additionally, the bill will continue the current law redistribution rules through 2007. It allows States unable to spend all of their fiscal year 2002, 2003, and 2004 SCHIP allotments within the 3-year limit, to keep half of the unspent funds. The other 50 percent would be redistributed to States that have exhausted their allotments.

This proposal will prevent States from losing unexpended SCHIP allotments and allows States like Rhode Island, with efficient programs and a high-level of need, to receive redistributed money. Without this proposal, the overwhelming success of State SCHIP programs and quality health coverage to millions of uninsured children will be jeopardized.

Preserving the expiring funds is essential to guaranteeing that more than 200,000 children will not lose their health insurance coverage between now and 2007. At a time when our Nation's uninsured rate has climbed to 43.6 million, it makes little sense to take away Federal funding from States that are desperately trying to enroll needy children. This legislation is crucial to many States including my State of Rhode Island. Without this remedy, Rhode Island is set to run out of SCHIP funds by 2005. At 5 percent, Rhode Island currently has the third lowest uninsured rate of any State in the Nation for children. This bill will enable Rhode Island to continue offering health coverage to this vulnerable population.

I urge my colleagues to join Senator Rockefeller and me in supporting this important legislation. It is a crucial step toward ensuring that our Nation's children will have long-term access to quality health insurance.

Mr. President, I would like to share with my colleagues a story of a man who has dedicated more than 27 years of his life to giving Rhode Island's baseball fans a team that they are proud to call their own.

If a poll were taken asking Americans to name the best that Rhode Island has to offer, it is fair to say that most would think of the Newport mansions, or the beaches of South County, or perhaps the Providence renaissance. While all of these sites are important components of our tourism business, I would say that for native Rhode Islanders, there is an attraction in the working class community of Pawtucket that has an even more prominent place in their shared experience. Amid the tenement houses and old textile and wire mills of the Blackstone Valley stands McCoy Stadium, home to the Pawtucket Red Sox since 1973.

It is difficult for visitors to imagine now, but this minor league franchise got off to a very shaky start. In the mid-I970s, the team was struggling both on and off the field. Attendance was poor, the stadium was in terrible disrepair, and bankruptcy was looming. Players who were assigned there saw it as a necessary penance before making it to the big leagues and hoped to get out as soon as possible. It looked as if the PawSox would not last too long in AAA ball.

At that time, Ben Mondor, a man who had quit working in his late 40s after a successful career in business, was happy with retired life. Occasionally, he would catch a PawSox game, but as he has said, he didn't know a thing about baseball. When encouraged by his friend and former Boston pitcher, the late Chet Nichols, to rescue the PawSox, Ben refused. ``Why would I want to buy a baseball team?'' he asked. But Ben had plenty of experience stepping in to save struggling enterprises, and repeatedly had turned another person's failure into a successful venture. Finally, after much prompting from the brass of the parent club, he took over the team in 1977.

And so Ben went to work. He sought to instill pride in the team, and build an organization that would command both local and national respect. More than that, he wanted to give people of modest means a place where they could take their families for a night out. It didn't have to be fancy, but he would insist on a safe, family atmosphere, where young children could come and eat a hot dog or maybe a snow cone, shout ``we want a hit!'' when their favorite ballplayer came to bat, and learn to love the game of baseball.

Certainly, Ben faced an uphill climb, but he and his loyal staff embarked on a long campaign to renovate McCoy Stadium and reinvigorate the franchise. As years passed, more and more of the creaky wooden seats were replaced, the field was improved, and the concession stands and restrooms were expanded. It took time, but the attendance steadily climbed. Whole school buses filled with eager young fans poured in, not just from Rhode Island, but Cape Cod, and Connecticut, and greater Boston--even a few from New Hampshire. And Ben Mondor kept his word to the working class family: amazingly, 20 years went by without an increase in the price of a general admission ticket. Only in 1999, after a $14 million renovation and expansion of McCoy Stadium did he finally relent and agree to charge an extra dollar for tickets to a game. Even today, a family of four can still take in a PawSox game for just $20.

Ben Mondor's team gives back to the community in many other ways. There

are the free youth clinics, in which Pawsox players and coaches offer children instructions and tips on the game. There is also a Candy Hunt on Easter and roses for every mom on Mother's Day. The McCoy Stadium fireworks, which most recently lit up the sky for three nights on the Fourth of July weekend, are legendary.

After 27 years, Ben Mondor's dream has come true. A team that struggled to draw more than 1,000 fans to a game in the early days now fills a 10,000-seat park to nearly 90 percent of capacity, the best mark in the International League. One pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, recently called up from Pawtucket, praised McCoy Stadium as ``the best minor league place that I've ever played.'' It has hosted high school baseball championship games, the U.S. Olympic team and the National Governors Association. Tomorrow night, McCoy Stadium will host the AAA All-Star Game, the crowning achievement of Ben's long, successful career in baseball. And yet, my guess is that Ben takes the greatest satisfaction from knowing that on any warm summer night, he can find thousands of blue collar workers and their young children enjoying a game played by past and future big leaguers, cheering with each crack of the bat.

In the movie Field of Dreams, there is a scene in which James Earl Jones's character, Terence Mann observes, ``The one constant through all the years has been baseball.'' In spite of all the challenges that have come along over the course of three decades, the changes in the park, and the changes in our society, baseball has indeed been the one constant at McCoy Stadium. And in large measure, we have Ben Mondor and his love of the game and his love of people to thank for it.

Ben Mondor is a hero in Rhode Island, and when he steps down from running the PawSox this summer, he will leave behind a remarkable legacy. I know my colleagues join me in saluting Ben on his well- deserved retirement.

Mr. President, I am joined today by Senators Sarbanes,

Snowe, Breaux, Boxer and Lautenberg in introducing legislation to reauthorize a highly successful and collaborative program known as the National Estuary Program (NEP).

In 1987, Congress created the NEP to restore designated estuaries of national significance. Since 1987, the EPA estimates that the NEP has preserved, restored or created approximately 719,000 habitat acres, and has leveraged $200 million in local, State and private sector funding, with an average leveraging ratio of 11 to 1. The NEP has accomplished this by fostering and maintaining strong partnerships among Federal, State and local governments, the private sector and local stakeholders, and by using a consensus, community-based approach with strong local control in developing and implementing their Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans (CCMPs).

Today, there are 28 estuaries in the NEP, covering more than 42 percent of the continental U.S. shoreline. Nearly half of the U.S. population resides in coastal areas, with thousands of new residents arriving every year. In the United States, estuaries provide habitat for three-quarters of America's commercial fish catch, and 80-90 percent of the recreational fish catch.

Estuarine-dependent fisheries are among the most valuable, with an estimated worth of $1.9 billion nationwide. Coastal recreation and tourism generate an additional $8 to $12 billion annually. According to recent analyses by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), estuaries of the NEP employ 39 million people and support total economic output and employee wages estimated in the trillions. The tourism sector alone employs 1.2 million people and generates more than $87 billion in expenditures.

Despite their economic and environmental importance, the Nation's estuaries are under increasing threat by the many competing demands placed upon them. Estuaries in the NEP face numerous challenges, including over-enrichment of nutrients, loss of habitat, declines in fish and wildlife, and introduction of invasive species, causing severe declines in water quality, living resources and overall ecosystem health. According to the recent EPA National Coastal Condition Report describing the ecological and environmental conditions of U.S. coastal waters and estuary resources, the overall condition of our Nation's coastal waters is fair to poor, and 44 percent of estuarine habitats are impaired for human or aquatic life use.

The NEP offers an effective means to deal with these national problems. The flexible and collaborative nature of the NEP has allowed the local Estuary Programs to develop innovative approaches to address the problems facing estuarine systems, approaches uniquely tailored to local environmental conditions, and to the needs of local communities and constituencies. At the same time, the national structure provided by the NEP has facilitated the sharing of management approaches, technologies, and ideas that underscore this program's success. Indeed, the National Commission on Ocean Policy highlighted the NEP's focus ``on bringing together stakeholders in particular areas that are in or approaching a crisis situation.'' Additionally, the Commission found ``the assessment and planning process used by the NEP holds promise for the future of ecosystem-based management.''

Reauthorizing the NEP is an important step in the process of addressing the threats to the health and stability of our Nation's estuaries, which remain one of our Nation's most important economic and environmental resources. The legislation introduced today would reauthorize funding for the NEP at $35 million annually to provide the funds necessary for this program to succeed into the future. I look forward to working with my colleagues on reauthorization of the NEP in the months ahead.

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

Mr. President, I am joined today by Senators Sarbanes,

Snowe, Breaux, Boxer and Lautenberg in introducing legislation to reauthorize a highly successful and collaborative program known as the National Estuary Program (NEP).

In 1987, Congress created the NEP to restore designated estuaries of national significance. Since 1987, the EPA estimates that the NEP has preserved, restored or created approximately 719,000 habitat acres, and has leveraged $200 million in local, State and private sector funding, with an average leveraging ratio of 11 to 1. The NEP has accomplished this by fostering and maintaining strong partnerships among Federal, State and local governments, the private sector and local stakeholders, and by using a consensus, community-based approach with strong local control in developing and implementing their Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans (CCMPs).

Today, there are 28 estuaries in the NEP, covering more than 42 percent of the continental U.S. shoreline. Nearly half of the U.S. population resides in coastal areas, with thousands of new residents arriving every year. In the United States, estuaries provide habitat for three-quarters of America's commercial fish catch, and 80-90 percent of the recreational fish catch.

Estuarine-dependent fisheries are among the most valuable, with an estimated worth of $1.9 billion nationwide. Coastal recreation and tourism generate an additional $8 to $12 billion annually. According to recent analyses by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), estuaries of the NEP employ 39 million people and support total economic output and employee wages estimated in the trillions. The tourism sector alone employs 1.2 million people and generates more than $87 billion in expenditures.

Despite their economic and environmental importance, the Nation's estuaries are under increasing threat by the many competing demands placed upon them. Estuaries in the NEP face numerous challenges, including over-enrichment of nutrients, loss of habitat, declines in fish and wildlife, and introduction of invasive species, causing severe declines in water quality, living resources and overall ecosystem health. According to the recent EPA National Coastal Condition Report describing the ecological and environmental conditions of U.S. coastal waters and estuary resources, the overall condition of our Nation's coastal waters is fair to poor, and 44 percent of estuarine habitats are impaired for human or aquatic life use.

The NEP offers an effective means to deal with these national problems. The flexible and collaborative nature of the NEP has allowed the local Estuary Programs to develop innovative approaches to address the problems facing estuarine systems, approaches uniquely tailored to local environmental conditions, and to the needs of local communities and constituencies. At the same time, the national structure provided by the NEP has facilitated the sharing of management approaches, technologies, and ideas that underscore this program's success. Indeed, the National Commission on Ocean Policy highlighted the NEP's focus ``on bringing together stakeholders in particular areas that are in or approaching a crisis situation.'' Additionally, the Commission found ``the assessment and planning process used by the NEP holds promise for the future of ecosystem-based management.''

Reauthorizing the NEP is an important step in the process of addressing the threats to the health and stability of our Nation's estuaries, which remain one of our Nation's most important economic and environmental resources. The legislation introduced today would reauthorize funding for the NEP at $35 million annually to provide the funds necessary for this program to succeed into the future. I look forward to working with my colleagues on reauthorization of the NEP in the months ahead.

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

Mr. President, in the world of diplomacy, some things are better left unsaid. For that reason, I would have preferred that President Bush not send the April 14, 2004 letter to Prime Minister Sharon.

Nevertheless, I gave my qualified support to S. Res. 393 because Israeli withdrawal from Gaza has the potential to jumpstart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. There have been too many missed opportunities already. It would be a shame to miss another one.

My vote for S. Res. 393 is subject to two understandings. First, Prime Minister Sharon's disengagement plan should not be a substitute for bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians; and second, all final status issues should be mutually agreed upon by both parties.