Floor Statements

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

Mr. President, I would like to address a few subjects this morning.

First, regarding the joint session of the House and the Senate that will be meeting this afternoon, I have received a great number of calls and expressions of interest and concern about that historic event-- where the two bodies meet in joint session to certify the tally of votes from the electoral college.

Our role is a very limited one under both the Constitution and under Federal law which was passed and has stood since 1887. The role of the House and the Senate is not to adjudicate last November's Presidential election. That should not be our role. Those who want us to insert ourselves into that process are very well intentioned, but the role they envision for us is, in my judgment, inappropriate and potentially even dangerous. Our role today in this joint session of the Senate and the House is one of witnessing the tally of the electoral college vote. If there is an objection, it is based on very limited circumstances.

In fact, only once in the entire history of this legislation since 1886, only one time has there been a formal objection made, and that was for one electoral vote cast by one elector who did not vote in the way in which they pledged--in this case, the District of Columbia; not a State, a district. That objection was rejected by the House and the Senate in 1969.

There has never been in the history of the country an entire State slate of electoral votes objected to or rejected by actions of both the House and the Senate.

If an objection is made today signed by at least one Member of the House and one Member of the Senate, under the law, under the Constitution, the Senate separates from the House and meets for 2 hours. Our debate is limited by law to 2 hours. We each can speak up to 5 minutes and speak only once. Then on the basis of that debate we are supposed to vote--each of us--on whether to accept that electoral slate and the tally certified by the election authorities of the respective States or reject it.

We are a partisan body. We are well intentioned. We are all honorable men and women, as are our colleagues in the House. But we are elected as Democrats or Republicans, and in one case an Independent. For us on the basis of a 2-hour meeting and a 5-minute presentation by each of us to vote on

whether to accept or reject the will of the people of a particular State is an enormously dangerous precedent. In my judgment, the standard and the bar under which any objection must qualify for our consideration, much less for our rejection, needs to be a very high one. That is what our Federal law envisions. It says:

No electoral vote or votes from any State which have been

regularly given by electors whose appointment has been

lawfully certified from which but one return has been

received shall be rejected.

In other words, if the procedure that was followed by the election authorities of the State is a proper one and if it is certified as proper, if there is only one tally received from a State--in other words, if there are not two different representations of that State's electoral tally--then our function is to witness and acknowledge that that function has been performed properly; it is not to say whether that election was conducted properly. That review, if it is warranted, is the proper role of the Judiciary, which is supposed to be nonpartisan, which is supposed to be objective, impartial, fair, and ultimately make the decision which, under the respective States and Federal laws and the facts of all sides presented and carefully considered over whatever necessary period of time and finally in that very careful and sober deliberation, is determined to be the proper judgment.

That is not our capability. That is not our role. Under the restrictions of 2 hours today, that would be a travesty of justice. It is a situation where it would be reversed if John Kerry had won this election. If a Republican-controlled Senate and a Republican-controlled House had objected based on the information I have seen regarding the electoral conditions in Ohio or any other State in the election, if they had been rejected and those electoral college votes had thrown the election into the House of Representatives where a partisan majority voted on partisan lines to elect the other candidate as President of the United States, there would be such a public outcry and loss of confidence in the integrity of our electoral process that I fear we would not recover as a nation--at least not for a long time. I would say the same if the situation were reversed.

This is not about partisanship. This is about ensuring the integrity of the legislative process. That is in its broad sense the proper role and responsibility of Congress; that is, one where those who are objecting to the conduct of this last election have solid ground and where we properly should insert ourselves once again as we did after the 2000 election when on a bipartisan basis in this body and the House we passed election reform legislation.

We provided funding for State and local governments to conduct these elections. And the intention was, I might add, under the Constitution they can do so more effectively and more accurately. The principle is everyone should have the right to vote, and that vote should be counted accurately, which is fundamental to our democracy. If we fail at that, if we are not perfect in carrying that out, we are not carrying out our responsibility to protect the sanctity of this great democracy.

I take that responsibility very seriously. As a member of the Senate Rules Committee, which has jurisdiction over that, I will ask the chairman, Senator Lott, to convene hearings into the 2000 election. We need to learn from that experience. A lot of focus and attention has been directed on Ohio, as it appropriately should. It was a State that ultimately in the final development of events on election night determined the outcome. There were probably other States which had some perhaps even greater imperfections in their voting procedures. That should be used as the basis for further legislation as necessary to safeguard this process so that, in fact and in perception, the American people know they had the right to vote, the chance to vote, and their vote was counted, and that the will of the majority, as reflected in the Presidential election through the electoral college, was faithfully, honestly, and accurately carried out by everyone responsible for doing so.

How much time remains under the order?

I ask unanimous consent for an additional 5 minutes to complete my remarks.

Last week, Senator Lieberman and I traveled to Iraq, to Baghdad. When I visited Iraq a year and a half ago, our Senate delegation in Baghdad and other cities, Basra and Tikrit, boarded armed Humvees and with military escort drove throughout those respective cities. Last week, we were confined for security reasons to the heavily fortified green zone, which is the command post of the United States military, our Government representatives, and the Iraqi government.

The necessity for those restrictions was made apparent because one of the opposition political leaders with whom we were supposed to meet and where we envisioned traveling for 5 minutes outside of the green zone was the target of an assassination attempt the previous day. He was not harmed, but a suicide bomber killed himself and nine other Iraqis outside the location where the meeting was to occur, which underscores the perilous nature of the environment and the impossibility of providing the necessary and complete security for our own forces who are performing heroically and continue to risk their lives, and in some cases give up their lives, tragically, to protect the Iraqi people from the insurgent forces which are brutal and sometimes lethally effective in what they are intending to do in that particular country.

Sunday, I had the occasion to meet with a few hundred Minnesotans, family members of loved ones who are presently serving in Iraq. They asked the same question over and over again: When are our husbands, wives, sons, fathers, mothers, coming home?

Although I opposed the Iraq war resolution in October of 2002 and continue to believe, unfortunately, we have on an overall basis weakened our national security, not strengthened it by our action, we are there, with 150,000 of our Armed Forces committed. It is imperative we succeed. It is also imperative that we start to devise--we should have already--a strategy to bring our troops home safely as soon as possible with the victory secure. The only way victory will be ultimately secured is by the Iraqi people.

When Senator Lieberman and I met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq he said exactly that: The security of Iraq can only be gained by the Iraqi people. The process from being subject to a brutal dictator, tyrannical oppression for over a quarter of a century, to self- determining democracy is an enormous social transformation, one that will probably take several years.

When we justify, by those who are responsible for our continued presence in Iraq, what we are doing there, they need to be very clear about the parameters. First, we were looking for weapons of mass destruction which turned out not to exist there. Then it was an alleged link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida which has never been demonstrated to exist. Then it was opposing an evil dictator, which Saddam Hussein certainly was, which was achieved in the first 3 weeks of magnificent effort by our military. For the last 21 months it has been protecting as much as possible the country and protecting the time necessary for the Iraqi people to form a government, which they are in the process of doing.

Holding the election on January 30 as scheduled is essential to doing that. Training and equipping the Iraqi forces--police, military, national guard--to be able to do what the people of any country have to do to have a functional country under any form of government, which is to protect and defend their own country, has been regretfully a very slow process. I asked the United States military command and our civilian leadership in Iraq as well as the Iraqi Government authorities how far they thought we had progressed from a starting point to 100 percent Iraqi self-sufficiency regarding their own self-security and the answer was variously between 40 and 50 percent. We have initiated and engaged in and this Congress has funded to the full extent requested by the administration the Iraqi security training programs for over a year, about 15 or 16 months.

It is obviously a difficult assignment, given that the previous military structure of the country was removed by the Provisional Authority, but that decision has been made and now that process of retraining new forces has been underway for 15, 16 months and we are told it is not even half way there.

The Iraqi people need to be responsible for their own country. They must be responsible for their own country. They must decide to stand up for themselves. Many are doing so and even giving their lives to conduct this upcoming election and engaging in various security actions.

But the brunt of that responsibility, the burden, the fighting, the bleeding, the dying, is still being incurred by our own forces. We need to know when that is going to be able to stop. We need to know how that transition and when that transition is going to occur. We need to put the Iraqi people and our allies on notice that we are not going to be there indefinitely and that they need to be willing to step forward to provide what I think everyone wants, most of the world wants: a stable, secure, and successful Iraq.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I have been increasingly frustrated by our inability, either in the committee, whether in public or secret briefings, whether as a body or through other discussions, to get what turns out to be accurate and reliable information from the civilian command, from the administration. Yesterday afternoon we had an Armed Services Committee hearing, a secret hearing, for 3 hours. I received information regarding the force capabilities of the Iraqi police and military that was at significant variance from what I was told a week before in Baghdad, which itself was at considerable variance from what we were told 2 months before, which then was half of the force level we were told existed a year before that.

What the numbers are, what the training capabilities are--I hesitate to use this word on the Senate floor, but it applies here--I don't like being lied to. I am elected to represent the people of Minnesota. I am elected to look out for their best interests. I met on Sunday with a few hundred Minnesota family members who were depending upon me to look out for the interests of their sons and daughters, husbands and wives. I take that as a life-or-death responsibility, as it is to them and their loved ones and all the members of the U.S. Armed Forces, putting their lives on the line every day.

They deserve to know, we deserve to know, the American people deserve to know from this administration their plan, what is their timetable, and what kind of progress are we making. We deserve to know the facts. We deserve to be told facts today that hold up as the truth tomorrow. I regret to say that is not occurring. It has not occurred, not only in this instance yesterday but in other significant respects throughout the last several months.

I appreciate enormously and admire tremendously the leadership of the Senate Armed Services Committee under its chairman, Senator Warner, and its ranking member, Senator Levin. Senator Warner has convened any number of hearings and briefings on the situation in Iraq and other places around the world, on the prison abuses at Abu Ghraib, on the armoring and rearmoring of the equipment and personnel for service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the last month, we have found, according to the private contractors, there was an unused capacity in their production capabilities of 25 percent for armored Humvees and these rearmoring kits for those Humvees that are over there in Afghan and Iraq that are unarmored, a 25-percent unused capacity because of a lack of production orders from our military, when we were told--and we asked, Republican and Democratic members of the Armed Services Committee alike, repeatedly: What do you need? What money, laws, procedures? What do you need to maximize production and immediate distribution to protect our men and women serving in Iraq?

We were assured, again and again and again, there was 100-percent production, that everything was being done, and that they did not need anything. And then we find out there is significant variance to that, in fact, in the truth.

Chairman Warner convened several hearings in the last 6 months on the alleged prison abuses at Abu Ghraib. There were rumors of abuses occurring elsewhere in Iraq and elsewhere in the world. We were assured again and again by the administration and the other authorities who spoke before us that it was limited to those isolated instances in Iraq and in the Abu Ghraib prison. Now it comes to light, in the last month, there were documented reports through the chain of command, information that people who testified before our committee had to be aware of when they told us in committee hearings information that was at variance with those reports.

Similarly, the status of the Iraqi security and military forces-- being told by the Secretary of Defense, who I think believed what he was telling us because that was the information he was given, a year ago that force level was at 202,000; and then to find out last September 15, in public remarks he made elsewhere, that number was about half that level; and then to get published reports that the actual number is some 78,000; and then to get a report last week that the number is somewhat above that; and then to get a report yesterday that the number is some tens of thousands above that. Having that number not being able to be confirmed by those who are testifying before us is a great travesty of justice and legality, and their moral, ethical responsibility to tell us the truth and give us the facts so we can make those judgments that we are elected and held responsible to make, along with them, so that hopefully the collective wisdom of all of us serves the best interests of this country, its foreign policy, and the lives of its men and women who are serving us overseas, and who, for every day we keep them over there, are continuing to risk their lives, and some of them losing their lives or losing limbs, bodily functions.

This is life and death, and it is time we stop being lied to. I want this administration, I want the Pentagon command, to tell us the facts, tell us the truth about the situation in Iraq--what is going right, but what is going wrong, to tell us the truth and the facts about the capability of the Iraqi forces to replace ours, to take over responsibility for the law and order of their own country, to tell us the truth and the facts about the economic recovery projects, which ones have started, which ones have not, how much money has been expended, how much money has been wasted, how much money has been stolen.

It is shameful this body, which has the history of Harry Truman setting up a special committee during World War II to investigate the proper contracting, the proper expenditure of taxpayer dollars for a defense effort, where again American men and women were relying on that equipment, relying on getting it right away, and living or dying as a result--Harry Truman said: I don't care whether they are Democratic contractors or Republican, let the chips fall where they may and the truth be known. He went on to become the Vice President and then the President of the United States because he had that kind of integrity and that kind of courage.

We ought to see that today on the other side of the aisle, to be willing to investigate these matters. Whether it is a Republican administration or a Democratic administration, I don't care; it is an American administration. Those are American soldiers putting their lives on the line. We are all responsible, and we can't even get anybody to look into what is happening or not happening there, and we can't get anybody to tell us the facts, the truth. It is deplorable. It is unconscionable. It is un-American. And it is intolerable.

I think this body collectively needs to stand up and demand that we get the facts and the truth so we can go back home and tell those sons and daughters and fathers and mothers and husbands and wives what is happening to their loved ones over in Iraq, and when they are coming home with the victory they worked for, lived for, bled for, and died for secured, and how we are going to do that and when.

Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I have the greatest respect and personal regard for my friend from the State of California. It is not often I find myself rising in disagreement, but I emphatically disagree and say respectfully that I believe those involved, citizens from around the country, with all their good intentions, are seriously misguided and are leading us into a very unfortunate precedent that was not in any way contemplated by the Constitution, by the law, or by historical precedent.

Obviously, the law, which was established in 1887, did not envision that our role would be to adjudicate in any State the results of an election for President. If it were the intent, it clearly would not have designed this kind of forum where an objection is raised, we each express our opinion for up to 5 minutes, and then vote on a whole array of facts and allegations and statements and contradictions that we could not possibly in this setting determine fairly and accurately.

If we were to do so, if we were to hypothetically object on an inevitably partisan basis to the actions taken by the electorate of a certain State, certified by the election officers of that State and then brought to us today, if we were to overturn that process and in this instance throw the election into the House of Representatives, the damage it would do to our democracy, to the integrity of our system, would be incalculable. If it were to result hypothetically in an alteration of the publicly expressed electoral will in an election for President, the entire credibility of our system would possibly be destroyed.

I am not the complete authority, but as I have read some of the assertions made about the conduct of the election in Ohio, I find serious imperfections. If we shed that spotlight on most States in this country, including my own State of Minnesota, we would find other imperfections.

Democracy is not a perfect process, but it is a process that we have a responsibility, not in hindsight but with foresight, to try to structure and to continue to perfect so it is as close to perfect as is humanly possible. I share entirely the concerns expressed by my colleague from California and others who said despite our best efforts--and I was part of that collaborative effort in this body and under the Rules Committee in the last couple of years--we made some progress but we still fell short.

I respectfully ask the chairman of the Rules Committee, Senator Lott, who is here today, if he would be willing to convene hearings in the very near future and look not just at Ohio but at the experience from this election and how it can instruct us to improve that process for the future.

The Senator from California is absolutely right; every American should know he or she has a right to vote, that they can vote expeditiously, that their vote will be counted and it will be tabulated accurately, whether under Republican or Democratic election officials, whether it is for President from one party or another.

Whether I agree or disagree with the judgment of the American people, I respect and agree more than anything else with that process and the integrity of the process that produces whatever result they determine. It is that which we must guard today. I regret we are in a position of possibly compromising it. It would be a fatal mistake to overturn it in the way suggested.

Mr. President, I would like to first pay tribute to my colleague, the Senator from Florida, who just spoke. He has been one of my guiding lights in my 4 years here. He is someone who exemplifies the best qualities of a U.S. Senator. His integrity and wisdom and his careful attention to matters large and small have been superb during his 38 years of public service to the State of Florida. It has been just extraordinary. I wish him well and I will miss him. I will miss his leadership and his guidance.

Mr. President, I also join Senator Graham in his remarks urging the House to pass the intelligence reform conference report, which I am told most, if not all, of the members of the Senate conferees signed. I salute Senator Collins and Senator Lieberman who heroically over the last weeks have attempted to reach an agreement on this important measure.

I note that he cochairs the 9/11 Commission with former Governor Kean and former Representative Hamilton who have endorsed it strongly, as have the family members.

I agree with Senator Graham. It is a tragedy that after that Commission report, after we held hearings in the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Senate, on which I am proud to serve, during the August recess, marked up the bill which had overwhelming bipartisan support, I believe every amendment added to that bill in that Governmental Affairs Committee, it had bipartisan majority support, passed here on the Senate floor, I am proud to have supported it--to walk away from it now after the Senate and House conferees agreed to the legislation because of the resistance of a few members in the House Republican caucus who are evidently able to persuade their Members and leadership not to proceed with it is a tragic loss for the people of America. It is a terrible failure on the part of the House to live up to its agreement. To go through that lengthy process and not have the final measure approved tonight is a tragedy for our country and for our security.

I also wish to comment briefly on the Omnibus appropriations measure which is before us and to express my concern about one omission which has severe consequences for my home State of Minnesota, which is the elimination of the Senate's action to prevent Minnesota and other States from having their title I education funding cut last year and this year.

In 2004, Minnesota was 1 of 12 States to suffer a reduction in title I funding. Minnesota schools received $12.3 million less in fiscal year 2004 than we did in 2003. We lost that $12.3 million in funding, even though our number of title I-eligible students increased by over 3,600. For this fiscal year 2005, Minnesota is only one of two States in the Nation to lose title I money, even though the number of our title I- eligible students will increase again.

In this conference report, Minnesota will receive $15.3 million less than we did 2 years ago for title I education with probably 10,000 more poor students.

The Senate bill corrected the worst of that injustice. It said that no State would lose title I funding if their number of poor students increased. It didn't give those States any more money, even though that is what we should get--more title I money to serve more title I- eligible students. It only protected us from getting less funding. Now even that protection has been removed.

Presumably, the House conferees would not agree to it. They have all of their porkbarrel projects in the bill, all of their unnecessary spending, and even their shameful attempt, as has been discussed here tonight, to allow their leaders to examine the tax returns of law- abiding Americans. All that garbage is in the bill, but the funding for poor students in Minnesota was taken out of the legislation.

Our schools in Minnesota are already hard hit by other funding cuts. Now they must provide their services to more students with less money.

So much for compassionate conservatism, so much for No Child Left Behind. Those slogans ought to be prosecuted for consumer fraud. They don't tell the truth. Even worse, they are betrayals of our Nation's children, of our neediest children.

Once again, this legislative process has impoverished the truly needy while it enriches the truly greedy.

Poor schoolchildren don't have full-time lobbyists to prowl the Halls of Congress and serve their interests. Poor schoolchildren can't make big campaign contributions to big people who even make bigger contributions to their special projects. Poor schoolchildren have to depend upon us and on the House.

The Senate stood up for poor schoolchildren in Minnesota this year. The House Republicans let them down in the $388 billion spending bill, a foot and

a half of paper. In all that money, the House Republicans cut our funding by $25 million for the poorest kids in Minnesota. And then they went home.

They should come back on Monday and remove the tax inspection atrocity from this bill. And when they do, they should also correct the terrible injustice they served upon the children of Minnesota.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending matters be set aside and I be allowed to speak 10 minutes on another matter, and that the 10 minutes count against my hour under the cloture rules.

Mr. President, on another matter, I am rising to support the conference report that is being proposed for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. I support this legislation. I commend the conferees for their efforts to streamline, make less bureaucratic and less time-consuming, the current IDEA legislation and its administration.

In Minnesota, my home State, special education teachers--in fact, some of our most experienced special education teachers--are leaving that field, leaving special education classrooms, because of the bureaucratic burdens, the time-consuming paperwork.

They lament the time they cannot spend in those classrooms, the time lost to working directly with schoolchildren, in order to have to comply with all of the State, Federal, and local school district reporting requirements.

Those reporting requirements are mostly well intended, and one layer of them is mostly necessary and appropriate. However, the second and the third layers of bureaucracy have become duplicative, redundant, excessive, and oppressive.

Sadly, previous attempts to ``reform'' this bureaucratic overload have resulted, according to many of the teachers in Minnesota, in more, not less, reporting requirements, more forms, more time required away from their classrooms and from their students. No one benefits from that bureaucratic overload--not the special education students, their families, the teachers, or the taxpayers.

Like too many other well-intended programs, we try to micromanage the process, rather than analyze the results. We tell educators, or other experts in their fields, how they ought to do their jobs, rather than telling them to do their jobs as efficiently and effectively as possible, and then report to us and to our constituents their progress--in this case, improving the educational attainments and ability of their students, and what they need from us to do their jobs even more effectively.

When IDEA was enacted back in 1975, there was opposition to it from some States and school districts and from some schools. But now, in my State, schools and teachers are committed to doing special education as well as possible. We need to get out of the way and let them do it. So I hope this legislation will be a step in that direction--better yet, two or three steps in that direction.

Something else we should do, though--and we should have done it long ago, and certainly have done it during the last 4 years I have been here--is fully fund the Federal commitment to IDEA, to fulfill a promise Congress made 29 years ago--29 years ago, when it passed the special education mandate. Congress back then promised the States, promised local school districts and, most important, promised the children and parents of America that they would pay for 40 percent of the cost of special education. When I arrived here 4 years ago, that percentage was only 13 percent, less than one-third of the amount promised 25 years before. To his credit, President Bush has proposed in each fiscal year an increase in the amount of Federal funding for special education. To our credit, we have passed those increases, and even somewhat more, so that this year the Federal funding for special education totals 19 percent of total spending nationwide, which is an improvement, but is still less than half of what was promised 29 years ago.

That broken promise by the Federal Government cost my State of Minnesota nearly $200 million this year. It has cost every other State special education funding. I am, frankly, mystified at why my five pieces of legislation--five times I have attempted to increase the Federal share of special education to that promised 40-percent level-- have been defeated every time in the Senate. I am mystified--because I cannot believe that most other States and most school districts in America could not use that additional special education funding. In schools in Minnesota, the underfunding of the Federal share of special education results in local school districts having to make up those shortfalls either out of funding for other school programs for students, or by increasing local property taxes, because states and schools are being mandated by us to provide special education services. They are subject to lawsuits if they don't. But we are not providing them with the money to carry out that mandate.

This bill before us would not fully fund the Federal share for special education until the year 2011. Even then, that funding level is not assured. It may not be enough. It is not guaranteed. It is not made a requirement. The appropriations still have to come each year.

So we have, once again, evidence that we lack the proper priorities. We propose and pass tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, and the President proposes to make them permanent. Some colleagues propose eliminating the estate tax, which affects 2 percent of the people in America, by 2010, and to make that permanent starting in 2011. While some call that the death tax, special education is a life commitment, a lifesaving commitment. Yet, we will not make that lifesaving commitment to the schoolchildren of America.

I will try again next year, and I will keep on trying with my legislation to fully fund the Federal share of special education, which should be well within our reach financially. It is the right thing to do, and it is the necessary and moral thing to do, and it would serve well the interests of this Nation in the years ahead. I regret that it is not part of this conference report coming before us.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I thank my colleagues Senator Feingold and Senator Coleman for permitting me to have this time and also to commend them for their outstanding leadership regarding the violation of human rights in Laos. I join with them in opposing the granting of permanent trade relations for that country due to the oppression of Hmong and other violations of human rights in Laos. I strongly support, proudly, and am a cosponsor of their resolution to express the strong opposition of the Senate to those continuing violations.

Mr. President, I want to close by associating myself with the remarks of the Senator from California and her regards and respect to the other retiring Members, particularly Senator Edwards who has just spoken and has distinguished himself so impressively over the last year and half in the service of our country by seeking the Vice Presidency.

I am proud of my State of Minnesota. They cast by a majority over 100,000 votes for Senator Edwards and Senator Kerry, reflecting the wisdom of voters in the tremendous excitement of Senator Edwards and Senator Kerry. But Senator Edwards, in my personal experience, generated tremendous courage and enthusiasm in St. Paul, MN on Labor Day and on the Iron Range in Minnesota. He has a very bright future in whatever future endeavors.

I join my colleagues in expressing to his wife Elizabeth our prayers for a speedy recovery. I think that will be the result.

I thank the Senator for his outstanding service and as leader of our party and our country.

I also want to join my colleagues in expressing my highest personal regard for Senator Daschle. It is, like others, a hard time for me. It was very hard in the next day after the election to hear the results in South Dakota. I have always had and will continue to have the greatest respect for the democratic process in this country. It is the ultimate and appropriate judgment of the people. I felt that way even when I disagreed with the verdicts they rendered.

I must say to the very slightest of majority, the voters of my neighboring State in South Dakota, with all due respect to them and their rightful judgment, that in my humble opinion you were wrong. You cannot fully understand the extraordinary leader, the superb public servant, and the phenomenal human being you had in Tom Daschle as your Senator, and as all of us in his caucus knew we had in our Democratic leader.

What makes it so hard is he has been taken away from us despite our wishes, and taken away from the country. And it is very hard. It is hard, frankly, to hear all the false praise of someone who went beyond the boundaries of comity, of bipartisanship, of deserved respect for a leader, who campaigned against Tom, who violated the boundaries of his own State and disparaged him; and, most recently, the comments of the incoming chairwoman of the Republican Senate Campaign Committee which were untrue, unwarranted, and just plain foul. Tom Daschle has too much decency to say so.

That was the irony in and the indecency of those remarks. They were directed after the election, after the victory against the most decent man I have ever met in politics, Tom Daschle. He is a gentleman in the very best sense of that word: strong in his principles, firm in his convictions, fierce in his dedication to serving the people of South Dakota and their best interests, but a gentleman in his decency, his personal respect and the senatorial courtesies he extended to every one of his colleagues.

But Tom, being the man he is, would not want me to end on such a note. So I will not. I end by thanking him, thanking him for his leadership over the last 4 years, from the time during which I have been privileged to serve under his leadership, for mentoring me, giving me the opportunities I have had in committee assignments, to listening to me and offering his astute guidance and experience and wisdom. I thank him for showing me by his living example every day and every night in the Senate what it means to be a great Senator, what it entails, the dedication, the hard work, the hours, the travel; what it means when you can do what Tom Daschle has done for his State to save people's lives, to improve people's lives, create new opportunities for young and old, what he has done for his country, what he has done for people who are not his constituents who cannot even thank him and won't be able to vote for him. But that did not matter because he had the opportunity and he seized the opportunity to do things that benefited their lives.

Thank you, Tom Daschle. Thank you for being a superb leader. Thank you for being a great Senator. Thank you for being a phenomenal human being. I wish you well.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise in support of the resolution by the Senator from Iowa, the ranking member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and I wish to support his outrage to the rip-off of money from the Conservation Security Program to pay for Agriculture disaster aid.

The Conservation Security Program exists because of the heroic efforts of the Senator from Iowa, Senator Harkin.

It was reported out of the Senate Agriculture Committee, on which I am proud to serve,

It passes the Senate, the House, and it was signed into law by the President in 2002.

The program is underway, and it is benefiting farmers in my State of Minnesota and elsewhere.

The bill the Senate passed back then also included disaster aid--but the House bill do not.

In Conference Committees, the House opposed disaster aid, the White House opposed disaster aid, so the final legislation contained no disaster aid.

It was a terrible hole in an otherwise excellent Bill, for its counter-cyclical program. As crop prices go up--price supports go down--farmers make more money from higher market prices and taxpayers save money.

Everyone wins except farmers who suffer disasters and lose most or all of their crops. They get no benefit from higher market prices because they have little or no product to sell.

Because of a cruel twist of fate, they watch their hard work amount to nothing--nothing except destitution and bankruptcy.

If there were ever a time when government should lend a helping hand, it's in the face of a natural disaster.

Disaster aid is all of us insuring every one of us.

Hurricane, tornado, flood drought, frost, heat wave, epidemic, who among us is not potentially vulnerable to a disaster?

And if we lose our home, business, or farm, and are left destitute by that disaster, and if we have paid our taxes for years to benefit others, shouldn't our fellow citizens extend a hand to help us back on our feet?

Not a hand out but a hand up, a hand back up to productivity, profitability and dignity.

The House of Representatives would not extend that helping hand to America's farmers. The White House would not extend that helping hand to America's farmers. So much for compassionate conservatism.

I guess that means you are very conservative with your compassion. It doesn't go very far. It goes mainly to those who don't need it. And there is little left for those who do.

This time a number of us in the Senate insisted upon disaster aid for our farmers who have suffered losses during the last 2 years.

A couple of weeks ago, the House sent over a $2 billion hurricane disaster aid bill. We were asked to pass it without debate. The President was traveling to Florida the next day. Just like that, $2 billion, with no questions asked, no offset.

I supported that aid. But I made it clear, as did my colleagues, that I would not support further disaster aid that did not include Minnesota's farmers.

Now we have that disaster aid. In part; it covers only 1 of the past 2 years.

So those farmers hit the hardest--those who had the exceptional misfortune to suffer natural disasters in both years--they will receive no help for 1 of those 2 years.

That is compassionate conservatism--those hurt the worst get only half the help. Unfortunately, that was the best we could do. But we certainly did not expect that disaster aid would be taken away from conservation security, robbing one farmer to help another.

Helping hurricane victims didn't come out of another program. Hurricane victims won't have to choose between one of two hurricanes.

This isn't right. It isn't just. And it's certainly not compassionate.

This offset is not only unfair, it is unnecessary. The 2002 farm bill has spent $16 billion less than originally designed, due to higher market prices.

The counter-cyclical program designed by Senator Harkin has worked-- $16 billion budgeted has not been expended. It will not be expended. But--we are told--OMB will not count those savings.

And once again, the Legislative Branch, which constitutionally has the right to appropriate--is toadying up to the Executive Branch.

As Senator Byrd has reminded us so eloquently, we serve with the Executive Branch; we don't serve under the Executive Branch.

I think the House and the White House are all too eager to gut another farm program and this is their excuse.

Well, we have an election upcoming and no that day America's Farmers should reject that excuse.

Mr. President, nearly 4,000 Minnesotans honored their favorite teacher at my Minnesota State Fair booth this summer. I would like to honor these teachers further by submitting their names to the Congressional Record.

Forest Lake Senior High School--Alan Anderson, Charles

Anderson, Ann Astrup, Rena Benedict, Lee Anne Brockman, John

Buck, Jamie Bullock, Julie Busby, Tiffany Busby, Sara

Cameron, Julianne Carver, Charles Chalberg, Benjamin

Chamberlain, Jenny Coates, Michael Coffee, Colleen Collins,

Coleen Colton, Mary Colvin, Anne Dahl, Robert Dettmer, Judy

Dittberner, Diane Dugas, Terryl Eikren, Nancy Ellias, Patrick

Ellias, Chad Erichsrud, Megan Espe-Och, Alesa Fabini,

Benjamin Fisher, Daniel Forsythe, Kristin Gorczynski, Charles

Gunderson, Heather Guy, Richard Hahn, Larry Harris, Sara

Hartman, Elizabeth Haven, Henry Hebert, Holli Hebl, Dana

Herman, James Herman, Judy Hill, Thomas Hipkins, Kristine

Hovland, Jennifer Hreha, Susan Jarrett, Ryan Johnson, Joseph

Jurasin, Maria Kaiser, Paul Karlsson, Janelle Kendrick,

Anthony Kowalewski, Gail Law, Bruce Leventhal, Jeffrey Lewis,

Marcus Lewton, James Lindstrom, David Livermore, Laura

Livermore, Robyn Madson, Christine Magnan, Robert Marzlof,

Larry Matzdorf, Tracy Maxwell, Victoria McDougall, William

McElrath, Kenneth Mikolajcyk, Michael Miron, Kristen Nellis,

Timothy Newcomb, Thomas Newell, Kelly Nicholls, William

Olson, Marilyn Orlich, Nancy Sonnon-Pechmann, Kristina

Prescott, Cynthia Riesgraf, Nicolle Ristow, Lyn Ruetten, Ryan

Rutten, Barbara Schellinger, Laura Schuster, Theresa Snodie,

Kristen Soderlund, Suzanne Stennes-Rogness, Dorothy Sunne,

Brenda Swanson, Larry Syverson, Sandra Teichner, Donald

Thompson, Larry Tietje, Ronald Tungseth, Bradley Ward, Paul

Wieland, Jeffrey Wilson, and Kelly Wing.

Century Junior High School--Mark Allaman, Sherri Alm, Penny

Baker, Karleen Boettner, Susan Brown, Nancy Calkins, Katrina

Callan, Patricia Cheyne, David Daniels, Steven Ekdahl, Reid

Fore, Tiffany Freeman, Kristina Granias, Kristin Gustafson,

Joel Hall, Michael Hall, Megan Halverson, Kathleen Hellen,

Jennifer Hesse, Richard Hofstede, Kay Jackson, Bonnie

Johnson, Brian Johnson, Kathryn Johnson, Paul Kendrick, Glen

King, Joy Kleppe, Carolyn Kluk, David Kryzer, Maury, Laqua,

Tracy Larson, Karen Lewis, Susan Lidstrom, Stephanie Lourey,

William Loushine, Jeri Lovett, Michelle Lynch, Alice Lysaker,

Geoff McLaughlin, Lance Meier, Joen Moen-Pearson, Kelly Nuss,

Deborah Paul, James Pearson, Pauletter Perkovich, Linnea

Peterson, Lynn Randazzo, Brian Rigwald, Pamela Robson, Carol

Rupar, Alecia Sand, Justin Sheider, Pamela Schultze, Jan

Stauffer, Sandra Swenson, Vicky Trampe, Christopher Vogel,

Scott Walcker, David Walker, Louise Walker, Lois Weber,

Cynthia Weiss, and Edward Zweber.

Southwest Junior High School--Janelle Bernauer, Donald

Bjerke, Margaret Burns-

Hook, Linda Caddy, Amanda Colby, Thomas Cooper, Shawn

Everson, Carland Gaustad, Travis Gjerning, Bruse Hafften, Lou

Ann Hanson, Debra Hecker, Annerre Hegler, Jeffry Henry,

Dennis Hughes, Crystal Ivanish, Paul Jacobs, Daniel Kne,

Sheree Koehler, Joanne Leavens, Kimberly MacDonald, Thomas

Malerich, Jennifer Mayer, Cheryl McMahan, Lee McNiesh, Daniel

Monroe, Benjamin Munsch, Katherine Nagel, James Noll,

Kathleen Norquist, Kristin Pariseau, Greg Patchin, Susan

Peterson, Arwen Peopard, William Porter, Rosalie Quale,

Philip Raaen, Katie Siebert, James Stromber, William

Sullivan, Philip Sundblad, Matthew Thelander, Lawrence

Underkoffler, Cynthia Walker, Mary Windsor, Heidi

Wollschlager.

Forest Lake Area Learning Center--Deborah Anderson, Laura

Anton, Ronald Burris, James Caldwell, Eugenia Cerghizan,

Shawn Dylla, Richard Elliot, Heidi Errickson-Grahek, Mary Pat

Flandrick, Amy France, Theresa Gieschen, Loren Lynch, George

Malone, Michael Meier, Brian Roy, Britt Schachtele, Lisa

Sodren, Seth Webster, Alliseon Whittlef.

Columbus Elementary--Christine Brewster, Nancy Bulinski,

Steven Carr, Jodie Classen, Kathleen Damon, Sharon Deraad,

Terry Burei, James Focht, Kathleen Gross, Danna Grundei,

Robert Holewa, Mary Johnson, Alison Linderman, Paulette

Miller, Jill Nuebel, Heidi Sapa, Cynthia Solberg, Claudia

Stepnick, Frederic Tatting, Kathleen Vail, Mary Vangen,

Kimberly Webb, Daniel Winkelman, Barbara Zawadski, and Lois

Zemke.

Forest Lake Elementary--Krista Armitage, Donna Benson,

Carol Carlson, Daniel Cavanaugh, Christine Davis, Gary

Downing, Kelly Duncan, Dianna Heineman, Georgia Heisserer,

Mary Holland, Diane Iverson, Michael Jensen, Katherine

Jurasin, Clare Kazmierczak, Mary Kryzer, Carol Luschke, Cheri

Larson, Julie Larson, Janice Lee, Catherine Massey, Jeanette

Maxfield, Jan Mrozinski, Mary Pooch, David Seaburg, Sandra

Severson, Joy Sietsema, Nancy Smiley, Mark Smith, Diane

Talbot, Michelle Zimmer.

Forest View Elementary--Bruce Abbe, Paul Alexander, Leslie

Bergerson, Arlene Bevin, Terry Burk, Margret Cosary, Laurie

Ehlers, Brenda Ely, Linda Foster, Jennifer Franklin, Susan

Hansen, Sara Heckel, Kale Henry, Patricia Hoglund, Karl

Holle, Amy Huset, Malcom Johnson, Michelle Johnson,

Christopher Kotys, Kelly Lessman, Michelle Lewis, Julie

Myles, Carol Nygaard, Julie Ohman, Jill Genaw-Olson, Kimberly

Rogers, Linda Rygh, Patricia Sargent, David Sauer, Darci

Sauvageau, Donna Sobiech, Ryan Soukup, Barbara Teawalt,

Cynthia Turry, Amy VanBergen, Marlene Wolinski.

Lino Lakes Elementary--Wendy Amon, Kristin Buckner,

Jennifer Currier, Constance Durei, Mary Fortner, Lynn

Furnstahl, Diane Giorgi, Amy Greenfield, Katherine Hansen,

Mary Beth Higgins, Jeffrey Johnson, Kelly Johnson, Nichole

Laven, Renee Loberg, Barbara Lundborg, Brittany Lynch, George

Martin, Donna Newell, Bonita Peck, Kristina Quan, Jill

Schmidt, Pamela Soukkala, Rosemary Valentine, Barbara

Voedisch, Darla Wright.

Linwood Elementary--Christine Amsler, Connie Atchison,

Sandra Burton, Mary Seidel-Cox, Cynthia Cunningham, Shelley

Guptil, Lisa Guzy, Agnes Hall, Beth Hartway, Diane Hipkins,

Christine Hudspeth, Gae Jarvis, Michael Knox, Jami Larson,

Judith Marleau, Elizabeth Miller, Susan Montgomery, Susan

Mullen, Kimberly Nowicki, Monica O'Rourke, Deanna Pesek, Erin

Peterson, Heather Peterson, Janice Schwister, Cynthia

Prestegaard, Karen Ralidak, Kathryn Robinson, Kathryn

Schwister, Ann Severson, Sandra Ternti, and Scott Urness.

Scandia Elementary--Diane Anderson, Joan Arnholt, Laurie

Bauer, Kathleen Beach, Barbara Carlson, Jean Clausen, Holly

Engvall, Kathleen Garry, Sandra Holcomb, Jan Hughes, Jenna

Joelson, Frances Klausen, Cynthia Kramer, Gregory Krentz,

Marilyn Larson, Rebecca Magnuson, Jacqueline McMahon, Molly

Nemec, Joyce Partyka, Maureen Schwab, Geraldine Seaburg, John

Severson, Ellen St. Sauver, Jeremy Swensen, Sandra Valleen,

Marlene Wirth, Carol Young, Emily Ziemer.

Wyoming Elementary--Marsha Baer, Michele Bahnmiller, Cheryl

Binder, Terri Buerkle, Gail Chalbi, Richard Clayton, Daniel

Cremsino, Mary DeFord, Mary Ellen Dellwo, Diane Dummer,

Kathleen Edwards, Carol Geiger, Connie Glowacki, Mary

Gookins, Joan Harms, Jill Johnson, John Kay Kery Kruger,

James Lundborg, Mary Malrick, Lisa Mansell, Kristin Maser,

Debra Matheson, Kathleen Mcmorrow, Penny O'Brien, Christine

Pietsch, Carrie Pulczinski, Rochelle Quillen, Crystal

Rademacher, Diane Reyzlaff, Karen Richards, Cheryl Runquist,

Kelly Schuder, Julie Sorensen, Andrew Stoyke, Pamela Thomas,

Diana Urness, Jacqueline Wright, Kathleen Wright.

Central Montessori--Laurie Chelgren, Gina Eberspacher, Tara

Hahnm Christine Hebert, Sandra Learned, Sylvia Nelson, Vicki

Peopard, Joyce Reed, Christina Sparby, Mary Tenjack.

Forest Lake School District--Joy Ballou-Jantzen, Joseph

Bauer, Elizabeth Benshoof, Lisa Berg, Jame Bona, Kathleen

Briguet, Heidi Christian, Lori Dahlquist, Charles Dodson,

Tammy Dunrun, Berni Ester, Diane Fairchild, Edward Gibson,

Mary Guler, Lisa Houska, Kelli Kaetterhenry, Alexandra

Kaslow-Briggs, Loretta Monson, Charles Moses, Heide Muhs,

Alissa Nelson, Gayla Peterson, Rachel Peterson, Wendy Pickar,

Cynthia Saarela, Priscilla Scherman, Lynn Schwiebert, Nicole

Shabelski, Jill Somrock, Donald Spears, Kathryn Stading,

Joel-Lynn Tinklenberg, Jennifer Tolzmann, and Callie Tresco.

Mr. President, nearly 4,000 Minnesotans honored their favorite teacher at my Minnesota State Fair booth this summer. I would like to honor these teachers further by submitting their names to the Record, as follows:

New Richmond Middle School--Shane Dupuis, Mr. Franzwa, Mr.

Henk, Mr. Nadeu; New Rochelle High School--Daniel Owich; New

Ulm Junior High--Ms. Liedman; New Ulm Senior High--Colleen

Tasto; New York Mills Elementary--Connie Griffith; Newport

Elementary--Mrs. Bernie; Nicollet High School--Brad Koenig,

Kenneth Wick; Nicollet Junior High--Ann Bakken, Danielle

Christy, Mr. Holt; Nisswa Elementary--Brenda Marohn, Sue

Headlee; Noble Elementary--Mrs. Johnson, Rachel Schwandt;

Nokomis Elementary--Sharon Benson; Nokomis Montessori--Mr.

Huelster, Judy Jacobsen, Georgia Maguire, Gwen Odney; Norman

County Secondary School--Mildred Halvorson, Gwendolyn Meyer,

Robert Ramstad; Normandale Community College--Chuck Gross,

Cynthia Shiebe, Marilyn Wood; Normandale Elementary--French

Immersion--Gary Boisclaire, Joanne Click, Joey Click, Jaime

Locke, Jennifer Johnson, Barbara Pinaire;

Normandale Hills Elementary--Mr. Zarbo, Karen Anthony, Mrs.

Kosey, Emily Nuss, Mrs. Oldfather, Jan Saari, Carol Shelly,

Doris Stenberg; North Branch Elementary--Dianna Linehan,

Julia Roman, Dave Balzer; North Branch High School--Marilyn

Fagerness; North Branch Middle School--Joan Carlson, Al

Jones, Robert Monk, Lisa Mueller; North Elementary

(Princeton)--Mr. Johnson; North Hennepin Community College--

Marion Day; North High School (Minneapolis)--Jeff Bustza,

Richard Chakolis, Aletha Halcomb, Julie Jacobsen, Natalie

Rasmussen, Patricia Rydeen; North High School (North St.

Paul)--Ms. Brown, Karen Klein, Kate Liden, Melissa Morgan,

Sarah Paul; North Lakes Academy--Caroline Little; North Park

Elementary--Faith Twedell; North Rose Wolcott High School--

Sherman Parker; North Senior High--Lisa Johnson; North View

Junior High--Sue Howard, Dan Murphy, Nancy Ziemer, Tom

Brandt, Dianna Deschene, Mike Mullin; Northdale Middle

School--Sarah Engstrom, Julie Fleischhacker, Veann Beutler,

Tim Martin, Lionel Washington; Northern Elementary--Mary

Kostohryz; Northern Illinois University--Paul Stey;

Northfield High School--Stephen Cade, Donald Dick, Deb

Reynolds, Sam Wold; Northfield Middle School--John Bade, Mark

Langerin; Northrup Elementary--Mary Hartman, Jim Nannemann;

Northside Christian School--Beth Dvorak, Bryan Remen, Anne

Remen; Northside Elementary (Benson)--Mary Ann Larson;

Northside Elementary (St. James)--Roxanne Romsdahl; Northview

Elementary School DHOH Team--Kristine Cinealis, Northwest

YMCA--Gloria Smith; Northwestern College--Bruce Melander,

Jackie Pickar; O.H. Anderson Elementary--Dave Clymer,

Christine Anderson; Oak Grove Middle School--Renee Sbrocco;

Oak Hill Community Elementary--Linda Baker, Mr. Kaczor; Oak

Hill Montessori--Renee Laurent; Oak Hills Elementary--Mrs.

Bloomquist, Ms. Rome; Oak Park Elementary--Nina Leiser, Daryl

Vossler; Oak Point Elementary--Chris Hajney, Diane Kelly,

Mrs. Radel, Jodi Radel, Matt Rusch, Mrs. Wolfe; Oak Point

Intermediate Elementary--Heidi Wavinak; Oak Point

Intermediate School--Vicki Effertz; Oak View Elementary--Mr.

Esselman, Jill Simon, Kelli Varley; Oak View Middle School--

Olivia Bastian, Mary Mann, Gordy Nilsen; Oakdale Elementary--

Shirley Blasjo, Lynn Brown, Jane Cavanaugh, Kari Eilief, Lisa

Frampton, Patty Krauschaar; Oakland Junior High--Brian Luke,

Julie Guerber, Robin Vought; Oakridge Elementary--Mrs.

Yetzer; Oakview Middle School--Mr. Walden; Oakwood

Elementary--Rose Klobuchar, Jan Wiley; Occidental College--

Daniel Fineman; Odyssey Charter School--Jeni Holm; Ogilvie

High School--Joan Erickson; Olathe Unified School District--

Antonia Miller, Mr. Reeves; Olivia, MN--Letha Brenner, Pat

Kadlecek; Olson Elementary--Jessica Newman, Jane Willey;

Olson Middle School--Terry Fraver, Tammy Kellen, Jean Liss,

Karolyn Thompson, Ron Wagner, Jeremy Willey; Oltman Junior

High--Peter Bergman, Susan Peichel;

Onamia Elementary--Ms. Maxwell, Kelly Mertens; Onamia

Secondary School--Joani Ellingson; Orchard Lake Elementary--

Mrs. Batta, Patti Schluter, Janine Steffer; Ordean Middle

School--Jennifer Timm; Orono High School--Sarah Cole,

Adrienne Gilby; Orono Intermediate--Katy Crofutt; Osceola

Middle School--Rachel Marrier; Osseo Elementary--Nancy

Hammer, Kathy Johnson, Kathy Petruzzi, Carolyn Steinke; Osseo

High School--Brian Chance, Jill Kellar, Ms. Lausche, Gary

Leafblad, Mr. Rosch, Ms. Sasse, Leslie Schmelsser, Mr.

Schultz, Gerry Zelenak, Eric Kalenze, Daryll Lindquist,

Kelli Wallk; Osseo Junior High Greg Bigalke, Joe Domeier,

Mr. Lemke, Clayton Ochs, Mrs. Peterson; Osseo Secondary

Transition Center--Kristin Cappola; Osseo Senior High--

Helen Larson, Mr. Leabo; Otsego Elementary--Nancy Boyer,

Rick Greenwaldt, Mary Beth Stensgard, Wayne Stensgard,

Julie Olson; Ottawa Hills School District--Susan

Everheart; Otter Lake Elementary--Ann Feider, Lee McGrath,

Mrs. Poppa, Lisa Thompson; Our Lady of Grace School--

Bonnie Stone; Our Lady of Peace--Julie Mueller; Owatonna

High School--Katie Berglund; Owatonna Junior High--

Margaret Swanson; Oxbow Creek Elementary--Rolf Carlson,

Ms. Cox, Neil Eerdmans, Judy Johnson, Heidi Johnson, Kari

Kaehn, Rebecca Lundberg, Terry McEowen; Palmer Lake

Elementary--Marlys Carols-Stieskal; Park High School--

Valerie Bradt; Park Brook Elementary--Mary Beth Walls;

Park Center High School--Paul Lorentzen, Bradley Olson;

Park Elementary--Susan Haughland; Park High School--Denise

Atkinson, Stephanie Blair, Jarom Debtviller, Mr. Kyes, Mr.

Mackie, Roberta Rudolph, Christopher Russel, Maria Tol; Park

Rapids Elementary--Candy Malm; Park Senior High--Joe Hentges;

Park Spanish Immersion Park Spanish Immersion Teachers--

Milissa Hoffman, Corey Maslowski; Park Spanish Immersion

Elementary--Kathleen Walser; Park Valley Catholic School--

Mrs. Steffensmeier; Park View Early Childhood Center--Lee

Bahr; Park View Montessori School--Teri Blair, Todd

Vandeberg; Parkside Elementary--Lauri Hayes; Parkvalley

Catholic School--Leona Cornish, Mrs. Halstrom, Nancy Hanson,

Mrs. Heimer; Parkview Center Elementary--Christine Hitchcock,

Gloria Honda, Deb Obey; Parkview Center School--Barb Grengs,

Gail Hagen, Jill Koshiol, Stacy Nelson; Parkview Early

Childhood Center--Mrs. Blake; Parkview Elementary

(Rosemount)--Petra Hagen, Mrs. Lunn; Parkview Elementary

(Virginia)--Marcia Bergquist; Parkview Elementary (White Bear

Lake)--Mr. Allen, Ms. Sharp; Parkway Elementary--Rebecca

Swanson; Parkway Elementary (St. Paul)--Nancy Class, Mrs.

Heubach; Patrick Henry High School--Perry Juenemann, Eva

Lockhart, Susan Losacker; Paul and Sheila Wellstone

Elementary--Kelly Madder, Mrs. Potts, Judy Schultz;

Paynesville Elementary--Cheryl Colbert; Paynesville High

School--Patricia Nelson; Paynesville Middle School--Todd

Spanier; Pearson Elementary--James Otto; Penn Township School

District--Leola Schmidt; Pequot Lakes High School--Lynn

Smith; Perpich Center for Arts Education--Joao Bichino, John

Colburn, Craig Farmer, Bob Frey, Chris Granius, Nancy

Norwood, Wesley Wallace;

Peter Enich Kindergarten Center--Mr. Gall; Peter Hobart

Elementary--Barb Bottlene, Ali Dvorak, Elizabeth Lovas,

Carole Humphrey; Phalen Lake Elementary--John Farthing, Ms.

Wolters; Phillips Community School--Clyde Eagle; Piedmont

Elementary--Jan Holt, Gerry Mizuko; Pierz High School--David

Dormanen; Pike Lake Elementary--Jean Modjeki; Pilgrim Lane

Elementary--Mrs. Stensrud; Pillsbury Elementary--Krista

Anderson, Mrs. Jernberg, Sandra O'Donnell, Kristen Parker,

Lori Tierney, Mark Trumper; Pilot Knob Elementary--Steven

Anderson, Char Kascht, Dave Skoglund, Carol Olson; Pine Bend

Elementary--Patty Goettsch, Mary Landis, Ben Peine; Pine City

High School--Eric Wicktor; Pine Hill Elementary--Mrs. Burns,

Sue Elchert, Mrs. Germshied, Andrew Hovden, Ms. Karnowski,

Mrs. Mitchell; Pine Island Elementary--Mary Bakeberg; Pine

Island High School--Dale Phillipson; Pine Lake Elementary--

Mr. Klippenes; Pinecrest Elementary (Hastings)--Lyn Much,

Glenda Peak; Pinewood Elementary (Monticello)--Jessica

Herbst; Pinewood Elementary (Eagan)--Mrs. Anderson, Betsy

Beach, Erik Davis, Joel Ruthenbeck, Pinewood Elementary

(Mounds View)--Barbara Brusman, Melissa Dugan, Gary Judd,

Holly Kettelsen, Betty Simonsen; Pioneer Ridge Freshman

Center--Ross Erickson; Pipestone Alternative Program--Toni

Cunningham; Pipestone Area Schools--Leorna Studt; Pipestone

Public Schools--Joan Ratzloff; Pleasantview Elementary--Jill

Krueger, Mrs. Martin, Gina Rudolph; Plymouth Middle School--

Katie Buss, Bradley Burns, Tony Vazquez; Pope John Paul II

Catholic School--Mrs. Aska, Lissa Forletti-Aska; Poplar

Bridge Elementary--Mrs. Kapsch, Nancy Layman, Susan Peterson,

Emily Rolek, Michelle Shorma, Mrs. Steffes; Powderhorn

Elementary--Joan Hutchinson, Nancy Kruse; Prairie

Elementary--Maririn Jensen, Judy Schmidt, Yvonne Sieve;

Prairie Lutheran Early Childhood--Avis Turner; Prairie View

Elementary--Linda Fullerton, Mike Skarp, Mark Swiggum;

Prairie Woods Elementary--Jon Ninneman, Gwendolyn Roeder;

Pratt Elementary--Matt Berg, Anita Kangas, Laura Madsen;

Presentation of Mary Elementary School--Hannah Stolen, Patsy

Bishop; Prince of Peace Lutheran School--Wayne Coburn;

Princeton High School--Duane Anderson, Stephen Larson;

Princeton North Elementary--Carol Jones; Princeton South

Elementary--Heidi Gebhard; Prior Lake--Ms. Colbert, Lyle

Grimmer; Proctor Senior High School--Dick Kieren, Jim

McIntire, Kathy Sylvester; Prosperity Heights Elementary--

Mary Bakken, Angela Jalonack; Providence Academy--Teresa

Wilson; Pullman Elementary--Nicole Wildman; Putnam

Elementary--Cathy Clemons, Mrs. Johnson, Kristie Rossow;

Putnam Heights Elementary (Eau Claire, WI)--Alan Hudacek;

R.T.R. High School--Mr. Thomas; Rahn Elementary School--Brad

Taylor; Rainbow Connection Preschool--Kristy Adams, Deb

Milow; Ralph R. Reeder Community Education Center--Cathy

Larson; Ramsey Elementary--Sandra Anderson, Lona Kampf, Sue

Olseon, Penny Rodman, Patricia Schlick, Sue Stearans, Deb

Waller; Ramsey Fine Arts Elementary--Blatti Ann, Kathy Glick,

Susan Gonzalez, Jennifer Hennen, Pat Kelly, Tim Leach, Lisa

Munson; Randolph Heights Elementary--Lisa Dochniak, Monica

Fitzgerald;

Red Lake Elementary--Shelly Fredriksen, Jean Whitefeather;

Red Oak Elementary--Mary Louise Olberding; Red Pine

Elementary--Nicole Crumb, Sue Gerten, Laurie Herman; Red Rock

Elementary--Mrs. Denault, Stephanie Dorn, Mrs. Lee, Laura

Loppnow, Kathy Mides, Mrs. Opatz, Red Rock Elementary

Teachers; Red Wing High School--Jeff Chalmers, Lowell Gran,

Jim Morrisson, Dave Woods, Kevin Larson; Redwood Valley High

School--Mrs. Sales; Redwood Valley Middle School--Susan

Anderson, Elizabeth Sales; Reede Gray Elementary--Euleen

Christensen; Renville County West Elementary--Cam Weis; Rice

Creek Elementary--Beth Gelino; Rice Elementary--Mrs.

McDermid; Rice Lake Elementary--Amy Gerst, Ryan Hahn, Jeanne

Holland, Ann Miller, Karen Schwartz, Gail Tellander, Candy

Boser, Mr. Stamman; Richard Green Elementary--Karen Larson;

Richard Green School--Ms. Guiltary; Richardson Elementary--

Ms. Jansen; Richfield High School--Richard Prindle, Barry

Bain, Mr. Bente, Laurie Brown, Colleen Fischer, Mabel

Frankenstein, Christopher Kaus, Derek Nelson, Mr. Oiseth,

Cliff Peterson, Jennifer Swenson, Aaron Tepp, Elizabeth Vella

Zehnphennig, Bruce Wiebe; Richfield Intermediate School--

Kathryn Post, Jim Hayeck, Jodi Schleyer, Sandy Stone;

Richfield Middle School--Val Caroll, James Habeck, Julie

Lentz, Laura McQuiston, Kim Smith; Richfield School

District--F. Taber-Akin; Richmond Elementary--Susan Utecht;

Ridgeview Elementary--Ms. Anderson, Paul Meyer; Rippleside

Elementary--Sharon Lake, Daryl Smith, Loren Vonaske, Missy

Walters; River Falls School District--Lanny Saumer; River

Heights Elementary--Lisa Mayer; Riverside Elementary--Ms.

Porter; Riverview Elementary School--Larry Golyer, Krista

Carroll; Robbinsdale Armstrong High School--Pam Stanoch, Paul

Anderson, Linda Holstein, James Irwin, Dean Larsen, John

Norton, Kathleen Norton; Robbinsdale Cooper High School--Mrs.

Bye, Lisa Emison, Vernon Hollister, Melissa Kyle, Kurt Pauly,

Carol Zaudtke; Robbinsdale School District--Mr. Mossberg;

Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion--Sr. Marique, Laura Pezan;

Rochester--Sarah Nelson; Rochester Central Lutheran School--

Pat Bryngelson; Rockford Elementary School--Terry Stansfield;

Rockford High School--Caroline Young; Rogers Elementary--Mrs.

Deroma, Vicky Roberts; Rogers High School--Laura Honeck, Sara

Klingelhofer, Susan Romane; Rogers Middle School--Julie

Athman, Lance Boole, Lori Tukey; Rondo Learning Center Cathy

Smith; Roosevelt Elementary (Detroit Lakes)--Jane Ballard;

Roosevelt Elementary (Faribault)--Mary Canney; Roosevelt

Elementary (Mankato)--Brian Eggersdorfer, Kayla Koble, Mrs.

Kuhlmann; Roosevelt Elementary (St. Cloud)--Larry Hanson;

Roosevelt Elementary (Virginia)--Wayne Slater; Roosevelt High

School (Minneapolis)--Jeahanne Beaton, Margaret Berg, Sharon

Haldeman, Diane Martini-Johnson, Mr. Newton, John Vukmomich;

Roosevelt Magnet Elementary (St. Paul)--Sheryl Cain, Jeanne

Ertz, Dayna Thomas; Roosevelt Middle School (Blaine)--Laura

Kaiser, Wayne Larkin; Roseau Elementary--Kelly Christianson;

Rosemount High School--Rodney Smith, Liz Erikson, Sara

Haitlei, Faith Jonas, Mr. Olsen, Caroll Rasch, Thomas Scott,

Mr. Sieve, Mr. Theisen, Dr. Scott, Roy Warter; Rosemount

Middle School--James Strey; Rosemount, MN--Justin Austgen;

Roseville Area High School--Kay Sorgatz, Jane Aguilar, Merlen

Clercx, Donna Erickson, Edward Fredine, Wally Jacobson,

Robert Pass, Mary Peterson, Chris Ploetz, Charity Przepiora,

Chelsea Schultz, Bo Smith, Kent Smith, Mr. Wagner, Jim

Warren; Rooseville Area Middle School--Tony Andrea, Jeff

Bibeau, Barbara Grengs, Scot Lavinger, Margo Olsen, Jodi

Walker; Roseville Lutheran Nursery School--Anna; Rossman

Elementary--Patricia Lee Benson, Ron Sprafka, Joann Strand;

Royal Oaks Elementary--Mrs. Appert, Kelly Baeth, Laurie

Beebe, Mr. Birkolyz, Denise Downhour, Louise Hinz, Linda

Rull, Matt Judd; RTR High School--Mr. Thomas; Rum River

Elementary--Mrs. Blue, Beverly Semanko, Jane Wood, Debra Day,

Sandy Hannah; Rush City High School--Michael Vaugh; Rush

Creek Elementary--Margot Andress, Ann Mock, Phyllis Rither,

Patti Tannuzzo, Julie Williams; Rushford-Peterson High

School--Craig Colbenson; Rutherford Elementary--Gretchen

Haukom, Mrs. Spencer, Julie Kramer; Sacred Heart Elementary--

Katie Goole, Mrs. Harty; Saint Ambrose of Woodbury--Mrs.

Kress, Laurel Madden, Felicia Ochs, Kristn Woolsey; Saint

Angela Merici School (Bronx, NY)--Diane Flanagan-Hogan;

Saint Anthony Middle School--Robert Prust; Saint Anthony

Park Elementary--Jessica Cherrier, Ruth Krider, Cathy

Lime, Courtney O'Lean, Tim Olmstead, Susan Polfliet; Saint

Anthony Village High School--Linda Guidera; Saint

Batholomew's School Sr. Marcene; Saint Bernard's High

School--Amy Okan, Mrs. Harrington, J.P. Kolbinger; Saint

Boniface School--Liz Ficker; Saint Casmirs--Margo Lutzek;

Saint Charles--Donna Spletz; Saint Charles Borromeo

Catholic School--Judy Kusz, Mr. Willmar; Saint Charles

Elementary School--Jeffrey Cole, Mike Smith; Saint Charles

High School--Sarah Dixen, Scott Mecready; Saint Clair

Elementary--Deb Hart; Saint Clair High School--Jim

Williams; Saint Cloud--Marie Corriean, Ray Maresh, Sharon

Truex; Saint Cloud Children's Home--Craig Slocum; Saint

Cloud Christian School--Patty Kelm; Saint Cloud School

District--Larry Hanson; Saint Cloud State University--

Albert Grottel, Chuck Rose, Frances Kayona, Janine Dahms-

Walker;

Saint Cloud Technical High School--Gerald Gerads, LeRoy

Pauley; Saint Croix Falls Senior High School--Erik Paulson;

Saint David's Child Development Center--Debbie and Tina;

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Middle School--Jeane

Sharpe; Saint Francis de Sales School--Mrs. O'Keefe; Saint

Francis Elementary--Patti Jo Oslin, Susan Robinette; Saint

Francis High School--Mr. Bender, Michael Buck, Bobbi Hume,

Mr. Keillor, Charles King, Mr. Klicka; Saint Francis Junior

High School--Mr. Rose, Sue Starr, Bo Stevens; Saint Helena

School--Sue Poepl; Saint John Fisher College--Michael

Walczak; Saint John the Baptist School--Debra Cheney,

Danielle Darwin, Mrs. Koskie, Ms. Schnette, Mrs. Spoden, Mrs.

Sue, Mrs. Thompson; Saint John the Evangelist School--Andrew

Sachaliason; Saint John Vianney School--Marge Milner, M.

Pepperwolf, Nancy Schneider; Saint John's Catholic School

(Hopkins)--Amy Hoheneker; Saint John's Lutheran School

(Chaska)--Mrs. Herman; Saint John's Lutheran School (Maple

Grove)--Justin Bermister; Saint Joseph's Catholic School--

Sister John Christine, Regina Raush; Saint Joseph's School of

Music--Rose Immacula; Saint Jude of the Lake--Tammy Green,

Tracy Lewis; Saint Louis Park High School--Dorothy Ranslan,

Arthur Cahill, Joe Getty, Joe Conrad, Jan Lane, David Linne,

Mary Norris, Kevin O'Brian, Lee Smith, LeeAnn Stephens;

Saint Louis Park Junior High--Mrs. Maslowski, Randy Moore;

Saint Mark's (St. Paul)--Karen Marolt, Ms. Rosga, Nicole;

Saint Mary of the Lake Catholic School--Jeanne Bennek, Patty

Clauson, Beth Croseby, Ms. Easton; Saint Mary's (Saint

Paul)--Susan Reinardy; Saint Mary's (West Saint Paul)--Susan

Walker; Saint Michael-Albertville High School--Derek Dewey,

Michael Frickstad, Jens Rhoades, Pat Neumann; Saint Michael's

School (Prior Lake)--Mr. Nickelson; Saint Michael's School

(West St. Paul)--Sister Connie; Saint Odilia Parish School--

Katy Maier, Kevin Scroggins, Mrs. Wendland; Saint Olaf

College--Judy and Jim Cederberg, James Dickson, George Holt,

Dan Forstner; Saint Pascal's School--Mrs. Campbell, Mrs.

Reihle; Saint Paul--Blanche Burroughs, Ms. Hollman, Mrs.

Martha, Dorothy Sarafolean, Tina Westawker, Billie McQuillan,

Ralph Helm; Saint Paul Academy & Summit School--Laura Duke,

David Fuerst, Laurie Goldfarb, Alisa Grewe, Judy Johnson,

Margaret Kelberer, Tom Lundhom, Ms. Miller; Saint Paul

Central High School--Ed Roth, Juanita Spire, Mr. Yernburg;

Saint Paul College--Kathy Ross; Saint Paul French Immersion

School--Audrey Gagnaire, Tammy Trochu; Saint Paul Mechanical

Arts High School--Barbara Brice, Ray Schneider; Saint Paul

Open School--Leo Bickelhaupt, Paula Brust, Jule Doble, Sheri

Gongioroski, Kelly Jensen, Vaughn Koenig, Tim Leone-Getten;

Saint Paul's Lutheran Elementary--Amy Bohme; Saint Peter High

School--Mr. Harvey, Korrien Kreft, Jeff Miller; Saint Peter

South Elementary--Ms. Farrington;

Saint Peter's Catholic School--Suzanne Yager; Saint Peter's

School--Jeff Murawski; Saint Pius X Holy Family School--Deb

Christensen, Racheal Hansen; Saint Rose of Lima Elementary

School--Mrs. Kniffin, Rita W., Diane Wald; Saint Therese of

Deephaven--Stephanie Brondani, Mrs. Connors, Carol Groetsch,

Susan Ryan, Tim Wartman; Saint Thomas Academy--Wendy Fox,

Donna Isaac, Tom Weber, Mark Westlake; Saint Thomas School--

Michelle Misner; Saint Vincent De Paul Elementary--Mrs.

Schlickup; Salem Hills Elementary--Ms. Gustafson; San Diego,

CA--Diane Moss; Sand Creek Elementary--Roger Johnson, Scott

Schaefer; Sandburg Middle School--Mark Balske, Mrs. Franz,

Lauren Hildebrand, Dan McMullen, Molly Schmidt, Glen Semanko,

Carrie Stack-Schaefer; Sandstone Saint Croix School--Barb

Kunelius; Sanford Middle School--Lisa Dreyer, Nilo Guanzon,

Lisa Stuehringer; Sartell Middle School--Donna Kellor, Amy

Trombley; Sartell Senior High School--Jeff Kellerman; Sauk

Centre Elementary--Mary Lou Kluver, Sandra Malevich; Sauk

Rapids-Rice Senior High School--Kevin Hemmesch, Laura

Mackenthun; Savage--Cindy Busse; Scandia Elementary--Mrs.

McArdle, Jackie McMahon; Scenic Heights Elementary--Dylan

Briest; Schaeffer Academy--Nola Aderton, Lisa Martinson;

School District of Haverford Township--Mrs. Blanchard; School

of Environmental Studies--Kim Lindell, Brad Nord;

Schoolcraft Learning Community--Judy Bing, Linda Blessing,

Karen Bradley, Sara Breeze, Jim Conway, Marilyn Delaney, Ken

Grantier, Gerry Hoyum, Heidi Lindseth, Greg Moen, Melanie

Nelson, Carla Patch, Hilary Phukan, Lisa Robinson; Schumann

Elementary--Stephanie Johnson, Jane Kipling, Rochelle

Ratzloff, Susan Vest; Scott Highlands Middle School--Jeremy

Abbot, Lorie Dahlstrom, Phyllis Deer, Ron Finger, Stephanie

Helgerson; Seward Montessori Elementary School--Kathie Glick,

Kristen Hanson, Paul Hegre, Leni Heinen, Paul Heshe,

Elizabeth Hockbeing, Agnes Kilpatrick, John Roper-Batker,

Karen Utter; Shakopee Area Catholic School--Renae Sames;

Shakopee High School--Eric Christianson, Edie Cook, Bev

Fahey, Jason Hunt, Mr. Miller; Shakopee Junior High--Ms.

Fiora; Shannon Park Elementary--Chris Ice, Sue McMurchie,

Mary Snyder, Carol Anderson, Jill Kopperud; SHAPE Program

(Bloomington)--Marion Thorne; Sheridan Elementary (Lincoln,

NE)--Karen Hoiberg; Sheridan Elementary (St. Paul)--Sheila

Kluxdal; Sheridan Global Arts and Communications Elementary--

Renee Beer, Charles Bethke, Colin Brown, Susan Ferrell,

Nadine Hennings, Cathy Jaksha, Becca Kristofitz, Joni Kueng,

Chasu Lo, Ms. Melquist, Carolyn Olcott, Robin Parker, Roberta

Puzon, Jody Quenell, Linda Radick, Karen Ruhs, Brenda

Schultz, Leah Williams, Shirely Foerster; Sheridan Hills

Elementary--Jean Malherek, Mrs. Geafer; Shingle Creek Urban

Environmental School--Paul Brau, Craig Smith;

Shirley Hills Primary School--Mrs. Tollefson, Dan O'Brien,

Jessica Rashleger; Sibley Elementary--Susan Chabot, Dan

Foley; Silver Lake Catholic School--Karen Eckstein; Simley

High School--Anne Batisti, Tom Claussen, Thomas Findlay,

Matthew Lorey, Rufino Ochoada, Mike Murr; Sioux Trail

Elementary--Karen Brown, Elaine

Vezina; Sky Oaks Elementary--Nancy Brandt, Kate Landgen, Mary

Lincoln; Skyview Community Elementary--Seann Dikkers, Peter

Evans, Kari Ratz, Peter Evans; Snail Lake Elementary--Leslie

Lundmark, Craig Sundberg, Nathan Flansburg; Solomon Schecter

Day School--Aliza Zeff; Somerset Elementary--Kathy Cardinal,

Sue Wyckoff; Sonnesyn Elementary--Jennifer Cavanaugh, Janet

Maki, Kay Miller, Jan Moen, Pam Oesterreich, Molly Zensen,

Katni Homan; Sorteberg Elementary--Judy Saboe; South Avondale

Elementary School--Sally Coomes; South Elementary--Lexi

Cumings; South Grove Elementary--Mrs. Chun; South High

School--Neil Anderson, Douglas Berglund, Scott Carter, Duane

Dentz, Brian Fitzgerald, Mrs. Gunderson-Johnson, Mrs. Hayes,

Tanya Hodge, Warren Kaari, Denny Sponsler, Mark Wald, Susan

Wolfe, Melinda Bennett; Snail Lake Elementary--Eric Collins;

South Point Elementary--Kathy Voelker; South Saint Paul

High School--Conrad Anderson, Judy Carney, Jennifer Caruso,

Marlene Greger, Rachel Hansen, Sean McGlaughlin, Marilyn

West, Jim Woodburn, Jane Stull; South View Middle School--

Patrick Anderson, Ms. Barnett, Ms. Cicmil, Dean Dahl, Ms.

Koenig, Marge Melvin, Mr. Sigmund, Mr. Wolfbauer, Dan Wymore;

South Washington--Sarah Jepsen; South Washington County

School District--Daryl Vossler; Southern Illinois University

(Edwardsville, IL)--Thomas O'Keefe; Southland Senior High--

Larry Luke; Southside Family School--Peter Oppenheim;

Southview Elementary--Carol Peach, Lee Filipek; Southview

Middle School--Ms. Arnold, Ms. Padden;

Southwest Christian High School--Andrew Gross; Southwest

Junior High School--Crystal Ivanish; Southwest Senior High

School--Mr. Behrendt, Mr. Denysenko, Robert Ferguson, Art

Froehle, Larry Levine, Megan Marsnik, Beth Otto, Thomas

Perry; Anne Marie Plante, Robin Polson, Sarah Sexton, Bill

Towne, Jonathan Townsend, Ms. Westby; Southwest Star Concept

Secondary School--Robert Graef; Special Education Resource

Program (Minneapolis)--Meghan Scallon; Spooner High School--

Mrs. Eichhorst; Spring Lake Park Senior High School--Michael

Bobbe, Jennifer Bobbe, Brian Fredine, Wendy Hatchner, Carl

Luepker, Jeremy Sellman, Beth Wackman;

Stevenson Elementary--Darri Becchetti, Mrs. Hermann,

Michael Kozarek, Debbie Rein, Ms. Simineol; Stillwater High

School--Greg Johnson, Marcia Aubineau, Bill Carlson, Tanya

DeWing, Ms. Gunvolson, Mrs. Lee, Mr. Luke, Pam Norton, Darby

Whitehill, Sunny Hollow Elementary--Ms. Branch, Doug Hubred,

Andrew Hunter, Ms. Sigurdson, Julie Pitkin, Mr. Strand;

Sunnyside Elementary--Mrs. Follet, Kevin Holm, Joseph Law,

Sandy Lehman, Greg Ulrich; Sunset Hill Elementary--Cathi

Critzer, Jane Reynolds, David Wiegert, Cheryl Burdick; Talahi

Elementary--Angela Mitchell, Mary Pierce-Slocum; St. John's

Lutheran School (Maple Grove)--Richard Wilkie; St. Joseph's

School (West St. Paul)--Jane Schneeweis; St. Raphael Catholic

School (Crytal)--Ms. Wockenfuss; St. Stephen's Catholic

School (Anoka)--Mrs. Lakaner; Stanford University--

Stanford, CA--Camille Picconatto; Staples High School

(Westport, CT)--Joe Ball; Staples-Motley High School--Mrs.

Schwichtenberg; Step by Step Montessori (Wayzata)--Olga

Tregor; Stephen Senior High School--Gary Kotts; Stillwater

Junior High--John Warnert, Mrs. Michaels;

Stonebridge Elementary--Mrs. Ivey, Mr. Kondrasuk, Ms.

McKay, Ms. Studtman; Stowe Elementary--Robert Berg, Denise

Nord; Studio Academy (Rochester)--Mr. Aakre; Sullivan

Community Center--Susan Bell, Kaylen Gores, Mary Swenson; Sun

Path Elementary--Mary Kornder; Sunday School--Amy Baker;

Sunny Hill Preschool--Ruthann & Vicki; Sunny Hollow

Montessori (St. Paul)--Anne Paul; Sunrise Park Middle

School--Travis Littlefield, Huy Nguyen; Susan Lindgren

Elementary--Sabrina Olson; Sweeney Elementary School--

Jennifer Johnson; Talmud Torah of Saint Paul--Faye Bearman,

Benji Latz, Robbi Nelson; Tartan High School--Jan Churchill,

Gerard Coury, Tony Didier, Matt Duffee, Roy Erickson, Vicki

Fellows, Kristin Gessert, Glen Hanson, Mrs. Hyers, Karen

Hyers, Phylis Kirsch, Dan Krengel, Carolyn Merva, Jeff Patry,

Jackie Reiter, Mr. Roleff, Dave Rutledge, Craig Spreiter,

Grant Steves, Mandy Wineberg, Janice Yamamoto, Vicki Reiter,

Mark Junod, Louise Weldon; Taylors Falls Elementary--Mike

Ackertz, Mrs. Noyd, Sheila Sandell, Technology and Language

School--Mr. Lee, Ken Habel; Temple Israel School--Fran, Heidi

Trashish; Tesseract School--Robert Tuma; The Blake School--

David Burton, Judy Ann Ehrlich, Will Fisher, Laura Larson,

Mr. Olsen, Heinz Otto, Lisa Vaughnn, Larry Hester, Ms.

Johnson, Kathryn Kaatz, Patti Loftus, Chris Passi; Thomas

Lake Elementary--Brenda Fluke, Mrs. Hokkanen, Mrs. Tan;

Torah Academy--Aarah Aizman, Jill Singer; Totino-Grace High

School--Tim Glynn, Tom Jeffries, Mary Newman, Dick Paul,

Jason Schwalen, Ms. Sweet; Tracy High School--Jerome Rood;

Transfiguration Catholic School--Bryan Collins; Trinity

Catholic School--Mr. Heller, Sister Mary Lorentz, Marla

O'Keefe; Trinity Lutheran School--Ron Anenson, Greg McCourt,

Laura Yust; Trinity School at River Ridge--Ken Folkestad;

Turtle Lake Elementary--Nancy Friendt, Joan McMahon, Dennis

Nelson, Cheryl Wallin; Tuttle Elementary--Teresa Wisniewski;

Twin Bluff Middle School--Amy Carlson, Amy Strusz; Twin

Cities Academy--Erin Amundson, Shannon Gould, Mr. Koch, Gina

Stine, Susan Webster; United South Central Elementary--Mrs.

Dalton; Unity Elementary--Yvonne Sorenson; University Day

Community School--Jan Schaffer; University Elementary--Nicole

Nelson; University of Central Florida--Robert Wood;

University of Minnesota--JoAnne Buggey, Ed Nater, Peter

Ralston, Larry McDonough, Drew Sweetzer, Michael Root,

Raymond Duvall, Maribeth Overland, Jeff Ratliff-Grain, Steve

Andreasen, Lee Galda, Shirely Garner, Karen Jorgensen, Jerry

Luckhardt; University of Saint Thomas--Karen Boros, Robert

Brown, Robert Delhunty, Beth Middleton; University of

Wisconsin--W.L. Bretnzel, David Furniss; Upsala Secondary

School--Roxanne Lewis; Urban League Saint Academy--Liam

Baucom-Orlofsky;

Vadnais Heights Elementary--Deb Girard, Ellie van Guilder;

Valentine Hills Elementary--Cindy Mortenson, Leland Porath;

Valley Crossing Community School--Shannon Casey, Elizabeth

Dobbins, Jenelle Krech, Deb Laub, Ms. Thompson; Valley Middle

School--Ross Alwin, Elaine Coglitore, Shaun Lindquist, Mary

Spychalla; Valley View Middle School--Christine Ingram, Besty

Navarro, Jon Moore, Florence Debard, Ms. Ebert, Greg Erbish,

Jeffrey Grabow, Phil Holm, Lindsey Jacobson, Jon Baudek,

Kristen Morcomb, Ms. Nasset, Cathy Weller; Vandenberge Junior

High School--Kassea Boche, Mrs. Kurmis, William Pollard;

Ventura High School--Arlys Arnold; Vista View Elementary--

Mehan Murray; Wabasha-Kellogg High School--Beth Jewson;

Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary--John Keanen, Jean Rortvedt;

Wagner Elementary--Bryce Wendlandt; Waite Park Elementary--

Ms. Ficocello, William Land, Ms. Maier, Ms. Penn, Sue

Schweitzer, Ms. Thompson; Walker-Hackensack-Akeley Secondary

School--Kelly Nelson; Waseca Central Intermediate School--

Brenda Saemrow, Jody Schlichte; Waseca High School--Herb

Streitz;

Waseca Junior High School--Sheryl Wilder; Washburn

Elementary--Aimee Johnson, Ms. Schill; Washburn High School--

Barb E., Nancy Gustafson, Christine Lamm, Perry Rudey, Gary

Wald, Jennifer Welbaum, Mrs. Wells, Katy Winker, Allan Wurst;

Washington Elementary (Alexandria)--Dave Gran, Deb Odland;

Washington Elementary (Cloquet)--Mr. Goard, Karen McKenna;

Washington Elementary (Crookston)--Nancy Neis; Washington

Elementary (Mankato)--Gerald Hansen, Connie Long, Cindy

Stone; Washington Elementary (Owatonna)--Jenni Bricko, Monica

Konold; Washington Elementary (Willmar)--Earl Habben;

Washington Middle School (Brainerd)--Letitia Laske;

Washington Middle School (St. Paul)--Anne Johnson; Watershed

High School--John Miller; Watertown-Mayer Elementary--Tyler

Finkelson, Joan Fritzke, Mr. Rockhold, Colleen Kelzer;

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Junior High--Mrs. Wanless;

Watkins Elementary--Don Ksar; Wayzata High School--Jeff Dahl,

Grace Gamradt, Brenda Gonuea, Michelle Howe, Kevin Johnson,

Ertwin Jones-Hermerding, Stacy Larson, Chuck Leonard, Gail

Rains, Jan Reineck, Peter Schmit, Tom Tietze, Adam Tillotson,

Bill Vieth, Chip Williams, Ken Zwach;

Webster Magnet Elementary--Robin Abel, Pam Anderson, Bob

Blat, Chris Diaz de Leon, Ralph Helm, Diane Kastner, Ms.

Lund, Ron Moeller, Mrs. Reinhardt, Niceta Smith, Laura Stirn;

Westwood Elementary--Debbie Kaiser, Mrs. McCuster, Carl

Nevils, Helen Swedien, Kari Sunberg, Westwood Elementary

Staff--Pam Dugas; White Bear Lake High School--Dan Rossiter,

Kari Sunbeg, Mr. Nakasone, Roger Storkamp, Tiffany Dittrich,

Peggy Ludtke, Mrs. Bortot, Mrs. Braegar, Mrs. Christenson,

Gary Cook, Karla Lauerman, Marci Markuson, Keif Svendsen,

John Mwachlarowicz, Mrs. Wagner, Marcia Wellstone, Joe

Rukavina; Watzata East Middle School--Karen Peters; Wayzata--

Karen Boole, Ginny Hersey; Wayzata Central Middle School--

Stacy Calvert, Anne Todd; Wayzata East Middle School--Rachel

Schaeffer; Wayzata West Junior High School--Ron Billings;

Wayzata West Middle School--Mary Anderson; Weaver

Elementary--Michael McHatchensen, Amy Arntson, Beth

Chapelaine; Weaver Lake Elementary--Bonnie Caper-Eckstein,

Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Maetzold, Diane Nielson;

Webb Middle School--Christopher Paulson; Webster

Elementary--Amy McGuire; Webster Open Elementary--Kathy

Beaman, Beth Nilson, Martha Spriggs; Welcome Elementary--Mary

Ann DeBus; Willow Lane Elementary School--Tracy Gripentrog,

Marilyn House, Helen Lind, Susan Schnorr, Lisa Slack, Bev

Sonnenburg; Willow Creek Middle School (Rochester)--Robyn

Floyd, Frances Reisner; Willow Creek Intermediate Elementary

(Owatonna)--Stacy Ginseky; Willmar High School--Linda Aune,

Mark Miley, George Peper; William Byrne Elementary--Debbie

Bigelow, Nicole Happe; Wildwood Elementary--Nan Rohde, Paula

Tansom, Matthew Hoffman; Westwood Middle School--Robert

Gibson, Mr. Kretchmar, Marianne Paulos, Trent Snyder;

Westside Elementary--Jamie Follstad, Camille Donaldson,

Paulette Schwen; Wenonah Elementary--Gail Ketter, Ms.

Langseth; White Bear Lake Central Middle School--Genni

Steele; White Bear Lake Preschool--Lori Castro; Whitewater

High School--James Minette; Whittier Park Elementary--Sue

Ohman; White Bear Lake--Judy Lund; West Elementary--Janice

Buening; Carrie Ekert; Mrs. Loita.

Mr. President, nearly 4,000 Minnesotans honored their favorite teacher at my Minnesota State Fair booth this summer. I would like to honor these teachers further by submitting their names to the Congressional Record as follows:

Lanesboro Elementary--Helen Simen; LaPorte High School--

Joyce Stillwater; Las Virgenes Unified School--Larry Sandirs;

Laura MacArthur Elementary School--Larry Yadlowski; Le Center

Elementary School--Mary Spartz; Le Center Secondary School--

Erik Buckman; Le Maison D'Enfant--Cecile Gaultier, Sandrine

Perigaud; Learning Center for Children (Minneapolis)--Barbara

Novy; LeCenter Elementary--Elizabeth Traxler; LeCenter High

School--Tony Boyer, LeRoy Edlund, Robyn Menk; Lehman Center--

Heather Turngren; LeRoy High School--Barb Payne; Leroy-

Ostrander High School--Norm Hansen; LeSueur Elementary--Patti

Doshan, Tom Quiram, Rachel Sorenson; L'Etoile du Nord French

Immersion--Laura Handley, Madam Keil, Maureen Peltier, Mary

Rddad, Peggy Russel, Ms. Stevens, Tammy Trouchu; Lewiston-

Altura--Julie Schneider; Liberty High Charter School--Gary

Knox; Lily Lake Elementary--Laine Belter, Sally Davis, Mrs.

Kocian, Mrs. Lein, Ricky Michels, Joan Teppen, Brad Utzman;

Lincoln at Mann Elementary--Jane Barton, Stephanie Koenig;

Lincoln Center Elementary--Gretchen Brandt, Mrs. Christenson;

Lincoln Elementary (Anoka)--Mr. Dickens, Mr. Koenig, Karen

Krantz, Baiying Wu; Lincoln Elementary (Elk River)--Cherly

Howard, Mrs. Ostroot; Lincoln Elementary (Fairbault)--KeriJo

Kielmeyer; Lincoln Elementary (Minneapolis)--Mr. Lundquist;

Lincoln Elementary (White Bear Lake)--Teri Beckers, Ms. Gahm,

Mr. Healy, Mary Ellen Mieure, Debbie Thiebalt; Lincoln H.I.

Elementary (Hendricks)--Barbara Nelson; Lincoln High School

(Esko)--Jen Hoffman; Lincoln High School (Lake City)--Becky

Kearns; Lincoln High School (Thief River Falls)--Calvin

Lindberg, Regina Olson; Lincoln K-8 Choice School

(Rochester)--Linnea Archer, Elizabeth Koehler, Stephanie

Koenig, Beth Napton; Lincoln Secondary School (Ivanhoe)--Mr.

Nelson; Lindbergh Elementary--Mary Jo Schultz; Lino Lakes

Elementary--Mary Jfortney; Linwood A+ Elementary School (St.

Paul)--Kimberly Kroetsch; Linwood Elementary (Wyoming)--Mr.

Knox, Heather Peterson, Jan Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. Urness;

Litchfield High School--Gary Hein, Jo Carlson, Linda

Heggedal-Hart, Keith Johnson, Greg Mathews; Little Canada

Elementary--Jerene Mortensen, Barbara Schochenmaier; Little

Falls High School--John Ahlin, Carolyn McGrath, Luverne

Powers; Little Falls Public Schools--Anne Rebischke; Little

Mountain Elementary--Lee Tracy; Living Hope Lutheran School--

Nicole Dub; Lomarena Elementary (Laguna Hills, CA)--Sharon

Hinds; Long Prairie Grey Eagle Elementary--Brach Czech, Mr.

Gustafson, Darlene Mareck; Longfellow Elementary

(Minneapolis)--Ms. Abrahamson, Jan Nethercut; Longfellow

Humanities Magnet School (St. Paul)--Ms. Filipek-Johnson;

Longfellow Middle School (LaCrosse, WI)--Laurie Strand;

Loring-Nicollet Alternative High School--Marin Peplinski; Los

Angeles, CA--Margaret Truppi; Lourdes High School--Mr. Rhabe;

Lower East Side, NY, NY--Goldie Brown; Lucy Laney at

Cleveland Park Elementary--Lisa Brown, John Cearnal, Janice

Evans, Trina Mansfield, Ms. Schroeder, Opal Toy; Lutheran

High School--Paul Schlif; Luverne High School--Esther Frakes,

Jim Sanden; Lyle Elementary School--JoAnn Guthmiller; Lyndale

Elementary--Gene Ruder; Mable Barron School, Stockton,

CA--Sarah Fleutsch, Eddie Gehrke; Macalaster College--

Mahnaz Kousha; Macalaster Plymouth United Church

Preschool--Sue McMahan; Maddock Public Schools--Penny

Leier, Madelia Elementary--Caryn Anderson; Madelia High

School--Terry Arduser, Debra Nelson; Madison Elementary

(Blaine)--Mr. Lungee, Jennifer Warner, Linda Anderson, Amy

Neuswanger; Madison Elementary (St. Cloud)--Mr. Ellingson;

Mahtomedi High School--Joy Ganyo, Shelly Mitchel;

Mahtomedi Middle School--Mrs. Bigalk, Claudine Goodrich,

Jennifer Och; Main Elementary (Kodiak, AK)--Diane Getten-

Langfitt; Manhattan New School, NY, NY--Mindy

Gerstenhaber; Mankato East High School--Bob Gospeter,

James Manske, Sheri Robinson; Mankato West High School--

Scott Urban, Gwen Walz, Tim Walz, Jack Bengston; Mann

Elementary--Jan Dixon, Heather Long, Judy Ronnei; Maple

Grove High School--Terry Caruso, Susan Hein, Larry Larson,

Caroline Mullins, Jane Ruohoniemi, Jutta Schubert; Maple

Grove Junior High--Doug Anderson, Amy Bradley, Mike Olson;

Maple Lake East Middle School--Mark Jenzen, Dan Kraft;

Maple River Central Elementary--Cathy Schroeder; Maple

River High School--Susan Goecke, William O'Brian;

Maplewood Middle School--Ms. Cartier, Mr. Petermen, Peter

Evans, Faye Ormseth, Mrs. Willer; Maranatha Christian

Academy--Tim Ford; Marcy Open Elementary--Mariann Bentz,

David Bruns, Lynn M, Jay Scoggin, Nicky Sendar, Greg

Krueger, Rhonda Geyette; Marine Elementary--Nancy

Wisniewski; Marion W. Savage Elementary--Carl Berg, Lisa

Christen, Barb Fiola; Martin County West High School--

Sylvan Struck; Mary Queen of Peace--Mrs. Leider, Mrs.

Nowak; Mason-Rice Elementary--Leslie Kahn Skornik;

Maternity of Mary--Mrs. Babineau, Mrs. Fauskee, Gloria

Ross; Math and Science Academy--Eric Kaluza, Paul Simone;

Maxfield Magnet Elementary--Mrs. Fredrickson; Mayo High

School--Steve Brehmer, Marilyn Thompson-Hoerl; McCluer

North High School--Mary Pitilangas, Ellen Bowles;

McCormick Middle School--Richard Gundlach; McGuire Junior

High--Mr. Zeman; McKinley Elementary--Joe Hirte, Kathy

Kolle, Gloria Steffenson; Meadow Lake Elementary--Tonya

Larson, Matt Phelps; Meadowbrook Elementary--Jack

Anderson, Karen Carlson, Angelette Kittrell, Steve Miller,

Judy Skalicky, Sue Young, Lesley Hendrickson; Meadowvale

Elementary--Darcy Doty, Amy Crocker; Meadowview

Elementary--Erica Rach; Medford High School--Mr. Davis;

Melrose High School--Dave Anderson; Menahga High School--

Mr. Honga, Timothy Wurdock; Mendota Elementary--Deb

Manthey, Julie Weisbecker; Mesabi East Elementary--Arnie

Nellis, Denise Erchul; Metcalf Junior High School--Mark

Challgren, John Jacobson, Steven Orth; Metro Deaf School--

Lisa Ewan, Kevin Kovacs; Metro State University--Mary

Kirk; Metropolitan Learning Alliance--Stephanie Wheelock;

Middleton Elementary--Liz Bergdall, Heather Bestler, Ms.

Wetschka; Milaca Elementary--Randy Johnson; Milaca High

School--David Dillan, Randy Zimmer, Andrea Rusk;

Minniapple Montessori--Maria Malm; Minneapolis--Michelle

Cambrice, Mark Hymen, Chris Jaglo, Norma Johnson, Tom

Muelhlbauer, Mrs. Solum, Mark Trumper, Barb Wasmoen, Nate

Wayne, Ruben Wenzel; Minneapolis Community Technical

College--Gregg Kubera; Minneapolis Educational Service

Center--Dorothy Hoffman; Minneapolis Jewish Day School--

Lori Bale, Patty Baskin, Andi Cohen, Mrs. Kaplan, Sue

Norton, Julie Ziesman; Minneapolis Public School--Mary Jo

Meagher, Cheryl Ryan; Minneapolis South High School--

Margie Adamsick; Minnesota Business Academy--Mr. Tillman;

Minnesota North Star Academy--Mandy Frederickson;

Minnehaha Academy--Camella Whaley, Ms. Scholl, Mrs.

Ameter, Mrs. Classen, Mr. Erickson, Carolyn Forsell, Deb

Fondel, Mrs. George, Renee Hecker, Bob Noble, Naomi

Peterson, Nancy Ringling, Mr. Scholl, Paulita Todhunter,

Michelle Vitt; Minnesota State University, Moorhead--Sarah

Smedman; Minnesota Transitions Charter School--Jennifer

Struck; Minnesota Virtual Academy--Jen Ingalls; Minnesota

Waldorf School--Mr. Angus, Mrs. Meany, Kirste Riehle;

Minnetonka High School--Randy Nelson, Ernie Gulner, Doug

Kennedy, Mrs. Pistner, Emily Rosengren, Amy Stafford, Ann

Swanson, Judy Trombley; Minnetonka Middle School East--

Mary Fenwick, Brian Getter, Rebbecah MacDougal, Rhonda

Olson-Lundgren, Minnetonka Middle School West--Carina

Grander, Joan Julien, Paul MacKinney, Tony Mosser, Matt

Sell; Minnewashta Elementary--Melanie Casiday, Chris Haun,

Kathy Larson; Mission Valley--Patricia Olsen; Mississippi

Creative Arts Magnet School--Ms. Erno, Judy Sheldon, Judy

Ewald, Karyn Wrenshall; Moline High School--Timothy Curry;

Monroe Community (St. Paul)--Kath Olson, Anna Stanek;

Monroe Elementary (Brooklyn Park)--Carol Allen, Joan

Campe, Mrs. Hanson, Monica Magadan, Sue Steel, Carol

Allen; Monroe Elementary (North Mankato)--Sandy

Hatalstaed; Montevideo High School--Charlie Breest;

Montevideo Middle School--Ralph Heidorn, Mark Johnson,

John Mader; Montgomery-Lonsdale Elementary--Mrs. Anderson,

Mrs. Wondra; Monticello District Offices--Jim Johnson;

Monticello High School--Holly Herman; Monticello Middle

School--Jennifer Uluen; Moorhead Junior High--Sharon

Lucason; Mora High School--JoAnne Schuch; Moreland

Elementary--Susan Birkoltz, Debbie Haefel, Maria

Pasquerella; Morris Bye Elementary--Mrs. Holm, Nicole

Huttner, Gerhardt Mahling, Aaron Olinyk, Ann Sangster,

Barbara Nicholls, Besty Quist; Mosinee Middle School--

Lynne Helbach; Mound Westonka High--Jim Kaeter; Mounds

Park Academy--Maureen Conway, Mark Dallmann; Mounds View

High School--Mavis Schwanz, Bonnie Bougie, Dan Butler,

Greg Harman, Donna Johnson, Joe Keenan, Fred Kunze, John

Madura, Kathy Miller, Bob Nelson, Gretchen Nesset, Philip

Richardson, Ruthie Seidenkranz, Graham Wrigth, Ted

Bennett, Richard Werner; Murdoch High School--Alice

Peterson; Murdock Elementary--Donna Johnson; Murray County

Central High School--Janet Opdahl; Murray County Central

Secondary School--Dan Willadson; Murray Junior High--Billy

Chan, Tim Chase, Mary Crowley, Mr. Hughes, John Krenik,

Mr. Pearson; Museum Magnet--Lolita Cox, Mr. Jeffers, Flint

Keller, Heather Seifert, Jennifer Keller; National

American University--Tony Steblay; Nativity of Mary

School--Pat Bohman, Diane Talley, Nativity of Our Lord

Elementary--Paula Bernabai, Jill Daley, Michelle

Metzdorft, Vi Moser, Mrs. Scanlan; Mouqd-Westonka

Secondary School--Mr. Kaeter; Mount Calvary Lutheran

School--Karl Schmidt, James Spitzack; Mount Hope

Redemption--Lutheran School--David Polzin; Mount Iron-Buhl

High School--Ted Louma, Luke Weinens; Mount Olivet Nursery

School--Sandra Keuhn; Mountain Lake High School--Jerry

Cogue, Wade Nelson; Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary--

Jonathan Berry; Neveln Elementary--Maryanne Heimsness,

Linda Lind; New City Charter School--Mary Spoar; New Haven

Community School--Elaine Arft; New Hope Elementary--

Stephanie Hill, Paula Roberge; New London-Spicer High

School--Lloyd Bakke; New Prague Intermediate Elementary--

Margaret Kartek, Mark Shaughnessey, Mrs. Witt, Irma

Langer; New Prague Middle School--Heidi Hagen; New Prague

Senior High School--Pat O'Malley, Dan Puls, New Richland-

Hartland-Ellendale-Genera Elementary--Sylvia Boettger; New

Richmond Senior High School--Jim McCollum;

Mr. President, nearly 4,000 Minnesotans honored their favorite teacher at my Minnesota State fair booth this summer. I honor these teachers further by submitting their names to the Congressional Record, as follows: