Floor Statements

Madam President, I would like to take a moment today to recognize the success of recent efforts at the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, to reduce Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, infections by more than 60 percent in intensive care units. This initiative by VA was highlighted in a New England Journal of Medicine article this year.

MRSA is a nationwide problem. It is estimated that it kills 20,000 U.S. residents a year and hospitals remain an important source of this infection. Three years ago, VA launched this initiative to ensure that it leads the way on eradicating MRSA infections from their facilities. The success of this initiative has created a culture that promotes infection prevention by adding patient screening programs for MRSA, precautions for hospitalized patients found to have MRSA, and hand hygiene reminders with readily available hand sanitizer stations throughout VA medical centers.

Every day thousands of veterans visit VA health facilities to receive care. VA provides care for more than 6 million veterans each year. In the first 3 years of this initiative, more than 1.7 million screening tests for MRSA were given to veteran patients at VA medical facilities throughout the United States. Screening tests such as these help our veterans stay safe from deadly antibiotic-resistant infections, a threat no American should face when they visit a hospital.

Since the initiative's start in 2007, VA has increased the amount of MRSA screenings to 96 percent of all admitted patients. This newly instituted culture that promotes infection prevention has been so successful that infection rates for MRSA have decreased by 62 percent

over the past 3 years within VA intensive care units and by 45 percent in other areas of the hospital. The success of VA's work on MRSA prevention is proof that with dedication and strong leadership, VA can make significant improvements in their ability to control infections and deliver high quality health care. It is my hope that these results will be replicated across the healthcare system nationwide and that success achieved by VA in improving the safe delivery of care through the reduction in MRSA infections will be mirrored in their efforts in other areas, like the sterilization and reprocessing of reusable medical equipment.

As the chairman of Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the daughter of a disabled World War II veteran, I know firsthand the need for quality health care for our veterans. No one who has made sacrifices to serve our Nation should ever struggle to find quality, timely health care, which is why I am so pleased today to highlight this successful initiative and commend VA on their efforts to eradicate MRSA from their health care facilities and continue to provide care for our Nation's heroes.

Mr. President, I would like to recognize the accomplishments of the 24 participants in the Department of Veterans Affairs' Mentor-Protege Program who are working to help veteran small business owners. In these hard economic times, it is more important than ever to provide this critical support to our veteran entrepreneurs.

The goal of the Mentor-Protege Program, which was started in 2010, is to bring together established companies with service-disabled and other veteran-owned businesses. Through these partnerships with established regional businesses, veteran business owners receive guidance on financial and organizational management, business planning and technical aid. They also develop long-term business relationships with their mentor partners.

Veterans hire veterans because they know what they are getting. Veterans are well trained, disciplined team players who can deliver results in challenging conditions. At a time when the Department of Labor reports almost 10 percent of all veterans are unemployed, and 27 percent of veterans between the ages of 20 and 24 are unemployed, it is imperative we do everything in our power to tackle this issue. The Mentor-Protege program holds the promise of fostering an environment where veteran-owned businesses can succeed in helping to revitalize our economy while hiring veterans in the process. These veteran-owned small businesses are exactly what our Nation needs to continue on the road to economic recovery while getting our country's heroes the jobs they deserve.

While I am optimistic about the potential of the VA's Mentor-Protege Program, I have heard from several companies participating in the program who have expressed concerns with delays in VA's verification process. I urge VA's Center for Veterans Enterprise to expedite the verification process so that these companies can get to work in repairing our economy as quickly as possible.

Businesses in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, New Mexico, and California are serving as a model of just how successful a program of this nature can be. The names of the businesses that are participating in the program, both as mentors and proteges, are:

ASM Research, Inc. of Fairfax, VA, and Coley & Associates of San Antonio, TX, AUI Contractors, LLC of Fort Worth, TX, and Unified Services of Texas, of South Lake, TX, Bear Construction Company of Rolling Meadows, IL, and Opcon Inc. of Chicago, IL, Booz Allen Hamilton of McLean, VA,

and MBL Technologies, Inc., of Rockville, MD, Creative Computing Solutions, Inc. of Rockville, MD, and CPS Professional Services of Fairfax, VA, EMJ Corporation of Sacramento, CA, and 347 Group Construction of Roseville, CA, The George Solitt Construction Co. of Wood Dale, IL, and Industria, Inc. of Chicago, IL, The GRD Contractors, Inc. of Costa Mesa, CA, and Hubzone Corp. of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Harris Corporation GCSD of Melbourne, FL, and Delta Corporation of Fulton, MD, Health Net Federal Services of Rancho Cordova, CA, and Three Wire Systems of Vienna, VA, ICF Incorporated of Fairfax, VA, and Nova Technology Solutions of Fairborn, OH, JOB Options, Inc. of San Diego, CA, and VETSUSA, LLC. of Falls Church, VA, Leopardo Companies, Inc. of Hoffman Estates, IL, and Segovia Group Corporation of San Antonio, TX, Lockheed Martin Corporation of Fairfax, VA, and Fulcrum Vets, LLC of Fairfax, VA, Marous Brothers Construction of Willoughby, OH, and Northstar Contracting, Inc. of North Olmstead, OH, McKesson Corporation of San Francisco, CA, and The Stay Safe Store of El Dorado Hills, CA, Metters Industries of McLean, VA, and Global Technology Solutions, LLC. of Corrales, NM, Northrup Grumman Corporation of Rockville, MD, and Heitech Services, Inc. of Landover, MD, Reva, Inc. of Newark, NJ, and M.E.R.I.T. Inc. of Newark, NJ, The Robins and Morton Group of Birmingham, AL, and Coburn Contractors of Montgomery, AL, Roy Anderson Corp. of Gulfport, MI, and the Bacik Group, LLC. of Columbus, GA, Sargent Electric Co. of Pittsburg, PA, and SGT LLC. Of Pittsburgh, PA, Secom Technical Services of Oak Ridge, TN, and Clauss Construction of Lakeside, CA, Simplex Grinnel of Columbia, MD, and Emergency Planning Management of Stafford, VA, Swinerton Government Services of Arvada, CO, and R.E.M. Engineering Company, Inc. of Pasadena, CA.

By fostering an environment where veteran entrepreneurs can grow their businesses, we affirm our commitment to those who have sacrificed so much. I encourage VA to strengthen the growing Mentor-Protege Program and look forward to working with them to achieve their goals.

Mr. President, there is no question that we are at a point where we have to take substantial and painful steps to get our Nation's fiscal house in order. That is why we are rightfully working to tighten our Nation's belt at a time when American families are doing the same.

I am here to talk about one major difference in the way Republicans have proposed to go about addressing our budget and the way American families, who understand shared sacrifice and equal burden, have done it. I will point out one glaring omission in the Republicans' plan amid all their tough talk about fiscal responsibility.

I am here to ask Republicans why they are asking everyone to sacrifice except those who can afford it the most?

I am here to ask them why they are willing to risk not only defaulting on our Nation's debt but also the health care and benefits our veterans rely on,

pay for our troops, Social Security benefits, and the Medicare system our seniors are counting on--all to defend tax breaks for oil and gas companies, sweetheart deals for corporations, and the most generous tax rates wealthy Americans have enjoyed in 60 years.

Sometimes it is hard for me to listen to some of my Republican colleagues talk at length about their newfound fiscal sensibilities on the Senate floor and in the press. It is difficult because, like many of them, I was here in 2000. I remember when President Clinton left office. We were on a course to completely pay down the $5.6 trillion debt by 2012. I remember the projection of surpluses. I remember the efforts by many of us to safeguard that funding for our seniors and to pay down that debt. But I can also remember at that time many Republicans could not wait to get their hands on the Nation's credit card. When they did--when President Bush took office--they spent lavishly.

A lot of that spending went to some of our Nation's wealthiest individuals and companies. Throughout the Bush years--and particularly in the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003--trillions of dollars in tax breaks went to the very wealthiest Americans.

There were capital gains tax rollbacks, tax breaks designed to benefit corporate giants, and a new tax bracket that provided wealthy Americans the lowest tax rates they have enjoyed since World War II. These tax breaks were all unpaid for, all handed out to those who could most afford to pay, and they were all put on the Nation's credit card.

Now that that credit card bill has come due, guess who will not be asked to pay their fair share? Unfortunately, under the Republican plan, it is the wealthy companies and individuals who have benefited the most from their spending. It is corporations such as ExxonMobil that despite reporting a profit of over $10 billion in the first quarter of this year--at the same time, by the way, that gas prices for families across this country are rising--they are being protected from a rollback of tax subsidies for oil and gas giants.

It is corporate CEOs who are lobbying against closing the tax loophole that they enjoy for private jets and yachts. It is companies that all too often ship American jobs overseas but still enjoy offshore tax havens.

Guess who has drawn a line in the sand to protect these corporations and wealthy individuals? It is the very same Republicans who were so quick to break out the Nation's credit card when we were running a surplus, the same Republicans who have repeatedly pledged to block any new revenue--even as we have met them far beyond halfway in these negotiations.

Finally, guess who it is who is left to pick up the credit card tab under the Republican plan? Unfortunately, it is everybody else. It is seniors who, under the Republican budget, will lose access to Medicare as we know it; it is students who will be asked to pay more even as tuition rises; it is family farmers and those who can't afford health care for their children; it is the middle-class families who have found themselves living paycheck to paycheck.

If Republicans get their way, it will be everybody but those who can afford it most who will be left to sacrifice alone.

Unfortunately, the Republican approach is something that has become all too common in the aftermath of this recession.

While the effect of this recession is being felt profoundly by working families in lost jobs, lower wages, and less financial security than ever before, the very wealthiest Americans seem to be doing pretty darn fine.

On Sunday I picked up the New York Times and noticed they ran an article that showed that the salaries of CEOs at America's largest companies grew by an average of 23 percent over last year's mark. However, the same article noted that over the past year, the pay for average workers had declined. It didn't even mention the thousands of layoffs at the same companies where those bonuses have skyrocketed.

Unfortunately, that is the same economic theory that Republicans are bringing to the budget negotiations. For those who can't afford it, their budget provides all the perks, none of the sacrifices; all of the tax breaks, none of the revenues; all of the benefits, none of the pain.

It doesn't have to be this way. We can have a plan that works for middle-class families and invests in our Nation's future, a plan that balances tough but necessary spending cuts with new revenues that ensure corporations and wealthy Americans are also paying their fair share; that restores fairness to this process by making sure that in these difficult times we are not balancing our budget solely on the backs of seniors and students and middle-class families; and, most importantly, a plan that recognizes that, yes, we have a budget deficit and we need to address that, but we also have an infrastructure deficit, and we have an education and a skills deficit and, most importantly, we have a jobs deficit.

The only way that we will address those deficits is to invest in education, energy, and infrastructure--areas that will produce jobs both now and in the future.

Workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own don't just want to hear about cuts, cuts, cuts. They want to hear about how we are going to create jobs. A small business owner who had to shut her doors when the recession hit and customers stopped coming in doesn't want to hear about debt ceilings. She wants to hear about how we are going to get the economy back on track.

It cannot just be about slashing; it also has to be about investing in jobs and workers in America. That is what we should be working together toward.

I understand that time is not on our side in this debate. The truth is, Republicans aren't merely offering their ``everybody pays except the rich'' philosophy up for debate; they are holding our Nation's economy hostage with it.

By refusing to accept new revenues from corporate tax loopholes and tying that refusal to the Nation's debt limit, they are rolling the dice on default. In fact, in my 18 years on the Senate Budget Committee, I have never seen anything like what Republicans are willing to risk in these budget negotiations and who they are willing to risk it all for.

Last week, the Bipartisan Policy Center put out a report authored by a former Bush Treasury official about what would happen if Republicans continued to play chicken with default and the administration was forced to make desperate spending decisions in August. The scenarios were worse than grim.

Potentially at risk are the benefits and health care we owe our veterans, loans for struggling small businesses, food stamps for people who are struggling to buy groceries, Social Security checks for our seniors, unemployment benefits for millions of workers who are desperately seeking jobs, and even Active-Duty pay for our military. Yet by rejecting revenues in this deal, and by not asking everybody to sacrifice, and by dealing in ultimatums rather than compromise, Republicans are willing to put all these Americans at risk; and they are willing to risk it all in order to go to the mat to protect millions of dollars in tax breaks for the wealthiest few.

They are willing to chance loans for Main Street businesses in order to defend offshore tax breaks for multinational companies. They are willing to jeopardize troop pay in order to stand up for hedge fund managers. They are willing to gamble default on tax breaks for horse tracks.

I believe that is a bet we all lose.

Mr. President, we were elected to work for all Americans, not just the privileged few at the top. It is time for our Republican colleagues to come to the table with flexibility. It is time for compromise. It is time for common sense. And it is time to ask everyone to sacrifice to meet a challenge we all face together.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, it is with great privilege that I congratulate COL Anthony Wright, Seattle district engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on his well-deserved retirement after 30 years with the Army Corps. Colonel Wright has been stationed with the Seattle District for 3 years and my staff and I have had the pleasure of working extensively with him during that time.

Western Washington State has suffered several severe storms in the last few years, resulting in devastating floods, major losses of infrastructure, and millions of dollars of damage to homes and businesses. Under Colonel Wright's leadership, the Army Corps responded quickly and efficiently to minimize the threats of rising floodwaters, and for this we are very grateful. His professionalism and expertise helped our region through disasters and undoubtedly lessened the destruction and prevented the loss of life.

An example of Colonel Wright's leadership ability was his response to a storm that caused serious damage to the Howard Hanson Dam in King County, raising the flood threat for hundreds of thousands of residents in the Green River Valley, which is home to one of the largest manufacturing and distribution bases on the West Coast. Colonel Wright and the Army Corps reacted quickly and decisively to counter this vulnerability, working with local governments and the public to ensure that the region was prepared until the dam could be repaired.

On behalf of all Washingtonians, I thank Colonel Wright for his dedication to the safety and well-being of the people of western Washington. His knowledge, experience, and tireless effort will be sorely missed. I congratulate Colonel Wright and wish he and his family the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the importance of music education in a child's educational journey. As a former music student myself, I believe every student should have access to this valuable area of study.

Three quarters of Americans have been involved in a music program during their time in school. Over half of those participants continue their involvement with music after the 12th grade. This is a testament to the positive impact of music education and why we must continue to provide our students with opportunities to pursue these programs.

Music education also provides students with the opportunity to express creativity and to develop skills that will benefit them throughout the rest of their lives. In addition to its inherent cultural value, music education provides a variety of unique avenues for intellectual growth. We also know that musical training has a profound impact on other skills including speech and language, memory and attention, and even the ability to convey emotions vocally.

I believe music and other arts are among society's most compelling and effective pathways for offering our children rich and fulfilling educational experiences. It is also important that we acknowledge the music educators who have instilled many generations of students with the gift of music. For these reasons, I am proud to introduce a resolution today recognizing June 24, 2011 through June 28, 2011 as National Music Education Week.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, we are going to hear tonight from President Obama about his plans for changes to troop levels in Afghanistan.

Last week I joined with a bipartisan group of my Senate colleagues on a letter to the President urging him to begin a sizeable and sustained reduction in troop levels, and I hope he takes the opportunity to do that tonight. But with all the talk about troop levels, I want to make sure we remember this isn't just about numbers. It is about real people with real families, men and women who are fighting to defend our country and are depending on us to do the right thing for them now and when they come home.

As chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have an inside look into something that too often doesn't make the front pages: the unseen costs of war, the costs that come after our men and women take off that uniform.

We all hear about how expensive war is while we are fighting it. But for so many of our servicemembers what happens on the battlefield is just the beginning.

We are seeing suicide rates that are much higher among Active-Duty servicemembers and veterans than among civilians. We are finding they are having trouble accessing the mental health care so many of them desperately need. We are watching as these men and women are sent out on tour after tour. Too often they are having a tough time finding a job when they come home. We owe it to them and their families to do everything we can to get them the support and services they need.

Far too many of our servicemembers have sacrificed life and limb overseas, and we must honor them and their sacrifices by making sure we take care of them and their caregivers not just today, not just when they come home, but for a lifetime. This is going to be expensive, and I am going to fight to make sure it happens. I think it ought to be considered as we think now about the war in Afghanistan.

The enemy we face is real. The Taliban and al-Qaida have demonstrated through their actions and their words they mean us great harm. I was sitting in the Capitol on September 11, 2001, when I saw the smoke rising from the Pentagon. It is a moment and a day I will never forget.

As Americans, we know what this enemy is capable of, and we need to do everything we can to make sure something like that never, ever happens again. That is why I believe American forces need to be prepared to fight terror and terrorists wherever they may be.

After September 11, Afghanistan was providing safe haven for them, and we are absolutely right to go in and take them out. But we know terrorism isn't a country; it is a network and a threat that exists around the world. We have seen that our terrorist enemies are not tied to a specific location. They are not bound by lines on a map. They are in Afghanistan, but they are also in Yemen, in Iraq, in Pakistan, and elsewhere. In fact, our top target in the war against terrorism, Osama bin Laden, was just killed in a brave operation in a safe house in Pakistan.

It is absolutely critical we have a military that is prepared to take on our threats wherever they may be. So as we consider the wars we are fighting now in Afghanistan and in Iraq, we need to make sure we aren't overextending the servicemembers we are counting on; that we continue to have the financial resources available to defend ourselves against the very real threat of terrorism that continues to exist; and that the costs and resources of boots on the ground for years on end doesn't inhibit our ability to go after terrorists wherever they are. We need to know our military and intelligence operations are nimble and have the resources they need to keep our Nation safe from all threats.

We have been fighting in Afghanistan for 10 years. I voted for that war. It was the right thing to do. Our brave men and women in uniform have done everything we have asked of them, including finding Osama bin Laden. But we need to make sure today that our strategies are adapted to meet the threats of today. Leaving large levels of troops in Afghanistan is not the best use of our resources, especially in these tough economic times. It is time to redeploy, rebuild our military, and focus on the broader war on terror.

I am hopeful President Obama will make an announcement tonight that reflects those current realities, and I am going to keep working with this administration, the Pentagon, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and all others so that as we fight to keep America safe and to take care of our servicemembers coming home, we do it right.

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

Mr. President, today I wish to discuss the importance of summer learning, and to draw attention to the significance of high- quality summer learning opportunities in the lives of young people.

The effort to keep kids learning during summer is based on research that shows that without effective summer learning opportunities: students fall more than 2 months behind in math over the summer; low- income children fall behind 2 to 3 months in reading each summer; and that by the end of fifth grade, lower income children can be nearly 3 years behind their higher income peers in reading.

Last year, nearly 500 events were held nationwide that highlighted how summer learning programs advance academic growth, support working families, keep children safe and send students back to school ready to learn.

I am proud to recognize the importance of summer learning and encourage communities across the country to celebrate and acknowledge the importance of providing all young people with high-quality learning opportunities during the summer months.

Mr. President, it is crucial that we never forget to honor our veterans for their service and dedication to this nation. As the chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, I would like to recognize and applaud the service of Mr. Francis James Walton and Mrs. Jessie Ruth Walton, both of whom served our Nation during World War II and turn 90 years old this year.

Mrs. Jessie Ruth Walton was born in Exeter, VA, on May 31, 1921. Heeding the call to service, she enlisted in the Navy WAVES in 1943 and went on to serve her country during World War II as a pharmacist, dispensing needed medicine for the troops in Washington, DC, and in Long Beach, CA.

Mr. James Walton, Jessie's husband, was born in Cadillac, MI, on July 14, 1921. He enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 1941. He served in Carlson's Raiders of the 2d Marine Battalion, an elite unit that was among the first U.S. special operations forces to see combat in World War II. Jim's time in the Marines included deployment to the South Pacific, where he fought in Bougainville and Guadalcanal Island, contributing to a strategic victory that turned the tide for the Allied forces in the Pacific. A valiant warrior, he spent 30 days fighting behind enemy lines, 30 days that must have felt a lifetime.

Following World War II, Jim returned to Michigan, where he obtained a college degree and married Jessie Ruth Meade. After his time in the service, Jim began teaching and ultimately found a rewarding career at General Motors, where he worked for 30 years before retiring. Together, Jim and Jessie raised a family of four children--James, Susan, Julie, and Jane--who have picked up the mantle of their parents in service to their communities in a range of capacities. In particular, I am delighted to note that their son Jim serves as president of Centralia College in my home State of Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Walton are also fortunate to have 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

I am delighted to extend birthday wishes and gratitude to the Waltons on this joyous occasion. I wish them and their family all the best as they celebrate this wonderful milestone.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that following my remarks, the Senator from Texas, Mr. Cornyn, be recognized.

I thank the Chair.

(The remarks of Mrs. Murray pertaining to the introduction of S. 1166 are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')

Mr. President on behalf of Senator Cantwell and myself, it is with great privilege that I congratulate a hard-working Washingtonian, Mr. David Craig, on his well-deserved retirement on June 23, 2011, after forty seven years of dedicated service to the students of Highline High School.

Mr. Craig taught business in classroom 216 at Highline High School for his entire career. To put his extraordinary longevity in perspective, Mr. Craig's first graduating class were 18 years old during the 1964-1965 school year. During that same year, President Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty and signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act; Beatlemania was sweeping the globe, and Muhammad Ali was named the heavy weight champion of the world. Today, those 18-year-old students are now senior citizens.

Over the course of five decades, Mr. Craig has touched the lives of over 10,000 students. He had the pleasure, as few teachers do, of having his children, Michael and Shelley, as students. He taught Royce Badley, now his coworker and Academic Dean of Students for the Highline High School, and Shaya Calvo, now senior prosecuting attorney for King County. He has also seen his share of tragedies, including losing students to conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Yet he is consistently reminded of the joy of teaching, seeing it not only in the young people he continues to help today, but also in the frequent encounters he has with former students in his day-to-day life.

It is important moments such as the retirement of a great teacher that we reflect on their impact on their school and community. In assessing the legacy of a teacher like Dave Craig, Henry Adams perhaps said it best: ``a teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.'' The legacy that Dave Craig leaves is one that has positively affected the lives of thousands of young people, giving them one of the greatest gifts America can bestow upon its citizenry: the gift of education. As a teacher, Dave Craig has served his school, his community, his country and most importantly his students with enthusiasm and dedication. We should all be very thankful for his selfless devotion to Highline High School.

On behalf of all Washingtonians, we commend David for his many years of commitment to our State. His knowledge, experience, and loyalty to education will be sorely missed. We congratulate David and wish he and his wife Paula the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about our obligation to protect workers across America and to urge my colleagues to support the Protecting America's Workers Act, which I am very proud to introduce today.

Mr. President, middle-class families across this country are struggling. So many of them have lost their homes or their jobs and are fighting to keep their heads above water. We are working hard here to create jobs and get the economy back on track, but we also owe it to middle-class families to make sure those jobs are safe and healthy.

In 2009 alone there were 4,340 deaths in workplaces across America, and over 3 million more were injured or sickened while on the job. If more than 4,000 Americans were killed in 1 day, it would be on the front page of every newspaper in this country. If an epidemic in this country claimed 4,000 lives, it would lead the nightly news each week. But that is not the way it works with workplace injuries. They happen a few at a time, spread out across the country, in communities such as Anacortes in my home State of Washington, where a fire broke out last year at the Tesoro Refinery and killed seven workers.

These were men and women who were taken too young, with so much life to live and with so many people to live it with; workers who took on tough jobs and worked long hours during difficult economic times to provide for their families. They were people who made tremendous sacrifices and who embodied so much of what is good about their communities and their States. They have been dearly missed.

Washington State investigators looked into that incident and determined that the tragedy could have been and should have been prevented. The problems that led to what happened were known beforehand. They should have been fixed, but they weren't. That is heartbreaking.

Every worker in every industry deserves to be confident that while they are working hard and doing their jobs, their employers are doing everything they can to protect them. That is why I am proud to reintroduce the Protecting America's Workers Act. This legislation is a long overdue update to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, or the OSH Act.

Since that groundbreaking law was passed over 40 years ago, we know American industry has changed significantly. Businesses and workplaces have become much more complex, and workers are performing 21st-century tasks, but the government is still using a 1970 approach to regulations to protect employees. It doesn't make sense, and it needs to change.

We need to update the way we as a country think about our worker safety regulations, and this law is a very important step in that direction. This is not about adding more regulations, it is about having smarter regulations. It is about having regulations that protect workers and make sense for business.

Mr. President, the Protecting America's Workers Act makes a number of key improvements to the OSH Act, but I want to highlight just a few.

First of all, it increases protections for workers who blow the whistle on unsafe working conditions. Protecting workers who tell the truth is just common sense. In fact, in other modern laws, such as the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010, they do exactly that. But since the OSH Act has not been updated, the vast majority of workers today don't have similar protections.

An important part of my bill would make sure a whistleblower's right to protection from retaliation cannot be waived through collective bargaining agreements, and they have the option to appeal to the Federal courts if they believe they are being mistreated for telling the truth about dangerous practices.

The Protecting America's Workers Act also improves reporting, inspection, and other enforcement of workplace health and safety violations. It expands the rights of the victims and makes sure employers who oversee unsafe workplaces are pushed to quickly improve them to avoid further endangering worker health and safety.

This is a good bill. I am proud to have a number of cosponsors in the Senate, as well as the support of many prominent national groups in our efforts to improve workplace safety.

Nothing can bring back the workers we lost in communities such as Anacortes, but we certainly owe it to them to make sure workers everywhere are truly protected on the job. So I urge my colleagues to support the Protecting America's Workers Act and to keep working with us to make workplaces safer and healthier across America.

Mr. President, today, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am pleased to introduce the Veterans Programs Improvement Act of 2011.

The bill I am introducing today would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to continue the important work of ending veteran homelessness, improve the quality of the fiduciary program administered by VA, improve claims processing and make a number of other improvements to VA programs. This statement is not a full summary of all the provisions within this legislation. However, I would like to provide an overview of the major benefits this legislation would provide.

The administration recently reported that as many as 76,000 veterans experienced homelessness on a given night in 2009. Many of these veterans face significant challenges such as mental illness, physical disability, and substance abuse. In order to heal and remain in stable housing, these veterans will need a great deal of support. I want to commend the VA for working tirelessly to reduce the number of veterans sleeping in the streets. We are certainly off to a good start, but I recognize that there is still much more work to be done.

This bill will extend the life and improve upon several critical programs in the ongoing effort to get homeless veterans off the streets and into secure housing. Current law requires that VA diagnose ``serious mental illness'' or a ``substance abuse issue'' before it can use its authority to contract for emergency shelter services. In the tough economic times this country is experiencing, homeless veterans in need of these services do not always suffer from serious mental illness or substance abuse issues, and would not be eligible. This legislation will ensure that these services are available to all homeless veterans who need them.

One of the keys to ending veteran homelessness is VA's Grant and Per Diem program, which was established to assist public and nonprofit private entities in furnishing services to homeless veterans. This bill will enhance this essential program by allowing grant funds to be used for new construction, in addition to currently approved uses such as expansion, remodeling, and acquisition. It will also allow grant funds to be used as a match for funding from other sources, and will require VA to take a hard look at how per diem payments are made in order to recommend improvements. This bill also seeks to include male homeless veterans with minor dependents as an additional population with special needs, for eligibility under VA's special needs grant program.

The unemployment rate for returning veterans has reached as high as high as one in five this year. Sadly, we are seeing some of these new veterans appearing in homeless shelters. This is not just a VA problem, nor is it just a HUD problem--we all have an obligation to collaborate and address these unmet needs. To better assist in the effort to end homelessness among veterans, Congress needs more details surrounding the plan to end veteran homelessness. This legislation would require the Administration to expand upon their existing plan and submit a plan that includes details, such as a timeline, benchmarks, and recommendations. We will only be successful if we can work together to provide the appropriate tools to ensure access to medical care, affordable housing, and education and jobs.

Committee oversight has identified claims where frustrated families of veterans and survivors with severe dementia, such as those who seek VA pension benefits for home or institutional care see months go by because VA refuses to accept signatures from representatives or family caregivers. The situation is sometimes resolved by having the claimant mark an ``X'' or sign a claims form even when the claimant lacks the ability to understand what is written on the form. In other cases, it appeared that the caregiver gave up and no benefits were paid to otherwise eligible beneficiaries. This is unacceptable treatment for some of our most vulnerable veterans, and my legislation would improve the quality of VA's fiduciary program.

This legislation would make a number of additional improvements to VA programs. It would grow certain servicemembers to be eligible for a VA guaranteed home loan. Right now, to satisfy the occupancy requirement for a VA home loan, a veteran or servicemember or their spouse must be living in the home. Under this standard, a servicemember who is a single parent and is away on active duty is not eligible for a guaranteed home loan, even if that veteran's child is living in the home. This is unfair and wrong. Under this bill, a servicemember or veteran's dependent child will now satisfy the occupancy requirement. This change will help our servicemen and women better use their VA home loan benefits.

It is important that our disabled veterans face as few barriers as possible when attempting to obtain VA home loans. My legislation would allow an individual to receive a fee waiver if, during a pre-discharge program, he or she receives a disability rating for purposes of VA compensation based on existing medical evidence, such as service medical and treatment records. This change would allow an eligible individual to purchase a home without having to pay a VA funding fee, even if he or she has not undergone a pre-discharge examination or a VA disability evaluation. Specially Adapted Housing assistance provides critical support for our veterans in need. This bill extends VA's authority to provide Specially Adapted Housing assistance to eligible veterans who are residing temporarily with family members. In addition, the assistance provided to such veterans would be annually adjusted based on a cost-of-construction index already in effect for other Specially Adapted Housing grants.

By honoring servicemembers who have died while on active duty, we ensure that their sacrifice and service will never be forgotten. Providing a presidential memorial certificate to the survivors of fallen servicemembers is one such way for our country to honor their service. Under current law, survivors of active duty servicemembers who have died are not eligible to receive a presidential memorial certificate. This is because eligibility is limited to survivors of veterans who were discharged under honorable conditions. Because a servicemember who died in active service is not defined by law as a ``veteran,'' his or her survivors are not eligible to receive a memorial certificate. This bill would authorize VA to provide a presidential memorial certificate to the next of kin, relatives, or friends of servicemembers who have fallen while on active duty. In so doing, we express our country's deepest thanks for that servicemember's ultimate sacrifice.

Addressing the claims backlog and ensuring veterans receive the benefits they have earned is one of my top priorities. One of the reasons for the unreasonably long delays that occur in VA decision- making is the time it takes, often in excess of one and a half years, for the VA to forward an appeal to the Board of Veterans' Appeals. This bill would waive agency of original jurisdiction review over new evidence submitted after a veteran has filed a substantive appeal, unless the veteran requests it. Presuming a waiver of AOJ review would improve the timeliness of processing appeals, while at the same time preserve the veteran's right to request initial review by the AOJ, should he or she so desire.

This is not a full summary of all the provisions within this legislation. However, I hope that I have provided an appropriate overview of the major benefits this legislation would provide.

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

Mr. President, today, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am pleased to introduce the Veterans Programs Improvement Act of 2011.

The bill I am introducing today would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to continue the important work of ending veteran homelessness, improve the quality of the fiduciary program administered by VA, improve claims processing and make a number of other improvements to VA programs. This statement is not a full summary of all the provisions within this legislation. However, I would like to provide an overview of the major benefits this legislation would provide.

The administration recently reported that as many as 76,000 veterans experienced homelessness on a given night in 2009. Many of these veterans face significant challenges such as mental illness, physical disability, and substance abuse. In order to heal and remain in stable housing, these veterans will need a great deal of support. I want to commend the VA for working tirelessly to reduce the number of veterans sleeping in the streets. We are certainly off to a good start, but I recognize that there is still much more work to be done.

This bill will extend the life and improve upon several critical programs in the ongoing effort to get homeless veterans off the streets and into secure housing. Current law requires that VA diagnose ``serious mental illness'' or a ``substance abuse issue'' before it can use its authority to contract for emergency shelter services. In the tough economic times this country is experiencing, homeless veterans in need of these services do not always suffer from serious mental illness or substance abuse issues, and would not be eligible. This legislation will ensure that these services are available to all homeless veterans who need them.

One of the keys to ending veteran homelessness is VA's Grant and Per Diem program, which was established to assist public and nonprofit private entities in furnishing services to homeless veterans. This bill will enhance this essential program by allowing grant funds to be used for new construction, in addition to currently approved uses such as expansion, remodeling, and acquisition. It will also allow grant funds to be used as a match for funding from other sources, and will require VA to take a hard look at how per diem payments are made in order to recommend improvements. This bill also seeks to include male homeless veterans with minor dependents as an additional population with special needs, for eligibility under VA's special needs grant program.

The unemployment rate for returning veterans has reached as high as high as one in five this year. Sadly, we are seeing some of these new veterans appearing in homeless shelters. This is not just a VA problem, nor is it just a HUD problem--we all have an obligation to collaborate and address these unmet needs. To better assist in the effort to end homelessness among veterans, Congress needs more details surrounding the plan to end veteran homelessness. This legislation would require the Administration to expand upon their existing plan and submit a plan that includes details, such as a timeline, benchmarks, and recommendations. We will only be successful if we can work together to provide the appropriate tools to ensure access to medical care, affordable housing, and education and jobs.

Committee oversight has identified claims where frustrated families of veterans and survivors with severe dementia, such as those who seek VA pension benefits for home or institutional care see months go by because VA refuses to accept signatures from representatives or family caregivers. The situation is sometimes resolved by having the claimant mark an ``X'' or sign a claims form even when the claimant lacks the ability to understand what is written on the form. In other cases, it appeared that the caregiver gave up and no benefits were paid to otherwise eligible beneficiaries. This is unacceptable treatment for some of our most vulnerable veterans, and my legislation would improve the quality of VA's fiduciary program.

This legislation would make a number of additional improvements to VA programs. It would grow certain servicemembers to be eligible for a VA guaranteed home loan. Right now, to satisfy the occupancy requirement for a VA home loan, a veteran or servicemember or their spouse must be living in the home. Under this standard, a servicemember who is a single parent and is away on active duty is not eligible for a guaranteed home loan, even if that veteran's child is living in the home. This is unfair and wrong. Under this bill, a servicemember or veteran's dependent child will now satisfy the occupancy requirement. This change will help our servicemen and women better use their VA home loan benefits.

It is important that our disabled veterans face as few barriers as possible when attempting to obtain VA home loans. My legislation would allow an individual to receive a fee waiver if, during a pre-discharge program, he or she receives a disability rating for purposes of VA compensation based on existing medical evidence, such as service medical and treatment records. This change would allow an eligible individual to purchase a home without having to pay a VA funding fee, even if he or she has not undergone a pre-discharge examination or a VA disability evaluation. Specially Adapted Housing assistance provides critical support for our veterans in need. This bill extends VA's authority to provide Specially Adapted Housing assistance to eligible veterans who are residing temporarily with family members. In addition, the assistance provided to such veterans would be annually adjusted based on a cost-of-construction index already in effect for other Specially Adapted Housing grants.

By honoring servicemembers who have died while on active duty, we ensure that their sacrifice and service will never be forgotten. Providing a presidential memorial certificate to the survivors of fallen servicemembers is one such way for our country to honor their service. Under current law, survivors of active duty servicemembers who have died are not eligible to receive a presidential memorial certificate. This is because eligibility is limited to survivors of veterans who were discharged under honorable conditions. Because a servicemember who died in active service is not defined by law as a ``veteran,'' his or her survivors are not eligible to receive a memorial certificate. This bill would authorize VA to provide a presidential memorial certificate to the next of kin, relatives, or friends of servicemembers who have fallen while on active duty. In so doing, we express our country's deepest thanks for that servicemember's ultimate sacrifice.

Addressing the claims backlog and ensuring veterans receive the benefits they have earned is one of my top priorities. One of the reasons for the unreasonably long delays that occur in VA decision- making is the time it takes, often in excess of one and a half years, for the VA to forward an appeal to the Board of Veterans' Appeals. This bill would waive agency of original jurisdiction review over new evidence submitted after a veteran has filed a substantive appeal, unless the veteran requests it. Presuming a waiver of AOJ review would improve the timeliness of processing appeals, while at the same time preserve the veteran's right to request initial review by the AOJ, should he or she so desire.

This is not a full summary of all the provisions within this legislation. However, I hope that I have provided an appropriate overview of the major benefits this legislation would provide.

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

Mr. President, I come to the floor to honor and commemorate the men and women who died fighting for our great country.

Memorial Day is a day to honor those American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation. It is because of their sacrifice that we can safely enjoy the freedoms our great country offers. It is because of their unmatched commitment that America can remain a beacon for democracy and freedom throughout the world.

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, but it is also a day of reflection. When our brave men and women volunteered to protect our Nation, we promised them we would take care of them and their families when they return home.

On this Memorial Day, we need to ask ourselves: Are we doing enough for our Nation's veterans? Making sure our veterans can find jobs when they come back home is an area where we must do more.

For too long, we have been investing billions of dollars training our young men and women to protect our Nation, only to ignore them when they come home. For too long, we have patted them on the back and pushed them into the job market with no support. That is simply unacceptable, and it does not meet the promise we made to our servicemembers.

Our hands-off approach has left us with an unemployment rate of over 27 percent among young veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. That is 1 in 5 of our Nation's heroes who cannot find a job to support their family and who do not have an income to provide the stability that is so critical to their transition home.

That is exactly why earlier this month I introduced the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, which is now cosponsored by 17 Senators and has garnered bipartisan support. This legislation will rethink the way we support our men and women in uniform when they come home to look for a job.

I introduced this critical legislation because I have heard firsthand from so many veterans that we have not done enough to provide them with the support they need to find work.

I have heard from medics who return home from treating battlefield wounds who cannot get certification to be an EMT or drive an ambulance. I have heard from veterans who tell me they no longer write that they are a veteran on their resume because they fear the stigma they believe employers attach to the invisible wounds of war.

These stories are heartbreaking and they are frustrating. But more than anything, they are a reminder that we have to act now.

My legislation will allow our servicemembers to capitalize on their service. For the first time, it will require broad job skills training for anyone leaving the military as part of the military's Transition Assistance Program. Today, over one-third of those leaving the Army do not get any of that training.

My bill will also require the Department of Labor to take a hard look at what military skills and training should be translatable into the civilian sector and will work to make it simpler to get those licenses and certifications our veterans need.

All of these are real, substantial steps to put our veterans to work. All of them come at a pivotal time for our economic recovery and our veterans.

I grew up with the Vietnam war. I have dedicated much of my Senate career helping to care for the veterans we left behind that time. The mistakes we made then cost our Nation and our veterans dearly. Today, we risk repeating those mistakes. We cannot let that happen again.

Our Nation's veterans are disciplined, they are team players who have proven they can deliver under pressure like no one else. So let's not let another year and another Memorial Day go by without us delivering for them.

I yield the floor.