Floor Statements

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, July 16, 2013, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony on the Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record may do so by sending it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510-6150, or by e-mail to John Assini@energy .senate.gov.

For further information, please contact Sara Tucker at (202) 224-6224 or John Assini at (202) 224-9313.

Mr. President, I rise today with Senator Grassley to introduce the Medicare Data Access for Transparency and Accountability Act. I would like to begin by thanking my friend and esteemed colleague for his unwavering commitment to greater transparency and accountability in government. This Medicare DATA Act advances that goal.

Sunshine continues to be the greatest disinfectant. In that light, the Medicare DATA Act ensures all taxpayers have access to Medicare Claims Database, both to aid them in making medical decisions, and in understanding what their money is paying for in this vital, yet enormous, health program. The Medicare Claims Database is an important resource for public and private stakeholders as it captures healthcare provider payment and claims information for roughly one-third of the United States healthcare system. But why isn't this information already available?

In 1978, the Department of Health Education and Welfare attempted to release this information, upon request, under the premise that accessibility to the source data was in the public interest and therefore should be made available for public consumption. An injunction by a Florida court, however, ordered otherwise.

I am pleased that the Florida court has reevaluated that decision and recently lifted the injunction. This is a step in the right direction, but the decision still leaves access to this data ``opaque.'' Data requests are still subject to the Freedom of Information Act and can be denied by Health and Human Services. Passage of the Medicare DATA Act would put an end to that loophole.

Information affecting the American taxpayer should be part of the public domain in a free society. With this principle in mind, I join with Senator Grassley in changing ``business as usual.''

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation so that Medicare data is finally fully transparent and available to Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers alike. I look forward to working with my colleagues in this effort.

Mr. President, I rise today with Senator Grassley to introduce the Medicare Data Access for Transparency and Accountability Act. I would like to begin by thanking my friend and esteemed colleague for his unwavering commitment to greater transparency and accountability in government. This Medicare DATA Act advances that goal.

Sunshine continues to be the greatest disinfectant. In that light, the Medicare DATA Act ensures all taxpayers have access to Medicare Claims Database, both to aid them in making medical decisions, and in understanding what their money is paying for in this vital, yet enormous, health program. The Medicare Claims Database is an important resource for public and private stakeholders as it captures healthcare provider payment and claims information for roughly one-third of the United States healthcare system. But why isn't this information already available?

In 1978, the Department of Health Education and Welfare attempted to release this information, upon request, under the premise that accessibility to the source data was in the public interest and therefore should be made available for public consumption. An injunction by a Florida court, however, ordered otherwise.

I am pleased that the Florida court has reevaluated that decision and recently lifted the injunction. This is a step in the right direction, but the decision still leaves access to this data ``opaque.'' Data requests are still subject to the Freedom of Information Act and can be denied by Health and Human Services. Passage of the Medicare DATA Act would put an end to that loophole.

Information affecting the American taxpayer should be part of the public domain in a free society. With this principle in mind, I join with Senator Grassley in changing ``business as usual.''

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation so that Medicare data is finally fully transparent and available to Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers alike. I look forward to working with my colleagues in this effort.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on Energy of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, June 25, 2013, at 2:30 p.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of this oversight hearing is to receive testimony on S. 1084, S. 717 and other pending energy efficiency legislation.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record may do so by sending it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by e-mail to Danielle_Deraneyenergy .senate.gov.

For further information, please contact Lara Pierpoint at (202) 224- 6689 or Danielle Deraney at (202) 224-1219.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, June 25, 2013, at 10 a.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of this oversight hearing is to receive testimony on the challenges and opportunities for improving forest management on Federal lands.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record may do so by sending it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510-6150, or by e-mail to John_Assini@energy .senate.gov.

For further information, please contact Michele Miranda at (202) 224- 7556 or John Assini at (202) 224-9313.

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

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

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing scheduled before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has been postponed. This hearing was scheduled to be held on Tuesday, June 11, 2013, at 10 a.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing was to receive testimony on the November 6, 2012, referendum on the political status of Puerto Rico and the administration's response.

For further information, please contact Allen Stayman at (202) 224- 7865 or Danielle Deraney at (202) 224-1219.

committee on rules and administration

Mr. President, today I am pleased to join Senators Portman, Blumenthal, Cantwell, Brown, and Kirk to introduce the Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013. This bipartisan legislation will help us to better understand and combat the unforgivable and fast-growing criminal enterprise of trafficking children for sex right here in the U.S.

We cannot bury our heads in the sand and ignore this terrible problem. Child victims of sex trafficking need and deserve the full range of coordinated assistance and care required to help them recover from this trauma.

Unfortunately, some people still refuse to acknowledge that American children are being bought and sold for sex and they criticize the few estimates surrounding trafficking rates that do exist. As a policymaker, it is hard to advance an issue when there are critics who deny its very existence. For those of us who have spoken to law enforcement officers, child welfare workers

and judges who work with these victims every day, we know that denying that the problem exists will not make it go away.

I became engaged in efforts to address child trafficking a few years ago when I had the opportunity to accompany police officers along 82nd Avenue in my hometown of Portland. I will never forget a 15-year-old girl working out there with the tools of the trade--a cell phone to stay in constant contact with her pimp and report how much money she had made; a 15-inch butcher knife to try to protect herself; and, a purse full of condoms.

This problem does exist, but we still do not know its full scope--we do not know how many children in the U.S. are victimized by pimps, Johns and traffickers every year. Quantifying the problem, as simple a step as that may seem, is truly is the first step in bringing these children out of the shadows to help them progress from victims to survivors.

The Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013 provides a framework for systematically identifying and tracking the number of child trafficking victims who are in our Nation's foster care system. It would further require child welfare agencies to promptly report information on missing and abducted children to law enforcement and would require law enforcement authorities to notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NCMEC, when a child is missing from State care.

The bill would also take steps to ensure children who are sex trafficked or exploited are treated as victims, not criminals. The protections, services and protocols established for abused and neglected children within the child welfare system are rarely extended to trafficked children and youth, and in most States, such children aren't even categorized as victims. Instead, they are often sent to the juvenile justice system and criminalized for being raped and trafficked.

The Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act would amend Federal law to say all child victims of sex trafficking are victims of abuse and neglect. It would require state plans, under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, designed to improve child protection services contain: provisions and procedures requiring identification and assessment of all reports involving children known or suspected to be victims of sex trafficking; provisions and procedures for training child protective services workers to identify and provide comprehensive services for children who are victims of sex trafficking; a description of efforts to coordinate with State law enforcement, juvenile justice, and social service agencies such as runaway and homeless youth shelters to serve these victims; and an annual State data report on the number of children identified as known or suspected to be victims of trafficking.

These steps alone will not solve the problem before us. These are still some very daunting problems that need to be overcome, and the current fiscal climate alone presents a significant barrier to providing resources needed by victims, child welfare workers, law enforcement and service providers. Still, this is an important step toward making sure that vulnerable foster children are protected from pimps, Johns and traffickers.

Mr. President, today I am pleased to join Senators Portman, Blumenthal, Cantwell, Brown, and Kirk to introduce the Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013. This bipartisan legislation will help us to better understand and combat the unforgivable and fast-growing criminal enterprise of trafficking children for sex right here in the U.S.

We cannot bury our heads in the sand and ignore this terrible problem. Child victims of sex trafficking need and deserve the full range of coordinated assistance and care required to help them recover from this trauma.

Unfortunately, some people still refuse to acknowledge that American children are being bought and sold for sex and they criticize the few estimates surrounding trafficking rates that do exist. As a policymaker, it is hard to advance an issue when there are critics who deny its very existence. For those of us who have spoken to law enforcement officers, child welfare workers

and judges who work with these victims every day, we know that denying that the problem exists will not make it go away.

I became engaged in efforts to address child trafficking a few years ago when I had the opportunity to accompany police officers along 82nd Avenue in my hometown of Portland. I will never forget a 15-year-old girl working out there with the tools of the trade--a cell phone to stay in constant contact with her pimp and report how much money she had made; a 15-inch butcher knife to try to protect herself; and, a purse full of condoms.

This problem does exist, but we still do not know its full scope--we do not know how many children in the U.S. are victimized by pimps, Johns and traffickers every year. Quantifying the problem, as simple a step as that may seem, is truly is the first step in bringing these children out of the shadows to help them progress from victims to survivors.

The Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013 provides a framework for systematically identifying and tracking the number of child trafficking victims who are in our Nation's foster care system. It would further require child welfare agencies to promptly report information on missing and abducted children to law enforcement and would require law enforcement authorities to notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NCMEC, when a child is missing from State care.

The bill would also take steps to ensure children who are sex trafficked or exploited are treated as victims, not criminals. The protections, services and protocols established for abused and neglected children within the child welfare system are rarely extended to trafficked children and youth, and in most States, such children aren't even categorized as victims. Instead, they are often sent to the juvenile justice system and criminalized for being raped and trafficked.

The Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act would amend Federal law to say all child victims of sex trafficking are victims of abuse and neglect. It would require state plans, under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, designed to improve child protection services contain: provisions and procedures requiring identification and assessment of all reports involving children known or suspected to be victims of sex trafficking; provisions and procedures for training child protective services workers to identify and provide comprehensive services for children who are victims of sex trafficking; a description of efforts to coordinate with State law enforcement, juvenile justice, and social service agencies such as runaway and homeless youth shelters to serve these victims; and an annual State data report on the number of children identified as known or suspected to be victims of trafficking.

These steps alone will not solve the problem before us. These are still some very daunting problems that need to be overcome, and the current fiscal climate alone presents a significant barrier to providing resources needed by victims, child welfare workers, law enforcement and service providers. Still, this is an important step toward making sure that vulnerable foster children are protected from pimps, Johns and traffickers.

Mr President, I wish to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a business meeting has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The business meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 18, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the business meeting is to consider pending calendar business.

For further information, please contact Sam Fowler at (202) 224-7571 or Abigail Campbell at (202) 224-4905.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing scheduled before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has been postponed. This hearing was scheduled to be held on Thursday, June 6, 2013, at 2:30 p.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of this oversight hearing is to examine the progress made by Native Hawaiians toward stated goals of the Hawaiian Homelands Commission Act.

For further information, please contact Cisco Minthorn at (202) 224- 4756 or Danielle Deraney at (202) 224-1219.

committee on energy and natural resources

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, June 11, 2013, at 10 a.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the November 6, 2012 referendum on the political status of Puerto Rico and the Administration's response.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record may do so by sending it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510-6150, or by e-mail to [email protected].

For further information, please contact Allen Stayman at (202) 224- 7865 or Danielle Deraney at (202) 224-1219.

committee on indian affairs

Mr. President, today I am being joined by my colleagues Senators Collins, Merkley, and King on the introduction of the Storage Technology for Renewable and Green Energy Act of 2013 or the STORAGE 2013 Act. The purpose of the bill is to promote the deployment of energy storage technologies to make the electric grid operate more efficiently and help manage intermittent renewable energy generation from wind, solar, and other sources that vary with the time of day and the weather.

Traditionally, peak demand has been met by building more generation and transmission facilities, many of which sit idle much of the time. The Electric Power Research Institute's White Paper on storage technology observed that 25 percent of the equipment and capacity of the U.S. electric distribution system and 10 percent of the generation and transmission system is needed less than 400 hours a year. Peak generation is also often met with the least efficient, most costly power plants. Energy storage systems offer an alternative to simply building more generation and transmission to meet peak demand because they allow the current system to meet peak demands by storing less expensive off-peak power, from the most cost-efficient plants, for use during peak demand.

The growth of renewable energy from wind and solar and other intermittent renewable sources, like wave and tidal energy, raises yet another challenge for the electric grid that storage can help address. These renewable sources deliver power at times of the day or night when they might not be needed or fluctuate with the weather. Energy storage technology allows these intermittent sources to store power as it is generated and allow it to be dispatched when it is most needed and in a predictable, steady of stream of electricity no longer at the vagaries of weather conditions. And equally important, it allows this intermittent generation to more closely match demand. Instead of trying to find a place to sell power at 3:00 am in the morning when demand is down, wind farms for example would be able to sell their power at 3:00 pm in the afternoon when demand is up.

The STORAGE 2013 Act is substantially similar to the STORAGE Act of 2011 I introduced last Congress. It offers investment tax credits for three categories of energy storage facilities that temporarily store energy for delivery or use at a later time. The bill is technology neutral and does not pick storage technology ``winners'' and ``losers'' either in terms of the storage technology that is used or in terms of the source of the energy that is stored. The electricity can come from a wind farm or it can come for a coal or nuclear plant. Pumped hydro, compressed air, batteries, flywheels, and thermal storage are all eligible technologies as are smart-grid enabled plug-in electric vehicles.

First, the STORAGE 2013 Act provides a 20 percent investment tax credit of up to $40 million per project for storage systems connected to the electric grid and distribution system. A total of $1.5 billion in these investment credits are available for these grid connected systems. Developers would have to apply to the Treasury Department and DOE for the credits, similar to the process used for the green energy manufacturing credits the ``48C'' program. This is a 20 percent credit so that means the actual cost of the project that would be eligible for the full credit would be $200 million.

The act also provides a 30 percent investment tax credit of up to $1 million per project to businesses for on-site storage, such as an ice- storage facility in on office building, where ice is made at night using low-cost, off-peak power and then used to help air-condition the building luring the day while reducing peak demand. This is a 30 percent credit so the cost of the actual projects that would get the full credit amount would be around $3.3 million.

One change from last year's version of the bill is that the minimum size for storage systems to be eligible for this credit is now 5 kWh, whereas it was 20 kWh before. 20 kWh is a reasonable size or industrial energy consumers and big-box stores, but a 5 kWh limit is a size that makes sense for small businesses. This change will allow small businesses to participate in pioneering storage on the grid, and will incentivize storage companies to create leasing models for residential users. Leasing models are proving very successful at increasing grid- connected residential solar, and this credit will open up a whole new market for storage to follow suit.

But if homeowners want to install storage on their own, they will be able to. The Act also provides for 30 percent tax credit for homeowners for on-site

storage projects to store off-peak electricity from solar panels or from the grid for later use during peak hours.

As the EPRI white paper noted ``(d)espite the large anticipated need for energy storage solutions within the electric enterprise, very few grid-integrated storage installations are in actual operation in the United States today.'' The purpose of the STORAGE 2013 Act is to help jump start the deployment of these storage solutions so that renewable energy technologies can increase their economic value to the electric grid while reducing their power integration costs as well as to improve the overall efficiency of the electrical system.

I urge my colleagues to take a closer look at what storage technologies can do to help reduce the cost of electricity and improve the performance of the electric grid and renewable energy technologies. If they do, I am confident my colleagues will join Senators Collins, Merkley, and King in supporting this bipartisan legislation.

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

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

Mr. President, today I am being joined by my colleagues Senators Collins, Merkley, and King on the introduction of the Storage Technology for Renewable and Green Energy Act of 2013 or the STORAGE 2013 Act. The purpose of the bill is to promote the deployment of energy storage technologies to make the electric grid operate more efficiently and help manage intermittent renewable energy generation from wind, solar, and other sources that vary with the time of day and the weather.

Traditionally, peak demand has been met by building more generation and transmission facilities, many of which sit idle much of the time. The Electric Power Research Institute's White Paper on storage technology observed that 25 percent of the equipment and capacity of the U.S. electric distribution system and 10 percent of the generation and transmission system is needed less than 400 hours a year. Peak generation is also often met with the least efficient, most costly power plants. Energy storage systems offer an alternative to simply building more generation and transmission to meet peak demand because they allow the current system to meet peak demands by storing less expensive off-peak power, from the most cost-efficient plants, for use during peak demand.

The growth of renewable energy from wind and solar and other intermittent renewable sources, like wave and tidal energy, raises yet another challenge for the electric grid that storage can help address. These renewable sources deliver power at times of the day or night when they might not be needed or fluctuate with the weather. Energy storage technology allows these intermittent sources to store power as it is generated and allow it to be dispatched when it is most needed and in a predictable, steady of stream of electricity no longer at the vagaries of weather conditions. And equally important, it allows this intermittent generation to more closely match demand. Instead of trying to find a place to sell power at 3:00 am in the morning when demand is down, wind farms for example would be able to sell their power at 3:00 pm in the afternoon when demand is up.

The STORAGE 2013 Act is substantially similar to the STORAGE Act of 2011 I introduced last Congress. It offers investment tax credits for three categories of energy storage facilities that temporarily store energy for delivery or use at a later time. The bill is technology neutral and does not pick storage technology ``winners'' and ``losers'' either in terms of the storage technology that is used or in terms of the source of the energy that is stored. The electricity can come from a wind farm or it can come for a coal or nuclear plant. Pumped hydro, compressed air, batteries, flywheels, and thermal storage are all eligible technologies as are smart-grid enabled plug-in electric vehicles.

First, the STORAGE 2013 Act provides a 20 percent investment tax credit of up to $40 million per project for storage systems connected to the electric grid and distribution system. A total of $1.5 billion in these investment credits are available for these grid connected systems. Developers would have to apply to the Treasury Department and DOE for the credits, similar to the process used for the green energy manufacturing credits the ``48C'' program. This is a 20 percent credit so that means the actual cost of the project that would be eligible for the full credit would be $200 million.

The act also provides a 30 percent investment tax credit of up to $1 million per project to businesses for on-site storage, such as an ice- storage facility in on office building, where ice is made at night using low-cost, off-peak power and then used to help air-condition the building luring the day while reducing peak demand. This is a 30 percent credit so the cost of the actual projects that would get the full credit amount would be around $3.3 million.

One change from last year's version of the bill is that the minimum size for storage systems to be eligible for this credit is now 5 kWh, whereas it was 20 kWh before. 20 kWh is a reasonable size or industrial energy consumers and big-box stores, but a 5 kWh limit is a size that makes sense for small businesses. This change will allow small businesses to participate in pioneering storage on the grid, and will incentivize storage companies to create leasing models for residential users. Leasing models are proving very successful at increasing grid- connected residential solar, and this credit will open up a whole new market for storage to follow suit.

But if homeowners want to install storage on their own, they will be able to. The Act also provides for 30 percent tax credit for homeowners for on-site

storage projects to store off-peak electricity from solar panels or from the grid for later use during peak hours.

As the EPRI white paper noted ``(d)espite the large anticipated need for energy storage solutions within the electric enterprise, very few grid-integrated storage installations are in actual operation in the United States today.'' The purpose of the STORAGE 2013 Act is to help jump start the deployment of these storage solutions so that renewable energy technologies can increase their economic value to the electric grid while reducing their power integration costs as well as to improve the overall efficiency of the electrical system.

I urge my colleagues to take a closer look at what storage technologies can do to help reduce the cost of electricity and improve the performance of the electric grid and renewable energy technologies. If they do, I am confident my colleagues will join Senators Collins, Merkley, and King in supporting this bipartisan legislation.

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

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