Floor Statements

Mr. President, one of the greatest challenges we face not just in Iowa but all across America--is preserving the character and vitality of our small towns. This is about economics, but it is also about our culture and identity. After all, you won't find the heart and soul of Iowa at Wal-Mart or Home Depot out in the strip malls. No, the heart and soul of Iowa is in our family farms, and on Main Street in small communities all across my State. That is why we need to be as generous as possible--and creative as possible--in keeping our downtowns not just alive but thriving.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I am involved in funding many hundreds of programs every year. But the Main Street Iowa program providing challenge grants to revitalize downtown buildings across my State--is in a class by itself. It is smart. It is effective. And it touches communities and people in very concrete ways.

For example, the citizens of Greenfield, IA, have been working hard to improve their downtown and their cultural opportunities. Main Street Greenfield was awarded a $30,000 Main Street Challenge Grant for the E.E. Warren Opera House Association to install an elevator. The $150,000 project was completed in July of this year. Other investments in the building have included weather proofing, outside facade improvements, and interior rehabilitation including theater restoration, installation of restrooms, mechanical and electrical systems, remodeling, and decorating. The Opera House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, offers both historic and sentimental value to the Greenfield community. The physical size of the building and its architectural significance enhance the aesthetics of their public square. The Opera House itself serves as a social center for the arts, and as a site for community dances, theater performances, and meetings providing education in rural--folk--cultural, and fine arts. It also serves to draw business to Greenfield by increasing activity on the town square.

The beauty of the Main Street Iowa program is that the ideas and initiatives come from our small towns and rural communities. I have been pleased to secure $1.5 million in funding since 2002 for Main Street Iowa Challenge Grants. The Main Street programs of the Iowa Department of Economic Development help provide technical assistance, but, as we have seen in Greenfield, success itself comes from local leadership, local teamwork, and home-grown ideas and solutions.

This project is a shining example of new construction and a catalyst for future projects. When people see one of the anchors of Main Street being renovated or expanded, this can change the whole psychology of a town or community. It offers hope. It serves as a catalyst for a far- reaching ripple effect of positive changes.

The addition of an elevator will improve access for people with disabilities and will equip the Opera House for its next 100 years. As the principal author of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I am heartened to see more and more of our old, historic buildings being retrofitted to improve access for citizens with disabilities.

So I congratulate the citizens of Greenfield for putting together a winning proposal to secure a Main Street Challenge Grant. Their efforts to reinvigorate their historic downtown are setting a terrific example for other small towns across America, and for that, I salute them.

Mr. President, one of the greatest challenges we face--not just in Iowa but all across America--is preserving the character and vitality of our small towns. This is about economics, but it is also about our culture and identity. After all, you won't find the heart and soul of Iowa at Wal-Mart or Home Depot out in the strip malls. No, the heart and soul of Iowa is in our family farms, and on Main Street in small communities all across my State. That's why we need to be as generous as possible--and creative as possible--in keeping our downtowns not just alive but thriving.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I'm involved in funding many hundreds of programs every year. But the Main Street Iowa program--providing challenge grants to revitalize downtown buildings across my state--is in a class by itself. It's smart. It's effective. And it touches communities and people in very concrete ways.

For example, the citizens of Elkader restored and reopened one of the cornerstones of their town, the Elkader Cinema. The Elkader Cinema, formerly known as the ``Circle Theatre,'' was repaired with the assistance of a Main Street Challenge Grant. The faded, broken marquee and dilapidated building were sad focal points in Elkader's downtown, and the entire building was on the verge of demolition when the citizens of Elkader formed a special committee to spearhead the reopening the theatre. The committee was awarded a Main Street Challenge Grant of nearly $50,000. Without the grant from Main Street Iowa, the private party who purchased and renovated the theatre building most likely would not have undertaken the project, as it would have been too risky.

The theatre is now a thriving business. It is open seven days a week, and attendance has proven the seven-day-a-week schedule to be worthwhile. The theatre has had a very positive impact on other downtown businesses as well, bringing customers from all over Clayton County into Elkader. This project has been a tremendous success for Elkader, Clayton County and Main Street Iowa.

The beauty of the Main Street Iowa program is that the ideas and initiatives come from our small towns and rural communities. I have been pleased to secure $1.5 million in funding since 2002 for Main Street Iowa Challenge Grants. The Main Street programs of the Iowa Department of Economic Development help provide technical assistance, but, as we have seen in Elkader, success itself comes from local leadership, local teamwork, and home-grown ideas and solutions.

This project is a shining example of new construction and a catalyst for future projects. When people see one of the anchor businesses on Main Street being renovated or expanded, this can change the whole psychology of a town or community. It offers hope. It serves as a catalyst for a far-reaching ripple effect of positive changes.

I congratulate the citizens of Elkader for putting together a winning proposal to secure a Main Street Challenge Grant. Their efforts to reinvigorate their historic downtown are setting a terrific example for other small towns across America, and for that, I salute them.

Mr. President, one of the greatest challenges we face--not just in Iowa but all across America--is preserving the character and vitality of our towns. This is about economics, but it is also about our culture and identity. After all, you won't find the heart and soul of Iowa at Wal-Mart or Home Depot out in the strip malls. No, the heart and soul of Iowa is in our family farms, and on Main Street in communities all across my State. That is why we need to be as generous as possible--and creative as possible--in keeping our downtowns not just alive but thriving.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I am involved in funding many hundreds of programs every year. But the Main Street Iowa program--providing challenge grants to revitalize downtown buildings across my State--is in a class by itself. It's smart. It's effective. And it touches communities and people in very concrete ways.

For example, the citizens of Dubuque, IA are showing much initiative in restoring and renovating their downtown area. Dubuque actually received two Main Street Challenge Grants for their downtown; one to restore a six-building, 30-residential unit, 13-storefront neighborhood, and one to revive a landmark building downtown.

The Upper Main Revitalization project started as a two-building rehab, and has since expanded to six buildings. Marking an important gateway into Dubuque's downtown district, Upper Main, arguably the neediest district in the city center, will be taken from one of the most blighted blocks remaining in downtown Dubuque to one of the most refreshed, vibrant stretches of street in the district. This project will put the second and third floors of these buildings back into residential use for the first time in more than 30 years. Momentum is already growing in this district as a result of this project.

The second grant will be used to renovate and restore the Old German Bank, whose most recent incarnation was as the Silver Dollar Cantina. This building is an extremely significant structure in the oldest Historic District in Dubuque. The building suffered a double hit 3 1/2 years ago when the sandy soil in the Main Street area settled, causing cracks in the building. This halted business for several months. Then a few months after it reopened, a fire totaled the building. The Silver Dollar Cantina was popular long before the Old Main district was considered to be trendy, so it was a considerable loss to the downtown area when it was forced to close. With the use of their Main Street Grant, the Silver Dollar will open again, filling the niche of a popular lunchtime spot and even more popular nightclub. This grant is serving to preserve a true anchor of the community.

The beauty of the Main Street Iowa program is that the ideas and initiatives come from our towns and rural communities. I have been pleased to secure $1.5 million in funding since 2002 for Main Street Iowa Challenge Grants. The Main Street programs of the Iowa Department of Economic Development help provide technical assistance, but, as we have seen in Dubuque, success itself comes from local leadership, local teamwork, and home-grown ideas and solutions.

This project is a shining example of new construction and a catalyst for future projects. When people see the anchors on Main Street being renovated or expanded, this can change the whole psychology of a town or community. It offers hope. It serves as a catalyst for a far- reaching ripple effect of positive changes.

So I congratulate the citizens of Dubuque for putting together winning Main Street proposals. Their efforts to reinvigorate their historic downtown are setting a terrific example for other small towns across America, and for that, I salute them.

Mr. President, one of the greatest challenges we face--not just in Iowa but all across America--is preserving the character and vitality of

our towns. This is about economics, but it is also about our culture and identity. After all, you won't find the heart and soul of Iowa at Wal-Mart or Home Depot out in the strip malls. No, the heart and soul of Iowa is in our family farms and on Main Street in communities all across my State. That is why we need to be as generous as possible--and creative as possible--in keeping our downtowns not just alive but thriving.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I'm involved in funding many hundreds of programs every year. But the Main Street Iowa program--providing challenge grants to revitalize downtown buildings across my state--is in a class by itself. It's smart. It's effective. And it touches communities and people in very concrete ways.

For example, the citizens of Central City, IA, are making efforts to improve their downtown areas. Central City received a $50,000 Main Street Challenge Grant in 2002, and has since put that money to use renovating 4 different buildings.

This first project was built in 1914 as a bank, but housed taverns and bars for more than 60 years. It was vacant for 15 years before renovation, and is now in use as an art and gift center. It was the winner of a 2004 Main Street Iowa Award for best total rehabilitation of a small building.

The next project allowed an international shipping and marketing service company, to repair and re-paint the facade of their building, improving the roof, decking, masonry, and parapets.

The third project, the McShane Annex, has been empty since 1989 when a fire destroyed the interior of the building. Using the Main Street Grant, the building's renovation included a new rubber roof, removal of warped plywood covering on the windows, an installation of energy efficient windows, and a restoration of the historic storefront of the two-story, brick Victorian commercial building. The building is now the home of Timeless Treasures, an Americana retail store.

The final project is the renovation of the former Mills Hardware building, another two story, brick Victorian commercial structure. This building was vacant for 10 years. Rear windows were broken and the upstairs had become the home for nesting birds, but with the help of the Main Street grant, the building quickly turned into the home of Aragon Mortgage and Aragon Medical Equipment. Improvements and renovations to the building included the installation of a new roof, repair of the masonry, a paint job for the wood trim, the decorative metal window cornices, and the roof parapet, the addition of an ADA- compliant entrance, the creation of a new housing for the freight elevator, and the installation of more than 20 energy-efficient windows.

The beauty of the Main Street Iowa program is that the ideas and initiatives come from our small towns and rural communities. I have been pleased to secure $1.5 million in funding since 2002 for Main Street Iowa Challenge Grants. The Main Street programs of the Iowa Department of Economic Development help provide technical assistance, but, as we have seen in Central City, success itself comes from local leadership, local teamwork, and home-grown ideas and solutions.

These projects are a shining example of new construction and a catalyst for future projects. When people see the anchor businesses on Main Street being renovated or expanded, this can change the whole psychology of a town or community. It offers hope. It serves as a catalyst for a far-reaching ripple effect of positive changes and future development.

I congratulate the citizens of Central City for putting together winning proposals to secure Main Street Challenge Grants. Their efforts to reinvigorate their historic downtown are setting a terrific example for other small towns across America, and for that, I salute them.

Mr. President, one of the greatest challenges we face--not just in Iowa but all across America--is preserving the character and vitality of our towns. This is about economics, but it is also about our culture and identity. After all, you won't find the heart and soul of Iowa at Wal-Mart or Home Depot out in the strip malls. No, the heart and soul of Iowa is in our family farms and on Main Street in communities all across my State. That is why we need to be as generous as possible and creative as possible in keeping our downtowns not just alive but thriving.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I'm involved in funding many hundreds of programs every year. But the Main Street Iowa program--providing challenge grants to revitalize downtown buildings across my state--is in a class by itself. It's smart. It's effective. And it touches communities and people in very concrete ways.

An example of this effect can be found in the efforts of the citizens of Cedar Falls to restore and reinvigorate their downtown area. Downtown Cedar Falls pursued the Challenge Grant opportunity from Main Street Iowa on behalf of two projects: The Black Hawk Hotel, which is the oldest continuously running hotel in the state of Iowa; and the Jiva Salon spa building. Both buildings received dramatic facade improvements that restored the buildings to their intended looks, and as a result contributed to the success of the businesses that occupy them. The hotel also renovated its interior, adding a barber shop, an evening lounge, 24 luxury suites, a deli, and a sushi bar, and the salon now houses a first class spa that attracts a regional audience.

Downtown Cedar Falls is a newly recognized Cultural District by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and that designation resulted in part from the impact of these two projects along with the other investments encouraged through their initiative. The beauty of the Main Street Iowa program is that the ideas and initiatives come from our towns and rural communities. I have been pleased to secure $1.5 million in funding since 2002 for Main Street Iowa Challenge Grants. The Main Street programs of the Iowa Department of Economic Development help provide technical assistance, but, as we have seen in Cedar Falls, success itself comes from local leadership, local teamwork, and home- grown ideas and solutions.

This project is a shining example of new construction and a catalyst for future projects. When people see one of the anchor businesses on Main Street being renovated or expanded, this can change the whole psychology of a town or community. It offers hope. It serves as a catalyst for a far-reaching ripple effect of positive changes.

I congratulate the citizens of Cedar Falls for putting together a winning proposal to secure a Main Street Challenge Grant. Their efforts to revitalize their historic downtown are setting a terrific example for other towns across America, and for that, I salute them.

Mr. President, for milions of people in the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Katrina has shredded the very fabric of everyday life. As my colleagues from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama have already described, the needs are immeasurable. For many people, it will be years before their lives return to normal. And untold others have paid with their lives. We hold the citizens of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama in our thoughts and in our prayers.

This storm calls on each of us to respond in the best way that we can. And people around the United States are opening their homes and their hearts to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Among the most immediate and pressing needs of many who have been hit by hurricane Katrina is a fundamental one--food. Displaced individuals with no ready source of income must, among all of their daily worries, still struggle with the basic task of feeding their families. This situation is exacerbated by the simple fact that retail food outlets have ceased to operate throughout the Gulf Coast. The Department of Agriculture has estimated that food stamp program caseloads alone are likely to increase by 1.4 million people because of Katrina. Furthermore, the Department says that this is a ``very conservative'' estimate and that the real need may be considerably greater than this.

In Louisiana alone, over 400,000 people are already receiving food stamps through the Emergency Food Stamp Program. In Texas, over 100,000 people have received emergency food stamps. These numbers are rising rapidly with every passing day and are certain to continue to do so.

No American should live in the shadow of hunger and food insecurity, least of all those displaced and devastated by natural disasters. Fortunately, the Federal Government has long provided food assistance to help individuals and families in need. The Department of Agriculture is already working hard to get commodities and emergency food stamps to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. And while there has been much criticism of the disaster efforts generally, I have yet to hear of complaints about the response from the Department of Agriculture. Even so, we can and must do more.

That is why today, with my colleague Senator Leahy, I am introducing the Hurricane Katrina Food Assistance Relief Act of 2005. I am hopeful that my colleagues will join us in working to pass this legislation expeditiously to enhance our Federal response to the needs of hungry Americans devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

This proposal would provide USDA with additional funding and authorities to provide a strong and continuous response to the food needs of thousands of families adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina. The legislation builds upon the capacities of several Federal programs to assist our citizens in need. The legislation targets three groups of households: Those living in areas hit by Katrina, those who have lost jobs in the disaster areas, and those who have relocated from the disaster area to other parts of the country.

This bill provides additional funds to allow for unanticipated caseload increases in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

It also gives the Department of Agriculture additional funds to purchase bulk commodities and to provide emergency food through food banks and local food pantries.

The legislation especially strengthens the ability of the Food Stamp Program to respond to this tremendous disaster by increasing benefit amounts, expanding eligibility, and streamlining the application process and the delivery of benefits. It also provides additional Federal funds to State food stamp agencies that are likely to be overwhelmed by the workload associated with helping all those who seek aid.

I ask that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle join with Senator Leahy and me in continuing to shape an appropriate response to the food needs of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The legislation that we are introducing today is a good faith effort and is, I believe, a generous and appropriate starting point. But I have no doubt that it may be improved. I welcome the advice and suggestions of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and look forward to doing all that we can with all necessary haste to bring relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Lindsay Jones of my staff be granted the privilege of the floor for the duration of today's session.

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

Mr. President, the entire Nation continues to be focused on the millions of Americans who have been devastated and displaced by hurricane Katrina. My heart and prayers go out to the individuals and the families who have had to endure so much over the last 8 days; first, the natural disaster of Katrina and then the unnatural disaster of the delayed and deeply flawed relief effort.

Last week, as this tragedy was unfolding, I was on a congressional delegation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, among other things, meeting with members of the Iowa National Guard who are training units of the new Afghan Army. I will have more to report about that trip in coming days. While this tragedy was unfolding, most of the time I was in Pakistan watching. No matter where we went, it was on television, whether we were going to meet the President of Pakistan or whether we were going out to a small village to visit some schools we have helped to fund in the past in poor villages. Everyone had a television focused on it.

As I was there watching it unfold, I had this terrible feeling of helplessness; also, I must add, a feeling of embarrassment and being ashamed that our Government was not responding more forcefully to this disaster.

I will take advantage of this first opportunity to be back in the Senate to speak publicly about the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. There is no question FEMA has failed and, more broadly, the Federal Government has failed the people of the gulf coast. In other parts of the country that are vulnerable to similar natural disasters or terrorist attacks, Americans are saying: There, but for the grace of God, go I, go me or my city. It is important those responsible for this systematic failure be held accountable and plans and procedures be put in place to avoid any recurrence of this failure.

I know I will not be the only Senator demanding hearings and rigorous oversight by Congress in the weeks ahead, but that is in the weeks ahead. That is down the road. Today, we must focus on the immediate and longer term human needs of the people of the gulf coast. As ranking member of the Agriculture Committee and of the subcommittee on Labor and Health and Human Services of the Committee on Appropriations I will do my part, again with my distinguished chairman, Senator Chambliss of the Committee on Agriculture, and Senator Specter, who is chairman of the subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, along with Senator Cochran, the full chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, to see we provide maximum resources for relief and recovery efforts across the gulf coast region.

For instance, we need to make sure USDA, the Department of Agriculture, is able to meet the food needs of the victims and to assist hard-hit agricultural producers. We will also need to extend emergency Medicaid benefits to hundreds of thousands of victims. I will work closely with Senators and officials from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, to ensure that their needs are fully and effectively met.

Indeed, in recent days, my staff has been meeting with Senator Landrieu's staff to share the experience and the expertise we gained in the wake of our widespread flooding in Iowa back in 1993. Some of the visual images, especially of New Orleans and some of the other towns along the gulf coast totally flooded with water, brought back memories of the flood of 1993 in Iowa, when whole towns were wiped out, some never to be rebuilt. People lost their homes, life savings, and mementos, such as pictures and family albums, the things that mean so much in our lives.

I remember 1993 and those floods in Iowa. At that time, I cochaired a task force, along with Senator Kit Bond of Missouri, whose State was also devastated by the same flooding, to identify the types of assistance that would be needed, as well as the best way to secure that assistance in Congress as well as in the executive branch. I am hopeful our past experience can provide a roadmap for officials responding to this latest disaster.

Some of the needed assistance is obvious, beginning, of course, with food. Me must make sure these people who have been displaced to other States get adequate food and nutrition, and shelter, of course. It is so wonderful to see so many people opening their homes, their communities, their facilities, to take care of people who have been displaced from their own homes and communities. But we need to provide shelter in the longer term. Where is that going to come from? People cannot live for 6 months, 9 months, 2 years, in the Astrodome or in any other public facility which is housing these people now. We have to find adequate shelter.

Many of the people who have been displaced--let's face it, the vast majority are very poor people, and I will have more to say about that later--need health care assistance. Many of the communities are already at the breaking point, in terms of providing health care to the poorest of their citizens.

We need to be doing something about at least those three things-- food, shelter and health care--right now. In the weeks and months ahead, more will be needed, including grants to individuals. Grants to individuals helped immeasurably in my State of Iowa after the flood of 1993, to help them move back, to get a start, to buy simple things like a bed, a stove, a refrigerator.

Loans will be needed to small businesses to get them back on their feet. Think of all the small Main Street businesses wiped out. They are going to need help to get back on their feet.

We need buyouts of homes in frequently flooded areas. Senator Bond and I also worked together after the flood of 1993 on hazard mitigation. Sometimes individuals located in an area constantly under flood threats or which has been flooded numerous times need to be relocated. We did that very effectively in both Iowa and in Missouri.

We need funding for community redevelopment. Much more will have to be done down the pike.

This Congress must step up to the plate and do it. If we can spend between $5 billion and $6 billion a month in Iraq, surely we cannot shirk our responsibility to our own citizens in this country.

As we learned back in 1993 in the Iowa floods, there are other less obvious forms of assistance that are also critically important. I add here, psychological counseling, psychological help for people who have lost loved ones or were traumatized by the disaster, especially young people and kids.

I salute Governor Tom Vilsack, of my State of Iowa, for leading a robust response to this disaster. He has ordered our State Government to prepare for the potential relocation of up to 5,000 people from the gulf coast region. They will be given shelter and assistance in communities all across our State. Again, I am so proud of my fellow Iowans. The phone calls have been coming in. They have room to take in one, two, or three people. They are opening their homes. The churches across our State are saying they will do whatever they can to help find housing and accommodations for people. Governor Vilsack has also directed the Iowa Department of Public Health to deploy a 30-member team of doctors, nurses, and other health officials to southeast Louisiana.

I say to my fellow Iowans and to all my fellow Americans, our prayers for the victims are important, but as President Kennedy once reminded us, here on Earth, God's work must truly be our own. Each and every one of us can make a difference to the victims of this disaster. There are dozens of organizations, including the Red Cross and Salvation Army, in urgent need of donations and assistance.

So it is at times like this we are reminded we truly are one American family. Families look out for one another. I have no doubt people all across this country will continue to open their hearts and be as generous as possible in the days and weeks and months ahead.

Likewise, I am hopeful this Congress and this White House will also be generous. We will do whatever it takes to help the people of New Orleans and the gulf coast put their lives and communities back together.

Mr. President, with that I yield the floor.

Mr. President, if I might follow up on the discussion now on the Senate floor, might I ask the distinguished majority leader a question. It is this Senator's understanding, and I think the understanding of others with whom I have spoken, that the distinguished majority leader, during the last work period--I think that was prior to the Memorial Day--no, before the Fourth of July break, I guess it was. It was my understanding that the majority leader had made a commitment that we would bring up a stem cell bill prior to the August recess. I may be mistaken. If so, I stand to be corrected.

My question is to the distinguished majority leader, was a commitment made to bring up the stem cell bill? If so, I am wondering why we have not done so and why we have waited until 2 days before we leave and we still don't have a stem cell bill before us?

Will the Senator yield for a question?

I thank the majority leader. It is this Senator's understanding that there have been a number of different bills proposed to deal with cloning and a number of other issues that don't really pertain to the issue of embryonic stem cell research as the bill was passed by the House.

Is it not true, I ask the distinguished majority leader, that H.R. 810--the bill we are talking about that passed the House with a bipartisan majority and has a number of supporters on both sides of the aisle in the Senate--has bipartisan support in the Senate? Last year, I will say in further expanding on my question, I think there were 58 Senators who signed a letter in support of that legislation, many of the same Senators who are still here. So it has a lot of bipartisan support. These other bills, we don't know. In fact, I say to the distinguished majority leader, there are a couple of bills we heard about but we have never seen any language on.

My question to the majority leader is: Why can't we bring up the bill that passed the House, which everyone knows about--it is clear, it is straightforward, it passed the House, as I said,

with a bipartisan majority, it has bipartisan support here; we all know it has enough votes to pass probably many more than even 60 votes, I would venture to guess--why can't we take that up, pass it, get it to the President, and then when we come back in September, we can take up these other bills?

I do not have any problem with these other bills coming up. Some I may support when they come up. To bring them all up together clouds and confuses the issue. Why can't we just bring up the House bill, simple, straightforward, have a limited debate on it, and vote it up or down as they did in the House, I ask my leader?

Mr. President, I thank the majority leader for his response. I know Senator Kennedy wants time to make a speech. On the stem cell bill, I say to my friend from Tennessee, the distinguished leader, the clock is ticking. It does have a lot of support. There may be a lot of ideas out there. No bill that ever passes here has 100- percent approval by everybody of every, as they say, ``jot and tittle'' in the bill. If I were to rewrite H.R. 810, I might want to write it differently myself.

The fact is a lot of thought was given to it. The disease groups that represent the very ill people in this country--the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Spinal Cord Injury Foundation, and a whole host of other groups--have put their stamp of approval on this bill. They want it passed.

It just seems to me that the more we dawdle around here--I understand we are in the last couple of days. We have been here all of July. This bill, H.R. 810, has been sitting here. We could have taken it up at any time. It is this Senator's observation that all of a sudden all these other bills are popping up on cloning, chimeras, and others, which I am not saying are not important issues, but they are separate and aside from this issue.

If the distinguished majority leader wants to bring those up at some other time for debate and amendments and bring them up for a straight up-or-down vote, that is fine, I don't have a problem with that, but don't tie them in with a bill that has strong majority support on both sides of the aisle, strong bipartisan support, as was shown in the House, and one which, if passed, could be sent to the President right away for his signature and which could really open the door so our scientists could get to work on embryonic stem cell research.

It seems--I am not accusing anyone of this, but it is the process we go through sometimes--there is a lot of smoke and mirrors going on, and a lot of bills are popping up to confuse the issue and to try to pull people away from support of H.R. 810.

Again, I say to my friend from Tennessee, I hope that we can have some assurance from the leader that when we get back in September that we will take up H.R. 810 and, I say to the Senator from Tennessee, if they want to bring up these other bills at some other time, in some other context, I can assure him this Senator would not object. I would have no objection to it. But right now there are objections to bringing them up at the same time, not just on this side of the aisle, but I also understand on the other side of the aisle.

It seems to me the clearest way is to bring up H.R. 810 and the cord blood bill and get them out of the way and deal with the others. I hope the majority leader will assure us we will do that when we come back in September.

I thank the Senator.

Mr. President, we have before us today an opportunity to chart a new course for the Nation's energy future.

The energy bill includes vitally important measures to boost renewable energy and energy efficiency, to improve our electricity grid, and to protect consumers from bad corporate actors like Enron.

I am very pleased that it includes the lion's share of the renewable fuels standard bill I introduced earlier this year with Dick Lugar and many of my colleagues. This is an accomplishment of historic proportions. Oil refiners will be required to blend 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel annually by the year 2012--more than twice the current rate. This RFS is 2.5 billion gallons higher than what was in the House bill. Obviously, this is great news for farmers, biofuels producers, and the rural economy in Iowa and throughout the country. It is the single most important provision in the bill, certainly in the near term, to displace ever increasing amounts of foreign oil that we import into this country. The RFS is a big step in the right direction and I am very proud to have helped get it done.

I am also excited that the ``bioeconomy'' amendment I authored with Senators Lugar, Obama, Coleman, and Bayh was included in the bill. It gives a real boost to biomass R&D to expand the production and use of biobased fuels, chemicals and power. It provides grants to small biobased businesses to get their products into the marketplace. It will increase purchases of biobased products by the Federal Government by extending the farm bill's biobased purchasing preference to Federal contractors and the Capitol complex. In short, with appropriate funding, it will make it possible to convert much more biomass--corn, soybeans, wheat, and other crops--into petroleum substitutes for everyday use in our homes, businesses and vehicles. And we will do it without negatively impacting our abundant food supply.

The RFS, complemented by these biobased initiatives, will be a heck of a one-two punch for our farmers, small businesses and rural communities.

I am also very pleased that the final bill extends the wind production tax credit, and that it includes my amendment to allow farmer-owned co-ops to pass on this tax credit to individual members of the co-op. The biodiesel tax credit extension is also a valuable asset in the bill. So is the tax credit for the installation of new E-85 pumps. I have pushed for all of these provisions for some time. The tax incentives for renewable energy and conservation, while less than needed, still represent a major boost for clean energy.

The energy bill we will soon vote on is by no means perfect. It drops several of the Senate's best bipartisan provisions to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil--the Renewable Portfolio Standard, and the oil savings amendment, in particular. These were common sense provisions that should have been included. It is a terrible mistake not to have done so.

The bill also does too little to improve fuel economy and address climate change. It lavishes tax breaks to oil companies reaping record profits from $2+ a gallon gas, and spends more reviving a nuclear industry that has never proven cost-effective and has not solved the problem of nuclear waste. It also includes some very questionable environmental provisions to aid oil and gas companies.

Like I said, not a perfect bill, but it is a start, and we can thank the bipartisan process that was taken in the Senate for that. The challenge now will be to take the next steps toward a truly sustainable energy future--one that our farmers, who are increasingly at the forefront of the country's clean energy strategy, can help lead. I will continue to work to make this a reality.

When we draw our energy from the corn and soybean fields of rural America rather than the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, we do four things: We increase America's energy security; we boost our rural economy; we create a cleaner environment; and we put downward pressure on prices at the pump. That's why I intend to vote for this bill, and I hope many of my colleagues will follow.

Mr. President, today marks the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a truly momentous occasion that the Senate marked yesterday by voting 87-0 in support of a resolution recognizing and honoring this anniversary. On this anniversary, we celebrate one of the great, landmark civil rights laws of the 20th century--a long overdue emancipation proclamation for people with disabilities.

We also celebrate the men and women, from all across America, whose daily acts of protest, persistence and courage moved this law forward to passage 15 years ago.

We have made great progress in America in the last 15 years, and evidence of that progress can be found all around us. It has changed lives--and changed our Nation. It has made the American dream possible for tens of millions of people with disabilities.

But, our work is not yet complete in fulfilling the four great goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act: equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for persons with disabilities. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the anniversary of the ADA than by rededicating ourselves to these goals. I look forward to working with my fellow Senators and the disability community to building on the progress that we have made over the past 15 years. Toward that end, I ask unanimous consent to print in the Record a ``Statement of Solidarity'' from over 700 disability rights and civil rights organizations, led by the American Association of Persons with Disabilities and the National Council on Independent Living, that highlights the many challenges we face as we continue on the path that leads to liberty and justice for all. I hope that my fellow Senators will review this document carefully, as I believe it raises a number of important issues that we should consider as we once again rededicate ourselves to realizing the full promise of the ADA.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senators Kennedy, Hatch, Reid, Clinton, McCain, DeWine, Jeffords, Mikulski, Lautenberg, Dole, Durbin, Levin, Lieberman, Boxer, Reed, Chafee, Smith, Collins, Stabenow, Obama, Akaka, Salazar, Dayton, Bingaman, Wyden, Biden, Isakson, Feingold, Johnson, Nelson of Florida, Brownback, Burr, Snowe, and Pryor be added as cosponsors of the resolution.

Mr. President, tomorrow, July 26, marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Observances and celebrations are being held and will be held all across the country. In fact, I attended three in Iowa over the weekend. There will be a big celebration tonight at the Kennedy Center where I look forward to introducing former President George Bush, the signer of the Americans with Disabilities Act, who will give the keynote address.

On this 15th anniversary, we celebrate one of the great landmark civil rights laws of the 20th century, a long overdue emancipation proclamation for people with disabilities. We also celebrate the men and women from all across America whose daily acts of heroism and protest and persistence and courage moved this law forward to passage 15 years ago.

In 1964, this country passed a civil rights bill. After much struggle, after the freedom riders and the marches in places such as Selma, AL, that are burned in our memories, we passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which closed a long, disgraceful chapter of segregation and discrimination, lack of equality of opportunity for Americans just based on race, mostly, sex, creed, and national origin.

I can remember coming home on leave from the military some time after that. I was with my brother Frank who had been totally deaf since early childhood. I had seen how he had been discriminated against all of his

lifetime. I remember we were talking about different things, and he mentioned the civil rights bill. He thought it was all well and good. But then he asked the question: What about us? I didn't really know what he was talking about.

I said: Are you talking about us, me?

He said: What about us deaf people? We are discriminated against every day in terms of where we can work, can go, how we get news, how we go to school.

I began to think about it as I finished my career in the military and through law school and coming here to Congress. I thought, as I watched the struggle of people with disabilities to proclaim their involvement, that they should also be covered by the Civil Rights Act. So there were some minor steps taken. We had section 504 of the Rehab Act in 1973 before I got here. Then after coming to the House in 1974, we had the Education of Handicapped Children Act, 94-142, which my good friend, now Senator Jeffords, then Congressman Jeffords, was very much involved in getting passed in the House at that time. It later became known as IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. That is how it is known today.

Then there began a long struggle by people with disabilities to gain their full participation in our society.

This started in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Then when I came to the Senate in 1984, 1985, it had been picking up steam and momentum. Various drafts of bills have been presented about disability and this and that.

Finally, it fell to me as chairman of the Disability Policy Subcommittee at that time to pull together the final draft. Here I will pay my great respect and admiration to former Senator Lowell Weicker of Connecticut, who led the charge before I got here to change the law to provide for an overarching law to cover people with disabilities in our country. But then Senator Kennedy asked me to join his committee and take over the chairmanship of the disability subcommittee, which I did, with the great help of wonderful staff, including Bobby Silverstein and others. We were able to get the words on paper, put it together. It was a pretty long struggle.

It was not a foregone conclusion that we could ever pass it. But there were acts of heroism. I can remember when people with disabilities started coming to Washington to protest. Sometimes they would plug the corridors in the Dirksen Office Building, and the police would have to clear them out. Many got arrested. I remember a man named Dwayne French, who came from Alaska to demonstrate, protest, and demand equal rights under the law. He got arrested and thrown into jail.

I tend to think the one thing that really crystalized what we were trying to do in terms of full participation, accessibility, of nondiscrimination and breaking down barriers--the one event was when Bob Kofka and the group ADAP rolled their wheelchairs up to the Capitol steps, and there were about between 50 and 75 people. I don't know the exact number. They got out of their wheelchairs and crawled up the steps of the Capitol; they crawled up the steps. That hit the evening news, all the newspapers, and the news magazines, and then we heard from the American public that this should not be allowed to happen, that people with disabilities ought to have accessibility; they ought to be able to participate in all aspects of our American life. And then we hammered out the bill and got it passed in the Senate and the House.

As I said, on July 26, 1990, in a wonderful ceremony, the biggest gathering for the signing of a bill in our Nation's history, people gathered on the lawn of the White House for the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act by President George Bush. It was a great and joyous occasion.

For all these years, after 1964, we thought we had torn down the walls of segregation. But there was a group of Americans for whom segregation was a daily occurrence, even after the Civil Rights Act, for whom daily discrimination was a fact of life, for whom equal opportunity was just some words on paper. There was a group of Americans for whom access to the American dream was basically closed because of their lack of participation in economic opportunity and accessibility. These were Americans with disabilities.

I often put it this way: On July 25, 1990, if you were a person of color, say, and you went down to apply for a job for which you were qualified and the prospective employer looked at you and said, I am not hiring African Americans, or Black people, or probably, in the contextual framework of that time, I am not hiring colored people, if he said that to you, you could have gone right down to the courthouse. The doors were open there, and you could have filed suit for discrimination based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If, however, on July 25, 1990, you were a person with a disability and you went to a prospective employer for a job for which you were qualified--say you rode a wheelchair in there and the employer looked at you and said, We don't hire cripples, get out of here, and you rolled your wheelchair down to the same courthouse door. The doors were locked; they were closed. You had no cause of action. It was not illegal to discriminate on the basis of disability on July 25, 1990. On July 26, after President Bush signed it into law, the courthouse doors were opened. No longer would it be legal to discriminate on the basis of disability in our society.

So for the last 15 years, we have seen what I call a quiet revolution taking place in America. Look around you. You see the curb cuts, ramps, widened doors, elevators that are accessible, and people with disabilities can get on and off buses. I was in Iowa this weekend and went to an ATM machine to get some money, and the ATM machine is a talking one with brail so that a blind person can use the ATM machine. So we now see people with seeing-eye dogs going into restaurants to have a meal. Fifteen years ago, a restaurant could say, Get that dog out of here, we don't allow it. Now they have to allow it.

Now we see people with disabilities working jobs, traveling, enjoying life, going to movies. Yesterday, I went to a Cedar Rapids Colonels baseball game. It was disability day. They have a new baseball stadium there; it is 4 years old. It is one of the most accessible stadiums I have ever seen in my life. All kinds of people with disabilities can come there and enjoy baseball games. That would not have been true before. The old diamond had one place set aside down on the first base line with people walking in front of them all the time. Now they are up high, and they have great seats in this stadium. So we see this all around us.

For those of us who are able-bodied, we kind of take it for granted. It is not a big deal out there that you have curb cuts or access to buildings. I walked into a hotel downtown a week or so ago, where the National Commission on Independent Living, NCIL, was having their national meeting. Four or five people with disabilities coming into the Hyatt pushed a button at the door, and they could get their wheelchairs in and out. We don't even think about that. So it is a quiet revolution.

My nephew, who is an architect, told me a few years ago that now we are designing buildings the way they should be designed--fully accessible to all. We also have closed captioning on television for the deaf and hard of hearing. We can pick up our remote for the TV and punch the mute and see the words come up, and we take it for granted. But it has transformed lives in America. It has made us a better, richer, more fair society. Now the American family is much more complete than it was before.

So on this, the 15th anniversary, I say thank you to the disabled community of America for their long years of struggle and protest, for the hardships they went through just to make sure they were treated equally in our society. I always point out that in the ADA, there is not one nickel given to a person with a disability. It is not any kind of giveaway program. All it does is break down the barriers. People with disabilities now can apply their God-given talents and their abilities and contribute to our society. So it is quite a step forward for America. We have a lot to be proud of and a lot to be thankful for. But I must say that we are not totally to where we wanted to be.

We had four goals when we passed the ADA. One was economic self- sufficiency. Fifteen years later, over 60 percent of Americans with disabilities are still unemployed, without a job. That is still a national disgrace. So I hope we use this occasion of this 15th anniversary, yes, to look at the great

strides we have made and how far we have come but also to recommit ourselves to make the ADA really complete. We have to do more in terms of job training, personal assistance services, and accessibility so that people with disabilities can have more jobs. Sixty percent unemployment is not right. So I hope we will redouble our commitment to getting this next step passed.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Vermont be given 10 minutes to make his statement at this point.

I thank the Chair.

Mr. President, in remarks on the floor this morning I spoke about the remarkable progress that we have made since the Americans with Disabilities Act became law 15 years ago tomorrow. Today, the physical impact of ADA's quiet revolution is all around us. Sidewalks are equipped with curb cuts allowing access for people using wheelchairs. New buildings are outfitted in countless ways with ramps, wide doors, and large bathroom stalls to accommodate people with disabilities. Many banks have talking ATMs to assist individuals who are blind. Service animals are welcome in restaurants and shops, and on and on.

For those of us who are able-bodied, these changes are all but invisible. For a person with a disability, they are transforming and liberating. So are provisions in the ADA outlawing discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the workplace, and requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations.

The ADA is about designing our policies and also our physical environment so that America can benefit from the contributions of all of our citizens. The ADA is about rejecting the false dichotomy between disabled and abled. It is about recognizing that people with disabilities, like all people, have unique abilities, talents, and aptitudes and that our country, that our America, is better, fairer and richer when we make full use of those gifts.

Last week, in anticipation of this 15th anniversary, I asked people from all across America to send stories about how their lives are different today thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act. I wanted to find out what the ADA means to people in their everyday lives.

I want to recite some of those.

Before I do, I ask unanimous consent that Senators Cantwell and Voinovich be added as original cosponsors of S. Res. 207.

One young woman whose name is Cheri Blauwet wrote me and said:

I am a paraplegic as the result of a farming accident when

I was 15 months old. I am now 25 years old and am currently a

medical student at Stanford University in addition to being a

wheelchair racer on the United States Paralympic Team. My

ultimate goal is to become a physician and to work

internationally to provide sport and physical activity

opportunities to my peers with disabilities.

She continued:

I was 10 years old when the ADA was passed in 1990.

Although I didn't know it at that time, my realization of my

own talents and capacities would be shaped on this fateful

day. As I grew into adulthood, I attended a public university

and had an accessible dorm room and classrooms that were

wheel chair friendly. I received financial assistance from

the state Vocational Rehabilitation program. I was able to

apply for jobs, scholarships, and schools and to know I would

be viewed without discrimination. My ability to easily take

buses, trains, and airplanes led me to domestic and global

travel for the purposes of building my sports and medical

careers. I knew that something as simple as a set of stairs

would not stop me from achieving my life goals.

A woman from Chicago who uses a wheelchair and works for the Federal Reserve wrote the following:

I am part of the first generation of Americans with

disabilities to grow up with the ADA in effect, and as a

result, it never crossed my mind that going to college,

studying abroad, or working in a big city would be impossible

for me. I knew these goals would be challenging--as they

would be for anyone. But I also knew they were possible, in

part, because of the ADA. The law laid the groundwork to make

this country more accessible for everyone, and it gave me the

access I need to do the things I'm capable of doing. For

example, I need accessible transportation to go to work so I

can afford my apartment. My apartment is located near a city

bus line, and all of the buses have lifts to accommodate my

wheelchair. ADA helped to make these necessities available to

me and others with disabilities, giving us more opportunities

than ever before to be active members of the community. It's

hard for me to imagine what my life would be like without the

ADA and without the accessibility I take advantage of every

day.

An individual from Laramie, WY, wrote:

The ADA has made a tremendous impact in my life. The

ability to go into a store to shop, or to travel, and to find

a place to stay have been the largest differences I've

experienced. Now, when I find a place of business that I

can't get into or get around in because of my wheelchair,

it's the exception rather than the rule. In 1990, in Wyoming,

the number of businesses I couldn't get into, or get around

in, far outnumbered the number of businesses that were

accessible. That has changed. Many have added ramps,

doorbells, or simply rearranged displays to make wider

aisles.

An individual with a spinal cord injury from St. Paul, MN, wrote:

I'm 32. Growing up, I was never sure whether I would be

employed. Thanks to the ADA, I received accommodations to

enable me to earn a B.A. and a J.D. I passed the bar in 1998,

thanks to accommodations received under the ADA. One of my

first jobs was clerking for a district court judge. Under the

ADA, the court provided me with assistive technology to

enable me to write judicial opinions and orders. The ADA has

made a tremendous difference in my life, both personally and

professionally. The ADA has enabled me to participate in

every facet of daily life, including the mundane things like

going to a movie or staying at a hotel. I can't imagine what

my life would be like if this law had not passed.

A woman who has an 11-year-old son with a disability wrote:

I am thankful for the ADA each time we pull into a

handicapped parking space, hit the automatic door to the

building, and can move around due to widened doorways. Each

time we go into a movie theater and don't have to sit on the

very front row. Each time we go to a theme park show where we

don't have to sit in the very back row.

Those are just a few of the many letters. I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the letters I have be printed in the Record at this point.

Mr. President, shortly we are going to have a vote on a resolution commending the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and all it has achieved for our society. It truly has opened the doors and torn down the walls of segregation and discrimination and the denial of equal opportunity for people with disabilities.

As I said this morning, after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, we thought we had done a great thing, and indeed we had. But for a large group of Americans with disabilities, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 left them out because they still faced segregation on a daily basis. They faced discrimination on a daily basis; they faced inequality of opportunity on a daily basis. So the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law on July 26, 1990, finally accorded to Americans with disabilities every right that every American ought to have. That is the right to live independently, the right to have equality of opportunity, the right to have economic self-sufficiency, and the right to be accorded full participation in our society. Those are the four goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and now we see the evidence all around us.

On July 26, 1990, when he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law, President George Herbert Walker Bush spoke with great eloquence, and I will never forget his final words before taking up his pen.

He said, ``Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.''

Today, that wall has indeed fallen. We must continue this progress. We must go forward and not backward.

As I said this morning, we have come a long way in making sure people with disabilities are able to participate in American society. We see people in restaurants, traveling, in theaters and sports arenas, people with jobs, people going to school, people becoming lawyers and doctors and everything else, regardless of their disability, and it is a wonderful thing for our country. It has made us a better, richer, and fairer country.

We only have one other thing that we have to do. We have to make sure people with disabilities have personal attendant services so they can go to work. Right now, 15 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act, over 60 percent of people with disabilities are unemployed, no job. Many of them can have a job if they just have some personal attendant services to help them get going in the morning or help them at night, maybe help them on their job. As taxpayers we know this will cost us less money than institutionalizing people, and it will make their lives and our lives better.

One final thought. As chairman of the Disability Policy Subcommittee, I brought the Americans with Disabilities Act to the floor in 1990. Right after it was passed, I spoke in sign language from this desk down here about what this would mean for people like my brother Frank who was deaf. So I will close my remarks today by using another sign. I will not speak at all in sign language, but I would like to close by saying that there is a wonderful sign--see, sign language is very expressive. There is a wonderful sign in sign language for ``America.'' I am going to teach it right now to Senators who are watching. The sign for ``America'' in sign language is where one puts all of their fingers together like this, intertwined, and makes a circle. That is the sign for America, all of the fingers intertwined, one family in a closed circle. It is a beautiful sign. It really expresses volumes about America.

Fifteen years ago, not all of those fingers were there. People with disabilities were not part of that family. Now they are. So our family in America is more complete, the circle is more complete because of the Americans with Disabilities Act. For centuries they were excluded. People were excluded from our family. Now they are a part of our family, and it has made us a better, fairer, and richer country.

So I hope all Senators will give a strong vote of approval to this resolution; one, to recognize the advances that we have made; second, to recommit ourselves to make sure that we will not go backward but that we will continue forward to even break down more barriers, to become even more inclusive, to make sure that every single person with a disability is a member of that American family.

I yield the floor.