Floor Statements

Mr. President, I appreciate the Senator from Colorado allowing me an opportunity to call my own amendment. The way I understand it now, we are going to give 2\1/2\ minutes to the Senator from Louisiana, and I will have 2\1/2\ minutes on this side; is that correct? How are we allocating time? I want to clarify.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to lay aside the pending amendment and call up amendment No. 272.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. President, this amendment deals with identity theft. As we heard from the 9/11 Commission, being able to secure our identity process is extremely important for the national security of this country. The 9/11 Commission suggested that we needed to do more to protect against identity theft and that was part of the problem with the terrorists who were coming into this country.

So my amendment is very pertinent to the subject of this particular piece of legislation. One of the key items in that report is that we break down the stovepipe between the agencies so we can have some enforcement. This amendment tries to break down the stovepipe between Social Security and Homeland Security. Homeland Security, in checking for identity theft, is not able to get that information from Social Security; Social Security is not able to provide it because of a current law. This amendment addresses that problem.

So it is my hope we can get this adopted. I have called it up, and I have made previous statements on this particular amendment. It is important. If we have somebody who is using the same name and Social Security number, we do not have any way of finding out about it unless it shows up on the Social Security side. So we need to be sure we can break down that stovepipe so we can have better security for this country. That is what my amendment is all about.

Mr. President, I yield the remainder of my time.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business

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

Mr. President, today I come to the floor to discuss an important piece of legislation that I am introducing to address a major public health need.

I am pleased to be joined by Senators Hagel, Brownback, and Baucus.

Today, I am introducing the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act, to address the growing shortage of veterinarians in the public health sector.

Over the past decade, the world has faced a significant increase of newly emerging infectious disease outbreaks, including West Nile virus; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS; monkeypox; and avian influenza.

In addition to their ability to cause severe illness, and even death, these diseases share another important characteristic: they are all transmitted from animals to man.

Veterinary medicine is an integral and indispensable component of our Nation's public health system.

Veterinarians protect human health by preventing and controlling infectious diseases, ensuring the safety and security of the Nation's food supply, promoting healthy environments, and providing health care for animals.

Veterinarians are essential for early detection and response to unusual disease events that could be linked to newly emerging infectious diseases, or other biothreat agents of concern.

In fact, it was a veterinarian who first diagnosed West Nile virus in the United States and a veterinarian who first notified health authonties of the introduction of monkeypox to the United States.

A veterinarian's prompt diagnosis and reporting of screwworm infestation prevent this disease from becoming reestablished in the United States, thus saving hundreds of millions of dollars in expensive eradication programs.

There is a need to build national capacity in research and training in the prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, and control of newly emerging and reemerging infectious diseases.

Veterinarians are uniquely qualified to address these high-priority public health issues because of their extensive professional training in basic biomedical sciences, population medicine, and broad, multi- species, comparative medical approach to disease prevention and control.

There is a shortage of veterinarians working in public health practice. As used in the preceding sentence, the term ``public health practice'' includes bioterrorism and emergency preparedness, environmental health, food safety and food security, regulatory medicine, diagnostic laboratory medicine, and biomedical research.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects there to be 28,000 job openings in the veterinary medical profession by 2012 due to growth and net replacements, a turnover of nearly 38 percent.

The Nation's veterinary medical colleges do not have the capacity to satisfy the current and future demand for veterinarians and veterinary expertise that is vital to maintain public health preparedness.

Veterinary colleges also provide a broad, multi-species, comparative medical approach to disease prevention and control, which is fundamental to understanding the transmission and life cycle of infectious disease agents, especially those that are shared with animals.

Veterinarians have special expertise in preventing and controlling these types of diseases, but there is a critical shortage of veterinarians working in public health practice, and the Nation's veterinary medical colleges do not have enough capacity to meet the demand.

In order to meet the critical shortages of veterinarians today I am introducing the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act, which will allow veterinary medical colleges to expand their training programs for veterinary public health professionals.

The Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act will create a new competitive grant program for capital improvements to allow veterinary medical colleges to expand their training programs for public health professionals.

There are critical shortages of veterinarians across the United States, and the Nation's veterinary medical colleges do not have enough capacity to meet the demand.

The Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act will build infrastructure, research laboratories, and classroom space to provide training for veterinary students in public health, food safety, infectious diseases, global health, and environmental quality.

Mr. President, today I come to the floor to discuss an important piece of legislation that I am introducing to address a major public health need.

I am pleased to be joined by Senators Hagel, Brownback, and Baucus.

Today, I am introducing the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act, to address the growing shortage of veterinarians in the public health sector.

Over the past decade, the world has faced a significant increase of newly emerging infectious disease outbreaks, including West Nile virus; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS; monkeypox; and avian influenza.

In addition to their ability to cause severe illness, and even death, these diseases share another important characteristic: they are all transmitted from animals to man.

Veterinary medicine is an integral and indispensable component of our Nation's public health system.

Veterinarians protect human health by preventing and controlling infectious diseases, ensuring the safety and security of the Nation's food supply, promoting healthy environments, and providing health care for animals.

Veterinarians are essential for early detection and response to unusual disease events that could be linked to newly emerging infectious diseases, or other biothreat agents of concern.

In fact, it was a veterinarian who first diagnosed West Nile virus in the United States and a veterinarian who first notified health authonties of the introduction of monkeypox to the United States.

A veterinarian's prompt diagnosis and reporting of screwworm infestation prevent this disease from becoming reestablished in the United States, thus saving hundreds of millions of dollars in expensive eradication programs.

There is a need to build national capacity in research and training in the prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, and control of newly emerging and reemerging infectious diseases.

Veterinarians are uniquely qualified to address these high-priority public health issues because of their extensive professional training in basic biomedical sciences, population medicine, and broad, multi- species, comparative medical approach to disease prevention and control.

There is a shortage of veterinarians working in public health practice. As used in the preceding sentence, the term ``public health practice'' includes bioterrorism and emergency preparedness, environmental health, food safety and food security, regulatory medicine, diagnostic laboratory medicine, and biomedical research.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects there to be 28,000 job openings in the veterinary medical profession by 2012 due to growth and net replacements, a turnover of nearly 38 percent.

The Nation's veterinary medical colleges do not have the capacity to satisfy the current and future demand for veterinarians and veterinary expertise that is vital to maintain public health preparedness.

Veterinary colleges also provide a broad, multi-species, comparative medical approach to disease prevention and control, which is fundamental to understanding the transmission and life cycle of infectious disease agents, especially those that are shared with animals.

Veterinarians have special expertise in preventing and controlling these types of diseases, but there is a critical shortage of veterinarians working in public health practice, and the Nation's veterinary medical colleges do not have enough capacity to meet the demand.

In order to meet the critical shortages of veterinarians today I am introducing the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act, which will allow veterinary medical colleges to expand their training programs for veterinary public health professionals.

The Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act will create a new competitive grant program for capital improvements to allow veterinary medical colleges to expand their training programs for public health professionals.

There are critical shortages of veterinarians across the United States, and the Nation's veterinary medical colleges do not have enough capacity to meet the demand.

The Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act will build infrastructure, research laboratories, and classroom space to provide training for veterinary students in public health, food safety, infectious diseases, global health, and environmental quality.

I thank the majority leader for that opportunity. I have a bill I would like to introduce briefly this morning and talk about it for a few minutes. If somebody shows up from his side, I will yield.

I suggest the absence of a quorum and ask unanimous consent that time under the quorum call be charged equally to both sides.

Mr. President, I will be introducing a piece of legislation today which is a bill to cut at the heart of a rampant problem in this country; that is, identity theft.

Last month, a bipartisan group of Senators and I met with Secretary Chertoff on this very issue. Secretary Chertoff explained that under current law, Government agencies are prevented from sharing information with one another that, if shared, could expose cases of identity theft. My bill tears down the wall that prevents the sharing of existing information among Government agencies. It permits the Commissioner of Social Security to secure information with the Secretary of Homeland Security where such information is likely to assist in discovering identity theft, Social Security number misuse, or violations of immigration law.

Specifically, it requires the Commissioner to inform the Secretary of Homeland Security upon discovery of a Social Security account number being used with multiple names or where an individual has more than one person reporting earnings for him or her during a single tax year. It seems logical that we would already be doing this, but we are not. In the meantime, identity theft is plaguing innocent victims all across the country. We were reminded of the pervasiveness of this problem by the recent ICE raids of six Swift and Company meat-packing plants across the country last December. In total, agents apprehended 1,282 illegal alien workers on administrative immigration violations. Of these, 65 have also been charged with criminal violations related to identity theft or other violations.

Unfortunately, for the victims of identity theft, by the time the identity theft is discovered, the damage has already been done. Ranked fifth in the Nation for identity theft, citizens of Colorado are no strangers to identity theft. For instance, an 84-year-old Grand Junction woman was deemed ineligible for Federal housing assistance because her Social Security number was being used at a variety of jobs in Denver, making her income too high to qualify. A 10-year-old child in Douglas County had his identity stolen, and his Social Security number was being used at 17 different jobs. Others get stuck with big tax bills for wages they never earned.

Clearly, identity theft is an issue that affects people of all ages and walks of life. Yet when the Social Security Administration has reason to believe that a Social Security number is being used fraudulently, they are prevented from sharing it with the Department of Homeland Security. Withholding this information effectively enables thieves to continue to perpetrate the crime of identity theft against innocent victims. By simply sharing this information, cases of identity theft could be discovered much sooner. Victims of identity theft deserve to have this existing information acted on, and my bill allows for this to happen. I urge colleagues to support this commonsense legislation.

Later on, when we are on S. 4, called Improving America's Security Act, which deals with implementation of more of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, I plan on offering an amendment that has similar language to this bill. This is an issue which is extremely important to victims. It is something we should address. I will give the Senate plenty of opportunity to deal with this issue.

Mr. President, I will be introducing a piece of legislation today which is a bill to cut at the heart of a rampant problem in this country; that is, identity theft.

Last month, a bipartisan group of Senators and I met with Secretary Chertoff on this very issue. Secretary Chertoff explained that under current law, Government agencies are prevented from sharing information with one another that, if shared, could expose cases of identity theft. My bill tears down the wall that prevents the sharing of existing information among Government agencies. It permits the Commissioner of Social Security to secure information with the Secretary of Homeland Security where such information is likely to assist in discovering identity theft, Social Security number misuse, or violations of immigration law.

Specifically, it requires the Commissioner to inform the Secretary of Homeland Security upon discovery of a Social Security account number being used with multiple names or where an individual has more than one person reporting earnings for him or her during a single tax year. It seems logical that we would already be doing this, but we are not. In the meantime, identity theft is plaguing innocent victims all across the country. We were reminded of the pervasiveness of this problem by the recent ICE raids of six Swift and Company meat-packing plants across the country last December. In total, agents apprehended 1,282 illegal alien workers on administrative immigration violations. Of these, 65 have also been charged with criminal violations related to identity theft or other violations.

Unfortunately, for the victims of identity theft, by the time the identity theft is discovered, the damage has already been done. Ranked fifth in the Nation for identity theft, citizens of Colorado are no strangers to identity theft. For instance, an 84-year-old Grand Junction woman was deemed ineligible for Federal housing assistance because her Social Security number was being used at a variety of jobs in Denver, making her income too high to qualify. A 10-year-old child in Douglas County had his identity stolen, and his Social Security number was being used at 17 different jobs. Others get stuck with big tax bills for wages they never earned.

Clearly, identity theft is an issue that affects people of all ages and walks of life. Yet when the Social Security Administration has reason to believe that a Social Security number is being used fraudulently, they are prevented from sharing it with the Department of Homeland Security. Withholding this information effectively enables thieves to continue to perpetrate the crime of identity theft against innocent victims. By simply sharing this information, cases of identity theft could be discovered much sooner. Victims of identity theft deserve to have this existing information acted on, and my bill allows for this to happen. I urge colleagues to support this commonsense legislation.

Later on, when we are on S. 4, called Improving America's Security Act, which deals with implementation of more of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, I plan on offering an amendment that has similar language to this bill. This is an issue which is extremely important to victims. It is something we should address. I will give the Senate plenty of opportunity to deal with this issue.

Mr. President, as a veterinarian, I often have animal issues called to my attention by people who--rightly--assume that my background gives me a deeper appreciation of the matter. One such animal issue that goes largely unnoticed is the problem of homeless cats in urban areas. There are an estimated 125,000 such cats in the Denver metro area that never make it to a shelter. These cats, unowned and unsocialized, continue to breed and suffer in feral colonies.

I am pleased to recognize today Spay Day USA, an event designed to manage feral cat colonies through spaying and neutering. On February 26, the Rocky Mountain Alley Cat Alliance is cohosting Spay a Stray Day with the Cat Care Society and the Dumb Friends League. A host of veterinarians and other volunteers hope to spay and neuter 120 cats that day, thus preventing the births of hundreds of unwanted kittens.

The Rocky Mountain Alley Cat Alliance was founded in 1991. They work with volunteers, veterinarians, and citizens to prevent feral and stray kittens from being born on the street and to improve the lives of those already born and abandoned. They are the only local organization that specializes in nonlethal population control and hands on assistance with feral and stray cats. Last year, the alliance spayed or neutered over 2,000 feral and stray cats, preventing an estimated 50,000 homeless kittens from being born. They treat injuries and illnesses wherever possible and find homes for abandoned cats and kittens. Unmanaged feral cat colonies experience the worst forms of suffering, yet they are the most underserved segment of companion animal overpopulation.

I am grateful for the alliance's contribution to our society and the good they will do on the 26th with their partners. I wish them continued success.

Madam President, before we do that, I was under the impression I might be able to speak for about 5 minutes or so at around 4:15. If I could add another 5 minutes at the end of that so we each have 5 minutes.

Meaning we have time? OK.

Thank you, Madam President.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I may make some introductory remarks on S. 589, which is at the desk.

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

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce important legislation in support of America's Paralympic programs.

The Paralympics are an important facet of our modern Olympic tradition and serve as an integral part of the rehabilitation of the mind, body, and soul. Training programs provided by Paralympic organizations enable disabled athletes to overcome obstacles on and off the field. Through training, performance, and competition, these athletes regain independence and renew their spirit.

The roots of the Paralympic movement originally stem from disabled veteran's returning from war. After World War II, British soldiers began participating in Paralympic games. These games provided a way for disabled soldiers to compete competitively in athletics. This practice quickly spread to the United States, and this country is now leading the way in advancing the movement. Today thousands of athletes with physical disabilities compete internationally, proudly representing their countries.

Tremendous advancements in modern medicine and the adaptation of athletic equipment have allowed Para-lympic athletes to physically compete in a variety of sports and live the Olympic dream. By continuing to support the development of the Para-lympic movement at all levels, as this bill does, we are able to take advantage of these numerous scientific and medical advancements to truly improve quality of life for our wounded veterans.

Today I am introducing legislation to facilitate the transfer of unused Federal property in Colorado Springs, CO, to the United States Olympic Committee and specifically Paralympics Incorporated. The transfer of this property allows the current United States Olympic Committee complex in Colorado Springs to expand and provides the U.S. Paralympic Team with further room to grow their programs.

To a large degree, this expansion will afford greater opportunities to Para-lympics athletes, especially our Nation's military veterans.

Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region are unique. Home to a robust veteran's population, this region also serves as the national headquarters of the Unites States Olympic Committee. This makes the area a natural fit for championing and advancing the Paralympic movement.

Proponents for the disabled estimate that approximately 10 percent of the more than 500-person U.S. team to the Paralympics in 2012 will be comprised of veteran's of the global war on terrorism. This is a tremendous increase considering there were no war veterans participating in either the 2004 or 2006 games.

Providing for the transfer of this property will give the United States Olympic Commitee the necessary facilities to work with local and national veteran's service organizations, the Department of Defense, as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs in order to allow for greater opportunities for disabled veterans to participate in the Paralympics, particularly those returning home from war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I am not alone. National and local organizations recognize the importance of these programs and vocally support my efforts, including: the Colorado American Legion, the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, the National Sports Center for the Disabled, and the Pikes Peak Chapter of Military Officers Association of America.

I ask my colleagues to join me in cheering on the Olympic spirit that lives in all of us by supporting our Nation's disabled veterans and Para-lympic athletes.

I ask unanimous consent to print the following letters in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

Let me just say I am anticipating somewhere around 12 or 15 minutes.

In October 2002, this body saw fit to authorize, by a large majority, the use of force against Iraq. Specifically the resolution authorizes the President: to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq.

I remind my colleagues that we did so because of two important reasons--the same two reasons offered by the President to the American public.

First, Saddam Hussein was in breach of more than a dozen United Nations Security Council resolutions. He refused to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors even after a decade of sanctions, and rejected proposal after proposal to verify that he did not have such weapons.

Second, after September 11, it was clear that America could not afford to allow imminent threats to our Nation go unopposed. At the time, Iraq represented a dangerous crossroad between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. In the context of Saddam's hostile intentions, it was a nexus that we could not ignore.

When critics attempt to cover up their support for the use of force against Iraq, they damage U.S. credibility overseas and send mixed messages to our servicemembers. Even more dangerously, they encourage an enemy who believes America will give up when the fighting gets tough.

Of course, there is no doubt that the strategic imperatives in Iraq have changed since 2002. I will readily admit that this fight is one that we fully recognize. But that in no way diminishes the importance of our mission there now. We have a vital national interest to remain in Iraq and help maintain a secure and stable nation.

The terrorists have made it abundantly clear that Iraq is central in their war against the civilized world. They are committed to fighting there and will not stop unless we defeat them. If we have to fight, it is preferable to fight on their own soil.

They have also made it clear that they will not stop with Iraq. They will strike Iraq's neighbors as they did in Jordan and Lebanon. They will strike Europe as they did in the Madrid bombings. And, they will not hesitate to strike America again as they did on September 11.

And yet now, in this body, we are debating another resolution, but one that does not hold any legal weight; a resolution that would tie the hands of our soldiers in the field by limiting their options, lower their morale, and harm their efforts in Iraq. I am convinced that a long-term stable Iraq is in the best interest of our national security, and as I have said many times before, the price of failure in Iraq is too great to walk away now.

We should not forfeit our progress in Iraq to meet arbitrary deadlines whether they are in the short or in the long term. We should not think about giving up when our men and women in uniform who have achieved so much. Such defeatism encourages the terrorists, undermines our efforts to persuade other nations to join us, and opens the door to attacks here at home. We must stand firm. We must stand strong.

Thus, I support the President's plan to move forward in trying to secure Baghdad.

One of the keys to success in Iraq, I believe, is obtaining a sincere commitment from the Iraqi Prime Minister to get the Iraqi government to play a much stronger role in the destiny of Iraq.

President Bush is confident that we now have that commitment and I think that this will have a major impact on our new efforts to bring stability to Baghdad.

I am supportive of this new strategy because it contains a much stronger commitment from Iraqis, in terms of their share of force strength and their financial share of the costs of the war, and includes new thresholds for the Iraqis to meet. To date, the Iraqis have become too reliant on U.S. troops and U.S. dollars. This plan shows a new commitment from the Iraqis to step up to the plate and fight for their country's future.

I am optimistic that the President's shift in direction was needed, and may have already resulted in two positive results:

No. 1, Iraq's prime minister dropped his protection of an anti- American cleric's Shiite militia after U.S. intelligence convinced him the group was infiltrated by death squads; and

No. 2, recently, U.S. forces arrested the top aide to radical cleric al-Sadr in a raid. I think this signals that the important change in our strategy shows hope for success and that Iraq is ready to come forward with a renewed commitment to solving its problems.

Mr. President, I enter in the Record the following newspaper articles describing these accounts.

[From the Washington Post, Jan. 20, 2007]

Key Aide to Sadr Arrested in Baghdad--Iraqi-Led Operation Part of

Broader Push

(By Ernesto Londono)

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces arrested a top aide to anti-

American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in eastern Baghdad on

Friday, amid growing signs of stepped-up efforts to quell

Sadr and his supporters.

U.S. military officials said in November that Sadr's Mahdi

Army militia represents the greatest threat to Iraq's

security. U.S. and Iraqi forces are preparing a renewed

effort to pacify Baghdad, including the deployment of

additional U.S. troops.

Abdul Hadi al-Daraji, Sadr's media director in Baghdad, was

arrested at his house in the neighborhood of Baladiyat, near

the Mahdi Army stronghold of Sadr City, shortly after

midnight, said Sadr spokesman Abdul Razak al-Nadawi.

The spokesman said a guard was killed during the operation.

At least two other aides were taken into custody, according

to a statement released by the U.S. military.

The statement did not identify Daraji by name, but said the

main suspect was involved in the assassination of numerous

members of Iraq's security forces and is ``affiliated with

illegal armed group cells targeting Iraqi civilians for

sectarian attacks.'' The military said the arrest was the

result of an ``Iraqi-led'' operation.

Nadawi said ``the occupation forces are provoking Sadr . .

. by these daily operations or every-other-day operations.''

The spokesman added that the cleric's followers ``are the

only ones demanding and putting a timetable for the

occupation withdrawal.''

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has been

pressured by the Bush administration to bring the Mahdi Army

and other Shiite militias under control, was not forewarned

about the arrest, said Ali Dabbagh, a spokesman for Maliki.

Dabbagh said the prime minister was not notified about every

impending high-profile arrest.

``No one is untouchable for the security forces,'' Dabbagh

said. ``At the same time, no one was interested to go into a

fight with the Sadr movement.'' Sadr, whose supporters hold

30 seats in parliament, is a key supporter of Maliki, who is

a Shiite, but the cleric is also widely seen as an instigator

of the country's sectarian violence.

Neither Dabbagh nor the U.S. military said whether Daraji

had been charged with a crime. ``Definitely, if he's not

charged, he will be released in a respectful way,'' Dabbagh

said.

Sadr said in an interview with an Italian newspaper

published Friday that a crackdown had begun and that 400 of

his men had been arrested, according to the Associated Press.

Maliki told reporters this week that 430 Mahdi Army members

had been arrested in recent days, but Nadawi said Thursday

that the arrests stretched back to August 2004.

In the interview, Sadr said his militiamen would not fight

back during the Muslim holy month of Muharram, which started

Friday for Sunnis and begins Saturday for Shiites, saying it

was against the faith to kill at that time.

``Let them kill us. For a true believer there is no better

moment than this to die: Heaven is ensured,'' he was quoted

as saying. ``After Muharram, we'll see.''

Also on Friday, the U.S. military reported the death of an

American soldier killed Thursday by an improvised explosive

device.

The soldier, who was not identified pending notification of

relatives, was traveling in a convoy conducting an escort

mission in a neighborhood in northwest Baghdad when the blast

occurred. Three other soldiers were injured.

Mr. President, the resolution I am honored to submit today with my colleague, Senator Feinstein, is to commemorate today, February 6, 2007--what would be Ronald Reagan's 96th birthday--as Ronald Reagan Day.

President Ronald Wilson Reagan, a man of humble background, worked throughout his life serving freedom and advancing the public good, having been employed as an entertainer, union leader, corporate spokesman, Governor of California and President of the United States. In 1981, when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated President, he inherited a disillusioned Nation shackled by rampant inflation and high unemployment. During Mr. Reagan's presidency he worked in a bipartisan manner to enact his bold agenda of restoring accountability and common sense to government, which led to an unprecedented economic expansion and opportunity for millions of Americans.

Mr. Reagan's commitment to an active social policy agenda for the Nation's children helped lower crime and drug use in our neighborhoods. President Reagan's commitment to our armed forces contributed to the restoration of pride in America, in her values and in those cherished by the free world, and prepared America's Armed Forces to meet 21st Century challenges. President Reagan's vision of ``peace through strength'' led to the end of the Cold War and the ultimate demise of the Soviet Union, guaranteeing basic human rights for millions of people. It is entirely appropriate that on February 6, 2007, which will be the 96th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth, and the third since his passing, we declare February 6th, 2007, to be Ronald Reagan Day and urge all citizens to take cognizance of this event and participate fittingly in its observance.

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

Madam President, I further ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to speak as in morning business.

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

Madam President, I further ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to speak as in morning business.

Mr. President, today I am introducing a bill to fully authorize the necessary funds needed to complete the construction of a new VA medical facility near Denver, CO. I am joined by my colleague Senator Salazar on this important legislation. Thankfully, Congress authorized approximately 16 percent of the needed funds for this project last year in order to finalize planning and site acquisition. That is a promising start that enables the project planners to begin the serious business of building this hospital. Although this was a tremendous step forward, there is still a great deal more that needs to be accomplished in order for this hospital to become a reality.

The current Denver VA hospital was built ``more than 50 years ago and as we are all well aware, medical technology has far surpassed what the builders of the Denver VA originally envisioned. This facility, which hosted the first liver transplant in 1963, has provided tremendous care over the years, but simply does not have the infrastructure to continue to provide our veterans the care they need in the 21st century. While I cannot say enough about the care and service our veterans receive at the current facility, many changes and improvements can and should be made, and a new facility is the only way to accomplish these goals.

This new VA hospital to be located at Fitzsimons campus and the former home of the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center will carry on a strong tradition of providing exceptional medical care for our Nation's best and bravest citizens. The current Fitzsimons campus first began treating wounded veterans in 1918, specializing in assisting those who had been victims of chemical weapons in world War I. The facility continued to grow through the 20th century and became one of the premiere Veterans hospitals through World War II. Fitzsimons was even unofficially deemed the ``White House of the West'' when President Eisenhower spent 7 weeks in the facility while recovering from a heart condition in 1955. Fitzsimons Hospital was even the birthplace of my colleague, Senator Kerry.

The new facility will provide an example of successful collaboration between numerous parties and will be the culmination of years of hard work. The Denver VA, the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the University of Colorado Hospital already have a complex and rewarding partnership in meeting veterans' healthcare needs in the region, and all are partnered together on this unique project. The University of Colorado, who currently owns the land for the new hospital, strongly supports the move of the existing Denver VA medical facility to the Fitzsimons Campus in Aurora, CO, and looks forward to strengthening their partnership with the Veterans Administration, allowing each entity to focus on its strengths.

Of course, the biggest endorsement of this new facility comes ultimately from the end-users: our veterans. The United Veterans Committee of Colorado, a coalition of 45 federally chartered veterans' service organizations, strongly supports the relocation of the Denver VA medical center to the Fitzsimons campus and has worked closely with my office and the Colorado congressional delegation over the years to ensure its success.

Of course, not too long ago it looked like this project was in peril. Thankfully, in 2005 Secretary Nicholson brought a much-needed, fresh perspective to this project. He made it a priority and made it clear to the entire Colorado delegation that he would pursue every opportunity to make the project a reality. I commend his efforts and thank him for his support. It is also important to mention the hard work and diligence of those in Colorado who have also worked to ensure the success of this new hospital. Without the extraordinary efforts put forth by the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority and its chairman, city of Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer, an agreement would not have been reached on the ultimate location of the Hospital.

I strongly support authorization of this hospital and look forward to seeing the completion of the new VA medical facility which undoubtedly will serve as a regional beacon for modern veteran medical care science not only for veterans in Colorado but throughout the entire Rocky Mountain region as well.