Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

I thank the Senator from Iowa for clarifying that.

The Economy

We are here today at the end of the session. We have some important legislation yet to act on: this legislation that deals with the economic health of this country; it is legislation that deals with the security of this country. We have been working all session on these two issues primarily, with a plethora of other issues, but we do have some very important bills. The FSC/ETI bill is important, obviously, to sustaining and continuing the economic growth. We have the intelligence bill, the conference report. That is important for the security of this country. We have the Department of Defense authorization bill, which we are still waiting to get passed out of the Senate, the conference report to that. That is also very important.

I will talk a little bit about our economy because today an economic report came out. When we look at this economic report with all that has been happening through 2004, I don't see how anyone can deny this has not been a good year for America's economy.

I think back a little bit when President Bush was elected President and what kind of economy he inherited from the Clinton administration. The economy was going down. It was not doing well. As a result of that, the President decided to address the economic growth of this country and put in place tax cuts that did make a difference. There were 3 years of tax cuts put in place that took the burden of government off of the people of this country, and they produced.

The sector of this economy that produces more jobs than any other is the small business sector. I know because I came from that sector. As a veterinarian, I had my own veterinarian practice, my small business, and I know how taxes can impact the bottom line of the business and how it can affect whether you have any capital remaining to buy new equipment. A lot of new ideas, or creation, comes out of small business, and too much regulation has an impact.

In some ways, with the security challenges this country has faced, we have had to put in rules and regulations for business to be able to sustain their growth and create jobs.

The real choice we have is to do something about the tax burden. It has been working. I will share some of those figures that came out today.

America's economy is doing much better than just good. It has been doing really good. Since August of 2003, more than 1.5 million jobs have been created; 1.3 million jobs in 2004 alone. The unemployment rate of 5.4 percent today is well above the average employment rate of the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. For the last 12 months, the American economy has grown faster than the economy of any major industrial nation.

Today's Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics report, which, by the way, measures payroll--that is an important distinction that I will talk about later--according to that report, the economy added 96,000 new payroll jobs in September, continuing an upward trend in job creation. Employment gains over the last 4 months totaled more than 405,000, and this year the economy has added an average of 170,000 jobs per month. Manufacturers have increased hiring in 6 of the last 9 months and are responsible for more than 70,000 jobs so far this year. And we still have October, November, and December to go.

Unemployment remains steady at 5.4 percent, exactly where it was when President Clinton was reelected in 1996. Unemployment peaked more than a year ago in June of 2003 at 6.3 percent, and the labor force has increased by almost 950,000. The overall number of unemployed has fallen dramatically by 1.2 million since June of 2003. The economic policy of this President, what we have been doing in Congress, has been working.

I will take a little time and talk about the other survey that we have out there, the household survey. There are some remarkable things happening in the household survey. It has increased more than 2.2 million since April of 2003. Those are fantastic figures. They reflect the self-employed. They reflect people who work on a part-time basis. They reflect people who work out of their homes for various reasons-- maybe they have a high-tech business and work through eBay to market some products that they have available, or perhaps they are real estate salesmen who have been working out of their home. This gets measured in the household survey.

The household survey measures much more of our economy than just the labor payroll report. That is exciting. During those times when we had some layoffs in the high-tech industry and went through the high-tech slump, people who lost those jobs said, we are getting some bonuses because when they were asked to leave the company they frequently gave them a bonus and they took some of the money to start their own business.

The most logical place to start a small business is out of your home if you can make it work. That is where most of them started their business. You keep your overhead down. You have a phone, you can hook it to the phone line. You can work out of there. What little money you earn you can put it back in the business or put it aside and hopefully buy more equipment and maybe move into a larger

building at some point in time when that business takes off and begins to operate.

So I think it is important to point out that the payroll numbers, as strong as they are, do not reflect the growth of self-employment. According to the household survey, employment has increased by more than 2.2 million, as I said earlier, since April 2003. Again, these are fabulous figures. It reflects the ingenuity of a small businessperson who decides he wants to go out there and apply the American dream. He wants to start his own business. He wants to be self-employed. He wants to be independent. And he wants to be his own boss.

I think America is on the right track.

Now, the National Bureau of Economic Research determined that the latest recession ended in November of 2001, well after this President was sworn into office. Today's numbers are further evidence that the doom and gloom of those challenging the policies of this President is simply unfounded.

We have created and we are witnessing the impact of policies that encourage growth. What did we do? We lowered tax rates on personal income for all taxpayers. The top marginal rate was reduced from 39.6 percent to 35 percent, and a 10-percent bracket was introduced. Where did the real impact of this fall? It fell on small businesses in this country. It helped them grow and prosper. It helped them create a lot of the figures you are seeing out of the household survey--favorable figures, fabulous figures, I might add.

We lowered taxes on business investment, including a much lower tax rate, 15 percent, on dividends and on long-term capital gains. Of great importance is the tax cuts allowed businesses to more quickly deduct the expenses of their investments in machinery, computers, and software. American companies have responded by employing more people and investing more money in equipment and facilities. And in what part of the business sector will you see most of that happening? You will see it happening in the small business sector.

Now, small businesses, they can be organized in a number of different ways. They can be organized as individual entrepreneurs. They can be organized as partnerships, various legal organizations. Family businesses will even incorporate. Professionals like myself, we have professional corporations that we organize in. So when we talk about separating business out into various sectors, no matter how you do it, somehow you are going to affect the small business community, where we see most of our economic growth.

So we have to be careful about attacking corporations and attacking businesses in general because they do create the jobs in this economy. They create employment. They are what America is all about; that is, the principle of free enterprise and people holding their own property and being able to move themselves up in society.

Another thing that happened to help keep our economy moving was the increased child tax credit from $500 to $1,000 per child. We also ended the marriage penalty. Married couples no longer pay higher taxes than equivalent singles, which eliminates a perverse incentive against marriage.

We also repealed the estate tax. Probably the most unfair tax we have in this country is the estate tax because the estate tax has been taxed once already, and sometimes taxed twice, and then when you die it becomes a death tax and you have to pay again.

When a family, a small business family in many cases, is struggling to try to get that small business to sustain itself during an untimely death in the family, then along comes the estate tax and whacks that family hard. Many times these are farmers and ranchers who have been struggling to try to save their farm or ranch. In States such as Colorado, where we are getting a lot of rapid growth, there is a demand for real estate, and many times these farmers and ranchers are forced to sell to developers or somebody else who is going to use that land for something else other than the production of crops and livestock. The end result is, we lose an opportunity to have an open space available in States like Colorado where there is a desire to have a considerable amount of open space.

Home ownership is at an alltime high. I am pleased to be able to join with the President in putting forth the American Dream Downpayment Act, where we provide some well-deserved dollars to people, first-time home buyers, in this country. This is for people who have been paying rent who could be owning the same type of dwelling except that the only problem keeping them out of their own house, their own personal dwelling, is the fact that they cannot make the downpayment. So this piece of legislation was desired to help those individuals. By the way, many of them are minorities. As a result of that act, we are beginning to see a lot of growth in home ownership, and particularly among minorities it is getting much better.

There are a lot of positive effects that happen with home ownership. The children tend to be better educated. They become better citizens in their communities. They tend to be more stable. They are not moving around as much. They care; they take an active role in what is happening in their community.

Home ownership is another good story that is coming out of this administration. Sometimes I just do not think we talk enough about it, but it is important. It is important to communities, and it is important to families.

So I summarize and say the good news today is something we need to work hard to sustain. It is important we draw this session to a close. We have some important pending legislation. We need to get that passed because it will help contribute to the continued growth of this country as far as the economy is concerned. It will help to continue to make America more secure, and it will help because we need to have a strong defense for this country.

Today's numbers, again, are good news, part of a healthy, steady trend of growth and prosperity.

I yield back my time, Mr. President.

Mr. President, I rise today to express my appreciation for the outstanding service of Brian Green to me and to my fellow members on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Brian Green has been a professional staff member and staff lead for the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee for over 3 years. As the chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee for much of that time, I have had the opportunity to closely observe Brian. I can honestly tell you that Brian is an exceptional staffer and a tremendous human being.

As the staff lead for the subcommittee, Brian has helped me and the other members of subcommittee fulfill our responsibilities pertaining to the oversight of Department of Defense strategic, ballistic missile defense, and military space programs. His expertise and recommendations have proved critical time and time again during the Senate Armed Services Committee consideration of the annual defense authorization bill.

I can personally attest to numerous occasions when Brian provided the need information and proposals that made the difference in achieving the subcommittee's objectives. I cannot stress enough how much of a relief it was to know that Brian was always available to advance the subcommittee's policy goals and on guard to protect the subcommittee's interests.

During his time in the Senate, Brian also helped promote and protect our Nation's effort to develop and deploy a ballistic missile defense system. He played a lead role in coordinating the opposition to proposed budget cuts to the program. Brian's ability to work with multiple offices, the National Security Council, and the White House was pivotal in the debate and eventually led to the restoration of funding.

Brian came to the to the Senate after serving 4 years as a professional staff member on the House Armed Services Committee. While in the House, Brian played a crucial role in developing the House- version of the National Missile Defense Act of 1999 and the creation of the National Nuclear Security Administration in the Department of Energy.

It is not just his achievements that cause Brian to stand out. He has been utterly committed to his job. Brian works until the job is completed and completed well. He has an innate ability to find solutions to difficult problems, including those that might have considerable political implications. Perhaps most significantly, Brian is a team player and approaches his job without pretense. Members and staff alike have always appreciated Brian's willingness to work with them on even the most minute policy or budget issue.

It is disappointing to lose Brian to the private sector. We will miss his diligence, his integrity and his expertise. At the same time, I am grateful that Brian was able to serve the Senate for so long and so faithfully. I congratulate Brian on his new position and wish him the best in the future.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I would like to praise a man who for more than 36 years has served his country with honor and distinction. General Ralph E. Eberhart, or Ed his friends call him, will soon be retiring from the United States Air Force. He embodies that which we most value in our military leaders--visionary leadership, unwavering dedication, and mission accomplishment.

I would like to personally thank General Eberhart for his service to our great Nation. Not only do I remember our many discussions pertaining to national security, but I fondly recall sharing stories about Colorado. You see, General Eberhart started his long journey at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. As fate would have it, he will soon be finishing his career where he started--in the great state of Colorado.

In the Spring of 1968, Ed Eberhart was sworn in as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Since that day, General Eberhart has successfully mastered nine aircraft and totaled more than 5,000 flying hours in the cockpit. His service spanned tours of duty in Vietnam, Germany, Japan, and perhaps the toughest, at the Pentagon. General Eberhart's career was highlighted with numerous awards and decorations, and he has successfully attained four stars in the United States Air Force. In every job that the General has held, he has successfully fulfilled his obligations and made the advancements only a select few of his peers have made.

In February 2000, General Eberhart's success awarded him the honor of leading a combatant command for the United States, and he was soon confirmed as a triple-hatted commander. He was given the awesome responsibility of commanding not only the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, but also U.S. Space Command and Air Force Space Command.

During his tenure as Commander of U.S. Space and Air Force Space Command, General Eberhart successfully led military space into a new era. The United States relies upon our space superiority and without it, we cannot maintain dominance of the battlefield. General Eberhart guided our spacelift operations to a 100 percent success rate, thus maintaining our assured access to space. Additionally, when he took command of U.S. Space Command, the United States had just begun to appreciate the value that space-based capabilities bring to the fight-- especially after our air campaign in Kosovo. Because of General Eberhart's direction in the space arena--specifically regarding precision guided weapons--we were able to increase the effectiveness of our present capabilities by further integrating space capabilities with air, maritime and land assets. U.S. Space Command's contributions were later seen as the hallmarks of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, which traces directly back to General Eberhart and his vision for the full integration of space and terrestrial units.

The general was also at the focus of our post-September 11 world while in command of NORAD. In 2001, Operation Noble Eagle saw NORAD go from having 14 military aircraft on alert around the Nation to more than 100 in a very short period of time. The response was necessary to protect our skies from internal threats that had manifested themselves in the most horrible of weapons--airliners filled with unsuspecting travelers. General Eberhart soon saw himself having to support continuous combat air patrols, including all the supporting logistics such as tankers and integrating NATO AWACS into that mission.

Ultimately, that fateful day of September 11 triggered not only a change in the focus of NORAD missions, but also showed the need for a unified command that focused on protecting our homeland. And who did the President of the United States trust to lead this new command? General Ed Eberhart. So again, Colorado was fortunate enough to be called home by General Eberhart as he began the challenge of building Northern Command while continuing to lead NORAD. As the combatant command charged with the defense of the homeland, Northern Command reached full operational capability ahead of schedule. Under General Eberhart's leadership, we have seen this unified command continue to fulfill its duties of protecting the American homeland.

It is apparent that while leading these commands, General Ed Eberhart exemplified visionary thinking. He tackled transformation in the space arena by stressing joint integration of space capabilities and then transformed the way the U.S. military defends our borders and supports civilian agencies with Northern Command.

I cannot express enough gratitude to General Eberhart for his service to our country while in the United States Air Force. We in Colorado were proud to host him as a cadet at the Academy, and continue to be proud when he took command in our great State nearly 30 years later. It was in these roles that I was thankfully given the opportunity to know Ed Eberhart on a personal and professional basis. As General Eberhart prepares to fly off into the wild blue yonder of retirement, I would again like to thank him for his 36 years of blood, sweat, and tears to our Nation, and I wish him and his wife, Karen, the very best in the future.

Mr. President, I rise today to express my appreciation for the outstanding service of Colonel John Schorsch, or ``Rusty'' as we all call him.

Liaison chiefs are chosen because of their expertise, their ability to manage personnel in a pressure-packed environment, and their discernment in making tough decisions in difficult situations. They generally have a well-rounded education, significant command experience, and a long track record of effectiveness. Simply put, service liaison chiefs are the best of the best.

Colonel Schorsch is certainly one of the best. He is graduate of the United States Military Academy and the U.S. Naval War College. He has been a platoon commander, a company commander, a battalion commander, and a brigade commander. Colonel Schorsch has served as an aide-de-camp and as the joint staff action officer and planner. Perhaps more importantly, Rusty served as the Army aide to two Presidents: President Bush and President Clinton.

I have traveled with Rusty many times and have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him. He is engaging, outgoing, and disarming. His stories about life in the Army often take on epic proportions and can make the most dour individual break into a grin.

Yet what separates Colonel Schorsch from most is his character. He is completely unflappable. He is undaunted by challenges. He is relentless in pursuit of a goal and absolutely determined to complete an assigned task. To Rusty, no detail is too small, no assignment too menial, and no task too trivial.

When things become difficult, Rusty remains undeterred. He does not give in. He does not cave. Indeed, whenever he has encountered seemingly unsurmountable problems, Rusty's philosophy has always been to step it up, and hold nothing back.

I have watched him time and time again tackle with the equal efficiency the largest of problems and the smallest of details. I have seen him persevere and overcome obstacles. And, during these challenges, he does not complain; and he does not flinch; he does not give in.

The Army has been fortunate to have a soldier like Rusty as its liaison chief here in the Senate. He has demonstrated to me and to many other Members the caliber and quality of Army officers. I know I speak for many of my fellow Members in expressing our disappointment in his departure. Yet I know that the Army has many good things planned for Rusty and that our country will benefit from his experience elsewhere.

With this in mind, I sincerely appreciate Colonel Schorsch's service to me and the rest of the Senate. I wish him the best in the future. He will surely be missed.

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

Mr. President, my understanding is that there is a pending amendment before the Senate; is that correct?

I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendments be set aside, and I call up amendment No. 3765.

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

Mr. President, to briefly explain the amendment, it provides additional responsibilities for the Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security, relating to geographic information. This amendment has been discussed by both managers, the Senator from Maine and the Senator from Connecticut. My understanding is the amendment has been agreed to.

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the Collins- Lieberman bill. Later I will have another amendment that I will offer.

First, I thank the managers of the bill, Senator Collins and Senator

Lieberman, for their efforts in getting at least one of my amendments accepted. The other is pending. One involves the Department of Homeland Security and its ability to detect, plan, and prepare for disaster by better utilizing geospatial data throughout the U.S. Government. I thank both of them for that support.

The other amendment assures that the national intelligence director will take action to ensure that commercial satellite imagery is used to fulfill the imagery information requirements of the intelligence community. Both are important to the ongoing safety and security of the country. I am pleased to see the adoption of one, and further consideration of the other.

In a moment I would like to offer a third amendment to strengthen the bill regarding management of the intelligence community workforce. Before I offer my amendment, I would like to talk generally about the overall intelligence reform legislation.

September 11, 2001, was a day that none of us will forget in our lifetimes. Mr. President, 9/11 was a harsh wake-up call for our country. That catastrophic day forced us to recognize new threats and to energize our Government to rise up and eliminate terror threats and modernize our national security institutions. Our Government has moved quickly and comprehensively to implement a significant body of governmental reforms.

It is a fact that through hard work and strong leadership, President Bush's administration has already implemented planning of significant improvements to our Government's intelligence planning and operations. Of the 39 recommendations from the 9/11 Commission that the President could legally implement through Executive order, only three remain to be addressed. It is a good idea, as we consider reforms to our intelligence community, to review again what the 9/11 Commission concluded.

The 9/11 Commission primarily found that, first, we were slow to respond to a clear and emerging threat. For far too long we stood still while extremist radical Muslims hijacked religion to stir up hatred, hijacked a country to operate their base camps from, and hijacked our airliners to murder more than 3,000 of our fellow Americans.

Second, we had inadequate human intelligence assets around the world to observe such threats and effectively warn us of impending dangers.

Third, for the intelligence we did get, we lacked an effective bureaucracy to integrate disparate but related pieces of information, and we lacked a strong quarterback to coordinate intelligence programs against emerging threats, to plan long-term strategies, or to steer a change of course when the situation dictated.

Fourth, our military was not adequately prepared to deal with the threat that day. And last and maybe most importantly, we need new tools and strategies for our diplomatic corps to reach out and lead troubled regions of the world against terrorism's misguided principles and cowardly acts. We need transformational military improvements to engage where and when our diplomacy does not succeed.

The 9/11 Commission also fashioned more than three dozen recommendations to address these national security shortfalls. I applaud the effort of the chairman and ranking member of the Governmental Affairs Committee in developing the proposals before us today. I agree with the majority of the initiatives in the intelligence reform legislation. The Collins-Lieberman bill will improve our ability to develop actionable intelligence and increase our Government's coordination and responsiveness. Elevating the roles and responsibilities of today's Director of Central Intelligence to the level of a national intelligence director, including the robust planning and budgeting authority, is prudent and much needed.

Establishment of strategic intelligence planning and fusion centers such as the national counterterrorism center will also greatly strengthen our national security team's ability to connect the dots. We need to identify trends, anticipate threats, and develop coordinated plans to attack threats prior to their realization.

However, I am not convinced we are effectively matching solutions to identify problems in all cases. My concerns are heightened because today we are a nation at war. Our men and women of the Armed Forces and the intelligence community are in harm's way. I am just not certain that we have thought through adequately the management changes or the unintended consequences relative to Defense Department operations. I will follow closely the remainder of the debate to understand better the potential adverse effects prior to voting to support them.

I am pleased to see the attention focused by the 9/11 Commission Report and the Collins-Lieberman bill on the topic of personnel management policies and practices across the intelligence community. Both panels recognize that in order to effect such a magnitude of change in our Federal Government, uniform personnel standards and training are needed to align individual mindsets with the desired objectives.

Our national security requirements demand that we recruit and retain the best and the brightest defense and intelligence personnel our country has to offer.

We need to ensure the National Intelligence Director is armed with both authority and flexibility to enforce only the highest performance and ethical standards across the intelligence community. This requires modern personnel management policies and regulations that incorporate competitive compensation, incentives, and supervisory flexibility.

To keep pace with the dynamic work environment of the intelligence community, these same supervisors require streamlined dismissal or termination mechanisms for personnel failing to satisfy standards.

The bill before us today directs specific authorities and changes to performance compensation and incentives across the national intelligence program. Section 163 explicitly grants the National Intelligence Director authorities governing new National Intelligence Authority employees that mirror the authority held by the Director of Central Intelligence Agency relative to CIA employees.

In section 301, the bill goes on to amplify the CIA Director's authority to terminate employees ``. . . whenever the Director considers the termination of employment of such officer or employee necessary or advisable in the interests of the United States.''

This is clear, unequivocal, and prudent authority that will bolster our intelligence leaders' personnel management capabilities. But I believe we need to go further.

Amendment No. 3778

Mr. President, at this time, I ask unanimous consent that we lay aside the pending amendment and that the clerk report amendment No. 3778, which is at the desk.

Mr. President, my amendment will accomplish the following: first, expressly grant this termination authority to the National Intelligence Director in the statute; and second, direct the National Intelligence Director to prescribe regulations specifying the exercise of this termination authority.

Notwithstanding this broad authority already in place today, the Director of Central Intelligence maintains regulations that are inefficient, not appropriate for today's security environment, and are out of sync with his broad authority. For example, an intelligence supervisor who deems an officer or employee as unsuitable is often required to maintain that employee in sensitive positions while adverse personnel action is initiated.

After a final termination decision is rendered by the agency, the employee can engage in a lengthy appeals process, both internal and external to the agency, that could last at least a year. In my opinion, this practice is not in the best interest of the United States, and indeed presents a clear security risk.

With regulations requiring streamlined employee termination practices, I believe we can improve national security and fiscal responsibility across the National Intelligence Authority. My amendment would enhance this responsibility, and I urge my colleagues to support my amendment.

Mr. President, the Chair and Ranking Members, indeed all Members of the Government Affairs Committee, have served our country well. The Collins-Lieberman bill for intelligence reform brings forth bold and sweeping changes to our critical national security institutions. Accordingly, it is essential that we get this right. More is at stake than simply moving boxes around on an organization chart. The decisions we make over the next several days will be far-reaching and have significant consequences. Our Armed Forces are not only the largest provider of intelligence information, they are also the largest consumer. Our Nation's military, the most powerful and proficient ever assembled in the history of the world, hinges on a seamless and unbroken flow of intelligence information--regardless of whether that intelligence information is ``national'' or ``tactical.''

As we consider the Collins-Lieberman intelligence reform bill, let us redouble our efforts to ensure we're matching solutions to identified problems. As long as we keep this perspective, I am confident this body will do the right thing.

Mr. President, I yield floor.

I thank the managers for their kind comments.

Mr. President, I would like to honor the fine work and dedication of Bayaud Industries of Denver, CO. This non-profit organization offers disabled Coloradans vocational rehabilitation and employment services. I am pleased to acknowledge their efforts and successes.

Founded in 1969, Bayaud Industries is celebrating this year its 35th anniversary of service to the disabled community. Bayaud currently employs and trains more than 300 disabled individuals so that they can succeed in the workplace with the goal to provide paid, steady work for every person enrolled in these programs. More than 5,000 disabled Coloradans have benefitted from the services provided by Bayaud Industries. Bayaud Industries is comprised of 48 staff members who are dedicated to helping the disabled community. Its efforts have resulted in a listing by the Denver Business Journal as one of the top 25 Colorado human service agencies. Additionally, Bayaud Industries has been awarded numerous grants from leading Colorado foundations and corporations.

Bayaud's services include vocational evaluation, work adjustment training, a General Office Skills Training program, job placement, and job coaching. The first step in training is in the Vocational Evaluation Program, a 4-week process that assesses an individual's skill needs to succeed in the workplace.

After an individual goes through Bayaud's Vocational Evaluation, the Work Adjustment Training helps individuals increase their self- confidence to help them acclimate appropriately to the workplace environment. Throughout this particular training, individuals are taught how to manage the daily stresses of any work environment, which helps create successful and stable employment.

Bayaud's General Office Skills Training program works to familiarize people with the technological aspects of the workplace. Computers are essential in many jobs, and these individuals are given the training necessary to make their employment a success.

Bayaud Industries uses these programs to provide help with one of the most important aspects of employment assistance: Job placement. From resume writing to interview skills, Bayaud Industries strives to ensure that all individuals are properly trained to search for a job that fits their needs and guarantees their achievement. This aspect of Bayaud is crucial to better understand the individual and to find the perfect job fit for both the business and the employee.

After job training and placement, Bayaud continues its relationship with their employees by offering job counseling. Through its quality assistance and care, Bayaud Industries fosters a relationship between these individuals and the 200 businesses across Colorado that employ them. Bayaud works to provide personalized assistance to all individuals with disabilities, addressing each client's specific needs and goals.

I thank Bayaud Industries for their continued efforts for the disabled community and to businesses across Colorado.

Bayaud's exemplary services are needed and greatly appreciated.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Rob Brown, a legislative fellow in my office, be granted the privileges of the floor during the consideration of S. 2845.

Mr. President, I thank the acting chairman for yielding 5 minutes.

Mr. President, I would like to associate myself with the comments of the distinguished Senator from Ohio. I, too, proudly claim Porter Goss as a friend and somebody who I think will do a great job.

There is no doubt that the intelligence community right now is in somewhat disarray, concerned about their jobs and the job they are doing and the public perception.

I say, first, there are a lot of good people at the Central Intelligence Agency. I think Congressman Goss recognizes that. I think there are some bureaucratic problems over there, too.

I think he has the temperament to deal with some of those problems. Porter Goss is a strong leader. He is a quiet individual. He doesn't grandstand. He is a hard worker. He is intelligent and he understands the intelligence community.

I have had an opportunity to serve on the Intelligence Committee in the Senate for 4 years, and I even developed a greater appreciation for the job Mr. Goss did on the House side in his service on the Intelligence Committee.

For those reasons, I rise to support the President's nomination to head the Central Intelligence Agency. That nominee is Representative Porter Goss. I believe he is the right man at the right time for the job. That has been stated a couple of times already. I truly think that is the case. I am glad to see other colleagues recognize that fact. I am asking my colleagues to join me in voting for his confirmation.

The intelligence community is at a critical juncture. It is clear that after the horrific attacks of September 11, and the problems involved with uncovering weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the intelligence community needs firm leadership during a time when reforms are needed. The President has heeded that call.

President Bush has put into motion, through executive order, most of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, and he is committed to strengthening the budget authority given to the intelligence community head administrator. The next step in intelligence reform is to bring in someone who is committed to reforming the Central Intelligence Agency from the inside out. That man is Porter Goss.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Representative Goss personally and professionally. I was lucky enough to serve with him in the House of Representatives, and I value his knowledge of national security issues. Even then, when I served with him in the House, he was a voice both Democrats and Republicans turned to when debating important intelligence issues, and he continues to be a leader in the House today. More importantly, I got to know Porter Goss on a personal level. He is someone I trust and have come to call my friend. There is no one I would rather see as director of the agency.

I am convinced Representative Goss is ready for this challenging task. Representative Goss will bring a unique perspective to the Director's office in the Central Intelligence Agency. His perspective will not only drive the much-needed changes in the CIA, but will also bring our concerns as a Congress to the agency.

Porter Goss has been an Army intelligence officer. He has served as a clandestine agent in the CIA and has chaired the House Intelligence Committee. There is no one better prepared or qualified to be the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. There should be no doubt that the combination of experience Representative Goss has will serve the American people well.

I have heard concerns raised that Mr. Goss is too partisan. I simply have to discount those concerns. This is a man who has served as an officer in the Army and understands very well his duty to the United States and to the citizens he will soon swear to defend.

I am pleased to see the bipartisan support Representative Goss has already received. His nomination was approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee by a 12-to-4 vote. His colleague from Florida, Bob Graham, has come out strongly in favor of Mr. Goss.

It is time for the Senate to act on this nomination so we can continue the reforms to the intelligence community that are badly needed. Representative Goss is prepared to take the agency in a direction that will strengthen our collection and analytical intelligence activities and provide the information we need to keep America safe. He is a man who is truly interested in the needs of our country. He is somebody that I feel I can work with on the Armed Services Committee. I have some of the intelligence programs under my jurisdiction in the subcommittee which I chair, and they are extremely important programs. They are programs that are badly needed, they are expensive programs, and they do have some problems. We need somebody who has the background in intelligence to tackle those, and somebody I think I can work with.

I ask my colleagues to support his nomination because I personally think he is the best man for the job.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Samaritan Initiative Act of 2004, and I am pleased to have Senator Dole join me in this effort. The Samaritan Initiative would mark the beginning of a new, collaborative approach in the Federal effort to end chronic homelessness.

The Initiative would create a groundbreaking joint effort between the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Health and Human Resources, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Each department would contribute money to a joint fund and would coordinate in the effort to end chronic homelessness. This coordinated approach will streamline the grants application process and will ensure consistent standards. It will also ensure that each department continues to provide its own particular expertise. I am hopeful that other Federal agencies will join in the effort as well.

Homeless individuals often have needs far beyond simple shelter; they may need assistance with healthcare, substance abuse, mental illness, job training, or other basics of life. Providing shelter without any supportive services may fail to address some of the underlying problems that can cause an individual to become, and remain, homeless.

By addressing the comprehensive needs of homeless individuals, the Samaritan Initiative will help reduce incidents of chronic homelessness. According to the Interagency Council on Homelessness, this 10 percent of the homeless population consumes more than half of the resources. The Samaritan Initiative will help provide the flexible resources necessary to move chronically homeless individuals into stable, permanent, supportive housing, which will in turn free up other resources.

For many years now I have been a strong advocate for the Government Performance and Results Act, which requires a focus on outcomes through clear, measurable goals. I am pleased to say that the Samaritan Initiative embodies this outcome-based focus and requires visible, measurable, quantifiable performance outcomes in reducing and ending homelessness. A focus on outcomes, rather than case management or process, also allows for new, innovative solutions to chronic homelessness. This will ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent in a responsible, effective manner.

I am proud to say that the Samaritan Initiative is supported by The U.S. Conference of Mayors, The National Association of Counties, The National League of Cities, The Enterprise Foundation, The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the National AIDS Housing Coalition, The National Alliance to End Homelessness, The Corporation for Supportive Housing, the Association for Service Disabled Veterans, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, and many other groups. I look forward to working with them, along with my colleagues in the Senate, to end chronic homelessness in America.

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

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Samaritan Initiative Act of 2004, and I am pleased to have Senator Dole join me in this effort. The Samaritan Initiative would mark the beginning of a new, collaborative approach in the Federal effort to end chronic homelessness.

The Initiative would create a groundbreaking joint effort between the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Health and Human Resources, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Each department would contribute money to a joint fund and would coordinate in the effort to end chronic homelessness. This coordinated approach will streamline the grants application process and will ensure consistent standards. It will also ensure that each department continues to provide its own particular expertise. I am hopeful that other Federal agencies will join in the effort as well.

Homeless individuals often have needs far beyond simple shelter; they may need assistance with healthcare, substance abuse, mental illness, job training, or other basics of life. Providing shelter without any supportive services may fail to address some of the underlying problems that can cause an individual to become, and remain, homeless.

By addressing the comprehensive needs of homeless individuals, the Samaritan Initiative will help reduce incidents of chronic homelessness. According to the Interagency Council on Homelessness, this 10 percent of the homeless population consumes more than half of the resources. The Samaritan Initiative will help provide the flexible resources necessary to move chronically homeless individuals into stable, permanent, supportive housing, which will in turn free up other resources.

For many years now I have been a strong advocate for the Government Performance and Results Act, which requires a focus on outcomes through clear, measurable goals. I am pleased to say that the Samaritan Initiative embodies this outcome-based focus and requires visible, measurable, quantifiable performance outcomes in reducing and ending homelessness. A focus on outcomes, rather than case management or process, also allows for new, innovative solutions to chronic homelessness. This will ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent in a responsible, effective manner.

I am proud to say that the Samaritan Initiative is supported by The U.S. Conference of Mayors, The National Association of Counties, The National League of Cities, The Enterprise Foundation, The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the National AIDS Housing Coalition, The National Alliance to End Homelessness, The Corporation for Supportive Housing, the Association for Service Disabled Veterans, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, and many other groups. I look forward to working with them, along with my colleagues in the Senate, to end chronic homelessness in America.

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

Mr. President, I request 14 minutes and I ask the Chair to notify me when I have reached the 12-minute mark.

Lately, we have heard a lot of politically motivated doom-and-gloom speeches, and we have heard a number of them this morning. I want to talk about a couple of issues discussed on the floor. I want to comment on our economy and I want to comment about our foreign policy.

I think the economy is doing well. We would like to see it do better in some cases, but I think it is very positive news and we should not forget about that. The economy, at the first part of this month, posted job gains for each of the last 12 months, creating nearly 1.7 million jobs since August of 2003. These are the facts. The national unemployment rate fell to 5.4 percent in August, down .9 percentage from a peak of 6.3 point in June of 2003, and its lowest rate since October 2001. At 5.4 percent, the unemployment rate is below the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and the 1990s. In August, 144,000 new jobs were added. Nearly 1.7 million new jobs were added since August 2003. The unemployment rate over the last year was down in all regions and in 49 of the 50 States. The manufacturing sector, which was the hardest hit by the economic downturn, has added 107,000 jobs since January.

View that in the perspective of what we were facing when this President was first elected to office. We have turned this economy around. This President has taken strong action that made a difference in moving our economy forward. Now is not the time to turn back. The labor market has improved considerably since shortly after the President's jobs and growth bill took effect last May. America's standard of living is on the rise. Real aftertax incomes are up by nearly 10 percent since December of 2000. Consumer confidence continues to be substantially higher than last year.

In the second quarter of 2004, the national home ownership rate was at an all-time high of 69.2 percent. Minority home ownership set a new record of 51 percent in the second quarter and is up 2.1 percentage points from a year ago. I am proud to say that I was a Senator who sponsored that legislation to encourage home ownership among minorities. Core inflation remains low, and mortgage rates remain near historic lows, making home buying easier and more affordable.

We still have a challenge ahead of us and this President is not backing away from it. I don't think we Republicans in the Senate are backing away. We continue to push to make tax relief permanent. The temporary tax relief contributed to the figures I just read off. We need to do more. I think one of the most important things we can do to continue to see the economy grow is to make tax relief permanent. We obviously need to provide training for worker skills and control health costs, and we need to reduce regulations. We have not talked enough about the burden of Government and the downward pressure it has on the economy. We need to reduce regulations. As a small businessman I had to live with regulations. I understand how high taxes and a high rate of regulation can impact your ability to do business and create new jobs. Frivolous lawsuits are a problem and this Congress needs to address it. We need to adopt a national energy policy and open more jobs overseas.

The President has acted decisively to bring us back from recession to recovery. I don't think I need to go over those issues. The basic part of it was that he has cut taxes. By cutting taxes, he stimulated the economy, which increased revenue to Colorado, and we are going to have increased revenue to the Federal Government.

Let me talk a little bit about foreign policy. A year ago last February, President Bush made the courageous decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein's brutal dictatorship and bring democracy to Iraq. He did so because Saddam Hussein had refused, over the last 12 years, to fully cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors. He did so because Saddam Hussein had brutalized his people for over 25 years. He did so because it was the right thing to do and because it had to be done.

Some of our friends in the United Nations did not approve of his decision. They thought he should have waited; that perhaps Saddam would give in and eventually cooperate, despite his long history of lies and deception.

A few friends, such as U.S. Secretary General Kofi Annan, believed the United States should have sought another Security Council resolution. It appears Mr. Annan continues to believe this, given his remarks last week in which he described the liberation of Iraq as ``illegal'' and that violated the charter of the United Nations.

Even with the benefit of hindsight, it does not make any more sense now than it did then for the United States to have sought a second resolution. Resolution 1441 was the 17th--17th--Security Council resolution demanding that Saddam Hussein verifiably disarm, respect his neighbors, and otherwise comply with the cease-fire from the first Gulf War. It was clear that he violated Resolution 1441 and that he continued to try to shoot down U.S. warplanes in the United Nations- sanctioned northern fly zone and that he was making little or no effort to comply with the terms of the 1991 cease-fire. How many more security resolutions do we need before it becomes legal?

As the Wall Street Journal has eloquently pointed out, if liberating Iraq was wrong, then Mr. Annan must also believe a number of other operations are illegal. Does the Secretary believe NATO's intervention in Kosovo, where hundreds of thousands of Yugoslavian Albanians were saved from the genocidal attacks of Milosevic's cronies, was illegal? Does he believe France's recent intervention in the Ivory Coast was illegal?

It is my hope that when the President speaks today to the United Nations, he reminds the United Nations that the United States has the inherent right of self-defense guaranteed by that body's own charter. It is my hope that with unequivocal certainty, the President reminds the United Nations that his first obligation as President of the United States under our Constitution is to protect our Nation from all threats, foreign and domestic.

It is my hope that the President reminds the world's greatest debating body that if the United States had not acted, Saddam Hussein would still be defying the United Nations, would still be seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction, and would still be brutally murdering and torturing his own people.

From my perspective, the United Nations should be grateful for the decisive leadership and courage President Bush demonstrated by liberating Iraq. It seems to me that the United Nations should be grateful that it now has a real opportunity to help bring democracy and freedom to 50 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I believe the President made the right decision. He took a stand and did not back down. He held up the value of the Security Council resolutions at a time when most were content to see these resolutions ignored.

The President emphasized the value of the lives of the innocent Iraqis who were repeatedly tortured and routinely murdered when most chose to look the other way. He sought to protect our country and safeguard international peace when most refused to act.

The President today will ask our friends in the United Nations to help us in Iraq. That body has a unique opportunity to do something extraordinary. They have a limited opportunity to help a nation that has experienced nothing but dictatorship and brutality transition to a freedom-inspired country centered on the rule of law and the democratic process.

This coming January, Iraq will hold its first ever national elections. I recognize the practical difficulties of such an effort. We are constantly reminded by the media that Iraqi insurgents continue to launch suicide attacks and kill innocent hostages in new and grotesque ways.

It is certainly possible that things will get worse in Iraq before they get better. That does not mean we give up. It does not mean that the majority of Iraqis do not desire freedom.

This Thursday, the Iraqi Prime Minister will address a joint meeting of Congress. This speech is more than a reminder that Iraq has a functioning government. It is a statement to Iraqi insurgents that the business of promoting freedom will go on. It is a statement to the world that the Iraqi Government is the representative of the Iraqi people.

I look forward to Prime Minister Allawi's speech. I believe he will bring us new insight into the problems facing Iraq and encourage the American people in the ongoing struggle.

The United States is making a difference. Iraq is rebuilding. Insurgents are being fought with steadfastness and courage. And Iraq remains on the path toward freedom. We ask for nothing more.

I thank the Chair. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the commendable record of the Air Force Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. The Air Force Academy Drum and Bugle Corps was established in 1959, as a unit of the Air Force Academy Band. The Corps was made up of enlisted musicians and included six drummers, nine buglers, a drum major and a noncommissioned officer in charge. The mission of the Corps was to act as a relief group for the Air Force Academy Band. Activities of the band included playing for the cadet morning and evening chow formations and to practice marching. This addition to the Air Force Academy Band helped to complete musical requirements for the cadet wing military formations.

Within 2 years of its formation the Air Force Academy Drum and Bugle Corps was increased to 38 members, and its mission was extended nationwide to include concerts, field exhibitions, music festivals, and various military ceremonies. The Corps entertained audiences from coast to coast with a blend of precision drill and musical pageantry. In 1972, the Enlisted Corps was disbanded and students from the Air Force Academy formed the Cadet Drum and Bugle Corps, which continues the tradition of providing musical support of cadet wing activities, as well as participation in community activities nationwide.

I take this opportunity to thank the distinguished members of the Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps for their dedication and commitment to the Academy and to our country.

I ask the Chair to notify me after 15 minutes of my time has expired.

Mr. President, the report from the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States will be coming out today. There has been some dribbling out of information about what that report might contain, but we are not going to know

for sure the full content of that report until we get a briefing. I am excited that a good portion of the report is going to be released to the public. I am always of the belief that we need to have an open dialog about issues and where there are shortcomings so that we can come up with the answers and solutions that will serve us best.

I do not think any one group of people or even one individual has all the answers. So I think the more dialog we can get as a result of this report, the better. But I do think it serves us well to think about where we are today, and how it is we got to where we are.

The President came into office about 3\1/2\ years ago. He was elected in 2000. He had not even been in office a full year when all of a sudden we had 9/11. What has emerged is that we have a serious problem with terrorism.

Historically, if we look back through the 1990s, we see that there was an emerging problem, which many of us did not recognize as serious as it turned out to be, and most of us did not realize that a series of events would eventually culminate into 9/11 and eventually a finishing off of the war with Iraq. There was a pattern, in looking back.

By the way, it is always easy to look back and say we should have done this and we should have done that, but it is much more difficult to be prospective and say this is the information that is before us and this is what is going to happen in the future.

What was happening in the 1990s was a persistent pattern of boldness in the size and the number of terrorist attacks that were occurring throughout the world. They started with car bombs, and we still have car bombs today. Then they added attacks on embassies. We had an attack on the Khobar Towers. We had an attack on the USS Cole. We had planes bombed by terrorists. We had a partially successful attack from terrorists in New York, and then all of a sudden it built up to the ultimate, which was the 9/11 attack in this country which brought down the Twin Towers in New York, and there was also an attack on the Pentagon, which is the first time this country had been attacked on its own soil since Pearl Harbor.

This was very much an awakening for the Congress, as well as the American people. This President should be commended for rising to the challenges of 9/11, and I think we have the right President in office at the right time. He sent a strong message to the world that was important to send, and that message was that we are not going to tolerate terrorism, and if there are any other countries that are going to support terrorist attacks, either directly or indirectly, they are going to be considered part of the problem as we resolve these issues related to terrorism.

As a result, he had to take some very strong stances. We had to take some very strong positions.

Eventually, what evolved is that Afghanistan was the center. The President dealt first with Afghanistan. Afghanistan was pretty much the center of a lot of the terrorist activities. The Government had been taken over by the terrorists. Afghanistan as a country was being used as a training ground for terrorists who were exporting terrorism throughout the world.

Today, Afghanistan is now a democracy, moving toward more freedom for its people, and getting terrorism under control. It has some challenges with economic growth, but I think President Karzai has done a tremendous job. This all happened because of strong action by this President in moving forward.

We saw that many of these terrorist groups, al-Qaida, for example, had their origins in Saudi Arabia. We saw many terrorist groups that were raising money through Saudi Arabia. Today, Saudi Arabia has recognized the problem and taken some very strong actions. They are working with the United States to control terrorism within their own country.

We have Libya and Muammar Qadhafi, who was exporting terrorism and actually attempting to develop a nuclear weapons program in his own country. Now he has backed off and said, look, we want to work with the United States. He has come out and publicly opposed terrorism. He has given up his nuclear program. The nuclear inspectors can now go into his country and look for nuclear materials.

We have made remarkable progress in Afghanistan. I know we have remarkable progress in Saudi Arabia. We have made remarkable progress in Libya. Even in North Korea we seem to sense more willingness on their part at least to sit down with the United States and negotiate with the United States on how it is we can move toward a more peaceful environment.

Finally, that brings us to Iraq. I think that is another remarkable achievement for this administration. Even though there are some differences of opinion about how this should have been handled, the fact is a large majority of the Senate, working with the President and working with the United Nations, realized terrorism was a problem and Iraq was a part of this problem.

The President decided to invade Iraq and Saddam Hussein. It was a good decision. I need to remind Members this war started actually before then. It started under his father, the first President George Bush. The first President George Bush had to deal with an invasion by Saddam Hussein into the country of Kuwait. He soundly defeated Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein agreed to sign a treaty and in that treaty he agreed to allow inspectors into his country. He agreed to many provisions that were being stipulated by the United Nations. He agreed to certain no-fly zones.

We attempted to enforce those no-fly zones as he was constantly shooting at our planes. After the first conflict, Saddam Hussein ignored what he had agreed to with the first President George Bush. Then we had the United Nations inspectors going in and looking for nuclear materials, weapons of mass destruction, and they were kicked out of that country.

The Congress and the United Nations all agreed this was an unstable situation and something needed to be done with Saddam Hussein. So George Bush, who is now our President, made the right decision in saying we need to go into Iraq and we need to deal with this unstable situation because it is a persistent threat to world peace. If we do not deal with the problem now, it is only going to get worse with time. I have to say this President has done a great job. He has the support of the American people.

Now this national commission on terrorist attacks upon the United States is going to reveal some shortcomings and we are going to need to address those. Our Nation has a leader who has made it clear that winning the war on terror is the defining moment for the civilized world.

Since September 11, 2001, President Bush has taken some bold steps to ensure the safety and security of the United States, specifically against terrorist organizations and the nation states that support them. Specifically, since President Bush has taken office, the United States, under his leadership, has overthrown two terrorist regimes, rescued two nations and liberated over 50 million people, captured or killed close to two-thirds of known senior al-Qaida operatives, captured or killed 45 of the 55 most wanted in Iraq, including Iraq's deposed dictator, Saddam Hussein, who is now sitting in jail, hunted down thousands of terrorist and regime remnants in Iraq, disrupted terrorist cells on most continents and likely prevented a number of planned attacks. This is an astounding record of accomplishment for our commander in chief and his national security staff.

We also have to recognize the phenomenal job of our men and women in our military services. They have been phenomenal and I do not think we can repeat that enough. We are very fortunate to have their dedication and commitment, not only of the men and women who are serving in these services, but their families and their communities back home who support them.

The United States went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq risking significant loss of life and treasure to protect our way of life. Our goals are clear and twofold: Destroy the nexus of terrorism and weapons of mass murder that personify the two ousted regimes and create in their stead stable democratic states able to participate in the modern world community.

We succeeded in our first goal, having killed or captured perpetrators and supporters of the enemy terrorists. The courageous people of Afghanistan and Iraq are making remarkable progress toward adoption of constitutional reforms to secure momentum toward

lasting democratic independence. Nevertheless, we still have work to do.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction clearly identified what we have all known for some time, our intelligence has not performed in as desirable a way as we would like and in some cases has raised some issues about some of the decisions we had to make in this Congress.

As a former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I say to my colleagues that few employees in the Federal Government are as dedicated as those who work for our intelligence agencies. They are hard-working individuals who believe their work is critical to our Nation's national security, and they provide us good information. As policymakers, we also have to recognize the information they give us is not always absolute. A lot of time it is a little bit of information here, a little bit of information there, and we have to put it together and say this is a likely event that is going to happen or this is likely what is happening. It is not absolute in many regards, and we have to treat it that way.

I think that is the way the President treated it, and I think that is the way the Congress has looked at much of the information that we received right after 9/11 and how terrorism is affecting us. That is why it was so frustrating to learn our intelligence agencies did not connect many of the dots in regard to September 11 and again failed to provide reliable information on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs.

We clearly have a considerable amount of work to do. As the Senate Intelligence Committee recommended, we need to improve the process by which analysts, collectors, and managers fuse intelligence and produce judgments for policymakers, but that is not new. We have been facing this problem for some time. I am glad we are taking it more seriously. We need to greatly enhance almost every aspect of the intelligence community's human intelligence efforts. We need to address the tendency to build upon the judgments of previous assessments without including the uncertainties in those assessments.

I will note the Senate Intelligence Committee's report did conclude that the intelligence community's judgments regarding Saddam Hussein's government's link to terrorist organizations were reasonable. Equally important was the Senate Intelligence Committee's conclusion that the exaggeration of the intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities was not the result of political pressure.

As we prepare for the 9/11 Commission's report, I think it is appropriate that we thank the people who served on the Commission for their service to this country. Their service will go a long way to helping our Nation prevent future attacks.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, transportation is a key element of economic growth for rural Colorado. Providing access to the national highway system through a well developed transportation corridor will boost economic opportunity and bring new dollars to the area as the flow of commerce increases through traffic, tourism and, hopefully, new industry.

Previously, I introduced legislation to create the Heartland Expressway, a connecting highway of high priority roads on the national highway system. However, a few had concerns about this legislation, so the supporters went back to the drawing board. So, tonight I rise to introduce a bill that reflects the compromise that each of the impacted states have come to.

Through Ports-to-Plains and Heartland Expressway, we can bring greater prosperity through trade and industry to the State of Colorado, while improving the safety and condition of our highways.

Based on the recommendation of the Eastern Colorado Mobility Study, authored by the Colorado Department of Transportation, the corridor will serve a wide variety of trucks and autos, bringing new dollars and boosting the economy.

The Heartland Expressway will result in user cost savings to businesses, have

fewer environmental impacts than other corridor alternatives, and will enhance or improve existing--and may even promote the construction of new corridors and intermodal facilities--that will enhance the mobility of freight services within and through eastern Colorado.

The Heartland Expressway will penetrate and promote economic development in Denver, throughout north and southeast Colorado, into Wyoming, and through Scotsbluff, NE to Rapid City, SD.