[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 107 (Friday, August 5, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 5, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
  DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND 
                  RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The manager of the bill is recognized.
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?
  Mr. HARKIN. I yield.
  Mr. DOLE. I wonder if following the unanimous-consent request the 
Senator from Washington may be recognized on another matter for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. HARKIN. It is my intention after asking unanimous consent for 
this to ask that the Senate proceed in this morning business.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I had intended to make a brief comment 
about the health care issue. I understand my colleague from Washington 
has a plane to catch. I will defer to him. In fact, if he has a plane 
to catch let him speak now.
  Mr. HARKIN. Let me complete this. It will not take 3 minutes.
  Mr. GORTON. I am happy to wait.
  Mr. DOLE. Could I say further I wanted to add Senator Hatch as a 
cosponsor of the Dole-Lieberman amendment? I say to colleagues we were 
prepared to vote today. We were informed there would be no more votes 
after 4 o'clock. We are prepared to take this up. If the DOD bill is 
coming up it may be offered on that bill rather than Labor-HHS.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The manager of the bill.


                      unanimous-consent agreement

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following 
amendments be the only floor amendments remaining in order to H.R. 
4606, the Labor, HHS appropriations bill; that they may be offered in 
the first or second degree, if offered to an excepted committee 
amendment; that other second-degree amendments be in order provided 
they are relevant to the first degree to which offered; provided 
further that upon disposition of the amendments, any remaining excepted 
committee amendments be agreed to, the bill be read a third time and 
the Senate then vote on passage of the bill; that upon disposition of 
H.R. 4606, the Senate insist upon its amendments, request a conference 
with the House on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses, and that the 
Chair be authorized to appoint conferees, with the above occurring 
without intervening action or debate; that all floor amendments must be 
offered by 12 noon on Monday, August 8; that 10 minutes prior to that 
time Senator Specter be recognized to offer amendments to Republican 
Senators who are on the list and have not had a chance to offer; and 
that 5 minutes prior to that time Senator Harkin be recognized to offer 
amendments of Democratic Senators who have not had a chance to offer.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the request of the 
Senator from Iowa?
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the list be 
amended by adding an amendment by Senator Bond.
  Mr. HARKIN. No objection.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I had started to engage the majority 
leader in a discussion when he said he had to check the list and would 
be back. The unanimous-consent request is being propounded by the 
chairman. So I will not make my comments now in light of the fact that 
the Senator from Washington and the Senator from Texas are to catch 
planes, but I will seek recognition at the conclusion of their 
statements to make the comments that I had intended to make in the 
presence of the majority leader.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there any objection to the unanimous-
consent request?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I send a list to the desk.
  The list is as follows:

                    Labor/HHS Republican Amendments

       Nickles--Relevant.
       Hatch--Vitamins.
       Bond--Relevent.
       Coats--(1) relevant, (2) relevant, (3) relevant.
       Gregg--Labor, Education, relevant.
       Grassley--refugees, HHS IG.
       Jeffords--(1) relevant, (2) relevant, (3) relevant.
       Gorton--relevant.
       Specter--(1) relevant, (2) relevant, (3) relevant.
       Kassebaum--(1) relevant, (2) relevant, (3) relevant.
       Domenici--character counts.
       Stevens--(1) relevant.
       Hatfield--relevant, waivers.
       Kempthorne--(1) relevant, (2) relevant.
       Cohen--relevant.
       Gramm--(1) relevant, (2) relevant.
       Wallop--relevant.
       Packwood--waivers.
       Helms--(1) relevant, (2) relevant.
       Dole--Bosnia.
       Dole or designee--(1) relevant, (2) relevant.
       Warner--PBS.
       Bond--relevant.
                                  ____


                   Democratic Amendments to H.R. 4606

       Bumpers--relevant.
       Byrd--(1) relevant, (2) relevant.
       Dodd--relevant.
       Glenn--HHS IG.
       Harkin--(1) relevant, (2) relevant, (3) relevant, (4) 
     relevant, (5) managers package.
       Kennedy--refugee.
       Kohl--relevant.
       Metzenbaum--(1) relevant, (2) relevant, (3) pensions.
       Mitchell--(1) relevant, (2) relevant, (3) Bosnia.
       Graham--immigrant education.
       Nunn--(1) floods, (2) floods.
       Pell/Nunn--relevant.
       Riegle--relevant.
       Wellstone--(1) relevant, (2) relevant.


               fiscal year 1994 labor/hhs/education bill

  Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I join the chairman and ranking member 
of the subcommittee in supporting H.R. 4606, the Labor, HHS, and 
Education appropriations bill for fiscal year 1995 that is before the 
Senate today. I want to take this opportunity to thank Senators Harkin 
and Specter, as well as the other members of the subcommittee, for once 
again bringing before the Senate such a well-balanced bill under very 
tight budget constraints.
  H.R. 4606 contains $252.8 billion, including $69.9 billion for 
discretionary programs, and encompasses a wide range of services which 
will benefit the people of this Nation through improving job 
opportunities, enhancing educational excellence, advancing medical 
research, and expanding health services. It is no easy task to 
reconcile the competing human service needs facing the chairman and 
ranking member, but they have done an admirable job. Let me take this 
opportunity to highlight some of the critical program recommendations 
of the bill.


                           dislocated workers

  Dislocated workers in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest will benefit 
from a needed increase in Federal assistance for job retraining. The 
bill recommends $1.3 billion for title III of the Job Training 
Partnership Act to assist States and localities in providing retraining 
assistance to dislocated workers. This is an increase of nearly $178 
million over last year. These funds are essential for the Pacific 
Northwest, which has so many communities facing an uncertain economic 
future due to changes in Federal environmental policies.
  On May 31, 1994, I chaired a special hearing of the Appropriations 
Committee in Portland, OR. The hearing examined issues surrounding the 
dislocated worker retraining programs and the administration's proposed 
Reemployment Act. Every witness reiterated the message that greater 
flexibility in the Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Act 
[EDWAA] is needed in order for States and communities to deliver 
efficient and effective readjustment services under the act. Greater 
flexibility in the provision of needs-based payments was particularly 
emphasized.
  Clearly, issues of flexibility will be addressed during consideration 
of the proposed Reemployment Act later this year, or during the next 
session of Congress. However, as an interim step, the committee 
included language in the bill at my request which amends provisions in 
EDWAA to make it easier for States to provide needs-based payments to 
workers involved in long-term training programs. These changes are 
effective during fiscal year 1995 only. Coupled with the funding 
increase, the language in the bill will help promote the expansion of 
services for dislocated timber workers throughout the Northwest.


                          biomedical research

  The bill before us today contains $11.3 billion to support the 
National Institutes of Health. The funds will support research into the 
causes, treatment, and cures of the vast array of diseases and 
illnesses, many of which are only beginning to be understood. These 
funds are the best medicine for fighting the fiscal and medical 
diseases which plague our health care system.
  H.R. 4606 includes increases of at least 3 percent for all the NIH 
institutes and centers to enable medical research in all the disease 
areas to move forward. As the Congress moves toward enactment of 
comprehensive health care reform legislation, I believe it is essential 
that an aggressive medical research program be maintained as a central 
mechanism for controlling the costs of health care. A cure is the 
ultimate in cost control, and the NIH is the Federal entity which 
supports research.


                          alzheimer's disease

  For several years now, I have urged the Senate to embark on a 
national program to rid this country of the scourge of Alzheimer's 
disease, a disease that affects 4 million Americans and costs $90 
billion annually. I have set an annual goal of $500 million, the amount 
scientists say is needed for a full scale attack on this dread disease. 
Funding for research on Alzheimer's disease has nearly doubled since 
1990, rising from $146.1 million in 1990 to $302 million in 1994. I am 
pleased to report that this investment is beginning to pay off. Earlier 
this year, startling developments were announced regarding a potential 
genetic link to Alzheimer's disease. If confirmed in subsequent 
studies, this opens up enormous opportunities for advancing 
understanding and treatment of this disease.


                         rare disease research

  Mr. President, cancer, diabetes, AIDS, and heart disease are well 
known to most Americans as threats to a healthy society. But what about 
terms such as Marfan's syndrome, epidermolysis bullosa, Fanconi anemia, 
and ectrodactly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting syndrome [EEC]. These are 
rare diseases, unknown to the vast majority of us, unless we suffer 
from them or know someone who suffers from them. A rare, or orphan, 
disease affects fewer than 200,000 Americans. Rare diseases are equally 
as devastating as the more common disorders. But there is a greater 
lack of hope for those who suffer from the 5,000 different rare 
diseases because little or no research is being undertaken into their 
causes, treatments, and cures.

  With the establishment of the Office of Rare Disease Research at the 
NIH, a small step has been taken to begin to develop a strategy and 
coordinated research effort to tackle the enormous task of rare disease 
research. H.R. 4606 builds upon this step by appropriating $1 million 
over the level requested in the budget for the NIH Office. These funds 
will enable the Office to move ahead with implementation of the 
clinical data base, to support scientific workshops and symposia to 
stimulate rare disease research, and to support the planning and 
operational activities of the Office. I believe much more needs to be 
done, and therefore I have introduced legislation, S. 1203, to 
establish a Center for Rare Disease Research at the National Institutes 
of Health. But, the additional funding in this bill will help further 
the goal of expanding and better coordinating research on rare 
disorders until my legislation can be enacted.


                              Rural health

  Rural health care systems face a number of unique barriers in their 
struggle to provide quality health care to their communities. 
Geographic isolation, a shortage of care providers, and an unusually 
large number of elderly and uninsured patients, are particular problems 
of rural communities.
  On two occasions over the past 18 months I have examined the problems 
of rural health care when I chaired special hearings of the 
Appropriations Committee in Oregon on rural health care. The hearings 
examined the existing Federal public health programs serving rural 
residents and explored how our national investment in health care 
reform might most effectively meet the needs of rural America. Nearly 
all of the testimony received stressed the importance to rural 
communities of Community and Migrant Health Centers, Rural Health 
Outreach Grants, the National Health Service Corps, and Area Health 
Education Centers Program. The bill before the Senate today recognizes 
the importance of these programs and recommends $207 million for fiscal 
year 1995.


                                  Aids

  Mr. President, few could argue with the fact that AIDS, a disease 
that was virtually unheard of a dozen years ago, continues to plague 
our society. The bill includes $2.58 billion to continue the strong 
commitment to research, prevention, and treatment programs to fight 
this dread disease. Included is an increase of $54.3 million for the 
AIDS services programs authorized by the Ryan White CARE Act, including 
a $31 million increase for title I. These funds are particularly 
important to Oregon, since it is expected that Portland will become 
eligible in fiscal year 1995 for funding under title I of the act.


                           women and children

  One of the most important aspects of the bill before the Senate is 
the extent to which it enhances our investment in programs serving 
women, children, and families. Included in the bill is $3.5 billion, an 
increase of $220 million for Head Start. This is another step towards 
expanding the program in order to provide Head Start to all eligible 
children.
  To build upon recent improvements in our Nation's immunization 
record, the bill includes $888.4 million for the National Immunization 
Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These funds 
will be used, not only to purchase the necessary vaccines, but to 
improve local vaccine delivery infrastructures and to implement 
essential immunization outreach and tracking programs in communities 
throughout the country.
  Also, the bill continues to build upon the committee's commitment to 
augment funding for domestic violence programs. Just 3 years ago, 
funding for the Family Violence Program totaled $10.7 million. H.R. 
4606 includes $32.6 million for the Family Violence Program, an 
increase of $5 million over fiscal year 1994. In addition, additional 
funding is provided to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
to continue the development of a national program to prevent violence 
against women and children.
  These are just a few examples of the programs in the bill which serve 
women and children. Other programs, such as, the Maternal and Child 
Health Block Grant, the Child Care Block Grant, and Women's Health 
Study at the NIH, continue under the committee's recommendation.


                             human services

  The bill also includes additional funds for services to some of the 
most vulnerable members of our society. A total of $393.5 million is 
recommended for the Community Services Block Grant Program, an increase 
of $8 million over last year. These funds will assist over 900 
community action agencies in providing a wide array of services to 
foster low-income individuals in becoming self-sufficient, and to 
alleviate the very causes of their poverty in their communities.
  Funding is also maintained for the domestic refugee resettlement 
programs of the Department. These programs provide critical resources 
to States, voluntary agencies, and mutual assistance associations to 
help refugees become self-supporting productive members of society. 
Refugees face substantial language and cultural barriers when they 
resettle in this country. The delivery of subsistence, medical, and 
employment services within the first 12 months of arrival is essential 
for effective resettlement.


                               education

  Mr. President, our hopes for maintaining a leadership role in the 
global market and our requirements for economic growth hinge upon our 
education system. It is not enough to simply provide tax incentives for 
investments in plants and equipment. We must also be willing to invest 
in human minds as well. We must continue to provide our children with 
the educational opportunities and technologies to help them meet world 
class standards. H.R. 4606 includes a total of $27.1 million to help 
States, local education agencies, colleges, universities, and other 
education entities in educating our Nation's students. This is $878 
million above the amount provided in fiscal year 1994.


                              urban grants

  Mr. President, many of the urban universities across the Nation 
contribute to the needs of the cities in which they are located. To 
help these universities in this effort, this bill contains $13 million, 
an increase of $2.3 million over the fiscal year 1994 level, for the 
Department of Education's Urban Grants Program. This program supports 
grants to urban universities to encourage community involvement in 
solving education, health, crime and economic development problems of 
their particular urban area.
  In closing, Mr. President, I again want to thank the distinguished 
chairman and ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Harkin and Mr. 
Specter, for their cooperation and support.


the fiscal year 1995 labor, health, and education appropriations bill, 
                               h.r. 4606

  Mr. SASSER. Mr. President, the Senate Budget Committee has examined 
H.R. 4606, the fiscal year 1994 Labor, Health and Human Services, 
Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill and has found it to 
be under its 602(b) budget authority allocation by $2 million and that 
it meets its outlay allocation exactly.
  Mr. President, I have a table prepared by the Budget Committee which 
shows the official scoring of H.R. 4606, the Labor, Health and Human 
Services, Education, and related agencies appropriations bill and I ask 
unanimous consent that it be inserted in the Record at the appropriate 
point.
  There being no objection, the table was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

  SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE SCORING OF H.R. 4606, FISCAL YEAR 1995 LABOR, 
         HHS, AND EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS--SENATE-REPORTED BILL        
                        [In millions of dollars]                        
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Budget               
                 Bill summary                    authority     Outlays  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discretionary totals:                                                   
    New spending in bill......................       68,206       28,117
    Outlays from prior years appropriations...  ...........       39,953
    Permanent/advance appropriations..........        1,771        1,769
    Supplementals.............................            0          -20
                                               -------------------------
      Subtotal, discretionary spending........       69,976       69,819
                                               =========================
Mandatory totals..............................      196,154      195,904
      Bill total..............................      266,130      265,723
      Senate 602(b) allocation................      266,132      265,723
        Difference............................           -2            0
                                               =========================
Discretionary totals above (+) or below (-):                            
    President's request.......................        -1682         -501
    House-passed bill.........................          312            1
    Senate-reported bill......................  ...........  ...........
    Senate-passed bill........................  ...........  ...........
      Defense.................................            0            0
      International Affairs...................           12           11
      Domestic Discretionary..................       69,965       69,808
------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I would like to commend the distinguished 
Chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Harkin, and the distinguished ranking 
member of the subcommittee, Mr. Specter, for their leadership in 
producing the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education and related 
agencies appropriations bill for fiscal year 1995. It reflects a fair 
and balanced allocation of funds made through difficult decisions among 
many meritorious programs.
  As a member of this subcommittee, I am well aware of the difficulties 
in choosing among the programs that fall under its jurisdiction. 
Programs administered by the Departments of labor, Health and Human 
Services and Education do much to strengthen the economic 
competitiveness of our Nation and contribute to the enrichment of our 
society.
  I am pleased to note that this bill increases funding for Department 
of Education programs to $27.4 billion, a 3.5 percent increase over 
last year. Significant increases are provided for those educational 
programs with the greatest impact on children and adults who need extra 
assistance in order to help them reach their full potential, teacher 
training programs designed to enhance teacher ability to offer the best 
instruction, and innovative technology programs to improve student 
learning opportunities.
  In particular, the Committee has included $50 million for Educational 
Technology, the new technology program authorized as part A of title 
III of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994, S. 1513.
  This new program includes most of the provisions of the Technology 
for Education Act, S. 1040. I was pleased to join as an original 
sponsor of this legislation with Senators Bingaman and Kennedy earlier 
this year. This educational technology program is intended to promote 
equal access for all elementary and secondary students to the 
educational opportunities made available through advances in 
technology.
  At least 50 percent of the educational technology funds provided are 
to be used to assist State and local programs in purchasing technology 
resources for those schools showing the greatest need, obtaining 
technical assistance, and supporting professional development. The 
remaining funds will strengthen the Federal leadership role in 
promoting the integration of technology into the kindergarten through 
12th grade classrooms and coordinating educational technology with the 
emerging national information infrastructure.
  The committee has also provided $3.2 million for a program that has 
greatly enriched learning opportunities for our Nation's students. The 
national writing project provides teachers of every discipline, from 
kindergarten through college, with an opportunity to participate in 
summer and in-school writing clinics to help improve the teaching of 
writing in our Nation's schools and to emphasize the importance of 
writing in a student's ability to think and learn. In 45 States, 
Federal funds are used to support the national writing project's 160 
sites which are affiliated with institutions of higher education.
  For every Federal dollar invested in the writing project, five 
additional dollars are leveraged from State, university, school 
district, and other sources. Last year, 105,029 teachers participated 
in the program at a cost to the Federal government of $18.34 per 
teacher. Over 7 million students of all ethnic and linguistic 
backgrounds were challenged to write more effectively through their 
classroom teachers' expanded teaching and writing skills. In a single 
year, 18 percent of the Nation's K-12 public school students benefited 
from this Federal investment, which amounts to 34 cents per student.
  Other educational priorities of this bill include:
  The Chapter 1 Program funded at $7.2 billion, over $300 million more 
than last year.
  The sum of $10 million for the Ready to Learn Television as Teacher 
Act to support the development of quality preschool education 
television programs and written materials for use by parents and day 
care providers.
  The sum of $33 million for the Star Schools program to give more 
students in rural areas the opportunity to participate in courses that 
would be not be available without distance learning technology--a $7 
million increase over last year's level. Through 6 years of increased 
funding for Star Schools, children in some of the most remote and 
disadvantaged schools in Mississippi, and all over the country, have 
had an opportunity to study such subjects as Japanese and advanced 
physics taught by some the Nation's best teachers.
  The sum of $3 million for the telecommunications demonstration 
project, ``Mathline,'' authorized in title II, part E of the Improving 
America's School Act to improve the teaching of mathematics by making 
available teacher training in the use of a new curriculum-based 
telecommunications infrastructure.
  Other education programs that are particularly important to my State 
include Library Literacy programs; the Even Start, Family Literacy 
Program; Foreign Language Assistance; Tech Prep Education and College 
Campus-Based Student Financial Aid programs.
  In the area of Health and Human Services, the Committee has provided 
additional funding for the State Offices of Health to continue its 
outreach efforts to health providers living in rural areas. The State 
Offices of Rural Health's activities include: examining rural health 
care delivery and recommending improvement in quality and cost 
effectiveness; assisting in the recruitment and retention of health 
professionals; providing technical assistance to attract more Federal, 
State, and foundation funding for rural health; and coordinating rural 
health interests across the State. These offices serve a vital role in 
recruiting health-care professionals and coordinating the delivery of 
health services in rural communities, and I am pleased that our 
committee provided $5 million for the State Offices of Rural Health 
program in fiscal year 1995.
  I also appreciate the efforts of the committee in directing the 
National Center for Research Resources to increases its funding for the 
IDEA Program over the 1994 level.
  I am encouraged by increases in funding for cardiovascular diseases, 
including stroke, and diabetes.
  I am pleased the committee has been able to propose funding for the 
Corporation for Public Broadcasting of $330 million. This will enable 
Federal support to continue at current services levels to America's 
public television stations and radio stations. Federal contributions 
account for only 14 percent of the funding for public television and 
they continue to do a good job at raising private and corporate 
support. I am supportive of the increased educational focus the 
Corporation for Public Broadcasting has demonstrated recently in the 
programming it supports, particularly in the area of preschool 
education.
  This bill represents a commitment to education and the future of our 
Nation's young people. It has been carefully and thoughtfully written 
to make the best use of Federal resources in a time of tight budgetary 
constraints. Many important and worthy education and health programs 
are expanded by this legislation and others that have outlived their 
usefulness have been eliminated.
  I urge other Senators to join me in support of this legislation.


          fiscal year labor/hhs/education appropriations bill

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I join the distinguished Senator from 
Iowa, the chairman of the subcommittee, in supporting the Labor-HHS and 
Education bill that is before the Senate today. Due to the budget 
constraints that the subcommittee faced, it was not possible to provide 
all of the increases that we would have liked, but the recommendations 
will go a long way in addressing the health, education, and employment 
needs of this country. I want to take this opportunity to thank the 
distinguished Senator from Iowa and commend him for his hard work and 
his willingness to accommodate the many requests received from 
Democratic and Republican Senators.
  The funding in this bill addresses a wide array of programs--from the 
educational needs of children from preschool through college to 
training and retraining this Nation's work force, immunizing our 
children, confronting the problem of teen pregnancy, AIDS, and the 
causes and cures of disease. Collectively, the programs in this bill 
will address many of the present needs of this Nation's people and an 
investment in our future.
  The bill before us today is the largest appropriation bill to come 
before the Senate with a total of more than $252.9 billion, including 
$69.9 billion in discretionary spending.
  I would like to highlight some of the areas that are of particular 
importance to me.


                                 LIHEAP

  The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is of vital importance 
to the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Funding for this 
program supports grants to States to deliver critical assistance to 
low-income households to help meet the high cost of heating and cooling 
their homes. This bill maintains $1.385 billion for the 1994-95 winter. 
In addition, the bill contains $1.475 billion in advance funding for 
the 1995-96 winter program. Finally, $600 million is provided for the 
emergency contingency fund to be released in the event the President 
submits a budget request declaring all, or a portion of these funds as 
an emergency.
  The recommendations in the bill maintain the Committee's commitment 
to the LIHEAP program. Under the level proposed in the President's 
budget, as many as 250,000 households would have lost assistance. Most 
of the residents of these households are elderly, disabled and/or poor. 
For example, 82 percent of LIHEAP households in Pennsylvania have 
incomes less than $10,000 annually and 34 percent have elderly 
residents. In Philadelphia alone, 71,000 families have incomes of 
$5,000 a year or less and spend 40 percent of their incomes on energy 
costs.


                            Family violence

  I recently visited shelters for battered women in Harrisburg and 
Pittsburgh. One woman told me that she had just 9 days to find 
affordable housing for her and her 2-year-old son, or she would have 
had to return to her abusive spouse. The O.J. Simpson case has brought 
the incidence of domestic violence into the public eye. But 
unfortunately, family violence is not a rare occurrence. Last year 
alone, an estimated 4 million women were beaten by their husbands or 
partners. Battering is the single largest cause of injury to women in 
the United States, and medical costs associated with those injuries are 
estimated to be $3.5 billion annually. To prevent the incidence of 
family violence and provide immediate shelter to victims and their 
families, the bill includes $32.6 million, an increase of $5.2 million 
over the fiscal year 1994 amount. To complement the recently launched 
public education campaign, $1 million has been included to expand 
community education and outreach activities by providing education and 
training sessions for community leaders and law enforcement personnel. 
The bill also provides $750,000 for a national conference on violence, 
including domestic violence, to explore promising and proven effective 
prevention interventions.


                           Teenage pregnancy

  When one talks of the social ills in America today, the high number 
of births to teens is always at the top of the list. Each year in this 
country, over one million teenagers become pregnant, and more than 80 
percent of these pregnancies are unintended. The costs associated with 
teen births is staggering. Estimates of the cost of AFDC, Medicaid, and 
Food Stamps to support families begun by teens, totals over $25 billion 
annually. Because teen moms are less likely to eat nutritiously or to 
get prenatal care, and are more likely to smoke and drink than other 
mothers, they are also more likely to give birth to low-birthweight 
children. It is a human tragedy for a child to be born weighing 16 
ounces with attendant problems which last a lifetime. I first saw a 1-
pound baby in 1984, and I was astounded to learn that Pittsburgh, PA, 
at that time, had the highest infant mortality rate of African-American 
babies of any city in the United States. It was an amazing thing for me 
to see a 1-pound baby--about as big as my hand.
  Beyond the human tragedy of low-birthweight there are financial 
consequences. In 1990, the hospital-related costs for caring for low-
birthweight newborns totaled more than $2 billion, or an average of 
$21,000 per infant. And in infants of extremely low-birth weight, 
hospital costs often exceed $150,000.

  To begin to address the issues of teen pregnancy prevention and the 
consequences of low-birthweight children, the bill includes $221.5 
million for programs involved in pregnancy prevention, an increase of 
$23 million over the 1994 appropriation. These funds will support teen 
pregnancy prevention education, counseling, and services for young men 
and women. Included is $13.4 million for comprehensive school health 
education programs to arm students with the knowledge and skills to 
make informed decisions about health habits and behaviors. Also 
included is $6 million for the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention for a new teen pregnancy prevention demonstration program. 
The program will provide grants to localities for the development of 
community partnership coalitions for the prevention of teen 
pregnancies.


                          Biomedical research

  The bill before us contains $11.3 billion for the National Institutes 
of Health, an increase of $395.7 million above the fiscal year 1994 
appropriation. The funds recommended will continue the tremendous 
progress made in the development of treatments and cures for diseases 
that afflict so many Americans. The increase provided will enable 
scientists to pursue the most promising avenues of research into 
diseases such as diabetes, heart and circulatory disorders, 
Alzheimer's, cancer, Parkinson's, and other neurological illnesses. 
Funds will also continue the great advances made toward the completion 
of a detailed map of the human genome. In addition, funds will support 
promising work in the field of gene therapy.
  On May 9, 1994, I visited with researchers involved in gene therapy 
at the University of Pennsylvania. They reported to me on the 
substantial advances in the development of gene therapies for reducing 
cholesterol levels in persons with hypercholesterolemia, and for 
providing relief to persons suffering with cystic fibrosis. Bringing 
these breakthroughs to clinical application will yield wondrous results 
which will alleviate human suffering, prolong life, and produce savings 
in the medical costs required by these chronic diseases.


                             Breast cancer

  Breast Cancer--words that every woman hopes that she will never hear 
from her physician. It is estimated that during the decade of the 
1990's, more than 2 million women will have been diagnosed with the 
disease and that 460,000 women will have died of it. Although women 
diagnosed in the early stages of the disease have a 5-year survival 
rate of 93 percent, women who have been treated for breast cancer can 
never be assured that it will not recur. Scientific advances have 
raised hopes of prevention, but to date no proven methods have been 
found. Since 1989, when I became the ranking member of this 
subcommittee, breast cancer research has risen from $80.4 million to an 
estimated $350 million included in this bill for fiscal year 1995.
  The number of women who have ever had a mammogram increased to 74 
percent in 1992, from 64 percent in 1990. However, the increase is not 
spread evenly across all groups of women. The major increase occurred 
among white women with incomes of over $25,000 per year. Efforts of the 
American Cancer Society, women's health groups, and even equipment 
manufacturers, to educate consumers, and of professional groups to 
educate physicians, are probably responsible for much of the screening 
increase. The bill also provides $100 million, an increase of $21.9 
million over the previous year's funding, for breast and cervical 
cancer screening. The increase provided will expand the number of 
States with comprehensive programs to educate and screen women at risk 
for developing breast and cervical cancer. A combination of annual 
clinical breast examinations and mammography can reduce breast cancer 
mortality by more than 30 percent for women ages 50 to 74.


                          Alzheimer's disease

  This bill also addresses one of the most devasting health problems 
confronting this country--Alzheimer's disease. We have invested 
approximately $311 million to support the most promising avenues of 
research on a disease that has already stricken over 4 million 
Americans, and threatens millions more in the years ahead.


                                  AIDS

  This bill contains $2.589 billion for research, education, 
prevention, and services to battle AIDS. This amount represents an 
increase of $107.7 million over the amount appropriated last year. 
Included in this amount is $356.5 million to provide grants to 
metropolitan areas hardest hit by this disease. A total of 34 cities 
were served with last year's funds and with the additional funds 
provided in fiscal year 1995, 3 to 7 new cities will be served.
  For pediatric AIDS demonstration grants to support collaboration 
between institutions and community based providers of underserved 
children, youth, pregnant women, and their families, the bill provides 
$26 million, an increase of $4 million over the level provided in 
fiscal year 1994. Because of their unique vulnerability, infants 
suffering from AIDS require specially tailored approaches for 
treatment, prevention, and care. The funds provided will continue the 
existing pediatric and adolescent AIDS demonstration projects.


                             Mental health

  Each year, more than 40 million adults in the United States, 
experience one or more mental disorders. In addition 8 million children 
are tormented with serious emotional disturbances. The direct and 
indirect costs of these illnesses have been estimated to cost over $148 
billion each year. The bill contains $412.6 million to prevent and 
treat mental illness and minimize the disabilities associated with 
these illnesses. In addition, the bill provides $633.8 million for the 
National Institute of Mental Health to support research on the 
prevention and treatment of mental illness.


                Substance abuse prevention and treatment

  Substance abuse continues to be a national public health problem 
contributing to the incidence of violence, auto collisions and 
accidents on the job. Drug abuse also greatly increases the number of 
low-birth weight infants, the incidence of HIV-AIDS, and mortality 
rates. The societal costs associated with substance abuse is 
substantial, contributing to increased crime, health care costs, 
interdiction, and lost productivity of the Nation's work force. For 
prevention and treatment programs the bill includes $1.7 billion, an 
increase of $44 million over the fiscal year 1994 appropriation.


                               Education

  To strengthen our educational system and expand higher education 
opportunities for young adults, the bill provides $27.4 billion.
  Funding for programs to improve education for disadvantaged children 
is increased $321.7 million over the previous year's level, to a total 
of $7.2 billion. Included in this amount is $102.1 million for even 
start, a program which combines early childhood education, adult 
literacy, and parenting skills. Also included is $41 million for 
disadvantaged children attending private schools.
  The bill provides $6 million in first-time funding for the charter 
school program. These public schools, formed by teachers, parents, and 
other members of the community, are exempt from many of the Federal, 
State, and local regulatory requirements. In exchange for enhanced 
flexibility charter schools will be required to develop specific plans 
to enable students to meet challenging State performance standards. 
Private management companies are operating in some States where charter 
school legislation has been enacted, giving these companies and local 
education agencies the opportunity to try new and innovative approaches 
to education reform.
  To increase the education opportunities for college bound youth, the 
bill recommends $7.6 billion for student financial aid, including $6.2 
billion for the Pell Grant Program. The maximum Pell grant is also 
increased $40 over the fiscal year 1994 amount to $2,340. The bill also 
restores the $210 million in cuts proposed by the President for campus-
based aid programs.
  There are approximately one million men and women incarcerated in 
prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities in this Nation. Seventy-five 
percent of those incarcerated do not have a high school diploma and 
most have few marketable skills or work history. It is my belief that 
criminal offenders, especially juvenile and first and second offenders, 
should be given the chance at rehabilitation and gainful employment. 
That chance can only come through education. To address the educational 
needs of prisoners, the bill includes $118.6 million. Within that 
amount $40 million is included for the neglected and delinquent program 
which provides educational opportunities for youth in juvenile and 
adult corrections facilities, $5.1 million to improve the literacy 
skills of prisoners, $38.7 million for substance abuse prevention and 
treatment for criminal justice populations, and $34.8 million from 
funds set aside within the adult and vocational education programs.
  The bill also restores $44.5 million in funding for library programs 
that the administration proposed to decrease or eliminate. This brings 
the total amount available for library programs to $147.5 million, an 
increase of $1.2 million above the amount appropriated in fiscal year 
1994.
  In closing, Mr. President, I again want to thank Senator Harkin and 
his staff and the other members of the subcommittee for their 
cooperation in a very tough budget year.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I want to commend the Senate 
Appropriations Committee for its efforts in this legislation to 
increase flexibility in existing worker retraining programs.
  Changes in our economy result in dislocation and employment shifts, 
so workers often must retrain to keep pace. I am a cosponsor of the 
pending Reemployment Act, which is a comprehensive initiative to 
restructure our Federal retraining programs. But in the interim, I 
strongly support efforts to make the existing programs more flexible 
and responsive to the real needs of dislocated workers and their 
families.
  This bill includes a small, but crucial provision to ensure that 
workers have at least 6 weeks after receiving a discretionary grant for 
training. This is a vital change because dislocated workers often 
cannot afford to enroll in retraining programs until they are confident 
that they will have Federal assistance and needs-related payments to 
help them pay rent and buy groceries while in retraining courses.
  Current law for most retraining programs requires workers to enroll 
in training by their 13th week of unemployment benefits, regardless of 
when the dislocated workers secure federal retraining help or the 
timing of academic courses. Because of delays in approving grants, 
workers are sometimes notified of Federal assistance just days before 
the enrollment cutoff of the 13 weeks takes effect. In such cases, 
people may be shutout of the courses they want or not have time to find 
the right course to start them on a new career path. It is tragic when 
paperwork and regulations obstruct the true goals of our programs.
  Modest changes proposed in the appropriations bill will ensure that 
workers have 6 weeks to enroll in courses once they know they qualify 
for Federal retraining assistance and can afford to go back to school. 
I offered a similar 6-week extension to the Federal training program 
established for workers dislocated by NAFTA, which was adopted by voice 
vote in the Senate Finance Committee and incorporated in the final 
legislation.
  I am interested and involved in the technical details of worker 
retraining because of concerns raised by West Virginians who in these 
programs and struggling to cut through the paperwork and get the 
retraining they need to go back to work. People in my State want help 
getting a job, so I believe my job is to cut through Federal paperwork 
and regulatory rules that hinder effective use of Federal retraining 
programs. Provisions in this legislation are important clarifications 
to make our discretionary worker retraining grants more flexible and 
user friendly. This will really make a difference to dislocated workers 
and their families in West Virginia and across the country.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I would first like to thank the 
subcommittee members for their work in identifying the priority funding 
needs under exceptionally tight budgetary conditions. It was impossible 
to accommodate all of the investment items sought by the President 
while still retaining many high priority items but the subcommittee has 
done extremely well in balancing competing priorities.
  I would specifically like to thank the subcommittee chairman, Senator 
Harkin, and ranking member, Senator Specter for their continued strong 
leadership on this important bill.
  The Senate-reported Labor-HHS-Education bill provides $213.4 billion 
in budget authority and $176.5 billion in new outlays for the 
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and 
related agencies for fiscal year 1994. Of this amount, $68.2 billion in 
budget authority and $28.1 billion in new outlays is for discretionary 
spending. When adjustments are made for advance appropriations, prior 
year outlays, mandatories, and emergency contingency appropriations, 
the Senate-reported bill provides $266.1 billion in budget authority 
and $265.7 billion in outlays for fiscal year 1995.
  The Senate-reported bill is below the subcommittee's section 602(b) 
allocation in budget authority by $1.6 million and at the 
subcommittee's section 602(b) allocation in outlays.
  This bill has strong bipartisan support. It was reported from 
committee without dissent. I appreciate the subcommittee's 
responsiveness to Members' concerns and suggestions for funding 
priorities.
  In particular, I appreciate the subcommittee's support of my request 
for funding Hispanic serving institutions. This program which provides 
special assistance to higher education institutions attempting to meet 
the needs of the Hispanic community. This is the first year this 
program has received funding and I thank the chairman for his support.
  New Mexico has 13 schools that are classified as Hispanic serving 
institutions. Funds under this program could help these schools 
strengthen their educational programs, assist them in improving 
facilities and purchase educational materials.
  I'd also like to thank the chairman for providing an almost $18 
million increase for the work of NIMH. Included in the report is 
language that will direct additional funds above the House level to 
priority research under the ``Decade of the Brain'' initiative.
  As a result of the efforts of this subcommittee, medical researchers, 
during this ``Decade of the Brain'' will make significant progress in 
understanding the brain, identifying the causes of serious mental 
illness, and developing effective treatments for these devastating 
illnesses.
  This research is bearing fruit in our discussion of health care 
reform. There is a now a recognition that health care coverage for 
severe mental illness must be provided on an equitable basis with other 
physical illnesses.
  Continuation of initiatives to assist the homeless are also critical, 
many of whom are victims of mental illness. I am pleased that the bill 
before us appropriates $29.5 million for PATH grants [Program to Aid 
the Transition from Homelessness], and $65.4 million for Health Care 
for the Homeless, an increase of $2.4 million above the 1994 level.
  I would again like to thank the subcommittee chairman and ranking 
member, as well as the other members of this subcommittee, for 
addressing these important issues. I urge the adoption of the bill.


                  vaccines for children (vfc) program

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, as the Senate acts on the Labor-HHS-
Education appropriations measure today, I want to call attention to a 
provision relating to the new Vaccines For Children [VFC] Program. As 
we all know, this program was enacted last year to make childhood 
immunizations available to Medicaid and uninsured children in private 
physicians' offices. The vaccines would be purchased by the Federal 
Government at the discounted price made available to the Centers for 
Disease Control [CDC]. By law, this program is to begin this October 
1--only 2 months from now.
  The administration has determined that it will use a new distribution 
system to get the free childhood vaccines to physicians' offices. This 
system will rely on the General Services Administration [GSA], its 
distribution facility and its contract with Federal Express. CDC has 
been working with GSA to get this new distribution system operational 
in time for the program to begin October 1, a highly ambitious 
undertaking. Real concerns have been raised that despite the 
administration's hard work and good intentions, the distribution system 
may not be ready on time. A recent report by the General Accounting 
Office confirms that significant obstacles may yet to be overcome in 
order for the VFC Program to be successful and timely.
  Citing this GAO report, our colleagues on the Appropriations 
Committee have included language insisting that the administration 
certify the new distribution system is in good working order before any 
vaccines are shipped through it. I commend this well placed concern and 
the oversight of the committee. However, I am concerned that some 
aspects of the committee amendment may create new, additional obstacles 
to implementing the VFC program on time.
  Specifically, the amendment requires the Secretary to certify not 
only that the new distribution is safe and effective, but that it is 
the absolute lowest cost option for distributing vaccines to children. 
The amendment further requires that this lowest-cost certification 
include evidence of bids solicited through a private sector 
competition. Unfortunately, the Federal Government's process of 
soliciting competitive bids, itself, takes months. This requirement, 
posed in this fashion, effectively guarantees that the VFC Program 
cannot open its doors to Medicaid and uninsured children on October 1. 
This raises grave concerns about how children will receive the 
immunizations to which they are entitled. We must not lose sight of 
this important priority.
  Mr. President, once again, I appreciate the committee's efforts to 
safeguard a high quality, effective and efficient vaccine distribution 
system for the VFC Program. I strongly urge that we all take a much 
closer look at the most reasonable way to achieve this goal while doing 
everything possible to also ensure that the VFC Program is able to 
serve the Nation's children at the earliest possible date.


                         vaccines for children

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, timely implementation of the Vaccines for 
Children [VFC] Program is essential. The program is a vital component 
of the President's childhood immunization initiative to eliminate all 
barriers to the appropriate immunization of children.
  When Congress passed this program last year, we recognized that cost 
is a major barrier to the timely and appropriate immunization of our 
Nation's preschool children. I am delighted to see recent data show an 
improvement in the national immunization rate to 72 percent. However, 
we are still far from reaching our goal of immunizing 90 percent of our 
preschoolers on time. And, cost remains one of the major barriers to 
this goal.
  In my home State of Washington, the universal system has been 
integral to the State's successful immunization strategy. Not only has 
this system made vaccines freely available to all children in their 
doctors' offices, but it also has enhanced the State's ability to 
develop a comprehensive immunization delivery system. Among other 
things, we will be able to develop more easily a statewide immunization 
registry to obtain up-to-date information about how well our children 
are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.
  States without universal purchase systems miss an opportunity to 
immunize children. In these States, families are referred to free 
public immunization clinics when they cannot afford the vaccines. This 
does not happen in Washington State. Consequently, the burden of public 
clinics in my home State is eased. They are able to serve more 
efficiently those children for whom the clinic is the usual source of 
health care. By providing physicians with federally purchased vaccines, 
the Vaccines for Children Program will allow States that do not have 
universal systems to similarly reduce the number of missed immunization 
opportunities and referrals of children to public clinics.
  The interim report of the Government Accounting Office [GAO] 
regarding the VFC Program raised a number of valid concerns about the 
proposed Federal vaccine distribution center. However, it is my 
understanding that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
[HHS] and the General Services Administration [GSA] are working with 
the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] to address these concerns and 
comply with relevant regulations to ensure vaccine safety. I also 
understand this can be done without delaying the start of this very 
important program. It is extremely important that obstacles not be 
placed in the way of the timely implementation of the Vaccines for 
Children Program.


                         vaccines for children

  Mr. RIEGLE. Mr. President, I would like to briefly summarize the 
history of an important program designed to increase the immunization 
rates of our Nation's most vulnerable children.
  Last year, after vigorous debate, the Congress enacted the Vaccines 
for Children [VFC] Program as part of President Clinton's childhood 
immunization initiative. Congress created the new program to remove 
existing barriers which prevent our most vulnerable populations, 
children up to 2 years of age, from receiving age-appropriate 
immunizations.
  Barriers, while not always obvious, build on each other. Although 70 
percent of uninsured children have private pediatricians, many of them 
are referred to public clinics due to costs. Public clinics, however, 
are overburdened, plagued by long lines and demands for acute care. 
National rates of immunization reflect these problems.
  While our national goal is to reach a 90-percent immunization rate 
for the basic series of vaccines, 1993 national rates show coverage of 
only 72 percent by age 3. Although the rate increased dramatically from 
55 percent in 1992, it was largely due to increased awareness from the 
measles resurgence between 1989 and 1991.
  In an effort to increase immunization rates to 90 percent and provide 
children with affordable vaccines, the childhood immunization 
initiative created a new program--Vaccines for Children [VFC]. Under 
the Federal program, States can elect to receive pediatric vaccines 
purchased by the Centers for Disease Control [CDC] for federally 
eligible children. Currently eligible children include: Medicaid 
enrollees, the uninsured, American Indian or Alaska Natives, and the 
underinsured who receive immunizations at public health clinics. 
Program-registered public and private providers will receive pediatric 
vaccines from States at no charge.
  CDC and the States will administer the VFC program, which will 
purchase and distribute vaccines to enrolled providers. The 
administration is currently planning to use the General Services 
Administration [GSA] to store and distribute vaccines while the CDC 
will negotiate prices with the manufacturers.
  Unfortunately, the VFC program and its implementation is greatly 
misunderstood. Its opponents suggest that immunization rates have 
reached 90 percent, despite data which shows national immunization 
rates almost 20 percent lower. Relatively high immunization rates for 
specific antigens does not mean that children have received the 
appropriate combination of recommended vaccines. Also, immunization 
coverage in the United States is not spread evenly, resulting in large 
pockets of undervaccinated children and leaving over 25 percent of our 
children with inadequate protection.

  Mr. President, a recent General Accounting Office [GAO] report 
regarding VFC implementation has added to program misconceptions. 
Although GAO identified certain areas which merit additional attention, 
including better preparation of the GSA warehouse for vaccine storage, 
they concluded that the Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS] 
will be able to safely and effectively implement the VFC program by the 
October deadline. At that time, participating providers will receive 
appropriate levels of vaccines, the distribution system will be 
functional, and many public and private providers will be enrolled. I 
would also like to note that the GAO evaluated the program's 
implementation despite the fact that the program has not yet been 
implemented.
  Following the publication of the GAO report, the Senate 
Appropriations Committee accepted by voice vote an amendment regarding 
program implementation. The amendment would prohibit distribution of 
publicly purchased vaccine by the GSA until the Appropriations 
Committee certifies that the distribution system is adequately tested 
and licensed and the system is lower than the cost of private bids. 
Additional report language directs the DHHS to solicit private sector 
bids for storage and vaccine distribution.
  Although I agree with several of the amendment's components, 
especially perfecting the distribution system, I have serious concerns 
with the overall restrictive nature of the amendment and specifically 
with its requirements regarding costs. In addition, I understand the 
amendment could raise constitutional problems and jurisdictional points 
of order. At this time, however, I will not subject the bill to a point 
of order. Instead, I have laid out my concerns and sincerely hope they 
are resolved throughout the remainder of the legislative process.
  I thank the distinguished Chair and appreciate the opportunity to 
discuss this important program before the Senate.


                           AMENDMENT NO. 2460

  Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I plan to oppose the amendment offered by 
the senior Senator from Pennsylvania [Mr. Spector], to restrict the 
President's authority to commit American troops abroad.
  Under the proposed amendment, the President could send United States 
Armed Forces to Haiti only under the following limited circumstances: 
First, with prior congressional approval; second, if necessary to 
protect the lives of American citizens; or third, if it is in our 
national security interests and there is no time to seek congressional 
authorization.
  Now, I personally disapprove of the President's handling of the 
situation in Haiti. In my view, we have no national security interest 
at stake there. The embargo has been a disaster. And it would be a 
grave mistake for the United States military to invade that nation.
  But the question posed by the Specter amendment goes beyond the 
narrow issue of just sending troops to Haiti. Instead, the amendment 
seeks to limit the President's authority as Commander in Chief and 
would severely restrict the President's power to conduct the Nation's 
foreign affairs. I think this is a dangerous amendment that would set a 
terrible precedent--in fact, I question whether it is based on sound 
constitutional footing.
  Again, Mr. President, I think the Clinton administration has badly 
mishandled the situation in Haiti. Moreover, I would oppose any effort 
by the administration to send to troops to Haiti. But, I will oppose 
the Specter amendment because I believe it to be an unacceptable 
intrusion by the Congress upon the President's powers.

                          ____________________