[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 149 (Thursday, November 1, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11345-S11351]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND
RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2002--Continued
Amendment No. 2072, As Modified
Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that amendment
No. 2072, previously agreed to, be modified with the technical
corrections I now send to the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 2072), as modified, is as follows:
On page 54, between lines 15 and 16, insert the following:
Sec. 224. It is the sense of the Senate that the Secretary
of Health and Human Services should establish a program to
improve the blood lead screening rates of States for children
under the age of 3 enrolled in the medicaid program under
which, using State-specific blood lead screening data, the
Secretary would annually pay a State an amount to be
determined.
(1) For each 2-year-old child enrolled in the medicaid
program in the State who has received the minimum required
(for that age) screening blood lead level tests (capillary or
venous samples) to determine the presence of elevated blood
lead levels, as established by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
(2) For each such child who has received such minimum
required tests.
Safe Motherhood
Mr. KENNEDY. Madam President, I thank the Chairman for his ongoing
leadership on women's health and would like him to join me in
congratulating the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for its
ground-breaking National Summit on Safe Motherhood. The summit
succeeded in expanding our understanding of safe motherhood as a
critical woman's health issue and identified the troubling lack of
research and data on pregnancy-related issues that impact the short and
long-term health of women.
Mr. HARKIN. I am pleased to join the Senator in recognizing the
summit. I, too, am increasingly concerned that despite major advances
in public health and obstetrics, a safe and healthy pregnancy is still
not the experience for all women. More than 2,000 women each day have a
major medical complication during pregnancy, such as severe bleeding,
ectopic pregnancy, postpartum depression or infection. Some groups,
including African American, Hispanic, and older women, have a
significantly increased risk of illness or death. For example, African-
American women are four more times likely to die from pregnancy-related
complications as white women; Hispanic, Asian and American Indian women
are twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications as
their non-Hispanic, non-Asian, and non-American Indian counterparts;
and women aged 35-39 are 2 to 3 times as likely to experience a
pregnancy-related death compared to women aged 20-24.
Mr. KENNEDY. As the chairman knows, if we are to eliminate these
racial and ethnic disparities, we must gain a greater understanding of
what causes pregnancy-related illness and death. I find it very
troubling that even though more women in the United States are getting
prenatal care now than ever before, the number of maternal deaths and
preterm deliveries has not declined in the past 25 years.
Mr. HARKIN. The lack of progress in reducing maternal morbidity and
mortality is unacceptable. This committee strongly supports the goals
identified at the summit, including expanding the CDC's safe motherhood
initiatives. We must look at the public health importance of pregnancy
to women's health in the 21st century, the magnitude and impact of
short-term and long-term pregnancy-related complications, and national
strategies to close the gaps in research, data collection and quality
care. CDC has taken an important lead in this area.
In addition, I look forward to working with the Senator and the
General Accounting Office to document the existing state of research
and knowledge about the impact of pregnancy on women's health so that
we can have a blueprint for closing the gaps in women's health.
Healthy Start Program
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I commend the chairman and Senator
Specter for drafting the fiscal year 2002 Labor, Health and Human
Services, Education Appropriations bill. Assembling this legislation,
with important priorities such as the National Institutes of Health,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of
Education, is a daunting task and one for which you should be
commended.
As the chairman knows, the Healthy Start initiative was started in
1991 to reduce the rate of infant mortality in expectant mothers. The
legislation we are now considering provides nearly $90 million for
Healthy Start. While this is a generous allocation, it has come to my
attention that at this funding level, several Healthy Start programs
which have been approved by the Department will no longer receive their
Federal funding. I know of one such program that stands to lose
funding, Voices of Appalachia (VOA) Healthy Start. VOA in Whitley
County, KY has done a remarkable job of reducing the infant mortality
rate and continues to provide invaluable services to the families of
Southeastern Kentucky.
I understand that the House of Representatives has appropriated $102
million for the Healthy Start Program. Keeping in mind that resources
are scarce, I would inquire of the chairman whether he would be willing
to agree in conference to the level appropriated by the House.
Mr. HARKIN. As the Senator mentioned, this is a very tightly drafted
bill and there are many important areas in which the Senate bill
provides greater resources than the House. Like you, I realize the
importance of the Healthy Start Program, and while I cannot make any
promises, I will work with Senator Specter and the House to provide
sufficient resources for this worthwhile program.
Mr. SPECTER. I echo the comments of Chairman Harkin. Programs such as
VOA deserve the full support of Congress, and I am committed to working
with Chairman Harkin to provide adequate funding for Healthy Start
programs.
hispanic serving institutions grants program
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, my colleague, Senator Bingaman, and
I would like to clarify with our colleague, the distinguished chairman
of the Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, his
intent with respect to fiscal year 2002 funding of the Title V
Hispanic-serving Institutions Grants program.
As the chairman is well aware, this program provides critical funding
to generally smaller, community-oriented four- and two-year
institutions of higher education that serve at least 25 percent
Hispanic students. These approximately 200 institutions are an
increasingly important avenue to success for this important and growing
segment of our nation, and the HSI program is integral to the ability
of these institutions to open the doors of higher education to
Hispanics.
Mr. BINGAMAN. Will the Senator yield?
Mrs. HUTCHISON. I am happy to yield to my distinguished colleague
from New Mexico.
Mr. BINGAMAN. I thank my colleague and fellow chair of the Senate
Hispanic-serving Institutions Coalition for her leadership on this
important issue. As she knows, Hispanics, and particularly Hispanic
youth, are the fastest growing group of Americans. Yet despite the fact
that Hispanic Americans represent 13 percent of the population aged 18
to 24, they comprise
[[Page S11346]]
only 5.5 percent of the students enrolled in four-year institutions of
higher education. Moreover the number of Hispanics who never complete
high schools stands at an alarming 30 percent. As a nation we simply
cannot afford to have such a large and growing segment of our
population go unprepared to face the economic challenges of the next
century.
Key to greater Hispanic American enrollment in both higher and
secondary education are Hispanic-serving institutions. Despite the fact
that they represent only three percent of all colleges and universities
nationwide, HSIs educate over 600,000, or 42 percent, of the Hispanics
enrolled in postsecondary education today. However, many HSIs remain
critically underfunded and lack the resources and infrastructure
necessary to meet the growing demands of the communities they serve.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. If the senator will yield, I want to thank him for
his comments and his resolute support of this program and of a variety
of other education programs and issues of importance to Hispanics. I
also want to thank the distinguished chairman of the subcommittee,
Senator Harkin, as well as the ranking member, Senator Specter, for
working with Senator Bingaman and myself to achieve significant
increases in this program in recent years. I have seen first hand how
much of an impact HSI grants can have to a small, struggling junior or
community college. It can very often make the difference between being
able to offer a degree or degree program for the institution's
students.
Madam President, I thank and commend the chairman of the subcommittee
for his and for Senator Specter's always exceptional efforts at
crafting a bill that makes the difficult choices we must make each
year, while managing to maintain significant increases in overall
funding levels for key areas of national need, including education and
health funding. However, I understand the Senate committee-reported
bill now on the floor contains a funding level that represents a slight
increase over the 2001 fiscal year appropriation amount for the Title V
HSI program, but one that is below the House committee-reported funding
level of $81.5 million. I further understand it is the chairman's
intent to recede to this higher House funding level during conference
proceedings with the House. Is that correct?
Mr. HARKIN. The senator is correct. I certainly understand and share
her and Senator Bingaman's commitment to the important Hispanic-serving
institutions program. These colleges and universities are very
important to the academic and economic success of Hispanics in our
nation, and I do intend to seek the higher House funding level in
conference in order to further expand the ability of these institutions
to serve their students and their communities.
Mr. SPECTER. I too, share the chairman's commitment to the higher
funding level for the Title V program. Considering the need
demonstrated by Hispanic-serving institutions, their collective
contribution to their communities and to the nation, as well as the
effective use to which they put these funds, I believe the funding
increase is necessary and appropriate.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. I thank the chairman and ranking member for that
commitment, as well as my colleague from New Mexico, and I yield the
floor.
Mr. BINGAMAN. I, too, thank the chairman, ranking member, and Senator
Hutchison, and I look forward to continuing to work with all of them
and others, including the members of our bipartisan Senate Hispanic-
serving Institution Coalition, to continue to grow the ability of this
program to serve communities across our country. I yield the floor.
TRIO Programs
Mrs. LINCOLN. Madam President, I rise today along with my colleague
from Maine, Senator Collins, to express support for the TRIO Programs
that are funded in the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. Before
I discuss the specifics of these important programs and the legislation
before the Senate today, I would like to commend Senator Harkin for his
lifelong commitment to making quality education available to every
student through TRIO and other federal programs. I am grateful for his
leadership in this arena. I look forward to working with him in the
months and years ahead to continue the progress that is represented in
the bill we are debating today.
I also thank Senator Specter for his bipartisan approach over many
years as both chairman and ranking member on this subcommittee. The
willingness he has demonstrated to work with Members of both parties to
meet our Nation's most pressing needs in education and health care
funding is impressive and demonstrates a level of understanding and
foresight we should all strive to achieve.
I know there are many vital initiatives funded in this bill and I
want to briefly highlight one that is particularly important to my
state of Arkansas. As many of my colleagues know, the TRIO Programs
were authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to
support our Nation's commitment to providing educational opportunities
for all Americans. The TRIO programs are designed to help low-income,
first-generation college students prepare for, enter, and graduate from
college. While student financial aid programs help students overcome
financial barriers to higher education, TRIO Programs help students
overcome class, social and cultural barriers. Considering Arkansas has
one of the lowest percentages of citizens with a 4-year college degree,
the 52 TRIO programs currently serving participants in my State provide
a critical source of encouragement and support to thousands of students
who might otherwise never receive their college degree.
To demonstrate our support for these programs, Senator Collins and I
are leading a campaign in the Senate that would expand the population
served under these programs from 6 percent to 10 percent of eligible
students over the next 5 years. As an important step toward this goal,
we circulated a letter earlier this year that gained the support of 35
Senators to increase funding for TRIO by $190 million each year over
the next 5 years.
Even though the Senate bill did not meet the level of funding we
requested in our letter, I understand that the chairman and ranking
member received more than 1,000 requests for funding from Senators this
year. So I know I speak for all TRIO participants in my State in
expressing appreciation for the healthy $75 million increase over last
year's level that is provided for in the Senate bill. This additional
funding is an important step in the right direction and will expand
access to TRIO services to thousands of students in my State and
throughout the Nation.
As appropriators work to iron out differences between the House and
Senate versions of this bill in conference, I want to work with the
chairman and ranking member to fight for the higher level of funding
included in the Senate bill. Also, I want to encourage the
appropriations committee to provide an even larger increase for TRIO
should additional funding be made available in the budget and
appropriations process this year.
In closing, I thank Senator Collins for joining me in this effort. It
has been a pleasure working with her and I look forward to joining
forces with my colleague from Maine in the future on this and many
other important initiatives.
Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I would like to begin by thanking
Senator Lincoln for her kind words and for her commitment to TRIO. Just
as in Arkansas, many of the students in Maine grow up in families that
have not had experience with higher education. The TRIO programs are
vital in raising the aspirations of these students. Senator Lincoln has
consistently fought to raise the aspirations of high school students,
inspiring kids to strive for their full potential. It has been my
pleasure to work with her, and I look forward to continued cooperation
on behalf of TRIO.
I would also thank Senators Specter and Harkin for their commitment
to education funding. Under their leadership, the committee has
produced a Labor-HHS-Education bill that provides a $6.3 billion
increase in education spending for next year, including substantial
investments in Reading First, Title I, Pell Grants, and rural
education. The investments outlined in this bill will build upon the
progress of
[[Page S11347]]
the last few years and help us ensure that all students have an
opportunity to achieve.
Although the bill does not provide the amount we had hoped for to
fund TRIO, it does appropriate a considerable increase of $75 million,
which will be very helpful.
The five TRIO Programs--Educational Opportunity Centers, the Ronald
E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program, Student Support
Services, Talent Search and Upward Bound--work with young people and
adults, from the sixth grade through college graduation. Over 1,200
colleges, universities and agencies offer almost 2,500 TRIO Programs,
serving over 740,000 students throughout the United States, Puerto
Rico, and the Pacific Islands. These programs have enjoyed broad-based
support on both sides of the aisle and in local communities for over 30
years.
Father James Nadeau, a native of my hometown in Aroostook County, is
a graduate of the Bowdoin College Upward Bound program. His story tells
why the TRIO programs are so important. His parents did not have the
opportunity to pursue an education beyond the eighth grade. Father
Jim's participation in Upward Bound changed his life and opened up a
world of opportunity to him.
Beginning in 1977, Father Jim spent three summers enrolled in Upward
Bound and then attended Dartmouth College and studied in France and
Scotland. Subsequently, he studied for 5 years at the Gregorian
University in Rome and received two graduate degrees in theology. His
ministry has spanned from Mother Teresa in Calcutta to school children
in Portland, Maine and continues to affect lives all over the world. He
is an excellent role model for the youth of Maine and remains a
terrific example of the success of the TRIO programs. There are many
similar stories of TRIO graduates in all professions and walks of life.
These are stories of successful, educated individuals who were
introduced by a TRIO program to the endless possibilities that become
attainable through education.
Nationally, the current funding level for TRIO only allows
approximately 6 percent of the eligible population to be served. Many
students in my own state would not go to college without these
important federal programs. In Maine, 15 TRIO programs serve 5,509
young people and adults and I have been very impressed by the impact
these programs have on aspirations. Many Maine students have told me
that the TRIO programs gave them the confidence and encouragement they
needed to succeed in higher education.
As we complete the appropriations process, I would ask that we place
a continued emphasis on the important federal responsibility to expand
access to postsecondary education. It is critical that we reach our
target of serving at least 10 percent of the eligible population over
the next 5 years. I urge the chairman and ranking member to continue
their support of TRIO by protecting the proposed appropriation in
conference committee. I also ask that TRIO receive an increased
appropriation, should discretionary funds become available. For
example, if IDEA is funded with mandatory funds during the ESEA
reauthorization process, I hope that TRIO will be one of the programs
that benefits. On a related note, I should point out that Chairman
Harkin has been a leader in the effort to secure mandatory funding for
IDEA and I commend his commitment to that crucial issue.
In closing, the TRIO programs promote opportunity to education and
the possibility of upward mobility in this Nation, and they must be
strengthened.
Mr. HARKIN. I thank my colleagues for their kind words of support. As
they know, I have fought to increase funding for education programs,
including TRIO, in the past and I will continue to do so in the future.
I am well aware of the broad bipartisan support TRIO has in the Senate
and I can assure my colleagues that I will fight to retain the level of
funding for TRIO that we included in the Senate bill. Also, should
additional funding be made available in fiscal year 2002 for education
programs, I will work with my fellow appropriators to provide
additional resources for TRIO this year.
Mr. SPECTER. I too thank my colleagues for their comments. I
certainly join the chairman in expressing support for the TRIO programs
and will work in conference to maintain the level of funding contained
in the Senate bill.
substance Abuse Treatment for the Homeless
Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, Senator Reed and I would like to engage
the distinguished Chairman and Ranking Member of the Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education in a
colloquy on the important issue of substance abuse treatment for the
homeless. Our goal, which I know the chairman and ranking member share,
is to ensure that homeless individuals have access to substance abuse
treatment. While their most apparent need is decent shelter, homeless
men and women often require treatment for the underlying problem that
has kept them on the street, which in many cases is drug and alcohol
abuse. Compounding the problem is the reality that homeless people
often have difficulty accessing mainstream treatment services. What is
needed are treatment programs specifically tailored to our homeless
population.
Mr. HARKIN. The Senator from Maine is correct. Programs that link
treatment to other health, housing, social and maintenance services
often provide the best opportunity for the homeless to adhere to
treatment programs, and ultimately achieve stability in their lives.
Ms. COLLINS. I thank the Senator. Last year, Senator Reed and I
offered an amendment set aside of $10 million in Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), funds to provide grants
to assist communities in providing treatment services that will serve
the needs of their homeless populations. With the help of the
distinguished Senators from Pennsylvania and Iowa, who have done so
much through the years to help the homeless, our amendment was adopted.
This year, we are seeking to ensure that $16 million in SAMHSA funds
are set aside to serve the needs of homeless individuals. We respect
the chairman's wishes that SAMHSA earmarks not be made specifically in
bill language, and, accordingly, we will not offer my amendment on the
floor. We would ask, however, whether the chairman and ranking member
will advocate for the $16 million set-aside in the conference report to
this bill.
Mr. REED. I share my distinguished colleagues' interest in assuring
that this issue is addressed. Targeted treatment services for homeless
populations has been successful in providing the assistance and support
many homeless need to return to secure and stable lives. I commend the
chairman and ranking member for their continued support for substance
abuse and mental health treatment services for the homeless.
Mr. HARKIN. The Senators from Maine and Rhode Island may be assured
that I will seek conference language to ensure that $16 million in
SAMHSA funds are earmarked for substance abuse treatment for the
homeless, and I congratulate them for their leadership on this
important issue
Mr. SPECTER. I, too, would like to assure our good friends from Maine
and Rhode Island that I will work in conference to support their
request. I admire the Senators' efforts on behalf of the homeless and
share their compassion for this group in need.
indian employment and training
Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, the distinguished Senator from Hawaii,
Mr. Inouye, has submitted language to the committee regarding
compliance by the Department of Health and Human Services with the
provisions of the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services
Demonstration Act, Public Law 102-477. On behalf of my colleague
Senator Specter and myself, I would ask Senator Inouye to clarify the
intent of this language.
Mr. INOUYE. I am informed that HHS has recently released funds to the
tribes operating their Native Employment Works, NEW, and Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, programs outside the long-standing
interagency fund transfer mechanism used in the Public Law 102-477
demonstration. HHS has told the tribes that they must comply with all
HHS requirements for these programs, without any reference to the
applicability of the provisions of Public Law 102-477.
[[Page S11348]]
The language is intended to ensure that HHS respect all the provisions
of Public Law 102-477, including the provisions with respect to the
single planning, single budgeting and single reporting requirements,
which apply to all funds under the programs covered by that law. The
language is also intended to make certain that HHS engages in a
dialogue with the affected tribes and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as
lead agency for 477, and resolves any concerns which it has within the
framework of inter-Departmental-tribal partnership which is central to
the Public Law 102-477 demonstration initiative.
I would also note that there is an existing inter-departmental
memorandum of understanding between the Departments of Interior, HHS
and Labor which provides for a mechanism to continue the existing
practice of transferring funds from HHS and Labor to Interior for
obligation to the tribes in agreements specifically crafted for the
Public Law 102-477 demonstration.
Mr. STEVENS. If I may add to the remarks of my colleague from Hawaii,
the Alaska Native organizations in my State have been
disproportionately affected by the unilateral actions recently taken by
HHS in releasing NEW and TANF funds outside the established Public Law
102-477 process. Alaska Native groups have made important strides in
improving and streamlining their employment and related services
through the Public Law 102-477 demonstration. These organizations face
the suspension of services to thousands of Alaska Native people because
of the actions taken by HHS, placing NEW and TANF money outside the
standard 477 process. To avoid any further damage to the services to
Native people, particularly those most vulnerable who are in the public
assistance system, HHS must immediately comply with the requirements in
Public Law 102-477 and inform the tribes that these requirements,
including the single reporting requirement, will be honored by the
Department.
Mr. HARKIN. On behalf of myself and Senator Specter, I thank the
Senators from Hawaii and Alaska for this clarification. The committee
will do everything it can to ensure that HHS participates in the
innovative inter-Departmental-tribal partnership, consistent with all
the provisions of Public Law 102-477.
HISPANIC PROGRAMS
Mr. BINGAMAN. Madam President, I take this opportunity to thank
Chairman Harkin and Senator Specter for including in the managers'
package an amendment that I sponsored with Senators Daschle, Kennedy,
Kerry, and Murray related to education programs particularly important
to Hispanics in my State and to the Hispanic community nationally. This
amendment will increase funding for Bilingual education programs by
$100 million, provide an additional $3 million for the High School
Equivalency Program, $5 million for the College Assistance Migrant
Program, $58 million for GEARUP, $5 million for dropout prevention, $4
million for Hispanic Serving Institutions, and $25 million for the
Migrant Education Program.
Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the United States
and they are projected to contribute two-thirds to the growth in the
size of the high-school-age population over the next decade.
Unfortunately, Hispanic students as a group lag far behind their peers
on many academic indictors. For example, in 1998 thirty percent of all
Latino 16-24 year olds were dropouts--1.5 million, more than double the
dropout rate for Black (14 percent) and more than three times the rate
for Whites (8 percent). Overall, Hispanic students consistently perform
below the national average in the National Assessment of Educational
Progress--NAEP. The latest NAEP results--2000 show that the percentage
of 4th graders scoring above the proficient level nationwide was 16
percent for Hispanics and 40 percent for non-Hispanic whites in reading
and 10 percent for Hispanics and 34 percent for whites in math.
Disparities begin as early as kindergarten and remain through age 17.
By age nine, Hispanic students lag behind their non-Hispanic peers in
reading, mathematics and science proficiency. The increased funding
included in this amendment will have a tremendous impact on addressing
these serious gaps.
I appreciate the efforts made by our chairman, Senator Harkin, on
this bill overall. Due to his efforts and the efforts of his ranking
member, Senator Specter, the bill includes significant increases for
many education programs crucial to the Hispanic students and to all
children. I want to thank both Senators for helping us to provide
additional funds for these programs.
Mr. HARKIN. I appreciate the Senator's efforts on this amendment. I
strongly support these programs and agree we must make sure Hispanic
students have the opportunity to succeed. That's why Senator Specter
and I were pleased to include substantial increases for these programs.
Unfortunately, because we chose to honor our commitment to stay on
track to double the funding for NIH, and because we preserved funding
for renovation which is also important to schools serving Hispanic
students, we had less to spend on education than our House
counterparts.
I am pleased that, by adopting this amendment, we will be able to
increase HEP by $3 million--a 15 percent increase, CAMP by $5 million--
a 50 percent increase, the HSI program by million for HSIs, $405
million for Migrant Education, and $600 million for Bilingual
Education. Our amendment also includes $285 million for GEARUP and $805
million for TRIO; both programs prepare disadvantaged students to
pursue and attend postsecondary education.
Mr. SPECTER. I join my colleagues in supporting this amendment.
Senator Harkin and I have always tried to work together to make sure
federal resources are directed toward helping children who otherwise
might not have access to a high quality education. This amendment
clearly furthers that objective and I am pleased to accept it as part
of the managers' package.
Mr. DASCHLE. I would like to join the Senator from New Mexico in
thanking the chairman and ranking member for their help on this
amendment, and for their hard work on this bill. I know they do their
best to accommodate the myriad requests they have received to fund many
very worthwhile programs, and to try to address the many crucial
challenges facing our public education system. I do agree with my
colleagues that we must make sure that our schools do a much better job
in serving our growing population of Hispanic children. As the Senator
from New Mexico has pointed out, too many have not had access to the
strong schools and well-trained teachers who can help them succeed
academically for the sake of their own futures and for the benefit of
our nation as a whole. I would strongly urge the chairman and ranking
member to do their best to provide further increases for these
important programs, particularly for bilingual education, migrant
education, and GEARUP, during the conference on this bill.
Mr. BINGAMAN. If my colleagues will allow me to discuss this a little
further, Senator Kennedy and I would like to ask a few more questions.
It is my understanding that, at the request of Senator Hutchison, the
Senators have agreed to work with their colleagues in the House during
conference negotiations to further increase funding for Hispanic
Serving Institutions to $81.5 million?
Mr. HARKIN. Yes, the House bill allocates $81.5 million for that
program and we hope to recede to the House during conference
negotiations.
Mr. BINGAMAN. I greatly appreciate this commitment. These are almost
20 HSIs in my home state and these schools desperately need additional
funds to assist in the provision of a high quality education to the
fastest-growing minority population. I yield to my colleague Senator
Kennedy who has shown tremendous leadership on issues related to
education generally and has led the fight for improved services for
disadvantaged students in our country. I thank him for his support.
Mr. KENNEDY. I commend Senator Bingaman and Senator Daschle for their
leadership on this amendment. I also commend Senator Harkin and Senator
Specter for their assistance on the amendment and for their impressive
work on the entire bill.
All of the programs supported by this amendment deserve significant
increases. The Senate bill will include an impressive 34 percent
increase for Bilingual Education programs, which leverage state and
local funds for instructional program improvement, and
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help school districts implement curricula that help children with
limited English proficiency learn English and succeed academically.
There are more than 4 million LEP students attending our nation's
schools and the number is increasing. Although the number of such
students has grown dramatically in the last two decades, funding for
federal bilingual education has not been increased accordingly. In
fact, the Congressional Research Service found that funding for
bilingual education after adjusting for inflation declined by 39
percent from fiscal year 1980 to fiscal year 1998.
I understand that our Chair, Senate Harkin, has agreed to work with
Senate Specter and the other members of the conference on this bill to
provide further increases for this program during the conference
negotiations. We hope to secure at least $700 million for the program,
and more if at all possible. Does the Senator share that goal?
Mr. HARKIN. Yes, that is our goal.
Mr. KENNEDY. Also, as our colleagues know, the Senate bill
reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided that
bilingual funds would be allocated under the current competitive
program structure until the appropriation reaches $700 million. Even
the authorized trigger of $700 million is not sufficient, however, to
provide adequate level of support and services for all students with
limited English proficiency. Over the past decade, the enrollment of
these children in the nation's schools has grown at a dramatic rate--by
104 percent since 1989. More than half of all school teachers have LEP
students in their classroom, and yet only one-third of these teachers
have received sufficient training to serve these students.
For these reasons, the Senate passed the Lincoln-Kennedy amendment to
the Senate version of H.R. 1, placing Title III on a path toward full
funding over 7 years by authorizing $2.8 billion to adequately serve
all students. We should work to increase funding for bilingual
education to at least $700 million for 2002 to provide 1.1 million
limited English proficient students with good instruction, quality
programs, and well-qualified teachers. A minimum of $700 million is a
needed start toward ensuring that schools can provide high quality
instruction for these students, and the support that teachers need to
do well to meet this goal.
Under the funding level included in the Senate bill, we intend the
funds to be allocated under the current competitive program structure,
as provided for in the Senate version of H.R. 1.
Mr. HARKIN. Let me assure the distinguished chairman of the HELP
Committee that it is our intend to follow the direction of the
authorizing committee on this point. As I have indicated, it is
certainly my hope and intention to provide sufficient funds so that, if
they are distributed under a formula, schools would be able to provide
meaningful services to these children. I would like to clarify that,
under the funds provided by this amendment, if we were ultimately
unable to exceed this level of funding, my intention would be to
distribute the funds on a competitive basis. We would support
distributing the funds at this level as follows: $150 million for the
Emergency Immigrant Education program, $16 for Foreign Language
Assistance, $300 for the instructional services for limited English
proficient students subpart 1, $21 million for support services subpart
2, and $129 million for professional development subpart 3.
Mr. BINGAMAN. I thank the chairman. A substantial increase for
bilingual education is particularly important for my home State and
your willingness to continue to work on increasing funds for this
program is appreciated. In New Mexico, there are almost 70,000 LEP
students--over 20 percent of our total student population the national
average is 7.8 percent and only California has a larger percentage of
LEP students--24 percent. I should note that this program also is
essential to our Native American population. For many Native Americans,
English is a second language. These students need educational programs
that help preserve their native language while helping them to gain
greater proficiency in English and to achieve in core academic
subjects.
I also am pleased that we will be able to triple funding for the
dropout prevention program that I sponsored in the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act. In my home State, the annual Hispanic dropout
rate was more than twice that of non-Hispanic whites in 1999. This
program will provide funds to implement proven, research-based dropout
prevention strategies and will help provide greater national
coordination in our dropout prevention efforts.
I again express my thanks to Senators Harkin and Specter for their
support on this amendment and for their tremendous efforts on this
bill. I am also grateful to the Majority Leader, Senator Daschle, and
to Senator Kennedy for their support with respect to this amendment.
Education
Mrs. CLINTON. Madam President, I rise today both to applaud the chair
and minority ranking member of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations
Committee for supporting needed investments in school construction--
$925 million for States to make emergency renovations and repairs--and
to raise my concerns about the two amendments currently being debated.
I applaud the Senators from New Hampshire and Louisiana for focusing
the education debate on targeting title I funds to the highest poverty
states and school districts. I, however, cannot support my colleagues'
amendments.
Senator Gregg's amendment is a false choice. It takes needed money
away from school construction, adds these funds to the new funds
allocated to title I and ensures that they are distributed through the
targeted formula. I agree that new title I funds should be distributed
to states and school districts through the title I targeted formula,
which provides more funding to those States and school districts with
the highest child poverty rates and highest number of poor school-age
children. But, we cannot support targeting at the expense of repairing
our schools in the most urgent need of renovation.
You may have heard me tell the story of a fourth grade teacher at the
82-year-old Mechanicville Elementary School, just north of Albany, who
was struck in the head by concrete from the ceiling as she was teaching
because the school was in such disrepair. In New York, children are
attending schools in New York City built 100 years ago, and many
students in Upstate New York are attending schools that were built 50
or 60 years ago. As Senator Harkin so simply, yet so aptly, phrased it
in this debate in opposition to Senator Gregg's amendment: ``It is
unfair to put poor kids in poor schools.''
It is imperative that as a body we place a national priority on
making the most urgent repairs to our school and that we target as much
of the education funding as possible to our highest-need school
districts. We cannot choose one over the other. We must do both.
Senator Landrieu's effort amendment focuses on the second issue: How
we can best target title I funds to our highest poverty schools? I
applaud her for her effort to try to both send more money to States
through the targeted formula and to reward States for their effort and
equity of targeting funding within States. I cannot support Senator
Landrieu, however, as it would result in New York State receiving $17
million less than what is currently in the chairman's mark.
I would like to take a moment to explain to this body the situation
that New York schools and school children face in the wake of the
September 11th terrorist attacks and a suffering economy. It has been
estimated that as a result of the economic situation in New York the
State will face a $10 billion shortfall in State revenues over the next
18 months. In addition, Comptroller Carl McCall has identified $940
million in potential State and local government costs due to the
current confluence of negative events. Local governments outside of New
York City could experience reductions in tax revenues of up to $300
million. Already, the comptroller lists 36 units of local government
that are experiencing some level of fiscal distress. It is expected
that the uncertainty of State assistance and the declining economy will
only add to the current distress of these communities and will add more
communities to this list.
This shortfall and the weakening economy are already adversely
impacting our largest schools districts. In a
[[Page S11350]]
recent survey conducted by the New York State School Boards
Association, 31 percent of school districts indicated that they will be
forced to borrow and incur additional costs if more aid is not
forthcoming and 70 percent of school districts revealed that they had
tapped reserve funds that they will need to replenish. In Buffalo, the
schools have a $28.3 million shortfall, which could mean 400-500
teachers and other school personnel cut at a time when the district is
already struggling to find certified teachers to teach students. In New
York City, the school board is short $400 million; they are already
cutting afterschool programs and guidance counselors at a time when
students in the city most need extra attention and assistance. In
Rochester, they are short $21.7 million; in Yonkers, they are short $57
million; and, in Syracuse, they are short $8 million. And I could go on
and on.
This adverse impact on our schools is happening at a time when we are
debating an education bill that would put new Federal mandates on
schools--and, I would argue, needed accountability. But how can we ask
our schools to incur new costs to implement testing for all students in
grades 3 through 8? How can we expect our schools to hire only
certified teachers when they are laying off teachers left and right and
raising class sizes because they don't have resources to support new
teachers?
This appropriations bill begins to make a difference. It invests in
emergency school repairs and renovations for our schools that are most
urgently in need of repair; it significantly increase funding for
teacher quality and teacher recruitment; and it invests an additional
$1 billion in special education. But it is just not enough.
I believe that there are three things that we need to do.
We need to fully fund IDEA. This body passed the Harkin-Hagel
amendment on ESEA, which would move special education funding to the
mandatory side and would increase special education funding by $2.5
billion each year for the next 10 years. Why will this make a
difference in towns across New York, in the Buffalos and New York
Cities, but also in the smaller cities and towns from Oswego, to Utica,
to Massena to Roosevelt? Due to the failure of the Federal Government
to live up to its promise of funding 40 percent of special education
funding and the decrease in State shares of special education over
time, the burden on local communities has increased from 39 to 45
percent of the share of special education funding.
If we fully fund IDEA, New York's share of special education funding
would rise from $430.2 million, which we received in fiscal year 2001,
to $595.4 million in fiscal year 2002--a $165.2 million increase in the
first year. This increase would begin to make good on the Federal
Government's commitment to fully fund IDEA and, most importantly, it
would help our communities by freeing up local funds for other
necessary education investments.
I will fight my heart out to ensure that this amendment is part of
the final education bill that Congress will consider in the weeks
ahead.
We need to better target title I funding. To date, the Congress has
never appropriated funds through the title I targeted formula. This
formula provides needed money for States with the highest percentage of
children in poverty and the highest number of poor school age children.
New York is a State that would benefit tremendously from distributing
new title I funds through this formula. In fact, if we distributed all
title I funds above the fiscal year 2001 level through the targeted
formula, New York would receive approximately 39 percent more in title
I funding than it received last year. I will be fighting hard in the
education conference to ensure that we do more to distribute funds
through the targeted formula to help those states with the highest
percentage and highest number of poor school age children.
And I believe that we need to provide a bail-out for schools across
the country that are suffering as a result of the September 11
terrorist attacks and economic downturn. We cannot turn a blind eye to
our schools and allow them to take the hit of a downturned economy that
has resulted from the terrorist attacks of September 11th. I will be
working with my colleagues to develop an education assistance package
as part of the economic stimulus bill that this body will soon
consider.
Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the
quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Dodd). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Senators from Arizona and California are
in the Chamber. It is my understanding they wish to introduce some
legislation.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. That is correct.
Mr. REID. The Senator from Iowa has not completed his work on the
bill. He is waiting for some things to happen in the next few minutes.
Can the Senators indicate how much time they want to take?
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. I say to Senator Reid, thank you very much. We could
probably do it within 5 to 10 minutes.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent Senators Kyl and
Feinstein allowed to speak for up to 6 minutes each.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The Senator from California.
(The remarks of Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Kyl, and Ms. Snowe pertaining to
the introduction of S. 1627 are printed in today's Record under
``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.
Amendments Nos. 2076 through 2087, En Bloc
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I have a list of managers' amendments that
has been approved by both sides and which I send to the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
The Senator from Iowa [Mr. Harkin] proposes amendments
numbered 2076 through 2087, en bloc.
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of
the amendments be dispensed with.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendments are as follows:
amendment no. 2076
(Purpose: Provide current year funding for the National Skills
Standards Board)
On page 2, line 19 after ``of such Act;'' insert ``of which
$3,500,000 is available for obligation October 1, 2001 until
expended for carrying out the National Skills Standards Act
of 1994;''.
On page 2, beginning on line 24, strike out ``, and
$3,500,000 shall be for carrying out the National Skills
Standards Act of 1994''.
____
amendment no. 2077
(Purpose: Administrative expenses reduction)
On page 93, after line 12, insert the following:
Sec. 521. Amounts made available under this Act for the
administrative and related expenses for departmental
management for the Department of Labor, the Department of
Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education,
shall be reduced on a pro rata basis by $98,500,000:
Provided, That this provision shall not apply to the Food and
Drug Administration and the Indian Health Service: Provided
further, That not later than 15 days after the enactment of
this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
shall report to the Senate Committee on Appropriations the
accounts subject to the pro rata reductions and the amount to
be reduced in each account.
____
amendment no. 2078
(Purpose: Provide for increased funding for automatic external
defibrillators in rural communities, offset by administrative cost
reductions)
On page 22, line 18 after ``Awareness Act,'' strike
$5,488,843,000'' and insert in its place ``$5,496,343,000''.
On page 24, line 8 before the period insert the following
``: Provided further, That of the amount provided for Rural
Health Outreach Grants, $12,500,000 shall be available to
improve access to automatic external defibrillators in rural
communities''.
____
Amendment no. 2079
(Purpose: To provide additional funding to carry out the Ecstasy Anti-
Proliferation Act of 2000)
On page 34, line 13, strike ``$3,073,456,000'' and insert
``$3,088,456,000: Provided, That $10,000,000 shall be made
available to carry out subtitle C of title XXXVI of the
Children's Health Act of 2000 (and the amendments made by
such subtitle)''.
[[Page S11351]]
____
Amendment no. 2080
(Purpose: To increase the appropriation for the Promoting Safe and
Stable Families program)
On page 43, line 23, after the period, add the following:
``In addition, for such purposes, $70,000,000 to carry out
such section.''
____
Amendment no. 2081
(Purpose: To increase the appropriation for the Close Up Fellowship
Program)
On page 57, line 24, before the period, add the following:
``: Provided further, That $2,500,000 shall be available to
carry out part E of title II, including administrative
expenses associated with such part.''
____
Amendment no. 2082
(Purpose: To make funding available under title V of the Public Health
Service Act for mental health providers serving public safety workers
affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001)
On page 34, line 13, before the period insert: ``: Provided
further, That $5,000,000 shall be available for mental health
providers serving public safety workers affected by disasters
of national significance''.
____
amendment no. 2083
(Purpose: To provide funding for cancer prevention and screening
programs under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of
2000)
On page 54, between lines 15 and 16, insert the following:
Sec. 225. For the Health Resources and Services
Administration, $5,000,000 for grants for education,
prevention, and early detection of radiogenic cancers and
diseases under section 417C of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 285a-9) (as amended by the Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act Amendments of 2000), of which $1,000,000
shall be available to enter into a contract with the National
Research Council under which the Council shall--
(1) review the most recent scientific information related
to radiation exposure and associated cancers or other
diseases;
(2) make recommendations to--
(A) reduce the length of radiation exposure requirements
for any compensable illnesses under the Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. 2210 note); and
(B) include additional illnesses, geographic areas, or
classes of individuals with the scope of compensation of such
Act; and
(3) not later than June 30, 2003, prepare and submit to the
Committee on Appropriations, Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions, and Committee on the Judiciary of the
Senate and the Committee on Appropriations, Committee on
Energy and Commerce, and Committee on the Judiciary of the
House of Representatives, a report describing the findings
made by the Council under paragraphs (1) and (2).
____
amendment no. 2084
(Purpose: To provide funding for Hispanic education programs)
On page 40, line 16, strike ``5.9'' and insert ``5.7''.
On page 54, between lines 15 and 16, insert the following:
Sec. 522. Effective upon the date of enactment of this Act,
$200,000,000 of the amount appropriated under section
403(a)(4)(F) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
603(a)(4)(F)) is rescinded.
On page 54, line 25, strike ``$11,879,900,000, of which
$4,104,200,000'' and insert ``$11,912,900,000, of which
$4,129,200,000''.
On page 56, line 25, strike ``$8,717,014,000'' and insert
``$8,723,014,000''.
On page 57, line 18, strike ``$10,000,000'' and insert
``$15,000,000''.
On page 58, line 11, strike ``$516,000,000'' and insert
``$616,000,000''.
On page 64, line 16, strike ``$1,764,223,000'' and insert
``$1,826,223,000''.
____
amendment no. 2085
(Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate concerning research on,
and services for individuals with, post-abortion depression and
psychosis)
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
Sec. 226. It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting
through the Director of NIH and the Director of the National
Institute of Mental Health (in this section referred to as
the ``Institute''), should expand and intensify research and
related activities of the Institute with respect to post-
abortion depression and post-abortion psychosis (in this
section referred to as ``post-abortion conditions'');
(2) the Director of the Institute should coordinate the
activities of the Director under paragraph (1) with similar
activities conducted by the other national research
institutes and agencies of the National Institutes of Health
to the extent that such Institutes and agencies have
responsibilities that are related to post-abortion
conditions;
(3) in carrying out paragraph (1)--
(A) the Director of the Institute should conduct or support
research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and to
find a cure for, post-abortion conditions; and
(B) activities under such paragraph should include
conducting and supporting the following:
(i) basic research concerning the etiology and causes of
the conditions;
(ii) epidemiological studies to address the frequency and
natural history of the conditions and the differences among
racial and ethnic groups with respect to the conditions;
(iii) the development of improved diagnostic techniques;
(iv) clinical research for the development and evaluation
of new treatments, including new biological agents; and
(v) information and education programs for health care
professionals and the public; and
(4)(A) the Director of the Institute should conduct a
national longitudinal study to determine the incidence and
prevalence of cases of post-abortion conditions, and the
symptoms, severity, and duration of such cases, toward the
goal of more fully identifying the characteristics of such
cases and developing diagnostic techniques; and
(B) beginning not later than 3 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and periodically thereafter for the
duration of the study under subparagraph (A), the Director of
the Institute should prepare and submit to the Congress
reports on the findings of the study.
____
amendment no. 2086
(Purpose: To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide a short
title for a children's traumatic stress program)
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
Sec. 227. Section 582 of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 290hh-(f) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(g) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the
`Donald J. Cohen National Child Traumatic Stress
Initiative'.''.
____
Amendment No. 2087
(Purpose: To modify the calculation of State expenditures for
eligible States under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965)
On page 73, between lines 4 and 5, insert the following:
Sec. 307. The requirement of section 415C(b)(8) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070c-2(b)(8)) shall
not apply to a State program during fiscal year 2001 and the
State expenditures under the State program for fiscal year
2001 shall be disregarded in calculating the maintenance of
effort requirement under that section for each of the fiscal
years 2002 through 2004, if the State demonstrates, to the
satisfaction of the Secretary of Education, that it--
(1) allocated all of the funds that the State appropriated
in fiscal year 2001 for need-based scholarship, grant, and
work study assistance to the programs described in subpart 4
of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1070c et seq.); and
(2) did not participate in the program described in section
415E of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070c-3a)
in fiscal year 2001.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the amendments are
considered en bloc and agreed to.
The amendments (Nos. 2076 through 2087) were agreed to en bloc.
Mr. HARKIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Harkin). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
____________________