[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 3 (Thursday, January 9, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S174-S175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  STATEMENTS ON SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 15--COMMENDING DAN L. CRIPPEN FOR HIS SERVICE TO 
                        CONGRESS AND THE NATION

  Mr. DOMENICI (for himself, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hollings, 
Mr. Nickles, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Wyden, 
Ms. Snowe, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Frist, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Smith, Mr. Byrd, 
Mr. Allard, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Hagel, Ms. Stabenow, Mrs. 
Clinton, and Mr. Corzine) submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 15

       Whereas Dr. Dan L. Crippen has served as the fifth Director 
     of the Congressional Budget Office since February 3, 1999 and 
     now has ended his service on January 3, 2003;
       Whereas during his tenure as Director, he has continued to 
     encourage the highest standards of analytical excellence 
     within the staff of the Congressional Budget Office while 
     maintaining the independent and nonpartisan character of the 
     organization;
       Whereas he has provided expert testimony to all committees 
     of the United States Senate;
       Whereas during his tenure as Director, he has expanded and 
     improved the accessibility of the Congressional Budget 
     Office's work products to the Congress and the public;
       Whereas he has led the agency's development of an 
     independent long-term economic modeling capability that 
     examines demographic changes and their critical impact on 
     economic and budget estimates;
       Whereas he has performed his duties as Director at a time 
     of extreme personal loss with courage, dignity, and 
     intelligence; and
       Whereas he has earned the respect and esteem of the United 
     States Senate: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the United States commends Dr. 
     Dan L. Crippen for his dedicated, faithful, and outstanding 
     service to his country and to the Senate.
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  SENATE RESOLUTION 16--HONORING THE HILLTOPPERS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY 
UNIVERSITY FROM BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY, FOR WINNING THE 2002 NATIONAL 
  COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION DIVISION I-AA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

  Mr. BUNNING (for himself and Mr. McConnell) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 16

       Whereas on December 20, 2002, the Western Kentucky 
     University Hilltoppers from Bowling Green, Kentucky, won the 
     2002 NCAA Division I-AA Collegiate Football Championship;
       Whereas this championship is Western Kentucky University's 
     first NCAA Football Championship since its football program 
     began in 1913;
       Whereas the Hilltoppers had an impressive and overall 
     record of 12 wins and 3 losses, including 10 consecutive wins 
     and winning the championship game;
       Whereas the Hilltoppers showed tremendous dedication to 
     each other, appreciation to their fans, sportsmanship to 
     their opponents, and respect for the game of football 
     throughout their 2002 season;
       Whereas Western Kentucky University was represented with 
     integrity and principled leadership under the direction of 
     its head coach Jack Harbaugh, athletic director Dr. Wood 
     Selig, and president Dr. Gary A. Ransdell; and
       Whereas on December 20, 2002, the 15th ranked Western 
     Kentucky University Hilltoppers faced the number 1 ranked 
     McNeese State University Cowboys for the 2002 NCAA Division 
     I-AA Football Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and 
     came away victorious by a score of 34 to 14: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate honors the Western Kentucky 
     University football team from Bowling Green, Kentucky, for 
     winning the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship.
                                 ______
                                 

 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
   THERE SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE PARITY BETWEEN THE ADJUSTMENTS IN THE 
 COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES AND THE ADJUSTMENTS 
     IN THE COMPENSATION OF CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES OF THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. SARBANES (for himself, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Mikulski, 
Mrs. Murray, Mr. Levin, Mr. Warner, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Nelson of 
Nebraska, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Lieberman) 
submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Governmental Affairs:

                             S. Con. Res. 1

       Whereas members of the uniformed services of the United 
     States and civilian employees of the United States make 
     significant contributions to the general welfare of the 
     United States and are on the front lines in the fight against 
     terrorism;
       Whereas civilian employees of the United States play a 
     crucial role in the fight against terrorism, as exemplified 
     by the civilian employees of the new Department of Homeland 
     Security who are working to ensure the security of the United 
     States, the civilian employees of the Central Intelligence 
     Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who are 
     investigating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and 
     working to prevent further terrorist attacks, the numerous 
     civilian employees of the Federal Government who participated 
     in disaster response teams after such attacks, and the 
     civilian employees of the Transportation Security Agency who 
     are working to make our skies safer;
       Whereas civilian employees of the United States will 
     continue to support and defend the United States during this 
     difficult time;
       Whereas for fiscal year 2003 the Administration granted a 
     4.1 percent pay raise for members of the uniformed services 
     but only a 3.1 percent pay raise for the dedicated civilian 
     employees of the United States, a disparity in adjustments 
     that violates the traditional principle of parity of pay 
     adjustments; and
       Whereas this disparity in pay adjustments goes against the 
     longstanding policy of parity for all those who have chosen 
     to serve the United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that there 
     should continue to be parity between the adjustments in the 
     compensation of members of the uniformed services and the 
     adjustments in the compensation of civilian employees of the 
     United States.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I am called to join with Senators Akaka, 
Bingaman, Cantwell, Clinton, Durbin, Kennedy, Levin, Lieberman, 
Mikulski, Murray, Nelson, E. Benjamin, and Warner in introducing a 
resolution that would express the sense of the Congress that parity in 
the pay increases granted to Federal civilian and military employees 
should be maintained. A comparison of military and civilian pay 
increases by the Congressional Research Service finds that in 14 of the 
last 17 years military and civilian pay increases have been identical. 
Disparate treatment of civilian and military pay goes against the 
longstanding policy of parity for all those who have chosen to serve 
our Nation, whether that service be in the civilian workforce or in the 
armed services.
  During this unpredented time in our Nation's history, both members of 
the armed services and civilian Federal employees are fighting the war 
on terrorism and making remarkable contributions to the safety of this 
country and our citizens. Both the armed forces and civilian employees 
are on the front lines in the fight against terrorism, and civilian 
employees are playing a significant role in that fight.

[[Page S175]]

  For example, civilian employees of the new Department of Homeland 
Security are working to ensure the safety of our Nation. Air marshals 
and members of the Transportation Security Agency are making America's 
skies safer. Civilian employees of the Central Intelligence Agency and 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the events of 
September 11th and working to prevent further terrorist attacks. And 
Federal employees at the State Department are working with other 
countries in an international coalition against terrorism.
  In addition, there are numerous Federal employees who participated in 
disaster response teams on September 11th and during the anthrax 
attacks. And every day, thousands of civilian Federal employees 
continue to go to work and carry out their responsibilities in this 
unpredictable time.
  This Senate Concurrent Resolution expresses the sense of the Congress 
that parity between the adjustments in Federal civilian pay and 
military pay should be maintained. For Fiscal Year 2003, President Bush 
gave a 4.1 percent pay raise to members of the armed services, but only 
a 3.1 percent pay raise to our dedicated public servants. This 
discrepancy violates the traditional principle of pay parity, and does 
not recognize the crucial work of the civilian Federal workforce. 
Furthermore, this discrepancy ignores the express wish of Congress that 
the principle of pay parity be followed. Past budget resolutions and 
Treasury-Postal appropriations bills approved by the Senate and the 
House of Representatives have included language expressing the ``sense 
of Congress that rates of compensation for civilian employees of the 
United States should be adjusted at the same time, and in the same 
proportion, as are rates of compensation for member of the uniformed 
services.''
  In this difficult time, the dedication and commitment of both the 
armed services and our civilian employees demonstrate the greatness of 
our Nation. The contribution of both should be recognized.

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