[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 24 (Monday, February 10, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S2121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. LANDRIEU:
  S. 334. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide 
eligibility for astronauts for Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance; to 
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, our Nation continues to mourn the 
terrible tragedy that we all experienced on Saturday with the explosion 
of the Space Shuttle Columbia. The loss of these seven brave men and 
women proved that space flight is still dangerous. Unfortunately, I 
come to the floor today to call my colleagues' attention to another 
tragedy, one which Congress can and should correct.
  After the 1986 Challenger explosion, a terrible oversight on the part 
of our government came to light. We learned that NASA astronauts, with 
the exception of those in the military, often cannot get life 
insurance. Their jobs are too high-risk for them to be able to easily 
obtain private insurance. And, up until now, the government has not 
provided any type of safety net for these men and women, who risk their 
lives every day to advance our Nation's space program.
  Fortunately, a private fund, the Space Shuttle Children's Trust Fund, 
was formed to fill this breach. The fund paid an estimated $1.2 million 
to the families of the astronauts killed in the Challenger explosion. I 
would like to take a moment to commend Mr. Delbert Smith, a Washington, 
DC attorney and chairman of the fund, as well as all of the other men 
and women who stepped forward to help the families of these national 
heroes. It is selfless individuals like Mr. Smith and his colleagues 
that make America the greatest nation in the world.
  Despite the sacrifice of these individuals, the fact is that the 
government should have taken care of the families of these astronauts. 
Just as we take care of our veterans, we should ensure that our 
astronauts do not have to worry about the financial survival of their 
families if the unthinkable happens. And while there will always be a 
place for organizations like the Space Shuttle Children's Trust Fund, 
Congress has a responsibility to take care of the brave men and women 
in our human space flight program.
  Unfortunately, it pains me to say that this is one lesson we did not 
learn from the Challenger disaster. After the Columbia explosion, I was 
shocked to learn that there is still no provision for the Federal 
Government to ensure that the families of astronauts are taken care of 
in these tragic circumstances.
  We all pray that we will never have to suffer through another tragedy 
like the Challenger and Columbia explosions. But it is the 
responsibility of Congress to ensure that we are prepared in case it 
does happen again. Therefore, today I am introducing a bill that would 
allow astronauts to participate in the Servicemember's Group Life 
Insurance program. As my colleagues know, this is the insurance program 
that is set up for our men and women in the military. With relatively 
low payments, service members are eligible to up to $250,000 in life 
insurance. I believe that astronauts should also be eligible for this 
program, and that is why I am proposing this legislation.
  In closing, something like this should have been done in 1986, 
following the Challenger disaster. Unfortunately, 17 years later, 
Congress still has not acted to fix this problem. I say to my 
colleagues, we must not let even one more astronaut put his or her life 
at risk until we have ensured that the government will be there to 
provide for their children and their families. I hope my colleagues 
will join me in supporting this measure, and I hope we can get it 
approved quickly. I thank the chair.
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