[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 41 (Monday, March 29, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3296-S3298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mr. Lieberman):
  S. 2249. A bill to amend the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance 
Act to provide for emergency food and shelter; to the Committee on 
Governmental Affairs.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation to 
reauthorize the Department of Homeland Security's Emergency Food and 
Shelter Program. This vital program enables communities nationwide to 
provide services to help individuals who are at risk of becoming 
homeless or going hungry due to an emergency or economic disaster. As a 
1999 General Accounting Office report concluded, ``in most areas of the 
United States, the Emergency Food and Shelter Program is the only 
source of funding for the prevention of homelessness.''
  I am pleased to have the support of Senator Lieberman, the ranking 
member of the Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees this 
important program as well as the Department of Homeland Security 
generally. I commend Senator Lieberman for his work on this important 
issue, including his efforts in the 107th Congress to pass legislation 
very similar to the bill that we are introducing together today.
  Since its creation 21 years ago, the Emergency Food and Shelter 
Program has provided a helping hand to local social service 
organizations that assist thousands of people in need of food and 
shelter. This program is effective because of the way it is structured. 
A national board, chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
governs the program. The board itself is composed of representatives 
from organizations who work every day to look out for those who are 
less fortunate--representatives of the American Red Cross, Catholic 
Charities, United Jewish Communities, the National Council of the 
Churches, the Salvation Army, and the United Way.
  This program is a model for an effective public-private partnership. 
The volunteer participation by these charitable organizations has kept 
administrative costs to less than 3 percent of the total program, 
making even more funds directly available for communities.
  Funds are distributed by the national board to local boards according 
to a formula that takes into account unemployment and poverty 
statistics in each community. Once local boards in counties and 
municipalities across America receive the funding, they decide how to 
best address the needs of their residents. These local boards are key 
to this process. That is because they are composed of individuals and 
organizations who live and work in the communities they serve. 
Therefore, they can best decide how to meet the needs of those who are 
at risk of becoming homeless.
  In recent years, communities in Maine have put the funding to good 
use. Communities in Cumberland and Franklin Counties, for example, have 
used most of these funds to supplement the efforts of local soup 
kitchens, Meals-on Wheels programs, and food pantries. The Wayside Soup 
Kitchen in Portland, ME, uses this funding to enhance their efforts to 
provide three separate food assistance programs to those in need.
  Demonstrating the flexibility of this program, communities in 
northern Maine's Aroostook County used more than 30 percent of their 
2003 funding to address emergency shelter and housing needs. This 
diversity in how communities spent these funds highlights the 
importance of letting local organizations decide how best to spend 
these resources, tailored to local needs.

  The Emergency Food and Shelter Program helps individuals maintain 
their dignity during difficult times. It also prevents dependency by 
providing emergency services to individuals and families on a limited 
basis so they can remain self-sufficient.
  Although Congress has continued to provide funding, the program's 
authorization expired in 1994. My bill, the Emergency Food and Shelter 
Act of 2004, seeks to again authorize this program and provide modest 
increases to reflect an increasing need.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this legislation to 
help families across America who are at risk of losing their homes or 
going hungry because of circumstances beyond their control.
                                 ______
                                 
       By Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Gregg, 
        Mr. Jeffords, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. Collins, Mrs. 
        Murray, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Edwards, Mr. McCain, Mr. Daschle, Mr. 
        Sununu, and Mr. Enzi):
   S. 2252. A bill to increase the number of aliens who may receive 
certain non-immigrant status during fiscal year 2004 and to require 
submissions of information by the Secretary of Homeland Security; to 
the Committee on the Judiciary.
   Mr. KENNEDY. It is a privilege to join my colleagues in introducing 
the Save Summer Act of 2004 to provide an immediate stop-gap solution 
to the H-2B visa cap problem in our immigration laws. Our colleagues, 
Representatives Delahunt and Young, are introducing an identical bill 
in the House.
  The H-2B program was established by Congress in 1990 to deal with 
labor shortages in non-agricultural seasonal employment. H-2B workers 
are employed by hotels, restaurants, resorts, the fishing and timber 
industries, amusement parks, and other sectors.
   U.S. employers seeking to bring in foreign nationals on these visas 
must demonstrate that they have been unable to find enough U.S. workers 
to fill

[[Page S3297]]

the jobs. Before visa applications are approved by the Department of 
Labor, the U.S. employers must certify that the temporary workers will 
not displace U.S. workers or adversely affect their wages or working 
conditions.
   The annual statutory cap for H-2B visas is 66,000. Two weeks ago, 
the Department of Homeland Security suddenly announced that the cap for 
the current fiscal year had been reached and began rejecting new 
applications for the visas. The abrupt announcement left many summer 
employers stranded. This is the first time the Government has announced 
that the cap has been reached, and the Department of Homeland Security 
gave no one advance warning.

  The H-2B program is vital for seasonal industries that need temporary 
workers. The lack of H-2B workers may well be devastating to these 
employers, many of which are small, family-run businesses. Without 
prompt passage of this bill, many summer employers in Massachusetts and 
around the country will have no choice but to shut their doors.
  The Save the Summer Act offers a straightforward solution to this 
pressing problem. It will increase the H-2B visa cap by 40,000 for the 
current fiscal year. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to 
provide quarterly reports to Congress on the number of H-2B visas 
issued, and an annual report with a detailed analysis of the program.
  Our immigration system is broken and many other reforms are obviously 
needed. Above all, it is essential to have immigration policies that 
reflect current economic realities, respect family unity and 
fundamental fairness, and uphold our proud tradition as a Nation of 
immigrants.
  Enacting these other reforms will take time--time we don't have if we 
want to save the summer for countless seasonal employers around the 
country. This legislation will provide immediate and much-needed relief 
to employers counting on H-2B workers to keep their doors open this 
summer, and I urge my colleagues to pass it as soon as possible.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Domenici, Mrs. Boxer, and Mr. 
        Dayton):
  S. 2253. A bill to permit young adults to perform projects to prevent 
fire and suppress fires, and provide disaster relief, on public land 
through a Healthy Forest Youth Conservation Corps; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill with 
Senators Domenici, Boxer, and Dayton to allow youth service and 
conservation corps to partner with public land management agencies to 
restore and protect public lands threatened by severe fire. I have 
dubbed this public-private partnership the Healthy Forests Youth 
Conservation Corps.
  Last year, I authored a similar provision that was included in the 
Senate version of the Healthy Forest legislation. Unfortunately, this 
provision was stripped out of the bill before it was signed into law.
  First, this bill aims to help Federal, State, and local governments 
implement priority projects using the cost-saving resources of youth 
corps.
  It is estimated that youth corps generate $1.60 in immediate benefits 
for every dollar in costs. This figure is important given the great 
need and cost associated with fighting fires.
  Every year, land management agencies are charged with conserving, 
protecting, and maintaining millions of acres of public land. This is a 
daunting task that requires an incredible amount of human and material 
resources.
  For instance, the Federal Government, alone, is responsible for 
overseeing 689 million acres of this land. Last year, five Federal 
agencies reported spending $1.6 billion in 2002 on fire fighting 
suppression efforts--a whopping $300 million more than the previous 
record. To fight those fires, 28,000 fire and support personnel were 
activated--the maximum civilian resources available in the Forest 
Service on top of the 600 Army troops, and 950 foreign firefighters who 
joined in the effort.
  As an example of what can happen in one State, consider last year's 
catastrophic wildfires in southern California. Before they were 
contained, the deadly fires of last fall scorched a total of 738,158 
acres, killed 23 people, and destroyed approximately 3,626 homes and 
thousands of other structures--amounting to the most costly and 
devastating fire ever to hit California. The insurance payouts alone 
will cost more than $3 billion, with public expenditures to fight the 
fires and recover from them running into the hundreds of millions of 
dollars.
  And those statistics make no mention of the resources expended to 
fight fires in other States.
  I want to prevent this type of catastrophe in the future. That is why 
I was an ardent supporter of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act that 
was signed into law last year.
  I also believe that we must use every resource at our disposal to 
meet this challenge. In my opinion, youth service and conversation 
corps can play a significant role in reducing the physical and 
financial strain that public land management agencies bear and help 
protect our Nation's public lands from wildfires.
  Secondly, this bill allows young people, particularly those youth who 
are people of color, low income, or are at high risk of dropping out of 
school, to integrate themselves into their communities and to learn 
skills that could lead to jobs or a greater interest in higher 
education in the future.
  I have seen firsthand the benefits that youth corps bring to their 
communities and the difference that the work can make in the lives of 
at-risk youth.
  In 1983, I founded the first urban youth corps as mayor of San 
Francisco, and during that time I saw a great improvement in the 
quality of life of the corps members and of the city itself.
  When we first began the program, we ran it on a million-dollar budget 
employing 36 disadvantaged young people ranging in age between 18 and 
23 years old who needed some direction, wanted a challenge, and wanted 
to make themselves socially useful.
  That first year, we paid corps members $3.35 an hour to repair 
bathrooms in affordable housing for senior citizens and ex-offenders, 
build a park in Hunter's Point, clear scotch broom from the Twin Peaks 
hillside, and fix up Alcatraz Island. And in the 21 years since the 
program began, it has grown into a multisite, multifaceted agency that 
engages more than 500 young adults annually who have completed over 3.5 
million hours of community service.
  It has given thousands of corps members a sense of personal pride, 
helped to connect them with their community and see for themselves that 
hard work pays off.
  I started the San Francisco Conservation Corps to help young people 
break out of the cycle of poverty and crime and improve their job 
skills by giving them guidance and support through labor-intensive 
activities.
  For this same reason, I am introducing this bill with the hope that 
the success of the San Francisco Conservation Corps can be duplicated 
nationwide.
  Specifically, this bill does the following: It authorizes the 
Agriculture and Interior Secretaries to enter into contracts or 
cooperative agreements with existing State, local, and nonprofit youth 
conservation corps to carry out land management initiatives on public 
lands.
  It directs the Secretaries to give priority for projects that will 
reduce hazardous fuels on public land, restore land located in near 
municipal watersheds and municipal waters supplies, rehabilitate land 
affected or altered by fire, assess lands afflicted or imminently 
threatened by disease or insect infestation, work to address windthrown 
land or at high risk of reburn, provide emergency assistance and 
disaster relief to communities.
  It allows the Secretaries to grant, at their discretion, 
noncompetitive hiring status for corps alumni for future Federal 
hiring.
  It authorizes $25 million for the alliance for fiscal year 2005-
fiscal year 2009.
  I know this program will not take all of the burden off public land 
management agencies as they work to protect and restore public lands, 
and I know this program will not reach every disadvantaged young person 
in need of guidance and support. But it is a start and I urge my 
colleagues to join me in my efforts.

[[Page S3298]]

                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. DASCHLE (for Mr. Dodd (for himself and Mr. Chafee):
  S. 2254. A bill to encourage and ensure the use of safe equestrian 
helmets, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following 
legislation be introduced and printed in the Congressional Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2254

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Christen O'Donnell 
     Equestrian Helmet Safety Act of 2004''.

     SEC. 2. GRANTS REGARDING USE OF SAFE EQUESTRIAN HELMETS.

       (a) Authority To Award Grants.--The Secretary of Commerce 
     may award grants to States, political subdivisions of States, 
     Indian tribes, tribal organizations, public organizations, 
     and private nonprofit organizations for activities that 
     encourage individuals to wear approved equestrian helmets.
       (b) Application.--A State, political subdivisions of 
     States, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, public 
     organizations, and private nonprofit organizations seeking a 
     grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an 
     application for the grant, in such form and containing such 
     information as the Secretary may require.
       (c) Review Before Award.--
       (1) Review.--The Secretary shall review each application 
     for a grant under this section in order to ensure that the 
     applicant for the grant will use the grant for the purposes 
     described in section 3.
       (2) Scope of programs.--In reviewing applications for 
     grants, the Secretary shall permit applicants wide discretion 
     in designing programs that effectively promote increased use 
     of approved equestrian helmets.

     SEC. 3. PURPOSES OF GRANTS.

       A grant under section 2 may be used by a grantee to--
       (1) encourage individuals to wear approved equestrian 
     helmets;
       (2) provide assistance to individuals who may not be able 
     to afford approved equestrian helmets to enable such 
     individuals to acquire such helmets;
       (3) educate individuals and their families on the 
     importance of wearing approved equestrian helmets in a proper 
     manner in order to improve equestrian safety; or
       (4) carry out any combination of activities described in 
     paragraphs (1), (2), and (3).

     SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

       (a) Requirement.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit 
     to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the 
     effectiveness of grants awarded under section 2.
       (b) Contents of Report.--The report shall include a list of 
     grant recipients, a summary of the types of programs 
     implemented by the grant recipients, and any recommendations 
     that the Secretary considers appropriate regarding 
     modification or extension of the authority under section 2.
       (c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 
     and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
     of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives.

     SEC. 5. STANDARDS.

       (a) In General.--Every equestrian helmet manufactured on or 
     after the date that is 9 months after the date of enactment 
     of this Act shall meet--
       (1) the interim standard specified in subsection (b), 
     pending the establishment of a final standard pursuant to 
     subsection (c); and
       (2) the final standard, once that standard has been 
     established under subsection (c).
       (b) Interim Standard.--The interim standard for equestrian 
     helmets is the American Society for Testing and Materials 
     (ASTM) standard designated as F 1163.
       (c) Final Standard.--
       (1) Requirement.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission 
     shall begin a proceeding under section 553 of title 5, United 
     States Code, to--
       (A) establish a final standard for equestrian helmets that 
     incorporates all the requirements of the interim standard 
     specified in subsection (b);
       (B) provide in the final standard a mandate that all 
     approved equestrian helmets be certified to the requirements 
     promulgated under the final standard by an organization that 
     is accredited to certify personal protection equipment in 
     accordance with ISO Guide 65; and
       (C) include in the final standard any additional provisions 
     that the Commission considers appropriate.
       (2) Inapplicability of certain laws.--Sections 7, 9, and 
     30(d) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2056, 
     2058, and 2079(d)) shall not apply to the proceeding under 
     this subsection, and section 11 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 2060) 
     shall not apply with respect to any standard issued under 
     such proceeding.
       (3) Effective date.--The final standard shall take effect 
     not later than 1 year after the date it is issued.
       (d) Failure To Meet Standards.--
       (1) Failure to meet interim standard.--Until the final 
     standard takes effect, an equestrian helmet that does not 
     meet the interim standard, required under subsection (a)(1), 
     shall be considered in violation of a consumer product safety 
     standard promulgated under the Consumer Product Safety Act.
       (2) Status of final standard.--The final standard developed 
     under subsection (c) shall be considered a consumer product 
     safety standard promulgated under the Consumer Product Safety 
     Act.

     SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) Department of Commerce.--There is authorized to be 
     appropriated to the Department of Commerce to carry out 
     section 2, $100,000 for each of fiscal years 2005, 2006, and 
     2007.
       (b) Consumer Product Safety Commission.--There is 
     authorized to be appropriated to the Consumer Product Safety 
     Commission to carry out activities under section 5, $500,000 
     for fiscal year 2005, which amount shall remain available 
     until expended.

     SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Approved equestrian helmet.--The term ``approved 
     equestrian helmet'' means an equestrian helmet that meets--
       (A) the interim standard specified in section 5(b), pending 
     establishment of a final standard under section 5(c); and
       (B) the final standard, once it is effective under section 
     5(c).
       (2) Equestrian helmet.--The term ``equestrian helmet'' 
     means a hard shell head covering intended to be worn while 
     participating in an equestrian event or activity.

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