[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 99 (Friday, July 16, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8278-S8280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. SANTORUM (for himself and Mr. Cornyn):
S. 2681. A bill to establish a program to support a transition to
democracy in Iran; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I rise today to offer remarks about a
bill that Senator Cornyn of Texas and I have introduced, the Iran
Freedom and Support Act of 2004. This legislation seeks to promote the
transformation of the Islamic Republic of Iran to a democratic form of
government.
Our bill expresses the sense of the Congress that it should be the
policy of the United States to support regime change in Iran and that
the U.S. government should promote the transition to a new democratic
Iranian government. In addition, so as to help make this transition
possible, our bill authorizes the President to provide up to $10
million in assistance to qualified foreign and domestic pro-democracy
groups opposed to the non-democratic government of Iran. To maximize
the efforts of these pro-democracy groups, our bill authorizes
activities such as aid to pro-democracy radio and television
broadcasting organizations as a way of directly reaching the people of
Iran.
For many years now, the people of Iran have dramatically demonstrated
their desire for greater social and political freedoms. Literally
millions of Iranians have massed in the streets of the major cities,
demanding the right to choose their form of government and their own
leaders. Even public opinion polls conducted by the dictatorial regime
show upwards of seventy percent of Iranians want democratic change. But
Iran remains in the grip of a brutal tyranny that has silenced
dissident voices by arbitrary arrests, closure of newspapers and
magazines, destruction of satellite television dishes, widespread
torture and the second-highest execution rate in the world.
Our bill seeks to help the Iranian people achieve freedom by
supporting pro-democracy groups and enabling freedom-supporting Farsi
language radio and television broadcasting stations to broadcast
information directly to Iran.
The current leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran are not only
brutal tyrants. Their support of anti-American elements and terrorist
organizations poses a direct threat to the interests of the United
States and our allies. For two decades, the Department of State has
identified Iran as THE leading sponsor of international terrorism. Iran
has been linked to the deaths of United States military personnel in
Beirut, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. Iran has long provided financial and
operational assistance to Hezbollah and is presently the leading state
sponsor of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who conduct lethal attacks against
the citizens of Israel.
Finally, Iran may be engaged in a crash program to develop nuclear
weapons. In October 2003, after strong and concerted pressure by the
international community, Iran agreed to sign an agreement to suspend
uranium enrichment and open its nuclear facilities to more intrusive
international inspections. Despite this pledge, Iran has repeatedly
withheld key information and documentation about its clandestine
nuclear efforts. In February 2004, blueprints containing instructions
for building a type of gas centrifuge known as the P2, a super-
efficient machine used in producing enriched uranium, were discovered.
The Iranians had not revealed these plans.
Additionally, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found
multiple traces of highly-enriched uranium, with no civilian use, at a
Kalaye Electric Company workshop in Tehran and at the Natanz pilot fuel
enrichment plant 150 miles south of the Iranian capital. To the best of
my knowledge, Iran has not offered a satisfactory explanation as to the
IAEA's discovery of this materiel.
Reports are that Iran has sought magnets for thousands of such gas
centrifuges. Also, Iran has not been able to explain experiments with
polonium-210, a radioactive element primarily useful as a bomb trigger.
Finally, Iranian government officials have barred access to selected
sites for a period of time while--as recent satellite imagery shows--
they almost certainly sanitized them of incriminating evidence.
I believe it urgent for the United States to support regime change in
Iran. Without regime change, Iran will soon constitute the world's
leading supporter of terrorism armed with nuclear weapons. That would
be a great catastrophe for the Middle East, and for the United States
and our democratic allies everywhere.
The bill I have introduced with Senator Cornyn will facilitate this
change by reaching out to the people of Iran and supporting what
President Bush and Secretary of State Powell have called the legitimate
desire of the Iranian people to be free.
______
By Mr. ALLARD:
S. 2682. A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 222 West 8th Street, Durango, Colorado, as the ``Ben
Nighthorse Campbell Post Office Building''; to the Committee on
Governmental Affairs.
Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I send to the desk legislation designate
the U.S. Post Office located at 222 West 8th Street in Durango, CO, as
the Ben Nighthorse Campbell Post Office Building.
My dear friend and colleague, Ben Nighthorse Campbell was born in
Auburn, CA on April 13, 1933. His mother, Mary Vierra, was a Portuguese
immigrant, and his father, Albert Campbell, was a Northern Cheyenne
Indian.
At a young age, Ben developed a passion for the then newly budding
sport
[[Page S8279]]
of judo. Overcoming numerous, seemingly insurmountable obstacles as a
youngster, in college he became the youngest person in the United
States to hold the fourth degree black belt. He went on to study in
Japan with the most respected judo masters. Ben was never short on
determination. One student in particular, was a menacing opponent. He
kept his photo on the wall of his room, and shouted to it often, ``I
will beat you!''--and he finally did.
Ben was named to the U.S. Olympic Judo team in 1964, but an injury
caused him to collapse on the floor during the match, which yielded his
opponent the bronze medal by default. Ben went on to bring the sport of
judo into a specialized system for kids, teaching them self discipline,
self control and self respect, as he established one of the first
successful clubs for kids.
With Campbell's determination and magnanimous spirit, it was only
natural that he enter the political arena where his perseverance has in
fact left its mark on American history. Campbell likes to view himself
as a person of passion and this passion has rattled more than a few
formidable foes. As the only American Indian in Congress he found
himself, de facto, the representative of all Indians throughout the
United States. In his time on the Indian Affairs Committee, he got more
legislation passed for Indians than anyone in the Nation's history.
Ben is also a renowned jewelry designer, athlete, former truck
driver, and trainer of champion quarter horses. He has been married to
his wife, Linda, for more than 35 years. He is the father of two grown
children, Colin Campbell and Shanan Longfellow. He is a proud
grandfather to Luke and Saylor Longfellow and Lauren Campbell.
Ben has been one of the most fascinating figures on the political
scene, and will be deeply missed when he retires. I am proud to call
him friend. It is only fitting that we can honor his legacy by naming
this post office after him.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the
Record.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
S. 2682
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 222 West 8th Street, Durango, Colorado,
shall be known and designated as the ``Ben Nighthorse
Campbell Post Office Building''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be
a reference to the ``Ben Nighthorse Campbell Post Office
Building''.
______
By Mr. FITZGERALD (for himself and Mr. Akaka):
S. 2683. A bill to provide for certain financial reporting
requirements to apply to certain small executive branch agencies, and
for other purposes; to the Committee on Governmental Affairs.
Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. President, I am joined today by Senator Daniel K.
Akaka in introducing the Financial Accountability Expansion Act of
2004, which would ensure the fiscal accountability of Federal entities.
This bill would strengthen Federal financial management by subjecting
all Federal entities in the Executive Branch to the stringent financial
audit requirements that currently apply to most cabinet level
departments and major agencies.
Congressional efforts to improve financial management and to reduce
the waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars began almost 25 years
ago with the enactment of the Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act
of 1982, which intended to strengthen internal controls and accounting
systems. Another important financial management reform initiative was
the Chief Financial Officers Act (CFO) of 1990. Among other things, the
CFO Act created 24 CFO and deputy CFO positions in cabinet departments
and major Executive Branch agencies, and required the annual
preparation and audit of financial statements.
I would briefly like to mention that the Department of Homeland
Security, which is now the third largest Federal department, is the
only cabinet level department that is not subject to the CFO Act.
Therefore, on August 1, 2003, Senator Akaka and I introduced S. 1567,
the Department of Homeland Security Financial Accountability Act, that
would subject the Department to the same financial management practices
currently required of all other major Federal agencies. We are pleased
that the Senate passed this bill, as amended, and the House of
Representatives is expected to pass its version of the bill in the near
future.
The CFO Act improved the financial management of cabinet departments
and major Federal agencies; however, it did not address the fiscal
policies and practices of the rest of the Executive Branch. Therefore,
in 2002, I was the Senate sponsor of the Accountability of Tax Dollars
Act (ATDA). This Act, which became law on November 7, 2002, amended the
CFO Act to require agencies with budget authority of over $25 million
to prepare annual financial statements and have them independently
audited. Due to the enactment of the ATDA, an additional 76 agencies
are now subject to requirements for annually audited financial
statements.
The ATDA also provided authority to the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to waive or exempt certain agencies from
the Act's requirements. The OMB Director may waive these requirements
during the first two years of implementation if an agency lacks the
budgeted resources or requires additional time to develop financial
management practices and systems. The OMB Director may exempt agencies
with budget authority under $25 million if it is determined that there
is an absence of risk associated with the agency's operations.
To improve upon the legislative changes Congress passed in 2002, the
Financial Accountability Expansion Act of 2004 would further expand the
audit requirements of the CFO Act to every remaining Federal entity in
the Executive Branch. Each Executive Branch agency or entity,
regardless of its size or budget authority, would be subject to the
financial oversight and accountability that annual audits of financial
statements provide. In order to assist small agencies that may not have
adequate financial resources or personnel to comply with these
requirements, this bill would authorize the Secretary of the Treasury
to enter into one or more contracts on behalf of the agency, or
multiple agencies through ``bundling,'' for the preparation and
independent audit of the financial statement.
The bill also would require OMB to conduct a thorough assessment and
submit a report to Congress regarding those Federal entities not
currently required to prepare financial statements and have them
independently audited. This study is necessary to ensure that OMB and
Congress have an accurate and complete picture of the breadth and depth
of the gaps in the financial accountability of the Executive Branch.
Senator Akaka and I have long had an interest in ensuring that the
Federal Government operates effectively and efficiently, and does not
waste taxpayer dollars through poor fiscal management. The independent
audits of financial statements that this bill would require of the
entire Executive Branch would strengthen the fiscal accountability of
the entire Federal Government and reduce the opportunities for waste,
fraud, and abuse.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the
Record.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
S. 2683
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 ``Financial Accountability
Expansion Act of 2004''.
SEC. 2. FINANCIAL STATEMENT REQUIREMENT FOR CERTAIN SMALL
AGENCIES.
(a) In General.--Section 3515 of title 31, United States
Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``(1)''; and
(2) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following:
``(e) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget
shall determine which covered executive agencies have size or
budgetary limitations that do not support the internal
preparation of a financial statement required under this
section. The Director of
[[Page S8280]]
the Office of Management and Budget shall inform the
Secretary of the Treasury of such determination, and for such
agencies, the Secretary of the Treasury shall prepare the
financial statement, or enter into a contract for the
preparation of such statement, and shall enter into a
contract with 1 or more independent auditors to audit the
financial statement required under this section. All
requirements of this section shall apply with respect to
audited financial statements prepared under this
subsection.''.
(b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--Section 2 of the
Accountability of Tax Dollars Act of 2002 (31 U.S.C. 3515
note; Public Law 107-289) is amended by striking subsection
(b).
SEC. 3. CERTAIN FEDERAL ENTITIES WITHOUT ANNUAL AUDITED
FINANCIAL STATEMENT REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``Federal
entity'' means any entity established in the executive
branch, including such an entity that administers a special
purpose program or any other entity established by
presidential or departmental directive that is not required
to prepare an annual audited financial statement.
(b) Annually Audited Financial Statements.--The Office of
Management and Budget shall require each Federal entity that
is not statutorily required to prepare an annual financial
statement and have the statement independently audited, to
submit an annually audited financial statement prepared in
accordance with United States generally accepted auditing
principles to the Office of Management and Budget.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget shall submit a report described under
paragraph (2) to the--
(A) Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and
(B) Committee on Government Reform of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Content.--The report under paragraph (1) shall
include--
(A) a list of each Federal entity as defined under
subsection (a); and
(B) actions taken by the Office of Management and Budget to
implement subsection (b).
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this Act in fiscal year 2005, and each
fiscal year thereafter.
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