[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 49 (Thursday, April 21, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4079-S4083]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
resume the pending business, which the clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 1268) making emergency supplemental 
     appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, 
     to establish and rapidly implement regulations for State 
     driver's licenses and identification document security 
     standards, to prevent terrorists from abusing the asylum laws 
     of the United States, to unify terrorism-related grounds for 
     inadmissibility and removal, to ensure expeditious 
     construction of the San Diego border fence, and for other 
     purposes.

  Pending:

       Ensign amendment No. 487, to provide for additional border 
     patrol agents for the remainder of fiscal year 2005.
       Bayh amendment No. 520, to appropriate an additional 
     $213,000,000 for Other Procurement, Army, for the procurement 
     of Up-Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles 
     (UAHMMWVs).

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is now 15 minutes equally divided. Who 
yields time?
  The Senator from Massachusetts.


                           Amendment No. 520

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I yield myself 3 minutes.
  In December, just a few months ago, the Secretary of Defense on a 
visit to Iraq was asked by a soldier why our troops were sent into 
battle with unarmored vehicles.
  It was a question on the minds of many Americans--especially those 
with sons, daughters, husbands, wives, friends, and neighbors who had 
answered their country's call and whose lives are on the line every day 
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  The American people are appalled that our troops have had to fend for 
themselves by strapping plywood and scrap metal onto their vehicles. 
Our troops call them ``cardboard coffins.'' As one soldier who served 
in Iraq said, ``I would feel safer in a Volvo than I would in one of 
these (unarmored) Humvees.''
  But month after month, the Pentagon has failed to provide enough 
armored Humvees to meet the urgent security needs of our troops on 
dangerous patrols in Iraq. On nine different occasions, we have asked 
the Pentagon for their requirements for armored Humvees, and nine times 
they have been wrong.
  An now the Pentagon actually wants to decrease the production of 
armored Humvees.
  Tell that to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and they'll let you 
know how irresponsible that is--just as they told Secretary Rumsfeld on 
his trip to Iraq in December.

[[Page S4080]]

  Tell that to the family of James Sherill, a Kentucky National 
Guardsman who was killed in an unarmored vehicle just this month.
  Tell that to the families in Massachusetts who have lost loved ones 
in Iraq.
  Tell that to the tens of thousands of dedicated men and women in 
uniform about to serve their second and third tours there. Tell them 
they may have to ride into the danger zone yet again without enough 
armor.
  We know that American companies can produce more.
  Armor Holdings--the company that puts the armor on the armored 
Humvee--told my office this morning that its current contract with the 
Army will mean sharp reductions in production. Right now, they provide 
550 armored Humvees a month. Their current Army contract calls for only 
239 in June, zero in July, 40 in August, and 71 in September. The 
company is negotiating with the Army for slightly higher levels of 
production for June, July, and August, but it still expects to decrease 
production to 71 by September.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time of the Senator has expired.
  Mr. KENNEDY. I will take another minute.
  We cannot let the Department of Defense get it wrong for the tenth 
time. For the sake of our troops we need to get it right.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from 
the Department of Defense to Senator Inouye that says:

       To sustain production at the maximum capacity through the 
     end of FY05, the Army would need an additional funding of 
     approximately $213 million.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

         Department of the Army, Office of the Deputy Chief of 
           Staff, G-3/5/7,
                                                   Washington, DC.
     Hon. Daniel K. Inouye,
     Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Defense, Committee 
         on Appropriations, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Inouye: Greatly appreciate your outstanding 
     support as you work your way through the FY05 supplemental 
     request. Understand you are receiving several inquiries 
     regarding Up-Armored HMMWVs (UAH). To lend clarity to Army 
     requirements for the UAH in support of the Global War on 
     Terrorism (GWOT), we provide the following information.
       The current GWOT requirement for UAH is 10,079. The amount 
     already appropriated and supported in reprogramming actions 
     funds 4,528 UAHs in FY05 enabling the Army to meet the 10,079 
     requirement in June 05 with no additional funding.
       We currently are producing at the manufacturer's maximum 
     capacity of 550 per month. This will continue through June 
     05, at which time production rates will decline. To sustain 
     production at the maximum capacity through the end of FY05, 
     the Army would need additional funding of approximately $213 
     million; however, this sum is not necessary to address the 
     extant requirement.
       Thank you very much for your hard work and fast action on 
     the supplemental bill. Your dedication to our men and women 
     in uniform, and their families, is deeply valued.
           Sincerely,

                                             David F. Melcher,

                                               Lieutenant General,
                            U.S. Army, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8.

                                            James J. Lovelace,

                                               Lieutenant General,
                            U.S. Army, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3.

  Mr. KENNEDY. The House of Representatives added 232. This amendment 
is to do what the Department of Defense says is necessary to keep the 
production line going. I hope it will be accepted.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time? The Senator from New Jersey.


                     Amendment No. 368, As Modified

  Mr. CORZINE. Mr. President, amendment No. 368, as modified, was 
accepted by both sides on the Foreign Operations Subcommittee last 
night before a unanimous consent agreement, not in time for inclusion 
in the managers' amendment. I therefore ask unanimous consent to lay 
aside the pending amendment so I may call up amendment No. 368, as 
modified, and ask unanimous consent this amendment be adopted.
  Senator Brownback, Senator DeWine, and others are on this amendment 
as well, which is funding for the Darfur peacekeeping operations as 
well as disaster assistance.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, this is an amendment we worked on for a 
long time, a Darfur amendment, $50 million for peacekeepers, $40 
million for food aid. It was agreed to but not in the managers' package 
last night. We do ask unanimous consent this be brought up and we will 
be asking for a voice vote on it. It has broad bipartisan support.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, this is an amendment that will clearly 
save lives. It is the right thing to do and I join my colleagues in 
asking it be passed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? The Senator from 
Mississippi.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, we have no objection to the amendment 
being called up. We have discussed the amendment with the Senator from 
New Jersey and the Senators from Kansas and Ohio. We have no objection 
to proceeding to consider the amendment.
  Mr. CORZINE. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  Mr. COCHRAN. We are not going to join that request.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from New Jersey [Mr. Corzine] for himself, Mr. 
     DeWine, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Leahy, and Mr. Obama, 
     proposes an amendment numbered 368, as modified.

  Mr. COCHRAN. I ask unanimous consent the reading of the amendment be 
dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       On page 183, after line 23, add the following:


                                 sudan

       Sec.   . Of the funds appropriated in this Act for 
     ``Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities'', 
     $90,500,000 may be made available for assistance for Darfur, 
     Sudan: Provided, That within these amounts, $50,000,000 may 
     be transferred to ``Peacekeeping Operations'' for support of 
     the efforts of the African Union to halt genocide and other 
     atrocities in Darfur, Sudan; Provided further, That 
     $40,500,000 may be transferred to ``International Disaster 
     and Famine Assistance'' for assistance for Darfur, Sudan and 
     other African countries.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate on the 
amendment, the question is on agreeing to the amendment.
  The amendment (No. 368), as modified, was agreed to.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote and I move 
to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Idaho.
  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to offer an 
amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. KENNEDY. Reserving the right to object, I do not intend to 
object, but I thought we had a brief time for discussion of this 
amendment. That is what I heard the unanimous consent agreement was, 
for 15 minutes. That is what I thought we were going to debate and vote 
on at a quarter of. That is the only reason I raise this objection 
because there was a unanimous consent.
  If the Senator wants to complete a brief unanimous consent request, I 
will not object, but I hope if there are arguments against this 
amendment, we will be able to hear them. We are prepared to put some 
more arguments out there on the table.
  Mr. CRAIG. I appreciate the concern of the Senator. I believe the 
amendment I am sending to the desk has been agreed to on both sides. 
There is a second degree. We should be able to move very quickly 
through it.
  Mr. KENNEDY. I have no objection.


                           Amendment No. 564

  Mr. CRAIG. I send an amendment to the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Idaho [Mr. Craig] for himself and Mr. 
     Akaka, proposes an amendment numbered 564.

  Mr. CRAIG. I ask unanimous consent the reading of the amendment be 
dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

[[Page S4081]]

(Purpose: To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide a traumatic 
    injury protection rider to servicemembers insured under section 
                       1967(a)(1) of such title)

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. TRAUMATIC INJURY PROTECTION.

       (a) In General.--Subchapter III of chapter 19, Title 38, 
     United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in section 1965, by adding at the end the following:
       ``(11) The term `activities of daily living' means the 
     inability to independently perform 2 of the 6 following 
     functions:
       ``(A) Bathing.
       ``(B) Continence.
       ``(C) Dressing.
       ``(D) Eating.
       ``(E) Toileting.
       ``(F) Transferring.''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:

     ``Sec. 1980A. Traumatic injury protection

       ``(a) A member who is insured under subparagraph (A)(i), 
     (B), or (C)(i) of section 1967(a)(1) shall automatically be 
     issued a traumatic injury protection rider that will provide 
     for a payment not to exceed $100,000 if the member, while so 
     insured, sustains a traumatic injury that results in a loss 
     described in subsection (b)(1). The maximum amount payable 
     for all injuries resulting from the same traumatic event 
     shall be limited to $100,000. If a member suffers more than 1 
     such loss as a result of traumatic injury, payment will be 
     made in accordance with the schedule in subsection (d) for 
     the single loss providing the highest payment.
       ``(b)(1) A member who is issued a traumatic injury 
     protection rider under subsection (a) is insured against such 
     traumatic injuries, as prescribed by the Secretary, in 
     collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, including, but 
     not limited to--
       ``(A) total and permanent loss of sight;
       ``(B) loss of a hand or foot by severance at or above the 
     wrist or ankle;
       ``(C) total and permanent loss of speech;
       ``(D) total and permanent loss of hearing in both ears;
       ``(E) loss of thumb and index finger of the same hand by 
     severance at or above the metacarpophalangeal joints;
       ``(F) quadriplegia, paraplegia, or hemiplegia;
       ``(G) burns greater than second degree, covering 30 percent 
     of the body or 30 percent of the face; and
       ``(H) coma or the inability to carry out the activities of 
     daily living resulting from traumatic injury to the brain.
       ``(2) For purposes of this subsection--
       ``(A) the term `quadriplegia' means the complete and 
     irreversible paralysis of all 4 limbs;
       ``(B) the term `paraplegia' means the complete and 
     irreversible paralysis of both lower limbs; and
       ``(C) the term `hemiplegia' means the complete and 
     irreversible paralysis of the upper and lower limbs on 1 side 
     of the body.
       ``(3) The Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of 
     Defense, shall prescribe, by regulation, the conditions under 
     which coverage against loss will not be provided.
       ``(c) A payment under this section may be made only if--
       ``(1) the member is insured under Servicemembers' Group 
     Life Insurance when the traumatic injury is sustained;
       ``(2) the loss results directly from that traumatic injury 
     and from no other cause; and
       ``(3) the member suffers the loss before the end of the 
     period prescribed by the Secretary, in collaboration with the 
     Secretary of Defense, which begins on the date on which the 
     member sustains the traumatic injury, except, if the loss is 
     quadriplegia, paraplegia, or hemiplegia, the member suffers 
     the loss not later than 365 days after sustaining the 
     traumatic injury.
       ``(d) Payments under this section for losses described in 
     subsection (b)(1) shall be--
       ``(1) made in accordance with a schedule prescribed by the 
     Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of Defense;
       ``(2) based on the severity of the covered condition; and
       ``(3) in an amount that is equal to not less than $25,000 
     and not more than $100,000.
       ``(e)(1) During any period in which a member is insured 
     under this section and the member is on active duty, there 
     shall be deducted each month from the member's basic or other 
     pay until separation or release from active duty an amount 
     determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs as the 
     premium allocable to the pay period for providing traumatic 
     injury protection under this section (which shall be the same 
     for all such members) as the share of the cost attributable 
     to provided coverage under this section, less any costs 
     traceable to the extra hazards of such duty in the uniformed 
     services.
       ``(2) During any month in which a member is assigned to the 
     Ready Reserve of a uniformed service under conditions which 
     meet the qualifications set forth in section 1965(5)(B) of 
     this title and is insured under a policy of insurance 
     purchased by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under section 
     1966 of this title, there shall be contributed from the 
     appropriation made for active duty pay of the uniformed 
     service concerned an amount determined by the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs (which shall be the same for all such 
     members) as the share of the cost attributable to provided 
     coverage under this section, less any costs traceable to the 
     extra hazards of such duty in the uniformed services. Any 
     amounts so contributed on behalf of any member shall be 
     collected by the Secretary of the concerned service from such 
     member (by deduction from pay or otherwise) and shall be 
     credited to the appropriation from which such contribution 
     was made in advance on a monthly basis.
       ``(3) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall determine the 
     premium amounts to be charged for traumatic injury protection 
     coverage provided under this section.
       ``(4) The premium amounts shall be determined on the basis 
     of sound actuarial principles and shall include an amount 
     necessary to cover the administrative costs to the insurer or 
     insurers providing such insurance.
       ``(5) Each premium rate for the first policy year shall be 
     continued for subsequent policy years, except that the rate 
     may be adjusted for any such subsequent policy year on the 
     basis of the experience under the policy, as determined by 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in advance of that policy 
     year.
       ``(6) The cost attributable to insuring such member under 
     this section, less the premiums deducted from the pay of the 
     member's uniformed service, shall be paid by the Secretary of 
     Defense to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. This amount 
     shall be paid on a monthly basis, and shall be due within 10 
     days of the notice provided by the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs to the Secretary of the concerned uniformed service.
       ``(7) The Secretary of Defense shall provide the amount of 
     appropriations required to pay expected claims in a policy 
     year, as determined according to sound actuarial principles 
     by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
       ``(8) The Secretary of Defense shall forward an amount to 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs that is equivalent to half 
     the anticipated cost of claims for the current fiscal year, 
     upon the effective date of this legislation.
       ``(f) The Secretary of Defense shall certify whether any 
     member claiming the benefit under this section is eligible.
       ``(g) Payment for a loss resulting from traumatic injury 
     will not be made if the member dies before the end of the 
     period prescribed by the Secretary, in collaboration with the 
     Secretary of Defense, which begins on the date on which the 
     member sustains the injury. If the member dies before payment 
     to the member can be made, the payment will be made according 
     to the member's most current beneficiary designation under 
     Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, or a by law 
     designation, if applicable.
       ``(h) Coverage for loss resulting from traumatic injury 
     provided under this section shall cease at midnight on the 
     date of the member's separation from the uniformed service. 
     Payment will not be made for any loss resulting from injury 
     incurred after the date a member is separated from the 
     uniformed services.
       ``(i) Insurance coverage provided under this section is not 
     convertible to Veterans' Group Life Insurance.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 
     19 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 
     after the item relating to section 1980 the following:

``1980A. Traumatic injury protection.''.

       (c) Effective Date.--
       (1) In general.--The amendments made by this section shall 
     take effect on the first day of the first month beginning 
     more than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
       (2) Rulemaking.--Before the effective date described in 
     paragraph (1), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 
     collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, shall issue 
     regulations to carry out the amendments made by this section.


                 Amendment No. 551 To Amendment No. 564

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. DeWINE. I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the second-degree 
amendment.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Ohio [Mr. DeWine] proposes an amendment 
     numbered 551 to amendment No. 564.

  Mr. DeWINE. I ask unanimous consent the reading of the amendment be 
dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

(Purpose: To make the traumatic injury insurance provision retroactive 
                  for servicemembers injured in Iraq)

       On page 8, line 16, strike ``(c)'' and insert the 
     following:
       (c) Retroactive Provision.--
       (1) In general.--Any member who experienced a traumatic 
     injury (as described in section 1980A(b)(1) of title 38, 
     United States Code) between October 7, 2001, and the 
     effective date under subsection (d), is eligible for coverage 
     provided in such section 1980A if the qualifying loss was a 
     direct result of injuries incurred in Operation Enduring 
     Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.
       (2) Certification; payment.--The Secretary of Defense 
     shall--
       (A) certify to the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life 
     Insurance the names and addresses of those members the 
     Secretary of Defense determines to be eligible for 
     retroactive traumatic injury benefits under such section 
     1980A; and
       (B) forward to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, at the 
     time the certification is made

[[Page S4082]]

     under subparagraph (A), an amount of money equal to the 
     amount the Secretary of Defense determines to be necessary to 
     pay all cost related to claims for retroactive benefits under 
     such section 1980A.
       (d)

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate on the second-degree 
amendment? If not, the question is on agreeing to the amendment.
  The amendment (No. 551) was agreed to.


                     Amendment No. 564, As Amended

  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, prior to a vote on the amendment as 
amended, I would like to speak for up to 3 minutes.
  I have sought recognition to comment on an amendment I have offered 
to address a tremendous gap in coverage that exists in our treatment of 
the soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, who are fighting for our 
country. My amendment addresses that coverage gap through the creation 
of a new ``Traumatic Injury Protection'' insurance program for the 
benefit of severely disabled servicemembers. But before I describe my 
amendment, let me further discuss the nature of the problem my 
amendment would attend to.
  It is widely known that due to incredible advances in medicine, 
servicemembers who may not have survived life-threatening injuries in 
previous wars are now making it back home from Iraq and Afghanistan 
alive. That is the good news. The bad news, however, is that they must 
live with injuries that may have left them without their limbs, sight, 
hearing, speech, or ability to even move.
  All of my colleagues have likely met with these brave men and women 
in their home States, or right here in Washington, DC, at the Walter 
Reed Army Medical Center. They are fighting for their lives. They are 
attempting to learn through physical and occupational therapy how to 
reintegrate back into society. Needless to say, relearning things I and 
my colleagues take for granted every day--how to walk, how to read, how 
to simply make breakfast in the morning--can take months or, quite 
possibly, years.
  It is during this rehabilitation period at military hospitals that 
the need for additional financial resources is most acute. For many 
Guard and Reserve members at Walter Reed, they already have foregone 
higher paying civilian jobs prior to their deployment. Lengthy recovery 
periods simply add to the financial strain they bear. In addition, 
family members of injured soldiers bear the burdens necessary to travel 
from great distances to provide the love and emotional support that is 
absolutely essential for any successful rehabilitation. Spouses quit 
jobs to spend time with their husbands at the hospital. Parents spare 
no expense to be with their injured children.
  To meet these needs, my amendment would create a ``Traumatic Injury 
Protection'' insurance rider as part of the existing Servicemembers' 
Group Life Insurance Program. The traumatic insurance would provide 
coverage for severely disabling conditions at a cost of approximately 
$1 a month for participating servicemembers. The payment for those 
suffering a severe disability would be immediate and would range from 
$25,000 to a maximum of $100,000. The purpose of the immediate payment 
would be to give injured servicemembers and their families the 
financial cushion they need to sustain them before their medical 
discharge from service when veterans' benefits would kick in.
  The traumatic injuries covered under my amendment include: total and 
permanent loss of sight; loss of hands or feet; total and permanent 
loss of speech; total and permanent loss of hearing; quadriplegia; 
paraplegia; burns greater than second degree, covering 30 percent of 
the body or face; and certain traumatic brain injuries.
  The cost of the amendment is entirely reasonable given the cause. 
Informal CBO estimates put the FY2006 cost at $10 million. A very small 
price to pay to meet the needs of these wounded warriors.
  I cannot take credit for the idea behind this amendment. The credit 
must go to disabled veterans of the Wounded Warrior Project, run under 
the aegis of the United Spinal Association. Three Wounded Warrior 
veterans of the Iraq war visited my office last week to discuss the 
need to provide this type of an insurance benefit. One veteran, former 
Army SSG Heath Calhoun, had both of his legs amputated after being 
struck during a rocket propelled grenade attack in Iraq. Heath and his 
wife, Tiffany, who was present with him in my office, described the 
financial problems they endured after Tiffany quit her job to be with 
Heath during his convalescence. It took over a year before Heath was 
medically discharged from service. While the Calhoun family was able to 
make it through that extremely trying period, Heath told me he was 
adamant that other servicemembers in Iraq should not have to worry 
about finances should they, too, be injured. The quickest way to 
accomplish that, he told me, was to add a disability insurance rider--
financed by servicemembers through monthly premium deductions--to the 
existing life insurance program. I am honored to sponsor this amendment 
in the Senate on his, and the other veterans of the Wounded Warrior 
Project's, behalf. I would also like to personally complement Ryan 
Kelly, who also visited me last week. Mr. Kelly lost his right leg 
during an ambush near Baghdad almost 21 months ago. I am told he was a 
principal author of the draft legislation that culminated in the 
amendment I offer today. I thank him for his fine work.
  I also want to thank President Bush and his top administration 
officials for lending their support to this amendment. Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul 
Wolfowitz, and their staffs, who provided invaluable technical support 
in the drafting of this amendment.
  And most importantly, I want to thank my partner in this effort, the 
Committee's ranking member, Senator Daniel K. Akaka. I thank him for 
cosponsoring the amendment, and I thank him for joining me in a spirit 
of bipartisanship as we seek to serve veterans together.
  The supplemental already would make substantial improvements to 
benefits provided to survivors of those killed in the line of duty. I 
applaud those efforts. But I also remind my colleagues that we must be 
vigilant in our care for those who are still fighting to regain the 
normalcy of the lives they enjoyed prior to sustaining catastrophic 
injuries in defense of our freedom. I ask for your support.
  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I speak in favor of the amendment offered 
by the distinguished chairman and ranking member of the Veterans 
Affairs Committee.
  A few weeks ago, I met with Sergeants Ryan Kelly, Jeremy Feldbusch, 
and Heath Calhoun, all of whom had recently returned from Iraq. They 
served their country bravely in battle, and in doing so, each of these 
men sustained a disabling injury that will change their lives forever.
  When they came home, it would have been easy for them to go about 
their own business or feel sorry for themselves.
  But they did not. Instead, they decided that their service to our 
country would not end on the battlefields of Iraq. They would speak out 
for their fellow soldiers--the ones who also may come home without a 
leg, or an arm, or their sight, but may not have the resources to carry 
on and support their families.
  This amendment is their tribute to their brothers and sisters-in-
arms.
  For only about $3 per month, it allows service members to purchase 
group disability insurance that would award them a maximum of $100,000 
if they are deemed seriously injured. For disabled veterans who may not 
be able to work when they come home, this insurance could help them 
obtain long-term care, send their kids to school, or simply make sure 
that they can pay the bills and still put food on the table. It won't 
cost the Government a dime. It simply needs our approval to allow it to 
happen.
  The blessings of modern technology have saved the lives of many 
service members who would otherwise have died from their wounds. Yet, 
it also means there will be more wounded who need care. Every single 
one of us has a fundamental moral duty to take care of those men and 
women who've sacrificed to safeguard our freedom. This amendment offers 
us one way to do that, and I thank Senators Craig and Akaka for their 
cooperation in moving this issue forward.

[[Page S4083]]

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I am pleased to support this important and 
timely amendment.
  This amendment will go far to ease the financial burden that is 
placed on a service member and his or her loved ones as a result of 
traumatic injury. Between $25,000 and $100,000 will be paid to service 
members who suffer such injuries based on severity of injury.
  Service members and their families face heavy financial burdens while 
hospitalized, and prior to being medically discharged from the 
military. This effort will help lessen the burden that exists on 
service members and their families before VA benefits kick in.
  Importantly, to qualify for this necessary benefit, our soldiers, 
sailors, airmen, and marines do not have to do any additional 
paperwork. They are automatically enrolled in this program by virtue of 
being a participant in the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance 
Program.
  The insurance premium will cost the service member approximately $1 a 
month and will be determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
  This insurance policy is meant to supplement, and not take the place 
of, existing DoD and VA benefits. This amendment is intended to fill a 
gap: assistance to service members and their families during recovery 
from a traumatic injury. In no way should anyone view this as a 
precedence for shifting costs to a service member.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate? If not, the question 
is on agreeing to the amendment.
  The amendment (No. 564), as amended, was agreed to.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. CRAIG. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Idaho.
  Mr. CRAIG. I thank the Senator from Massachusetts for his 
consideration, most importantly the chairman of the full Appropriations 
Committee for his cooperation, the chairman of the Armed Services 
Committee for his understanding and work with his staff. As chairman of 
the Veterans' Affairs Committee, this was truly a team effort. Working 
with my colleague from Ohio, Senator DeWine, we have accomplished 
something for America's veterans, especially those very traumatically 
injured, that I think is critical and necessary.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I will speak briefly. If this time is taken 
from the time scheduled for a vote at 3:45, I ask unanimous consent 
whatever time I use extend the vote that amount of time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________