[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 84 (Wednesday, June 22, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7072-S7076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Ms. STABENOW (for herself and Mr. Levin):
  S. 1285. A bill to designate the Federal building located at 333 Mt. 
Elliott Street in Detroit, Michigan, as the ``Rosa Parks Federal 
Building''; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
that will designate the Federal building located at 333 Mt. Elliott 
Street in Detroit, MI, as the ``Rosa Parks Federal Building.'' I want 
to thank Senator Levin for joining me on this bill.
  On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Parks left work in her hometown of 
Montgomery, AL and boarded a bus headed for home. When the bus became 
crowded, she was ordered by the bus driver to give up her seat to a 
white male passenger. She refused. Mrs. Parks was arrested, and 4 days 
later the Montgomery Bus Boycott began. The Boycott lasted for over a 
year until the Montgomery buses were officially desegregated in 
December of 1956.
  Rosa Parks is simply one courageous woman who did what she believed 
was fair and right. She is a testament to the power of one individual 
willing to fight for her beliefs. Her actions set the Civil Rights 
Movement in motion and set a precedent for protest without violence. I 
would like to thank Rosa Parks for her contribution to freedom and 
justice for all men and women in this country. Her actions changed the 
course of history.
  Rosa Parks moved to Detroit in 1957. In 1977, she and Elaine Easton 
Steel founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development 
in Detroit to offer guidance to young African Americans. She still 
calls Detroit home and has lived there for nearly 50 years. Nicknamed 
the ``Mother of Civil Rights,'' Parks was awarded the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom in 1996--the highest civilian award this Nation can 
bestow. Naming the building that currently houses the Federal Homeland 
Security office in Detroit is but one more way for our Nation to 
recognize and thank Mrs. Parks for her contribution to our country. It 
is an honor she richly deserves, and one I urge my colleagues to 
support.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the legislation be printed 
in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1285

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The Federal building located at 333 Mt. Elliott Street in 
     Detroit, Michigan, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Rosa Parks Federal Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``Rosa Parks Federal Building''.

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am proud to join with Senator Stabenow in 
introducing legislation to name the Federal building located at 333 Mt. 
Elliott Street in Detroit, MI, in honor of Mrs. Rosa Parks, ``mother of 
the civil rights movement.'' I also want to commend Representative 
Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick for her leadership in sponsoring this 
initiative last week in the House
  Rosa Parks is an American heroine. When this gentle warrior decided 
that she would no longer tolerate the humiliation and demoralization of 
racial segregation on a bus in Montgomery, AL, her act of defiance 
launched the modern civil rights movement in America. By refusing to 
move to the back of that bus, she inspired a yearlong, citywide bus 
boycott by African Americans in Montgomery that led to a Supreme Court 
decision outlawing segregation on buses and introduced a young local 
leader named Martin Luther King to the Nation. It was a turning point 
in American history that challenged the conscience of the country and 
the world.
  Rosa Parks' stand that day was not an isolated incident but part of a 
lifetime struggle for equality and justice. Twelve years earlier, for 
instance, she had been arrested for violating another segregation law, 
which required African Americans to pay their fares at the front of the 
bus and then re-board from the rear. In the years that followed her 
solitary protest, she was a prominent figure in the civil rights 
movement. In 1987, she co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute 
for Self-Development, which continues to offer young people hands-on 
opportunities to learn about civil rights in America.
  Although Rosa Parks will be forever associated with one day in 
Montgomery, AL, she lived most of her life in my home State of 
Michigan. She came to Detroit under sad circumstances--harassment and 
threats on her life--but she built a new life there. We in Michigan are 
proud to call her one of our own, and we want to recognize her enormous 
contributions by renaming this federal building in her honor. 
Appropriately, the building is a historic one, built in 1855 and used 
as a hospital during the Civil War. This legislation will ensure that 
the proud legacy of Rosa Parks is properly recognized in Michigan, and 
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. KENNEDY (for himself and Mr. Corzine):
  S. 1286. A bill to require States to report data on medicaid 
beneficiaries who are employed; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it's an honor to join Senator Corzine and 
Congressman Weiner to introduce the Health Care Accountability Act.
  Americans believe that a fair day's work should bring a fair day's 
pay. That's the American dream. But that's not the case at Wal-Mart. 
Somehow, the biggest company in the world can't manage to pay its 
workers a living wage. Thousands of workers in Wal-Mart can't afford 
health insurance and have to rely on Medicaid to cover their families' 
health needs.
  We are here today to say there is no place for that kind of corporate 
citizenship in America. It is time for Wal-Mart, the Nation's largest 
employer, to act responsibly. The company prides itself on selling 
products at rock-bottom prices. Last year, it raked in $10 billion in 
profits, up 13 percent from 2003. It is no mystery why Wal-Mart does so 
well--it buys its goods overseas and pays its 1.6 million employees 
next to nothing to sell them. Yet Wal-Mart just keeps getting bigger as 
its wages fall farther and farther behind.
  We see the same effect throughout the economy. Companies are making 
huge profits on the backs of their employees. Since the end of the 
recession, profits are up more than 70 percent nationally, yet wages 
are stagnant. More and more of what the economy produces is going to 
business profits, and less to workers, than at any time since such 
records began in 1929. There is plenty for the Executive Suite, but it 
is time for a fair share for employees' pay and benefits, too.

[[Page S7073]]

  We all end up footing the bill when employers refuse to pay a living 
wage. Many companies are making record-breaking profits, yet they shift 
millions of dollars in health costs to the public. In 15 States where 
data are available, Wal-Mart employees are receiving almost $200 
million in Federal and State health benefits. Massachusetts spent 
almost $3 million last year to provide health Care to 3,000 Wal-Mart 
workers and their families.
  The bill we announce today begins to hold these companies 
accountable. All it asks is that States disclose the number of 
employees in large companies who receive State medical assistance, and 
the cost to the States for providing that care.
  Massachusetts was the first State to mandate such a study. The first 
report, released in February, found that the State was paying $53 
million for health care for, employees at some of the largest, most 
profitable firms--including Dunkin Donuts, Stop & Shop, and Wal-Mart.
  Medicaid and CHIP provide a critical safety net for low-income women 
and children, the disabled, and the elderly. They should not also have 
to underwrite the profits for large companies like Wal-Mart.
  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. 1286

       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 ``Health Care Accountability 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. STATE REQUIREMENT TO REPORT DATA ON MEDICAID 
                   BENEFICIARIES WHO ARE EMPLOYED.

       (a) Reporting Requirement.--Section 1902(a) of the Social 
     Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)) is amended in the first 
     sentence--
       (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (66);
       (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (67) and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by inserting after paragraph (67) the following new 
     paragraph:
       ``(68) provide for the annual reporting by the State, using 
     data only from applications by individuals for medical 
     assistance under the State plan, on each employer in the 
     State with 50 or more employees who received medical 
     assistance under this title at any time during the previous 
     year, such reporting to include with respect to the employer 
     (A) the name and address of the employer, (B) the number of 
     employees who receive such medical assistance during the 
     previous year, which may include a separate listing of the 
     numbers of part-time and full-time employees if such data is 
     available, (C) the number of individuals who receive such 
     medical assistance during the previous year who are spouses 
     or dependents of such employees, (D) the cost to the State of 
     providing such medical assistance during the previous year to 
     such employees, spouses, and dependents, and (E) the ratio of 
     employees who receive such medical assistance during the 
     previous year to the total employees in the State during that 
     previous year.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) 
     shall apply with respect to 2006 and each subsequent year.
       (c) Initial Report.--Not later than July 1, 2006, the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services shall provide for an 
     initial mid-year report by each State with a State plan 
     approved under title XI or XIX of the Social Security Act of 
     the information described in section 1902(a)(68) of such Act, 
     as added by subsection (a).
       (d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be 
     construed as superseding requirements for the protection of 
     patient privacy provided for under section 264(c) of the 
     Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 
     (42 U.S.C. 1320d-2 note), under part C of title XI of the 
     Social Security Act, or under any other provision of Federal 
     law.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. COLEMAN (for himself and Ms. Landrieu):
  S. 1287. A bill to amend the definition of independent student for 
purposes of the need analysis in the Higher Education Act of 1965 to 
include older adopted students; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, as United States Senators, we are well 
aware of the difficulty in making tough decisions. But, a tough 
decision for a thirteen-year-old foster care child shouldn't be 
choosing between being adopted and having a permanent loving, stable, 
and secure family, or attending college for a promising future. Today, 
I am proud to be joined by my friend, Senator Mary Landrieu from 
Louisiana in introducing the Fostering Adoption To Further Student 
Achievement Act because we believe all youth deserve both a loving 
family and a future of hope.
  Our legislation promotes older adoptions of foster care youth by not 
later penalizing the adopting family when their student applies for 
student Federal financial aid.
  We've heard from former foster teens across our Nation who have 
stated that they were better off ``aging'' out of the foster care 
system than being adopted by a family because of a fear of losing 
student Federal financial aid because as a foster student they don't 
have to report any parental income on their student financial aid 
application.
  Our legislation provides a solution by amending the definition of 
``independent student'' to include foster care youth who were adopted 
after the age of thirteen in the Higher Education Act of 1965. Thus, 
the family and student would not be penalized on their Federal 
financial aid as their classification would be determined by only the 
student's ability to pay. Most prospective adopting parents would not 
have financially planned for an older teen becoming part of their 
family. Our legislation offers an incentive to promote older adoptions 
rather than having the teen stay in foster families until they ``age 
out.''
  The numbers are startling and its time we act. Currently, 20,000 
youth ``age'' out of the foster care system each year with 30 percent 
of these youth incarcerated within 12 months of doing so. There are 
523,000 children in foster care with nearly half the kids over the age 
of 10. Children in foster care are twice as likely as the rest of the 
population to drop out before finishing high school. Several foster 
care alumni studies indicate that within three years after leaving 
foster care: only 54 percent had earned their high school diploma, only 
14 percent had graduated from a four-year college, and 25 to 44 percent 
had experienced homelessness.
  Statistics show youth that are adopted out of the foster care system 
attend college, have stable lives, have a permanent family, and have a 
future of hope. One to two years of community college coursework 
significantly increases the likelihood of economic self-sufficiency. A 
college degree is the single greatest factor in determining access to 
better job opportunities and higher earnings.
  The Fostering Adoption To Further Student Achievement Act ensures 
that children don't have to make a tough decision between choosing to 
have a family or an education.
  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. 1287

       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 ``Fostering Adoption to 
     Further Student Achievement Act''.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO INDEPENDENT STUDENT.

       Section 480(d) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
     U.S.C. 1087vv(d)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (6), by striking ``or'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; or''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(8) was adopted from the foster care system when the 
     individual was 13 years of age or older.''.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. Akaka):
  S. 1288. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter 
into cooperative agreements to protect natural resources of units of 
the National Park System through collaborative efforts on land inside 
and outside of units of the National Park System; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I introduce legislation to authorize 
the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements to 
protect National Parks through collaborative efforts on lands inside 
and outside of National Park System units.
  This legislation is based on very successful watershed protection 
legislation enacted for the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land 
management, now

[[Page S7074]]

commonly referred to as the Wyden amendment. The Wyden amendment, first 
enacted in 1998 for fiscal year 1999, has resulted in countless Forest 
Service and Bureau of Land Management cooperative agreements with 
neighboring State and local land owners to accomplish high priority 
restoration, protection and enhancement work on public and private 
lands. It has not required additional funding, but has allowed the 
agencies to leverage their scarce restoration dollars thereby allowing 
the federal dollars stretch farther.
  The legislation I introduce today will allow the Park Service to use 
a similar authority to attack natural threats to National Parks, such 
as invasive weeds, before they cross onto Parks' land. The National 
Park Service tells me that if they have to wait until the weeds hit the 
Parks before treating them the costs for treatment rise exponentially 
and the probability of beating the weeds back drop exponentially.
  I ask unanimous consent that examples of projects the National Park 
Service would with this authority, as well as the groups with which 
they would partner be printed in the Record. I am please that Senator 
Akaka is joining me as an original co-sponsor of this legislation and I 
hope my other colleagues will join me as co-sponsors of this 
legislation and in ensuring its swift passage.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

    Potential Cooperative Projects Adjacent To or Nearby NPS Lands:


                             State: Alabama

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Russell Cave National Monument. Partner: Alabama 
     Department of Game and Fish Projects/Pest: Autumn olive.


                             State: Alaska

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Denali National Park and Preserve. Partner: 
     Private landowner and Alaska Department of Transportation. 
     Projects/Pest: Remove multiple species from an isolated 
     location in Kantishna White sweet clover along the Park's 
     Highway.
       Park Unit: Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. 
     Partner: Alaska Department of Transportation, Bureau of Land 
     Management. Projects/Pest: Multiple species moving up the 
     Dalton Highway towards the park.
       Park Unit: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Partner: 
     Town of Gustavus. Projects/Pest: Remove multiple species from 
     isolated locations.
       Park Unit: Kenai Fjords National Park. Partner: U.S. Forest 
     Service. Projects/Pest: Yellow sweetclover on Exit Glacier 
     Road.
       Park Unit: Klondike Gold Rush Historical Park. Partner: 
     Town of Skagway. Projects/Pest: White sweetclover, Butter-
     and-eggs.
       Park Unit: Sitka National Historical Park. Partner: City of 
     Sitka. Projects/Pest: Japanese knotweed.
       Park Unit: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. 
     Partner: Town of McCarthy and Alaska Department of 
     Transportation, Bureau of Land Management. Projects/Pest: 
     Remove multiple species from isolated locations and White 
     sweetclover on area roadways.


                             State: Arizona

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Partner: 
     Navajo Indian Reservation. Project/Pest: Tamarisk and Russian 
     olive.
       Park Unit: Grand Canyon National Park. Partner: Hualapai 
     Indian Reservation. Project/Pest: Remove Tamarisk from shared 
     drainages.
       Park Unit: Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site. 
     Partner: Navajo Indian Reservation. Project/Pest: Pueblo 
     Colorado Wash tamarisk and Russian olive.


                           State: California

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Death Valley National Park. Partners: Private 
     lands (Shoshone, CA), Bureau of Land Management, State Fish 
     and Game. Projects/Pest: Amargosa River tamarisk control 
     Saline Valley tamarisk.
       Park Unit: Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Partners: 
     Private land. Projects/Pest: Remove Pampas grass serving as a 
     seed source re-infesting NPS lands.
       Park Unit: Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Partner: 
     State and Private lands. Projects/Pest: Jubata grass.
       Park Unit: Mojave National Preserve. Partners: Private and 
     State land. Project/Pest: Tamarisk near I1-15 corridor, 
     scattered in-holdings and mine sites.
     Aquatic Resources
       Park Unit: Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Partners: 
     Private and Public lands. Projects/Pest: Work with City/
     College and others to facilitate movement of listed 
     butterfly between two separated NPS parcels.
       Park Unit: Point Reyes National Seashore. Partners: Private 
     lands. Project/Pest: Restore eroded stream channels 
     benefiting the salmonid fishery in the park.
       Park Unit: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. 
     Partners: Private lands, City and County government, NGO's. 
     Project/Pest: Numerous projects to stabilize, mitigate or 
     restore land disturbances affecting runoff and erosion 
     processes.
     Geologic Resources
       Park Unit: Redwood National Park. Partners: Private lands. 
     Project/Pest: Work collaboratively to implement erosion 
     control measures from roads associated with timber harvest.


                            State: Colorado

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Dinosaur National Monument. Partner: Utah State 
     land. Project/Pest: Jones Hole Creek, spotted knapweed and 
     tamarisk.
       Park Unit: Mesa Verde National Park. Partner: Ute Mountain 
     Indian Reservation. Project/Pest: Mancos River tamarisk.


                      State: District of Columbia

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: National Capitol Area East. Partners: Private 
     landowners. Project/Pest: Asian Spiderwort (Murdannia 
     keisak).


                             State: Georgia

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military 
     Park. Partners: Lookout Land Trust and Private business. 
     Project/pest: Kudzu.


                             State: Hawaii

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Haleakala National Park. Partners: State, 
     Private landowners, Private industry, NGO's, General public. 
     Project/Pest: Miconia Fountain Grass, Bocconia, Pampas Grass.
       Park Unit: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Partners: State, 
     Private landowners, NGO's, Private industry. Project/Pest: 
     Miconia Fountain Grass, Bocconia, Pampas Grass.
       Park Unit: Kaluapapa National Historical Park. Partners: 
     State, Private landowners, NGO's, Private industry. Project/
     Pest: Miconia Fountain Grass, Bocconia, Pampas Grass.


                              State: Idaho

     Geologic Resources
       Park Unit: Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. 
     Partners: Private lands. Project/Pest: Prevent irrigation 
     canal seepage causing slumpage/wasting of fossil resources 
     and impacts to Snake River.


                            State: Kentucky

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Mammoth Cave National Park. Partners: Private 
     landowner and State University. Project/Pest: Garlic mustard.


                            State: Maryland

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Antietam National Battlefield. Partners: State 
     and County Department of Transportation. Project/Pest: Tree 
     of Heaven.
       Park Unit: Assateague Island National Seashore. Partners: 
     State agency. Projects/Pest: Eragrostis curvula (weeping 
     lovegrass) coming into park from state lands.
       Park Unit: Catoctin Mountain Park. Partners: State roads, 
     Railroad right-of-way. Project/Pest: Mile-a-minute.


                          State: Massachusetts

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Minute Man National Historical Park. Partners: 
     Local municipalities. Projects/Pest: Variety of exotic plants 
     along boundaries of park.
     Wetlands
       Park Unit: Cape Cod National Seashore. Partners: Town of 
     Wellfleet, MA. Projects/Pest: CACO has three large wetlands 
     that are impaired due to salt marsh diking that has 
     restricted tidal flow to the systems, some impacted for more 
     than 100 years. Having the ability to access and utilize 
     funds to alter and improve the water control structures 
     ultimately is all that is needed to restore thousands of 
     acres of wetlands within the park boundary.


                            State: Missouri

     Geologic Resources
       Park Unit: Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Partners: 
     Private lands, Federal agencies. Project/Pest: Develop 
     understanding of and extent of karst environment in and 
     around the park.


                             State: Montana

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Glacier National Park. Partners: Blackfeet 
     tribe. Project/Pest: Numerous exotic plant species.
     Native Species
       Park Unit: Glacier National Park. Partners: Montana Fish, 
     Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Forest Service, BNSF Railroad and 
     others. Project/Pest: Fencing along boundaries, white and 
     limber pine restoration and wetland surveys.


                             State: Nevada

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Great Basin National Park. Partners: Private, 
     State and U.S. Forest Service. Project/Pest: Scattered 
     spotted knapweed and thistle in shared drainages with the 
     park.
       Park Unit: Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Partners: 
     County, State, Private, Bureau of Land Management. Project/
     Pest: Virgin River, Las Vegas Wash, Muddy River,

[[Page S7075]]

     tall whitetop, Russian knapweed, camelthom and tamarisk.


                           State: New Jersey

     Aquatic Resources
       Park Unit: Morristown National Historical Park. Partners: 
     Private landowners. Project/Pest: Develop and implement in 
     concert with private landowners best management practices to 
     reduce pesticide and storm water runoff into Primrose Creek 
     which contains a genetically pure stock of native brook 
     trout.


                           State: New Mexico

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Pecos National Historical Park. Partner: Private 
     landowners, U.S. Forest Service, and State agencies. 
     Projects/Pest: tamarisk.


                            State: New York

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. 
     Partners: State agencies, Local municipalities, watershed 
     associations. Projects/Pest: Variety of exotic plants along 
     park boundaries.
       Park Unit: Gateway National Recreation Area Partners: State 
     agency. Projects/Pest: Oriental bittersweet invading from 
     park into state lands.


                         State: North Carolina

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Blue Ridge Parkway. Partner: The Nature 
     Conservancy, U.S. Forest Service. Projets/Pest: Oriental 
     Bittersweet.
       Park Unit: Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. 
     Partner: Adjacent Homeowner Association. Projets/Pest: 
     English Ivy.
       Park Unit: Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. 
     Partner: Guilford County Parks and Recreation. Projets/Pest: 
     Wild yam and Privet.


                            State: Oklahlma

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Washita Battlefield National Historic Site. 
     Partner: Private landowners, U.S. Forest Service. Projets/
     Pest: Scotch thistle.


                             State: Oregon

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Partner: 
     Private Landowners, County Weed Districts and Watershed 
     Counils. Proje1s/Pest: Medusa head, Tarweed, Russian Knapweed 
     Yellow Start thistle, Whitetop and other weeds.
       Park Unit: Lewis and Clark National Historical Park 
     (formerly Fort Clatsop National Memorial). Partner: Private 
     Timber lands, Private Agriculture lands and Oregon State 
     Parks. Projedts/Pest: Scotch Broom, Reed Canary Grass, 
     English Holly, and other invaste plants.


                          State: Pennsylvania

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. 
     Partners: Local municipalities, Private landowners. Projects/
     Pest: Mainly Japanese knotweed along Delaware River and 
     tributaries.
     Aquatic Resources
       Park Unit: Valley Forge National Historical Park. Partners: 
     Private landowners, County/State governments, non-profit 
     groups. Project/Pest: Implement Valley Creek Restoration Plan 
     and EA which identifies management strategies and restoration 
     opportunities within the watershed and outside the park 
     including the retrofitting of 24 detention basins, creation 
     of 30 ground water infiltration sites, re-vegetation of miles 
     of eroding stream banks, and planting of riparian buffers 
     throughout the watershed.


                            State: Tennessee

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Big South Fork National River and Recreation 
     Area. Partners: Tennessee Division of Forestry and Tennessee 
     State Parks. Project/Pest: Multi-flora rose and Privet.
       Park Unit: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. 
     Partners: City of Middlesboro. Project/Pest: Privet.
       Park Unit: Obed Wild and Scenic River. Partners: Tennessee 
     Wildlife Resources Agency. Project/Pest: Multi-flora rose and 
     Privet.


                              State: Texas

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Big Bend National Park. Partners: State and 
     Local government, Private landowners and Country of Mexico. 
     Project/Pest: Tamarisk along Rio Grande River Drainage.


                              State: Utah

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Arches National Park. Partners: State and Bureau 
     of Land Management. Project/Pest: Courthouse Wash and Salt 
     Creek tamarisk.
       Park Unit: Canyonlands National Park. Partners: Private and 
     The Nature Conservancy. Project/Pest: Dugout Ranch area, 
     tamarisk and knapweed.
       Park Unit: Capitol Reef National Park. Partners: Private 
     and U.S. Forest Service. Projects/Pest: Sulphur Creek and 
     Upper Fremont River, tamarisk.
       Park Unit: Zion National Park. Partners: Private and State 
     lands. Projects/Pest: Upper and Lower Virgin River, tamarisk.


                            State: Virginia

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Colonial National Historical Park. Partners: NGO 
     (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation). Projects/Pest: kudzu, 
     English ivy, and tree of heaven straddling common boundary.
       Park Unit: Shenandoah National Park. Partners: Private 
     lands (east boundary and west boundary). Projects/Pest: Kudzu 
     straddling east boundary; bamboo straddling west boundary.
       Park Unit: Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. 
     Partners: County and private lands. Project/Pest: Lesser 
     Celandine.


                           State: Washington

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. 
     Partner: Washington State Parks, The Nature Conservancy of 
     Washington, Island County, Ebey's Landing Trust Board, 
     Washington State Department of Transportation. Projects/Pest: 
     Poison Hemlock.
       Park Unit: Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. 
     Partner: U.S. Forest Service, State, Tribal, and Private 
     lands. Projects/Pest: Eurasian watermilfoil.
       Park Unit: Olympic National Park. Partner: U.S. Forest 
     Service, State, Tribal, and Private (including timber 
     company) lands. Projects/Pest: Several species of knotweed
     Aquatic Resources
       Park Unit: Olympic National Park. Partners: Private lands, 
     State lands and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands. 
     Project/Pest: Cooperatively characterize aquifer parameters 
     such as storage and transmission coefficients, monitor ground 
     water levels, spring flow river flow install new monitoring 
     wells to determine response of aquifer to water withdrawals.


                          State: West Virginia

     Exotic Plants
       Park Unit: Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Partners: 
     Non-NPS owners of trail lands. Projects/Pest: Variety of 
     exotic plants coming into easements along the trail--major 
     problem throughout the length of this linear park.


                             State: Wyoming

     Aquatic Resources
       Park Unit: Yellowstone National Park. Partners: State of 
     Montana. Project/Pest: Initiate groundwater studies in the 
     Yellowstone Groundwater Area north of the park.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. MIKULSKI (for herself, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. 
        Murray, Mrs. Boxer, Ms. Cantwell, and Mr. Sarbanes):
  S. 1289. A bill to provide for research and education with respect to 
uterine fibroids, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Uterine Fibroid 
Research and Education Act of 2005. This bill would increase funding 
for research on uterine fibroids as well as create an education 
awareness campaign to make sure women and their doctors have the facts 
they need about this painful, chronic condition. I want to thank 
Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones for introducing this legislation 
in the House of Representatives and Senators Clinton, Kennedy, Murray, 
Cantwell, Boxer, and Sarbanes for joining me as original cosponsors.
  Uterine fibroids are a major health issue for American women. It is 
estimated that three in every four women have uterine fibroids. 
Although many women with fibroids have few or no symptoms, it is 
projected that one in every four women seeks medical care for the heavy 
bleeding, pain, infertility, or miscarriage that uterine fibroids 
cause.
  Despite their prevalence, little is known about uterine fibroids, and 
few good treatment options are available to women who suffer from them. 
In fact, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality at the 
Department of Health and Human Services found ``a remarkable lack of 
high quality evidence supporting the effectiveness of most 
interventions for symptomatic fibroids. More than 200,000 women undergo 
a hysterectomy each year to treat their uterine fibroids. Women deserve 
better. That's why I am introducing the Uterine Fibroid Research and 
Education Act--to find new and better ways to treat or even cure 
uterine fibroids.
  This bill does three things. First, it expands research at the 
National Institutes of Health, NIH, by doubling funding for uterine 
fibroids from $15 million to $30 million. This funding will provide the 
investment needed to jumpstart basic research, and lay the groundwork 
to find a cure. This additional funding will help researchers find out 
why so many women get uterine fibroids, why African American women are 
disproportionately affected, what steps women can take to prevent 
uterine fibroids, and what the best ways to treat them are.
  Second, this legislation coordinates research on uterine fibroids 
through

[[Page S7076]]

the Office of Research on Women's Health, ORWH. More than a decade ago, 
I fought to create this Office at NIH to give women a seat at the table 
when decisions were made about funding priorities. This bill directs 
this Office to lead the Federal Government's research effort on uterine 
fibroids. A coordinated research effort is needed to make the best use 
of limited resources and to give women a one-stop shop to find out what 
the federal government is doing to combat uterine fibroids.
  Finally, this bill creates education campaigns for patients and 
health care providers. A recent survey conducted by the Society for 
Women's Health Research, cited as many as one-third of women who have 
hysterectomies do so without discussing potential alternatives with 
their doctors. This bill will make sure women can count on their 
doctors for information about the best possible treatment for uterine 
fibroids. It will also give women the facts they need to make good 
health care decisions and take control of their health.
  Since my first days in Congress, I have been fighting to make sure 
women don't get left out or left behind when it comes to their health. 
From women's inclusion in clinical trials to quality standards for 
mammograms, I have led the way to make sure women's health needs are 
treated fairly and taken seriously. This legislation builds on these 
past successes to address this silent epidemic among American women.
  The Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act is supported by the 
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for 
Women's Health Research, and the Black Women's Health Imparitive. I 
look forward to working with these advocates and my colleagues to get 
this bill signed into law.

                          ____________________