[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 24 (Wednesday, March 1, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1580-S1582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. PRYOR:
S. 2343. A bill to authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency
to provide relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane
Rita by placing manufactured homes in flood plains, and for other
purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs.
Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, this week marks the 6-month anniversary of
when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the gulf coast, destroying lives and
dreams along the way. Thousands upon thousands of homes were also
ruined, and today they remain simply a heap of debris.
I saw this devastation firsthand a few weeks ago when, as a member of
the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, we traveled
to Gulfport and New Orleans for field hearings to see what resources
are necessary to help the region recover from the largest natural
disaster in our history.
In fact, this photograph was taken by one of the press people who was
on that trip. So we saw this scene firsthand. Alison Vekshin of
Stephens Media took this photo.
I remind my colleagues that Hurricane Katrina completely destroyed
205,330 homes in Louisiana. It completely destroyed 68,729 homes in
Mississippi. And 363 homes were completely destroyed in Alabama. For
many of these families who lost everything, a place to live would offer
opportunity for them to go back to work and begin rebuilding their
lives.
I was told by local and State leaders that housing is the catalyst to
get businesses open, to get people back to work, to pump money back
into the local economy, and to restore the infrastructure that once
existed.
Many people along the gulf coast who lost their houses have also lost
hope. In Arkansas, we have a place called Hope where 10,777
manufactured homes sit on an airfield.
These homes--ordered by FEMA and paid for by FEMA--now sit in a FEMA-
leased site, only to be restricted from use in the gulf region because
of a FEMA-imposed rule that prevents them from being located in a
floodplain.
FEMA is now accepting bids to gravel the area where the homes are
sitting on dirt, costing taxpayers another $4 to $7 million. In
addition, FEMA is buying a specially designed jack for each corner of
each home to prevent sagging and further damage.
These manufactured homes epitomize FEMA's ineptitude in planning,
communication, and response. Taxpayers have now spent an estimated $475
million for these homes to sit gridlocked in bureaucracy, even as
evacuees are evicted from hotel rooms and thousands of others struggle
to find affordable housing.
Congressman Mike Ross of Arkansas asked FEMA to waive the floodplain
restriction that stands in the way between the homeless and a home. But
FEMA refused, citing that manufactured homes are ``sitting ducks'' for
the next natural disaster. These homes, I have to remind my colleagues,
were built to high wind zone 3 specifications, so while they may not
withstand the next hurricane--although they may--they will not tumble
over during a storm.
Now, we are telling FEMA to let hope travel to where it is needed
most, from
[[Page S1581]]
Arkansas to Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama.
My legislation, the Hope Housing Act of 2006, allows manufactured
homes bought for Katrina and Rita victims to be located in floodplains,
protects FEMA from responsibility if the homes are subsequently
flooded, and directs FEMA to publicize this change so people will know
they are available.
This is a one-time change that I believe is necessary in the face of
what I hope will be a one-time disaster. We have people without homes
and homes without people. Let's allow the homes to go where they are
needed so the people in New Orleans and the gulf coast can return to
their communities and help rebuild them. The alternative seems to be to
let them sit and deteriorate in Hope, Arkansas.
Mr. President, 6 months is too long to allow this nonsense to
continue. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense solution
that allows hurricane victims a little hope and opportunity for their
future.
The bottom line is that basically FEMA ordered these homes, paid for
these homes, and now they are storing these homes, but their own
regulation will not allow them to use them where they are most needed.
So what our legislation does is allow FEMA to put these homes down
where they are needed to try to get the economic cycle in New Orleans
and the gulf coast area going again because right now the cycle is
broken. They do not have people down there to work the jobs. They do
not have people down there to be consumers. And the reason they do not
have people is because they do not have a place to live.
So I urge my colleagues to consider helping in this effort. The Hope
Housing Act of 2006 is a very commonsense solution for this very
critical need.
______
By Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mr. Baucus):
S. 2345. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt
passenger vehicles eligible for the alternative motor vehicle credit
and the credit for qualified electric vehicles from the limitation on
depreciation for luxury automobiles; to the Committee on Finance.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
a bill I introduced today that may be cited as the ``America's Business
Choice Act'' be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 2345
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 ``America's Business Choice
Act''.
SEC. 2. EXCEPTION FROM DEPRECIATION LIMITATION FOR CERTAIN
ALTERNATIVE AND ELECTRIC PASSENGER AUTOMOBILES.
(a) In General.--Paragraph (1) of section 280F(a) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to limitation) is
amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(D) Special rule for certain alternative motor vehicles
and qualified electric vehicles.--Subparagraph (A) shall not
apply to any motor vehicle for which a credit is allowable
under section 30 or 30B.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--Subparagraph (C) of section
280F(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by
striking clause (ii) and by redesignating clause (iii) as
clause (ii).
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall apply to property placed in service after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
______
By Mr. CONRAD (for himself and Mr. Rockefeller):
S. 2347. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend
and modify the tax credit for holders of qualified zone academy bonds;
to the Committee on Finance.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, today, I am reintroducing, with Senator
Rockefeller, a bill to make some small but important changes to the
Qualified Zone Academy Bond, QZAB, program.
The QZAB program helps qualifying schools renovate and update school
buildings. Schools issue special bonds to finance the cost of
renovation. Purchasers of the bonds receive a Federal tax credit in
lieu of interest on the bond, thus helping to reduce the cost to the
school. Most States are now using this program to modernize their
school facilities. The QZAB program expired in 2005, but the Tax
Reconciliation bill that will soon be considered by a conference
committee extends the program.
We are proposing to make modest changes in the QZAB program to make
it even more useful to schools across the country. Our bill would
expand the pool of bond purchasers to include all taxpayers, both
individuals and other entities. Currently, only financial institutions
can buy QZABs, which precludes pension funds and mutual funds from
purchasing QZABs.
Our bill would also allow QZABs to be ``stripped'' so the purchaser
could then sell separately the principal portion of the bond and the
tax credit. This will encourage the development of a secondary market
for the bonds and reduce the discount costs making more of the proceeds
available for school-related expenses. It will also open the market to
nonprofit entities such as public employee pension funds.
The bill revises the allocation formula to the States to better align
with Title I, the program for disadvantaged students. Current law
requires that allocations be made on the basis of a State's population
living below poverty. This change simplifies and updates by tying
funding to the formula used to distribute Title I funding for
disadvantaged students.
Unused bonding authority would be reallocated to other States. A few
States have not used their allocations, and their bonding authority has
lapsed. However, the demand in many States now far exceeds their
allocation. Allowing funds to be reallocated would maximize the
potential of the QZAB program.
Finally, our bill would allow QZABs to be used for new construction
and to purchase land for school buildings. We believe QZABs have been
proven to be a cost-effective method for financing school renovation.
With this additional flexibility, States can effectively reduce their
construction backlogs.
School districts across the country have praised the QZAB program for
helping them to address serious problems in their buildings. This is a
good program. We can make it even better by enacting these small
reforms. I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this important
measure.
______
By Mr. OBAMA (for himself and Mr. Durbin):
S. 2348. A bill to amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require a
licensee to notify the Atomic Energy Commission, and the State and
county in which a facility is located, whenever there is an unplanned
release of fission products in excess of allowable limits; to the
Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, less than 2 months ago, it was announced by
Exelon Nuclear that an environmental monitoring program discovered
higher than normal concentrations of tritium in the groundwater near
the Nuclear Generating Station in Braidwood, IL.
Indications are that this tritium plume is the result of an
accidental radioactive wastewater release that occurred approximately 6
to 8 years ago, and now the tritiated water has migrated underground
into several drinking wells of nearby residents.
While most of the issues associated with this situation are still
under investigation, one issue is clear. Community residents,
particularly the State and local officials responsible for the safety
and health of their constituents, did not receive full or immediate
notification of this contamination--either from Exelon, or the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, NRC, the Federal agency with oversight over
nuclear plant operations.
I was surprised to learn, that while Federal law requires State and
local officials to be notified immediately upon a ``declared
emergency,'' Federal law does not require State and local officials to
be notified of any other accidental, unplanned, or unintentional
radioactive substance releases that may occur if those releases do not
immediately rise to a public health or safety threat. And while those
incidents must be documented with the NRC and made available to the
public, accessing that information is contingent upon the public and
State and local officials actually knowing that these incidents ever
occurred.
When radioactive substances are released into the environment outside
of normal operating procedures, notifying State and local officials
should not be a courtesy; it should be the law.
[[Page S1582]]
That's why today I am introducing the Nuclear Release Notice Act of
2006, a bill designed to expand the public's right to know when
radioactive substances are released from a reactor. Specifically, the
bill is designed to accomplish the following: (1) to ensure that the
licensees notify State and local officials at the same time the NRC is
notified regarding unplanned incidents that occur at local nuclear
power plants; (2) to add State and local reporting requirements not
just on incidents regarding fissionable material releases, but on all
unplanned radioactive substance releases that are outside of normal
operating limits; (3) to add State and local reporting requirements
when releases exceed not just NRC limits for normal operation, but also
when they exceed other Federal limits and standards for groundwater and
other types of contamination; (4) to ensure than any repeat unplanned
releases of radioactive substances--even if within allowable limits--
that occur more than twice within 2 years are reported to State, local
and NRC officials--so that we all know when poor maintenance,
malfunctions of poor design are going unfixed; and (5) to provide that
violations of this provision could result in the revocation of the
operating license of the licensee.
As energy demand throughout the Nation increases in the coming
decades, we will be challenged in how best to meet these consumption
demands without sacrificing the environment. That means using all of
our energy resources fully and wisely, including wind, solar, and other
important renewable power-generating resources.
Moreover, as Congress considers policies to address air quality and
the deleterious effects of carbon emission's on the global ecosystem,
it is reasonable--and realistic--for nuclear power to remain on the
table for consideration. Illinois has 11 nuclear power plants--the most
of any State in the country--and nuclear power provides more than half
of Illinois' electricity needs.
The people of Illinois--and all residents who live near nuclear power
plants--have a right to know when actions are taken that might affect
their safety and well-being. This bill furthers this commonsense goal,
and I urge my colleagues to support it.
______
By Mrs. BOXER (for herself, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Dayton):
S. 2351. A bill to provide additional funding for mental health care
for veterans, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce legislation
today to double the funding for veterans mental health care over the
next 5 years.
Our brave veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have faced
unspeakable horrors. They have seen people killed and wounded,
experienced the stress of urban warfare, and endured other traumatic
events. These experiences undoubtedly take their toll. However, it can
take months or even years for these events to impact a person's mental
health.
The need for this legislation is clear. Just today, the Washington
Post reported that more than one in three soldiers and Marines who have
served in Iraq later sought help for mental health problems. And we
already know that the Veterans' Administration treated almost 19,000
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans for post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD,
between 2002 and 2005. These numbers will continue to increase.
This legislation will help ensure that the VA has the resources
necessary to treat veterans with mental illness. First, it authorizes
the VA to spend at least $3.6 billion in 2007--up from $2.8 billion in
2006--and increases funding to $5.6 billion by 2011. Second, it
requires an annual report about progress in implementing milestones
from the VA Mental Health Strategic Plan.
This bill is supported by AMVETS and Disabled American Veterans.
It is imperative that we make a long-term commitment to provide
mental health services to our veterans, who have sacrificed so much for
us. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
____________________