[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 106 (Monday, July 19, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5994-S5996]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. AKAKA:
  S. 3609. A bill to extend the temporary authority for performance of 
medical disability examinations by contract physicians for the 
Department of Veterans Affairs; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce legislation that 
would extend the Department of Veterans Affairs' authority to use 
contract physicians to perform medical disability examinations.
  The VA continues to struggle to compensate disabled veterans quickly 
and accurately. While the Administration and Congress work to produce 
long-term, systemic solutions to this challenge, the reality is that we 
also need short-term solutions to most effectively leverage available 
resources. One such tool, which has helped VA better serve veterans, is 
the use of contract physicians for medical disability examinations.
  In order to determine the type and severity of disabilities of 
veterans filing for VA compensation or pension benefits, VA often 
requires thorough medical disability examinations. Because these 
examinations form the basis of disability ratings, their accurate and 
timely completion is essential. In recent years, the demand for medical 
disability examinations has increased beyond the number of requests 
that VA's in-house system was designed to accommodate. This rise in 
demand is due to an increase in the complexity of disability claims, a 
rise in the number of disabilities claimed by veterans, and changes in 
eligibility requirements for disability benefits.
  In 1996, in Public Law 104-275, the Veterans' Benefits Improvements 
Act of 1996, VA was authorized to carry out a pilot program of contract 
disability examinations through ten VA regional offices using amounts 
available for payment of compensation and pensions. During the initial 
pilot program,

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one contractor performed all contract examinations at the ten selected 
regional offices. The pilot was deemed a success, with general 
satisfaction reported from all stakeholders.
  Subsequently, in 2003, in Public Law 108-183, the Veterans Benefits 
Act of 2003, VA was given additional, time-limited authority to 
contract for disability examinations using other appropriated funds. 
That initial authority was extended until December 31, 2010, by Public 
Law 110-389, the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2008. VA 
continues to report high demand for compensation and pension 
examinations, and satisfaction with the contracted exams.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation that will allow the 
extension of VA's authority to utilize qualified non-VA doctors for two 
additional years, until December 31, 2012.
  Should we not authorize a temporary extension of VA's authority to 
use contract physicians, it will further contribute to the Department's 
pending claims inventory, which is not a result any of us would want 
for ill and injured veterans.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill 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. 3609

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

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR PERFORMANCE OF MEDICAL 
                   DISABILITY EXAMINATIONS BY CONTRACT PHYSICIANS.

       Section 704(c) of the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 (Public 
     Law 108-183; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note) is amended by striking 
     ``December 31, 2010'' and inserting ``December 31, 2012''.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Mr. Kerry):
  S. 3610. A bill to require a study on spectrum occupancy and use; to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today, along with Senator Kerry, to 
introduce comprehensive spectrum reform legislation to modernize our 
Nation's radio spectrum planning, management, and coordination 
activities. Taking this corrective action will allow us to meet the 
future telecommunications needs of all spectrum users. For consumers, 
these fixes will lead to additional choices, greater innovation, lower 
prices, and more reliable services.
  Over the past year, there has been growing concern about a looming 
radio spectrum crisis. It is not without reason--there has been an 
explosion of growth and innovation with spectrum-based services over 
the past decade. In particular, the cellular industry has been a 
prominent driver of this expansion. Currently, there are more than 276 
million wireless subscribers in the U.S., and American consumers use 
more than 6.4 billion minutes of air time per day.
  While the foundation for wireless services has been voice 
communication, more subscribers are utilizing it for broadband. 
According to the Pew Research Center, 56 percent of adult Americans 
have accessed the Internet via a wireless device. ABI Research 
forecasts there will be 150 million mobile broadband subscribers by 
2014--a 2,900 percent increase from 2007. Spectrum is so important the 
Federal Communications Commission, FCC, has made it a major focal point 
of its National Broadband Plan in order to meet the growing broadband 
demands of consumers and businesses alike.
  There are constraints however--spectrum is a finite resource--and we 
cannot manufacture new spectrum. Making matters worse, the government's 
current spectrum management framework is inefficient and has not kept 
up with technological advancements. As evidence, the Government 
Accountability Office, in a series of reports, concluded ``the current 
structure and management of spectrum use in the U.S. does not encourage 
the development and use of some spectrum efficient technologies.''
  The legislation we introduce today fixes the fundamental deficiencies 
that exist in our policy and spectrum management and promotes efforts 
to improve spectrum efficiency. Specifically, the Spectrum Measurement 
and Policy Reform Act tasks the FCC and the National Telecommunications 
and Information Administration, NTIA, to perform much needed spectrum 
measurements to determine actual usage and occupancy rates. This data 
will assist policymakers and the public in making informed decisions 
about future spectrum uses. Also required is a cost-benefit analysis of 
spectrum relocation opportunities to move certain incumbent users and 
services to more efficient spectrum bands. Many legacy wireless 
services could employ newer technologies to provide more efficient use 
of spectrum.
  In addition, my bill requires greater collaboration between the FCC 
and NTIA on spectrum policy and management related issues, 
implementation of spectrum sharing and reuse programs, as well as more 
market-based incentives to promote efficient spectrum use. It also sets 
a deadline for the creation of the National Strategic Spectrum Plan, 
which will provide a long-term vision for domestic spectrum use and 
strategies to meet those needs. While the National Broadband Plan 
touches on several of these areas, this legislation will provide 
greater assistance in developing a 21st Century comprehensive spectrum 
policy necessary to meet the future spectrum needs of all users.
  It should be noted that the Spectrum Measurement and Policy Reform 
Act is intended to complement the National Broadband Plan and the 
recently announced Presidential Memorandum in promoting more efficient 
use of spectrum and ensuring that the proper framework is in place to 
meet America's future telecommunications needs. But it also encourages 
greater focus on other areas outside the Plan or Memorandum by 
promoting technological innovation and more robust spectrum management. 
For example, a technology known as femtocell, that can increase 
capacity by offloading wireless traffic onto broadband wireline 
networks, wasn't mentioned once in the National Broadband Plan even 
though Cisco's Virtual Network Index indicated that at least 23 percent 
of smartphone traffic could be offloaded onto fixed wireline networks 
by 2014 through femotcells and dual-mode phones. These technologies and 
spectrum management practices such as spectrum sharing and reuse need 
to be fully explored and this legislation will assist in doing that.
  Senator Kerry and I envision this legislation as a starting point to 
initiate an ongoing discussion about how to make the best use of this 
national asset and, in turn, encourage innovation and unleash 
opportunity. We look forward to continuing to work with all 
stakeholders as this bill advances.
  Our Nation's competitiveness, economy, and national security demand 
that we allocate the necessary attention to this policy shortcoming--it 
is the only way we will be able to avert a looming spectrum crisis and 
continue to realize the boundless benefits of spectrum-based services. 
That is why I sincerely hope that my colleagues will join Senator Kerry 
and me in supporting this critical legislation.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. SANDERS (for himself and Mr. Leahy):
  S. 3612. A bill to amend the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National 
Historical Park Establishment Act to expand the boundary of the Marsh-
Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in the State of Vermont, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today I am pleased to join my colleague and 
good friend Senator Sanders to introduce the boundary expansion of the 
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in the State of 
Vermont. This amendment will add 159 acres and several historic 
farmstead structures to the 555-acre National Park.
  This park is an extraordinary place in Vermont where a unique and 
enduring connection has been forged between the land and its 
inhabitants. The picturesque and historic landscape of the Marsh-
Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is nestled in the rolling 
hills near Woodstock, in Vermont's Windsor County. It is a small park 
with the powerful mission of recognizing and continuing the legacy of 
three generations of stewardship thought, and stewardship in action. 
The successive owners of this estate,

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for whom the park is named, were each in their own right giants of 
conservation ideas and practice. This legislation will expand the 
park's land area to help our generation and future generations to 
better fulfill and carry forward its mission.
  The boyhood home of George Perkins Marsh, one of America's first 
conservationists, and later the home of Frederick Billings, the 
property was given to the American people by its most recent owners, 
Laurance S. and Mary F. Rockefeller. The park was created by an Act of 
Congress and signed into law by President George Bush on August 26, 
1992. It is a living symbol of America's conservation ethic. The Marsh-
Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park tells a story of 
conservation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in 
America.
  The park puts the idea of conservation stewardship into a modern 
context, interpreting the idea of place and the ways in which people 
can balance natural resource conservation with the requirements of our 
21st Century world. It is also a repository for the histories of these 
three American families. Visitors can tour the mansion and gardens and 
learn more about conservation by hiking in the sustainably managed 
forest, and they can visit the land stewardship exhibit at the Carriage 
Barn Visitor Center. The park operates in partnership with The 
Woodstock Foundation and the adjacent Billings Farm and Museum--a 
working dairy farm and a museum of agricultural and rural life that 
offers visitors the opportunity to experience both farm and forest 
landscapes, in side-by-side settings.
  This new legislation would expand the boundaries of the park to 
incorporate the neighboring King Farm. The land and structures of this 
historic Woodstock farm will allow the National Park Service to expand 
the scope and delivery of its telling of the conservation story. The 
farm will provide a setting for programs in sustainable agriculture and 
a venue for community groups and others to undertake related projects 
and educational opportunities activities that have been limited in the 
past by the sensitivity of the historic structures constituting the 
Rockefeller estate. Model forestry activities and the trail network 
will also be enhanced through this boundary expansion.
  This legislation also formally establishes the Conservation Studies 
Institute within the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical 
Park. The Institute has evolved within the National Park Service over 
the past decade to enhance leadership in conservation throughout the 
National Park Service and to facilitate stewardship partnerships in 
local communities. It is through these partnerships that the Institute 
inspires collaborative conservation to engage communities and help them 
build their vision for the future. The park, the Institute and their 
Vermont setting are a great fit and a valuable setting in which to 
offer prototypes for conservation and sustainable practices on so many 
fronts.
  A Vermont author and professor, John Elder, said this at the park's 
dedication on June 5th 1998:

       There is a mandate to invent an entirely new kind of park. 
     It must be one where the human stories and the natural 
     history are intertwined; where the relatively small acreage 
     serves as an educational resource for the entire National 
     Park Service and a seedbed for American environmental 
     thought; and where the legacy of American conservation and 
     its future enter into dialogue, generating a new 
     environmental paradigm for our day.

  This is a unique opportunity to enhance the mission of the Marsh-
Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and its service to the 
American people.

                          ____________________