[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 155 (Wednesday, December 1, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8350-S8352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TEXT OF AMENDMENTS

  SA 4722. Mr. UDALL of Colorado submitted an amendment intended to be 
proposed by him to the bill S. 3454, to authorize appropriations for 
fiscal year 2011 for military activities of the Department of Defense, 
for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department 
of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal 
year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

       At the end of subtitle J of title V, add the following:

     SEC. 594. SUICIDE PREVENTION MONITORING OF MEMBERS OF THE 
                   ARMED FORCES ADMINISTRATIVELY SEPARATED FOR 
                   HIGH RISK BEHAVIOR DURING THEIR TRANSITION TO 
                   DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CARE.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Suicide rates for members of the Armed Forces on active 
     duty and veterans have risen as a result of multiple tours of 
     duty in ongoing military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, 
     with 20 percent of all suicides in the United States 
     committed by veterans. On average, 18 veterans commit suicide 
     each day, but just 5 such veterans-or 27 percent-are under 
     the care of the Department of Veterans Affairs at the time.
       (2) The 2010 Army Health Promotion Risk Reduction Suicide 
     Prevention Report states that the current suicide problem in 
     the Army is exacerbated by an acceptance of

[[Page S8351]]

     high risk behaviors, which have been increasing since fiscal 
     year 2004. The report contains recommendations that could 
     result in the separation from the Armed Forces for 
     disciplinary reasons of members who have a potential for 
     suicide.
       (3) To address this possibility, the Department of Defense 
     and the Department of Veterans Affairs should jointly develop 
     policies and procedures to specifically mitigate the risks 
     associated with such separations.
       (b) Suicide Prevention Monitoring.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary 
     of Veterans Affairs shall jointly carry out a program to 
     monitor members of the Armed Forces who are administratively 
     separated from the Armed Forces for high risk behavior during 
     their transition to receipt of care from the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs and to otherwise assist such members in that 
     transition. The program shall be known as the ``DOD-to-VA 
     Suicide Prevention Pipeline Program''.
       (2) Elements.--Under the program, the Secretary of Defense 
     and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly assign to 
     each individual who is administratively separated from the 
     Armed Forces for high risk behavior a case worker who shall 
     meet with such individual, with such frequency as the 
     Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     jointly determine appropriate, in order to monitor the 
     behavior of such individual, offer support to such 
     individual, and encourage such individual to take advantage 
     of benefits and care provided by the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs. Such meetings shall continue for a given individual 
     until the individual is under the effective jurisdiction of 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Secretary of 
     Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs otherwise 
     jointly determine such meetings are no longer necessary.
       (3) High risk behavior.--For purposes of this subsection, 
     high risk behavior includes attempted suicide, illicit use of 
     drugs (whether prescription or illegal), substance abuse, 
     criminal activity, gambling, infidelity, excessive spending, 
     reckless driving, and other such behavior that alone or in 
     combination with other behavior results in administrative 
     separation from the Armed Forces.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to the 
     Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and Committee on 
     Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on 
     the program required by subsection (b). The report shall set 
     forth a description of the program and an assessment of the 
     effectiveness of the program in preventing suicide among 
     individuals who are administratively separated from the Armed 
     Forces for high risk behavior.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 4723. Mr. UDALL of Colorado submitted an amendment intended to be 
proposed by him to the bill S. 3454, to authorize appropriations for 
fiscal year 2011 for military activities of the Department of Defense, 
for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department 
of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal 
year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

       At the end of subtitle B of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 718. EXPANSION OF EMBEDDING OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 
                   PROVIDERS IN OPERATIONAL UNITS OF THE ARMY 
                   THROUGH MOBILE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TEAMS.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The Final Report of the Department of Defense Task 
     Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed 
     Forces, published in August 2010, states that ``Service 
     Members and behavioral health providers report overwhelmingly 
     positive experiences with embedded mental health providers in 
     operational units; however, the practice is underutilized.'' 
     The report further states that embedded behavioral health 
     providers help members of the Armed Forces retain 
     functionality in stressful environments, improve their 
     psychological and emotional fitness, expedite their return to 
     duty when exposed to traumatic events, and reduce stigma 
     associated with behavioral healthcare, and calls for an 
     expansion of the practice of embedding behavioral health 
     providers in operational units.
       (2) An evaluation of the pilot Mobile Behavioral Health 
     Service (MBHS) at Fort Carson, Colorado, determined that the 
     level of support for the Mobile Behavioral Health Service 
     among soldiers and key unit leaders at Fort Carson and the 
     positive effect of the Mobile Behavioral Health Teams on 
     inpatient psychiatric admissions, off-post referrals, unit 
     risk behaviors, soldiers characterized as non-deployable for 
     behavioral health reasons, and potential cost savings of the 
     Mobile Behavioral Health Service warranted replication of 
     this model at other Army installations.
       (b) In General.--By not later than 180 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Army shall 
     put in place at not less than four Army installations with a 
     brigade combat team selected by the Secretary for purposes of 
     this section a Mobile Behavioral Health Team (MBHT) for 
     purposes of facilitating early identification and treatment 
     of behavioral health concerns among members of such combat 
     teams and mitigating both inpatient psychiatric admissions 
     and the necessity of referrals off-post for mental health 
     care among such members.
       (c) Elements of MBHT.--The Secretary shall consider 
     utilizing a model for each Mobile Behavioral Health Team put 
     in place under subsection (b) that includes the assignment of 
     credentialed behavioral health providers exclusively to a 
     single battalion within a brigade combat team to identify 
     behavioral health problems early and with more accuracy, to 
     remove barriers to care, and to improve treatment outcomes.
       (d) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
     Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee 
     on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on 
     the actions taken under this section. The report shall 
     include a comprehensive description of the activities of the 
     Mobile Behavioral Health Teams put in place under this 
     section and an assessment of the effectiveness of such teams 
     in meeting the purposes of such teams as described in 
     subsections (b) and (c).
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 4724. Mr. WARNER (for himself and Mr. Webb) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 3454, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2011 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle E of title III, add the following:

     SEC. 349. REPORT ON AIR SURVEILLANCE CONFLICTS AT VIRGINIA 
                   BEACH, VIRGINIA.

       (a) Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
     shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report 
     on potential air surveillance conflicts at Virginia Beach, 
     Virginia.
       (b) Elements.--The report required under subsection (a) 
     shall include the following:
       (1) An assessment of the impact on the performance of the 
     Oceana Air Surveillance Radar (ARSR) of proposed construction 
     of buildings in the Virginia Beach, Virginia, oceanfront area 
     that are less than 200 feet high.
       (2) An evaluation of the cost and impact on air 
     surveillance operations of various options for reducing or 
     eliminating potential air surveillance conflicts in the area, 
     including--
       (A) relocating the Oceana ARSR;
       (B) upgrading the signal processing or power management 
     capabilities of the Oceana ARSR;
       (C) providing supplementary, ``gap filler'' radar through 
     sources other than Oceana ARSR, including a cost estimate for 
     the procurement and installation of such radar; and
       (D) any other alternative options that would mitigate 
     potential air surveillance conflicts.
       (c) Consultation.--In preparing the report required under 
     subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall consult with 
     the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the Air Force, 
     the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, the 
     Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, 
     and the Secretary of Homeland Security.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 4725. Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for Mr. Durbin) proposed an amendment to the 
bill S. 987, to protect girls in developing countries through the 
prevention of child marriage, and for other purposes; as follows:

       In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted, insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``International Protecting 
     Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Child marriage, also known as ``forced marriage'' or 
     ``early marriage'', is a harmful traditional practice that 
     deprives girls of their dignity and human rights.
       (2) Child marriage as a traditional practice, as well as 
     through coercion or force, is a violation of article 16 of 
     the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, 
     ``Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full 
     consent of intending spouses''.
       (3) According to the United Nations Children's Fund 
     (UNICEF), an estimated 60,000,000 girls in developing 
     countries now ages 20 through 24 were married under the age 
     of 18, and if present trends continue more than 100,000,000 
     more girls in developing countries will be married as 
     children over the next decade, according to the Population 
     Council.
       (4) Between \1/2\ and \3/4\ of all girls are married before 
     the age of 18 in Niger, Chad, Mali, Bangladesh, Guinea, the 
     Central African Republic, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, and 
     Nepal, according to Demographic Health Survey data.

[[Page S8352]]

       (5) Factors perpetuating child marriage include poverty, a 
     lack of educational or employment opportunities for girls, 
     parental concerns to ensure sexual relations within marriage, 
     the dowry system, and the perceived lack of value of girls.
       (6) Child marriage has negative effects on the health of 
     girls, including significantly increased risk of maternal 
     death and morbidity, infant mortality and morbidity, 
     obstetric fistula, and sexually transmitted diseases, 
     including HIV/AIDS.
       (7) According to the United States Agency for International 
     Development (USAID), increasing the age at first birth for a 
     woman will increase her chances of survival. Currently, 
     pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading cause 
     of death for women 15 to 19 years old in developing 
     countries.
       (8) Most countries with high rates of child marriage have a 
     legally established minimum age of marriage, yet child 
     marriage persists due to strong traditional norms and the 
     failure to enforce existing laws.
       (9) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stated that 
     child marriage is ``a clear and unacceptable violation of 
     human rights'', and that ``the Department of State 
     categorically denounces all cases of child marriage as child 
     abuse''.
       (10) According to an International Center for Research on 
     Women analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data, areas 
     or regions in developing countries in which 40 percent or 
     more of girls under the age of 18 are married are considered 
     high-prevalence areas for child marriage.
       (11) Investments in girls' schooling, creating safe 
     community spaces for girls, and programs for skills building 
     for out-of-school girls are all effective and demonstrated 
     strategies for preventing child marriage and creating a 
     pathway to empower girls by addressing conditions of poverty, 
     low status, and norms that contribute to child marriage.

     SEC. 3. CHILD MARRIAGE DEFINED.

       In this Act, the term ``child marriage'' means the marriage 
     of a girl or boy, not yet the minimum age for marriage 
     stipulated in law in the country in which the girl or boy is 
     a resident or, where there is no such law, under the age of 
     18.

     SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) child marriage is a violation of human rights, and the 
     prevention and elimination of child marriage should be a 
     foreign policy goal of the United States;
       (2) the practice of child marriage undermines United States 
     investments in foreign assistance to promote education and 
     skills building for girls, reduce maternal and child 
     mortality, reduce maternal illness, halt the transmission of 
     HIV/AIDS, prevent gender-based violence, and reduce poverty; 
     and
       (3) expanding educational opportunities for girls, economic 
     opportunities for women, and reducing maternal and child 
     mortality are critical to achieving the Millennium 
     Development Goals and the global health and development 
     objectives of the United States, including efforts to prevent 
     HIV/AIDS.

     SEC. 5. STRATEGY TO PREVENT CHILD MARRIAGE IN DEVELOPING 
                   COUNTRIES.

       (a) Assistance Authorized.--
       (1) In general.--The President is authorized to provide 
     assistance, including through multilateral, nongovernmental, 
     and faith-based organizations, to prevent the incidence of 
     child marriage in developing countries through the promotion 
     of educational, health, economic, social, and legal 
     empowerment of girls and women.
       (2) Priority.--In providing assistance authorized under 
     paragraph (1), the President shall give priority to--
       (A) areas or regions in developing countries in which 40 
     percent or more of girls under the age of 18 are married; and
       (B) activities to--
       (i) expand and replicate existing community-based programs 
     that are successful in preventing the incidence of child 
     marriage;
       (ii) establish pilot projects to prevent child marriage; 
     and
       (iii) share evaluations of successful programs, program 
     designs, experiences, and lessons.
       (b) Strategy Required.--
       (1) In general.--The President shall establish a multi-year 
     strategy to prevent child marriage and promote the 
     empowerment of girls at risk of child marriage in developing 
     countries, which should address the unique needs, 
     vulnerabilities, and potential of girls under age 18 in 
     developing countries.
       (2) Consultation.--In establishing the strategy required by 
     paragraph (1), the President shall consult with Congress, 
     relevant Federal departments and agencies, multilateral 
     organizations, and representatives of civil society.
       (3) Elements.--The strategy required by paragraph (1) 
     shall--
       (A) focus on areas in developing countries with high 
     prevalence of child marriage;
       (B) encompass diplomatic initiatives between the United 
     States and governments of developing countries, with 
     attention to human rights, legal reforms, and the rule of 
     law;
       (C) encompass programmatic initiatives in the areas of 
     education, health, income generation, changing social norms, 
     human rights, and democracy building; and
       (D) be submitted to Congress not later than one year after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (c) Report.--Not later than three years after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the President should submit to 
     Congress a report that includes--
       (1) a description of the implementation of the strategy 
     required by subsection (b);
       (2) examples of best practices or programs to prevent child 
     marriage in developing countries that could be replicated; 
     and
       (3) an assessment, including data disaggregated by age and 
     sex to the extent possible, of current United States funded 
     efforts to specifically prevent child marriage in developing 
     countries.
       (d) Coordination.--Assistance authorized under subsection 
     (a) shall be integrated with existing United States 
     development programs.
       (e) Activities Supported.--Assistance authorized under 
     subsection (a) may be made available for activities in the 
     areas of education, health, income generation, agriculture 
     development, legal rights, democracy building, and human 
     rights, including--
       (1) support for community-based activities that encourage 
     community members to address beliefs or practices that 
     promote child marriage and to educate parents, community 
     leaders, religious leaders, and adolescents of the health 
     risks associated with child marriage and the benefits for 
     adolescents, especially girls, of access to education, health 
     care, livelihood skills, microfinance, and savings programs;
       (2) support for activities to educate girls in primary and 
     secondary school at the appropriate age and keeping them in 
     age-appropriate grade levels through adolescence;
       (3) support for activities to reduce education fees and 
     enhance safe and supportive conditions in primary and 
     secondary schools to meet the needs of girls, including--
       (A) access to water and suitable hygiene facilities, 
     including separate lavatories and latrines for girls;
       (B) assignment of female teachers;
       (C) safe routes to and from school; and
       (D) eliminating sexual harassment and other forms of 
     violence and coercion;
       (4) support for activities that allow adolescent girls to 
     access health care services and proper nutrition, which is 
     essential to both their school performance and their economic 
     productivity;
       (5) assistance to train adolescent girls and their parents 
     in financial literacy and access economic opportunities, 
     including livelihood skills, savings, microfinance, and 
     small-enterprise development;
       (6) support for education, including through community and 
     faith-based organizations and youth programs, that helps 
     remove gender stereotypes and the bias against girls used to 
     justify child marriage, especially efforts targeted at men 
     and boys, promotes zero tolerance for violence, and promotes 
     gender equality, which in turn help to increase the perceived 
     value of girls;
       (7) assistance to create peer support and female mentoring 
     networks and safe social spaces specifically for girls; and
       (8) support for local advocacy work to provide legal 
     literacy programs at the community level to ensure that 
     governments and law enforcement officials are meeting their 
     obligations to prevent child and forced marriage.

     SEC. 6. RESEARCH AND DATA.

       It is the sense of Congress that the President and all 
     relevant agencies should, as part of their ongoing research 
     and data collection activities--
       (1) collect and make available data on the incidence of 
     child marriage in countries that receive foreign or 
     development assistance from the United States where the 
     practice of child marriage is prevalent; and
       (2) collect and make available data on the impact of the 
     incidence of child marriage and the age at marriage on 
     progress in meeting key development goals.

     SEC. 7. DEPARTMENT OF STATE'S COUNTRY REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS 
                   PRACTICES.

       The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended--
       (1) in section 116 (22 U.S.C. 2151n), by adding at the end 
     the following new subsection:
       ``(g) The report required by subsection (d) shall include, 
     for each country in which child marriage is prevalent, a 
     description of the status of the practice of child marriage 
     in such country. In this subsection, the term `child 
     marriage' means the marriage of a girl or boy, not yet the 
     minimum age for marriage stipulated in law or under the age 
     of 18 if no such law exists, in the country in which such 
     girl or boy is a resident.''; and
       (2) in section 502B (22 U.S.C. 2304), by adding at the end 
     the following new subsection:
       ``(i) The report required by subsection (b) shall include, 
     for each country in which child marriage is prevalent, a 
     description of the status of the practice of child marriage 
     in such country. In this subsection, the term `child 
     marriage' means the marriage of a girl or boy, not yet the 
     minimum age for marriage stipulated in law or under the age 
     of 18 if no such law exists, in the country in which such 
     girl or boy is a resident.''.

                          ____________________