[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 42 (Monday, March 28, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1896-S1899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Ms. LANDRIEU (for herself, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. Cochran):
  S. 653. A bill to allow the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration to create or save jobs by providing interest relief on 
certain outstanding disaster loans relating to damage caused by the 
2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes or the 2008 Gulf Coast hurricanes; to the 
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to speak on an 
issue that is of great importance to my home State of Louisiana: 
disaster recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of 2005; Hurricanes 
Gustav and Ike of 2008; and the Deepwater Horizon disaster of 2010. 
Almost 6 years after these first two devastating storms, our eyes are 
still fixed on our shores during hurricane season as our communities 
and businesses in the hardest-hit areas continue to rebuild. The region 
is also still reeling from the oil spill and subsequent Federal 
deepwater drilling moratorium. As Chair of the Senate Committee on 
Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I remain focused on their ongoing 
recovery efforts and am here today to introduce a bill that I believe 
will help these struggling small businesses become successful once 
again and hire new workers.
  Charles R. ``Ray'' Bergeron and his wife's Fleur de Lis Car Care 
Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, is one of the businesses that needs 
this type of assistance. Small Business Administrator Karen Mills and I 
toured the Bergerons' business back in June 2009. Pre-Katrina, Fleur de 
Lis, which opened in 1988, had nine employees. After Hurricane Katrina 
hit, Mr. and Mrs. Bergeron found themselves having to take out two 
loans, one for their house and another for their small business. As of 
our visit that June, the Bergerons were down to 2 employees, not 
including themselves, and their business was back at about 40 percent 
of pre-Katrina sales, due in large measure to the population not 
returning. Their neighborhood is mostly empty homes, which Mr. Bergeron 
attributes in part to high flood insurance premiums, high property 
taxes and high homeowner's insurance.
  When I met with them, the Bergerons had a $225,000 SBA disaster loan 
with a standard 30-year term, which Mr. Bergeron says he will not pay 
off until he is 101 years old. And two years ago now, Mrs. Bergeron 
contacted my office requesting SBA assistance with their loan repayment 
after work to repair the flood-damaged roads surrounding their gas 
station had cut access to their business for even their most loyal 
customers. Since the project began, Fleur de Lis' sales have been cut 
almost in half. This latest challenge comes on the heels of the 
economic downturn, which caused the station to lay off two employees in 
2009.
  The Bergerons' story is one I have heard from countless businesses. 
Coupled with their recovery from the 2005 and 2008 hurricanes, and more 
recently, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and Federal deepwater 
drilling moratorium, these businesses--the ones that took the 
initiative to quickly reopen after the storms--are today struggling 
with one challenge after another. Yet these ``pioneer'' businesses are 
the ones rebuilding communities, they are the businesses communities 
need the most because they serve as anchors. If residents see the 
Bergerons' gas station or their favorite restaurant open, they are more 
likely to come back to rebuild their homes.
  To help ongoing recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast, and to give these 
struggling businesses immediate assistance, I am introducing today the 
Southeast Hurricanes Small Business Disaster Relief Act of 2011. This 
legislation would provide targeted assistance to as many as 11,000 
businesses in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. What these 
particular businesses have in common is that they received SBA disaster 
loans following the 2005 or 2008 hurricanes. While they have made 
payments on these loans, I have heard from countless businesses in my 
State that they could expand operations if they had additional cash 
flow. This legislation would inject immediate capital into 
these hardest-hit businesses by giving SBA the authority to waive up to 
$15,000 of interest payments over three years, helping to create or 
save up to 40,000 jobs.

  Under this program, SBA is required to give priority to applications 
from businesses with 50 employees or less and businesses that re-opened 
between September 2005 and October 2006 for the 2005 storms or 
September and December 2008 for the 2008 hurricanes. This ensures that 
SBA first helps true small businesses and those ``pioneer'' businesses 
that were the first to re-open after the disaster. The bill also 
includes a priority for applications from businesses suffering 
substantial economic harm from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill last 
year. The program would end on March 31, 2012.
  The Southeast Hurricanes Small Business Disaster Relief Act also 
includes provisions to help reduce the program's impact on the Federal 
deficit. First, the bill eliminates a duplicative program at the SBA. 
This program, the Gulf Coast Disaster Loan Refinancing Program, was 
created as part of the 2008 Farm Bill. Although it was created almost 
three years ago, the program has not received any appropriations nor 
has the SBA utilized the authority to refinance any disaster loans. It 
is my understanding this is because the program just re-amortizes the 
same debt of borrowers. Furthermore, any refinancing must not exceed 
the original loan amount and differ from the original terms of the 
loan. As a result, this program is not attractive to borrowers, lenders 
or the SBA. Our bill eliminates this program and creates one that will 
work better for all stakeholders. Next, the bill allows SBA the 
authority to get reimbursed by the party responsible for the Deepwater 
Horizon oil spill for any interest relief provided to businesses 
impacted by that disaster. This ensures that the taxpayers will be 
reimbursed for interest relief related to the Deepwater Horizon oil 
spill. I also note that this is

[[Page S1897]]

consistent with the claims process provided for in the Oil Pollution 
Act of 1990.
  This program makes a difference because for some businesses, 
depending on the loan term and loan amount, their total principal/
interest payments could run as high as $1,000 per month. For example, 
for a $114,000 disaster loan with a 4 percent interest rate and a 25-
year term, a business could be paying as much as $400 in monthly 
interest. In one year, this adds up to $4,800 and almost $14,500 in 
three years. While this is not a lot of money for Wall Street banks or 
Fortune 500 companies, $15,000 makes a major impact for a gas station 
with two employees, like Fleur de Lis, or a neighborhood restaurant 
with 10 employees. These businesses have seen their bottom lines shrink 
as others on Wall Street received extravagant bonuses. I, for one, 
believe it is time to help these Main Street businesses as they are the 
backbone of our communities.
  My legislation also follows legislation approved by a previous 
Congress. The prior bill came after Hurricane Betsy devastated Florida, 
Louisiana, and Mississippi in September 1965. According to Red Cross 
reports at the time, between 800,000 and 1 million people were 
adversely impacted by the hurricane. Before this storm, the only 
previous disaster of that magnitude was the 1937 Ohio-Mississippi River 
floods which forced more than a million people from their homes. In 
total, Betsy destroyed more than 1,500 homes, damaged more than 
150,000, and damaged more than 2,000 trailers. Hurricane Betsy also 
destroyed 1,400 farm buildings and 2,600 small businesses. At the time, 
the Senate Committee on Public Works noted in Committee Report 89-917 
that, ``The overwhelming magnitude of the vicious storm, surprising 
even to experienced disaster workers, was more apparent every day as 
storm victims continued to register for long-term recovery help in 
rebuilding their lives and homes.''

  As part of the review to provide Hurricane Betsy victims appropriate 
assistance, including a field hearing in Louisiana, Congress determined 
that the massive scale of this disaster required targeted, disaster-
specific programs. In particular, Congress approved the Southeast 
Hurricane Disaster Relief Act of 1965, Public Law 89-339. This bill 
authorized various business, homeowner, and agricultural disaster 
assistance, including loans and temporary rental assistance. In its 
committee report on the legislation, which is referenced above, the 
Senate Committee on Public Works wrote, ``This bill contains what the 
committee believes is needed and necessary to give further aid to the 
disaster-stricken areas . . . including special measures to help these 
States in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of devastated areas.'' 
Among other provisions, Section 3 of the bill authorized SBA to waive 
interest--for loans above $500--due on the loan over a period of three 
years, but not to exceed $1,800 in interest. The bill was signed into 
law in November 1965 and Congress later approved $35 million to 
implement provisions in the Act.
  Just as with Hurricane Betsy in 1965, in 2005, Mississippi and 
Louisiana again saw a catastrophic disaster hit their businesses, 
farms, and homes. Everyone now knows the impact Hurricanes Katrina and 
Rita had on the New Orleans area and the southeast part of our state. 
Images from the devastation following these storms, and the subsequent 
Federal levee breaks, were transmitted across the country and around 
the world. Katrina ended up being the deadliest natural disaster in 
United States history, with 1,800 people killed--1,500 alone in 
Louisiana. Katrina was also the costliest natural disaster in U.S. 
history, with more than $81.2 billion reported in damage.
  In Louisiana, we had 18,000 businesses catastrophically destroyed and 
81,000 businesses economically impacted. I believe that, across the 
entire Gulf Coast, some estimates ran as high as 125,000 businesses 
impacted by Katrina and Rita. Many of these businesses, for various 
reasons, have not returned or re-opened. By mid-2007, Orleans Parish 
was still down 2,000 employers, or 23 percent of its pre-Katrina 
business level. Nearby St. Bernard Parish--which had up to 80 percent 
of its homes damaged--had the largest percentage decline of 48 percent 
fewer businesses open, according to Louisiana State University and the 
Louisiana Recovery Authority. These disasters were followed by the 2008 
hurricanes that hit the same areas in Texas and Louisiana. With this in 
mind, on September 25, 2009, I chaired a committee field hearing in 
Galveston, Texas. At this hearing, we received a progress report from 
Federal, State and local officials on the recovery from Hurricane Ike 
in 2008. We also heard from individual business owners in Galveston who 
were still struggling a year on from the hurricane.
  These Galveston business owners, the Bergeron's Fleur de Lis gas 
station, and many other ``pioneer'' businesses did choose to re-open 
and are now struggling to stay alive. As is clear from the Bergeron's 
story, these businesses have suffered from not one disaster, but three: 
Hurricane Katrina/Rita in 2005, Hurricane Gustav/Ike in 2008, and the 
Deepwater Horizon disaster. I believe the special program implemented 
following Hurricane Betsy in 1965 would today greatly benefit 
businesses in these four states hardest hit by Katrina, Rita, Gustav, 
Ike, and the Deepwater Horizon. While I recognize that these are the 
hardest hit states, I am also interested to hear from my other Gulf 
Coast colleagues on whether this program would benefit their impacted 
businesses as well.
  In closing, I would like to note that Congress has been generous in 
providing essential recovery funds following the 2005 and 2008 storms. 
However, as we approach the sixth anniversary of the 2005 disasters, we 
must now ensure that impacted businesses can make it past this 
anniversary--preventing thousands more workers from being unemployed or 
additional defaults on SBA disaster loans. One important way that this 
Congress can ensure that these workers remain employed and that these 
businesses survive, and even grow, would be to relieve some of the 
interest on these SBA disaster loans. For this reason, I urge my Senate 
colleagues to support this commonsense legislation which would make a 
difference for up to 11,000 Main Street business owners and their 
estimated 40,000 employees in the Gulf Coast.
  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. 653

       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 ``Southeast Hurricanes Small 
     Business Disaster Relief Act of 2011''.

     SEC. 2. SOUTHEAST HURRICANES SMALL BUSINESS DISASTER RELIEF 
                   PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Section 12086 of the Food, Conservation, 
     and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-234; 122 Stat. 1422) 
     is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 12086. SOUTHEAST HURRICANES SMALL BUSINESS DISASTER 
                   RELIEF PROGRAM.

       ``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
       ``(1) the term `covered area' means an area in the State of 
     Louisiana, the State of Mississippi, the State of Alabama, or 
     the State of Texas for which the President declared a major 
     disaster relating to Hurricane Katrina of 2005, Hurricane 
     Rita of 2005, Hurricane Gustav of 2008, or Hurricane Ike of 
     2008;
       ``(2) the term `covered disaster loan' means a loan--
       ``(A) made under section 7(b) of the Small Business Act (15 
     U.S.C. 636(b));
       ``(B) for damage or injury caused by Hurricane Katrina of 
     2005, Hurricane Rita of 2005, Hurricane Gustav of 2008, or 
     Hurricane Ike of 2008; and
       ``(C) made to a business located in a covered area;
       ``(3) the term `Deepwater Horizon oil spill' means the 
     blowout and explosion of the mobile offshore drilling unit 
     Deepwater Horizon that occurred on April 20, 2010, and 
     resulting hydrocarbon releases into the environment; and
       ``(4) the term `program' means the Southeast Hurricanes 
     Small Business Disaster Relief Program established under 
     subsection (b).
       ``(b) Program Established.--Subject to the availability of 
     appropriations, the Administrator shall establish a Southeast 
     Hurricanes Small Business Disaster Relief Program, under 
     which the Administrator may waive payment of interest by a 
     business on a covered disaster loan--
       ``(1) for not more than 3 years; and
       ``(2) in a total amount of not more than $15,000.
       ``(c) Priority of Applications.--The Administrator shall, 
     to the extent practicable, give priority to an application 
     for a waiver

[[Page S1898]]

     of payment of interest under the program by a small business 
     concern--
       ``(1) with not more than 50 employees;
       ``(2) that demonstrates substantial economic injury as a 
     result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; or
       ``(3) that resumed business operations--
       ``(A) during the period beginning on September 1, 2005 and 
     ending on October 1, 2006 in a covered area relating to 
     Hurricane Katrina of 2005 or Hurricane Rita of 2005; or
       ``(B) during the period beginning on September 1, 2008 and 
     ending on January 1, 2009 in a covered area relating to 
     Hurricane Gustav of 2008 or Hurricane Ike of 2008.
       ``(d) Reimbursement by Responsible Party.--The 
     Administrator may present a claim to the responsible party 
     (as defined in section 1001 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 
     (33 U.S.C. 2701)) for costs and expenses described in section 
     1012(a)(5) of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 
     2712(a)(5)) relating to a waiver of interest under this 
     section for a business suffering a substantial economic 
     injury as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 
     accordance with section 1013 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 
     (33 U.S.C. 2713).
       ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator such sums 
     as may be necessary to carry out the program.
       ``(f) Termination of Program.--The Administrator may not 
     approve an application under the program after March 31, 
     2012.''.
       (b) Savings Clause.--A loan refinanced under section 12086 
     of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 
     110-234; 122 Stat. 1422) before the date of enactment of this 
     Act shall remain in full force and effect under the terms, 
     and for the duration, of the loan (including any option to 
     defer repayment).
       (c) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of 
     contents in section 1(b) of the Food, Conservation, and 
     Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-234; 122 Stat. 933) is 
     amended by striking the item relating to section 12086 and 
     inserting the following:

``Sec. 12086. Southeast Hurricanes Small Business Disaster Relief 
              Program.''.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Durbin, Ms. 
        Mikulski, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Franken, Ms. Klobuchar, and Mr. 
        Cardin):
  S. 656. A bill to provide for the adjustment of status of certain 
nationals of Liberia to that of lawful permanent residents; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. REED. 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. 656

       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 ``Liberian Refugee Immigration 
     Fairness Act of 2011''.

     SEC. 2. ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS.

       (a) Adjustment of Status.--
       (1) In general.--
       (A) Eligibility.--Except as provided under subparagraph 
     (B), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall adjust the 
     status of an alien described in subsection (b) to that of an 
     alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the 
     alien--
       (i) applies for adjustment not later than 1 year after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act; and
       (ii) is otherwise eligible to receive an immigrant visa and 
     admissible to the United States for permanent residence, 
     except that, in determining such admissibility, the grounds 
     for inadmissibility specified in paragraphs (4), (5), (6)(A), 
     and (7)(A) of section 212(a) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)) shall not apply.
       (B) Ineligible aliens.--An alien shall not be eligible for 
     adjustment of status under this section if the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security determines that the alien--
       (i) has been convicted of any aggravated felony (as defined 
     in section 101(a)(43) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
     (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(43));
       (ii) has been convicted of 2 or more crimes involving moral 
     turpitude; or
       (iii) has ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise 
     participated in the persecution of any person on account of 
     race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular 
     social group, or political opinion.
       (2) Relationship of application to certain orders.--
       (A) In general.--An alien present in the United States who 
     has been subject to an order of exclusion, deportation, or 
     removal, or has been ordered to depart voluntarily from the 
     United States under any provision of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act may, notwithstanding such order, apply for 
     adjustment of status under paragraph (1) if otherwise 
     qualified under such paragraph.
       (B) Separate motion not required.--An alien described in 
     subparagraph (A) may not be required, as a condition of 
     submitting or granting such application, to file a separate 
     motion to reopen, reconsider, or vacate the order described 
     in subparagraph (A).
       (C) Effect of decision by secretary.--If the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security adjusts the status of an alien pursuant to 
     an application under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
     cancel the order described in subparagraph (A). If the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security makes a final decision to deny 
     such adjustment of status, the order shall be effective and 
     enforceable to the same extent as if the application had not 
     been made.
       (b) Aliens Eligible for Adjustment of Status.--
       (1) In general.--The benefits provided under subsection (a) 
     shall apply to any alien--
       (A) who is--
       (i) a national of Liberia; and
       (ii) has been continuously present in the United States 
     between January 1, 2011 and the date on which the alien 
     submits an application under subsection (a); or
       (B) who is the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter 
     of an alien described in subparagraph (A).
       (2) Determination of continuous physical presence.--For 
     purposes of establishing the period of continuous physical 
     presence referred to in paragraph (1)(A)(ii), an alien shall 
     not be considered to have failed to maintain continuous 
     physical presence by reasons of an absence, or absences, from 
     the United States for any period or periods amounting in the 
     aggregate to not more than 180 days.
       (c) Stay of Removal.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
     establish procedures, by regulation, through which an alien, 
     who is subject to a final order of deportation, removal, or 
     exclusion, may seek a stay of such order based upon the 
     filing of an application under subsection (a).
       (2) During certain proceedings.--Notwithstanding any 
     provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
     1101 et seq.), the Secretary of Homeland Security may not 
     order an alien to be removed from the United States if the 
     alien is in exclusion, deportation, or removal proceedings 
     under any provision of such Act and has applied for 
     adjustment of status under subsection (a) unless the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security has made a final determination 
     to deny the application.
       (3) Work authorization.--
       (A) In general.--The Secretary of Homeland Security may--
       (i) authorize an alien who has applied for adjustment of 
     status under subsection (a) to engage in employment in the 
     United States while a determination regarding such 
     application is pending; and
       (ii) provide the alien with an ``employment authorized'' 
     endorsement or other appropriate document signifying 
     authorization of employment.
       (B) Pending applications.--If an application for adjustment 
     of status under subsection (a) is pending for a period 
     exceeding 180 days and has not been denied, the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security shall authorize such employment.
       (d) Record of Permanent Residence.--Upon the approval of an 
     alien's application for adjustment of status under subsection 
     (a), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish a 
     record of the alien's admission for permanent record as of 
     the date of the alien's arrival in the United States.
       (e) Availability of Administrative Review.--The Secretary 
     of Homeland Security shall provide to applicants for 
     adjustment of status under subsection (a) the same right to, 
     and procedures for, administrative review as are provided 
     to--
       (1) applicants for adjustment of status under section 245 
     of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1255); and
       (2) aliens subject to removal proceedings under section 240 
     of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1229a).
       (f) Limitation on Judicial Review.--A determination by the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security regarding the adjustment of 
     status of any alien under this section is final and shall not 
     be subject to review by any court.
       (g) No Offset in Number of Visas Available.--If an alien is 
     granted the status of having been lawfully admitted for 
     permanent residence pursuant to this section, the Secretary 
     of State shall not be required to reduce the number of 
     immigrant visas authorized to be issued under any provision 
     of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 
     seq.).
       (h) Application of Immigration and Nationality Act 
     Provisions.--
       (1) Definitions.--Except as otherwise specifically provided 
     in this Act, the definitions contained in the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) shall apply in this 
     section.
       (2) Savings provision.--Nothing in this Act may be 
     construed to repeal, amend, alter, modify, effect, or 
     restrict the powers, duties, function, or authority of the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security in the administration and 
     enforcement of the Immigration and Nationality Act or any 
     other law relating to immigration, nationality, or 
     naturalization.
       (3) Effect of eligibility for adjustment of status.--
     Eligibility to be granted the status of having been lawfully 
     admitted for permanent residence under this section shall not 
     preclude an alien from seeking any status under any other 
     provision of law for which the alien may otherwise be 
     eligible.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. Graham, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Klobuchar, 
        Mr. Coons, and Mr. Whitehouse):
  S. 657. A bill to encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert plans 
throughout the United States in order

[[Page S1899]]

to disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is seriously 
injured or killed in the line of duty; to the Committee on the 
Judiciary.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I take this time to inform my colleagues 
of legislation I have introduced today to establish a national Blue 
Alert Act. This would establish a nationwide program for blue alert. It 
would be similar to what we do for AMBER alert today. With AMBER alert, 
when children are abducted, we use that communication system nationwide 
to get information out about the abductor so we can get the public 
assisting law enforcement in apprehending the individuals responsible 
for the abduction of a child. My legislation would establish a similar 
system of disseminating information when a police officer has been 
murdered or severely injured as a result of a violent attack. This bill 
would help in keeping law enforcement safer by removing these 
individuals who have committed these horrible crimes from the streets 
sooner and holding them accountable for their acts.
  Every day 900,000 law enforcement officers go out in our communities 
to keep us safe. They are the frontline for public safety. They put 
their lives on the line. Our communities are much safer as a result of 
their actions, so we want to do everything we can to help our law 
enforcement officers. In recent years, too many have lost their lives 
in the line of duty. We need to do something about that.
  In Prince George's County, MD, today I joined with law enforcement 
officers at the FOP Lodge 89 to talk about this legislation. There is a 
fallen heroes memorial located at that FOP lodge to honor law 
enforcement officers in Prince George's County who gave their lives in 
the line of duty. Unfortunately, there are 26 individuals honored at 
that memorial. They have lost their lives since 1937. The 
Superintendent of State Police was also there, and we recalled State 
trooper Wesley Brown who died in June of last year in Forestville at 
the age of 24 serving his community. I mention Trooper Brown 
specifically because as a result of Trooper Brown's death, Governor 
O'Malley took executive action to establish a blue alert system in the 
State. We now have nine other States that have joined Maryland--10 
States altogether--in establishing their own blue alert programs so we 
can assist in the capture of those who murder or seriously injure law 
enforcement officers.
  We need to use technology the best we can to help those who are 
serving our communities. My legislation would make that program 
nationwide. I am proud we have bipartisan cosponsors in Senators 
Graham, Leahy, Klobuchar, and Coons. It complements the work being done 
by Attorney General Holder in his Law Enforcement Officer Safety 
Initiative. The purpose here is try to keep our law enforcement 
officers safer and keep the community safer. We think both will be 
achieved by using a blue alert system nationwide.
  I am also pleased to say it has the endorsement of the Fraternal 
Order of Police and the Concern of Police Survivors, COPS. I urge all 
colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation. I hope we can get 
it enacted shortly. This can help in living up to our commitment to 
those who serve us.

                          ____________________