[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1305-S1307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mr. Boozman):
  S. 653. A bill to amend the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 to 
reauthorize grants for and require applied water supply research 
regarding the water resources research and technology institutes 
established under that Act; to the Committee on Environment and Public 
Works.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Water Resources 
Research Amendments Act. First authorized in 1964, the Water Resources 
Research Act established 54 Water Resources Research Institutes at top 
land grant universities in each of the 50 States and the U.S. 
territories. These institutes created a grant program and provided 
opportunities for applied water supply research. The bill I introduce 
today would reauthorize the grant program for the next 5 years and 
would add a program focused on research and development of green 
infrastructure.
  Water and the availability thereof is a defining characteristic of 
U.S. landscape, culture, wealth, and security. Clean water is a 
relatively rare and invaluable resource. Last year's funded projects 
included research into the impacts of climate change on water supply 
lakes, the development of better detection methods for pathogens in 
drinking water, and the impacts of drought on farm supply chains. In my 
own State, some of the tools we use for restoration of the Chesapeake 
Bay were products of these same grants in previous years. WRRA 
Researchers across the Mid-Atlantic States have developed ways to keep 
the Chesapeake waters cleaner through urban stormwater treatment, 
improved roadway design, and eco-friendly poultry farming practices. 
WRRA-funded projects develop innovative and cost-effective solutions 
for similar water resources issues across the country. Undoubtedly, 
funding WRRA is an intelligent and necessary investment in the future 
of our water resources.
  WRRA authorizes two types of annual grants. First, it supplies grants 
to each Water Resources Research Institute for research that fosters 
improvements in water supply reliability, explores new ways to address 
water problems, encourages dissemination of research to water managers 
and the public, and encourages the entry of new scientists, engineers 
and technicians into the water resources field. Second, WRRA authorizes 
a national competitive grant program to address regional water issues. 
All WRRA grants leverage non-federal dollars at a minimum ratio of 2 to 
1, but often far beyond that level, as high as 5 to 1.
  The Water Resources Research Act was most recently reauthorized in 
2006, in PL 109-471. In that period, the program was authorized at 
$12,000,000 per year, providing $6,000,000 each to state and 
competitive project grants. Authorization for these grants expired in 
fiscal year 2011. Today's bill would reauthorize both grant programs 
for an additional 5 years by providing $7,500,000 for institutional 
grants and $1,500,000 for national competitive grants. This lower 
authorization level reflects our efforts to adjust for present fiscal 
limitations. The proposed authorization maximizes the economic 
efficiency of the program without compromising its efficacy. An 
independent review panel has judged that the Water Resources Research 
Institutes command significant funding leverage for the modest amount 
of appropriations required to support it. Thus, we can be sure that we 
are supporting top-notch science while maximizing cost-effectiveness. 
Moreover, by funding this network of institutes we are investing in our 
future. The Water Resources Research Institutes are the country's 
single largest training program for water scientists, technicians, and 
engineers.
  Today, floods, droughts, and water degradation issues pervade the 
nation. Simultaneously, water resources are increasingly critical for 
production of resources, economic stability, and the health and well-
being of the citizenry. WRRA grants provide us with improved 
understanding of water-related issues and better technology to address 
them. Nearly half a century after the Water Resources Research grant 
program was first put in place, this program is relevant, critical, and 
deserving of our support.
  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 ``Water Resources Research 
     Amendments Act of 2015''.

     SEC. 2. WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH ACT AMENDMENTS.

       (a) Congressional Findings and Declarations.--Section 102 
     of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10301) 
     is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through (9) as 
     paragraphs (8) through (10), respectively;
       (2) in paragraph (8) (as so redesignated), by striking 
     ``and'' at the end; and
       (3) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
       ``(7) additional research is required into increasing the 
     effectiveness and efficiency of new and existing treatment 
     works through alternative approaches, including--
       ``(A) nonstructural alternatives;
       ``(B) decentralized approaches;
       ``(C) energy use efficiency;
       ``(D) water use efficiency; and
       ``(E) actions to extract energy from wastewater;''.
       (b) Clarification of Research Activities.--Section 
     104(b)(1) of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 
     U.S.C. 10303(b)(1)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ``water-related 
     phenomena'' and inserting ``water resources''; and
       (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''.
       (c) Compliance Report.--Section 104(c) of the Water 
     Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10303(c)) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``(c) From the'' and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(c) Grants.--
       ``(1) In general.--From the''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(2) Report.--Not later than December 31 of each fiscal 
     year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
     Environment and Public Works of the Senate, the Committee on 
     the Budget of the Senate, the Committee on Transportation and 
     Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, and the 
     Committee on the Budget of the House of Representatives a 
     report regarding the compliance of each funding recipient 
     with this subsection for the immediately preceding fiscal 
     year.''.
       (d) Evaluation of Water Resources Research Program.--
     Section 104 of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 
     U.S.C. 10303) is amended by striking subsection (e) and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(e) Evaluation of Water Resources Research Program.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a careful 
     and detailed evaluation of each institute at least once every 
     3 years to determine--
       ``(A) the quality and relevance of the water resources 
     research of the institute;
       ``(B) the effectiveness of the institute at producing 
     measured results and applied water supply research; and
       ``(C) whether the effectiveness of the institute as an 
     institution for planning, conducting, and arranging for 
     research warrants continued support under this section.
       ``(2) Prohibition on further support.--If, as a result of 
     an evaluation under paragraph (1), the Secretary determines 
     that an institute does not qualify for further support under 
     this section, no further grants to the institute may be 
     provided until the qualifications of the institute are 
     reestablished to the satisfaction of the Secretary.''.
       (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 104(f)(1) of 
     the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 
     10303(f)(1)) is amended by striking ``$12,000,000 for each of 
     fiscal years 2007 through 2011'' and inserting ``$7,500,000 
     for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2020''.
       (f) Additional Appropriations Where Research Focused on 
     Water Problems of Interstate Nature.--Section 104(g)(1) of 
     the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 
     10303(g)(1)) is amended in the first sentence by striking 
     ``$6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011'' and 
     inserting ``$1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 through 
     2020''.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Ms. Baldwin):
  S. 657. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to extend to 
all veterans with a serious service-connected injury eligibility to 
participate in the family caregiver services program; to the Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I am proud to introduce a bill today along 
with Senator Baldwin that will help veterans and the men and women who 
care for them. Called the Caregivers

[[Page S1306]]

Expansion and Improvement Act, it would open the VA Family Caregivers 
Program to all eligible veterans who were severely injured while 
serving our country.
  I introduced legislation creating the Family Caregiver Program in 
2009 so caregivers of severely injured veterans could take care of our 
heroes at home. The program provides home health training, peer 
support, and a small financial stipend to caregivers of severely 
injured veterans. The caregivers also have access to mental health 
support and enrollment in the VA's Civilian Health and Mental Program, 
if they are not already eligible.
  When the Caregivers Program was created, we had to limit eligibility 
for the program to post-9/11 veterans. It has been wildly successful. 
Twenty thousand veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan participate 
in the program today. This is more than five times the number the VA 
originally estimated would sign up. The program helps caregivers, who 
shoulder the cost of homecare, know they are not alone.
  Since introducing the Caregivers Program 6 years ago, I have gotten 
to know many caregivers in my State. One family who lives in Chicago, 
Dan and Trish Sylvester, made a lasting impression on me. Trish, a 
veteran of the Iraq war, is 100 percent disabled due to severe PTSD. It 
can be triggered by anything from a backfiring car to simply a bad 
thought running through her head. Dan, who is a veteran himself, 
graduated from DePaul Law School last year and now practices law part 
time.
  Today, as he did all through law school, Dan takes care of Trish, 
making sure she stays on top of all her medications and going with her 
to counseling appointments. Trish's symptoms first took hold in 
February 2011, and she was hospitalized multiple times.
  The Sylvesters' found out about the Family Caregiver Program shortly 
after it was launched and applied with the help of a Jesse Brown VA 
employee named Erica. They use the Caregivers stipend to pay for 
counseling services that are not provided by the VA. The money also 
helped them avoid having to take out more in student loans than they 
had to and kept Dan from having to add a part-time job to his already 
full plate when he was a student. Dan says the resources available to 
him through the program are lifesavers.
  Both Trish and Dan showed courage in serving our country. Their 
sacrifice didn't end after their deployments. They continue to show 
great courage every day that they work together on Trish's recovery.
  The bill Senator Baldwin and I are introducing today would allow 
eligible veterans from all wars to apply for the VA Family Caregivers 
Program. The VA has estimated that as many as 88,000 additional veteran 
caregivers could qualify for the program under this bill.
  Not only does the program allow veterans to stay in their homes with 
their families, it is a money-saver for taxpayers. The VA spends an 
average of $332,000 per veteran per year in VA nursing homes. It spends 
an average of $88,000 per veteran per year in community nursing homes. 
It also spends about $45,000 a year in per diem payments to veterans in 
State Veterans Homes. Through the Caregivers Program, the VA cost per 
veteran per year is about $36,000. This includes the stipend, which 
averages between $600 and $2,250 a month, based on the level of care 
and the geographic location, and services provided to the caregiver. It 
is an enormous savings to the VA, when you consider the cost of the 
alternative, full-time, institutional care. And it's a tremendous 
comfort to the veterans and the caregivers who look after them.
  I commend each of the caregivers who have made the decision to care 
for our heroes. These veterans sacrificed their health and well-being 
for their country, and their caregivers have sacrificed much of their 
own lives, careers, school, retirement, to care for them upon their 
return home. We owe each and every one of them a great debt of 
gratitude. We want to make sure all qualified family caregivers are 
enrolled in this program.
  With this bill, we are on the way to helping many families in need. 
We can finally provide assistance to the caregivers of Veterans of all 
eras on an equal basis.
  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. 657

       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 ``Caregivers Expansion and 
     Improvement Act of 2015''.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION TO ALL VETERANS WITH A SERIOUS SERVICE-
                   CONNECTED DISABILITY OF ELIGIBILITY FOR 
                   PARTICIPATION IN FAMILY CAREGIVER PROGRAM.

       Section 1720G(a)(2)(B) of title 38, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking ``on or after September 11, 2001''.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mr. Reed, Mr. Brown, Mr. Durbin, Mr. 
        Reid, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Wyden, and 
        Mrs. Gillibrand):
  S. 660. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to 
establish a credit for married couples who are both employed and have 
young children; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I come to the floor this afternoon to 
join my colleagues in taking a step back from the partisan bills on the 
floor this week to talk about the ways we should be able to work 
together to grow the economy and help our working families.
  Democrats have an economic theory that we are pretty confident about. 
We believe that real, long-term economic growth is built from the 
middle out, not from the top down. We believe that government does have 
a role to play in investing in our working families and making sure 
they have the opportunity to work hard and succeed, offering a hand up 
to those who want to climb the economic ladder and provide a better 
life for themselves and their families. We believe our government and 
our economy should be working for all families, not just the wealthiest 
few.
  Thankfully we have had the opportunity to put some policies in place 
over the past few years that have pulled our economy back from the 
brink and have started moving it in the right direction. We are not 
there yet, but across the country businesses have added almost 12 
million new jobs. We have had over 59 straight months of job growth, 
including almost 1 million manufacturing jobs. The unemployment rate is 
now under 6 percent. Health care costs are growing at their lowest rate 
in almost 50 years, while millions more families now have access to 
affordable coverage. The Federal budget deficit has been reduced by 
over two-thirds since President Obama took office.
  Although many Republicans seem to keep threatening to bring us back, 
we have been able to move away from the constant tea party-driven 
crises and uncertainty that were really destroying jobs and holding 
back our economy.
  We are headed in a good direction. I am proud of the policies that we 
fought for that helped us to get here, but we do have a whole lot more 
to do.
  The economy has changed over the past few decades, and our Tax Code 
has not kept up. Working families have seen their incomes stagnate 
while the cost of living, health care, and education has continued to 
go up. More and more families have two workers in the workforce, which 
is a good thing for so many women but brings additional expenses, such 
as childcare and transportation and the increased marginal tax rate 
paid by the second worker in the family. That is why I am very proud to 
introduce two middle-class tax cut bills today that will put money in 
the pockets of working families and update our Tax Code for the 21st-
century economy.
  My 21st Century Worker Tax Cut Act would create a new 10-percent 
credit on up to $10,000 of the income of the second earner in a family. 
In other words, qualifying working families can reduce their income 
taxes by up to $1,000, which can go a long way toward offsetting some 
of the additional costs these families bear as they go back to work. 
That tax cut rewards families for more work, and it would especially 
help women who want to rejoin the workforce today.
  The second bill I am introducing today is the Helping Working 
Families

[[Page S1307]]

Afford Child Care Act. This bill will update and reform the outdated 
child independent tax credit to help more working families. It would 
increase the tax credit to keep up with the rising costs of quality 
childcare and would make sure that the credit actually keeps up with 
the times by indexing it to inflation.
  I am very proud to introduce these two bills today, but I am even 
more proud that my bills are just two of the bills Democrats are 
introducing today that will help working families by putting more money 
in their pockets and helping them access more opportunity. My 
colleagues are going to be talking about the bills they wrote, but our 
package of bills also includes, besides what I just talked about, an 
earned-income and childcare tax credit expansion and expansion of the 
American opportunity tax credit to help middle-class families afford 
childcare so they can get back on the job and help them pay for college 
so they can work hard and invest in themselves and their careers.
  We know Republicans like to talk about cutting taxes. Well, with 
these bills we are giving everyone a chance to do exactly that--and not 
with more tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and biggest 
corporations. Republicans have given that trickle-down theory a try, 
and it failed. Our approach is tax cuts for the middle class, for the 
workers who need it the most, to help them afford the costs they are 
faced with, such as childcare, putting food on the table, getting back 
on the job, and to give them the opportunity to work hard and succeed.
  We want to grow the economy from the middle out, not the top down, 
and we think these middle-class tax cut bills are a very strong step in 
the right direction. We hope Republicans will join us to get these 
done.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. Graham, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Grassley, 
        Mr. Durbin, Mr. Portman, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Coons, 
        Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Warner, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. Brown, 
        Mr. Tillis, Mr. Cornyn, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. McConnell):
  S. 665. A bill to encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert plans 
throughout the United States in order to disseminate information when a 
law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of 
duty, is missing in connection with the officer's official duties, or 
an imminent and credible threat that an individual intends to cause the 
serious injury or death of a law enforcement officer is received, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Rafael Ramos 
and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of 2015.
  Every day, more than 900,000 Federal, State and local law enforcement 
officers put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. 
Unfortunately these officers can become targets for criminals and those 
seeking to evade our justice system, and we must make sure our officers 
have all the tools they need to protect themselves and each other.
  Each year thousands of law enforcement officers are assaulted while 
performing their duties and many suffer serious injuries or even lose 
their lives. In December 2014, New York City Police Department officers 
Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were assassinated while sitting in their 
marked police patrol car in Brooklyn. This legislation is named after 
those officers in honor of the ultimate sacrifice that they made to 
serve and protect their fellow citizens.
  According to preliminary data compiled by the National Law 
Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, law enforcement fatalities in the 
U.S. rose 24 percent in 2014, reversing what had been two years of 
dramatic declines in line of duty deaths. The report indicates that 126 
federal, state, local, tribal and territorial officers were killed in 
the line of duty this year, compared to 102 in 2013. Ambush-style 
attacks such as those that took the lives of officers Ramos and Liu 
were the number one cause of felonious officer deaths for the fifth 
year in a row. Fifteen officers nationwide were killed in ambush 
assaults in 2014, matching 2012 for the highest total since 1995.
  I thank my original cosponsors who have joined me in introducing this 
legislation, including my lead co-sponsor Senator Graham.
  The rapid dissemination of critical, time-sensitive information about 
suspected criminals is essential to keeping our communities safe. This 
legislation would encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert programs 
through the United States. The Attorney General would establish a 
national Blue Alert communications network within the Department of 
Justice. The Blue Alert system could be used when a law enforcement 
officer is: seriously injured or killed in the line of duty; missing in 
connection with the officer's official duties; or an imminent or 
credible threat that an individual intends to cause the serious injury 
of death of a law enforcement officer is received.
  The Blue Alert system could be used when the suspect has not been 
apprehended, and where there is sufficient descriptive information of 
the suspect and any vehicles involved, if applicable. This information 
can be used by local law enforcement, the public and the media to help 
facilitate capture of such offenders and ultimately reduce the risk 
they pose to our communities and law enforcement officers.
  Currently there is no national alert system that provides immediate 
information to other law enforcement agencies, the media or the public 
at large. Many states have created a state Blue Alert system in an 
effort to better inform their local communities. The State of Maryland, 
under the leadership of former Governor Martin O'Malley, created their 
Blue Alert system in 2008 after the murder of Maryland State Trooper 
Wesley Brown. Blue Alert programs have been created in 20 states to 
date, with a growing number of states considering establishing Blue 
Alert programs.
  The purpose of our National Blue Alert legislation is to keep our law 
enforcement officers and our communities safe. And based on the success 
of the AMBER Alert and the SILVER Alert, I believe this BLUE Alert will 
be equally successful in helping to apprehend criminal suspects who 
have seriously injured or killed our law enforcement officers.
  I am also pleased to say this legislation has the endorsement of the 
Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police 
Organizations, the Sergeants Benevolent Association of the New York 
City Police Department, and many other law enforcement associations. 
Passing this legislation can help us live up to our commitment to help 
better protect those who serve us. I urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation.

                          ____________________