[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 140 (Thursday, September 15, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5832-S5835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GLOBAL ANTI-POACHING ACT
Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 459, H.R. 2494.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (H.R. 2494) to support global anti-poaching efforts,
strengthen the capacity of partner countries to counter
wildlife trafficking, designate major wildlife trafficking
countries, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill,
which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations, with
an amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu
thereof the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Eliminate,
Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act
is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
TITLE I--PURPOSES AND POLICY
Sec. 101. Purposes.
Sec. 102. Statement of United States policy.
TITLE II--REPORT ON MAJOR WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING COUNTRIES
Sec. 201. Report.
TITLE III--FRAMEWORK FOR INTERAGENCY RESPONSE
Sec. 301. Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking.
TITLE IV--PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THE ESCALATING WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING
CRISIS
Sec. 401. Anti-poaching programs.
Sec. 402. Anti-trafficking programs.
Sec. 403. Engagement of United States diplomatic missions.
Sec. 404. Community conservation.
TITLE V--TRANSITION OF OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY FUNDING TO BASE FUNDING
Sec. 501. Sense of congress on funding.
TITLE VI--OTHER ACTIONS RELATING TO WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING PROGRAMS
Sec. 601. Amendments to Fisherman's Protective Act of 1967.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
(2) Co-chairs of the task force.--The term ``Co-Chairs of
the Task Force'' means the Secretary of State, the Secretary
of the Interior, and the Attorney General, as established
pursuant to Executive Order 13648.
(3) Community conservation.--The term ``community
conservation'' means an approach to conservation that
recognizes the rights of local people to sustainably manage,
or benefit directly and indirectly from wildlife and other
natural resources and includes--
(A) devolving management and governance to local
communities to create positive conditions for sustainable
resource use; and
(B) building the capacity of communities for conservation
and natural resource management.
(4) Country of concern.--The term ``country of concern''
refers to a foreign country specially designated by the
Secretary of State pursuant to subsection (b) of section 201
as a major source of wildlife trafficking products or their
derivatives, a major transit point of wildlife trafficking
products or their derivatives, or a major consumer of
wildlife trafficking products, in which the government has
actively engaged in or knowingly profited from the
trafficking of endangered or threatened species.
(5) Focus country.--The term ``focus country'' refers to a
foreign country determined by the Secretary of State to be a
major source of wildlife trafficking products or their
derivatives, a major transit point of wildlife trafficking
products or their derivatives, or a major consumer of
wildlife trafficking products.
(6) Defense article; defense service; significant military
equipment; training.--The terms ``defense article'',
``defense service'', ``significant military equipment'', and
``training'' have the meanings given such terms in section 47
of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2794).
(7) Implementation plan.--The term ``Implementation Plan''
means the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for
Combating Wildlife Trafficking released on February 11, 2015,
a modification of that plan, or a successor plan.
(8) National strategy.--The term ``National Strategy''
means the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife
Trafficking published on February 11, 2014, a modification of
that strategy, or a successor strategy.
(9) National wildlife services.--The term ``national
wildlife services'' refers to the ministries and government
bodies designated to manage matters pertaining to wildlife
management, including poaching or trafficking, in a focus
country.
(10) Security force.--The term ``security force'' means a
military, law enforcement, gendarmerie, park ranger, or any
other security force with a responsibility for protecting
wildlife and natural habitats.
(11) Task force.--The term ``Task Force'' means the
Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking, as
established by Executive Order 13648 (78 Fed. Reg. 40621) and
modified by section 201.
(12) Wildlife trafficking.--The term ``wildlife
trafficking'' refers to the poaching or other illegal taking
of protected or managed species and the illegal trade in
wildlife and their related parts and products.
TITLE I--PURPOSES AND POLICY
SEC. 101. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to support a collaborative, interagency approach to
address wildlife trafficking;
(2) to protect and conserve the remaining populations of
wild elephants, rhinoceroses, and other species threatened by
poaching and the illegal wildlife trade;
(3) to disrupt regional and global transnational organized
criminal networks and to prevent the illegal wildlife trade
from being used as a source of financing for criminal groups
that undermine United States and global security interests;
(4) to prevent wildlife poaching and trafficking from being
a means to make a living in focus countries;
(5) to support the efforts of, and collaborate with,
individuals, communities, local organizations, and foreign
governments to combat poaching and wildlife trafficking;
(6) to assist focus countries in implementation of national
wildlife anti-trafficking and poaching laws; and
(7) to ensure that United States assistance to prevent and
suppress illicit wildlife trafficking is carefully planned
and coordinated, and that it is systematically and rationally
prioritized on the basis of detailed analysis of the nature
and severity of threats to wildlife and the willingness and
ability of foreign partners to cooperate effectively toward
these ends.
SEC. 102. STATEMENT OF UNITED STATES POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States--
(1) to take immediate actions to stop the illegal global
trade in wildlife and wildlife products and associated
transnational organized crime;
(2) to provide technical and other forms of assistance to
help focus countries halt the poaching of elephants,
rhinoceroses, and other imperiled species and end the illegal
trade in wildlife and wildlife products, including by
providing training and assistance in--
(A) wildlife protection and management of wildlife
populations;
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(B) anti-poaching and effective management of protected
areas including community managed and privately-owned lands;
(C) local engagement of security forces in anti-poaching
responsibilities, where appropriate;
(D) wildlife trafficking investigative techniques,
including forensic tools;
(E) transparency and corruption issues;
(F) management, tracking, and inventory of confiscated
wildlife contraband;
(G) demand reduction strategies in countries that lack the
means and resources to conduct them; and
(H) bilateral and multilateral agreements and cooperation;
(3) to employ appropriate assets and resources of the
United States Government in a coordinated manner to curtail
poaching and disrupt and dismantle illegal wildlife trade
networks and the financing of those networks in a manner
appropriate for each focus country;
(4) to build upon the National Strategy and Implementation
Plan to further combat wildlife trafficking in a holistic
manner and guide the response of the United States Government
to ensure progress in the fight against wildlife trafficking;
and
(5) to recognize the ties of wildlife trafficking to
broader forms of transnational organized criminal activities,
including trafficking, and where applicable, to focus on
those crimes in a coordinated, cross-cutting manner.
TITLE II--REPORT ON MAJOR WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING COUNTRIES
SEC. 201. REPORT.
(a) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary
of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior
and the Secretary of Commerce, shall submit to Congress a
report that lists each country determined by the Secretary of
State to be a focus country within the meaning of this Act.
(b) Special Designation.--In each report required under
subsection (a), the Secretary of State, in consultation with
the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce,
shall identify each country listed in the report that also
constitutes a country of concern (as defined in section 2(4))
.
(c) Sunset.--This section shall terminate on the date that
is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
TITLE III--FRAMEWORK FOR INTERAGENCY RESPONSE
SEC. 301. PRESIDENTIAL TASK FORCE ON WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING.
(a) Responsibilities.--In addition to the functions
required by Executive Order 13648 (78 Fed. Reg. 40621), the
Task Force shall be informed by the Secretary of State's
annual report required under section 201 and considering all
available information, ensure that relevant United States
Government agencies--
(1) collaborate, to the greatest extent practicable, with
the national wildlife services, or other relevant bodies of
each focus country to prepare, not later than 90 days after
the date of submission of the report required under section
201(a), a United States mission assessment of the threats to
wildlife in that focus country and an assessment of the
capacity of that country to address wildlife trafficking;
(2) collaborate, to the greatest extent practicable, with
relevant ministries, national wildlife services, or other
relevant bodies of each focus country to prepare, not later
than 180 days after preparation of the assessment referred to
in paragraph (1), a United States mission strategic plan that
includes recommendations for addressing wildlife trafficking,
taking into account any regional or national strategies for
addressing wildlife trafficking in a focus country developed
before the preparation of such assessment;
(3) coordinate efforts among United States Federal agencies
and non-Federal partners, including missions, domestic and
international organizations, the private sector, and other
global partners, to implement the strategic plans required by
paragraph (2) in each focus country;
(4) not less frequently than annually, consult and
coordinate with stakeholders qualified to provide advice,
assistance, and information regarding effective support for
anti-poaching activities, coordination of regional law
enforcement efforts, development of and support for effective
legal enforcement mechanisms, and development of strategies
to reduce illicit trade and reduce consumer demand for
illegally traded wildlife and wildlife products, and other
relevant topics under this Act; and
(5) coordinate or carry out other functions as are
necessary to implement this Act.
(b) Duplication and Efficiency.--The Task Force shall--
(1) ensure that the activities of the Federal agencies
involved in carrying out efforts under this Act are
coordinated and not duplicated; and
(2) encourage efficiencies and coordination among the
efforts of Federal agencies and interagency initiatives
ongoing as of the date of the enactment of this Act to
address trafficking activities, including trafficking of
wildlife, humans, weapons, and narcotics, illegal trade,
transnational organized crime, or other illegal activities.
(c) Consistency With Agency Responsibilities.--The Task
Force shall carry out its responsibilities under this Act in
a manner consistent with the authorities and responsibilities
of agencies represented on the Task Force.
(d) Task Force Strategic Review.--One year after the date
of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Task Force shall submit a strategic assessment of its work
and provide a briefing to the appropriate congressional
committees that shall include--
(1) a review and assessment of the Task Force's
implementation of this Act, identifying successes, failures,
and gaps in its work, or that of agencies represented on the
Task Force, including detailed descriptions of--
(A) what approaches, initiatives, or programs have
succeeded best in increasing the willingness and capacity of
focus countries to suppress and prevent illegal wildlife
trafficking, and what approaches, initiatives, or programs
have not succeeded as well as hoped; and
(B) which foreign governments subject to subsections (a)
and (b) of section 201 have proven to be the most successful
partners in suppressing and preventing illegal wildlife
trafficking, which focus countries have not proven to be so,
and what factors contributed to these results in each country
discussed;
(2) a description of each Task Force member agency's
priorities and objectives for combating wildlife trafficking;
(3) an account of total United States funding each year
since fiscal year 2014 for all government agencies and
programs involved in countering poaching and wildlife
trafficking;
(4) an account of total United States funding since fiscal
year 2014 to support the activities of the Task Force,
including administrative overhead costs and congressional
reporting; and
(5) recommendations for how to improve United States and
international efforts to suppress and prevent illegal
wildlife trafficking in the future, based upon the Task
Force's experience as of the time of the review.
(e) Termination of Task Force.--The statutory authorization
for the Task Force provided by this Act shall terminate 5
years after the date of the enactment of this Act or such
earlier date that the President terminates the Task Force by
rescinding, superseding, or otherwise modifying relevant
portions of Executive Order 13648.
TITLE IV--PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THE ESCALATING WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING
CRISIS
SEC. 401. ANTI-POACHING PROGRAMS.
(a) Wildlife Law Enforcement Professional Training and
Coordination Activities.--The Secretary of State and the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development, in collaboration with the heads of other
relevant United States agencies and nongovernmental partners
where appropriate, may provide assistance to focus countries
to carry out the recommendations made in the strategic plan
required by section 301(a)(2), among other goals, to improve
the effectiveness of wildlife law enforcement in regions and
countries that have demonstrated capacity, willingness, and
need for assistance.
(b) Authority to Provide Security Assistance to Counter
Wildlife Trafficking and Poaching.--
(1) In general.--The President is authorized to provide
defense articles, defense services, and related training to
security forces of focus countries for the purpose of
countering wildlife trafficking and poaching where
appropriate.
(2) Types of assistance.--
(A) In general.--Assistance provided under paragraph (1)
may include intelligence and surveillance assets,
communications and electronic equipment, mobility assets,
night vision and thermal imaging devices, and organizational
clothing and individual equipment, pursuant to the applicable
provision of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et
seq.) or the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151
et seq.).
(B) Limitation.--Assistance provided under paragraph (1)
may not include significant military equipment.
(3) Special rule.--Assistance provided under paragraph (1)
shall be in addition to any other assistance provided to the
countries under any other provision of law.
(4) Prohibition on assistance.--
(A) In general.--No assistance may be provided under
subsection (b) to a unit of a security force if the President
determines that the unit has been found to engage in wildlife
trafficking or poaching.
(B) Exception.--The prohibition in subparagraph (A) shall
not apply with respect to a unit of a security force of a
country if the President determines that the government of
the country is taking effective steps to hold the unit
accountable and prevent the unit from engaging in trafficking
and poaching.
(5) Certification.--With respect to any assistance provided
pursuant to this subsection, the Secretary of State shall
certify to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate
and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives that such assistance is necessary for the
purposes of combating wildlife trafficking.
(6) Notification.--Consistent with the requirements of the
Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) and the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.), the
Secretary of State shall notify the appropriate congressional
committees regarding defense articles, defense services, and
related training provided under paragraph (1).
SEC. 402. ANTI-TRAFFICKING PROGRAMS.
(a) Investigative Capacity Building.--The Secretary of
State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for
International Development, in collaboration with the heads of
other relevant United States agencies and communities,
regions, and governments in focus countries, may design and
implement programs in focus countries to carry out the
recommendations made in the strategic plan required under
section 301(a)(2) among other goals, with clear and
measurable targets and indicators of success, to increase the
capacity of wildlife law enforcement and customs and border
security officers in focus countries.
(b) Transnational Programs.--The Secretary of State and the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development, in collaboration with other relevant
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United States agencies, nongovernmental partners, and
international bodies, and in collaboration with communities,
regions, and governments in focus countries, may design and
implement programs, including support for Wildlife
Enforcement Networks, in focus countries to carry out the
recommendations made in the strategic plan required under
section 301(a)(2), among other goals, to better understand
and combat the transnational trade in illegal wildlife.
SEC. 403. ENGAGEMENT OF UNITED STATES DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS.
As soon as practicable but not later than 2 years after the
date of the enactment of this Act, each chief of mission to a
focus country should begin to implement the recommendations
contained in the strategic plan required under section
301(a)(2), among other goals, for the country.
SEC. 404. COMMUNITY CONSERVATION.
The Secretary of State, in collaboration with the United
State Agency for International Development, heads of other
relevant United States agencies, the private sector,
nongovernmental organizations, and other development
partners, may provide support in focus countries to carry out
the recommendations made in the strategic plan required under
section 301(a)(2) as such recommendations relate to the
development, scaling, and replication of community wildlife
conservancies and community conservation programs in focus
countries to assist with rural stability and greater security
for people and wildlife, empower and support communities to
manage or benefit from their wildlife resources sustainably,
and reduce the threat of poaching and trafficking, including
through--
(1) promoting conservation-based enterprises and
incentives, such as eco-tourism and sustainable agricultural
production, that empower communities to manage wildlife,
natural resources, and community ventures where appropriate,
by ensuring they benefit from well-managed wildlife
populations;
(2) helping create alternative livelihoods to poaching by
mitigating wildlife trafficking, helping support rural
stability, greater security for people and wildlife,
sustainable economic development, and economic incentives to
conserve wildlife populations;
(3) engaging regional businesses and the private sector to
develop goods and services to aid in anti-poaching and anti-
trafficking measures;
(4) working with communities to develop secure and safe
methods of sharing information with enforcement officials;
(5) providing technical assistance to support sustainable
land use plans to improve the economic, environmental, and
social outcomes in community-owned or -managed lands;
(6) supporting community anti-poaching efforts, including
policing and informant networks;
(7) working with community and national governments to
develop relevant policy and regulatory frameworks to enable
and promote community conservation programs, including
supporting law enforcement engagement with wildlife
protection authorities to promote information-sharing; and
(8) working with national governments to ensure that
communities have timely and effective support from national
authorities to mitigate risks that communities may face when
engaging in anti-poaching and anti-trafficking activities.
TITLE V--TRANSITION OF OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY FUNDING TO BASE FUNDING
SEC. 501. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON FUNDING.
It is the sense of Congress that the President and Congress
should provide for an appropriate and responsible transition
for funding designated for overseas contingency operations to
traditional and regular annual appropriations, including
emergency supplemental funding, as appropriate.
TITLE VI--OTHER ACTIONS RELATING TO WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING PROGRAMS
SEC. 601. AMENDMENTS TO FISHERMAN'S PROTECTIVE ACT OF 1967.
Section 8 of the Fisherman's Protective Act of 1967 (22
U.S.C. 1978) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``, in consultation with
the Secretary of State,'' after ``Secretary of Commerce'';
(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, in consultation with
the Secretary of State,'' after ``Secretary of the
Interior'';
(C) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``in consultation with
the Secretary of State,'' after ``, as appropriate,'';
(D) by redesigning paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
(E) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new
paragraph:
``(4) The Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the
Interior shall each report to Congress each certification to
the President made by such Secretary under this subsection,
within 15 days after making such certification.''; and
(2) in subsection (d), by inserting ``in consultation with
the Secretary of State,'' after ``as the case may be,''.
Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-
reported amendment be withdrawn; the Coons amendment at the desk be
agreed to; and the bill, as amended, be read a third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sasse). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The committee-reported amendment was withdrawn.
The amendment (No. 5078) in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
(The amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text of
Amendments.'')
The amendment was ordered to be engrossed, and the bill to be read a
third time.
The bill was read the third time.
Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on this
measure.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the bill having
been read the third time, the question is, Shall the bill pass?
The bill (H.R. 2494), as amended, was passed.
Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I am going to take a few minutes, if I
might, to celebrate something that we, frankly, have a chance to
celebrate far too rarely--a bipartisan legislative success.
I am thrilled to be here to celebrate the passage of the End Wildlife
Trafficking Act, a bill Senator Flake and I have been working on for
months since it was introduced in December of last year, an idea which
we have been working on for well over a year. This bill has been a long
time in coming.
I first saw the tragic consequences of poaching and wildlife
trafficking decades ago when I was a young man in Kenya, and I first
visited Africa with a number of my colleagues on a trip to look at the
dramatic increase in wildlife trafficking just a few short years ago.
President Obama issued an Executive order to combat wildlife
trafficking back in 2013, and Senator Cardin and I held a joint hearing
on the topic in 2014 when I chaired the African Affairs Subcommittee.
Senator Flake, now the chair of the African Affairs Subcommittee, and I
introduced this bill together last December, and now we are excited to
see it pass this body and be one step closer to becoming law.
Why is this bill important? Why does wildlife trafficking in Africa
matter? Because nearly 100 elephants are killed every single day so
their ivory tusks can be sold on the black market. Ivory now commands
prices higher than heroin or gold, and it has become one of the
principal ways of financing transnational networks of terrorists and of
criminals.
The tragic consequences for the African elephant were recently noted
in a report that showed that the population of elephants across the
continent shrank by one-third in the last decade. In 2014, more than
1,000 rhinoceroses were illegally killed in South Africa, a several
thousand-percent increase since the decade before. And as rhino horn
and elephant tusks command outrageous prices on the world market, the
demand has driven both wildlife poaching and trafficking steadily
upward. Until today, it has become a multibillion-dollar industry that
threatens wildlife, fragile ecosystems, and our national security.
Wildlife poaching and trafficking is one of those problems about
which it is tempting to throw up our hands and ask: What could we
possibly do about this? It happens on the other side of the world and
it affects wildlife most of us will never see in person. But we didn't.
And because of that, because of our persistence and determination and
because so many people on the committee staff in the Senate and in the
executive branch have devoted time and effort to coming up with a
strategy and a pathway toward addressing it, we have lots of reasons
today to be optimistic.
In President Obama, we have a President engaged in the continent of
Africa and committed to combating trafficking and poaching. In
Secretary Kerry, we have a former Senator who, when he was chairman of
the Foreign Relations Committee, dedicated personal time and effort to
highlighting the issue of wildlife trafficking. As I mentioned, in
2013, the President created a task force on wildlife trafficking that
produced a national strategy for working together to combat wildlife
trafficking. Now, just today, we have a strong bill--the End Wildlife
Trafficking Act--that has passed the Senate and is on its way to the
House.
Based on a recent conversation, I am optimistic that Chairman Royce
and Ranking Member Engel, of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will
move this forward in the week ahead. Both
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Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel deserve great credit for
passing a complementary bill in the House, and it is because they have
already acted on this that I am optimistic we will be able to together
reach our end goal.
What exactly does that bill do? Let me briefly say, it requires a
strategy, it authorizes an interagency approach to working with the
governments of many countries affected by wildlife trafficking, and it
produces recommendations on how to address those threats in
coordination with nongovernmental organizations. It authorizes the
Secretary of State and the Administrator of USAID to support efforts to
combat poaching and wildlife trafficking and to encourage community
conservation programs--an initiative, a direction, that Senator Flake
and I have seen in person on the ground in southern Africa.
It also includes strategic regular reviews to monitor progress being
made, and it gives prosecutors more tools to go after individuals
involved in high-value wildlife crime. Last, but not least, it
encourages diplomatic efforts around the world to try and reduce the
demand for wildlife trafficking and for the markets that consume so
much of this illicit traffic, whether in China, Vietnam, Malaysia, or
elsewhere. Finally, it requires an annual report back to us in Congress
to let us know how any taxpayer dollars appropriated in this fight
against wildlife trafficking are being spent.
This bill isn't just good policy. In a Congress that is all too often
paralyzed by division and by dysfunction, the passage of this act is an
important example of what it can look like when we put good policy
before partisan politics.
I want to briefly thank the staff of Senators Corker and Cardin; my
own staff, including Lisa Jones, who spent a great deal of time on
this; the staff of Senator Flake, Colleen Donnelly and Sarah Towles;
and three terrific people, all of them AAAS fellows who have helped
bring this bill to passage: Rosa Mutiso, Allie Schwier, and Leah Rubin
Shen, who has moved from being an AAAS fellow to my office and has done
a terrific job getting us to the finish line today.
I am so grateful for all of the work of the dedicated folks in
Congress and in the executive branch who have made this possible.
Thank you very much.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
____________________