[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 21, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3688-S3689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Tester, Mr. Blumenthal,
Mr. Kaine, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Warren, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Franken,
Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Menendez,
Ms. Hirono, and Mr. Durbin):
S. 1389. A bill to allow the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
to provide greater protection to servicemembers; to the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, today, along with Senators Brown, Tester,
Blumenthal, Kaine, Duckworth, Warren, Baldwin, Franken, Klobuchar,
Cortez Masto, Van Hollen, and Menendez, I am reintroducing the Military
Consumer Enforcement Act to further strengthen consumer protections for
service members.
Our Nation has a strong tradition of working to protect our service
members while they sacrifice to keep our Nation, safe. Building on
these efforts, Congress passed the Soldiers' and Sailor's Civil Relief
Act in 1940 to provide essential financial protections for service
members to ``enable such persons to devote their entire energy to the
defense needs of the Nation.'' Now called the Servicemembers Civil
Relief Act (SCRA), this law provides such protections as prohibiting
the eviction of service members and their dependents from rental or
mortgaged properties and capping the interest at 6% on debts incurred
prior to an individual entering active duty military service.
Despite the importance of the SCRA's protections to our service
members, enforcement of this critical law has been inconsistent and
subject to the discretion of our financial regulators. For example,
according to a July 2012 report from the Government Accountability
Office, the estimated percentage of depository institutions that
serviced mortgages that were examined for SCRA compliance varied by
year between 2007 through 2011 at a rate of 4% in 2007, 17% in 2008,
18% in 2009, 26% in 2010, and 15% in 2011. Without a change in the law,
SCRA enforcement will continue to be subject to the changing priorities
of the financial regulators, which can also change with each newly
elected President. Simply put, prioritizing the consumer protection of
our service members should not be discretionary; it should be
mandatory. Our legislation ensures that SCRA enforcement will be a
permanent priority for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, CFPB,
which Congress created to enforce Federal consumer financial protection
laws.
In 2010, as we debated the authorizing legislation for the CFPB, I
led the bipartisan effort to ensure the CFPB would play a key role in
protecting service members through the establishment of an Office of
Servicemember Affairs, OSA. Since that time, the CFPB, through its
enforcement actions, has helped service members recover approximately
$130 million in relief from unscrupulous actors in the financial
marketplace and through the OSA's monitoring of complaints, the CFPB
has helped other regulators provide more than $60 million in relief for
more than 78,000 service members harmed by SCRA violations. Imagine how
much more the CFPB could do for our service members if it could do more
than just refer potential SCRA violations to other regulators and
educate service members about their SCRA rights. With this demonstrated
record of success in protecting our service members, the CFPB should be
empowered, as it would be under this legislation, to enforce certain
key SCRA provisions, such as the protections against default judgments
and being charged no more than the maximum rate of interest on debts
incurred before military service.
We should do all we can to make sure there is a strong watchdog on
the beat that can enforce the protections we have put in place. When it
comes to the SCRA, that strong watchdog should be the CFPB. Our
legislation is supported by more than thirty groups, including the
National Military Family Association, the Military Officers Association
of America, Veterans Education Success, Student Veterans of America,
Consumer Federation of America, Americans for Financial Reform, Public
Citizen, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, U.S. PIRG,
Consumers Union, National Association of Consumer Advocates, National
Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low income clients), National
Community Reinvestment Coalition, Center for Popular Democracy,
Alliance for Justice, American Association for Justice, and the Center
for Responsible Lending. I urge our colleagues to help honor our
commitment to our Nation's service members by joining us in this effort
to improve the supervision and enforcement of the SCRA.
______
By Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Ms. Warren, and Mr. Tillis):
S. 1393. A bill to streamline the process by which active duty
military, reservists, and veterans receive commercial driver's
licenses; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Mr. CORNYN. 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. 1393
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 ``Jobs for Our Heroes Act''.
SEC. 2. MEDICAL CERTIFICATE FOR VETERANS OPERATING COMMERCIAL
MOTOR VEHICLES.
(a) Qualified Examiners.--Section 5403(d)(2) of the FAST
Act (49 U.S.C. 31149 note; 129 Stat. 1548) is amended to read
as follows:
``(2) Qualified examiner.--The term `qualified examiner'
means an individual who--
``(A) is employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs as
an advanced practice nurse, doctor of chiropractic, doctor of
medicine, doctor of osteopathy, physician assistant, or other
medical professional;
``(B) is licensed, certified, or registered in a State to
perform physical examinations;
``(C) is familiar with the standards for, and physical
requirements of, an operator required to be medically
certified under section 31149 of title 49, United States
Code; and
``(D) has never, with respect to such section, been found
to have acted fraudulently, including by fraudulently
awarding a medical certificate.''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 5403 of the FAST Act
(49 U.S.C. 31149 note; 129 Stat. 1548) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``physician-approved
veteran operator, the qualified physician'' and inserting
``veteran operator approved by a qualified examiner, the
qualified examiner'';
(2) in subsection (b)(1)--
(A) by striking ``the physician'' and inserting ``the
examiner''; and
(B) by striking ``qualified physician'' and inserting
``qualified examiner'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) by striking ``qualified physicians'' and inserting
``qualified examiners''; and
(B) by striking ``such physicians'' and inserting ``such
examiners''; and
(4) in subsection (d)--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) as
paragraphs (3), (1), and (2), respectively, and by moving the
text of paragraph (3), as redesignated, to appear after
paragraph (2), as redesignated; and
(B) in paragraph (3), as redesignated--
(i) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``Physician-
approved veteran operator'' and inserting ``Veteran operator
approved by a qualified examiner''; and
(ii) by striking ``physician-approved veteran operator''
and inserting ``veteran operator approved by a qualified
examiner''.
(c) Rulemaking.--The amendments made by this section shall
be incorporated into any rulemaking proceeding related to
section 5403 of the FAST Act (49 U.S.C. 31149 note; 129 Stat.
1548) that is being conducted as of the date of the enactment
of this Act.
SEC. 3. COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE STANDARDS FOR CURRENT AND
FORMER MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.
Section 31305(d) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Veteran
Operators'' and inserting ``Operators Who Are Members of the
Armed Forces, Reservists, or Veterans'';
(2) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ``subparagraph (A)
during, at least,'' and inserting ``subparagraph (A)--
``(i) while serving in the armed forces or reserve
components; and
``(ii) during''; and
(3) in paragraph (2)(B)--
(A) by inserting ``current or'' before ``former'' each
place the term appears; and
(B) by inserting ``1 of'' before ``the reserve
components''.
______
By Mr. CARPER (for himself and Mr. Coons):
S. 1395. A bill to revise the boundaries of certain John H. Chafee
Coastal
[[Page S3689]]
Barrier Resources System units in Delaware; to the Committee on
Environment and Public Works.
Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to
adjust the boundary of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, CBRA, map
unit for North Bethany Beach, Delaware. I am pleased to be working in
this effort with the junior Senator from Delaware, Mr. Coons, who joins
me as an original cosponsor.
This map change implements a recommendation made by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. The Service discovered during its recent digital
mapping pilot project that a portion of the North Bethany Beach unit
encompassing the South Shore Marina development was included by mistake
when the map was created in 1990. The Fish and Wildlife released a
report to Congress in November of 2016 on the results of the mapping
pilot project required by the 2006 Coastal Barrier Resources
Reauthorization Act (PL 109-226). Delaware was part of the pilot
project, and the report contains the recommendation for this map
change.
This map change can occur only through an act of Congress.
CBRA is a map-based law enacted in 1982 recognizing that certain
actions and programs of the Federal Government subsidize and encourage
development on coastal barriers. This coastal building contributes to
the loss of natural resources and threatens human life, health and
property. The CBRA system currently contains 859 geographic units in 23
States and territories along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes,
U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico coasts. The CBRA units are
depicted on a set of maps that is maintained by the Secretary of the
Interior through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
While CBRA does not prohibit or regulate development, it removes the
Federal incentives to build on these undeveloped, unstable and
environmentally sensitive areas. CBRA seeks to save taxpayers' money,
keep people out of harm's way, and conserve natural resources by
restricting most new Federal expenditures and financial assistance
(e.g., beach nourishment, disaster assistance, and flood insurance) in
areas designated within the CBRA system. That is why Mr. President, it
is important to make sure these maps are accurate and that they do not
include previously developed property. This bill will achieve that
objective for the North Bethany Beach area.
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. 1395
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. REPLACEMENT OF JOHN H. CHAFEE COASTAL BARRIER
RESOURCES SYSTEM MAP.
(a) In General.--The map subtitled ``Delaware Seashore Unit
DE-07P, North Bethany Beach Unit H01'' and dated December 6,
2013, that is included in the set of maps entitled ``Coastal
Barrier Resources System'' referred to in section 4(a) of the
Coastal Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503(a)) and
relating to certain John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources
System units in the State of Delaware, is replaced by the map
entitled ``Delaware Seashore Unit DE-07/DE-07P, North Bethany
Beach Unit H01'' and dated March 16, 2016.
(b) Availability.--The Secretary of the Interior shall keep
the replacement map referred to in subsection (a) on file and
available for inspection in accordance with section 4(b) of
the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503(b)).
______
By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Ms. Heitkamp):
S. 1402. A bill to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch
Act to require the Secretary of Agriculture to make loan guarantees and
grants to finance certain improvements to school lunch facilities, to
train school food service personnel, and for other purposes; to the
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleague from
North Dakota, Senator Heitkamp, in sponsoring the School Food
Modernization Act to assist schools in providing healthier meals to
students throughout the country.
School meals play a vital role in the lives of our young people. More
than 30 million children participate in the National School Lunch
Program every school day and more than 14 million eat school
breakfasts, with participation rising steadily in Maine and nationwide.
In Maine, 48 percent of children qualify for free or reduced-price
meals based on household income.
Moreover, the food served at schools affects children's health and
well-being. Many children consume up to half their daily caloric intake
at school and some get their most nutritious meal of the day at school
instead of at home. At the same time, too many of our children are at
risk of serious disease, which may have a lifelong effect on their
health as they grow to adulthood.
In response to these health concerns, our schools have stepped up.
For example, in the New Sweden Consolidated School in Aroostook County,
Maine, food service manager Melanie Lagasse prepares meals from scratch
instead of opening cans or pushing a defrost button. The school's 64
students, aged preschool to 8th grade, have grown to relish the chicken
stew, baked fish, and meatloaf that she makes fresh.
Many schools, however, lack the right tools for preparing meals rich
in fresh ingredients. Schools built decades ago often lack the
equipment and infrastructure necessary to do more than reheat and serve
one or two meal options each day.
To serve healthier meals, 99 percent of Maine school districts need
to acquire at least one piece of equipment and almost 50 percent of
districts need kitchen infrastructure upgrades. The median equipment
need per school alone is $45,000. Making the required changes to
infrastructure is even more costly, with 41 percent of schools needing
more physical space, 22 percent more electrical capacity, 21 percent
more plumbing capacity, and 19 percent more ventilation.
It is estimated that $58.8 million would be necessary just in Maine
for the equipment and infrastructure upgrades needed to serve healthy
meals to all of our students. That far exceeds the $89,000 in grants
that the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded Maine last fiscal year.
Maine is not alone. In a recent survey of school nutrition directors,
the most frequently cited financial concern was equipment costs,
ranking higher than even labor and food costs.
The School Food Modernization Act seeks to help food service
personnel offer a wide variety of nutritious and appealing meals and
snacks to all students. First, the bill would establish a loan
guarantee assistance program within USDA to help schools acquire new
equipment to prepare and serve healthier meals. Second, it would
provide targeted grant assistance to provide the seed funding needed to
upgrade kitchen infrastructure or to purchase high-quality equipment
such as commercial ovens, steamers, and stoves. Finally, to aid school
food service personnel in running successful, healthy programs, the
legislation would authorize USDA to provide support on a competitive
basis to highly qualified third-party trainers to develop and
administer training and technical assistance, including online programs
Senator Heitkamp and I appreciate that provisions of this legislation
were incorporated into the Child Nutrition Reauthorization legislation
that was passed out of the Agriculture Committee last Congress. We
encourage our colleagues to continue to support school kitchen
equipment needs as the reauthorization process continues.
Mr. President, if our school children are going to be able to learn
and compete, they need to be healthy and their minds and bodies fully
nourished. This bill would help us achieve that goal.
____________________