[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 199 (Thursday, December 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7029-S7030]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Lee, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Booker, 
        Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Coons, Ms. Harris, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. 
        Hirono, and Mr. Leahy):
  S. 3035. A bill to provide that the amount of time that an elderly 
offender must serve before being eligible for placement in home 
detention is to be reduced by the amount of good time credits earned by 
the prisoner , and for other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. DURBIN. 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. 3035

       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 ``Elderly Home Detention Pilot 
     Program Technical Corrections Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. CREDITS FOR CERTAIN ELDERLY NONVIOLENT OFFENDERS.

       Section 231(g)(5)(A)(ii) of the Second Chance Act of 2007 
     (34 U.S.C. 60541(g)(5)(A)(ii)) is amended by striking ``to 
     which the offender was sentenced'' and inserting ``reduced by 
     any credit toward the service of the prisoner's sentence 
     awarded under section 3624(b) of title 18, United States 
     Code''.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:
  S. 3042. A bill to amend title 46, United States Code, to require the 
Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to 
prescribe additional regulations to secure the safety of individuals 
and property on board certain small passenger vessels, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the ``Small 
Passenger Vessel Safety Act of 2019''.
  This bill would prevent future tragedies like the one that happened 
onboard the Conception passenger vessel off the coast of Santa Cruz 
Island, California. This was the worst maritime disaster in modern 
California history, and my thoughts continue to be with the victims and 
their loved ones.
  On September 2, 2019, thirty-four people were tragically killed 
onboard the vessel when a fire started while passengers were sleeping 
below deck after a nighttime swim. The victims of the boat fire--
thirty-three passengers and one crewmember--were athletes, immigrants, 
CEO's, and students. All were united by love of the water, marine life, 
and their adventurous spirit.
  The Conception boat fire was a tragedy that must never be allowed to 
happen again. Reports indicate the fire consumed the boat, including 
the salon, galley compartment, and the aft deck, and causes include 
overloading of the electric system, possibly from rechargeable devices 
with lithium ion batteries. The lack of an interconnected fire alarm 
system throughout the vessel meant passengers and crew were not made 
aware of the fire until key areas of escape were already engulfed. 
Critical time--time that could have saved lives--was lost. This bill 
addresses these issues and potential causes.
  While investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board and 
the Coast Guard are still ongoing, it is

[[Page S7030]]

clear regulatory changes are needed to ensure small passenger vessels 
have the right safety measures in place to limit the possibility of 
fire and help evacuate the vessel of passengers in the event a fire 
does start.
  The Conception is one of about 325 small passenger vessels built 
before 1996 and exempt from stricter safety standards imposed on newer 
vessels.
  This bill offers a number of common-sense provisions that will 
improve passenger vessel safety. These include: requiring these types 
of vessels to have no less than two avenues of escape from all areas 
accessible to passengers; mandating safety standards for the handling, 
storage and operation of lithium ion batteries; and, establishing 
standards for interconnected fire alarm systems.
  I appreciate the hard work of the National Transportation Safety 
Board and the U.S. Coast Guard Inspections and Compliance Directorate. 
I especially appreciate the Commandant's Marine Safety Information 
Bulletin issued on September 10 reminding owners, operators and masters 
of passenger vessels to adhere to the regulations related to 
firefighting, lifesaving, emergency preparation and means of escape. 
And, more specifically, I appreciate the attention to the issue of 
unsupervised charging of lithium-ion batteries and the extensive use of 
power strips and extension cords.
  Given the horrific nature of this tragedy, it is imperative that we 
establish stricter safety standards onboard these boats where so many 
children and families have such enjoyment. I believe this bill is a 
pragmatic, commonsense solution to improve safety on these older 
vessels, and I urge it to be included in the Coast Guard 
Reauthorization Act.
  Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Ms. Sinema):
  S. 3048. A bill to authorize certain aliens seeking asylum to be 
employed in the United States while their applications are being 
adjudicated; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Asylum 
Seeker Work Authorization Act of 2019, which is similar to a bill 
introduced by Representative Pingree in the House. My bill would allow 
asylum seekers to seek employment 30 days after applying for asylum, 
provided their applications are not frivolous, their identities have 
been verified, and their names run through the Federal government's 
terrorist watch lists. This change would allow asylum applicants to 
work and contribute to society without being dependent on assistance 
from local governments while their claims are being adjudicated.
  Under current law, asylum seekers must wait 180 days after filing 
their applications before they are allowed to work. The 180-day 
requirement was adopted by the Clinton Administration in 1994 out of 
concern that some asylum seekers might apply for asylum primarily as a 
means of getting a work authorization. Clearly, this change has only 
transferred the burden of care for these asylum seekers onto 
communities across the Nation.
  One such community is Portland, Maine. Earlier this year, over the 
span of several weeks, a surge of asylum seekers from the Democratic 
Republic of the Congo and Angola arrived in Portland after crossing our 
southern border. These asylum seekers could have given a much-needed 
boost to Maine's very tight labor market--our unemployment rate is just 
2.8 percent--but the lengthy work-authorization process prevents these 
asylum seekers from getting jobs even to support themselves.
  Thankfully, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for 
Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act of 2019 
made funds available to assist local communities dealing with a sudden 
influx of asylum seekers. The City of Portland and private 
organizations in southern Maine received $892,586 from that Act. While 
I am pleased that these funds have been provided to Portland and other 
communities around our country, it would be a better solution if those 
seeking asylum were able to join the workforce and achieve self-
sufficiency as quickly as possible while awaiting the outcome of their 
cases.
  It is my hope that the change proposed by my bill will lessen the 
burden on the budgets of communities hosting asylum seekers while 
allowing these individuals and their families to support themselves as 
they want to do, bringing needed skills to the cities and towns in 
which they settle. I encourage my colleagues to support it.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. MORAN:
  S.J. Res. 61. A joint resolution approving the request of the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs for a waiver under section 1703E(f) of 
title 38, United States Code; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to submit the 
following letter from U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Robert L. 
Wilkie, for the Record.
  So Ordered.

     Hon. Mitch McConnell,
     Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC 20510.
       Dear Senator McConnell: In accordance with the requirements 
     of section 1703E(f)(2) of title 38, United States Code, 
     enclosed is the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) report on 
     a request for a waiver to allow VA to pilot community 
     partnered collaborations to expand dental care for Veterans. 
     We request that copies of this waiver be provided to the 
     Chair and Ranking Member of applicable standing committees 
     with jurisdiction to report a bill to amend the provision or 
     provisions of law that would be waived by VA, consistent with 
     section 1703E(f)(3).
       As required by section 1703E(f)(2), the enclosed report 
     describes in detail the specific authorities to be waived 
     under the pilot program; the standard or standards to be used 
     in the pilot program in lieu of the waived authorities; the 
     reasons for such waiver or waivers; a description of the 
     metric or metrics VA will use to determine the effect of the 
     waiver or waivers upon the access to and quality, timeliness, 
     or patient satisfaction of care and services furnished 
     through the pilot program; the anticipated cost savings, if 
     any, of the pilot program; the schedule for interim reports 
     on the pilot program describing the results of the pilot 
     program so far and the feasibility and advisability of 
     continuing the pilot program; the schedule for the 
     termination of the pilot program and the submission of a 
     final report on the pilot program describing the result of 
     the pilot program and the feasibility and advisability of 
     making the pilot program permanent; and the estimated budget 
     of the pilot program.
       Consistent with section 17.450 of title 38, Code of Federal 
     Regulations, this report also includes the geographic 
     locations for each pilot program, the rationale for those 
     selections, and how VA believes the selected locations will 
     address deficits in care for a defined population; any 
     applicable provision of existing regulations implementing any 
     laws to be waived; and any more specific definitions of terms 
     included in section 17.450(b), as necessitated by the 
     specific provisions of the proposed pilot program.
       The Office of Management and Budget advises that there is 
     no objection to the submission of this waiver proposal to 
     Congress and that its enactment would be in accord with the 
     program of the President.
       Thank you for your continuing support of our mission. A 
     similar letter has been sent to other leaders of the Congress 
     and the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs.
           Sincerely,
     Robert L. Wilkie.

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