[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 145 (Tuesday, August 10, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6282-S6283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. Sullivan, Ms. Duckworth, and Ms. 
        Cortez Masto):
  S. 2688. A bill to require consultations on reuniting Korean 
Americans with family members in North Korea; to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations.
  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the ``Korean War 
Divided Families Reunification Act'' with my colleague Senator 
Sullivan. This bipartisan piece of legislation would open opportunities 
for Korean Americans to be included in reunions with their relatives 
who remain in North Korea. Many first generation Korean Americans, now 
in their 80's and 90's, are waiting to be reunited with their parents, 
spouses, children, siblings, and cousins. They should not have to wait 
any longer.
  One of the tragic legacies of the Korean War is the permanent 
separation of Korean families. Sixty-eight years ago, the United 
States, People's Republic of China, North Korea, and South Korea agreed 
to an armistice which drew a new border between North Korea from South 
Korea. Since then, there has been little contact between South Koreans 
and their family members who remained in North Korea, and almost no 
contact between Korean Americans and their loved ones in North Korea.
  North and South Korea first agreed to hold reunions of divided 
families in 1985. There have been 21 face-to face reunions and multiple 
video-link reunions, which have given approximately 24,500 Koreans the 
opportunity to briefly reunite with loved ones. There is no official 
channel, however, for Korean Americans to participate in these 
reunions.
  Many Korean Americans long for an opportunity to meet their North 
Korean relatives. My constituent, Carol Li from Honolulu, wants to 
reconnect with her family's past and learn more about where her 
grandparents were from. Carol's maternal grandparents fled from North 
Korea to the South during the Korean War, leaving behind their 
siblings. Unfortunately, her grandparents passed away before they were 
able to reconnect with their siblings who remained in North Korea. 
While she was teaching English in South Korea, she grew more curious 
about her North Korean relatives and the war that divided them. With 
passage of this legislation, Carol hopes she can participate in future 
reunions to meet her North Korean relatives. She deserves the 
opportunity to do so.
  The legislation I am introducing would open official channels between 
Korean Americans and their families in North Korea by directing the 
U.S. Secretary of State to consult with his counterpart in South Korea 
to identify opportunities for Korean Americans to participate in future 
family reunions. It also directs the State Department's Special Envoy 
on North Korean Human Rights Issues to consult the Korean American 
community on efforts to reunite families, including opportunities for 
video reunions.
  Time is of the essence for those who have been seeking the 
opportunity to reconnect with their loved ones for nearly seven 
decades. Thanks to the leadership of Rep. Grace Meng of New York, the 
House of Representatives passed this legislation on July 19, 2021 by a 
vote of 415 to 0. It is time for the Senate to act. I call on my Senate 
colleagues to swiftly pass this bill. Thank you.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. REED (for himself and Mrs. Capito):
  S. 2691. A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to 
ensure adequate access to vaccines under the Medicaid program and the 
Vaccines for Children program, and for other purposes; to the Committee 
on Finance.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce the 
Strengthening the Vaccines for Children Program Act of 2021 with 
Senator Shelley Moore Capito. This bill seeks to protect children and 
their communities from preventable illness during the pandemic and for 
the long term by making vaccines more accessible. Similar bipartisan 
legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by 
Representatives Kim Schrier, John Joyce, G.K. Butterfield, and David 
McKinley.
  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, routine childhood vaccination rates are 
down, as parents have sought to avoid visits to the doctor and other 
medical care for their children for fear of catching or spreading 
COVID-19. These lower immunizations rates raise the very real 
possibility of a secondary outbreak of an infectious disease such as 
measles, mumps, or whooping cough. The Vaccines for Children (VFC) 
program provides federally purchased vaccines to approximately half of 
all children in the United States, including children who are enrolled 
in Medicaid or who are uninsured or underinsured, and plays a critical 
role in ensuring high rates of childhood vaccination. As children 
return to school in person this fall, the VFC program will be critical 
to helping children catch up on their routine immunizations to prevent 
outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. However, much more must be 
done to update and improve the VFC program to better reflect the 
challenges of administering vaccines today.
  Our bipartisan legislation would modernize the VFC program, 
addressing barriers to participation among families and their 
pediatricians. As such, this bill would extend eligibility to children 
enrolled in the Children's Health Insurance Program, streamlining and 
filling a gap in program administration. The bill would also ensure 
that Medicaid can pay appropriately for the administration and 
counseling of modern, multicomponent vaccines, helping to address 
vaccine hesitancy. Lastly, the bill includes new reporting requirements 
to identify disparities and pockets of low vaccination rates.
  This legislation has already passed unanimously in the House Energy 
and Commerce Committee, demonstrating broad, bipartisan support for 
improving the VFC program and addressing lagging childhood vaccination 
rates. I look forward to working with Sen. Capito, as well as 
Representatives Schrier, Joyce, Butterfield, and McKinley towards 
passage of this legislation in both chambers in the near future.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein):
  S. 2693. A bill to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and 
Adjustment Act of 1992 to authorize additional projects related to the 
Salton Sea, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan 
``Salton Sea Projects Improvement Act'' to expand the Bureau of 
Reclamation's ability to participate and invest in projects at the 
Salton Sea.
  This legislation would ensure Reclamation can meaningfully partner 
with state, local, and Tribal governments to address both the public 
health and environmental crises at the Salton Sea.
  Under current law, the Bureau of Reclamation is only able to engage 
in projects that have a research focus. This means that Reclamation can 
only engage in projects to research how to protect habitat, enhance 
fisheries, enhance recreational opportunities, or control salinity. 
Reclamation also operates under a $10 million authorization.
  This effectively prohibits Reclamation from participating in the 
Salton Sea Management Program run by California.
  This legislation would expand Reclamation's authority so they can 
participate in large-scale projects, even if they don't have a research 
focus. Projects could improve air and water quality, restore fish and 
wildlife habitat, and improve public health at the Salton Sea. It would 
also increase Reclamation's authorization for Salton Sea efforts from 
$10 million to $250 million.
  The Salton Sea, located in southern Riverside and northern Imperial 
counties, is California's largest inland body of water. It formed after 
Colorado River floodwater breached an irrigation canal and flowed into 
the Salton Sink.
  The current Salton Sea maintains water levels from irrigation runoff 
but has been shrinking for many years. The water has become 
increasingly salty, so much so that its salinity is 50% higher than the 
Pacific Ocean. This has led to major water quality issues with

[[Page S6283]]

devastating impacts to the Salton Sea's ecosystem, which serves as 
critical habitat for migratory waterfowl and other species.
  But this ecological crisis has even more widespread impacts. The 
declining water levels have also exposed wide swaths of lakebed at the 
Salton Sea, polluting the air with dust and pesticides. The largely 
disadvantaged communities who live nearby suffer from toxic, poisonous 
air and experience higer levels of related health conditions like 
asthma.
  It is an environmental and public health crisis, and we need to 
ensure that the Bureau of Reclamation has the authority it need to 
partner with the State of California, Tribal and local governments, and 
nonprofits to adequately address these crises.
  I thank Senator Feinstein for co-leading this bill with me, and for 
her decades of efforts at the Salton Sea. I also thank Congressmen Ruiz 
and Vargas for their relentless leadership to address this 
environmental hazard.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the bipartisan 
``Salton Sea Projects Improvements Act'' as quickly as possible.
  Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

                          ____________________