[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2096-2098]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               PAUL D. COVERDELL PEACE CORPS HEADQUARTERS

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to immediate consideration of S. 360 introduced earlier today 
by myself and a number of other Senators.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 360) to honor Paul D. Coverdell.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the bill be read a 
third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, 
and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 360) was passed, as follows:

                                 S. 360

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. PEACE CORPS HEADQUARTERS.

       (a) In General.--Effective on the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the headquarters offices of the Peace Corps, wherever 
     situated, shall be referred to as the ``Paul D. Coverdell 
     Peace Corps Headquarters''.
       (b) References.--Any reference before the date of enactment 
     of this Act in any law, regulation, order, document, record, 
     or other paper of the United States to the headquarters or 
     headquarters offices of the Peace Corps shall, on and after 
     such date, be considered to refer to the Paul D. Coverdell 
     Peace Corps Headquarters.

     SEC. 2. WORLD WISE SCHOOLS PROGRAM.

       Section 603 of the Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools Act 
     of 2000 (title VI of Public Law 106-570) is amended by adding 
     at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(c) New References in Peace Corps Documents.--The 
     Director of the Peace Corps shall ensure that any reference 
     in any public document, record, or other paper of the Peace 
     Corps, including any promotional material, produced on or 
     after the date of enactment of this subsection, to the 
     program described in subsection (a) be a reference to the 
     `Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools Program'.''.

     SEC. 3. PAUL D. COVERDELL BUILDING.

       (a) Award.--From the amount appropriated under subsection 
     (b) the Secretary of Education shall make an award to the 
     University of Georgia to support the construction of the Paul 
     D. Coverdell Building at the Institute of the Biomedical and 
     Health Sciences at the University of Georgia.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 2002.

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank all my colleagues for their 
cooperation in clearing this resolution. For those Members who may want 
to speak on the resolution, we are providing time on Monday, February 
26, and some additional time on Tuesday, February 27, if necessary.
  I know that Senator Gramm and Senator Miller, perhaps Senator Reid, 
Senator Dodd, and others may want to speak on this resolution. I am 
pleased we have been able to clear this bill honoring Senator Paul 
Coverdell.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, if I could just briefly respond to the 
leader, Senator Miller and Senator Cleland wish to speak on this bill. 
But they have agreed that they will do it when we come back after the 
recess. Senator Miller wants to speak for 1 hour, and Senator Cleland 
wants to speak for half an hour.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank Senator Reid for making sure Members 
understand that these Senators would like to speak, including Senator 
Cleland. I thank Senator Reid, Senator Daschle, and again Senator Dodd 
for their fairness in being able to work through this. We will continue 
to work to make sure this whole area is properly attended to.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, will the majority leader yield?
  Mr. LOTT. Yes.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I don't expect the leader to stay for some 
remarks I will give at the conclusion of the majority leader's 
presentation. But I want him to know and others of my colleagues that I 
considered Paul Coverdell to be a very good friend of mine. We worked 
very closely together chairing or being ranking member on the committee 
that dealt with the Peace Corps during his tenure. In fact, I arranged 
and handled his confirmation process to become Director of the Peace 
Corps and feel very strongly about the relationship I had with him.
  The concerns I raised over the last days have nothing whatsoever to 
do with my admiration and respect for Paul Coverdell. They have to do 
with an institution with which I have been closely identified and 
affiliated for 40 years, the Peace Corps. I am the only Member of this 
Chamber who served as a Peace Corps volunteer. In fact, I was the first 
Member of the U.S. Congress elected to serve in the Peace Corps as a 
volunteer along with Paul Tsongas of Massachusetts some 33 years ago.
  My concern and my involvement with this organization are deeply felt. 
The remarks I will give this afternoon have to address that, as well as 
the larger issue to which the majority leader has referred; that is, 
the issue of the naming process that goes on around town for which I 
believe a number of my colleagues share a common concern. Maybe at some 
point we might draft some legislation that allows for a deliberate 
process to be used rather than sort of racing to the finish line as to 
who gets to put a label on some building or monument.
  I appreciate his listening. But I want him to know that over these 
last several days as I raised my objection yesterday--the Senator from 
Nevada had an objection--I really wanted to have some time to pause and 
think this process through. But I appreciate and I know how closely the 
majority leader was to Paul Coverdell and how much his friendship meant 
to him. I hope he understands that what I was engaged in in no way was 
meant to be any disrespect at all for our former colleague but went to 
a deeper issue, one about which I feel strongly.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, let me say to the Senator from Connecticut 
that while they are appreciated, his assurances in that regard are not 
necessary. I remember quite well the speech the Senator from 
Connecticut gave on the floor after Senator Coverdell's death. I 
remember it particularly because it was so good and it was so 
passionate.
  Second, we all know of the Senator's investment in and his commitment 
to the Peace Corps, and nobody would ever question that he cares about 
it, is interested in it, and will continue to be a supporter and 
guardian.
  Lastly, the Senator from Connecticut, of all Senators, never has to 
say to us that he wouldn't be properly respectful of another colleague 
or a former colleague. The Senator from Connecticut has proven over and 
over again that when it comes to his colleagues in the Senate, his 
respect for them as individuals and his respect for them when they 
leave this institution is unwavering.
  The Senator didn't have to make that statement. We never doubt it, 
and he was very courteous in the way he handled it. I appreciate that 
very much.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, as we pass this resolution to name the 
Washington headquarters of one of President Kennedy's greatest 
legacies, the Peace Corps, after Paul Coverdell, Senators should recall 
that we already honored our departed friend and colleague last year. In 
addition to the programs that were named for Senator Coverdell last 
year that have already been identified by Senator Dodd, we honored 
Senator Coverdell by placing his name on another major Government 
program and to the legislation that established it--the Paul Coverdell 
National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act of 2000.
  We were all shocked and saddened last July by the untimely passing of 
our friend, Paul Coverdell. As I said at the time, he was one of the 
kindest people to grace this floor, and there was a certain 
peacefulness about him that was always pleasantly contagious. In a 
sometimes very divisive Senate, that peacefulness was so respected.
  All of us who worked with Paul liked him; we missed him, and we 
wanted to

[[Page 2097]]

honor his memory in an appropriate way. I think we did that. On October 
26, 2000--just a few months after his sudden passing--the Paul 
Coverdell National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act of 2000 sailed 
through the Senate by unanimous consent. The House passed the bill a 
few months later, and President Clinton signed it into law on December 
21. I worked closely with Senator Sessions to ensure passage of that 
legislation last year.
  The Paul Coverdell National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act calls 
for an infusion of Federal funds to improve the quality of State and 
local crime labs. Passage of this important legislation was a fitting 
tribute to the former senior Senator from Georgia, who had been a 
leader on similar legislation in the past. Paul Coverdell was committed 
to ensuring that justice in this country is neither delayed nor denied, 
and he understood that existing backlogs in our Nation's crime labs 
were denying the swift administration of justice.
  In his last years in the Senate, Paul Coverdell made the improvement 
of forensic science services one of his highest priorities. Rather than 
renaming more programs or buildings in Paul's honor, we should be 
funding the important legislation that he championed, and that we 
already passed in his memory.
  Let me say a few words about this legislation, which I strongly 
supported.
  The use of quality forensic science services is widely accepted as a 
key to effective crime-fighting, especially with advanced technologies 
such as DNA testing. Over the past decade, DNA testing has emerged as 
the most reliable forensic technique for identifying criminals when 
biological material is left at a crime scene. Because of its scientific 
precision, DNA testing can, in some cases, conclusively establish a 
suspect's guilt or innocence. In other cases, DNA testing may not 
conclusively establish guilt or innocence, but may have significant 
probative value for investigators.
  While DNA's power to root out the truth has been a boon to law 
enforcement, it has also been the salvation of law enforcement's 
mistakes--those who for one reason or another, are prosecuted and 
convicted of crimes that they did not commit. In more than 80 cases in 
this country, DNA evidence has led to the exoneration of innocent men 
and women who were wrongfully convicted. This number includes at least 
10 individuals sentenced to death, some of whom came within days of 
being executed. In more than a dozen cases, moreover, post-conviction 
DNA testing that has exonerated an innocent person has also enhanced 
public safety by providing evidence that led to the apprehension of the 
real perpetrator.
  Clearly, forensic science services like DNA testing are critical to 
the effective administration of justice in 21st century America.
  Forensic science workloads have increased significantly over the past 
5 years, both in number and complexity. Since Congress established the 
Combined DNA Index System in the mid-1990s, States have been busy 
collecting DNA samples from convicted offenders for analysis and 
indexing. Increased Federal funding for State and local law enforcement 
programs has resulted in more and better trained police officers who 
are collecting immense amounts of evidence that can and should be 
subjected to crime laboratory analysis.
  Funding has simply not kept pace with this increasing demand, and 
State crime laboratories are now seriously bottlenecked. Backlogs have 
impeded the use of new technologies like DNA testing in solving cases 
without suspects--and reexamining cases in which there are strong 
claims of innocence--as laboratories are required to give priority 
status to those cases in which a suspect is known. In some parts of the 
country, investigators must wait several months--and sometimes more 
than a year--to get DNA test results from rape and other violent crime 
evidence. Solely for lack of funding, critical evidence remains 
untested while rapists and killers remain at large, victims continue to 
anguish, and statutes of limitations on prosecution expire.
  Let me describe the situation in my home State. The Vermont Forensics 
Laboratory is currently operating in an old Vermont State Hospital 
building in Waterbury, VT. Though it is proudly one of only two fully-
accredited forensics labs in New England, it is trying to do 21st 
century science in a 1940's building. The lab has very limited space 
and no central climate control--both essential conditions for precise 
forensic science. It also has a large storage freezer full of untested 
DNA evidence from unsolved cases, for which there are no other leads 
besides the untested evidence. The evidence is not being processed 
because the lab does not have the space, equipment or manpower.
  I commend the scientists and lab personnel at the Vermont Forensics 
Laboratory for the fine work they do everyday under difficult 
circumstances. But the people of the State of Vermont deserve better.
  The Paul Coverdell National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act--if and 
when it is fully funded--will give States like Vermont the help they 
desperately need to handle the increased workloads placed upon their 
forensic science systems. It allocates $738 million over the next 6 
years for grants to qualified forensic science laboratories and medical 
examiner's offices for laboratory accreditation, automated equipment, 
supplies, training, facility improvements, and staff enhancements.
  We do not honor our colleague's memory by establishing a program in 
his name and then leaving it unfunded. I urge my colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle to support full and immediate funding of the Paul 
Coverdell National Sciences Improvement Act.
  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, I am honored to be an original cosponsor of 
legislation to memorialize our friend, Senator Paul Coverdell. Paul 
served the citizens of the State of Georgia and the United States for 
over three decades as a State legislator, Peace Corps director, and 
U.S. Senator. I believe that this bill is a fitting and appropriate way 
to memorialize Paul and his work.
  This legislation has three components. The bill names the Washington 
headquarters of the Peace Corps after Paul Coverdell. The legislation 
reaffirms language approved at the end of last year to ensue that the 
Peace Corps' World Wise Schools program will carry his name as well. 
Paul created the program during his tenure as Peace Corps director. The 
World Wise Schools initiative links Peace Corps volunteers serving 
around the globe with classrooms here in the United States. Paul 
correctly saw that such an effort would promote cultural awareness and 
foster an appreciation for global connections. Finally, the legislation 
authorizes an appropriation of $10 million, to be augmented by $30 
million of state and private funds, to construct the Paul D. Coverdell 
Building for Biomedical and Health Sciences at the University of 
Georgia. Paul Coverdell was a tireless supporter of education in 
Georgia, and this building will be a living memorial to him and an 
unparalleled resource for the students, researchers, and educators of 
his State and our Nation.
  The legislation consists of measures agreed upon by a bipartisan 
group of Senators assigned by Senator Lott and Daschle to review the 
many worthy ideas proposed to honor Paul. After considering many 
suggestions, Senators Harry Reid, Zell Miller, Mike DeWine, and I 
agreed on the three provisions included in the legislation which has 
today been introduced by the majority leader and passed by the Senate. 
I believe that there can be no more fitting tribute to Paul and to all 
he achieved for the people of Georgia and the country that he loved and 
served until the day he died.
  Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I am honored to rise today to speak of our 
dear friend and colleague, Paul Coverdell.
  We were all shocked and saddened last July when Paul died so 
unexpectedly. Georgia had lost one of its greatest public servants--a 
soft-spoken workhorse who served the people first and politics second. 
In a public career spanning three decades--from the Georgia Senate to 
the Peace Corps to

[[Page 2098]]

the U.S. Senate--Paul served with dignity and earned everybody's 
respect along the way.
  Immediately upon his death, folks in Washington and in Georgia began 
to think how we could remember this great Georgian in a worthy and 
enduring way.
  Senator Lott, our majority leader and one of Paul's greatest 
admirers, appointed a four-member committee of Senators to sort through 
the many ideas for memorializing Senator Coverdell. There were two 
Republicans--Phil Gramm of Texas and Mike DeWine of Ohio--and two 
Democrats--Minority Whip Harry Reid of Nevada and myself.
  We quickly agreed that there should be two memorials for Senator 
Coverdell--one in Washington and one in Georgia.
  In December, in a letter to party leaders Senator Lott and Minority 
Leader Tom Daschle, we outlined the two memorials we thought were most 
fitting for Senator Coverdell.
  In Georgia, we have chosen to honor Paul's commitment to education, 
research and agriculture at the State's flagship university with The 
Paul D. Coverdell Building for Biomedical and Health Sciences. This 
state-of-the-art science center will let scientists from different 
fields collaborate on improving the food supply, cleaning up the 
environment and finding cures for disease.
  This will be a joint project with the Federal Government, the State 
of Georgia and the university. We will be asking Congress to allocate 
$10 million for the building. Georgia Governor Roy Barnes will ask the 
Legislature for a $10 million appropriation. And the university will 
raise the remaining $20 million for the building.
  I was so glad that Senator Coverdell's widow, Nancy, joined us in 
announcing this memorial last month.
  It is my hope that the scientists who gather in this center under 
Senator Coverdell's name will make great discoveries to improve the 
quality of life in Georgia and around the world.
  In Washington, we have chosen to honor Senator Coverdell's legacy at 
the Peace Corps, where he served as director from 1989 to 1991. Paul's 
appointment to the Peace Corps was met with great skepticism at first. 
But he quickly gained respect by demanding professionalism and by 
shifting the agency's focus so that more money was spent actually 
getting volunteers where they were needed.
  When the Berlin Wall came down, Paul seized the opportunity to move 
the Peace Corps into Eastern Europe to promote freedom and democracy. 
This move not only broadened the agency's mission, but also increased 
its prestige around the world.
  Senator Coverdell also established the widely acclaimed World Wise 
Schools Program. Under this program, Peace Corps volunteers who have 
returned to the United States visit schools to give students their 
impressions and lessons from their overseas service.
  To honor Paul's legacy at the Peace Corps, we are recommending that 
the Peace Corps headquarters offices in Washington be named the ``Paul 
D. Coverdell Peace Corps Headquarters.''
  We also are recommending the designation of the Peace Corps' World 
Wise Schools Programs as the ``Paul D. Coverdell World Wise Schools 
Programs.''
  Paul's dignity and decency inspired countless young people to serve 
their fellow man in far-away places. It is our hope that we can honor 
his legacy at the Peace Corps in this lasting way.
  Mr. President, I hope that my colleagues will join me in supporting 
this memorial for our friend Senator Paul Coverdell, and I yield the 
floor.

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