[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4369-4371]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  STATEMENTS ON SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 64--AUTHORIZING EXPENDITURES BY THE SENATE COMMITTEE 
                           ON INDIAN AFFAIRS

  Mr. CAMPBELL submitted the following resolution; from the Committee 
on Indian Affairs; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and 
Administration:

                               S. Res. 64

       Resolved, That, in carrying out its powers, duties and 
     functions under the Standing Rules of the Senate, in 
     accordance with its jurisdiction under rule XXV of such 
     rules, including holding hearings, and making investigations 
     as authorized by paragraphs 1 and 8 of rule XXVI of the 
     Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee on Indian Affairs 
     is authorized from March 1, 2003, through February 28, 2005, 
     in its discretion (1) to make expenditures from the 
     contingent fund of the Senate, (2) to employ personnel, and 
     (3) with the prior consent of the Government department or 
     agency concerned and the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration, to use on a reimbursable or non-reimbursable 
     basis the services of personnel of any such department or 
     agency.
       Sec. 2. (a) The expenses of the committee for the period 
     March 1, 2003, through September 30, 2003, under this 
     resolution shall not exceed $1,051,310.00, of which amount 
     (1) no funds may be expended for the procurement of the 
     services or individual consultants, or organizations thereof 
     (as authorized by section 202(i) of the Legislative 
     Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended), and (2) not to 
     exceed $1,000 may be expended for the training of 
     professional staff of such committee (under procedures 
     specified by section 202(j) of the Legislative Reorganization 
     Act of 1946).
       (b) For the period October 1, 2003, through September 30, 
     2004, expenses of the committee under this resolution shall 
     not exceed $1,848,350.00, of which amount (1) no funds may be 
     expended for the procurement of the services of individual 
     consultants, or organizations thereof (as authorized by 
     section 202(i) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, 
     as amended), and (2) not to exceed $1,000 may be expended for 
     the training of professional staff of such committee (under 
     procedures specified by section 202(j) of the Legislative 
     Reorganization Act of 1946).
       (c) For the period October 1, 2004, through February 28, 
     2005, expenses of the committee under this resolution shall 
     not exceed $787,173.00, of which amount (1) no funds may be 
     expended for the procurement of the services of individual 
     consultants, or organizations thereof (as authorized by 
     section 202(i) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, 
     as amended), and (2) not to exceed $1,000 may be expended for 
     the training of professional staff of such committee (under 
     procedures specified by section 202(j) of the Legislative 
     Reorganization Act of 1946).
       Sec. 3. The committee shall report its finding, together 
     with such recommendations for legislation as it deems 
     advisable, to the Senate at the earliest practicable date, 
     but not later than February 28, 2003.
       Sec. 4. Expenses of the committee under this resolution 
     shall be paid from the contingent fund of the Senate upon 
     vouchers approved by the Chairman of the committee, except 
     that vouchers shall not be required (1) for the disbursement 
     of the salaries of employees paid at an annual rate, or (2) 
     for the payment of telecommunications provided by the Office 
     of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper, United States Senate, 
     or (3) for the payment of stationery supplies purchased 
     through the Keeper of the Stationery, United States Senate, 
     or (4) for payments to the Postmaster, United States Senate, 
     or (5) for the payment of metered charges on copying 
     equipment provided by the Office of the Sergeant at Arms and 
     Doorkeeper, United States Senate, or (6) for the payment of 
     Senate Recording and Photographic Services, or (7) for 
     payment of franked and mass mail costs by the Sergeant at 
     Arms and Doorkeeper, United States Senate.
       Sec. 5. There are authorized such sums as may be necessary 
     for agency contributions related to the compensation of 
     employees of the committee from March 1, 2003, through 
     February 28, 2005, to be paid from the Appropriations account 
     for ``Expenses of Inquiries and Investigations''.

[[Page 4370]]


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SENATE RESOLUTION 65--AUTHORIZING EXPENDITURES BY THE COMMITTEE ON THE 
                               JUDICIARY

  Mr. HATCH (for himself and Mr. Leahy) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary and 
the Committee on Rules and Administration:

                               S. Res. 65

       Resolved, That, in carrying out its powers, duties, and 
     functions under the Standing Rules of the Senate, in 
     accordance with its jurisdiction under rule XXV of such 
     rules, including holding hearings, reporting such hearings, 
     and making investigations as authorized by paragraphs 1 and 8 
     of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the 
     Committee on the Judiciary is authorized from March 1, 2003, 
     through September 30, 2003; October 1, 2003, through 
     September 30, 2004; and October 1, 2004, through February 28, 
     2005 in its discretion (1) to make expenditures from the 
     contingent fund of the Senate, (2) to employ personnel, and 
     (3) with the prior consent of the Government department or 
     agency concerned and the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration, to use on a reimbursable or non-reimbursable 
     basis the services of personnel of any such department or 
     agency.
       Sec. 2(a). The expenses of the committee for the period of 
     March 1, 2003, through September 30, 2003, under this 
     resolution shall not exceed $4,605,727, of which amount (1) 
     not to exceed $200,000 may be expended for the procurement of 
     the services of individual consultants, or organizations 
     thereof (as authorized by section 202(i) of the Legislative 
     Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended), and (2) not to 
     exceed $20,000 may be expended for the training of the 
     professional staff of such committee (under procedures 
     specified by section 202(j) of the Legislative Reorganization 
     Act of 1946).
       (B) for the period October 1, 2003, through September 30, 
     2004, expenses of the committee under this resolution shall 
     not exceed $8,110,222, of which amount (1) not to exceed 
     $200,000 may be expended for the procurement of the services 
     of individual consultants, or organizations thereof (as 
     authorized by section 202(i) of the Legislative 
     Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended), and (2) not to 
     exceed $20,000 may be expended for the training of the 
     professional staff of such committee (under procedures 
     specified by section 202(j) of the Legislative Reorganization 
     Act of 1936).
       (C) For the period October 1, 2004, through February 28, 
     2005, expenses of the committee under this resolution shall 
     not exceed $3,458,551, of which amount (1) not to exceed 
     $200,000 may be expended for the procurement of the services 
     of individual consultants, or organizations thereof (as 
     authorized by section 202(i) of the Legislative 
     Reorganization Act of 1946, as amended), and (2) not to 
     exceed $20,000 may be expended for the training of the 
     professional staff of such committee (under procedures 
     specified by section 202(j) of the Legislative Reorganization 
     Act of 1946).
       Sec. 3. The Committee shall report its findings, together 
     with such recommendations for legislation as it deems 
     advisable, to the Senate at the earliest practicable date, 
     but not later than February 28, 2005, respectively.
       Sec. 4. Expenses of the committee under this resolution 
     shall be paid from the contingent fund of the Senate upon 
     vouchers approved by the chairman of the committee except 
     that vouchers shall not be required (1) for the disbursement 
     of salaries of employees paid at an annual rate, or (2) for 
     the payment of telecommunications provided by the Office of 
     the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper, United States Senate, or 
     (3) for the payment of stationery supplies purchased through 
     the Keeper of the Stationery, United States Senate, or (4) 
     for payments to the Postmaster, United States Senate, or (5) 
     for the payment of metered charges on copying equipment 
     provided by the Office of the Sergeant at Arms and 
     Doorkeeper, United States Senate, or (6) for the payment of 
     Senate Recording and Photographic Services, or (7) for 
     payment of franked and mass mail costs by the Sergeant at 
     Arms and Doorkeeper, United States Senate.
       Sec. 5. There are authorized such sums as may be necessary 
     for agency contributions related to the compensation of 
     employees of the committee from March 1, 2003, through 
     September 30, 2003, October 1, 2003 through September 30, 
     2004; and October 1, 2004 through February 28, 2005, to be 
     paid from the Appropriations account for ``Expenses of 
     Inquires and Investigations.''
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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 8--DESIGNATING THE SECOND WEEK IN MAY EACH 
         YEAR AS ``NATIONAL VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATIONS WEEK''

  Ms. COLLINS (for himself and Mr. Feingold) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                             S. Con. Res. 8

       Whereas visiting nurse associations (VNAs) are nonprofit 
     home health agencies that, for over 120 years, have been 
     united in their mission to provide cost-effective and 
     compassionate home and community-based health care to 
     individuals, regardless of the individuals' condition or 
     ability to pay for services;
       Whereas there are approximately 500 visiting nurse 
     associations, which employ more than 90,000 clinicians, 
     provide health care to more than 4,000,000 people each year, 
     and provide a critical safety net in communities by 
     developing a network of community support services that 
     enable individuals to live independently at home;
       Whereas visiting nurse associations have historically 
     served as primary public health care providers in their 
     communities, and are today one of the largest providers of 
     mass immunizations in the medicare program (delivering over 
     2,500,000 influenza immunizations annually);
       Whereas visiting nurse associations are often the home 
     health providers of last resort, serving the most chronic of 
     conditions (such as congestive heart failure, chronic 
     obstructive pulmonary disease, AIDS, and quadriplegia) and 
     individuals with the least ability to pay for services (more 
     than 50 percent of all medicaid home health admissions are by 
     visiting nurse associations);
       Whereas any visiting nurse association budget surplus is 
     reinvested in supporting the association's mission through 
     services, including charity care, adult day care centers, 
     wellness clinics, Meals-on-Wheels, and immunization programs;
       Whereas visiting nurse associations and other nonprofit 
     home health agencies care for the highest percentage of 
     terminally ill and bedridden patients;
       Whereas thousands of visiting nurse association volunteers 
     across the Nation devote time serving as individual agency 
     board members, raising funds, visiting patients in their 
     homes, assisting in wellness clinics, and delivering meals to 
     patients;
       Whereas the establishment of an annual National Visiting 
     Nurse Association Week would increase public awareness of the 
     charity-based missions of visiting nurse associations and of 
     their ability to meet the needs of chronically ill and 
     disabled individuals who prefer to live at home rather than 
     in a nursing home, and would spotlight preventive health 
     clinics, adult day care programs, and other customized 
     wellness programs that meet local community needs; and
       Whereas the second week in May is an appropriate week to 
     establish as national Visiting Nurse Association Week: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) designates the second week in May each year as 
     ``National Visiting Nurse Association Week''; and
       (2) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     calling upon the people of the United States to observe the 
     week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleague from 
Wisconsin, Senator Russ Feingold, in submitting a resolution to 
establish an annual National Visiting Nurse Associations Week in honor 
of these health care heroes who are dedicated to service in the 
ultimate caring profession.
  The Visiting Nurse Associations, VNAs, of today are founded on the 
principle that people who are sick, disabled and elderly benefit most 
from health care when it is offered in their own homes. Home care is an 
increasingly important part of our health care system today. The kinds 
of highly skilled--and often technically complex--services that the 
VNAs provide have enabled millions of our most frail and vulnerable 
patients to avoid hospitals and nursing homes and stay just where they 
want to be--in the comfort and security of their own homes.
  Visiting Nurse Associations are non-profit home health agencies that 
provide cost-effective and compassionate home and community-based 
health care to individuals, regardless of their condition or ability to 
pay for services. VNAs literally created the profession and practice of 
home health care more than one hundred years ago, at a time when there 
were no hospitals in many communities and patients were cared for at 
home by families who did the best they could. VNAs made a critical 
difference to these families, bringing professional skills into the 
home to care for the patient and support the family. They made a 
critical difference in the late 19th century, and are making a critical 
difference now as we embark upon the 21st.
  VNAs were pioneers in the public health movement, and, in the late 
1800s, VNA responsiveness meant running milk banks, combating 
infectious diseases, and providing care for the poor during massive 
influenza epidemics. Today, that same responsiveness means caring for 
the dependent elderly, the chronically disabled,

[[Page 4371]]

and the terminally ill--some of our most vulnerable citizens--and 
providing high-tech services previously provided in hospitals, such as 
ventilator care, blood transfusions, pain management and home 
chemotherapy.
  Health care has gone full circle. Patients are spending less time in 
the hospital. More and more procedures are being done on an outpatient 
basis, and recovery and care for patients with chronic diseases and 
conditions has increasingly been taking place in the home. Moreover, 
the number of Americans who are chronically ill or disabled in some way 
continues to grow each year. Once again, VNAs are making a critical 
difference, providing comprehensive home health services and caring 
support to patients and their families across the country
  There currently are approximately 500 VNAs nationwide. Through these 
exceptional organizations, 90,000 clinicians dedicate their lives to 
bringing health care into the homes of an estimated three million 
Americans every year. VNAs are truly the heart of home care in this 
country today, and it is time for Congress to recognize the vital 
services that visiting nurses provide to their patients and their 
families. I urge my colleagues to join Senator Feingold and me in 
cosponsoring this resolution establishing an annual National Visiting 
Nurse Associations' Week.
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  SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 9--RECOGNIZING AND CONGRATULATING THE 
STATE OF OHIO AND ITS RESIDENTS ON THE OCCASION OF THE BICENTENNIAL OF 
                              ITS FOUNDING

  Mr. VOINOVICH (for himself and Mr. DeWine) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                             S. Con. Res. 9

       Whereas Ohio was the 17th State to be admitted to the Union 
     and was the first to be created from the Northwest Territory;
       Whereas the name ``Ohio'' is derived from the Iroquois word 
     meaning ``great river'', referring to the Ohio River which 
     forms the southern and eastern boundaries;
       Whereas Ohio was the site of battles of the American Indian 
     Wars, French and Indian Wars, Revolutionary War, the War of 
     1812, and the Civil War;
       Whereas in the nineteenth century, Ohio, a free State, was 
     an important stop on the Underground Railroad as a 
     destination for more than 100,000 individuals escaping 
     slavery and seeking freedom;
       Whereas Ohio, ``The Mother of Presidents'', has given eight 
     United States presidents to the Nation, including William 
     Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James 
     A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. 
     Taft, and Warren G. Harding;
       Whereas Ohio inventors, including Thomas Edison 
     (incandescent light bulb), Orville and Wilbur Wright (first 
     in flight), Henry Timken (roller bearings), Charles Kettering 
     (automobile starter), Charles Goodyear (process of 
     vulcanizing rubber), Garrett Morgan (traffic light), and Roy 
     Plunkett (Teflon) created the basis for modern living as we 
     know it;
       Whereas Ohio, ``The Birthplace of Aviation'', has been home 
     to 24 astronauts, including John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and 
     Judith Resnick;
       Whereas Ohio has a rich sports tradition and has produced 
     many sports legends, including Annie Oakley, Jesse Owens, Cy 
     Young, Jack Nicklaus, and Nancy Lopez;
       Whereas Ohio has produced many distinguished writers, 
     including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Toni 
     Morrison, and James Thurber;
       Whereas the agriculture and agribusiness industry is and 
     has long been the number one industry in Ohio, contributing 
     $73,000,000,000 annually to Ohio's economy and employing 1 in 
     6 Ohioans, and that industry's tens of thousands of Ohio 
     farmers and 14,000,000 acres of Ohio farmland feed the people 
     of the State, the Nation, and the world;
       Whereas the enduring manufacturing economy of Ohio is 
     responsible for \1/4\ of Ohio's Gross State Product, provides 
     over one million well-paying jobs to Ohioans, exports 
     $26,000,000,000 in products to 196 countries, and provides 
     over $1,000,000,000 in tax revenues to local schools and 
     governments;
       Whereas Ohio is home to over 140 colleges and universities 
     which have made significant contributions to the intellectual 
     life of the State and Nation, and continued investment in 
     education is Ohio's promise to future economic development in 
     the ``knowledge economy'' of the 21st century;
       Whereas, from its inception, Ohio has been a prime 
     destination for people from all corners of the world, and the 
     rich cultural and ethnic heritage that has been interwoven 
     into the spirit of the people of Ohio and that enriches 
     Ohio's communities and the quality of life of its residents 
     is both a tribute to, and representative of, the Nation's 
     diversity;
       Whereas Ohio will begin celebrations commemorating its 
     bicentennial on March 1, 2003, in Chillicothe, the first 
     capital of Ohio;
       Whereas the bicentennial celebrations will include 
     Inventing Flight in Dayton (celebrating the centennial of 
     flight), Tall Ships on Lake Erie, Tall Stacks on the Ohio 
     River, Red, White, and Bicentennial Boom in Columbus, and the 
     Bicentennial Wagon Train across the State;
       Whereas Ohio residents will celebrate 2003 as the 200th 
     anniversary of Ohio's founding: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes and congratulates Ohio and its residents for 
     their important contributions to the economic, social, and 
     cultural development of the United States on the occasion of 
     the bicentennial of the founding of the State of Ohio; and
       (2) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit a copy 
     of this concurrent resolution to the Governor of Ohio.

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