[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5376-5380]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. TILLIS:
  S. 2885. A bill to extend the runway at Pope Army Airfield; to the 
Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, when it comes to projecting America's 
power, I have said many times that North Carolina is the tip of the 
American spear. When our country calls, it is a safe bet that the first 
responders will be U.S. Marines from Camp Lejeune or our paratroopers 
of the 18th Airborne stationed at Fort Bragg.
  The 18th Airborne is America's Global Response Force. When called, 
units of the 18th Airborne can be anywhere in the world within 48 
hours. Because of this unique mission--unique to Fort Bragg and the 
18th Airborne--Pope Army Airfield is the busiest tactical airfield in 
the Armed Forces.
  Unfortunately, Pope is also home of the shortest runway in the Army. 
If the 18th Airborne is put on alert, C-5 and C-17 aircraft are needed 
to launch the force, and they cannot depart fully fueled with a full 
load of paratroopers and equipment off of the airfield. The current 
Pope Army Airfield runway provides only 8,500 feet for takeoff; 
however, to take off, the C-17 needs a minimum of 10,500 feet and the 
C-5 requires 11,500 feet.
  The Air Force's air refueling fleet is already stressed. The C-17s 
and C-5s used to carry out the Global Response Force missions have to 
leave Pope Army Airfield with full equipment and paratroopers but only 
about 60 percent of their fuel capacity. This requires them to go 
either to Charleston, SC, or Gander, Newfoundland, to get refueled so 
they can continue their mission. One refueling stop for an airlift 
coming out of Pope at Gander, Newfoundland, costs $17,000 per hour. If 
53 aircraft--roughly the number required to outload the heaviest 
brigade combat team--have to refuel at Gander, it costs about $2 
million one-way because they can't be fully loaded when they take off 
from Pope Army Airfield. This refueling stop also adds 2.5 more hours 
to the time on the mission, and the mission objective is to be anywhere 
in the world in 48 hours.
  Prior to the last round of BRAC, extending the Pope runway to 
accommodate fully loaded C-17 and C-5 aircraft was Air Mobility 
Command's No. 1 airfield project, and the U.S. Air Force said it was 
their No. 2 project. However, this has fallen off the Army's priority 
list, and I am not really sure why.
  Extending the Pope runway to accommodate the airlift requirements of 
the Global Response Force and the 18th Airborne Corps is a national 
strategic priority. Therefore, I will be offering an amendment to the 
National Defense Authorization Act during markup that requires the Army 
to report to the Senate their plans to extend the runway at Pope and 
whether it is the top priority for the Army. I think our paratroopers 
and crews need to know this. I know our taxpayers need to know this. 
And, more than anything, I want to make sure that when we deploy the 
proud men and women from the Green Ramp of Pope Army Airfield, we do it 
loaded and ready to go wherever they need to go in the United States or 
around the world.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. Merkley):
  S. 2886. A bill to reauthorize the Fisheries Restoration and 
Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2000; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Reauthorization 
of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2000, 
also referred to as FRIMA. This Act was established to support healthy 
fish populations while simultaneously allowing for continued water 
diversions for irrigation and other uses in the Pacific Northwest. I 
championed this program's last reauthorization in 2009, and I can say 
with certainty that the pressing need for FRIMA has not gone away.
  Throughout the Pacific Northwest there is a critical need for 
projects that improve fish passage without compromising important water 
diversion needs for agriculture and other uses. The sustainable 
coexistence of continued water diversions and healthy fish populations 
can be achieved through a number of interventions, such as installation 
of fish screens, removal of fish passage barriers, and carrying out 
inventories to better understand needs and priorities. The technology 
and the knowledge needed to carry out these projects are at our finger 
tips; the means, however, is not.
  That is why FRIMA is such an important program for the Pacific 
Northwest. The act, overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
provides a Federal cost-share on the order of 65 percent to fund fish 
passage and fish screen projects at water diversion and irrigation 
sites in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana. This voluntary 
cost-shared program authorizes $25 million in Federal funds, to be 
equally shared among the 4 States, that can be leveraged to make these 
essential projects to improve fish passage and install fish screens 
come to fruition.
  FRIMA has a history of demonstrated success in Oregon and throughout 
the Pacific Northwest. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
127 projects have been funded through FRIMA to date. These projects 
have reopened more than 1,130 miles of habitat to fish passage. In 
total, 56 fish passage barriers have been removed, 130 water diversion 
sites have been screened, and 18 fish passage evaluations have been 
completed. This program has led to multiple accomplishments for 
communities in the Pacific Northwest, but there are still tens of 
thousands of unscreened water diversions in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, 
and western Montana. There is still work to be done, and FRIMA could 
provide the means to continue to make a difference for sustainable 
fisheries and water management.
  At its core, FRIMA is centered on the concept of collaboration. This 
is a program borne through bi-partisan and multi-sectoral support. 
FRIMA is embraced by water users, farmers, fisheries managers and 
conservation organizations alike. The economic and ecological integrity 
of our region depends on resilient fisheries and sustainable management 
of water resources, and FRIMA offers a means to concurrently make 
positive strides in sustainably managing both our water diversions and 
our treasured fishery resources.
  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. 2886

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

     SECTION 1. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE FISHERIES RESTORATION AND 
                   IRRIGATION MITIGATION ACT OF 2000.

       Section 10(a) of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation 
     Mitigation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 777 note; Public Law 106-
     502) is amended by striking ``2009 through 2015'' and 
     inserting `` 2017 through 2024''.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mr. Leahy):
  S. 2893. A bill to reauthorize the sound recording and film 
preservation programs of the Library of Congress, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

[[Page 5377]]


  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today I am introducing The Library of 
Congress Sound Recording and Film Preservation Programs Reauthorization 
Act of 2016. I am pleased to have Senator Leahy as a cosponsor. This 
bill would reauthorize the sound recording and film preservation 
programs of the Library of Congress through fiscal year 2026. The 
current authorization sunsets in September 2016. In addition to 
reauthorizing the programs, the bill would increase the National 
Recording Preservation Foundation's number of board members and place a 
cap on Federal matching funds similar to what is currently required of 
the National Film Preservation Foundation.
  Congress created the National Film Preservation Board in 1988 and the 
National Film Preservation Foundation in 1996 to help save historically 
significant American films for the benefit of the public. In 2000, 
Congress created the National Recording Preservation Board and the 
National Recording Preservation Foundation to help save historically 
important American sound recordings.
  The two boards advise the Librarian of Congress on national 
preservation planning policy, helping the Library develop and 
disseminate preservation and production standards for at-risk works. In 
addition, the Film Board selects films of importance to cinema and 
America's cultural and artistic history for the National Film Registry, 
while the Recording Board selects sound recordings which have been 
recognized for their cultural, artistic and/or historical significance 
to American society and the Nation's audio legacy for the National 
Recording Registry.
  The two foundations are the private sector charitable affiliates of 
the Boards. They raise funds and distribute them to archives throughout 
the U.S. The Library's Federal match is used for small grants to 
archives, educational institutions, museums and local historical 
societies with small film and sound recording collections in need of 
preservation. A requirement of the grants is that recipients make these 
works available to researchers, educators and the general public.
  These programs have allowed the Library of Congress, in collaboration 
with a wide range of industry organizations, no-profit libraries and 
archives, preservation organizations, artist guilds, educators and 
academics, to collect and preserve at-risk films and recordings all 
over the country.
  My State of Iowa has benefitted directly from these programs. For 
example, the National Film Preservation Foundation has provided grants 
to preserve films held in Iowa institutions, including Coe College, 
Council Bluffs Public Library, Davenport Public Library, Herbert Hoover 
Presidential Library-Museum, Iowa State University American Archives of 
the Factual Film, and the University of Iowa. In addition, a number of 
Iowa-related items are preserved in the Library of Congress Packard 
Campus audio-visual collection, including copies of Iowa Public Radio 
and Public Television items from the American Archive of Public 
Broadcasting.
  Iowa constituents have contacted my office about their support for 
the reauthorization of these programs. For example, I heard from Ben 
Johnson, Support Service Librarian at the Council Bluffs Public 
Library, Jill Jack, Director of Library Services, College Archivist and 
Associate Professor at Coe College, Tanya Zanish-Belcher, Director of 
Special Collection & Archives at Wake Forest University, and David 
McCartney, University Archivist at the University of Iowa, about the 
value of these programs to local libraries and historical societies, 
and how their organizations were in the possession of materials that 
were able to be saved with the help of these programs.
  According to Mr. Johnson, the Council Bluffs Public Library received 
a grant to preserve a 1930s silent film entitled Man Power, which had 
been created ``to boost the local economy by luring businesses to 
Council Bluffs. This historic film sat in our archives for over 80 
years, unwatched and deteriorating over time. With the help of the 
[National Film Preservation Fund], we were able to preserve and 
digitize this wonderful time capsule of our local history. Thanks to 
the [National Film Preservation Foundation], this lost piece of history 
has been viewed hundreds of times and is now safe from decay and 
available for the public.'' Mr. Johnson wrote, ``Did you know Council 
Bluffs Iowa had the first electric Streetcar system in the country? As 
a result of this grant we were able to see, for the first time, real, 
moving images of Council Bluffs from back when it was a major rail hub. 
I have no doubt that without support from the [National Film 
Preservation Foundation], vital pieces of local history would be lost 
forever.''
  Ms. Jack wrote, ``Coe College received grants to preserve two films 
that depict campus life in the 1930s and 1960s. Once these historically 
rich films were preserved more than 170 people attended a screening of 
the films. Thanks to that event, the college was able to raise funds 
from alumni to preserve a third campus film from 1972. The public 
funding from the [National Film Preservation Foundation] helped us not 
only share our history with the public but also generated financial 
support from the community. Since posting the films on our website 
students, faculty and the public have viewed the films using them in 
academic and public history research.''
  According to a statement from Ms. Zanish-Belcher, who managed the 
National Film Preservation Foundation film grant when she was Head of 
the Special Collections Department at Iowa State University, ``[t]hanks 
to the National Film Preservation Foundation, NFPF, Iowa State 
University was able to preserve and make accessible an important group 
of films documenting the Rath Packing Company of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As 
the Head of the Special Collections Department at Iowa State at the 
time, I oversaw the preservation of these fragile nitrate films from 
the 1930s. Without support from the NFPF, these important visual 
documents of Iowa History would have been lost. The NFPF continues to 
help regional archives throughout the country, helping to save more 
than 2,230 films and collections in all 50 states. While most film 
preservation efforts focus on the Hollywood product, the NFPF is the 
only agency devoted to helping organizations like Iowa State University 
preserve films in their collections that would otherwise deteriorate 
and go unseen. These films provide important historical documentation 
depicting local and regional business, groups, and organizations of 
interest to both Iowa constituents and U.S. citizens.''
  According to a letter from Mr. McCartney, the University of Iowa 
received funds to preserve a number of films significant to Iowa 
history, including ``a set of student-produced dance films (1939) 
believed to be the oldest thesis films of their type in the nation. 
Another noteworthy project is Iowa State's Rath Packing Company 
Collection (ca. 1933), a group of depression era films documenting the 
largest meatpacking company in the country. The films show the Rath 
test kitchen, packing plant operations, and advertising efforts. Thanks 
to a [National Film Preservation Foundation] grant, this collection is 
now available for scholars and historians.''
  I appreciate the fact that these Library of Congress programs have 
placed a special emphasis on assisting small and local projects that 
would otherwise have been lost or overlooked. Local libraries and 
historical societies have been helped by the National Film Preservation 
Foundation to rescue films that, according to Mr. Johnson, Ms. Jack and 
Mr. McCartney, ``aren't Hollywood features but regional films and 
newsreels that document our history and culture.'' According to Ms. 
Jack, ``we and other Iowa organizations have hundreds of other 
culturally and historically significant films that need preservation 
work to survive. These document the history of our state [of Iowa] from 
its earliest years to present time.'' So the biggest value that I see 
of these programs is that they boost smaller archives with few 
resources to protect their collections, and they provide smaller 
organizations with a path to learn about film preservation and 
successful production standards. These programs are an invaluable

[[Page 5378]]

partner to these small and local organizations in their efforts to save 
America's moving picture and sound recording heritage.
  It is important to foster an environment that encourages the 
preservation of our nation's cultural resources, and films and music 
are a big part of the American experience. As such, vulnerable motion 
pictures and sound recordings of historic and cultural significance 
should be protected from disintegration and decay. I understand that 
many of these works already have been lost and that others are 
deteriorating rapidly. I am a history buff, so I am inspired when I see 
works that depict our American heritage--and especially life in Iowa 
and rural America--saved for future generations. We need to safeguard 
these precious items so they are not lost and so that generations of 
Americans to come can appreciate and learn about their historical and 
creative roots in both film and sound recordings. Many of these works 
are unique and rare, so I am pleased to support the Library of Congress 
programs and their effort to assist organizations all across the 50 
States to preserve these treasures for students, researchers and the 
general public.
  I look forward to swift action on this bill so that it can be enacted 
before these programs sunset at the end of September.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill and 
letters of support be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2893

       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 ``Library of Congress Sound 
     Recording and Film Preservation Programs Reauthorization Act 
     of 2016''.

     SEC. 2. SOUND RECORDING PRESERVATION PROGRAMS.

       (a) National Recording Preservation Board.--Section 133 of 
     the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 (2 U.S.C. 
     1743) is amended by striking ``through fiscal year 2016'' and 
     inserting ``through fiscal year 2026''.
       (b) National Recording Preservation Foundation.--
       (1) Reauthorization.--Section 152411(a) of title 36, United 
     States Code, is amended by striking ``through fiscal year 
     2016 an amount not to exceed'' and inserting ``through fiscal 
     year 2026 an amount not to exceed the lesser of $750,000 
     or''.
       (2) Number of members of board of directors.--Section 
     152403(b)(2) of title 36, United States Code, is amended--
       (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``nine directors'' and 
     inserting ``12 directors''; and
       (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``six directors'' each 
     place it appears and inserting ``8 directors''.

     SEC. 3. FILM PRESERVATION PROGRAMS.

       (a) National Film Preservation Board.--Section 112 of the 
     National Film Preservation Act of 1996 (2 U.S.C. 179v) is 
     amended by striking ``through fiscal year 2016'' and 
     inserting ``through fiscal year 2026''.
       (b) National Film Preservation Foundation.--Section 
     151711(a)(1)(C) of title 36, United States Code, is amended 
     by striking ``through 2016'' and inserting ``through 2026''.
                                  ____

                                                November 19, 2015.
     Hon. Charles E. Grassley,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Grassley: I write to ask your support for 
     reauthorization of the National Film Preservation Foundation 
     (NFPF), the grant-giving public charity set up by Congress in 
     1996 to help save America's film heritage. I understand that 
     the NFPF's reauthorization comes before the Senate this 
     session.
       In Iowa we benefit directly from the programs of the NFPF. 
     The University of Iowa has received funds from the foundation 
     to preserve several films significant to Iowa history. These 
     include a set of student-produced dance films (1939) believed 
     to be the oldest thesis films of their type in the nation. 
     Another noteworthy project is Iowa State's Rath Packing 
     Company Collection (ca. 1933), a group of depression-era 
     films documenting the largest meatpacking company in the 
     country. The films show the Rath test kitchen, packing plant 
     operations, and advertising efforts. Thanks to an NFPF grant, 
     this collection is now available for scholars and historians.
       The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, Coe 
     College, Davenport Public Library, and Council Bluffs Public 
     Library also received grants to preserve films from the NFPF. 
     We and other Iowa organizations have hundreds of other 
     culturally and historically significant films that need 
     preservation work to survive. These document the history of 
     our state from its earliest years to present time.
       Thanks to the National Film Preservation Foundation we have 
     made important progress on saving this important material. To 
     date the NFPF has helped rescue more than 2,600 films from 
     all 50 states and these aren't Hollywood features but 
     regional films and newsreels that document our history and 
     culture.
       The NFPF has been very effective since it started 
     operations in 1997. I urge you to support their work. With 
     additional funding the National Film Preservation Foundation 
     can continue to work with organizations like the University 
     of Iowa to save America's heritage. I would be happy to speak 
     with your staff if you have any questions. Please phone, 
     email or write if I can provide additional information.
           Best wishes,
     David McCartney.
                                  ____

                                                   April 21, 2016.
     Hon. Charles E. Grassley,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Grassley: I write to ask your support for 
     reauthorization of the National Film Preservation Foundation, 
     the grant-giving public charity set up by Congress in 1996 to 
     help save America's film heritage. I understand that the 
     NFPF's reauthorization comes before the Senate this session.
       In Iowa we have benefitted directly from the programs of 
     the National Film Preservation Foundation. Coe College 
     received grants to preserve two films that depict campus life 
     in the 1930s and 1960s. Once these historically rich films 
     were preserved more than 170 people attended a screening of 
     the films. Thanks to that event, the college was able to 
     raise funds from alumni to preserve a third campus film from 
     1972. The public funding from the NFPF helped us not only 
     share our history with the public but also generated 
     financial support from the community. Since posting the films 
     on our website students, faculty and the public have viewed 
     the films using them in academic and public history research.
       The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, 
     Davenport Public Library, Council Bluffs Public Library, and 
     Iowa State University also received grants to preserve films 
     from the NFPF. We and other Iowa organizations have hundreds 
     of other culturally and historically significant films that 
     need preservation work to survive. These document the history 
     of our state from its earliest years to present time.
       The NFPF has been very effective since it started 
     operations in 1997. To date the NFPF has helped rescue more 
     than 2,600 films from all 50 states and these aren't 
     Hollywood features but regional films and newsreels that 
     document our history and culture. I urge you to support their 
     work. With additional funding the National Film Preservation 
     Foundation can continue to work with organizations like the 
     University of Iowa to save America's heritage.
           Best wishes,
     Jill Jack.
                                  ____

                                                November 19, 2015.
     Hon. Charles E. Grassley,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Grassley: I write to ask your support for 
     reauthorization of the National Film Preservation Foundation 
     (NFPF), the grant-giving public charity set up by Congress in 
     1996 to help save America's film heritage. I understand that 
     the NFPF's reauthorization comes before the Senate this 
     session.
       In 2012 Council Bluffs Public Library received a grant to 
     preserve Man Power, a 1930 silent film created to boost the 
     local economy by luring businesses to Council Bluffs. This 
     historic film sat in our archives for over 80 years, 
     unwatched and deteriorating over time. With the help of the 
     NFPF, we were able to preserve and digitize this wonderful 
     time capsule of our local history. Thanks to the NFPF, this 
     lost piece of history has been viewed hundreds of times and 
     is now safe from decay and available for the public.
       Did you know Council Bluffs Iowa had the first electric 
     Streetcar system in the country? As a result of this grant we 
     were able to see, for the first time, real, moving images of 
     Council Bluffs from back when it was a major rail hub. I have 
     no doubt that without support from the NFPF, vital pieces of 
     local history would be lost forever.
       Thanks to the National Film Preservation Foundation, we and 
     other local libraries and historical societies have been able 
     to save important films that would otherwise be overlooked. 
     To date the NFPF has helped rescue more than 2,600 films from 
     all 50 states and these aren't Hollywood features but 
     regional films and newsreels that document our history and 
     culture.
       The NFPF has been very effective since it started 
     operations in 1997. They assist not only the largest film 
     archives in the country, but also provide a path for smaller 
     organizations to learn about film preservation and protect 
     their collections. I urge you to support their work. With 
     additional funding the

[[Page 5379]]

     National Film Preservation Foundation can continue to work 
     with organizations like Council Bluffs Public Library to save 
     America's heritage. Thank you for your time and please be in 
     touch if you have any questions.
           Best wishes,
                                                      Ben Johnson.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, two days ago, we recognized World IP Day, 
celebrating the profound contributions that artists and inventors make 
to our culture and beyond. The theme of this year's World IP Day was 
Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined, and events around the world 
focused on how to promote and protect creative efforts in the digital 
age. As we look forward to new and innovative digital creations we must 
also be vigilant in preserving the past.
  We must ensure that the films and recordings that played vital roles 
in shaping and recording the American experience are preserved for 
future generations. Those works, created by previous generations, tell 
us who we are, and who we were, as a society. To help ensure that these 
records of our history, our dreams, and our aspirations can be viewed 
and appreciated by future generations, I am joining with Senator 
Grassley to introduce legislation reauthorizing the Library of Congress 
sound recording and film preservation programs.
  Congress has long recognized the importance of cultural preservation, 
creating the National Film Preservation Program in 1988 and the 
National Sound Recording Preservation Program in 2000 within the 
Library of Congress. Both programs help preserve historical and 
cultural artifacts that would otherwise disappear or be destroyed 
through the passage of time. The Library of Congress uses the programs 
to advance important preservation efforts including recognizing films 
and sound recordings on the National Film and National Recording 
Registries.
  The programs also created the federally chartered National Film and 
National Recording Preservation Foundations. The foundations provide 
grants to a wide array of educational and non-profit organizations to 
preserve films and sound recordings. To date, the National Film 
Preservation Foundation has given grants to organizations in all 50 
States, including to Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home in Manchester, 
Vermont, which used the money to preserve home movies of Robert Todd 
Lincoln's descendants from the 1920s to the 1940s. Well over 2000 
films, many of which can now be viewed online, have been preserved 
through the Foundation's grants. Among the preserved films is the 
earliest feature film shot in Vermont, ``A Vermont Romance'' from 1916.
  By reauthorizing these important programs through 2027, this 
legislation will allow the Library of Congress and the Foundations to 
continue their important work in preserving America's fading treasures, 
as well as providing grants that will help libraries, museums, and 
archives preserve these works and make them available for study and 
research. I urge my colleagues to act swiftly to pass this legislation.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter of support the 
bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                      Northeast Historic Film,

                                    Bucksport, ME, April 20, 2016.
     Hon. Patrick J. Leahy,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Leahy: Founded in 1986, Northeast Historic 
     Film has built the largest existing collection of moving 
     images documenting the history and heritage of northern New 
     England. And since the founding of the National Film 
     Preservation Foundation, the NFPF has been the largest and 
     most important source of funds for preserving these works.
       The preserved films include A Vermont Romance (1916), the 
     earliest feature film shot in Vermont; film documentation of 
     the 1927 flood; textile mill owners and workers in Maine; the 
     home movies of Charles Norman Shay, a Penobscot Indian elder 
     who is a decorated veteran of the D-Day invasion; 
     Provincetown, Massachusetts, in 1915; a 4-H club in 1946; a 
     tuberculosis sanitarium in 1934, and over two dozen other 
     examples of community life and activity in the region.
       Communications with colleagues in archives around the 
     country inform us of the crucial significance of National 
     Film Preservation Foundation funding. Moving image 
     repositories from coast to coast benefit from NFPF grants. 
     The dedicated staff, which efficiently shepherds NFPF 
     financial resources, has ensured that our nation's heritage 
     will continue to be available for study and enjoyment.
       We are grateful to you and NFPF's friends in Congress for 
     help in the past--and for assistance with the upcoming 
     reauthorization. Our film heritage depends on it.
           Sincerely,
                                    David Weiss and Karan Sheldon,
                                Founders, Northeast Historic Film.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. Cornyn):
  S. 2895. A bill to extend the civil statute of limitations for 
victims of Federal sex offenses; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Extending 
Justice for Sex Crime Victims Act, which is a bill to extend the time 
for child sexual abuse victims to seek justice against their 
perpetrators.
  I would like to thank Senator Cornyn for working closely with me on 
this important issue.
  Tragically, all over the country, victims of sexual abuse are coming 
forward to tell their stories of abuse and exploitation at the height 
of their innocence when they were children.
  Several from California, for example, have contacted my office, and 
described with great courage their pain and anguish.
  Each of these individual stories represents an untold amount of pain 
and suffering. When you look at the numbers, you cannot help but feel 
devastated.
  Indeed, the numbers reveal that no one is too far removed from being 
affected by deplorable crimes committed against children.
  Studies indicate that at least one in four girls and about one in 
five boys is sexually abused.
  It has been estimated that 90 percent of child victims never go to 
the authorities concerning their abuse.
  For many of these children, coming to grips with the trauma is 
extraordinarily difficult.
  Several research studies have described in painstaking detail the 
long-term effects that affect the physical, emotional, cognitive, and 
social development of abuse victims and sex trafficking victims.
  Those who are victimized when they are children typically do not come 
forward with their abuse--if at all--until many years later, after the 
victims reach adulthood.
  Simply put, the bill extends the civil statute of limitations in two 
ways for minor victims of Federal sex crimes--because these victims 
often need more time to realize the harm they have suffered and to seek 
redress.
  First, the bill extends the statute of limitations until the age of 
28--from age 21--for minor victims of particular offenses, such as 
sexual abuse and child pornography.
  This brings the statute of limitations in line with a similar law 
that provides a civil remedy for victims of sex trafficking. The two 
laws are sections 2255 and 1595 of Title 18.
  This provision was recently included, at my request, in the Adam 
Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2016, which the Judiciary Committee 
approved unanimously weeks ago.
  Second, for the laws that provide civil remedies for sex abuse and 
sex trafficking victims, the bill clarifies when the statute of 
limitations begins to run.
  The bill would clarify that, for both laws providing civil remedies 
for these victims, the time for a victim to bring a claim against the 
perpetrator would not begin to run until after the victim actually 
discovers the injury or the violation.
  This is significant because victims of sex crimes are sometimes 
abused even before they can remember the abuse--some as young as 3-
years old.
  The bill therefore clarifies that the time for a victim to sue her 
perpetrator does not begin to run when the violation occurs, but rather 
when the victim first discovers the injury or the violation.
  This is also important because victims of child pornography--who are 
also sexually abused--may not even

[[Page 5380]]

``discover'' that their illegal, pornographic images are being 
distributed over the internet and elsewhere until later in life.
  The bill therefore ensures that minor victims have an extended period 
to seek justice against their perpetrators after discovering their 
injury or violation.
  Under current law, it is unclear from court opinions when victims 
must bring their claims, and Congress must make clear it has always 
intended these victims to have an opportunity to come forward and seek 
redress.
  I want to thank Senator Cornyn again for working so closely with me 
on this issue.
  I also want to acknowledge the support for this bill from the 
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Center 
for Victims of Crime, and the Survivors Network of those Abused by 
Priests.

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