Barbara Boxer

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. What the Senator has established is that Senator Gregg's critique that the word ``comparability'' is, in fact, a new word and new concept, is not true? It is blatantly false?

Mrs. BOXER. I have another question.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I was asking a question. I said I would be happy to stop when I finished asking the second question. I didn't even have the floor. Senator Biden had the floor and was graciousness enough to yield to me to clarify some of the comments made against his amendment by the Senator from New Hampshire.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, just as I voted no on the Senate version of this tax bill because it was fiscally irresponsible, raided Social Security and Medicare, and would force cuts in investments in working Americans, including education, so too do I oppose this conference report. It is even worse, and if I were able to be present for the vote, I would vote no. The top marginal tax rate--that for the wealthiest of Americans--is reduced even more than in the Senate bill. Instead of dropping to 36 percent, it drops to 35 percent. And with other changes in the bill, the administration is claiming that the top rate has been effectively reduced to 33 percent. The refundability of the child tax credit--a key to helping children in low-income families--has been changed. By indexing the eligibility threshold, it will leave children behind. And I continue to oppose the repeal of the estate tax. This overwhelmingly benefits the wealthiest Americans. Only 2 percent of Americans are subject to the estate tax. All of this means, that the richest 1 percent of Americans, earning an annual average salary of over $1.1 million, will, according to The Washington Post, receive about 40 percent of the tax cut. That is unfair. Finally, this tax bill plays a game with our fiscal future. To meet the target of $1.35 trillion of tax cuts over the next 10 years, all of the tax cuts in this bill expire in nine years. Why? Because if they were in effect 10 years from now, the cost of this bill would be astronomical, and it would be very clear to the American people that this tax bill is nothing but a riverboat gamble with our children's future.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I ask unanimous consent the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, in my minute I hope I can convince colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this amendment. Just this past weekend, President Bush called for a war on poverty. This amendment is a step in that direction. It is offered in that spirit. What we do is help 1.5 million veterans who are now living in poverty by giving a tax credit to those employers who hire them. This idea was proposed and is supported by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans and the Noncommissioned Officers Association. Veterans groups tell me the current tax credit, Welfare To Work, is not working for veterans because they are not on welfare. They need this tax credit. So we send our people into harm's way and sometimes they come back and they really are having a tough time integrating into society, getting a meaningful job. This will reward employers who give them a job. And, by the way, we pay for it by bringing that top rate down to, not 36 percent but 36.05 percent. Let's do this for our veterans.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am not trying to stall. I am trying to make this a better bill for our people, including our veterans. I move we waive the Budget Act. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk. I ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to share with the Senate my thoughts on the 150th Anniversary of Santa Clara University. Santa Clara University, located in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, became California's first school of higher learning in 1851. The college is celebrating its sesquicentennial this year on the same Santa Clara Valley campus it has occupied continuously since its founding. At the center of campus is the beautiful Mission Santa Clara de Asis, the eighth of the original 21 California missions. Santa Clara University brings the intellectual rigor, respect for scholarship, and spiritual vision of its Jesuit founders to students of all backgrounds and beliefs. In the fall of 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates and Santa Clara University became the first coeducational Catholic University in California. The college is committed to the diversity that distinguishes California and the United States throughout the world and its student body includes more than 35 percent minority group members. Santa Clara University's unique community events, undergraduate and nationally recognized graduate programs greatly inform and enrich communities in the Silicon Valley and the State of California. The sesquicentennial of Santa Clara University is a time for celebration by us all.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. At a time to be determined by the two leaders.

Mrs. BOXER. We ought to go home and get a good night's sleep and then continue voting.

Mrs. BOXER. It is very late. These are very important matters. This tax bill is going to change the course of this country.

Mrs. BOXER. I object.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I have a unanimous consent request. I ask unanimous consent that we adjourn for the evening and continue voting on these amendments to the tax bill in the light of day tomorrow morning---- MR. BUNNING. I object.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I object.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am introducing legislation today to name the courthouse at 95 Seventh Street in San Francisco, CA as the ``James R. Browning United States Courthouse.'' Judge Browning was appointed to the court by President Kennedy and has spent 40 years as a circuit judge on the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. For twelve of those years, he served as Chief Judge. As chief judge, Judge Browning reorganized and modernized the administration of the Ninth Circuit. Now, he is on Senior Status. He is originally from Montana and graduated from Montana State University in 1938 and from Montana University Law School in 1941, achieving the highest scholastic record in his class and serving as editor-in-chief of the law review. Before being appointed to the Court, Judge Browning served in the U.S. Army and worked for Department of Justice and in private practice. I can think of no more appropriate honor for Judge Browning than to place his name on the courthouse building where he has worked for 40 years.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am introducing legislation today to name the courthouse at 95 Seventh Street in San Francisco, CA as the ``James R. Browning United States Courthouse.'' Judge Browning was appointed to the court by President Kennedy and has spent 40 years as a circuit judge on the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. For twelve of those years, he served as Chief Judge. As chief judge, Judge Browning reorganized and modernized the administration of the Ninth Circuit. Now, he is on Senior Status. He is originally from Montana and graduated from Montana State University in 1938 and from Montana University Law School in 1941, achieving the highest scholastic record in his class and serving as editor-in-chief of the law review. Before being appointed to the Court, Judge Browning served in the U.S. Army and worked for Department of Justice and in private practice. I can think of no more appropriate honor for Judge Browning than to place his name on the courthouse building where he has worked for 40 years.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. I am delighted to yield Senator Kennedy as much time as he may require.

Mrs. BOXER. I thank the Chair for being such a strong supporter of afterschool programs for children. I ask unanimous consent that Senators Ensign and Dodd be added as original cosponsors of this amendment on afterschool programs.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, what is the pending business?

Mrs. BOXER. Has all my time expired?

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, there is a typing error in the amendment that deals with the sense-of-the-Senate part that called ``billion'' ``million.'' I received concurrence that I may ask for that to be modified, and I so ask.

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I hope our colleagues in their offices and doing their work heard the remarks of my colleague from Nevada. I think he was eloquent because he spoke from the heart and from his own life experience. His own life experience underscores the need for this amendment and what we are trying to do. You can take the best kid in the world, but if they are home alone after school and they are very lonely and they do not have guidance, bad things can happen, and bad things do happen. I want to show, again, the chart by the FBI which underscores exactly what my friend was saying as far as when crime occurs. If you look at the chart, it is very clear. Juvenile crime starts climbing right after school and it peaks right after school, and eventually, as the parents come home, the crime rate goes down. So it is not, as we say, rocket science to understand that we can do a tremendous amount for our children. The other point my friend made which I thought was important was that he has heard stories from his own State, where they use some of these funds, that the academic performance of the children is also improving. I have seen programs in Richmond, CA, where the local Police Athletic League serves over 400 students and the juvenile crime rate has decreased by 36 percent as a result of the afterschool program. It is documented. The scores are going up. In Hemet, CA, we have, again, the police athletic and activities league serving over 2,500 students in that afterschool program. There has been a 29-percent decrease in juvenile crime and the scores are getting better. In Highland Park, MI, the 21st Century Learning Center reports a 40- percent drop in juvenile crime after the implementation of their programs and the scores are getting better. In Brooklyn, at the Cyprus Hills Center, it was reported that 72 percent of the program participants improved their grades by 35 percentage points in one or more of their classes. This is a proven winner. In Chatanooga, TN, absentee days dropped from 568 days to 135 days. That is an amazing drop. Why is it? Because the children are doing their homework after school. They are getting support after school. They are getting mentoring after school, and it works. In Plainview, AR, the 21st Century Learning Center implemented an abstinance program that resulted in no pregnancies in their high school graduating class for the first time in years. Before this program, there were 16 pregnancies in 1998. I did not mention that. I showed you the crime rate. What I did not tell you is the teen pregnancy situation is traced back to afterschool hours. So, Mr. President, what you said is so, so true. We know it from our own experience when we were children growing up. We know it as we watch the new afterschool programs take hold. I have been in public office for 25 years now and I have worked hard in a number of areas, but I have to say one of my proudest moments was bringing the first afterschool amendment down to the floor of the Senate many years ago where we were then spending $40 million a year on afterschool programs. And working together across party lines, and at that time working with the President, we were able to see this program go up to $800 million and is now serving many children. But still, we have 7 million children to go and we will not rest, all of us here, across party lines, who care about kids, until we make sure that every child has an alternative, every child has an option. In closing, I would like to say our children are good kids. Unfortunately, we always seem to spotlight the bad kids, the kids who get in trouble. I have to say, I believe all children are gifts from God and all children deserve to be honored. They all come on this Earth and they deserve to be honored. We do not honor our children if we do not invest in them. These are not huge investments, these are really quite small investments. When we invest in a child in a way that is positive, where we give that child that Head Start, that Early Start, that Jump Start, where we then send them to quality public schools where we then have quality afterschool programs, we are going to see the vast majority of social problems in our Nation will be resolved. This is what I believe. Are you going to miss the boat on a few kids? Of course. Are you going to have a kid who simply will not respond? Of course. But that is a rarity. So I think this amendment, as it was spoken to by Senator Ensign in such an eloquent way, where he traced back his childhood, where he remembered what it was like to be alone, without supervision, to be floundering and perhaps to be steered into a life from which you can never really come back--that kind of situation should not be present for any of our children in this Nation. I hope very much we will have bipartisan support, that we will be able to pass this overwhelmingly and send a clear signal to our children that they are important before school, during school, and after school. Mr. President, I reserve the remainder of my time.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Coastal States Protection Act, which is intended to protect our Nation's fragile coastlines from the detrimental environmental impacts of offshore oil and gas development. Chronic leakage associated with normal oil and gas operations, as well as catastrophic spills such as the horrific Santa Barbara spill in 1969, irreparably contaminate the ocean floor, tidelands, and beaches. In California, there is strong and enduring public support for the protection of our oceans and coastlines. My State decided that the potential benefits that might be derived from future offshore oil and gas development were not worth the risk of destroying our priceless coastal treasures. To ensure that our beaches remain pristine and our waters clear, California passed legislation permanently prohibiting oil and gas exploration in State waters. Unfortunately, the State only has jurisdiction over the territory that extends three nautical miles out from shore. Federal waters off the coast of California, which extend beyond State waters to 200 nautical miles out, have received several forms of temporary protection from additional offshore oil and gas development. Since 1982, Congress has approved successive 1-year leasing and drilling moratoria that have provided protection for U.S. waters. In 1998, President Clinton issued a 10-year ban on Outer Continental Shelf activity off the coast of California. We now face, however, mounting pressures to explore new sources of domestic oil and gas. My bill provides permanent protection by ensuring that no mineral leasing can occur on the Outer Continental Shelf in Federal waters where the State has placed a moratorium on mineral exploration, development, or production activity in adjacent States waters. Thus, this bill guarantees that the wishes of a State are reflected in the management decisions made regarding associated Federal waters. This legislation is similar to bills I introduced in the 104th, 105th, and 106th Congress. Several officials in the new administration have expressed strong support for State and local decision-making, so I am hopeful that they will join me in supporting this legislation. This bill will make an important and lasting contribution to the protection of our Nation's coastlines.

Mrs. BOXER

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Coastal States Protection Act, which is intended to protect our Nation's fragile coastlines from the detrimental environmental impacts of offshore oil and gas development. Chronic leakage associated with normal oil and gas operations, as well as catastrophic spills such as the horrific Santa Barbara spill in 1969, irreparably contaminate the ocean floor, tidelands, and beaches. In California, there is strong and enduring public support for the protection of our oceans and coastlines. My State decided that the potential benefits that might be derived from future offshore oil and gas development were not worth the risk of destroying our priceless coastal treasures. To ensure that our beaches remain pristine and our waters clear, California passed legislation permanently prohibiting oil and gas exploration in State waters. Unfortunately, the State only has jurisdiction over the territory that extends three nautical miles out from shore. Federal waters off the coast of California, which extend beyond State waters to 200 nautical miles out, have received several forms of temporary protection from additional offshore oil and gas development. Since 1982, Congress has approved successive 1-year leasing and drilling moratoria that have provided protection for U.S. waters. In 1998, President Clinton issued a 10-year ban on Outer Continental Shelf activity off the coast of California. We now face, however, mounting pressures to explore new sources of domestic oil and gas. My bill provides permanent protection by ensuring that no mineral leasing can occur on the Outer Continental Shelf in Federal waters where the State has placed a moratorium on mineral exploration, development, or production activity in adjacent States waters. Thus, this bill guarantees that the wishes of a State are reflected in the management decisions made regarding associated Federal waters. This legislation is similar to bills I introduced in the 104th, 105th, and 106th Congress. Several officials in the new administration have expressed strong support for State and local decision-making, so I am hopeful that they will join me in supporting this legislation. This bill will make an important and lasting contribution to the protection of our Nation's coastlines.