Cory Booker

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce with Senate colleagues the Innovation in Surface Transportation Act, which will spur economic development and include more local stakeholders in transportation projects. I am proud to join with Senators Wicker, Begich, Cochran, and Casey to sponsor this important bipartisan legislation. As a former Mayor, I understand local leaders are often in the best position to make sound, cost-effective investment decisions to boost the local economy. Today, our cities, towns and suburbs are not getting the transportation investments they need to remain competitive and attract the kind of investment needed to create jobs and put more people to work. This legislation establishes a statewide program of competitive grants to local communities overseen by a diverse selection panel, including state Departments of Transportation, local jurisdictions, port authorities, and representatives from air quality and safety organizations. This innovative proposal would encourage communities to compete against their peers, and stretch to make the most of every project and every dollar. Recognizing each state and region has different transportation needs, the panel would create criteria specific to their State's needs, such as improving the movement of freight, or connecting low-income communities to jobs. The bill would also require a metric-based, objective, fully transparent process based off critical criteria, such as return on investment, job creation, and reducing environmental impacts. The most cost-effective and economically important projects will rise to the top, which will help communities across the country meet the great challenge of maintaining aging infrastructure and preparing for future growth with constrained funding. I look forward to working with my colleagues to build further support for this legislation and continue working to provide long-term transportation investment that strengthens communities across the nation.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce with Senate colleagues the Innovation in Surface Transportation Act, which will spur economic development and include more local stakeholders in transportation projects. I am proud to join with Senators Wicker, Begich, Cochran, and Casey to sponsor this important bipartisan legislation. As a former Mayor, I understand local leaders are often in the best position to make sound, cost-effective investment decisions to boost the local economy. Today, our cities, towns and suburbs are not getting the transportation investments they need to remain competitive and attract the kind of investment needed to create jobs and put more people to work. This legislation establishes a statewide program of competitive grants to local communities overseen by a diverse selection panel, including state Departments of Transportation, local jurisdictions, port authorities, and representatives from air quality and safety organizations. This innovative proposal would encourage communities to compete against their peers, and stretch to make the most of every project and every dollar. Recognizing each state and region has different transportation needs, the panel would create criteria specific to their State's needs, such as improving the movement of freight, or connecting low-income communities to jobs. The bill would also require a metric-based, objective, fully transparent process based off critical criteria, such as return on investment, job creation, and reducing environmental impacts. The most cost-effective and economically important projects will rise to the top, which will help communities across the country meet the great challenge of maintaining aging infrastructure and preparing for future growth with constrained funding. I look forward to working with my colleagues to build further support for this legislation and continue working to provide long-term transportation investment that strengthens communities across the nation.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. What I would like to do, because I fully support what an extraordinary and very important piece of legislation this is, honoring those who served and fought and fell in Desert Storm--what I object to is the decoupling of the two bills, both of which honor our veterans. Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 398, H.R. 1033, the American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act, and Calendar No. 403, H.R. 503, the Desert Storm Memorial en bloc, that the committee-reported amendment to H.R. 1033 be agreed to, that the bills, as amended, if amended, be read a third time and passed en bloc, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. BOOKER. There is no more eloquent a person when it comes to good government than Senator Coburn, but I do not modify my request. I object. I ask unanimous consent that the previous request I made be agreed to.

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, with a great deal of respect and deference to my good friend and an extraordinary Senator from Arkansas, I actually do object.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Startup Opportunity Accelerator Act or SOAR Act, which provides funding for accelerator programs and organizations that support small business startups. The importance of small businesses to the economy and job creation is well documented. In fact, data has shown the innovative, smallest companies represent a significant majority of all new businesses, reaffirming the importance of young, small firms to driving small business and economic growth. To be sure, we see the impact of these high growth startups daily in the technology we rely on for communication and access to information. Many of the startups developing these innovative technologies have thrived in regions, such as Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley, where there are high concentrations of other entrepreneurs and startups. Specifically, these regions have benefited from the presence of growth accelerators and other organizations that connect startups with the resources necessary for growth. These resources can provide critical opportunities for entrepreneurs to access the venture capital, mentorship, and industry networks vital to success. That is why I am introducing the SOAR Act. The SOAR Act would authorize the Small Business Administration's SBA, Growth Accelerator Fund, which offers funding to growth accelerators and other organizations supporting startups through a competitive prize program. The SOAR Act would broaden the reach of these organizations to new communities by specifically encouraging applicants that fill both geographic and demographic gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. After launching in the spring of 2014, the SBA saw tremendous interest in the Fund and received more than 800 applications from organizations across the country. The SBA was able to grant awards to 50 organizations, including a New Jersey-based innovation center that plans to develop a new growth accelerator focused on the food industry. The SOAR Act will authorize the Growth Accelerator Fund for 5 years and provide a needed funding boost to help meet high demand from small businesses and entrepreneurs in the program. I am proud to introduce this legislation that provides increased resources to help startups succeed. This relatively small, targeted investment would deliver big returns for communities across the country, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Startup Opportunity Accelerator Act or SOAR Act, which provides funding for accelerator programs and organizations that support small business startups. The importance of small businesses to the economy and job creation is well documented. In fact, data has shown the innovative, smallest companies represent a significant majority of all new businesses, reaffirming the importance of young, small firms to driving small business and economic growth. To be sure, we see the impact of these high growth startups daily in the technology we rely on for communication and access to information. Many of the startups developing these innovative technologies have thrived in regions, such as Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley, where there are high concentrations of other entrepreneurs and startups. Specifically, these regions have benefited from the presence of growth accelerators and other organizations that connect startups with the resources necessary for growth. These resources can provide critical opportunities for entrepreneurs to access the venture capital, mentorship, and industry networks vital to success. That is why I am introducing the SOAR Act. The SOAR Act would authorize the Small Business Administration's SBA, Growth Accelerator Fund, which offers funding to growth accelerators and other organizations supporting startups through a competitive prize program. The SOAR Act would broaden the reach of these organizations to new communities by specifically encouraging applicants that fill both geographic and demographic gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. After launching in the spring of 2014, the SBA saw tremendous interest in the Fund and received more than 800 applications from organizations across the country. The SBA was able to grant awards to 50 organizations, including a New Jersey-based innovation center that plans to develop a new growth accelerator focused on the food industry. The SOAR Act will authorize the Growth Accelerator Fund for 5 years and provide a needed funding boost to help meet high demand from small businesses and entrepreneurs in the program. I am proud to introduce this legislation that provides increased resources to help startups succeed. This relatively small, targeted investment would deliver big returns for communities across the country, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BOOKER. Madam President, I rise today to urge support for a successful veterans health care program that will be extended if we pass this bipartisan package of Veterans Affairs reforms. My colleague across the aisle Senator Heller and I have joined to introduce legislation to extend the Assisted Living Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury, or AL-TBI, and give it the kind of support veterans with these severe brain injuries deserve. I am grateful for the leadership of Senator Heller and his partnership on this very important critical issue. I am proud to work with him, and I am hopeful all of our colleagues will join to pass the bipartisan package of VA reforms which now includes our legislation. I thank Senator Sanders, Ranking Member Burr, along with Senators McCain, Pryor, Murkowski, Landrieu, Johanns, and Baldwin for joining with us in this important effort. This program places veterans suffering from moderate to severe traumatic brain injury, or TBI, in privately run facilities where they receive 24-hour team-based attention. These are our veterans who stood for us, who answered the call to service, who went into harm's way, and have suffered traumatic brain injury, who now need to get the kind of care and attention they deserve. They are immersed in this therapy that helps them with their movement, their memory, their speech, their gradual community integration. That last point is actually the key. This program does not just prepare veterans for transition from one health care setting to another health care setting; it is about giving them the practical skills they need to return to their communities and live independently. That is what is so special about this program. This is the kind of innovative work that Senator Heller stands for in his community and I in New Jersey and that all of our veterans across the country should have. Congress should support this kind of work more often. This past week I had the opportunity to visit a facility in Plainsboro, NJ--one of several facilities using this program. While I was there, I spoke with an incredible veteran named Gary. Gary first enlisted in the military and completed his tour in the Navy after graduating from high school. Then 9/11 happened, and Gary stood up, reenlisted, this time with the National Guard, and served in Iraq. During his time there he suffered a traumatic brain injury. Upon return home, Gary was confined to a wheelchair and the doctors told him he would never ever walk again. But then he began treatments through this program that Senator Heller, myself, and others are trying to extend. Now, because of this program, Gary can walk again. He, himself, and his family called it a miracle. He is now using a cane. When he is indoors he can walk without assistance. Gary's sister told me that before receiving this unique care through the program, Gary was very negative, often depressed, often angry. But now that he has made progress, Gary's whole attitude has changed. He is more than upbeat. He is social and enjoys cooking. In fact, he offered to cook me a meal, which, I say to Senator Heller, as a bachelor, I take all the meals I can get. Another veteran named Duane sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2003 while serving our country in the Navy. Unable to live independently or get around without the aid of a wheelchair, this gentleman, this honorable veteran, who was not even 25 years old, found himself living in a nursing home alongside a population many decades his senior. In 2011, through this program in our legislation, his life was changed. He moved into a specialized facility in New Jersey, where he still lives today and receives a range of treatments, including physical, occupational, speech therapies, as well as psychological counseling and residential assistance. He is making incredible progress. I saw it with my own eyes, heard it from his family and his care workers. He has actually also traded his wheelchair for a cane and manages a regime of his own chores, adding more dignity to his already exemplary life of courage. He has an active social life. He has friends and comrades, and he believes he has a country that has been there for him when he is in need. These are the heroes who stepped up to serve our country when we needed them most, and now it is our responsibility to serve them with the extension of this incredible program. This program means independence for these veterans with severe brain injuries. We cannot cut their or any other veterans' care short. This is a cost of war. We should not just be there to spend resources when we are sending them off; we should be there with open arms and support when we are welcoming them home. The VA now offers no alternative program to the one I have described--no alternative program--that provides the same kind of comprehensive, rehabilitative, long-term care in a residential setting. These brave men and women who are benefiting from this specialized care were willing to put their lives on the line for our country. It should not be an option; it should be our obligation to take care of them when they return home. I strongly urge my colleagues in the Senate to do their duty, to pass this reform package, and extend this life-changing program. I want to again thank Senator Heller. If I may yield to him, he has been a stalwart partner, a leader on this issue. I have been encouraged by this opportunity to work together with him. I am only disappointed that he would not shave his head, as I have. That would have shown true bipartisan camaraderie. But despite that, I look forward to his continued leadership on issues for our veterans, and now I look forward to his remarks.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise to talk about our Nation's infrastructure and how Congress needs a long-term transportation bill that empowers local and regional planning authorities. Infrastructure drives our economy. New Jersey alone has more than 38,000 miles of public roads, and nearly 1,000 miles of rail freight lines, connecting every corner of my State to consumers and networks throughout the region. This means jobs. It means quality of life. It means investment in our communities and moving us forward. Currently, just 8 percent of our Federal highway dollars are controlled by regional and local interests. In order to increase the role of local communities in our transportation policy decisions, I introduced today The Local Empowerment Act, which would reward high-performing Metropolitan Planning Organizations, MPO's, with additional, directly-allocated funds. MPO's that coordinate well with other MPOs in the region, consider performance goals as part of their planning, have equitable approaches to decision making, and demonstrate high technical capacity would be rewarded with additional resources to support their local priorities. Consider the fact that \3/4\ of GDP is generated from within metro areas, 65 percent of the population resides in metro areas, and 95 percent of all public transportation passenger miles traveled take place in metro areas. As the mayor of Newark, NJ, I learned through first-hand experience how important it is that the federal government partner with local communities to make substantial, long-term investments in our transportation infrastructure. Federal transportation policy must provide local and regional stakeholders with resources and decision-making power, and take into account how local communities are being impacted by congestion, air pollution and our broader investment decisions. At all levels of government, there is a dire need for additional, creative policy options that will rind more projects, create more jobs, and rehabilitate and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. I would like to highlight the leadership of Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation, for proposing a program along the lines of this legislation. Secretary Foxx, like me a former mayor, understands how important it is that Federal programs empower local entities and I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this legislation.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise to talk about our Nation's infrastructure and how Congress needs a long-term transportation bill that empowers local and regional planning authorities. Infrastructure drives our economy. New Jersey alone has more than 38,000 miles of public roads, and nearly 1,000 miles of rail freight lines, connecting every corner of my State to consumers and networks throughout the region. This means jobs. It means quality of life. It means investment in our communities and moving us forward. Currently, just 8 percent of our Federal highway dollars are controlled by regional and local interests. In order to increase the role of local communities in our transportation policy decisions, I introduced today The Local Empowerment Act, which would reward high-performing Metropolitan Planning Organizations, MPO's, with additional, directly-allocated funds. MPO's that coordinate well with other MPOs in the region, consider performance goals as part of their planning, have equitable approaches to decision making, and demonstrate high technical capacity would be rewarded with additional resources to support their local priorities. Consider the fact that \3/4\ of GDP is generated from within metro areas, 65 percent of the population resides in metro areas, and 95 percent of all public transportation passenger miles traveled take place in metro areas. As the mayor of Newark, NJ, I learned through first-hand experience how important it is that the federal government partner with local communities to make substantial, long-term investments in our transportation infrastructure. Federal transportation policy must provide local and regional stakeholders with resources and decision-making power, and take into account how local communities are being impacted by congestion, air pollution and our broader investment decisions. At all levels of government, there is a dire need for additional, creative policy options that will rind more projects, create more jobs, and rehabilitate and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. I would like to highlight the leadership of Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation, for proposing a program along the lines of this legislation. Secretary Foxx, like me a former mayor, understands how important it is that Federal programs empower local entities and I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this legislation.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Madam President, I rise today filled with anguish and heartbreak that is shared by so many Americans who have been watching over the past week as countless innocent children and innocent civilians have been killed and live in states of great fear or even terror. Millions are running for bomb shelters time and time again. We are seeing people in Gaza killed or maimed and seeing people in Israel live under the terror in the sky and terror coming from below. I want to stand resolute and clear about the true cause of this crisis. That lies squarely with Hamas, a terrorist organization whose ends do not start and finish with the well-being of the Palestinian people. Their primary focus and their clear agenda is not peace for their people. Written into their very charter is the firm determination to eliminate the State of Israel. They have proven this evil determination to do everything necessary to achieve their goal. They are willing to kill Israelis. They are willing to kill Americans. They have killed them both. Even worse, they are willing to put innocent Palestinians in harm's way, causing death and destruction within their own communities, to their own children, to their hospitals and to their schools. They are in the interests of wracking up casualties to add what they consider, in a warped way, moral force for their terrorist aim. I believe clearly in the evidence that this terrorist organization is willing to stop at no end in order to build their tunnels and to advocate and advance their independence. They are willing to deny their people food. They are willing to deny their people construction materials that could be building schools and building infrastructure. They are willing to deny medical supplies. They are willing to deny a higher standard of living in order to support clearly terrorist activities. This is unacceptable. This is unacceptable. This is unacceptable. We as Americans cannot advocate for or in any way accept a false peace that will allow Hamas, a terrorist organization, to continue their effort to destroy the State of Israel. Hamas is not seeking peace. Hamas is not seeking the peaceful coexistence between two states. What they are simply doing is they are willing to cause death and destruction to destroy Israel. Hamas is not a democratically elected organization. They are a terrorist organization. They do not speak for the Palestinian people. Hamas speaks for Hamas. Their history of killing Americans and Israelis and putting countless of their own people in harm's way, causing their destruction and their denial of the basics, must be stopped. For the sake of the Palestinian people and for the sake of the Israeli people, we as a Nation cannot support any measure or any agenda that gives this terrorist organization harbor or support, that gives this terrorist organization any advantage in trying to achieve their end. We cannot in this Nation advocate for that kind of false peace that allows Hamas to go back to tunneling, to firing rockets, to hiding missiles in schools and in hospitals, and putting more innocent children in harm's way. We as Americans must advocate for a true peace where two sides clearly recognize the right for peaceful coexistence and where both sides pledge to a true cessation of aggression, not a peace that allows one side to go back to its evil end, to tunneling, to plotting, to preparing just for the next attack. We have seen this before in recent history. We cannot allow it again. Right now we are in a state of crisis. America's voice must be resolute. We stand with our allies. We stand with the democratic State of Israel. We stand against terrorism. This is why today I come before you in support of the $225 million in additional funding requested by the Department of Defense to ensure that the Iron Dome in Israel remains equipped to protect civilians from Hamas-fired rockets. Hamas has fired over 2,500 rockets at Israel over the past 3 weeks, while putting innocent Palestinians at risk to protect their stockpiles and their evil ends. Yesterday alone 51 rockets and mortar shells were fired at Israel. In this time of crisis, America must stand for a true peace for the Palestinian people and for the Israeli people. Now, as a terrorist organization has evil ends to destroy the State of Israel, we must stand with our ally. We must stand with the State of Israel. We must stand for peace. Therefore, I support this expenditure and continue a resolute, unwavering, and unequivocal support of the continuance of the State of Israel.

Mr. BOOKER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce with my colleagues Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Senator Barbara Boxer of California, the Superfund Polluter Pays Restoration Act of 2014. This bill reinstates an expired excise tax on polluting industries to help fund the cleanup of Superfund sites and restore communities back to health. Across our Nation we have far too many un-remediated and dangerous Superfund sites sitting in our neighborhoods--properties that are literally poisoning our residents. This problem is particularly acute in my State of New Jersey, which is both the most densely populated State and the State with the most Superfund sites. Nationwide, there are more than 1300 Superfund sites on the National Priorities List, NPL, which require long-term cleanups. The sites listed on the NPL are the most heavily contaminated in the country and are the sites that pose the greatest potential risk to public health and the environment. In the past five years, 94 new sites have been added to the NPL, but an average of only 7 have been removed each year. Cleanup has not even begun at hundreds of these NPL sites. Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and the Government Accountability Office, GAO, state that the reason why cleanup is not starting at hundreds of sites, and taking so long at others, is because of the limited funding available for cleanup activities. There are more than 11 million Americans who live within one mile of a Superfund site, and of that, 3 to 4 million are children. Studies show that children are particularly susceptible to the health hazards presented by Superfund sites. Researchers have found increased autism rates, and recently researchers found that babies born to mothers living within 1 mile of a Superfund site prior to cleanup had a 20 percent greater incidence of being born with birth defects. The need for more funding could not be clearer. When Congress created Superfund in 1980, it established the Superfund Trust Fund from which the EPA receives annual appropriations for Superfund cleanup activities. For 15 years, the Trust Fund received a steady source of revenue from excise taxes on crude oil and certain chemicals. Those taxes expired at the end of fiscal year 1995. The Superfund program is now operating at 40 percent of 1987 levels, which is unsustainable according to a 2010 GAO report which found that current funding levels would likely not be sufficient to meet the future needs of the Superfund program EPA officials estimate they will need 2 to 2.5 times more funding to effectively and efficiently cleanup unremediated sites. It is unfair for the taxpayer to shoulder the burden of cleanup costs for these Superfund sites. To meet the need for additional funding and to protect the health of our families and children, Senator Menendez, Senator Boxer, and I have come together to introduce this act, aimed at holding polluting industries accountable, reducing the need to spend taxpayer dollars, and providing a steady flow of funds to the Superfund program.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce with my colleagues Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Senator Barbara Boxer of California, the Superfund Polluter Pays Restoration Act of 2014. This bill reinstates an expired excise tax on polluting industries to help fund the cleanup of Superfund sites and restore communities back to health. Across our Nation we have far too many un-remediated and dangerous Superfund sites sitting in our neighborhoods--properties that are literally poisoning our residents. This problem is particularly acute in my State of New Jersey, which is both the most densely populated State and the State with the most Superfund sites. Nationwide, there are more than 1300 Superfund sites on the National Priorities List, NPL, which require long-term cleanups. The sites listed on the NPL are the most heavily contaminated in the country and are the sites that pose the greatest potential risk to public health and the environment. In the past five years, 94 new sites have been added to the NPL, but an average of only 7 have been removed each year. Cleanup has not even begun at hundreds of these NPL sites. Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and the Government Accountability Office, GAO, state that the reason why cleanup is not starting at hundreds of sites, and taking so long at others, is because of the limited funding available for cleanup activities. There are more than 11 million Americans who live within one mile of a Superfund site, and of that, 3 to 4 million are children. Studies show that children are particularly susceptible to the health hazards presented by Superfund sites. Researchers have found increased autism rates, and recently researchers found that babies born to mothers living within 1 mile of a Superfund site prior to cleanup had a 20 percent greater incidence of being born with birth defects. The need for more funding could not be clearer. When Congress created Superfund in 1980, it established the Superfund Trust Fund from which the EPA receives annual appropriations for Superfund cleanup activities. For 15 years, the Trust Fund received a steady source of revenue from excise taxes on crude oil and certain chemicals. Those taxes expired at the end of fiscal year 1995. The Superfund program is now operating at 40 percent of 1987 levels, which is unsustainable according to a 2010 GAO report which found that current funding levels would likely not be sufficient to meet the future needs of the Superfund program EPA officials estimate they will need 2 to 2.5 times more funding to effectively and efficiently cleanup unremediated sites. It is unfair for the taxpayer to shoulder the burden of cleanup costs for these Superfund sites. To meet the need for additional funding and to protect the health of our families and children, Senator Menendez, Senator Boxer, and I have come together to introduce this act, aimed at holding polluting industries accountable, reducing the need to spend taxpayer dollars, and providing a steady flow of funds to the Superfund program.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Madam President, it is with a heavy heart that I pay tribute to a young New Jersey police officer who gave his life in the line of duty on Sunday, July 13. Officer Melvin Santiago was born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey's second largest city. As a child, he dreamed of following in the footsteps of his uncle, an officer in the city's police department. That dream came true last December, when he graduated from the police academy, and it ended tragically early Sunday morning, when he was ambushed and killed in the line of duty while responding to a call. He was only 23 years old. Officer Santiago is described by his friends and family as having been full of life, with an easy smile and a gift for making others laugh. He is a source of pride for his parents, mother Cathy and stepfather Alex, and a role model for his younger brother and cousins. Officer Santiago was committed to being the best police officer he could be, and he quickly earned the respect of his fellow officers by volunteering to work in the West District--one of Jersey City's toughest neighborhoods--because he wanted to serve where he was most needed. According to his family, he savored every moment of the last 7 months, thrilled to be doing what he loved. Officer Santiago's courage, spirit of service, and commitment to his community will be long remembered by those he protected and for whom he gave his life. As we recognize Officer Santiago's tremendous sacrifice, I ask that the Senate join with this courageous officer's family, friends, fellow Jersey City Police Department personnel, the Jersey City community, and the State of New Jersey in mourning the loss of this extraordinary young man.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Madam President, it is with great sadness that I pay tribute to a New Jersey police officer who tragically lost his life in the line of duty last week. Officer Christopher Goodell, a lifelong resident of the Borough of Waldwick, NJ, was killed when his patrol car was struck by a tractor- trailer early Thursday morning, July 17. He was 32 years old and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Officer Goodell is described by friends and colleagues as having been friendly to everyone he met, with a gift for comedy and a kind heart. He was also long-committed to serving others. He joined the Marine Corps in the wake of September 11, 2001, earning several medals and commendations for his service in Iraq, including the Air Medal and two Humanitarian Service Medals. Upon his return, Officer Goodell never stopped serving--first as a dispatcher for the Waldwick Police Department, and later as a police officer. Officer Goodell embraced the responsibilities that came with being a police officer, and he cherished the opportunity to protect and serve the town that helped raise him. He was a role model for children in the community, and he always took the time to speak with students at the local high school about staying on the right track. Officer Goodell was eager to help others, from working to make our streets safer to once assisting a man who had collapsed at his gym. Simply put, his dedication saved lives. Officer Goodell is mourned by his father Mark, his mother Patricia, his fiancee Jillian, his sister Nicole, his niece and nephew, a large extended family, many friends and neighbors, fellow Waldwick Police Department personnel, the Borough of Waldwick, and the entire State of New Jersey. His spirit of service and his dedication to his community and to our Nation will be long remembered by those he protected and served. I ask my colleagues in the Senate to please join me in honoring this remarkable young police officer and marine, and in recognizing his tremendous service.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I wish to thank my colleagues sitting here before me, especially Senator Heinrich, who invited us to partner in this dialogue today. I wish right now just to express my frustration. We see on our television sets and we hear throughout the American landscape rhetoric, posturing, and demagoguery that does not reflect the truth of who we are as a nation, and it obscures the facts of what is happening on our southern border right now as a country. We have thousands upon thousands of children in the most vulnerable and innocent stage of their lives showing up at our border. I hear ugly rhetoric about just turning them around and sending them back--rhetoric that does not reflect who we are as a nation, the history of our communities or the laws of this land. If I may, for a brief time I wish to speak just to reflect on the fact of why these children are showing up. Why are they coming to our borders? As the senior Senator from New Jersey has said clearly: This is not a case of ordinary people seeking better economic opportunities. If this was just about poverty, then we would see people coming from all the nations in that area. To be specific, El Salvador's poverty rate is 34.5 percent. Belize's poverty rate is actually higher at 41.3 percent. To make a journey from a country with a lower poverty rate to a country with a higher poverty rate, because that is where many of these refugees are going--to Belize--begs a closer examination of the true drivers of this migration, because it is not poverty. It is not people simplistically looking for economic opportunity. We are seeing countries in addition to America facing the same problem: Children from these three nations escaping severe persecution, sexual assault, rape, violence, and murder are not just coming to the borders of the United States to escape this persecution but going to other nations in that area. For example, combined, Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Belize documented a 435-percent increase in the number of asylum applications logged by individuals from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. In this area of our globe, where there is such violence and persecution in these three countries, it is driving people out not just to the United States, as some people allege because of the policy of the Obama administration; these are people escaping persecution to countries all throughout the region. This is about violence. This is about heinous crimes. This is about a drug war. This is about cartels carrying out the most egregious of human acts, evidencing the depravity and the evil that so cuts at the conscience of humanity, so that people are escaping to wherever they can go. We in the United States have a long and noble history that when there are places on our globe that face this level of crisis, we respond, and we are a part of an international community where our peer nations have shown that history as well. Here in North America, we know allies such as Canada have done incredible deeds when there is crisis, violence, war, and persecution--mass rapes going on. There have been responses from our northern neighbor. In 1972 when Uganda's President Idi Amin announced the Ugandan Asians were to be expelled, Canada set up a refugee office and, by the end of 1973, more than 7,000 Uganda Asians arrived in Canada. Germany, for example, right now currently is accepting 20,000 Syrian refugees. As I speak right now, Jordan and Lebanon are host to over 2 million Syrian refugees, and we as a nation are encouraging our allies in the Middle East to be there for those refugees when they come to those borders. That is the international community. In America, we set the standard. We are the leaders globally for compassion, for humanity, for charity. I am proud that this tradition, which is two centuries old in America, can continue under Democrats and Republicans. It has not been a partisan football. In 2008, under the Bush administration, in the face of Burma's humanitarian crisis, this country, with the courage of its compassion, resettled thousands of Burmese refugees, admitting as many as 18,000 of them. President Bush signed the legislation to ease the restrictions that prevented ethnic minorities involved in that struggle against the Burmese regime--eased restrictions for them entering the United States. President Bush spoke eloquently during that time about American compassion. He spoke about American heritage and American tradition. He said, quite poignantly, I thank those of you Americans and those around the country--all of us--who have opened up our arms and said: ``Welcome to America. How can we help you settle in?'' This is who we are as a nation. And when we have children-- innocents--escaping violence and terror and crimes against humanity, where we as a nation are not even fully relieved of culpability for what is going on and when our Nation's drug consumption is helping to drive that violence, we have a responsibility. That is who we are. That is our truth. We know this. We are a nation of people who came from persecution, who came from famine, who came from religious war. We are a nation settled by those who were yearning to be free. Now, I know the Statue of Liberty well because New Jersey has its back. When I travel around the State, I often get a great view of her noble torch. I know it is not down along our southern border, but the ideals of the Statue of Liberty still hold true: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! I am grateful and support Senator Mikulski's leadership and the push to address this crisis by stepping up as a nation, by following the letter of the law and providing due process for these young people who have come to our borders, so that we can evaluate them and see those who have a justifiable claim for asylum and to see that we honor our tradition and our law and give them a place in our country that is safe and secure from the terror and the violence that is going on in those three countries. It cannot be acceptable that we use our resources now simply to expedite the return of thousands of children into that conflict zone, which is more dangerous now than at the height of civilian dangers during the Iraq war. We must as Americans follow that great tradition. We must as Americans now do the right thing by innocent children: evaluate them with our resources, expedite the judicial process to understand clearly who is meritorious of asylum. And we should invest our resources in making sure the conflicts in those nations are abated so this crisis ends. I say clearly: In America we stand for something now as we have time and time again. We must garner our resources and, most importantly, our compassion, which is the truth of who we say we are, and make sure we take care of these vulnerable children and make sure we don't turn them around into a dangerous situation. It is time we show internationally that when there is crisis, America stands and shows leadership and does the right thing. With that, I yield the floor for the senior Senator from New Jersey.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Let Our Communities Access Local TV Act, or the LOCAL TV Act. I am pleased that I've had the opportunity to collaborate with my friend and colleague, Senator Fischer, and I know we both look forward to working with our fellow colleagues on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to see that this legislation is enacted. The LOCAL TV Act directs the Federal Communications Commission to study the impact of media market areas and to assess their impact on the ability of individuals to receive relevant, local news and information. The current structure of media markets is one in which market areas can sprawl across State lines, creating situations in which you can live in one State, but be exclusively saddled in the media market of another. My state of New Jersey is particularly affected by this situation because it is one of only two States in the entire Nation that is served exclusively by out-of-state media markets. We are served by New York and Pennsylvania--both great places but not New Jersey. Why does this matter? When someone in Patterson, Freehold, or Cape May, New Jersey turns on their local broadcast station--they are lucky when they find stories about their community's latest news, schools, and our local governments. This kind of New Jersey news, unfortunately, takes a back seat to that of neighboring Philadelphia and New York. These pre-determined media markets often stifle our ability to hear about what's happening back home. We hear more about Philadelphia and New York City than we do about Morristown, Montclair, Camden and Jersey City. To be sure, broadcast TV plays an important role in communities. It is particularly essential during emergencies and extreme weather events--for instance during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Even while technology continues to grow and change the way we receive information, still 74 percent of adults get their news from their local broadcast stations, or from their broadcasters' websites. Because of the existing digital divide, the number of people who rely on broadcast television is even higher when we look at low income communities. We owe them quality coverage of the local news and information they care about. It is my hope that with further study and recommendations from the Federal Communications Commission we can continue the dialogue on how stations can best serve local communities, especially those who find themselves in media markets that cross state lines. I urge my colleagues to support the LOCAL TV ACT so that we can obtain more data and information on these markets.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Let Our Communities Access Local TV Act, or the LOCAL TV Act. I am pleased that I've had the opportunity to collaborate with my friend and colleague, Senator Fischer, and I know we both look forward to working with our fellow colleagues on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to see that this legislation is enacted. The LOCAL TV Act directs the Federal Communications Commission to study the impact of media market areas and to assess their impact on the ability of individuals to receive relevant, local news and information. The current structure of media markets is one in which market areas can sprawl across State lines, creating situations in which you can live in one State, but be exclusively saddled in the media market of another. My state of New Jersey is particularly affected by this situation because it is one of only two States in the entire Nation that is served exclusively by out-of-state media markets. We are served by New York and Pennsylvania--both great places but not New Jersey. Why does this matter? When someone in Patterson, Freehold, or Cape May, New Jersey turns on their local broadcast station--they are lucky when they find stories about their community's latest news, schools, and our local governments. This kind of New Jersey news, unfortunately, takes a back seat to that of neighboring Philadelphia and New York. These pre-determined media markets often stifle our ability to hear about what's happening back home. We hear more about Philadelphia and New York City than we do about Morristown, Montclair, Camden and Jersey City. To be sure, broadcast TV plays an important role in communities. It is particularly essential during emergencies and extreme weather events--for instance during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Even while technology continues to grow and change the way we receive information, still 74 percent of adults get their news from their local broadcast stations, or from their broadcasters' websites. Because of the existing digital divide, the number of people who rely on broadcast television is even higher when we look at low income communities. We owe them quality coverage of the local news and information they care about. It is my hope that with further study and recommendations from the Federal Communications Commission we can continue the dialogue on how stations can best serve local communities, especially those who find themselves in media markets that cross state lines. I urge my colleagues to support the LOCAL TV ACT so that we can obtain more data and information on these markets.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, today I recognize the life and legacy of New Jerseyan Lenny Kaufer, who passed away on July 13 at the age of 92. Lenny was a dear friend and inspiration to me at the very dawn of my career in public service. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Harold Leonard Kaufer was born on August 25, 1921, in Newark, NJ, where he was raised with his 10 siblings in the Roseville neighborhood by his parents, Abraham and Gussie. As a son of Newark, a graduate of its schools, and a New Jersey small business owner, Lenny cared passionately about New Jersey and its future, cheering the revival of its largest city and keeping track of the news ``back home.'' He considered Newark and New Jersey to be at the very core of his identity, and even though his retirement took him to California, he kept a book of historic photos of Newark on his bedside table until the day he died. Lenny never forgot where he came from. I had the great fortune to get to know Lenny during my time on the Newark City Council and as mayor. I consider him to have been one of the more gentle, kind souls I have ever met, and I appreciated his sound perspective and sage advice. I treasure the conversations we shared, as well as his undeterred love of Newark, and I will miss his wisdom. Above all else, Lenny was devoted to his family. In 2012, he and his wife Shirley celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and they found great pleasure in the time spent with their daughter, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Lenny always gave loved ones a kiss for the road. As a man of faith, after moving to California, he maintained a membership at his temple in New Jersey, just so he could ensure that his family there would always have a home for the High Holidays. Lenny is mourned by his wife Shirley, his daughter Jacqueline, sisters Madeline and Helga, brother Irwin, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, a large extended family, and his many friends and neighbors. Lenny touched so many lives over his 92 years. He was an American treasure. He demonstrated the truth that so often the biggest thing you can do in any day is a small act of kindness, decency, or love. Lenny lived every day with constant kindness, unyielding decency, and a remarkable love for others. I ask that the Senate join me in honoring him and remembering his extraordinary life.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce with nineteen of my colleagues the Access to Birth Control Act of 2014, ABC Act, which protects an individual's right to birth control by requiring pharmacies to fill a valid prescription for birth control in a timely manner. Family planning is central to women's basic health care. Studies show that 99 percent of women will use contraception at some point in their lives. Yet, despite the prevalence of contraceptive use, women in at least 24 States across the country have reported incidents where pharmacists have refused to fill prescriptions for birth control or provide emergency contraception to individuals who do not require a prescription. Furthermore, 6 States permit refusals without patient protections, such as requirements to refer or transfer prescriptions, and 7 States allow refusals but prohibit pharmacists from obstructing patient access to medication. It is Unbelievable to me that in 2014 we are still debating a woman's right to make responsible and personal decisions about her own health. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans are required to cover preventive services, including birth control without a copay. Congress has an obligation to see that the intent of the Affordable Care Act to make preventive health care affordable and accessible comes to fruition and act to make sure that the pharmacy counter does not come between women and timely access to contraception. The ABC Act would ensure women's timely access to basic, preventative health care and ensures that women of age will not be denied birth control or emergency contraception by their pharmacist. The bill requires pharmacies to help a woman obtain medication by her preferred method if the requested product is not in stock and protects women from being intimidated when requesting contraception. Denying contraception to women represents an erosion of a woman's right to access to contraception and a threat to women's access to basic health care. Access is especially important for low-income women who may lack the resources to find an alternative pharmacy in the appropriate time frame and women living in rural areas who may not have multiple pharmacies near them. When women are seeking emergency contraception, a pharmacist's denial can be an unsurmountable obstacle to access within the limited timeframe. Under the ABC Act, if a requested product is not in stock, but the pharmacy stocks other forms of contraception, the pharmacy must help the woman obtain the medication without delay by the method of her preference: order, referral, or a transferred prescription. By placing the burden on the pharmacy--not the individual pharmacist--the ABC Act strikes a balance between the rights of individual pharmacists who might have personal religious objections to contraception and the rights of women to receive their validly prescribed medication. The idea that women would still have to fight for access to birth control is astonishing. It should be clear: personal health care decisions should be between women and their doctors. I'm proud to join with my colleagues in putting forward this legislation that will protect woman's right to access contraception throughout the country. A woman's rights must not be dependent on her zip code or State. I also want to acknowledge the late Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, who introduced a version of this legislation 5 times in the past. I am proud to build on Senator Lautenberg's leadership in defending a woman's right to make responsible and personal decisions about her own health. I look forward to working with my colleagues to build support for this bill.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce with nineteen of my colleagues the Access to Birth Control Act of 2014, ABC Act, which protects an individual's right to birth control by requiring pharmacies to fill a valid prescription for birth control in a timely manner. Family planning is central to women's basic health care. Studies show that 99 percent of women will use contraception at some point in their lives. Yet, despite the prevalence of contraceptive use, women in at least 24 States across the country have reported incidents where pharmacists have refused to fill prescriptions for birth control or provide emergency contraception to individuals who do not require a prescription. Furthermore, 6 States permit refusals without patient protections, such as requirements to refer or transfer prescriptions, and 7 States allow refusals but prohibit pharmacists from obstructing patient access to medication. It is Unbelievable to me that in 2014 we are still debating a woman's right to make responsible and personal decisions about her own health. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans are required to cover preventive services, including birth control without a copay. Congress has an obligation to see that the intent of the Affordable Care Act to make preventive health care affordable and accessible comes to fruition and act to make sure that the pharmacy counter does not come between women and timely access to contraception. The ABC Act would ensure women's timely access to basic, preventative health care and ensures that women of age will not be denied birth control or emergency contraception by their pharmacist. The bill requires pharmacies to help a woman obtain medication by her preferred method if the requested product is not in stock and protects women from being intimidated when requesting contraception. Denying contraception to women represents an erosion of a woman's right to access to contraception and a threat to women's access to basic health care. Access is especially important for low-income women who may lack the resources to find an alternative pharmacy in the appropriate time frame and women living in rural areas who may not have multiple pharmacies near them. When women are seeking emergency contraception, a pharmacist's denial can be an unsurmountable obstacle to access within the limited timeframe. Under the ABC Act, if a requested product is not in stock, but the pharmacy stocks other forms of contraception, the pharmacy must help the woman obtain the medication without delay by the method of her preference: order, referral, or a transferred prescription. By placing the burden on the pharmacy--not the individual pharmacist--the ABC Act strikes a balance between the rights of individual pharmacists who might have personal religious objections to contraception and the rights of women to receive their validly prescribed medication. The idea that women would still have to fight for access to birth control is astonishing. It should be clear: personal health care decisions should be between women and their doctors. I'm proud to join with my colleagues in putting forward this legislation that will protect woman's right to access contraception throughout the country. A woman's rights must not be dependent on her zip code or State. I also want to acknowledge the late Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, who introduced a version of this legislation 5 times in the past. I am proud to build on Senator Lautenberg's leadership in defending a woman's right to make responsible and personal decisions about her own health. I look forward to working with my colleagues to build support for this bill.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce with my colleague Senator Dean Heller, legislation that would extend a critical and innovative program for our nation's veterans. Senator Heller and I urge our colleagues to consider The Assisted Living Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury Extension, AL-TBI, Act which authorizes the continuation of a Veterans Health Administration program that provides intensive care and rehabilitation to veterans with severe brain injuries. Thanks to this program, veterans with traumatic brain injuries more quickly re-adjust to their day-to-day lives--from making dinner for others, to fixing a faucet, to doing yard work. AL-TBI consists of privately run group homes around the country where veterans are immersed in therapies for movement, memory, speech, and gradual community reintegration. Veterans in these homes benefit from 24-hour team-based care. There are about twenty of these homes in New Jersey that have yielded impressive results. Nationally, several dozen veterans have been rehabilitated from severe injuries that are notoriously difficult to treat. This program is working to help a generation of veterans with traumatic brain injuries and so many older veterans that have been suffering for decades. Since 2001, more than 265,000 U.S. troops suffered traumatic brain injuries, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. While most were mild concussions, over 26,000 men and women veterans suffered from moderate or severe head wounds. Advances in medicine keep alive soldiers with head wounds that might have killed them in previous conflicts. However, the ability to cure these injuries has not kept pace. Innovative, effective programs must be supported by Congress in order to give our veterans the care they need and deserve. But unfortunately, as the program nears the end of its 5-year authorization, veterans across the country are being told that they need to prepare to move out of the facilities in September. I have heard from a veteran in New Jersey, who was told he will need to be out of the program on September 15 and worries he will be out on the street. He has made tremendous gains with the AL-TBI program. He has rekindled his relationship with his son. He is able to do basic math again. But, he has a lot more to do to get his independence back. We cannot leave him and other veterans like him out in the cold. The VA offers no alternative program that replicates the comprehensiveness of the rehabilitative care, the benefit of providing care in a residential setting, and the positive impact on veterans of sustained, longer-term care. This is a proven program that does not require new funds, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to join Senator Heller and myself in supporting this critical piece of legislation for our Nation's veterans.

Mr. BOOKER

Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce with my colleague Senator Dean Heller, legislation that would extend a critical and innovative program for our nation's veterans. Senator Heller and I urge our colleagues to consider The Assisted Living Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury Extension, AL-TBI, Act which authorizes the continuation of a Veterans Health Administration program that provides intensive care and rehabilitation to veterans with severe brain injuries. Thanks to this program, veterans with traumatic brain injuries more quickly re-adjust to their day-to-day lives--from making dinner for others, to fixing a faucet, to doing yard work. AL-TBI consists of privately run group homes around the country where veterans are immersed in therapies for movement, memory, speech, and gradual community reintegration. Veterans in these homes benefit from 24-hour team-based care. There are about twenty of these homes in New Jersey that have yielded impressive results. Nationally, several dozen veterans have been rehabilitated from severe injuries that are notoriously difficult to treat. This program is working to help a generation of veterans with traumatic brain injuries and so many older veterans that have been suffering for decades. Since 2001, more than 265,000 U.S. troops suffered traumatic brain injuries, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. While most were mild concussions, over 26,000 men and women veterans suffered from moderate or severe head wounds. Advances in medicine keep alive soldiers with head wounds that might have killed them in previous conflicts. However, the ability to cure these injuries has not kept pace. Innovative, effective programs must be supported by Congress in order to give our veterans the care they need and deserve. But unfortunately, as the program nears the end of its 5-year authorization, veterans across the country are being told that they need to prepare to move out of the facilities in September. I have heard from a veteran in New Jersey, who was told he will need to be out of the program on September 15 and worries he will be out on the street. He has made tremendous gains with the AL-TBI program. He has rekindled his relationship with his son. He is able to do basic math again. But, he has a lot more to do to get his independence back. We cannot leave him and other veterans like him out in the cold. The VA offers no alternative program that replicates the comprehensiveness of the rehabilitative care, the benefit of providing care in a residential setting, and the positive impact on veterans of sustained, longer-term care. This is a proven program that does not require new funds, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to join Senator Heller and myself in supporting this critical piece of legislation for our Nation's veterans.