J. Cleland

Mr. CLELAND

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, let me first say that there was a printing error regarding amendment number 430 when it was printed in the May 9th Congressional Record. The amendment was correctly printed in its entirety in the May 14th Record. Mr. President, this amendment addresses the explosion of immigrants coming to this country over the past decade. Information from the 2000 Census shows that the impact from this wave of immigration is transforming the nation. The Latino population, for example, is up 60 percent since 1990 and now, for the first time ever, it is roughly equal to the population of African Americans in the U.S. New York's population now tops 8 million, a record number which is a direct result of its rising numbers of Asians and Hispanics. These changes are summed up in one astounding fact from the Census Bureau: recently arrived immigrants and refugees will account for 75 percent of the U.S. population growth over the next 50 years. And let me add that these changing demographics are impacting not just communities accustomed to large immigrant populations like New York, Los Angeles and Miami, but also non-traditional immigrant communities in states like Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas. Like our communities, our schools are feeling the impact of this new wave of immigration. A record number of children with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds are enrolling in America's classrooms. In Wayne County, MI, for example, 34 percent of the student population are Arabic-speaking and receive special help. The Waterloo, IA school system is being challenged to teach hundreds of Bosnian refugee children, who came to America without knowing our language, culture or customs. In Dalton, GA, public school enrollment of Hispanic students is now 51 percent, up from just 4 percent ten years ago. This is an incredible increase--from just 4 percent a decade ago to over half of the student body population today. This surge in immigration is increasingly challenging U.S. schools and communities from Florida to Washington State. We need to provide resources to these communities to help ensure that these children--and their families--are served appropriately. We know from national studies that where quality educational programs are joined with community-based services, immigrants have an increased opportunity to become an integral part of their community and their children are better prepared to achieve success in school. This amendment is based on legislation Senator Coverdell and I introduced in the last Congress. It would provide support to schools and communities experiencing an influx of recently arrived immigrant families. Specifically, it would expand the use of funds under the Emergency Immigrant Education set-aside to include activities which, No. 1, provide enhanced instructional opportunities to assist culturally and linguistically diverse children achieve success in America's schools; and which, No. 2, allow local educational agencies to partner with community-based organizations to provide the families of immigrant children access to comprehensive community services, including English as a second language courses, health care, child care, job training and transportation. This amendment is endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association for Bilingual Education, the Hispanic Education Coalition, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the National Council of La Raza. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to temporarily lay the amendment aside.

Mr. CLELAND. I thank the distinguished Senator from Vermont and the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts and ask that my amendment be adopted.

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I would now like to ask unanimous consent to call up amendment No. 449 for its immediate consideration and ask unanimous consent Senator Jack Reed be added as a cosponsor.

Mr. CLELAND

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President. I want to thank my distinguished colleague from Arkansas, Senator Tim Hutchinson, for his leadership on the Area Wage and Base Payment Improvement Act. I am very pleased to join Senator Hutchinson in this bipartisan measure to address Medicare inequities in the wage index for rural and community hospitals. The severe shortage of nurses and other crucial health care workers has driven salaries higher to compete for these employees. The current Medicare wage index for rural areas reimburses at a lower rate which is based on 1997 data. In an increasingly competitive market for health care workers, rural area hospitals are in their ability to provide quality care. Our proposal establishes a ``floor'' on the area wage index and will adjust Medicare inpatient and outpatient prospective payments (PPS) for rural and small metropolitan hospitals. By setting a floor on the area wage index of 0.925, our proposed correction would bring Medicare payments in areas with the lowest wage index up to just below the national average which is established at 1.00. The impact of the 0.925 floor is estimated to help more than 2100 mostly rural, but also some urban hospitals across the country. This measure also increases the Medicare PPS base, of which a significant portion is to cover hospital labor costs. Today's competitive labor market has reduced the disparity in wages between large urban hospitals and rural and small metropolitan facilities. It makes sense that Medicare needs to move to one base payment for the inpatient PPS. The key issue here should be access to health care. For states like Georgia and Arkansas, with a large number of residents living in rural areas, the closing or downsizing of hospital beds because of out-of-date Medicare payment rates and insufficient health workers to provide safe care is creating a health care catastrophe. Our measure is the companion bill to H.R. 1609. We urge our colleagues to support this bicameral, bipartisan effort to ensure access to rural and smaller metropolitan hospitals for Medicare beneficiaries.

Mr. CLELAND

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President. I want to thank my distinguished colleague from Arkansas, Senator Tim Hutchinson, for his leadership on the Area Wage and Base Payment Improvement Act. I am very pleased to join Senator Hutchinson in this bipartisan measure to address Medicare inequities in the wage index for rural and community hospitals. The severe shortage of nurses and other crucial health care workers has driven salaries higher to compete for these employees. The current Medicare wage index for rural areas reimburses at a lower rate which is based on 1997 data. In an increasingly competitive market for health care workers, rural area hospitals are in their ability to provide quality care. Our proposal establishes a ``floor'' on the area wage index and will adjust Medicare inpatient and outpatient prospective payments (PPS) for rural and small metropolitan hospitals. By setting a floor on the area wage index of 0.925, our proposed correction would bring Medicare payments in areas with the lowest wage index up to just below the national average which is established at 1.00. The impact of the 0.925 floor is estimated to help more than 2100 mostly rural, but also some urban hospitals across the country. This measure also increases the Medicare PPS base, of which a significant portion is to cover hospital labor costs. Today's competitive labor market has reduced the disparity in wages between large urban hospitals and rural and small metropolitan facilities. It makes sense that Medicare needs to move to one base payment for the inpatient PPS. The key issue here should be access to health care. For states like Georgia and Arkansas, with a large number of residents living in rural areas, the closing or downsizing of hospital beds because of out-of-date Medicare payment rates and insufficient health workers to provide safe care is creating a health care catastrophe. Our measure is the companion bill to H.R. 1609. We urge our colleagues to support this bicameral, bipartisan effort to ensure access to rural and smaller metropolitan hospitals for Medicare beneficiaries.

Mr. CLELAND

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 376 and ask unanimous consent to modify the amendment.

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The modified amendment I offer today reduces funding for the National Center for School and Youth Safety from $50 million to $25 million, and it creates separate authorizations for the National Center and the Safe Communities, Safe Schools grant program. It has been almost 2 years ago to the day that a 16-year-old boy brought a .22-caliber rifle and .375 magnum revolver to Heritage High School in Conyers, GA and opened fire on six students. The shooting occurred in my hometown of Lithonia, GA, where I grew up. The day was May 20, 1999, exactly one month after the deadly Columbine High School massacre, which took the lives of 15 people. Growing up in my hometown, I was fortunate to have had a great childhood--with two wonderful parents, supportive teachers in school and in church, and a community that cared. When I was in school, the strongest drug around was aspirin, and the most lethal weapon was a slingshot. The shootings at Heritage High, at Columbine, the school shootings in Springfield, OR, in Jonesboro, AR, in West Paducah, KY and other school tragedies around the country underscore in red the crisis of juvenile violence in America. Our schools were once safe havens in this country. Today, according to data from the Department of Education, they are the setting for one-third of the violence involving teenagers in this Nation. In fact, data from the Departments of Justice and Education found that in 1998, ``students aged 12 through 18 were victims of more than 2.7 million total crimes at school . . . and they were victims of about 253,000 serious violent crimes. . . .'' These statistics are incredible and they cannot--they must not--be accepted or tolerated. The amendment I am offering today is based on legislation developed in the last Congress by Senator Robb of Virginia, and it is a response to a seminal 1998 report by the Department of Education, entitled ``Early Warning, Timely Response,'' which concluded that the reduction and prevention of school violence are best achieved through safety plans which involve the entire community. Accordingly to that landmark report, the most effective plans are those which: emphasize both prevention and intervention; train school personnel, parents, students, and community members to recognize the early warning signs of potential violent behavior and to share their concerns or observations with trained personnel; establish procedures which allow rapid response and intervention when such signs are identified; and provide adequate support and access to services for troubled students. My amendment, The School Safety Enhancement amendment, would establish a National Center for School and Youth Safety tasked with the mission of providing schools with adequate resources to prevent incidents of violence. Under my amendment, the center would offer emergency assistance to local communities to respond to school safety crises, including counseling for victims, assistance to law enforcement to address short-term security concerns, and advice on how to enhance school safety, prevent future incidents, and respond to incidents once they occur. My amendment would also establish--and this is important--a toll-free, nationwide hotline for students to report criminal activity, threats of criminal activity, and other high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse, gang or cult affiliation, depression, or other warning signs of potentially violent behavior. Finally, the National Center for School and Youth Safety would compile information about the best practices in school violence prevention, intervention, and crisis management. Specifically, the center would work to ensure that local governments, school officials, parents, students and law enforcement officials and agencies are aware of the resources, grants, and expertise available to enhance school safety and prevent school crime, giving special attention to providing outreach to rural and impoverished communities. In addition, my amendment would boost coordination among the three Federal agencies most involved with the crucial issue of school safety by authorizing a total of $24 million in grants by the secretaries of Education and Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to help communities develop community-wide safety programs involving all its members: students, parents, educators, counselors, psychologists, law enforcement officials and agencies, and civic leaders. Grant funds may be used for activities that may include efforts to increase early intervention strategies; expand parental involvement; increase students' awareness of warning signs of violent behavior; promote conflict resolution; increase the number of afterschool programs; and expand the use of safety-related equipment and technology. The School Safety Enhancement amendment is endorsed by the National Education Association, the Children's Defense Fund, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. On behalf of America's schoolchildren and safety in our schools, I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment. Mr. President, I reserve the remainder of my time and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that time under the quorum call be charged equally to both sides.

Mr. CLELAND. I yield the floor.

Mr. CLELAND. The Senator is absolutely correct. I thank the Senator from Massachusetts for his leadership role not only in the area of education and in working with this piece of legislation, but in the area of school safety. The Senator is correct; this report from 1998 that the Senator refers to is, quite frankly, shocking to me in the sense that it has indicated how broad based the real question of violence in our schools really is. It indicates to me that we need a broad-based approach. The facts from this report indicate that a third of the violence involving teenagers in this Nation occurs in our schools. That is shocking. It seems to me, then, that the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts is correct that we need this broad-based approach and a national center, a national clearinghouse to make sure that communities are in touch with one another. I can testify that the little community of Conyers, GA, not far from my hometown of Lithonia, GA, has within it Heritage High School. That community was in shock, in trauma really, for months after the school shootings there. The community was wondering what in the world to do, whether to enhance counseling, whether to improve police protection, whether to enforce tighter laws or what. With this center that we are setting up, the National Center for School and Youth Safety, one call can inform any community that goes through such a tragedy and such trauma what other communities have done and what resources are available to assist them. These are not resources just available to schools; these are resources available to counselors and law enforcement agencies. I note that not only are the teachers of America--the National Education Association--behind this legislation, and those who defend our children in America--the Children's Defense Fund--but also law enforcement is behind this piece of legislation--the International Brotherhood of Police Officers and the Chiefs of Police in my own home State. I am thrilled with this kind of support, but, again, the Senator is correct. It was not my idea. This amendment was really the outgrowth of a report in 1998, issued by the Department of Education, that found, in coordination with the Department of Justice, this incredibly high number of incidents of violence. I thought it was incredible that students from age 12 to 18 were victims of more than 2.7 million crimes at school and the victims of 253,000 serious violent crimes. When I was growing up in my home community, this level of violence, this level of crime, was unheard of, unthinkable. I can remember our high school principal articulated a principle that is embodied actually in this legislation, that a school cannot live apart from the community. So our schools are not just separate oases out there, monasteries that are separate from the community; they reflect what is going on in the community. That is why our approach isn't just some assistance to schools or teachers and counselors; it is assistance to law enforcement, to community leaders, nonprofit organizations, because violence is that broad bound, and it is not just located in one particular place. The distinguished Senator from Massachusetts is correct. It is one reason why we have incorporated immediate access to this center in the form of a toll free, nationwide hotline for students to report criminal activity, threats of criminal activity, high-risk behavior such as substance abuse, gang or cult affiliation, or other warning signs of potentially violent behavior. There is a special emphasis, too, on rural and impoverished communities. Violence knows no boundaries. Our rural and impoverished communities are just as susceptible to violence as any others. I thank the Senator for his willingness to assist me in this amendment. I thank him and his staff for the courtesies they have exhibited toward us.

Mr. CLELAND. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Levin be added as a cosponsor to this amendment.

Mr. CLELAND. I thank the Senator from Massachusetts for his leadership. I urge the Senate to adopt the amendment.

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I yield my time back.

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. CLELAND

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

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, last Congress the Senate debated the reauthorization of the landmark Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Unfortunately, that debate ultimately broke down over disagreement on the federal role in education and the course we should pursue to improve America's schools. That debate has now resumed under a new President and a new Congress. Today there is real bipartisan agreement on measures we can take that will lead to a better future for America's public schools and the fifty million students who rely on those schools to provide them with a quality education. The Better Education for Students and Teachers Act, unanimously supported by the Senate HELP Committee, encompasses President Bush's emphasis on literacy and his laudable goals to improve reading skills in the early grades and among disadvantaged students. Consensus also exists among Republicans and Democrats alike that in order to improve student achievement, we must also improve teacher quality. What teachers know and can do are the single most important influences on what students learn, according to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. And yet today in America, nearly one quarter of all newly hired public school teachers lack the qualifications for their jobs, and approximately the same percentage of all secondary school teachers--25 percent--do not have even a minor in their main teaching field. The BEST bill endorses President Bush's emphasis on the importance of improving teacher quality and his proposal for holding States accountable for providing all students with ``effective teachers.'' This brings us to the core of President Bush's education plan and the bipartisan BEST bill: the creation of a new accountability system which for the first time links Federal funding to school performance. This accountability system includes support for high standards for schools serving disadvantaged students; annual testing in reading and math for all students in grades 3 through 8; public dissemination of school-by- school data on achievement; additional assistance for low-performing schools; and consequences for schools which fail to make needed improvements. With this emphasis on accountability comes a new emphasis on flexibility--providing States greater freedom and choice in using Federal funds to address their own needs and special situations. Given these important principles of bipartisan agreement, there still remain issues which divide this body--issues which have been discussed forcefully and effectively by Members on both sides of the aisle: the seminal issue of funding, the compelling need to upgrade and repair America's public schools, the priority of class size reduction, to name just three. Research has repeatedly shown, for example, that class size directly relates to the quality of education. Students in smaller classes consistently outperform students in larger classes on tests, and are more likely to graduate on time, stay in school, enroll in honors classes, and graduate in the top ten percent of their class. I have supported in the past, and will continue to do so, a national effort to hire and train 100,000 additional qualified teachers to reduce class sizes in the early grades. It is an investment in reducing teacher turnover and in improving student performance. As some Members have noted on this floor, the education bill has evolved from the BEST bill reported out of committee. It is a work in progress, shaped by negotiations still on-going. During debate on S. 1, I intend to offer the provisions of my Immigrants to New Americans Act as an amendment. Information from the 2000 census shows that the impact from a dramatic surge in immigration is transforming the Nation. This surge in immigration is increasingly challenging U.S. schools and communities from Florida to Washington State. My amendment would provide resources to these communities to help ensure that children with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds--and their families-- are served appropriately. This amendment is based on legislation Senator Coverdell and I introduced in the last Congress, and it would provide funding to partnerships of local school districts and community-based organizations for the purpose of developing model programs with a two-fold purpose: one, to assist immigrant children achieve success in America's schools and, two, to provide their families with access to comprehensive community services, including health care, child care, job training and transportation. It has widespread support, including endorsement by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association for Bilingual Education, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the National Council of La Raza. At the appropriate time I will also offer an amendment that addresses the all-important issue of teacher quality. Each school year more than 45,000 under-prepared teachers--teachers who have not even been trained in the subjects they are teaching--enter the classroom. Astounding. We know, too, that those students most in need of help are those who have the least access to quality teachers and teaching. Just consider: Over half of title I resources go into teaching assistant salaries. Yet less than one-fifth of teaching assistants have a college degree, and only 10 percent have college degrees in the nation's poorest title I schools. This is a formula for student failure. Fortunately, the education bill we are debating acknowledges the well-researched fact that the training of our Nation's teachers is the single most important in-school influence on student learning. The amendment I will offer allows States an additional option of providing funds to innovative collaborations of K-12 schools and institutions of higher learning devoted to professional preparation of teacher candidates, faculty development, the improvement of practice, and enhanced student learning. The amendment I will offer now addresses the troubling issue of violence in our Nation's public schools. No other event in recent times has so united Americans--from Savannah to San Antonio to Sacramento--as the student shootings in Littleton and Heritage High, and in other schools across the country. There is a consensus in every borough, town and city throughout the United States: Bloodshed in our schools cannot and will not be tolerated. Therefore, I offer an amendment to the education bill that addresses the critical issue of safety in America's classrooms. Amendment No. 376 to Amendment No. 358 (Purpose: To provide for school safety)

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to lay aside the Murray amendment we are currently considering in order to send my amendment to the desk.

Mr. CLELAND. I send to the desk amendment No. 376 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. CLELAND. Although data show juvenile violent crime decreased in the late 1990s, appearing to counter the predictions of a teenage crime wave, criminologists and policymakers remain concerned about the continued high level of juvenile violence. The tragic shooting at Heritage High School in Conyers coupled with the incident in Littleton, Colorado and the other recent senseless shootings in our Nation's schools serve as terrible indications of the seriousness of the youth violence problem. I have traveled throughout Georgia, speaking and exchanging ideas with students, teachers and parents regarding this critical issue. Although there is certainly no one answer to the problem of youth violence, I believe that an open dialogue among educators, students, community leaders, and law enforcement officials is a crucial first step. In fact, a report issued by the Department of Education in August, 1998, entitled ``Early Warning, Early Response,'' concluded that the reduction and prevention of school violence are best achieved through safety plans which: involve the entire community; emphasize both prevention and intervention; train school personnel, parents, students, and community members to recognize the early warning signs of potential violent behavior and to share their concerns or observations with trained personnel; establish procedures which allow rapid response and intervention when such signs are identified; and provide adequate support and access to services for troubled students. In addition, the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics found that in 1998, ``students aged 12 through 18 were victims of more than 2.7 million total crimes at school . . . [and they] were victims of about 253,000 serious violent crimes . . .'' Amazing. While overall indicators show declines in school crimes, students still feel unsafe at school. Therefore, my amendment, the school safety enhancement amendment, which is based on legislation developed in the last Congress by Senator Robb of Virginia, would establish a National Center for School Youth Safety tasked with the mission of providing schools with adequate resources to prevent incidents of violence. The National Center for School Youth Safety would establish an emergency response system, operate an anonymous student hotline, and conduct consultation, information and outreach activities with respect to elementary and secondary school safety. Under my amendment, the center would offer emergency assistance to local communities to respond to school safety crises, including counseling for victims, assistance to law enforcement to address short-term security concerns, and advice on how to enhance school safety, prevent future incidents, and respond to future incidents. My amendment would also establish a toll-free, nationwide hotline for students to report criminal activity, threats of criminal activity, and other high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse, gang or cult affiliation, depression, or other warning signs of potentially violent behavior. Finally, the National Center would compile information about the best practices in school violence prevention, intervention, and crisis management. Specifically, the center would work to ensure that local governments, school officials, parents, students, and law enforcement officials and agencies are aware of the resources, grants, and expertise available to enhance school safety and prevent school crime, giving special attention to providing outreach to rural and impoverished communities. My school safety enhancement amendment would require coordination among three Federal agencies on the all-important issue of safety in our schools. Specifically, it would authorize a total of $24 million in grants by the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to help communities develop community-wide safety programs involving students, parents, educators, guidance counselors, psychologists, law enforcement officials or agencies, civic leaders, and other organizations serving the community. In order to establish the National Center for School and Youth Safety the amendment authorizes the Secretary of Education to make available $15 million from amounts appropriated to the agency, and the Attorney General to make available $35 million from amounts appropriated for programs administered by the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice, for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2005. Organizations that support this amendment include the National Education Association, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. It is essential that we come together as a Nation to provide the necessary resources to support our children at every level and that means providing safe learning environments for all of our children. Therefore, I urge the Senate to support school safety and our children by adopting my amendment. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be temporarily set aside.

Mr. CLELAND

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I rise to discuss legislation being introduced in the Senate today to establish the National Museum of African American History and Culture. I am very proud to work with such distinguished members of the Senate as my friend, Senator Brownback, and the other co-sponsors of this legislation: Senators Santorum, Clinton, Reid, Dodd, and Miller. Our bill is similar to a measure being introduced in the House by Representatives John Lewis and J.C. Watts. I am both proud and pleased to be associated with this project and look forward to seeing this legislation passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives and signed into law by the President in the near future. This bipartisan legislation would establish a permanent collection of artifacts and historical materials showcasing 400 years of African American history, available for the public to experience and enjoy year-round. The national museum would be financed by a combination of public and private sector contributions. A number of studies document the great need for museum collections addressing African American history and culture. African American visitors to Washington find that their story is not being told in the existing museums and memorials. Yet, there are existing private collections of historical materials addressing African American history that could be contributed to a museum in Washington. Many notable African Americans have made important contributions in the areas of science, medicine, the arts and humanities, sports, music and dance, among many other fields. It is right to honor this legacy on a national level. We believe that by establishing this museum we will be able to finally honor the legacy of African Americans properly. By placing this museum on or near the National Mall, we will finally place the history of African Americans in a national spot-light, where it belongs. Legislation authorizing a national museum devoted to African American history and culture has been introduced during every Congress since 1988. The legislation passed the Senate unanimously in one Congress, and passed the House unanimously in another session. However, it has not yet become law. The sponsors of the legislation in the 107th Congress believe that the time has come for enactment of this legislation so that families across America from all races and ethnic groups who visit the nation's capital can more fully understand American history and the significant contributions of African Americans to that history. I encourage others to join us in this endeavor as we attempt to remember, recognize, and commemorate the major contributions made by African Americans in the areas of science, medicine, the arts and humanities, sports, music, and dance. This museum will not only be a tribute to African American history and culture but it will also be a source of pride for all Americans as physical evidence of the strength, character, and dignity of the human race.

Mr. CLELAND

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I rise to discuss legislation being introduced in the Senate today to establish the National Museum of African American History and Culture. I am very proud to work with such distinguished members of the Senate as my friend, Senator Brownback, and the other co-sponsors of this legislation: Senators Santorum, Clinton, Reid, Dodd, and Miller. Our bill is similar to a measure being introduced in the House by Representatives John Lewis and J.C. Watts. I am both proud and pleased to be associated with this project and look forward to seeing this legislation passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives and signed into law by the President in the near future. This bipartisan legislation would establish a permanent collection of artifacts and historical materials showcasing 400 years of African American history, available for the public to experience and enjoy year-round. The national museum would be financed by a combination of public and private sector contributions. A number of studies document the great need for museum collections addressing African American history and culture. African American visitors to Washington find that their story is not being told in the existing museums and memorials. Yet, there are existing private collections of historical materials addressing African American history that could be contributed to a museum in Washington. Many notable African Americans have made important contributions in the areas of science, medicine, the arts and humanities, sports, music and dance, among many other fields. It is right to honor this legacy on a national level. We believe that by establishing this museum we will be able to finally honor the legacy of African Americans properly. By placing this museum on or near the National Mall, we will finally place the history of African Americans in a national spot-light, where it belongs. Legislation authorizing a national museum devoted to African American history and culture has been introduced during every Congress since 1988. The legislation passed the Senate unanimously in one Congress, and passed the House unanimously in another session. However, it has not yet become law. The sponsors of the legislation in the 107th Congress believe that the time has come for enactment of this legislation so that families across America from all races and ethnic groups who visit the nation's capital can more fully understand American history and the significant contributions of African Americans to that history. I encourage others to join us in this endeavor as we attempt to remember, recognize, and commemorate the major contributions made by African Americans in the areas of science, medicine, the arts and humanities, sports, music, and dance. This museum will not only be a tribute to African American history and culture but it will also be a source of pride for all Americans as physical evidence of the strength, character, and dignity of the human race.

Mr. CLELAND

Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, Yesterday marked the thirtieth anniversary of Congress's creation of Amtrak. Congress acted then because we realized that along with cars and planes, passenger rail was a vital part of America's transportation future. Today the need for passenger rail is greater than ever. All across this great land, travelers are facing gridlock not only on our highways but we are quickly approaching it in our skies too. I believe many Americans are growing tired of spending so many hours stuck in traffic, or hanging around airport terminals. They want an alternative, now. Fortunately, there is an alternative to growing gridlock and ``winglock.'' It is called high-speed passenger rail, and it is a way of traveling that is pleasant and easy, and allows travelers to make the most of their valuable time. So far, high-speed rail exists only in the Northeast. But Amtrak's vision is to build a national passenger railroad system consisting of many regional high-speed corridors linked by long-distance service. This plan will bring another option to the American business traveler, commuter and tourist no matter where they live. That is why I strongly support the High Speed Rail Investment Act of 2001. It will provide Amtrak with what our highways and airports already have: a source of long-term capital with which to build the high-speed rail corridors of the future. With high-speed rail, we can give travelers the choices they deserve, and improve our over burdened transportation system. Passage of the High Speed Rail Act of 2001 isn't just in Amtrak's interest; it is in America's interest.