Susan Collins

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, pursuant to the requirements of Rule XXVI, Sec. 2, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the rules of the Committee on Governmental Affairs for the 108th Congress adopted by the Committee on February 5, 2003.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleague, Senator Olympia Snowe, in introducing legislation that will modify the borders of the Aroostook County Empowerment Zone to include the entire County so that the benefits of Empowerment Zone designation can be fully realized in northern Maine. The Department of Agriculture's Empowerment Zone program addresses a comprehensive range of community challenges, including many that have traditionally received little federal assistance, reflecting the fact that rural problems do not come in standardized packages but can vary widely from one place to another. The Empowerment Zone program represents a long-term partnership between the federal government and rural communities, ten years in most cases, so that communities have enough time to implement projects to build the capacity to sustain their development beyond the term of the partnership. An Empowerment Zone designation gives designated regions potential access to millions of dollars in federal grants for social services and community redevelopment as well as tax and regulatory relief over a ten-year period. Aroostook County is the largest county east of the Mississippi River. Yet, despite the impressive character and work ethic of its citizens, the County has fallen on hard times. The 2000 Census indicated a 15 percent loss in population since 1990. Loring Air Force Base, which was closed in 1994, also caused an immediate out-migration of 8,500 people and a further out-migration of families and businesses that depended on Loring for their customer base. Unfair trade practices have also struck a blow to the County's economy. Aroostook shares more border miles with Canada than most northern states. It is bordered for approximately 280 miles to the west, north and east by Canada. Canadian farmers and businesses have been extremely competitive in Aroostook business markets; as a result, farmers have experienced a loss in sales which has caused a drop in the potato acreage planted, additional job loss, and still more people migrating from Aroostook County. Aroostook's economic situation has been further worsened by the strong value of the Canadian dollar in relation to the U.S. dollar and the restrictive personal exemption duty limits that Canada imposes on its citizens when they make shopping trips to U.S. businesses on the border. In response to these developments, the Northern Maine Development Commission and other economic development organizations, the private business sector, and community leaders in Aroostook have joined forces to stabilize, diversity, and grow the area's economy. They have attracted some new industries and jobs. As a native of Aroostook County, I can attest to the strong community support that will ensure a successful partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Designating this region of the United States as an Empowerment Zone is vital to its future economic prosperity. However, the restriction that the Empowerment Zone be limited to 1,000 square miles prevents all of Aroostook's small rural communities from benefiting from this tremendous program. Aroostook covers some 6,672 square miles but has a population of only 74,000. Including all of the County in the Empowerment Zone will guarantee that parts of the County will not be left behind as economic prosperity returns to the area. It does little good to have a company move from one community to another within the County simply to take advantage of EZ benefits. America's greatest success can only be achieved when everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of a strong economy. It is only fair that all of Aroostook County's population be given the opportunity to fully benefit from the Empowerment Zone Program.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleague, Senator Olympia Snowe, in introducing legislation that will modify the borders of the Aroostook County Empowerment Zone to include the entire County so that the benefits of Empowerment Zone designation can be fully realized in northern Maine. The Department of Agriculture's Empowerment Zone program addresses a comprehensive range of community challenges, including many that have traditionally received little federal assistance, reflecting the fact that rural problems do not come in standardized packages but can vary widely from one place to another. The Empowerment Zone program represents a long-term partnership between the federal government and rural communities, ten years in most cases, so that communities have enough time to implement projects to build the capacity to sustain their development beyond the term of the partnership. An Empowerment Zone designation gives designated regions potential access to millions of dollars in federal grants for social services and community redevelopment as well as tax and regulatory relief over a ten-year period. Aroostook County is the largest county east of the Mississippi River. Yet, despite the impressive character and work ethic of its citizens, the County has fallen on hard times. The 2000 Census indicated a 15 percent loss in population since 1990. Loring Air Force Base, which was closed in 1994, also caused an immediate out-migration of 8,500 people and a further out-migration of families and businesses that depended on Loring for their customer base. Unfair trade practices have also struck a blow to the County's economy. Aroostook shares more border miles with Canada than most northern states. It is bordered for approximately 280 miles to the west, north and east by Canada. Canadian farmers and businesses have been extremely competitive in Aroostook business markets; as a result, farmers have experienced a loss in sales which has caused a drop in the potato acreage planted, additional job loss, and still more people migrating from Aroostook County. Aroostook's economic situation has been further worsened by the strong value of the Canadian dollar in relation to the U.S. dollar and the restrictive personal exemption duty limits that Canada imposes on its citizens when they make shopping trips to U.S. businesses on the border. In response to these developments, the Northern Maine Development Commission and other economic development organizations, the private business sector, and community leaders in Aroostook have joined forces to stabilize, diversity, and grow the area's economy. They have attracted some new industries and jobs. As a native of Aroostook County, I can attest to the strong community support that will ensure a successful partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Designating this region of the United States as an Empowerment Zone is vital to its future economic prosperity. However, the restriction that the Empowerment Zone be limited to 1,000 square miles prevents all of Aroostook's small rural communities from benefiting from this tremendous program. Aroostook covers some 6,672 square miles but has a population of only 74,000. Including all of the County in the Empowerment Zone will guarantee that parts of the County will not be left behind as economic prosperity returns to the area. It does little good to have a company move from one community to another within the County simply to take advantage of EZ benefits. America's greatest success can only be achieved when everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of a strong economy. It is only fair that all of Aroostook County's population be given the opportunity to fully benefit from the Empowerment Zone Program.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I request the yeas and nays.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent--I know we have the vote ordered for 2:50 p.m.--that the Senator from Virginia have 2 minutes.

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

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, the Presiding Officer had the misfortune last night to be presiding when I presented the qualifications of Secretary Gordon England to be the Deputy Secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security. Unfortunately for the Presiding Officer, the vote did not occur last night, so he is going to once again hear a little bit more about Secretary England. But since Gordon England is such an unusually well qualified candidate for this position, I will beg the indulgence of the Presiding Officer as I outline for my colleagues who were not here last evening his qualifications for this important post. Last Wednesday, the Senate voted unanimously to confirm Tom Ridge to be the first Secretary of Homeland Security. Today, I am confident that the Senate will unanimously confirm Gordon England to be Secretary Ridge's Deputy at his side at the helm of this critical new Department. The Department of Homeland Security opened its doors last Friday. Together, Secretary Ridge and Deputy Secretary England make a formidable team to chart the new Department on a course to protecting our Nation from the threat of terrorist attacks. As President Bush has said: Our enemy is smart and resolute, [but] we are smarter and more resolute. Part of our resolve must be to place the best possible leaders in charge of the new Department of Homeland Security. Gordon England is such a leader. The Committee on Governmental Affairs, which I have the honor of chairing, thoroughly considered his nomination. We held a hearing last Friday. The nominee also responded to extensive prehearing questions. And yesterday the committee unanimously agreed to discharge the nomination to expedite floor consideration. Gordon England is extraordinarily well qualified for this important post. He currently serves as Secretary of the Navy, a position he has held since May 2001. Moreover, he came to the Navy with an impressive portfolio of management experience. He served as executive vice president of General Dynamics and he was responsible for two major sectors of the corporation: Information systems, and international affairs. Earlier in his career, he served in various executive capacities at a number of divisions of General Dynamics. But as preparation for becoming the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, it would be difficult to beat a tour as the Secretary of the Department of the Navy. As Secretary, Gordon England headed a department with a budget of over $100 billion and consisting of 462,000 sailors and 212,000 marines. The Department of Homeland Security, which we often describe as a massive new Department, will bring together a civilian workforce of about 170,000 individuals. The Secretary of the Navy not only had many more military employees to supervise, but he had a civilian workforce of 190,000 employees. Secretary England's extensive experience in managing large complex operations in both the private and public sectors will serve him well as the Deputy Secretary of the new Department. Moreover, Secretary England brings a complete understanding of the Department of Defense which will prove invaluable in developing the appropriate communications links and levels of coordination between the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Defense recently established the U.S. Northern Command, or NORCOM, to oversee and further develop land, aerospace, and sea-based military defenses of our homeland. It has also established a new Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security. So it will be critical for the Department of Homeland Security to have a good relationship with the Department of Defense and very good coordination between the two Departments as each performs its mission in defense of our homeland. Secretary England's knowledge will help ensure that the two Departments work as a team and not at cross-purposes. In short, I believe Secretary England is uniquely qualified for this important job. We are extremely fortunate as a nation to have two such highly qualified individuals as Secretary Tom Ridge and Deputy Secretary Gordon England at the helm of this critical new Department. I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this important nomination. Seeing no one seeking the floor, I suggest the absence of a quorum and ask unanimous consent that the time be assigned equally to each side.

Ms. COLLINS

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

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise tonight in strong support for the nomination of Secretary Gordon England to be the first Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. I thank the majority leader, in cooperation with the Democratic leader, for promptly scheduling the Senate's consideration of this very important nomination. President Bush nominated Secretary England on January 7. The Governmental Affairs Committee, which I am privileged to chair, held a hearing on his nomination last Friday, and today, I am pleased to report, the committee unanimously voted to discharge the nominee from consideration. The committee thoroughly considered the nomination at a hearing on Friday. In addition, Secretary England responded to extensive prehearing questions about a wide variety of issues. I have no doubt, based on my review of the record, and my conducting of the hearing, that Secretary England is extraordinarily well qualified for this position. In fact, it is difficult for me to think of two more qualified Americans than Tom Ridge and Gordon England to head up this vital new Department. Secretary England currently serves as Secretary of the Navy. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I have gotten to know him well in that capacity. I have enormous regard for his ability. He has held that position since May of 2001. Prior to becoming our Secretary of the Navy, Gordon England had an impressive portfolio of management experience. He served as executive vice president of General Dynamics Corporation, and he previously served in various executive positions at a number of General Dynamics divisions. His experience in both the public and the private sectors will provide him with exactly the experience and expertise needed to oversee the merger of some 22 agencies and 170,000 Federal employees that will be transferred into this new Department. As preparation for being Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, it would be difficult to beat a tour as Secretary of the Navy. The Department of the Navy has a budget of over $100 billion. It consists of 372,000 active duty and 90,000 Reserve sailors, 172,000 active duty and 40,000 Reserve marines. In addition, as Secretary of the Navy, Gordon England has overseen a civilian workforce of nearly 190,000 employees. That number, I note, exceeds the number in the workforce of the new Department. We often talk about what a management challenge it is going to be to the leaders of this new Department to oversee 170,000 civilian employees. As Secretary of the Navy, Gordon England has overseen a civilian workforce that exceeds that number, not to mention the sailors and marines under his jurisdiction. Secretary England's extensive experience in managing large, complex operations in both the public and private sectors will serve him well in his new position. I have been very fortunate to have had the pleasure of working with him when he was Secretary of the Navy, and I look forward to continuing our partnership in his new capacity. I urge my colleagues to support confirmation of this important nomination. The new Department of Homeland Security opened its doors officially last Friday, and it is critical that we get the top management positions filled as quickly as possible. Mr. President, I do hope this nominee will be approved unanimously. I yield the floor.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, on behalf of myself and Senator Bond, I want to thank the chairman of the Finance Committee and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee for agreeing to include a 6 month extension of the add-on payment for rural home health services in the omnibus appropriations bill. Extension of this add-on payment, which currently is scheduled to sunset on April 1 will help to ensure that Medicare patients in rural areas continue to have access to the home health services that they need. Home health has become an increasingly important part of our health care system. The kinds of highly skilled, and often technically complex, services that our Nation's home health agencies provide have enabled millions of our most frail and vulnerable older persons to avoid hospitals and nursing homes and stay just where they want to be, in the comfort and security of their own homes. Surveys have shown that the delivery of home health services in rural areas can be as much as 12 to 15 percent more costly because of the extra travel time required to cover long distances between patients, higher transportation expenses, and other factors. Rural agencies also experience higher costs relative to productivity. Because of the longer travel times and distances between patients, rural caregivers are unable to perform as many visits in a day as their urban counterparts. Saundra Scott-Adams, the executive director of the Visiting Nurses of Aroostook in Aroostook County, ME, where I am from, tells me her agency covers 6,600 square miles with a population of only 72,000. Her costs are understandably much higher and her staff productivity much lower than the average due to the long distances her staff must cover to see patients. Moreover, agencies in rural areas are frequently smaller than their urban counterparts, which means their relative costs are higher due to smaller scale operations. Smaller agencies with fewer patients and fewer visits means that fixed costs, particularly those associated with meeting regulatory requirements, are spread over a smaller number of patients and visits, increasing overall per-patient and per-visit costs. If the rural add-on payment is eliminated on April 1, it will only put more pressure on rural home health agencies that are already struggling and could force more of these agencies to close. Many agencies operating in rural areas are the only home health providers in a vast geographic area. If any of these agencies are forced to close, the Medicare patients in that region will lose complete access to home health care. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, MedPAC, met earlier this week and voted unanimously to extend for 1 year the add-on payments for rural home health services at 5 percent. Our provision is consistent with the MedPAC's recommendation and will extend the expiring provision through September 30. This will give the Finance Committee time to consider whether this add-on payment should be extended further. Once again, I thank my colleagues for their assistance, and I look forward to working with them on this and other issues of importance to the health of rural Americans.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. I join the distinguished senior Senator from Maine in asking the distinguished chairman and distinguished ranking member to give this unique situation consideration in conference. While many Americans have experienced the inconvenience of a temporary blackout or brownout, frequent power outages and high energy prices for the citizens of North Haven and Vinalhaven have imposed significant financial burden and uncertainty on the community. The placement of the cables on the sea floor, in combination with their old age, means that the lines are susceptible to damage from rough seas and fishing activity. Blackouts resulting from a severed or damaged cable not only incapacitate local businesses, but also disable the Water Districts, hampering their ability to maintain adequate water supplies to the towns' residents. Due to the complex nature of working underwater, repairing the undersea cables is both expensive and time consuming. Fox Islands Electric Cooperative currently carries $2.7 million in debt owed to the Rural Utilities Service and estimates that replacement of the submarine cables will cost $7 million dollars. While the islands' electricity costs have always been above average due to its remoteness and small population, frequent disruptions and repairs have raised electric rates even further for the citizens of North Haven and Vinalhaven. As the distinguished chairmen and distinguished ranking member continue their work on the fiscal year 2003 Omnibus Appropriations bill in conference, I would greatly appreciate consideration that may be given to Fox Islands Electric Cooperative.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I think the Senator from Maryland has raised a very legitimate point about the use of arbitrary quotas or numerical targets to guide the contracting-out activities of Federal agencies. It seems to me that having one target for every agency may well be counterproductive and not result in the greatest efficiencies. On the other hand, I am concerned that the amendment of the Senator from Maryland may have some unintended consequences. It could be read as rejecting the notion of ever having competitive contracting, to see whether a specific function is best performed in-house or contracted out to the private sector. I am also concerned that it could have an impact on other laws, although I know that is not the intent of the Senator from Maryland. We have consulted with the General Accounting Office and have come up with some language to try to deal with this. I do want to assure the Senator from Maryland, as the new chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, I want to work with her to try to resolve this issue because the issue she has brought to our attention is a legitimate one. So I hope to continue, in my new capacity, to work with her, to work with the Senator from Wyoming, to work with the Senators from Virginia who have also expressed concerns about this issue.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Wednesday, January 22, 2003, at 2:30 p.m., in SR-253, to consider the nomination of Asa Hutchinson to be Under Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, the Senate is now about to vote on the nomination of Gov. Tom Ridge to be the new Secretary of Homeland Security. I urge all of my colleagues to vote yes on this nomination. He is truly an outstanding individual to head this important new Department. I ask for the yeas and nays.

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

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I yield to the distinguished Senator from Utah, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, for up to 6 minutes.

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

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, there has been a lot of discussion about the funding for homeland security. I agree with my colleagues that this is an area that is going to require more resources. In particular, we want to make sure that the resources flow down to the State and local levels, that they are available to the first responders, those who are first on the scene in the event of a terrorist attack. I do want to point out, however, that H.J. Res. 2 contains significant new funding to strengthen our homeland security. For example, the omnibus bill provides over $5.3 billion for the Transportation Security Administration, which is a critical component in our efforts to secure our national transportation system and to ensure the freedom of movement of American people and commerce. This funding amounts to a $1.84 billion increase over last year, or a 53-percent increase over fiscal 2002 figures. Of this funding, a minimum of $124 million will go toward buying explosive detection systems and trace detection systems; $250 million in funding will go toward the installation of airport detection systems. Many of us have noted the increased scrutiny of checked baggage in the recent weeks. One hundred million is for a very important purpose and that is for seaport security grants to port authorities. In another area, let's look at the first responders, which are of special concern to me. The omnibus bill includes more than $1.6 billion for emergency planning and assistance to help prepare our first responders. This amounts to an increase of over $997 million from the level provided in the fiscal year 2002 budget. Of this money, $900 million is for the FIRE Grant Program, a very popular program in the State of Maine, that helps our firefighters equip themselves and prepare for future threats. In Maine, we found that the FIRE Grant Program is particularly useful to some of our small, rural communities, which simply would not have access to the resources needed to upgrade their equipment and their training. Mr. President, $114 million of the money for FIRE Grant Program funding is for interoperable communications equipment for firefighters and EMS personnel. September 11 taught us very dearly how important it is for our first responders to be able to communicate with one another, to have compatible equipment. Mr. President, $75 million is for urban search and rescue teams and another $75 million is for State and local emergency planning grants. We need to do so much more training and joint exercises at all levels of government to make sure we have a coordinated response to allow us to detect, prepare for, and, if necessary, respond to a terrorist attack more effectively. Let's look at the area of bioterrorism, one of the major threats we face today. We learned right here in the Senate the amount of damage that an anthrax attack can inflict. The omnibus bill provides considerable funding for bioterrorism. It includes money for the CDC, for example, for a smallpox vaccine, for an evaluation and research on the anthrax vaccine, and it includes money to make our hospitals better able to respond to a bioterrorism attack. I point out that the $3.7 billion for bioterrorism preparedness is exactly the same in this omnibus bill as in the Labor-HHS-Education bill authored under different leadership last July. The bioterrorism preparedness funding includes $940 million for upgrading State and local capacity. It includes $300 million for the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile. It includes $492 million for hospital preparedness. It includes $1.5 billion for bioterrorism-related research and construction at the National Institutes of Health. My point is that there is significant and much needed new funding included in this legislation. So we are making a genuine effort to provide the resources that are necessary to make our Nation more secure. It is not going to happen overnight. Money alone does not solve the problem, but money, clearly, is part of the solution, and we are making a major step forward in that regard through the funding provided by this bill, the billions of dollars in funding provided by this bill. Finally, let me touch on the Coast Guard, which is of special concern to me. The omnibus appropriations bill includes more than $6 billion for the Coast Guard. This amounts to an increase of more than $1 billion from last year's enacted level. I stress this because it has been of great concern to me, Senator Stevens, and many other of my colleagues that we fully fund the Coast Guard so it does not jeopardize its traditional mission while it takes on increased responsibilities in the area of homeland security, particularly port security. So I think it should be evident from a review of this bill that we are making a significant commitment of additional funding for homeland security. This is a very positive step forward. More resources undoubtedly will be needed and will be considered as part of the President's budget. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote on the nomination of Tom Ridge occur at 12:10 today, with all the other parameters for debate remaining. Further, I ask unanimous consent that immediately following the vote, the Senate then stand in recess until 2:15 today. Finally, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate reconvenes at 2:15 today, there be 5 minutes for debate equally divided between Senators Nickles and Reed or their designees prior to the scheduled vote.

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

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that for the remainder of the debate on the nomination of Tom Ridge to be the new Secretary of Homeland Security, that any quorum calls be charged equally to both sides.

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

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.