Hillary Clinton

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce a bill that will address a pressing need in our nation's child welfare system: improvements to the child welfare workforce. In 2006, the most recent year for which data are available, approximately 905,000 children were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect. Whether a child needs in- home support or foster care, family preservation or adoption, the child welfare workforce strives to meet the individual needs of children and families, so that safety and permanency are achieved as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the members of the child welfare workforce face a variety of barriers to their execution of this critically important work. Due to high caseloads and workloads, caseworkers have insufficient time to interact with children and families, prepare individualized plans, and provide services. Burnout and turnover are endemic to the child welfare system. The average tenure of a child welfare worker is just under 2 years, with staff citing high caseloads, a need for greater supervision, and few training opportunities as reasons for leaving their positions. This turnover leads to discontinuity of services, children's multiple placements in foster care, longer stays of children in care, and lower rates of finding permanent homes for children. There is evidence that turnover is lower among child welfare workers holding a degree in social work than among those who do not; yet, fewer than a third of child welfare workers hold these degrees. Turnover is also expensive. The U.S. Department of Labor has estimated that the cost of worker turnover is equivalent to approximately one-third of the worker's annual salary. Therefore, it may cost agencies between $10,000 and $20,000 each time a worker leaves his or her position. Additionally, costs increase when turnover leads to children's extended stays in foster care, as maintaining children in foster care is more expensive than establishing permanency through reunification, adoption, or guardianship. In addition to these obstacles, Federal support for training of child welfare workers is restricted. Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, the primary Federal source for child welfare training funds, is linked to an outdated income requirement. As a result, States may only access these dollars on behalf of a portion of the children in their care. Currently, Title IV-E funds may not be used to train child welfare staff employed by contracted nonprofit child welfare agencies, a huge barrier given the fact that many states rely on these agencies for providing necessary services. The Title IV-E training program does not address the essential role of non-child welfare professionals, such as substance abuse and domestic violence counselors, educators, and mental health providers, who work with children and families involved in the child welfare system. We must improve States' access to these funds in order to attract and maintain a trained and committed child welfare workforce. Finally, Federal regulations limit the extent to which public child welfare agencies can partner with educational institutions to provide training to prospective and currently employed child welfare staff. Training programs implemented using Title IV-E university partnerships have shown great success. States running such programs show up to 90 percent retention of graduates in child welfare positions, even after their employment obligation period has expired. Unfortunately, because regulations prohibit private institutions from providing the state match for IV-E funded university training programs, state child welfare agencies are limited in the university partnerships they can create. As such, regions that have ready and willing private schools of social work, but few nearby public schools, are often unable to create these useful programs. The Child Welfare Workforce Improvement Act tackles these challenges head on. This legislation calls on the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study that assesses the child welfare workforce nationwide; makes recommendations regarding appropriate levels of caseload, workload, training, and supervision; and makes recommendations for linking workforce data to data on child outcomes. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to devise a method for regularly collecting data on the child welfare workforce so that it can be linked to existing databases of child outcomes. Additionally, the bill amends Title IV-E so that federal funds for training can be accessed by the full breadth of professionals responsible for children and families in the child welfare system. The legislation eliminates the 1996 AFDC ``look-back'' for IV-E training dollars so that a state can access training funds based on all of its children in foster care. It removes limitations so that funds may be used to train staff who provide support, preservation, or reunification services as well as foster care and adoption services. The bill allows related professionals access to short-term IV-E training in order to enhance their work with children and families in the child welfare system. Finally, the bill permits private nonprofit institutions of higher education to contribute matching dollars for IV-E funded training programs. This provision will allow State child welfare systems to set up university partnerships with a broader range of schools, thereby enhancing program quality, and helping to generate a cadre of professionally trained and committed child welfare workers. We absolutely must support the members of the child welfare workforce if we want high quality services for our Nation's vulnerable children and families. I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will join me in this important effort.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce a bill that will address a pressing need in our nation's child welfare system: improvements to the child welfare workforce. In 2006, the most recent year for which data are available, approximately 905,000 children were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect. Whether a child needs in- home support or foster care, family preservation or adoption, the child welfare workforce strives to meet the individual needs of children and families, so that safety and permanency are achieved as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the members of the child welfare workforce face a variety of barriers to their execution of this critically important work. Due to high caseloads and workloads, caseworkers have insufficient time to interact with children and families, prepare individualized plans, and provide services. Burnout and turnover are endemic to the child welfare system. The average tenure of a child welfare worker is just under 2 years, with staff citing high caseloads, a need for greater supervision, and few training opportunities as reasons for leaving their positions. This turnover leads to discontinuity of services, children's multiple placements in foster care, longer stays of children in care, and lower rates of finding permanent homes for children. There is evidence that turnover is lower among child welfare workers holding a degree in social work than among those who do not; yet, fewer than a third of child welfare workers hold these degrees. Turnover is also expensive. The U.S. Department of Labor has estimated that the cost of worker turnover is equivalent to approximately one-third of the worker's annual salary. Therefore, it may cost agencies between $10,000 and $20,000 each time a worker leaves his or her position. Additionally, costs increase when turnover leads to children's extended stays in foster care, as maintaining children in foster care is more expensive than establishing permanency through reunification, adoption, or guardianship. In addition to these obstacles, Federal support for training of child welfare workers is restricted. Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, the primary Federal source for child welfare training funds, is linked to an outdated income requirement. As a result, States may only access these dollars on behalf of a portion of the children in their care. Currently, Title IV-E funds may not be used to train child welfare staff employed by contracted nonprofit child welfare agencies, a huge barrier given the fact that many states rely on these agencies for providing necessary services. The Title IV-E training program does not address the essential role of non-child welfare professionals, such as substance abuse and domestic violence counselors, educators, and mental health providers, who work with children and families involved in the child welfare system. We must improve States' access to these funds in order to attract and maintain a trained and committed child welfare workforce. Finally, Federal regulations limit the extent to which public child welfare agencies can partner with educational institutions to provide training to prospective and currently employed child welfare staff. Training programs implemented using Title IV-E university partnerships have shown great success. States running such programs show up to 90 percent retention of graduates in child welfare positions, even after their employment obligation period has expired. Unfortunately, because regulations prohibit private institutions from providing the state match for IV-E funded university training programs, state child welfare agencies are limited in the university partnerships they can create. As such, regions that have ready and willing private schools of social work, but few nearby public schools, are often unable to create these useful programs. The Child Welfare Workforce Improvement Act tackles these challenges head on. This legislation calls on the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study that assesses the child welfare workforce nationwide; makes recommendations regarding appropriate levels of caseload, workload, training, and supervision; and makes recommendations for linking workforce data to data on child outcomes. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to devise a method for regularly collecting data on the child welfare workforce so that it can be linked to existing databases of child outcomes. Additionally, the bill amends Title IV-E so that federal funds for training can be accessed by the full breadth of professionals responsible for children and families in the child welfare system. The legislation eliminates the 1996 AFDC ``look-back'' for IV-E training dollars so that a state can access training funds based on all of its children in foster care. It removes limitations so that funds may be used to train staff who provide support, preservation, or reunification services as well as foster care and adoption services. The bill allows related professionals access to short-term IV-E training in order to enhance their work with children and families in the child welfare system. Finally, the bill permits private nonprofit institutions of higher education to contribute matching dollars for IV-E funded training programs. This provision will allow State child welfare systems to set up university partnerships with a broader range of schools, thereby enhancing program quality, and helping to generate a cadre of professionally trained and committed child welfare workers. We absolutely must support the members of the child welfare workforce if we want high quality services for our Nation's vulnerable children and families. I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will join me in this important effort.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today is National Healthy Schools Day-- established to build awareness and promote healthy school environments for our children and school personnel. Many organizations--including the Healthy Schools Network in New York--have worked together over the years to educate their communities as well as local, State, and Federal elected officials of the conditions that many of our children and teachers are subjected to on a daily basis. I strongly believe the work of these organizations is crucial in fostering the development and well being of our Nation's children. That is why I am proud to join them in this effort as the sponsor of resolution recognizing April 28, 2008 as National Healthy Schools Day. By recognizing this day, Congress can promote healthy school environments for all children, teachers, principals, and school staff. Over half of our Nation' schools have environmental problems linked to poor indoor air quality AQ. Poor IAQ can cause a wide range of academic problems for the millions of children attending these schools, including lack of concentration, respiratory illnesses, learning difficulties, and even cancer. Furthermore, millions of school absences each year are attributed to health problems caused by poor IAQ or other unhealthy school environments. It is imperative that we address these problems. From holding demonstrations on healthy cleaning practices to conducting workshops on how to design a healthy, high-performance school, the Healthy Schools Network along with other partner organizations will provide practical ways to make our schools healthier, safer learning environments for our children and teachers. Congress has demonstrated its interest in this compelling issue by including the Healthy High-Performance Schools Program in the No Child Left Behind Act and the Energy Independence and Security Act. I encourage my colleagues to continue to fight on our children's behalf by adopting this resolution. We must spread awareness of the environmental health of our Nation's schools. I commend those across the Nation who are using National Healthy Schools Day to do just that.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today in support of providing benefits to Filipino veterans who served our Nation during World War II. S. 1315, the Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007 introduced by Senator Akaka, specifically includes a provision that would restore health and pension benefits to Filipino veterans who fought for the United States during World War II. This provision is based on S.57, the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007 originally introduced by Senator Inouye and which I am proud to cosponsor. I have supported rectifying this injustice since I entered the Senate in 2001. Senator Burr's amendment would strip the provision benefitting Filipino veterans from S. 1315. I strongly oppose this amendment. In 1942, President Roosevelt issued an order conscripting Filipino soldiers into the U.S. Armed Forces. More than 250,000 Filipino soldiers joined the U.S. Armed Forces in the months before and days following the attack on Pearl Harbor. These men served on the battlefield and fought courageously alongside American soldiers throughout World War II, took part in the guerilla resistance, and suffered in prisoner-of-war camps including the infamous Bataan Death March in which untold numbers of Americans and Filipinos soldiers suffered and died under brutal conditions. The United States promised these Filipino veterans the same health and pension benefits as those of American servicemembers, but after World War II ended, Congress passed the Rescission Act of 1946, rescinding benefits that the Filipino soldiers were entitled to receive as U.S. veterans. Since then, these veterans have been fighting for these benefits which were unjustly revoked by the 1946 Rescission Act. I reiterate the statements I made recently in honor of the 66th anniversary of the Bataan Death March that this is a matter of restoring the honor and dignity of these courageous veterans. I will continue to support and fight for the Filipino veterans equity bill.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I think it is important we go back to the facts and remind ourselves in this Chamber about the person, the real live woman, for whom this legislation is named, Lilly Ledbetter. She was a supervisor at a Goodyear Tire and Rubber plant in Gadsden, AL, from 1979 until her retirement in 1998. For most of those years, she worked as an area manager, a position normally occupied by men. Now, initially, Lilly Ledbetter's salary was in line with the salaries of men performing substantially similar work. Over time, however, her pay slipped in comparison. And it was slipping in comparison with men who had equal or less seniority. By the end of 1997, Lilly Ledbetter was the only woman working as an area manager, and the pay discrepancies between her and her 15 male counterparts were stark. She was paid $3,727 a month. The lowest paid male area manager received $4,286 a month and the highest $5,236. In other words, Goodyear paid her male counterparts 25 to 40 percent more than she earned for doing the same job. Now, when she discovered this, which she had not for years, because it is somewhat difficult, if not impossible, to obtain information about the salaries of your counterparts--and lots of times why would you ask? You are doing the same job; you show up at the same time; you have the same duties. Who would imagine that you would be paid less than the younger man who came on the job a year or two before, or the older man with whom you had worked for years? So when she discovered that, she rightly sought to enforce her rights, and a jury agreed, a jury of her peers, that she had suffered discrimination on the basis of her gender. And the district court awarded her $220,000 in backpay, and more than $3 million in punitive damages. The court of appeals reversed that, claiming she had not filed her charge of discrimination in a timely manner. The Supreme Court agreed. Now Lilly Ledbetter is retired from her job. Nothing we do today will have any impact on her, but she has tirelessly campaigned across this country for basic fairness. We thought we had ended discrimination in the workplace against women when the Equal Pay Act was passed all those years ago. In fact, yesterday was the day we commemorated the passage of the Equal Pay Act, but clearly we have not finished the business of guaranteeing equality in the workplace; fair and equal pay to those who do the same job. Nearly a century after women earned the right to vote, women still make 77 cents to every man's dollar. The affect of the recession we are in right now in many parts of our country is affecting women worse than their male counterparts. This is not about the women themselves, it is about their families. I came from Indianapolis, where I was introduced at an event by a young single mom. I meet young single moms all over America who work hard for themselves and their children. So when they are discriminated against in the workplace, they bring less home to take care of those children whom they are responsible for. We can talk about what needs to be done, and there are, I am sure, all kinds of legal reasons it does not make sense to end discrimination; that it does not make sense finally to have our laws enforced. But this is the law we had until the Supreme Court changed it. Until the Supreme Court said: No, wait a minute, you are supposed to actually know you are being discriminated against to dispute the conditions in the workplace, and file whatever action, make whatever complaint you can at that moment. Well, Lilly Ledbetter acted as soon as she knew. She did not know until that information was made available to her. I am hoping this Chamber will stand up for fundamental fairness for women in the workplace. I am hoping you will stand up and vote to make it clear that women who get up every single day and go to work deserve to be paid equally to their male counterparts. That is all Lilly Ledbetter wanted. That is what we should deliver today.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship and Quality of Life Act, legislation introduced on the House side by Representatives Solis and Bono. The National Cancer Institute estimates that there are more than 10 million cancer survivors in the United States. Advances in medical research have resulted in earlier diagnoses, more effective treatments, and improvements in medical outcomes for Americans with cancer. These advances in cancer care are especially evident when examining our gains for pediatric cancers. The 5-year survival rate for children with cancer has improved markedly over the past decades, from 56 percent for those diagnosed in the mid-1970s to 79 percent for those diagnosed between 1995 and 2000. There are now more than 270,000 childhood cancer survivors in the U.S., and that number is expected to increase as we gain a better understanding of pediatric cancers and ways to treat them. But in the years that we have made these gains in addressing cancer in children, we have also learned that many of these survivors experience what are known as ``late effects'' resulting from either the cancer or its treatment. These late effects include things like additional cancers, osteoporosis, heart problems and reduced lung capacity. As many as a quarter of childhood cancer survivors experience late effects that are serious or life-threatening. We must be doing more to ensure that the quality of life of children who have survived cancer is as high as possible, and that life-saving treatments result in as few long-term side effects as possible. It is also important to note that health care disparities also impact pediatric cancer care and survivorship. African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian/Pacific Islander children have higher rates of certain cancers than their white counterparts. In addition, due to disparities in access to care, these individuals may fail to receive adequate treatments for late effects of cancers. We need to improve our efforts to ensure that racial and ethnic disparities are eliminated from cancer care. In a 2005 report, titled ``From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition'', the Institute of Medicine, IOM, recommended several measures we can take as a nation to improve the quality of life for children and young adults who are impacted by cancer. The legislation that I am introducing today will allow us to implement some of those recommendations, including expansion of cancer control and surveillance programs, increasing research in survivorship, and developing model systems of care and monitoring for cancer survivors. It will also create grants to establish childhood cancer survivorship clinics, and help childhood cancer organizations expand and improve their work in providing care and treatment. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure that we address the needs of cancer survivors throughout the lifespan, and help to improve the quality of life for the many children and families that struggle with a cancer diagnosis.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship and Quality of Life Act, legislation introduced on the House side by Representatives Solis and Bono. The National Cancer Institute estimates that there are more than 10 million cancer survivors in the United States. Advances in medical research have resulted in earlier diagnoses, more effective treatments, and improvements in medical outcomes for Americans with cancer. These advances in cancer care are especially evident when examining our gains for pediatric cancers. The 5-year survival rate for children with cancer has improved markedly over the past decades, from 56 percent for those diagnosed in the mid-1970s to 79 percent for those diagnosed between 1995 and 2000. There are now more than 270,000 childhood cancer survivors in the U.S., and that number is expected to increase as we gain a better understanding of pediatric cancers and ways to treat them. But in the years that we have made these gains in addressing cancer in children, we have also learned that many of these survivors experience what are known as ``late effects'' resulting from either the cancer or its treatment. These late effects include things like additional cancers, osteoporosis, heart problems and reduced lung capacity. As many as a quarter of childhood cancer survivors experience late effects that are serious or life-threatening. We must be doing more to ensure that the quality of life of children who have survived cancer is as high as possible, and that life-saving treatments result in as few long-term side effects as possible. It is also important to note that health care disparities also impact pediatric cancer care and survivorship. African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian/Pacific Islander children have higher rates of certain cancers than their white counterparts. In addition, due to disparities in access to care, these individuals may fail to receive adequate treatments for late effects of cancers. We need to improve our efforts to ensure that racial and ethnic disparities are eliminated from cancer care. In a 2005 report, titled ``From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition'', the Institute of Medicine, IOM, recommended several measures we can take as a nation to improve the quality of life for children and young adults who are impacted by cancer. The legislation that I am introducing today will allow us to implement some of those recommendations, including expansion of cancer control and surveillance programs, increasing research in survivorship, and developing model systems of care and monitoring for cancer survivors. It will also create grants to establish childhood cancer survivorship clinics, and help childhood cancer organizations expand and improve their work in providing care and treatment. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure that we address the needs of cancer survivors throughout the lifespan, and help to improve the quality of life for the many children and families that struggle with a cancer diagnosis.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, on February 29, 2008, the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act was signed into law, marking a historic moment for children, families and safety advocates across the country. Nearly every other day in the United States, a child dies in a nontraffic vehicle accident. This legislation will ensure that cars in the United States are properly equipped with safety technology to prevent unintentional harm to children, promising safer cars, and safer children in New York and across the country. I am honored to have championed the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act in the Senate, named in remembrance of a 2-year-old Long Island boy who was killed when he wandered behind the SUV his father was backing into their driveway. With this legislation we honor his memory, and the memory of all children taken from us by these tragic and preventable auto accidents. I have met many parents, sisters, and brothers who have lost a loved one to a nontraffic-related incident. Their presence in this fight represents a true testament of courage. I would also like to thank the advocacy community--KIDS AND CARS, Consumer's Union and the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety--for their unwavering support throughout this push for passage. Together, these families and advocates played a critical role in raising awareness of this issue throughout Congress and across the country. Thanks to their tireless work, countless tragedies will be prevented in the future. I would also like to thank all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who joined me in supporting this important measure, especially Chairman John Dingell who was instrumental in helping this bill achieve passage in the House. Together we have shown that by working hard and finding common ground, we can produce legislation that will make a real difference in the lives of Americans. As safety advocates and families gather in our Nation's Capitol to celebrate this seminal moment, I add to the chorus of thanks and praise for this long-awaited victory.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I am proud to recognize a truly successful program that, over the past decade, has made important contributions to improving quality of life for our soldiers and their families. Now entering its 10th year, the Residential Communities Initiative, or RCI, has brought together members of the private real estate community and the Army to build new family housing, and upgrade and modernize existing family housing, on flagship Army bases all across the country. Back in 1996, the Army faced the enormous and costly challenge of replacing and renovating its aging and substandard family housing. Too many soldiers and their families were living in inadequate housing. According to the Army itself, roughly 70 percent of housing needed replacement or renovation at an estimated cost of $7 billion. It was clear that action had to be taken, and in 1996, Congress established the framework for what would become the Residential Communities Initiative when it authorized the Military Housing Privatization Initiative. Under the MHPI umbrella, the Residential Communities Initiative was presented in 1999 as one significant component of the Army's plan to address this challenge of overhauling inadequate family housing. Thanks in large part to the visionary leadership and hard work of my friends, Congressman Chet Edwards of Texas and then-Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Logistics and Environment Mahlon Apgar, RCI successfully navigated both the Pentagon bureaucracy and a maze of congressional committees to come to fruition. Congressman Edwards's advocacy of RCI was particularly important and is just one example of his many successful efforts to improve quality of life for our troops and veterans. Congressman Edwards works on these critical issues as cochairman of both the House Army Caucus and the USO Congressional Caucus. Most recently, in 2007, as chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, Congressman Edwards authored the largest VA budget increase in the VA's 77-year history. Indeed, both Congressman Edwards and Secretary Apgar should be proud of what their efforts have since spawned. RCI has made, or will be making, its way to 45 different Army installations all across the United States, from Fort Lewis in Washington State to Fort Hood in Texas to Fort Drum and Fort Hamilton in my home State of New York. At each of these bases, RCI has helped to provide our soldiers and their families with the kind of modern, quality housing choices that they deserve. In less than 10 years, more than 86,000 houses have been transferred to public-private partnerships under RCI, and thousands of Army families have already benefited from renovation and new construction completed under RCI. This initiative has not only been good for our soldiers and their families but also for American taxpayers. In the last decade, more than $10 billion of new private capital has been invested under the RCI program, compared with roughly $1 billion in government equity. In other words, RCI has produced a ten-fold return on our public investment. With so many of our brave servicemembers serving the Nation in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world, it is our responsibility to ensure that they and their families have all of the support that they need and deserve here at home. This not only includes the best health care available but also modern, clean, and comfortable housing choices. I invite my fellow Senators from both sides of the aisle to join me in applauding the Residential Communities Initiative and its early champions, Chet Edwards and Mahlon Apgar, for doing so much to enhance quality of life for our Army families.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the PEPFAR Accountability and Transparency Act, a bill that will increase our ability to research and identify the most effective interventions in combating global AIDS. As we work to increase funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, I believe we must also insure that we maximize our investment in programs that have been found effective in preventing infections and delivering care to as many people as possible. Through the years, the science known as operations research--the ability to identify what is working and what is not working in our treatment, prevention, and care interventions--has helped to improve the effectiveness of the health care delivery system that we have established and enhanced with U.S. funding. Take, for example, the issue of mother to child transmission of HIV. In the U.S., cases of perinatal HIV transmission have dropped markedly--from more than 1,000 in 1991 to less than 100 in 2005-- largely due to access to critically needed, life-extending drugs. But in the developing world, where fewer than 10 percent of HIV positive pregnant women, about 1 out of every 3 children born to mothers with HIV end up with the virus--a wholly preventable situation. The field of operations research is allowing us to understand how we can, in low resource settings, improve testing, education, and treatment options that reduce cases of perinatal transmission. There are many other areas where the data from operations research can transform our ability to maximize the U.S. investment in global AIDS funding--through measuring the impact of our prevention education efforts, to understanding how addressing gender inequality can reduce HIV infection, to ensuring that treatment is delivered in a way that extends the lives of people with HIV. This legislation will require the Government to develop a strategic plan to improve program monitoring, evaluation and operations research. With this plan, we can determine the effectiveness of the interventions we are funding, so that we can replicate those that are working well, and examine ways to improve those that do not have the outcomes that we expected. The bill would also increase the dissemination of research findings, so that those working in low-resource settings would be able to easily learn and implement cost-effective interventions in their communities. I am proud to support increases for PEPFAR, but I also believe that we must ensure that these increases are targeted toward effective programs that reach as many people as possible. This legislation will help us achieve that goal. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to support this legislation and operations research as we move forward with PEPFAR reauthorization. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter of support be printed in the Record.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the PEPFAR Accountability and Transparency Act, a bill that will increase our ability to research and identify the most effective interventions in combating global AIDS. As we work to increase funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, I believe we must also insure that we maximize our investment in programs that have been found effective in preventing infections and delivering care to as many people as possible. Through the years, the science known as operations research--the ability to identify what is working and what is not working in our treatment, prevention, and care interventions--has helped to improve the effectiveness of the health care delivery system that we have established and enhanced with U.S. funding. Take, for example, the issue of mother to child transmission of HIV. In the U.S., cases of perinatal HIV transmission have dropped markedly--from more than 1,000 in 1991 to less than 100 in 2005-- largely due to access to critically needed, life-extending drugs. But in the developing world, where fewer than 10 percent of HIV positive pregnant women, about 1 out of every 3 children born to mothers with HIV end up with the virus--a wholly preventable situation. The field of operations research is allowing us to understand how we can, in low resource settings, improve testing, education, and treatment options that reduce cases of perinatal transmission. There are many other areas where the data from operations research can transform our ability to maximize the U.S. investment in global AIDS funding--through measuring the impact of our prevention education efforts, to understanding how addressing gender inequality can reduce HIV infection, to ensuring that treatment is delivered in a way that extends the lives of people with HIV. This legislation will require the Government to develop a strategic plan to improve program monitoring, evaluation and operations research. With this plan, we can determine the effectiveness of the interventions we are funding, so that we can replicate those that are working well, and examine ways to improve those that do not have the outcomes that we expected. The bill would also increase the dissemination of research findings, so that those working in low-resource settings would be able to easily learn and implement cost-effective interventions in their communities. I am proud to support increases for PEPFAR, but I also believe that we must ensure that these increases are targeted toward effective programs that reach as many people as possible. This legislation will help us achieve that goal. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to support this legislation and operations research as we move forward with PEPFAR reauthorization. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter of support be printed in the Record.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I am pleased to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, America's first Greek-letter organization established by Black college women. It is with great pride that I join my friends Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, Congresswomen Diane Watson, and Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson in extending our congratulations to all of its members on this tremendous occasion. On January 15, 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority was founded at Howard University in Washington, DC, by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle, who envisioned AKA as a source of social and intellectual enrichment for its members. Over the past century, AKA has evolved into a nationwide organization of college-trained women working to improve the socioeconomic conditions in their cities, States, and countries throughout the world. Today, the sorority serves through a membership of more than 200,000 women in 975 chapters in the United States and several other countries. In September 2005, along with my colleagues in the House, I had the pleasure of cohosting a reception on Capitol Hill for the House AKA leadership and nearly 100 members. I was reminded yet again of the remarkable strength and unwavering dedication of AKA to improve the lives of others. AKA's significant contributions to the Black community and to American society over the past century are widespread. From election reform and safety to and health care and education initiatives, AKA has raised money for and spread awareness about issues that directly impact countless lives across the country. In addition to advancing these services, AKA maintains a focus on strengthening the quality of life for its members. AKA cultivates and encourages high scholastic and ethical standards, promotes unity and friendship among college women, alleviates problems facing girls and women, maintains a progressive interest in college life and continues to demonstrate the power of Ethel Hedgeman Lyle's vision a century later. Today marks not only a moment for celebration but also a time to give thanks to all members for the significant contributions AKA have made to our communities and America over the past century. AKA's members have built an enduring legacy of leadership and service that has made a profound contribution to our history and to our future. As the women of AKA celebrate this significant milestone, I add to the chorus of thanks and praise for your 100 years of groundbreaking achievement and the many accomplishments yet to come.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute to Sargent Shriver, a humanitarian and powerful advocate for the poor and most vulnerable among us. While serving under President John F. Kennedy, Sargent Shriver was the driving force behind the creation of the Peace Corps and is credited with turning a bold idea for public service into a reality. Each year, more than 8,000 of our best and brightest citizens travel around the world, representing our Nation and values, to work with governments, nonprofits, schools, and local citizens to fulfill three goals: providing aid to those in need, promoting a better understanding of America, and fostering greater understanding between people of different nations. Today, Peace Corps volunteers join with people across the globe in helping to lift up families and communities: farming and agricultural development in Paraguay; promoting education in China; combating HIV/ AIDS in Ghana; and so much else. More than 190,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in nearly 140 countries. The work Peace Corps volunteers are carrying out on behalf of our country has never been more important than it is today. There is an urgent need to repair the damage to America's image abroad, both among our friends and those who do not wish America well. And the Peace Corps is only one part of Sargent Shriver's important contributions to our country. Sargent Shriver served as the first Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity under President Lyndon Johnson. He helped lead President Johnson's war on poverty where he created or inspired the creation of many social programs, including Volunteers in Service to America, VISTA, Head Start, Foster Grandparents, Job Corps, Upward Bound, and the Legal Services Corporation. I was honored and proud to serve on the board of Legal Services Corporation from 1978 to 1981, chairing the board of directors from 1978 to 1980. The Legal Services Corporation, and many efforts mentioned, continue to help millions of low-income Americans today. He played a significant role in the drafting and passage of the National Community Service Trust Act of 1993, legislation that created AmeriCorps, and I was proud to work with him on this effort in the Clinton administration. In recognition of his service to this Nation, on August 8, 1994, President Bill Clinton presented Sargent Shriver with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our country's highest civilian honor. I continue to be inspired by Sargent Shriver's service to our country. In fact, nearly a decade ago, I joined Sargent Shriver at the dedication of the new Peace Corps building and recounted a story I once heard. When the founders of Peace Corps were just starting out--still figuring out what the organization would look like and how it would work--Sargent Shriver was shown an organizational chart. This chart showed him at the top, with lines pointing down at staff members at various levels of a hierarchy. At the bottom of the chart was the word ``volunteer.'' When Sargent Shriver saw this chart, he turned it upside down because he believed deeply that the volunteers were the heart and soul--and the most important part--of the Peace Corps. His vision set the course of the agency--and that is how it has been run ever since. Each of us has a responsibility to live up to that vision, to promote volunteerism, to give our young people a chance to give back to the Nation that has given each of us so much. That is why I stood with my colleagues in 2003 to undo massive funding cuts to AmeriCorps. These are cuts that would have meant thousands of Americans who wanted to serve through programs like VISTA, City Year, and Teach For America but would be turned away at the doors. And that is why I have worked to support AmeriCorps and to remove barriers to public service. I proposed the Public Service Academy Act. It would create a new Public Service Academy, modeled on the military service academies, to provide a 4-year, affordable college education for more than 5,000 students each year in exchange for 5-year commitment to public service. Sargent Shriver is a leader and servant whose legacy will live on for generations to come. It will live on in the work of Peace Corps volunteers in nations around the world. It will live on in the work of AmeriCorps helping to lift up communities here at home. And it will live on in his work to create more opportunities for children and families living in poverty. Together, we can help to carry his legacy forward, too, through public service--and through small and large acts of kindness and generosity to build better communities and a better world.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today I join my colleague, Senator Pat Roberts, in introducing the Influenza Vaccine Security Act. Senator Roberts and I first introduced this legislation during the 109th Congress, in response to seasonal flu vaccine shortages, as well as the growing awareness of the need for pandemic flu preparedness. Some of these provisions were incorporated into law, but the overall need to address problems in education, tracking, and distribution related to seasonal influenza vaccine have not changed. About 36,000 Americans die from the flu every year, and 200,000 more are hospitalized due to complications from the flu. These complications and deaths are largely preventable with a simple flu shot. Yet the process of getting a flu shot is not always simple. Since 2000, our Nation has experienced multiple shortages of flu vaccine prior to Thanksgiving, when demand is highest. What we have also experienced-- and what received less attention--is the fact that at the end of the flu season, we often have surpluses. The millions of doses that were in such high demand earlier in the season go unused. We need to bring some stability into the vaccine market, to ensure that we have vaccine at periods of high demand, and also sustain demand beyond the limited early-season period. The Influenza Vaccine Security Act will help create a stable flu vaccine market for manufacturers by increasing coordination between the public and private sectors so that we can set targets and procedures for dealing with both shortages and surpluses before they hit. It will also create a buyback provision so that we can direct late-season surplus vaccine to public health and bioterrorism prevention efforts, instead of having it go to waste. The legislation will increase demand for vaccine by improving education and outreach to populations with historically low rates of influenza vaccination. Of course, vaccines do us no good if they can't get to the people who need them, and in past shortages, we had problems matching existing stocks of vaccine to the high priority populations, like senior citizens, who needed vaccines right away. The Influenza Vaccine Security Act also sets up a tracking system so the CDC and state and local health departments can share the information they need to ensure that high priority populations will have access to vaccines. This tracking system is critical and will provide fundamental infrastructure necessary not only to deal with our annual flu season, but avian or other pandemic outbreaks. This legislation is supported by Trust for America's Health, the American Lung Association, the American Public Health Association, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the Allergy & Asthma Network, Mothers of Asthmatics, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy, the Immunization Coalition of Washington, DC, and the Service Employees International Union. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have letters of support printed in the Record.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today I join my colleague, Senator Pat Roberts, in introducing the Influenza Vaccine Security Act. Senator Roberts and I first introduced this legislation during the 109th Congress, in response to seasonal flu vaccine shortages, as well as the growing awareness of the need for pandemic flu preparedness. Some of these provisions were incorporated into law, but the overall need to address problems in education, tracking, and distribution related to seasonal influenza vaccine have not changed. About 36,000 Americans die from the flu every year, and 200,000 more are hospitalized due to complications from the flu. These complications and deaths are largely preventable with a simple flu shot. Yet the process of getting a flu shot is not always simple. Since 2000, our Nation has experienced multiple shortages of flu vaccine prior to Thanksgiving, when demand is highest. What we have also experienced-- and what received less attention--is the fact that at the end of the flu season, we often have surpluses. The millions of doses that were in such high demand earlier in the season go unused. We need to bring some stability into the vaccine market, to ensure that we have vaccine at periods of high demand, and also sustain demand beyond the limited early-season period. The Influenza Vaccine Security Act will help create a stable flu vaccine market for manufacturers by increasing coordination between the public and private sectors so that we can set targets and procedures for dealing with both shortages and surpluses before they hit. It will also create a buyback provision so that we can direct late-season surplus vaccine to public health and bioterrorism prevention efforts, instead of having it go to waste. The legislation will increase demand for vaccine by improving education and outreach to populations with historically low rates of influenza vaccination. Of course, vaccines do us no good if they can't get to the people who need them, and in past shortages, we had problems matching existing stocks of vaccine to the high priority populations, like senior citizens, who needed vaccines right away. The Influenza Vaccine Security Act also sets up a tracking system so the CDC and state and local health departments can share the information they need to ensure that high priority populations will have access to vaccines. This tracking system is critical and will provide fundamental infrastructure necessary not only to deal with our annual flu season, but avian or other pandemic outbreaks. This legislation is supported by Trust for America's Health, the American Lung Association, the American Public Health Association, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the Allergy & Asthma Network, Mothers of Asthmatics, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy, the Immunization Coalition of Washington, DC, and the Service Employees International Union. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have letters of support printed in the Record.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, on January 9, 2007, Brother J. Stephen Sullivan, Manhattan College's 17th president from 1975 to 1987, passed away at the age of 86 in Lincroft, NJ. A noted teacher, scholar, theologian, and administrator, Brother Sullivan served Manhattan College tirelessly for more than a quarter century. A champion for Catholic higher education, he was dedicated to establishing new programs, which enhanced the landscape of the college. He is credited with fully implementing the transformation of Manhattan College into a coeducational institution and ensuring the integration of women into the entire curriculum. The college had become coed just prior to Brother Sullivan's move into the president's office. Brother Sullivan touched and enriched the lives of so many, and I am pleased to ask to have the below moving tribute to the life and accomplishments of Brother Sullivan, written by Brother Luke Salm, F.S.C., a longtime professor and trustee of Manhattan College, printed in the Congressional Record. The material follows. The Late Brother J. Stephen Sullivan, F.S.C., President, Manhattan College, Bronx, New York ``What is so rare as a day in June?'' says the poet. June 25, 1920 was a rare day, indeed, that saw the birth of Jeremiah Thomas Sullivan to the delight of his parents, Bridget Quirk and John Joseph Sullivan. The child grew in wisdom, age and grace in a typical Irish Catholic family in the Boston suburbs, a family that would give to the Church not only this Christian Brother but also a Jesuit priest and a Sister of Charity. In due time, young Jeremiah attended the distinguished Boston Latin School, but after two years, contact with the Brothers in nearby Waltham was the instrument of Providence that led him to heed the divine call to become a disciple of St. John Baptist de La Salle. With joy and fervor he entered the junior class in the Barrytown, New York, juniorate in 1936. The novitiate inevitably followed, where, on September 7, 1938, he was invested with the religious habit and given the name Brother Casimir Stephen. In those days, the year of novitiate in Barrytown was followed by the scholasticate at De La Salle College in Washington in an extension program of The Catholic University. The scholasticate was supposed to continue the spiritual formation begun in the novitiate, while at the same time and often more successfully, providing a solid academic grounding for future assignments to classroom teaching. Brother Stephen was one of those chosen souls, lured by Brother Charles Henry, into the major in Latin and Greek that was usually reserved for the intellectual elite. Brother Stephen did very well and graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. There was more to the scholasticate experience than prayer and study; manual labor and recreational activities provided humanity and balance. In the early 1940s, Brother Abdon Lewis presided over the student tailor shop where Brother Stephen was assigned to the ironing board. Monastic silence was rarely observed and duels were fought, sometimes with words, sometimes with yardsticks. In a student production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Brother Stephen played the cameo role of Cicero opposite Brother Leo Chorman's Cassius. Although always willing to wax eloquent as occasion warranted, Brother Stephen never attained the oratorical eloquence for which the historical Cicero has been known through the ages. Student athletics were also much in vogue in those days, with organized leagues on Thursday afternoons and in the summers, but Brother Stephen, like most of his fellow Latin majors, such as Austin O'Malley, James Kaiser, Joseph Warganz and Luke Salm, never got beyond handball and an occasional try at the free-for-all version of basketball known as horse-O. Leo Chorman was an exception. After four years, the carefree student days, as all good things do, came to an end. In September 1943, Brother Stephen and his classmates set forth to face the challenges of the classroom, extracurricular activities, graduate study and community life. For Brother Stephen, the venue was St. Peter's in Staten Island, where he taught mostly Latin, his major, but also, as needed, algebra, geometry, English, history and French. After school and during summers, he pursued successfully a master's degree in Latin at Manhattan College under the direction of the rigorous and relentless Brother Alban Dooley. In 1948, Brother Stephen was assigned to St. Mary's in Waltham, Massachusetts, as teacher and sub- director of the community. He was, thus, able to be close to his family and at the same time attend courses at Boston College, earning a second M.A., this time in philosophy. With such a strong background in classical languages and philosophy, in 1953 Brother Stephen was sent back to The Catholic University to study for the doctorate in sacred theology, a program only recently made available to the Brothers. In addition to full-time study, the assignment also involved full-time teaching of the classics and theology to the scholastics and, in due time, administrative duties as pro-director and director of studies. One of his signature courses was on God, One and Three, that earned for him the nickname ``God.'' When Brother Cornelius Luke, the Visitor General, heard of it, he was not amused. Writing under the inspired direction of Father Eugene Burke, Brother Stephen successfully defended his thesis on what the Council of Trent had to say about grace and merit, was awarded the STD degree in 1959, and then assigned to Manhattan College. At Manhattan, Brother Stephen was an important addition to the department of theology, still in the process of becoming an academic department with a qualified and professionally active full-time faculty. Brother Stephen regularly attended the meetings of the Catholic Theological Society and the College Theology Society for which he served as treasurer from 1960 to 1970. He authored the article on merit for the New Catholic Encyclopedia and his collection of articles entitled Readings in Sacramental Theology was published by Prentice-Hall. Meanwhile Brother Abdon Lewis was nudging Brother Stephen in the direction of administration, at first having him assist in the dean's office, then urging Brother Gregory to name him academic vice president and later executive vice president and Provost. Thus, Brother Stephen became a hands-down choice to become president of the College when Brother Gregory Nugent resigned in 1975. By that time, the student unrest of the late 1960s had pretty well quieted down, the cooperative program with the College of Mount St. Vincent was well underway, and Manhattan itself had officially gone coed, bringing and ever-increasing number of female students to the campus. In 1978, Brother Stephen presided over the celebration of the College's 125th anniversary that was followed in the next year by the construction of the Draddy Gymnasium. During his presidency, programs for teaching the handicapped were introduced, as well as an M.B.A. program and courses in professional ethics, biotechnology and computer science. In 1979, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws by La Salle College in Philadelphia. Determined to keep the Brothers in the forefront, he commissioned Fabian Zaccone to paint a new mural for the reredos in the College chapel, which was renamed the Chapel of De La Salle and his Brothers. He had the same painter do a mural for the president's dining room depicting the successive Brother Presidents and their contributions to the College. For the tercentenary of the Institute in 1980, he sponsored a series of lectures that were then published. In addition, he made arrangements to have the shrine of St. De La Salle in St. Patrick's Cathedral redecorated to include the newly canonized Brothers Miguel and Mutien-Marie. Although Brother Stephen certainly enjoyed being president, not all his record breaking twelve years in that office were full of sweetness and life. There were the inevitable conflicts with administrators and faculty, and some serious problems with a declining enrollment and consequent financial strain. He had always been close to his family and in constant touch with his brother John, a Jesuit priest at Boston College, and Sister Margaret de Sales, who was then principal at Paramus Catholic High School. He felt very deeply the deaths of his mother, his older sister, and that of his brother John. In 1980, Brother Stephen suffered the first of a series of heart attacks that eventually required surgery. After having organized and financed the first session of the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies, it was a disappointment for him when the facilities of the College proved inadequate and the program was moved to California. Eventually it became clear to Brother Stephen that he no longer had the energy to complete his third five- year term. On his retirement from office in 1987, more than 600 guests gathered at a banquet in the Draddy Gymnasium to honor his achievement. In that same year, the College of Mount St. Vincent honored him with the honorary doctorate in humane letters. After leaving Manhattan College, Brother Stephen moved to Lincroft, where he took charge of the development office. He initiated an outreach program to the entire Lasallian family, especially relatives of the Brothers and former Brothers, based on the concept of stewardship for the Lasallian tradition. ``Associates in Stewardship'' was a constant theme in his quarterly publication called Lasallian Notes. He took special care to celebrate the lives of the deceased Brothers and to keep in contact with their families, most notably through the annual Memorial Mass. Involved as he was in public relations for the district, Brother Stephen never lost his association with Manhattan College. He rarely missed a formal college event, alumni gathering, funeral or social occasion, traveling from Lincroft by hired limo when he could no longer drive and serving as a kind of informal public relations person for the College. When the strain of his very active retirement proved to be too much for his declining physical resources, he retired reluctantly but gracefully in 2004, at age 83, and took up residence in De La Salle Hall. There, he died peacefully on January 9, 2007. --Luke Salm, F.S.C.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth, PATHWAY, Act of 2007, legislation that is a companion to the bill introduced by Representative Barbara Lee. Women and girls account for about half of the 33 million infections worldwide. But in the places that are hardest hit by epidemic, AIDS has a disproportionate impact upon women. In sub-Saharan Africa, women account for more than 60 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS. Young women account for 3 out of every 4 new HIV infections among sub-Saharan youth. Our prevention messages are not reaching youth--in studies completed in 17 countries in 2003, more than 75 percent of the young women surveyed could not identify ways to protect themselves against HIV infection. Clearly, we need to do more to stem the rising tide of HIV infection in women, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. But what doing more requires is an examination of the factors that contribute to women's vulnerability to HIV infection. There are links between gender-based violence and increased risk for HIV infection, links between lack of education and economic opportunity and increased risk for HIV infection, links between human trafficking and sexual exploitation and increased risk for HIV infection. Unfortunately, our current policies do not allow us to take these factors into account. The law governing funding of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, requires \1/3\ of all prevention funding to be spent on abstinence-until-marriage programs. In addition, a 2005 guidance from the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator found that countries were directed to spend half of their prevention funds on sexual transmission prevention, with a full \2/3\ of that funding to be spent on ``abstinence and be faithful'' programs, rather than comprehensive HIV prevention education efforts. More than 40 percent of women in Africa and South Asia are married before the age of 18. Directing funding to abstinence-until-marriage programs fails to address their needs. Exhorting them to ``be faithful'' in relationships where they may not have control over their partners' behavior is short-sighted. Making it the official policy of the U.S. Government to restrict funding for efforts that could help these women learn about female-controlled prevention methods is unconscionable. In 2003, President Bush pledged to prevent 7 million new HIV infections through PEPFAR. But we cannot let that promise go unmet due to ideology. The legislation I am introducing today will lift restrictions on funding for our prevention efforts. It will also require the President to develop and implement a coordinated, comprehensive HIV strategy to address gender disparities in HIV infection, with a focus on the stigma surrounding HIV, the links between gender-based violence and HIV infection, the ways in which increasing educational and economic opportunities for women can prevent HIV infection, and ways in which to improve access to female-controlled prevention methods. This strategy is a step forward--one that can ensure that the disproportionate risks faced by too many women are taken into account in our global AIDS efforts. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that women's vulnerability to HIV infection is addressed as we work to reauthorize PEPFAR.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth, PATHWAY, Act of 2007, legislation that is a companion to the bill introduced by Representative Barbara Lee. Women and girls account for about half of the 33 million infections worldwide. But in the places that are hardest hit by epidemic, AIDS has a disproportionate impact upon women. In sub-Saharan Africa, women account for more than 60 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS. Young women account for 3 out of every 4 new HIV infections among sub-Saharan youth. Our prevention messages are not reaching youth--in studies completed in 17 countries in 2003, more than 75 percent of the young women surveyed could not identify ways to protect themselves against HIV infection. Clearly, we need to do more to stem the rising tide of HIV infection in women, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. But what doing more requires is an examination of the factors that contribute to women's vulnerability to HIV infection. There are links between gender-based violence and increased risk for HIV infection, links between lack of education and economic opportunity and increased risk for HIV infection, links between human trafficking and sexual exploitation and increased risk for HIV infection. Unfortunately, our current policies do not allow us to take these factors into account. The law governing funding of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, requires \1/3\ of all prevention funding to be spent on abstinence-until-marriage programs. In addition, a 2005 guidance from the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator found that countries were directed to spend half of their prevention funds on sexual transmission prevention, with a full \2/3\ of that funding to be spent on ``abstinence and be faithful'' programs, rather than comprehensive HIV prevention education efforts. More than 40 percent of women in Africa and South Asia are married before the age of 18. Directing funding to abstinence-until-marriage programs fails to address their needs. Exhorting them to ``be faithful'' in relationships where they may not have control over their partners' behavior is short-sighted. Making it the official policy of the U.S. Government to restrict funding for efforts that could help these women learn about female-controlled prevention methods is unconscionable. In 2003, President Bush pledged to prevent 7 million new HIV infections through PEPFAR. But we cannot let that promise go unmet due to ideology. The legislation I am introducing today will lift restrictions on funding for our prevention efforts. It will also require the President to develop and implement a coordinated, comprehensive HIV strategy to address gender disparities in HIV infection, with a focus on the stigma surrounding HIV, the links between gender-based violence and HIV infection, the ways in which increasing educational and economic opportunities for women can prevent HIV infection, and ways in which to improve access to female-controlled prevention methods. This strategy is a step forward--one that can ensure that the disproportionate risks faced by too many women are taken into account in our global AIDS efforts. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that women's vulnerability to HIV infection is addressed as we work to reauthorize PEPFAR.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I am here today to introduce legislation in honor of National Adoption Day that will address the needs of children waiting to be adopted from our Nation's foster care system. These are children who are unable to return home to their natural parents and are in need of permanent, loving, adoptive homes. In recent years, Congress has acted to implement supports for this population by creating programs that allow states to pursue creative and innovative methods for increasing foster care adoptions. However, today, tens of thousands of children are still waiting for families. There is still more work to be done. According to current federal estimates, there are 114,000 children in foster care with the goal of adoption. Of these, only 13 percent are living in a pre-adoptive home. Moreover, each year in the public child welfare system, more children are made eligible for adoption than find permanent adoptive homes. For example, in fiscal year 2005--the most recent year for which statistics are available--states finalized 15,000 more terminations of parental rights than adoptions. Taken together, these statistics describe a tremendous pool of children lingering in foster care, waiting for a ``forever family.'' We know the longer children languish in foster care, the more they are at risk for developing a range of psychological, behavioral, and educational problems. Therefore, permanence for these children is essential. Child welfare professionals across the country lament a lack of adoptive families for children in foster care. However, an untapped resource exists. A recent study conducted by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute in collaboration with Harvard University and the Urban Institute notes that, in a given year, 240,000 people will call for information about adopting a child from foster care, but only a fraction will see the process through to adoption. This research states that prospective parents are often alienated from the adoption process at an early stage; these individuals experience unpleasant initial contacts and report difficulty in navigating the adoption process. Out of frustration, they abandon their pursuit of bringing a foster child permanently into their home. Therefore, I am pleased to introduce the Adoption Improvement Act of 2007. This legislation establishes funding for a demonstration project aimed at reducing the attrition of prospective parents from the adoption process. Participating states will implement a rigorous program that strengthens the first contact prospective adopters have when they make that critical, initial inquiry into adopting a child. The bill calls on programs to include a specialized adoption hotline; hire employees who are trained to respond to callers' requests sensitively and efficiently; and incorporate the input of parents who have already adopted children from foster care. In addition, programs will provide explicit information to parents about how to make their way through the various adoption procedures; describe the rewards and challenges of the adoption process; and establish a buddy system that partners prospective parents with those who have already adopted foster children successfully. Finally, all agencies in the demonstration project will participate in a thorough program evaluation. This month is National Adoption Month, and tomorrow, November 17, 2007, is National Adoption Day--a day to celebrate the families that have already been joined through adoption, and to call attention to the thousands of children still waiting for permanent homes. I am delighted to join Senators Landrieu and Coleman in their forthcoming resolution acknowledging the importance of National Adoption Month and National Adoption Day. I encourage my colleagues in Congress to take the messages of this resolution and my bill with them, beyond just this November, into the future. The national data compel us to take action. Too many children in our Nation's foster care system are in desperate need of stable, loving homes, and there are thousands of potential parents out there yearning to provide them. I would like to thank my colleague Senator Rockefeller for joining me in this important effort. Please join me in bringing these groups together so that children in foster care can find the families they deserve.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, on November 15, 2007, Covenant House will mark their 17th annual Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth. This Vigil will bring together individuals from more than 500 sites throughout North America to keep the light of hope burning for homeless youth. Covenant House provides quality, effective care for homeless and runaway youth and we are proud that our State of New York is home to Covenant House's headquarters. Emergency health care, shelter, and treatment of the homeless in New York City cost an average of $40,000 per person each year, placing a staggering and unsustainable social and economic burden on State and local governments. Covenant House, the Nation's largest privately funded agency for homeless youth and young adults, is helping to relieve some of this burden by providing resident and non-resident services to nearly 66,000 youths in 2006 alone. Covenant House has provided more than 1 million young people with the support necessary to transition from life on the streets to a life with a future. Covenant House uses successful programs and services-- including counseling, transitional living programs, educational and vocational training, health services, and drug abuse treatment and prevention programs--that help transform the lives of these individuals at an early stage. Still, more work needs to be done. As we speak, nearly 1.3 million children and young adults are homeless and living on the streets throughout our Nation, with roughly 5,000 of these youth dying from assault, illness, or suicide. The Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth will honor the memory of these young people who have died alone and anonymously while living on our streets and raise awareness about growing crisis of youth homelessness. As Sister Tricia, executive director of Covenant House, has said, ``The Vigil is for every kid who runs away, convinced they'll be safer on the street than at home, where they hope to escape abusive or dangerous environments. That's why we stand together with candles, to light their way to Covenant House, where they will be safe, treated with dignity and loved without condition.'' Many of the youth living and dying on our Nation's streets are former foster care children who have aged out of the system. Though they are too old for the foster care system, they are often too young and ill prepared for self-sufficient living without the assistance of a family or support system. Unemployment and a lack of education among these young people can lead to a life of poverty, crime, and drug abuse. The challenges facing young men and women today are overwhelming. For youth who are faced with a life on the streets, the need for a guiding light is often a matter of life and death. The Covenant House has used successful programs to help transform the lives of these individuals at an early stage. Senator Schumer and I are pleased to stand with Covenant House as together we work to keep the light of hope burning bright for all of our young people.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise to applaud the Senate passage of the Head Start Improvement for School Readiness Act of 2007--a product of hard work by my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. For more than 40 years, Head Start has provided comprehensive services to poor families--health, nutrition, academic skills, family literacy, and more--ensuring children get the cognitive, social- emotional, and academic skills they need to succeed in kindergarten and later in life. In New York, almost 50,000 families benefit from Head Start services. This bill takes several steps forward in strengthening Head Start programs across the country. It dramatically expands Early Head Start-- a program created under the Clinton administration to reach children from birth to age 3. Though we have decades of research underscoring the importance of this stage of development, Early Head Start has only been able to reach 3 percent of eligible infants and toddlers. This conference report doubles Early Head Start funding from 10 percent to 20 percent to ensure more infants and toddlers receive services and arrive at kindergarten ready to learn. The conference report increases Head Start authorization by 6 percent in the first year and 4 percent in the following 2 years. For years, our Head Start providers have had to make difficult decisions in the face of President Bush's budgets that have included flat-funding or funding cuts, as well as the effects of inflation. Many centers had to cut back on comprehensive services that Head Start families rely on. In New York, programs have been forced to eliminate vital transportation services. This much needed increase in funding will finally give Head Start agencies the resources they need to maintain enrollment, improve quality service levels, and provide for the necessary cost of living increase for teachers. The Head Start Improvement for School Readiness Act of 2007 enhances teacher quality. Research has shown that the right teaching training and successful instruction lead to successful Head Start programs. Right now, about a third of Head Start teachers hold a bachelor's degree. This bill will help increase the skills and training of more Head Start teachers and increase the quality of instruction for Head Start children. I am also pleased this conference report retains the important roles parents have always maintained in Head Start programs, including ensuring parents' voices are heard in Head Start's daily operations. The bill also increases a portion of the income eligibility guidelines from the current 100 percent of poverty level to children in families with income up to 130 percent of poverty. This is particularly important for States like New York, where the cost of living is higher than most States'. Many programs need flexibility in serving these families earning just slightly above the poverty line, including the ability to assist families who have moved off welfare and are now working and struggling to make ends meet. For New York City, this provision means thousands more children will be able to participate in Head Start programs. This bill will give those hard working families support as they become self sustainable. This bill also terminates use of the National Reporting System, NRS. I have expressed my concern about this test for several years now. In 2003, I joined my colleague Senator Bingaman in offering an amendment during the markup of Head Start to suspend NRS. In 2005, the Government Accountability Office produced a report underscoring our concerns when it called into question the validity and reliability of the NRS. I am pleased this bill suspends the unfair NRS test and asks the National Academy of Sciences to make recommendations on an appropriate assessment for young children. Head Start is critical to ensuring our most vulnerable children enter school ready to learn. Head Start has provided comprehensive services to low-income families--from health and nutrition, to academic skills and family literacy. I am pleased that we were able to move this bill forward in this session in a bipartisan fashion. The Senate passage of this bill is a victory for our neediest children and the Head Start community that serves them.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, youth aging out of foster care constitute one of our Nation's most vulnerable populations. Not only do these young people carry wih them histories of child abuse and neglect, but they are also often unsupported in their transition from foster care to independent living. Today, I am pleased to introduce the Focusing Investments and Resources for a Safe Transition Act or FIRST Act, a piece of legislation that will offer much needed financial assistance to young adults as they exit the child welfare system. Research shows that youth aging out of foster care fare worse than their counterparts in the general population on a variety of social, educational, and health indicators. These youth report significantly lower levels of education and are more likely to be unemployed or homeless. Research also shows that, as they prepare to exit foster care, these young adults do not receive the independent living services necessary to support them through their transition. When it comes to guidance on educational opportunities and employment, money management and housing, resources for foster youth are simply inadequate. These young people need our help, and they need it now. According to the most recent Federal data, over 20,000 youth age out of the foster care system each year. We must intervene in order to prevent them from experiencing the unfavorable outcomes described in the research. The FIRST Act meets this task head on by addressing the financial status of youth exiting foster care. Specifically, the legislation supports states in setting up Individual Development Accounts, or IDAs, for those preparing to age out of the child welfare system. The accounts will contain a Federal deposit on behalf of foster youth matched by public and private community partners. Upon transitioning from foster care, and after completing money management training, the legislation permits youths to withdraw their savings to pay for necessities such as educational opportunities, vocational training, and housing--elements critical to achieving self- sufficiency. In short, with these funds, youth aging out of the child welfare system will have a financial base on which they can build self- sustaining, goal-oriented, independent lives. A similar program is currently being piloted in my State of New York. This summer, Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced that 450 New York City foster youths will be provided IDAs through a program called Youth Financial Empowerment. Similarly, the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Passport program has experienced success in offering IDAs to foster youth in several cities. For years I have been encouraging Congress to take action regarding the needs of foster youth. In 2002 I introduced the Opportunity Passport Act, which, among other provisions, called for the establishment of IDAs for those aging out of the child welfare system. Since that time we have failed to make progress on this issue while youth continue to exit foster care without the resources they need. It is under these circumstances that I come forward again today to present the needs of this vulnerable group of young people. It is my hope that you will join me in putting foster youth FIRST and support this important legislation.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, youth aging out of foster care constitute one of our Nation's most vulnerable populations. Not only do these young people carry wih them histories of child abuse and neglect, but they are also often unsupported in their transition from foster care to independent living. Today, I am pleased to introduce the Focusing Investments and Resources for a Safe Transition Act or FIRST Act, a piece of legislation that will offer much needed financial assistance to young adults as they exit the child welfare system. Research shows that youth aging out of foster care fare worse than their counterparts in the general population on a variety of social, educational, and health indicators. These youth report significantly lower levels of education and are more likely to be unemployed or homeless. Research also shows that, as they prepare to exit foster care, these young adults do not receive the independent living services necessary to support them through their transition. When it comes to guidance on educational opportunities and employment, money management and housing, resources for foster youth are simply inadequate. These young people need our help, and they need it now. According to the most recent Federal data, over 20,000 youth age out of the foster care system each year. We must intervene in order to prevent them from experiencing the unfavorable outcomes described in the research. The FIRST Act meets this task head on by addressing the financial status of youth exiting foster care. Specifically, the legislation supports states in setting up Individual Development Accounts, or IDAs, for those preparing to age out of the child welfare system. The accounts will contain a Federal deposit on behalf of foster youth matched by public and private community partners. Upon transitioning from foster care, and after completing money management training, the legislation permits youths to withdraw their savings to pay for necessities such as educational opportunities, vocational training, and housing--elements critical to achieving self- sufficiency. In short, with these funds, youth aging out of the child welfare system will have a financial base on which they can build self- sustaining, goal-oriented, independent lives. A similar program is currently being piloted in my State of New York. This summer, Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced that 450 New York City foster youths will be provided IDAs through a program called Youth Financial Empowerment. Similarly, the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Passport program has experienced success in offering IDAs to foster youth in several cities. For years I have been encouraging Congress to take action regarding the needs of foster youth. In 2002 I introduced the Opportunity Passport Act, which, among other provisions, called for the establishment of IDAs for those aging out of the child welfare system. Since that time we have failed to make progress on this issue while youth continue to exit foster care without the resources they need. It is under these circumstances that I come forward again today to present the needs of this vulnerable group of young people. It is my hope that you will join me in putting foster youth FIRST and support this important legislation.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Madam President, I am honored to recognize Mr. Bernard Rader of Freeport, NY, for his selection as one of just seven Americans--along with my colleague, Senator Inouye--to receive the French Legion of Honor from President Nicolas Sarkozy on his first official visit to Washington. Bernie, who is also a recipient of the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, is deservedly being recognized for the heroism and courage he displayed in the service of our Nation as a soldier in the 301st Regiment of the 94th Infantry Division during World War II. The Legion of Honor was established by Napoleon in 1802 to honor both military and civilians who have made significant contributions to French life. With this recognition, Bernie Rader joins Legionnaires including Dwight Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, Neil Armstrong, and Queen Elizabeth II. Bernie Rader was born in the Bronx on December 12, 1923. In 1943, Bernie heeded his country's call to service and joined the Army as a rifleman assigned to the 94th Infantry Division. On September 8, 1944, just over 3 months after D-day, Bernie's regiment landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, France. The 94th ID subsequently moved into Brittany, where it was responsible for containing and taking on remaining pockets of German resistance in the English Channel ports of Lorient and Saint Nazaire. During the Siege of Lorient, in October 1944, Bernie's platoon was ambushed, and he was wounded and taken captive as a prisoner of war. Thinking quickly, Bernie asked one of his comrades to bury his dog tags to keep the Nazis from discovering his Jewish faith. Bernie was held for 6 weeks as a POW before being released during an unprecedented prisoner exchange organized by Andrew Gerow Hodges of the Red Cross. Bernie's 94th Infantry Division went on to help liberate several small French towns. They also trained and armed 29 French infantry battalions to aid them in the war against Germany. In early 1945, the 94th ID launched an attack across the Saar River, which separated France and Germany. By March of 1945 the division controlled a 10-mile front, where it repelled German attacks. On March 13, 1945, they drove to the Rhine River, eventually taking the industrial city of Ludwigshafen on March 24. By the beginning of April, they had taken responsibility for containing the west side of the Ruhr pocket along the Rhine River. The 94th ID occupied the Ruhr until V-E Day. Bernie Rader was discharged from the Army in January 1946. After the war, Bernie became a certified public accountant in his home State of New York. He worked on the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, NYSSCPA, and served as president of the Nassau County Chapter in 1986 and 1987. He won the Distinguished Service Award from the NYSSCPA in 1992. In 2004, Bernie presented the citizens of L'Ile de Groix, France, with a plaque to show his gratitude for the aid they provided to his fellow soldiers who had been taken prisoner outside of Lorient and held on the island of Groix under very harsh conditions. He is now working to establish a sister city program between L'Ile de Groix and his town of Freeport on Long Island. On behalf of my constituents in New York, Mr. President, and indeed on behalf of all Americans, I wish to congratulate Bernie Rader for his selection for the French Legion of Honor. This honor rightly recognizes Bernie's heroism and steadfastness at a critical time in the history of our Nation. I invite my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me today in recognizing and honoring Bernie Rader and his fellow Legionnaires for their noble service and their commitment to the defense of democracy and freedom.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I am in support of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007. The passage of this critical legislation is truly a great achievement. For New Yorkers, Amtrak is not just a commodity but a life source. Passenger rail is an essential element of our transportation network that provides irreplaceable capacity and mobility to New York and the Nation. For the past near 7 years, we have had to fight the administration's constant attempts to privatize and dismantle our Nation's premier passenger rail service, Amtrak. Eliminating Amtrak service would be an economic disaster and an irresponsible policy. Today, as gas prices continue to climb and airline delays are at an alltime high, Amtrak not only provides a necessary and affordable alternative to our congested airways, it links commuters to local locations not serviced by the airline industry. The enactment of Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007 will end the stop-gap funding process for Amtrak and will provide the traveling public with the security of a comprehensive plan for improving our nation's passenger rail system. No country in the world has ever developed and maintained a successful passenger railroad system without assistance from their national government. Without offering an alternative, President Bush has aimed to simply shut down passenger rail in the US. This plan will authorize $19.2 billion in Federal funds for Amtrak by providing $3.2 billion over the next 6 years and will allow Amtrak to make critical repairs and improvements to its service. Funding under this legislation will allow Amtrak to implement a comprehensive plan that will enhance rail security, reduce train delays, and improve customer service. It will also provide sufficient funding and direction to bring the Northeast corridor up to a ``state-of-good-repair,'' including vital tunnel life safety work in the Hudson River Tunnels. In recent years, attempts by Congress to improve and modernize Amtrak's operations were stalled by the Republican-controlled House, and earlier this year the President proposed cutting $493 million, more than 38 percent of Amtrak's operating funds. This sort of backward thinking would have severely jeopardized Amtrak's ability to serve their passenger lines in New York and throughout the Northeast. Mr. President, in the State of New York, Amtrak operates 140 routes, employs more than 1,900 people, and has 2 of the top 10 busiest stations in their rail system. Amtrak is an integral part of our transportation infrastructure and continues to service parts of the State that need the influx of tourists, business travelers, and others. The future without Amtrak for New York would be devastating. I am proud that the full Senate has rejected the administration's approach to Amtrak. As an original cosponsor of this legislation, I commend Senator Lautenberg and Senator Lott for their leadership in steering this critically important legislation through the Senate. As an original cosponsor of this legislation, I am pleased that my Senate colleagues have voted overwhelmingly to continue to provide critical funding for Amtrak, and I look forward to this legislation being signed into law.