Hillary Clinton

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I am proud to join Senator Domenici to introduce the Preserve America and Save America's Treasures Act. This legislation will formally authorize Save America's Treasures and Preserve America for the first time. Nearly 10 years ago, I helped create Save America's Treasures to preserve and promote historic sites and artifacts across our country. On February 2, 1998, President Clinton established Save America's Treasures by Executive Order 13072. Save America's Treasures was originally founded as the centerpiece of the White House National Millennium Commemoration and as a public-private partnership that included the White House, the National Park Service, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Save America's Treasures was envisioned as a 2-year commemorative project that would illuminate the problem of our neglected heritage and inspire Americans to help save the important treasures in their own communities. Almost 10 years later and Save America's Treasures is still going strong. This model public-private partnership has provided critical support of bricks and mortar preservation projects in every State and territory. These sites include such icons as the Star Spangled Banner, the Old North Church, Mesa Verde, Valley Forge and the last remaining architectural model of the World Trade Center. The list also includes the Founding Father's Papers, the Acoma Pueblo, President Lincoln's Cottage, and the Sewall Belmont House. To help ensure that future generations will have an opportunity to experience our past and understand our identity as a community and as a nation, Save America's Treasure's has educated the public on preservation problems facing the buildings, sites, monuments, objects and documents that represent America's diverse cultural legacy, and it has supported preservation of historic collections and properties. The program also supports and advances the purposes and policies of the national historic preservation program set forth by the Congress in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The President and First Lady Bush have continued to keep the historic preservation effort alive in America. President Bush announced the Preserve America initiative through Executive Order 13287 on March 3, 2003 to promote the preservation of America's heritage by actively advancing the protection, enhancement, and contemporary use of the historic properties. Through the Preserve America initiative, Americans gain greater knowledge about our Nation's past, strengthened regional identities, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities. The legislation that Senator Domenici and I have introduced will formally authorize Preserve America and Save America's Treasures. Both of these programs have relied solely on the will of the appropriations process and lack the long-term viability provided by formal authorization. Both programs have demonstrated significant on-the- ground-results and are clearly worthy of authorized legislation to institutionalize them for future generations. Our legislation will authorize a competitive Save America's Treasures grant program within the National Park Service in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. It will also authorize a competitive Preserve America grant program within the Department of the Interior in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and other Federal agencies. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation that will help ensure that future generations will have an opportunity to experience our past and understand the identity of our Nation. I thank Senator Domenici for his leadership, and I hope my colleagues will join with me in approving the Preserve America and Save America's Treasures Act.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I am proud to join Senator Domenici to introduce the Preserve America and Save America's Treasures Act. This legislation will formally authorize Save America's Treasures and Preserve America for the first time. Nearly 10 years ago, I helped create Save America's Treasures to preserve and promote historic sites and artifacts across our country. On February 2, 1998, President Clinton established Save America's Treasures by Executive Order 13072. Save America's Treasures was originally founded as the centerpiece of the White House National Millennium Commemoration and as a public-private partnership that included the White House, the National Park Service, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Save America's Treasures was envisioned as a 2-year commemorative project that would illuminate the problem of our neglected heritage and inspire Americans to help save the important treasures in their own communities. Almost 10 years later and Save America's Treasures is still going strong. This model public-private partnership has provided critical support of bricks and mortar preservation projects in every State and territory. These sites include such icons as the Star Spangled Banner, the Old North Church, Mesa Verde, Valley Forge and the last remaining architectural model of the World Trade Center. The list also includes the Founding Father's Papers, the Acoma Pueblo, President Lincoln's Cottage, and the Sewall Belmont House. To help ensure that future generations will have an opportunity to experience our past and understand our identity as a community and as a nation, Save America's Treasure's has educated the public on preservation problems facing the buildings, sites, monuments, objects and documents that represent America's diverse cultural legacy, and it has supported preservation of historic collections and properties. The program also supports and advances the purposes and policies of the national historic preservation program set forth by the Congress in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The President and First Lady Bush have continued to keep the historic preservation effort alive in America. President Bush announced the Preserve America initiative through Executive Order 13287 on March 3, 2003 to promote the preservation of America's heritage by actively advancing the protection, enhancement, and contemporary use of the historic properties. Through the Preserve America initiative, Americans gain greater knowledge about our Nation's past, strengthened regional identities, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities. The legislation that Senator Domenici and I have introduced will formally authorize Preserve America and Save America's Treasures. Both of these programs have relied solely on the will of the appropriations process and lack the long-term viability provided by formal authorization. Both programs have demonstrated significant on-the- ground-results and are clearly worthy of authorized legislation to institutionalize them for future generations. Our legislation will authorize a competitive Save America's Treasures grant program within the National Park Service in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. It will also authorize a competitive Preserve America grant program within the Department of the Interior in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and other Federal agencies. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation that will help ensure that future generations will have an opportunity to experience our past and understand the identity of our Nation. I thank Senator Domenici for his leadership, and I hope my colleagues will join with me in approving the Preserve America and Save America's Treasures Act.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Lead Elimination, Abatement and Poisoning Prevention Act of 2007, legislation that would help us address the threat of lead poisoning among children. We have made enormous strides in reducing exposure to lead since its use was phased out in gasoline and residential paint more than twenty years ago. From 1976 to 1994, we reduced the number of children from age 1 to 5 with elevated blood lead levels from more than 75 percent of the population to slightly over 4 percent of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. And many local governments have responded to existing lead hazards through intensive interventions. In my state, for example, Rochester is just one of the cities that have increased their efforts to address elevated blood lead levels among their residents. In 2002, Rochester estimated that nearly 25 percent of its children had blood lead levels that exceeded the CDC's standard of 10 micrograms per deciliter. Rochester embarked on efforts to engage in residential lead remediation and abatement, particularly among the 80 percent of its housing stock identified as having lead- based paint. By 2005, according to the Monroe County Department of Health, out of more than 13,000 children screened, the number with elevated blood lead levels had dropped to less than 5 percent--a marked reduction from only three years before. Yet these levels are still high, and Rochester continues to work to reduce that level even further, continuing efforts to identify and address the sources of lead poisoning with a coalition of stakeholders. These are the types of interventions we should be supporting, because there are still far too many children in Rochester and other places around our country who are at risk for lead poisoning. The CDC estimates that more than 300,000 children have elevated blood lead levels. Many of these children are at risk due to existing lead-based paint in their homes. To address this concern, I have introduced legislation--the Home-Based Lead Safety Tax Credit Act--which will help families and landlords remediate and abate lead-based hazards in residences. But as recent events have shown us, residential lead paint is not the only source of exposure to lead hazards. This past summer, families experienced wave after wave of recalls for products containing lead hazards--products that were all targeted for use by children, including toys, bibs, and notebooks. Hundreds of thousands of children have been needlessly exposed to lead-contaminated products, and I have written to both President Bush and the Acting Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to urge them to undertake the reforms necessary to strengthen this agency. Our Government's Healthy People 2010 Objectives includes the goal of eliminating elevated blood lead levels in children. The Environmental Protection Agency's Strategic Plan for 2006-2011 also sets the goal of eliminating elevated blood lead levels in American children by 2010. But if we keep along our current path, we will not attain those goals. We must increase our commitment at our federal agencies to address this issue, provide our state and local governments with the tools to mobilize the multiple stakeholders involved in lead abatement and poisoning prevention, and increase our efforts to educate families about ways to protect their children from lead exposure. We need to take a comprehensive approach to lead poisoning prevention, which is why I am introducing the LEAPP Act today. This legislation will do the following: In far too many cases, a single dwelling accounts for multiple childhood lead poisonings. This bill would establish a pilot project to increase collaboration between state and local health departments, housing agencies, and environmental departments to identify these ``repeat offender'' houses, take steps to remediate or remove the existing lead hazards and treat children who have been exposed. This program would be authorized at $5 million annually from fiscal years 2008 to 2012. Currently, the federal government has multiple programs designed to addressing lead-based hazards and increase lead poisoning prevention. The LEAPP Act would consolidate these task forces to improve coordination among all agencies, as well as state, local and community stakeholders, and have them develop a strategic plan to maximize resources for Federal Government resources. The President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children was established in 1997 to help coordinate the overall environmental health work in the Executive Branch. The LEAPP Act would codify the Task Force to facilitate high-level federal coordination for initiatives that improve children's environmental health, including lead poisoning prevention and abatement. While exposure to lead paint remains a primary hazard, other sources for lead poisoning are imported products with high levels of lead and traditional medications that contain lead. The LEAAP Act would authorize the Office of Minority Health and the Office of Refugee Resettlement to engage in community-based partnerships to increase culturally appropriate education and outreach campaigns to reduce lead hazard exposure. Since lead accumulates in bones, many pregnant women may unknowingly have elevated blood lead levels, which may be passed to their children or cause toxic effects on their own organs. Through identifying and screening women during pregnancy, we can work to improve the health of the mother, her child, and the overall family. The LEAPP Act would establish pilot projects to incorporate risk assessment, screening and treatment as part of prenatal care for Medicaid populations. This program would be authorized at $5 million annually for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012. Current law does not require landlords and homeowners to conduct lead-based paint inspections before they can lease or sell their homes. This legislation not only requires landlords to conduct these inspections, but also produce documentation of these inspections and remediate any lead-based paint hazards found as a result of these inspections before leasing or selling homes. Far too many children are exposed to lead-based paint in their homes only to return to the same home after being diagnosed as having contracted lead poisoning. Under this bill, if the primary residence of a child who is less than 6 years of age is in a unit of public or private housing, and such child is diagnosed by a certified medical practitioner as having contracted lead poisoning, the public housing authority or landlord for such residence shall immediately temporarily relocate the affected family, conduct an inspection and risk assessment for lead, and completely abate the unit in which such child resided. Current law and regulation that aim to reduce lead-based poisoning in homes do not cover all housing units. If we are to reach our goal of eliminating lead poisoning by 2010, we must extend the reach of current law and regulations to cover all housing units. This bill will extend that coverage to zero bedroom housing, housing for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Doing so will provide protections for children without regard for the type of dwelling in which they reside. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit is the federal government's largest housing rehabilitation program. Despite this fact, the LIHTC does not have a single lead-based hazard control requirement. This legislation sets aside 5 percent of the LIHTC funding for lead-based hazard control measures. Although weatherization measures can improve energy efficiency and save homeowners on energy cost, these measures can also create lead hazards in homes. To protect our children from these hazards, this legislation requires weatherization programs to do lead hazard controls as part of their weatherization work. I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue our efforts to protect children against lead poisoning.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today, as we mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Senator Paul Wellstone, I am reminded of what Herbert Humphrey-- another great Minnesotan that served in the Senate--once said: The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped. This quote always reminds me of the way Paul lived his life and the legacy he has left behind. Five years ago on this day, we lost a colleague, a progressive advocate, and a Senator who devoted every fiber of his being to building a better, fairer America. Many of us also lost a close friend who we admired and looked to for advice and support. Paul always stood up for what he believed in and gave a voice to those who were not given a seat at the table. He was the People's Senator through and through. In the Senate, Paul championed mental health parity legislation to help end discrimination against people living with mental illness. It was a personal struggle for him, as he came to understand the issue through the experiences of his brother. I had the privilege of working with Paul as First Lady and as a member of the Senate's Heath, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee, where no issue was too difficult or challenging, large or small, for Paul to tackle if he thought it would make a positive difference in someone's life. I remember when I heard that the plane carrying Paul, his wife Sheila, their daughter Marcia, and three of his campaign aides had crashed. Many of us did not want to believe it. No longer would our friend and Senator--indefatigable--come bursting through the doors of the Senate floor, ready to speak out, ready to right a wrong, or address a problem that had to be solved. No longer would Sheila, a dynamic presence in her own right, travel across Minnesota and the country and spread the word about domestic violence and so many other worthy causes. To ensure that their legacy lived on, more than three years ago, an organization called Wellston Action was established to honor both Paul and his wife Sheila. Through hard work and dedication, Wellstone Action has been able to grow tremendously and preserve the Wellstone way for future generations. We have a duty in the Senate to never let Paul's legacy fade. I said it 5 years ago and today I reiterate it again, we must work towards the goals and ideals Paul fought for day in and day out: to strengthen our education system, our health care system, our economy, civil and human rights, our Nation. We still feel in our hearts and in our lives this grievous, tragic loss. Today, we not only look back on the life of a Senator who stood up for what he believed in, we look forward to carrying on what he taught us. (At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Lead Elimination, Abatement and Poisoning Prevention Act of 2007, legislation that would help us address the threat of lead poisoning among children. We have made enormous strides in reducing exposure to lead since its use was phased out in gasoline and residential paint more than twenty years ago. From 1976 to 1994, we reduced the number of children from age 1 to 5 with elevated blood lead levels from more than 75 percent of the population to slightly over 4 percent of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. And many local governments have responded to existing lead hazards through intensive interventions. In my state, for example, Rochester is just one of the cities that have increased their efforts to address elevated blood lead levels among their residents. In 2002, Rochester estimated that nearly 25 percent of its children had blood lead levels that exceeded the CDC's standard of 10 micrograms per deciliter. Rochester embarked on efforts to engage in residential lead remediation and abatement, particularly among the 80 percent of its housing stock identified as having lead- based paint. By 2005, according to the Monroe County Department of Health, out of more than 13,000 children screened, the number with elevated blood lead levels had dropped to less than 5 percent--a marked reduction from only three years before. Yet these levels are still high, and Rochester continues to work to reduce that level even further, continuing efforts to identify and address the sources of lead poisoning with a coalition of stakeholders. These are the types of interventions we should be supporting, because there are still far too many children in Rochester and other places around our country who are at risk for lead poisoning. The CDC estimates that more than 300,000 children have elevated blood lead levels. Many of these children are at risk due to existing lead-based paint in their homes. To address this concern, I have introduced legislation--the Home-Based Lead Safety Tax Credit Act--which will help families and landlords remediate and abate lead-based hazards in residences. But as recent events have shown us, residential lead paint is not the only source of exposure to lead hazards. This past summer, families experienced wave after wave of recalls for products containing lead hazards--products that were all targeted for use by children, including toys, bibs, and notebooks. Hundreds of thousands of children have been needlessly exposed to lead-contaminated products, and I have written to both President Bush and the Acting Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to urge them to undertake the reforms necessary to strengthen this agency. Our Government's Healthy People 2010 Objectives includes the goal of eliminating elevated blood lead levels in children. The Environmental Protection Agency's Strategic Plan for 2006-2011 also sets the goal of eliminating elevated blood lead levels in American children by 2010. But if we keep along our current path, we will not attain those goals. We must increase our commitment at our federal agencies to address this issue, provide our state and local governments with the tools to mobilize the multiple stakeholders involved in lead abatement and poisoning prevention, and increase our efforts to educate families about ways to protect their children from lead exposure. We need to take a comprehensive approach to lead poisoning prevention, which is why I am introducing the LEAPP Act today. This legislation will do the following: In far too many cases, a single dwelling accounts for multiple childhood lead poisonings. This bill would establish a pilot project to increase collaboration between state and local health departments, housing agencies, and environmental departments to identify these ``repeat offender'' houses, take steps to remediate or remove the existing lead hazards and treat children who have been exposed. This program would be authorized at $5 million annually from fiscal years 2008 to 2012. Currently, the federal government has multiple programs designed to addressing lead-based hazards and increase lead poisoning prevention. The LEAPP Act would consolidate these task forces to improve coordination among all agencies, as well as state, local and community stakeholders, and have them develop a strategic plan to maximize resources for Federal Government resources. The President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children was established in 1997 to help coordinate the overall environmental health work in the Executive Branch. The LEAPP Act would codify the Task Force to facilitate high-level federal coordination for initiatives that improve children's environmental health, including lead poisoning prevention and abatement. While exposure to lead paint remains a primary hazard, other sources for lead poisoning are imported products with high levels of lead and traditional medications that contain lead. The LEAAP Act would authorize the Office of Minority Health and the Office of Refugee Resettlement to engage in community-based partnerships to increase culturally appropriate education and outreach campaigns to reduce lead hazard exposure. Since lead accumulates in bones, many pregnant women may unknowingly have elevated blood lead levels, which may be passed to their children or cause toxic effects on their own organs. Through identifying and screening women during pregnancy, we can work to improve the health of the mother, her child, and the overall family. The LEAPP Act would establish pilot projects to incorporate risk assessment, screening and treatment as part of prenatal care for Medicaid populations. This program would be authorized at $5 million annually for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012. Current law does not require landlords and homeowners to conduct lead-based paint inspections before they can lease or sell their homes. This legislation not only requires landlords to conduct these inspections, but also produce documentation of these inspections and remediate any lead-based paint hazards found as a result of these inspections before leasing or selling homes. Far too many children are exposed to lead-based paint in their homes only to return to the same home after being diagnosed as having contracted lead poisoning. Under this bill, if the primary residence of a child who is less than 6 years of age is in a unit of public or private housing, and such child is diagnosed by a certified medical practitioner as having contracted lead poisoning, the public housing authority or landlord for such residence shall immediately temporarily relocate the affected family, conduct an inspection and risk assessment for lead, and completely abate the unit in which such child resided. Current law and regulation that aim to reduce lead-based poisoning in homes do not cover all housing units. If we are to reach our goal of eliminating lead poisoning by 2010, we must extend the reach of current law and regulations to cover all housing units. This bill will extend that coverage to zero bedroom housing, housing for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Doing so will provide protections for children without regard for the type of dwelling in which they reside. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit is the federal government's largest housing rehabilitation program. Despite this fact, the LIHTC does not have a single lead-based hazard control requirement. This legislation sets aside 5 percent of the LIHTC funding for lead-based hazard control measures. Although weatherization measures can improve energy efficiency and save homeowners on energy cost, these measures can also create lead hazards in homes. To protect our children from these hazards, this legislation requires weatherization programs to do lead hazard controls as part of their weatherization work. I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue our efforts to protect children against lead poisoning.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I opposed the nomination of Leslie Southwick to serve a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His tenure as a judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals reveals a record that fails to honor the principles of equality and justice and demonstrates a disregard for civil rights. The American people deserve Federal judges--regardless of who nominates them--who are dedicated to an evenhanded and just application of our laws. In case after case, Judge Southwick has demonstrated a lack of respect and understanding for the civil rights of all Americans, and particular indifference towards the real and enduring evils of discrimination against African Americans and gay and lesbian Americans. After reviewing his judicial opinions and examining his qualifications, I have concluded that Judge Southwick's regressive civil rights record should disqualify him from serving a lifetime appointment on the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. I urge the President to select judicial nominees who embrace the principle that all are equal under the law.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, more than 65,000 immigrant students will graduate from U.S. high schools this year only to see the doors of opportunity closed to them. These are gifted and highly motivated children who grew up in the United States. For these children, many of whom arrived to this country as babies, America is the only home they know. They speak English fluently, and for many it is their first and only language. Many have never even visited the country of their birth. They have been educated in our public school system. They have stayed in school and stayed out of trouble. These kids are honor students, team captains, student body presidents, and valedictorians. Many would like nothing more than to contribute to the only country they have ever known as home. But for these children, because of their immigration status, they are often effectively barred from pursuing a post-secondary education and reaching their full potential. Through no fault of their own, they are forced to live in the shadows and denied their chance at achieving their God-given potential. What are we saying to these hard-working students? Well I will tell you. We are saying they are not welcome in the only country they have ever known. We are telling them to go back to another country they often know little about, where they may not speak the language or understand the culture. These are children caught at a crossroads, and rather than providing them with an opportunity, we are holding them accountable for the actions of their parents. That is not the America I know. There is a solution to this crisis, but, sadly, the Senate today failed to act. The DREAM Act--which I have proudly cosponsored for several years--would help expand opportunities for our Nation's immigrant children. For those students who have grown up in the United States, have demonstrated good moral character, and are pursuing a college education or have enlisted in the military, the DREAM Act will provide an opportunity to earn legal status in this country. There are many good reasons to enact the DREAM Act. In today's 21st century economy, where a post-secondary education is quickly becoming the minimum requirement for higher earning jobs, we need to provide the children in our country with every opportunity to achieve academically, both for their benefit but also for the benefit of our society. The DREAM Act would also strengthen our Nation's military readiness, allowing these well-qualified young men and women to serve their country with honor. But most importantly, the DREAM Act ensures that the promise of the American dream becomes a reality for all our children. I am disappointed that the Senate failed to pass the DREAM Act. The enactment of this legislation is long overdue, and I will continue to fight for its passage, for all of our children and our Nation. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to express my support and gratitude for the $55 million included in this legislation to support our continued efforts to address the health impacts of 9/11. I would in particular like to thank Senator Harkin, Senator Byrd, Senator Specter, and their colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee for their efforts to help the many responders, recovery workers, residents and others who have been suffering from persistent adverse health effects resulting from exposure to the toxins released during the attacks on the World Trade Center. When the towers collapsed, thousands of tons of coarse and fine particulate matter were released into the air--including cement dust, glass fibers, asbestos, lead, hydrochloric acid, and other toxic pollutants. The combustion of jet fuel after the attacks created a dense plume of black smoke, filled with other toxic substances like benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Fires at Ground Zero continued to burn underground for several months after the attacks. Thousands worked and lived by this Ground Zero site, amidst the dust, smog, and toxic mix of debris. People also worked at Fresh Kills, the landfill in Staten Island, where workers sifted through the debris in an attempt to discover evidence and recover human remains. And in the first few months following the attacks, we began to hear reports of persistent coughing among rescue workers. These reports were among the first indications of the multiple physical and mental health impacts we have identified among workers, responders, and residents following 9/ 11--chronic respiratory illness, anxiety and depression, and musculoskeletal injuries, among others. I believe we have a moral obligation to take care of those suffering from 9/11 related illnesses, and I would like to commend the Appropriations Committee for helping to meet that obligation. I have been working with my colleagues on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to develop a long-term solution to address these health care needs, and I am pleased to note the bipartisan support from my colleagues there. As we continue our efforts to develop this solution, the cooperation of the appropriators in maintaining funding for existing programs is greatly appreciated. In the wake of the attacks, I have been proud to work again and again with Senators Harkin, Byrd, Specter, and others to secure funding to establish necessary screening, monitoring and treatment programs to address the health care needs of those impacted by 9/11. Through our joint efforts, we have allocated funding to establish Centers of Excellence at the Fire Department of New York and Mt. Sinai Medical Center, as well as its affiliated institutions. These institutions have been working on these issues as the early reports of illness appeared, and providing care and medical guidance to the responders and recovery workers who were at Ground Zero and Fresh Kills. In partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, these Centers of Excellence have engaged in efforts to treat those suffering these attacks, as well as research and monitoring to allow us to understand more about the ways in which these exposures do result in disease. And in addition to these efforts, I also want to highlight the work of the City of New York, which has established another Center of Excellence at Bellevue Hospital with city funds to meet the needs of residents, office workers and others who were exposed to these toxins. The $55 million included in this legislation will go towards continuing these programs to carry out the screening, monitoring and treatment activities administered by NIOSH. It also includes language requiring the Department of Health and Human Services, again working through NIOSH, to expand its efforts to address the needs of residents, office and commercial workers, students, and other individuals who were exposed. With this funding, we will ensure that those who responded in our hour of need are helped in their hour of need. We will continue to expand our understanding of the ways in which exposure to environmental hazards adversely impact human health. We will be helping the previously healthy detectives, firefighters and construction workers-- people in good physical shape before the attacks who now have difficulty breathing and who experience mental health concerns. For these individuals, their illnesses are a constant reminder of that terrible day, and evidence of the sacrifices made to assist our country after a terrorist attack. Again, I would like to thank Senator Harkin, Senator Byrd, Senator Specter, and others on the Appropriations Committee for helping to support these programs.

Mrs. CLINTON. I rise today with my colleagues, Senators Harkin, Warner, and Specter to talk about the importance of providing adequate funding for the Lifespan Respite Care Act. Across our country quality respite care remains hard to find. Where community respite care services do exist, there are often long waiting lists. And until the Lifespan Respite Care Act, no Federal plan focused on respite care to coordinate among disparate and fragmented services. This legislation, enacted almost 1 year ago, is designed to expand and enhance access to respite care services to provide support and relief to families providing care; to help ailing loved ones stay in their homes longer; and to control health care costs as respite care allows families to postpone or prevent expensive hospitalization and nursing care. Family caregivers provide 80 percent of all long-term care in the U.S.--work that is virtually always unpaid but valued at more than $300 billion annually. That is more than the entire amount we spent on Medicare in 2004. Because of their responsibilities at home, studies have shown us that it is much more difficult for caregivers to find and maintain jobs. Many caregiving families are struggling to stay afloat. The cost to businesses is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars, including the cost for employees who leave jobs due to overwhelming responsibilities at home. This labor of love often results in substantial physical and psychological hardship. Research suggests that caregivers often put their own health and well being at risk while assisting loved ones. Many caregivers are exhausted and are more prone to illness themselves. One study found that caregivers are 51 percent more likely to experience sleeplessness and 61 percent more likely to experience depression. Often, this incredible struggle--with little support despite the heroic efforts of the organizations advocating for and providing respite care--leads to more costly out-of-home placements as a family's only alternative. Like Senator Warner, I also ask the chairman and ranking member of the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee to try to provide $10 million in funding for the Lifespan Respite Care Act.

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, Even Start Programs are essential to breaking down the barriers that poverty and illiteracy create by integrating early childhood education, adult literacy, or basic education, and parenting education into a unified family literacy program. That is why 35 national organizations, including the Center for Law and Social Policy, the Children's Defense Fund, the National Council of La Raza, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters USA, and Pre-K Now. We have an obligation to our most vulnerable families to support services that they need the most. The criticisms of Even Start have been largely based on the findings from the U.S. Department of Education's national evaluation released in May 2003. However, this study contained serious methodological flaws that call into question the accuracy of the findings. For example, the study's sample was not representative of the Even Start population. Thus, findings cannot be generalized to all of Even Start, particularly Even Start participants in rural communities or special populations, such as migrant and Native American families. Experts in assessment of limited English-proficient, LEP, individuals caution that the findings for LEP individuals, who represent 75 percent of those assessed in the study, are flawed due to inappropriate assessment protocols and measures. Of the 118 Even Start projects eligible to participate in the study in 2003, only 18 programs self-selected, meaning that researchers included programs largely based on who volunteered rather than using random selection, and such a small pool of programs overall does not allow for the study's findings to be generalized to all of Even Start. However, the California Department of Education Even Start evaluation found that the percentage of parents who reported reading to their child on a more regular basis and involvement in activities such as parent-teacher conferences increased each year that they were served by the program. Even Start families are the most in need. Eighty-four percent of Even Start's families are at or below Federal poverty levels. Eighty-four percent of Even Start adults do not have a high school diploma or GED, and 44 percent of the parents have not gone beyond the ninth grade. Nearly one-third of children and parents served by Even Start are limited English proficient.

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I wish to speak on a program that is not just important to me and to many of my constituents in New York but to thousands of children and parents across the country. The William F. Goodling Even Start Family Literacy Program is a highly valuable program that gives economically and educationally disadvantaged parents the tools necessary to support early literacy and language development for their young children. Even Start not only coordinates with early childhood education programs and home visitation programs like HIPPYUSA to provide literacy and language development services, but also incorporates parental involvement. The program assists parents to fulfill their role as their child's first teacher by providing them with adult and parenting education, English as a second language instruction, and structured parent-child joint literacy activities that we all know are necessary for children to arrive at school ready to learn. The Even Start Program is the only early literacy program that works with parents to serve children during the infant and toddler years, a developmental period that research shows is critical for building later reading proficiency. Moreover, Even Start has been shown to be highly effective in helping low-income parents support their children's education and breaking the cycle of illiteracy and poverty. During recent years, Even Start has been plagued by a pervasive misconception that the program is ineffective. This has resulted in drastic funding cuts. To date, many Even Start Programs have closed down and thousands of vulnerable families have lost services. In 2005, Even Start Programs in New York were serving 3,064 families. Today, due to the Bush administration's budget cuts, Even Start is serving only 722 families. We can all agree these are dramatic cuts for a program that serves such vulnerable families. For New York, cuts to the Even Start Program have affected 2,342 families. In order to keep the program alive, it is imperative the Senate ensure the Even Start Program receives the fiscal year 2007 level of $99 million. I am proud to be joined by my colleagues, Senators Harkin and Specter, and most of all by Senator Snowe who has spent the last 3 years championing this program with me.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to reintroduce the Family Asthma Act, legislation that would improve our federal government's response to this epidemic. The number of people with asthma has more than doubled in the past twenty years, and today, more than 32 million Americans, including more than 9 million children, have been diagnosed with asthma. By 2020, asthma is expected to strike 1 in 14 Americans and 1 in 5 families. While deaths and hospitalizations from asthma are decreasing, the disease has a disproportionate impact among racial and ethnic minority populations. The emergency department visit rate for blacks seeking asthma treatment was 350 percent higher than that of the rates of whites, while the hospitalization rate for blacks with asthma was 240 percent higher than the rate of whites with asthma. Puerto Rican populations are 95 percent more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than white populations. Women are also disproportionately impacted, with asthma hospitalization rates approximately 35 percent higher among females than males. Our legislation seeks to reverse these disparities. It would set up pilot projects to increase patient self-management, and allow for a better understanding of the environmental factors, like indoor and outdoor air pollution, that contribute to asthma. It would improve our surveillance and education efforts through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so that we identify and target interventions to the populations with the highest burdens of asthma. And it would train providers to recognize the links between environmental pollution and asthma, in order to better treat and manage this condition. This legislation contains the following components: it establishes pilot projects to improve asthma management and increase our knowledge of the environmental and genetic links to asthma. The Family Asthma Act establishes a $10 million annual grant program through the National Institutes of Health to establish pilot research projects that assist patients with asthma management. These projects will also allow scientists to engage in research on the environmental and genetic factors that contribute to severe, persistent asthma. It directs our Government's asthma coordinating body to review and make recommendations for future directions in research and interventions. This legislation directs the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program to review current private and public sector efforts in combating asthma, and make recommendations as to how to strengthen those efforts in order to reduce the impact of this disease upon our health care system. It increases funding to the CDC for education and surveillance. The bill provides $10 million annually to increase CDC's educational efforts, with state, local and nonprofit partners, to raise awareness of both asthma and ways to manage the disease. It also increases the scope of CDC's asthma surveillance activities to include hospitalization data, so as to better measure the impact of asthma at both the national and local level. It creates a fellowship program to train providers about the links between the environment and asthma. Through this bill, the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences will set up a $2 million fellowship program to help a broad spectrum of health care providers learn about the links between the environment and asthma, and increase their ability to address those links in clinical practice and asthma management programs. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to move this legislation forward and address the growing incidence of asthma in our country. I ask unanimous consent that a letter of support be printed in the Record.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to reintroduce the Family Asthma Act, legislation that would improve our federal government's response to this epidemic. The number of people with asthma has more than doubled in the past twenty years, and today, more than 32 million Americans, including more than 9 million children, have been diagnosed with asthma. By 2020, asthma is expected to strike 1 in 14 Americans and 1 in 5 families. While deaths and hospitalizations from asthma are decreasing, the disease has a disproportionate impact among racial and ethnic minority populations. The emergency department visit rate for blacks seeking asthma treatment was 350 percent higher than that of the rates of whites, while the hospitalization rate for blacks with asthma was 240 percent higher than the rate of whites with asthma. Puerto Rican populations are 95 percent more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than white populations. Women are also disproportionately impacted, with asthma hospitalization rates approximately 35 percent higher among females than males. Our legislation seeks to reverse these disparities. It would set up pilot projects to increase patient self-management, and allow for a better understanding of the environmental factors, like indoor and outdoor air pollution, that contribute to asthma. It would improve our surveillance and education efforts through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so that we identify and target interventions to the populations with the highest burdens of asthma. And it would train providers to recognize the links between environmental pollution and asthma, in order to better treat and manage this condition. This legislation contains the following components: it establishes pilot projects to improve asthma management and increase our knowledge of the environmental and genetic links to asthma. The Family Asthma Act establishes a $10 million annual grant program through the National Institutes of Health to establish pilot research projects that assist patients with asthma management. These projects will also allow scientists to engage in research on the environmental and genetic factors that contribute to severe, persistent asthma. It directs our Government's asthma coordinating body to review and make recommendations for future directions in research and interventions. This legislation directs the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program to review current private and public sector efforts in combating asthma, and make recommendations as to how to strengthen those efforts in order to reduce the impact of this disease upon our health care system. It increases funding to the CDC for education and surveillance. The bill provides $10 million annually to increase CDC's educational efforts, with state, local and nonprofit partners, to raise awareness of both asthma and ways to manage the disease. It also increases the scope of CDC's asthma surveillance activities to include hospitalization data, so as to better measure the impact of asthma at both the national and local level. It creates a fellowship program to train providers about the links between the environment and asthma. Through this bill, the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences will set up a $2 million fellowship program to help a broad spectrum of health care providers learn about the links between the environment and asthma, and increase their ability to address those links in clinical practice and asthma management programs. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to move this legislation forward and address the growing incidence of asthma in our country. I ask unanimous consent that a letter of support be printed in the Record.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, from day one, the Bush administration has pursued an aggressive agenda of privatizing essential Government services, even when there has existed overwhelming evidence that doing so would waste money, impair accountability, harm citizens who rely on those services, or jeopardize our Nation's safety and security. The Kennedy-McCaskill amendment on civilian contracting will slow this agenda and bring some much needed common sense to the administration's campaign to outsource essential functions to the private sector. Among other reforms, the amendment will nullify an edict imposed from outside the Department of Defense that the agency contract out a certain number of jobs regardless of the merits; give Federal employees the same rights to challenge a contracting decision that are now enjoyed by private contractors; and eliminate a wasteful rule that civilian jobs automatically be recompeted at the end of each performance period. I am a strong supporter of the Kennedy-McCaskill amendment, which will serve as an important check on the administration's privatization agenda.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to recognize the distinguished career of a man who has devoted his life to improving the welfare of working men and women. Rick Diegel hails from Texas, where he worked as a journeyman wireman and foreman. He served his country in the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1968, and is a veteran of the Vietnam War. He also served three terms as the mayor pro-tem of the City of Ingleside, Texas, and was elected business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 278 in Corpus Christie in 1977. He held this post until 1983, when he was appointed to the International Office of IBEW as the director of their Committee on Political Education. In 1998, he became director of the Political/Legislative Department, a position he has held to this day. For nearly four decades, Rick has fought to improve the working and living standards for our Nation's workers. As director at the International Office, Rick spearheaded the modern political program of the union, and transformed the way that unions effect legislative change. He worked to get more IBEW members elected to office than any other union, and he established a full-time grassroots mobilization program at IBEW to give even a louder voice to workers' needs. Throughout his career, Rick has been a forceful advocate for the approximately 750,000 members who work in a wide variety of fields, including utilities, construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads and government. Rick has served as a powerful champion for the labor movement, not only because he was a skillful advocate on behalf of workers, but also because he encouraged workers to make their individual voices heard. Rick understood the importance of workers engaging in the political process to elect members who made workers' rights a priority. Rick Diegel is a dear friend and an invaluable ally in the fight to support America's workers. He has left an indelible mark on the country he has served his entire life, and he has improved the lives of millions of workers. I wish him a retirement full of health and happiness.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today, in this Chamber, we are considering three critical issues that go to the heart of values we have as a nation, three pieces of legislation that seek to honor these values by putting them into action. We have passed and I am proud to support a bill to strengthen our capacity to stop hate crimes by supporting local law enforcement. We will be passing the largest expansion of health care for children since we created the Children's Health Insurance Program during the Clinton administration. Finally, included in this Children's Health Insurance Program legislation is a provision I sponsored and authored with Senator Dodd to support injured servicemembers by giving their families more time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act. This is a banner day for the Senate and the Congress, and I am proud to join a bipartisan coalition in tackling these challenges, from children without health insurance to military families without the support they need. We will pass the CHIP legislation by a wide margin, and so the choice will then fall squarely on the shoulders of the President. Will he join us in helping injured servicemembers and in providing health care to 3.8 million children who right now don't have it or will he put ideology ahead of military families and vulnerable children? We in this Chamber know what the right choice is. The American people also know what the right choice is. I hope our President will put progress over partisanship and join the bipartisan majority and the vast majority of Americans in believing we can no longer treat these challenges and the people who face them as though they were invisible. I believe every child deserves health care. Yet far too many children in our Nation--more than 9 million--do not have access to quality, affordable health care. That is a moral crisis which should be impelling us to act, and this Congress has done so. A few weeks ago, I met Amy McCutchin, who was struggling to find health insurance for her 2-year-old daughter Pascale--a healthy, lively 2\1/2\ year old. Amy works as a contractor while also going to school for her master's degree. She is divorced. She lost her insurance because of the divorce. She is not offered insurance through her employer because she does freelance work. Unfortunately, Pascale and her mom are among the millions for whom the Children's Health Insurance Program is currently unavailable. When I met Amy, she stressed she is trying to do the right thing. She works hard. She is what we would call barely middle class. In fact, she can't miss a day of work or she doesn't get paid. But she is also going to school full time, and she has to balance that with her work and the care of her daughter. She is falling through the cracks, and so is little Pascale. This is a story which is being told 9 million times every day by the parents of the children without health insurance. Today, we can tell a different story and create a different outcome. I was proud to help create the State Children's Health Insurance Program during the Clinton administration. I worked on that legislation during my time as First Lady. In fact, after the bill was passed into law--a bipartisan majority in this Congress made that happen--I helped to get the word out to tell parents that help was on the way and to sign up children for the program in the first few years. In the Senate, I have continued that effort, fighting to ensure health care for children has the priority in our budget it deserves, and I am proud of the progress we have made. The CHIP program provides health insurance for 6 million children. In New York alone, almost 400,000 kids benefit from CHIP every month. With this strong bipartisan, bicameral agreement, hammered out in this Chamber by Chairman Baucus and Senators Grassley, Rockefeller, and Hatch, an additional 72,000 children in New York will have access to health care coverage. It will also help enroll many of the almost 300,000 children in New York who live in families who are already eligible for CHIP or for Medicaid because they make less than $52,000 a year, which is 250 percent of the poverty level for a family of four. Now, I know that sounds like a lot of money to some people around the country, but it doesn't go very far in New York, and it is one of the reasons why so many children in New York don't have access to health care and why we are fighting so hard in New York to extend health care to those who need it and can't yet afford it. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 3.8 million children who are uninsured nationwide will gain coverage. That will reduce the number of uninsured children by one-third over the next 5 years. Now, if we can afford tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and tax cuts for oil companies making record profits, I think we ought to be able to find it in our hearts and in our budget to cover the millions of children who deserve a healthy start. I want to be very clear. If the President vetoes this bill, as he has threatened, he will be vetoing health care for almost 4 million children and he will be putting ideology, not children, first. Earlier this year, I was proud to introduce legislation with Chairman John Dingell from the House of Representatives to reauthorize and expand CHIP, and I am very pleased that a number of the ideas in our bill are included in this legislation, such as cutting the redtape and bolstering incentives to get eligible children into the program. The legislation also improves access to private coverage and expands access to benefits such as mental health and dental coverage. Some of my colleagues have heard me tell the story about the young boy living in Maryland whose mother wasn't on Medicaid, wasn't on CHIP, and was struggling to get some kind of health care coverage for her children when her 12-year-old son came down with a toothache. Medicaid and CHIP don't cover dental care in many cases, anyway, so even though she eventually got coverage, she couldn't find a dentist who was available to actually provide the dental care. Her son continued to complain, the toothache turned into an abscess, the abscess broke, and the next thing you know, the little boy is in the emergency room and being admitted to the hospital. But because the poison had already spread into his bloodstream, he had to be put on life support, and Demonte didn't make it. So for the lack of a visit to a dentist, which might have cost $80, $85, a little boy lost his life. And this is why expanding access to mental health and dental coverage is absolutely critical. I also commend the authors of this bipartisan agreement for their work and for bringing forward a practical, fiscally responsible compromise. It represents the culmination of a lot of hard work. I see some of the staff from the Finance Committee here on the floor, and I thank them because I know how much they did to make this possible. I am also pleased that the conference report includes the support for the Injured Service Members Act of 2007, legislation Senator Dodd and I introduced to provide up to 6 months of job-protected leave for spouses, children, parents, or next of kin of service members who suffer from combat-related injuries or illness. This amendment implements a key recommendation of the Dole-Shalala Commission, chaired by former Senator Dole, who served with great distinction in this Chamber, and Secretary Shalala, who served for 8 years under the Clinton administration as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Their Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors came up with a number of recommendations, and those recommendations are supported by a broad bipartisan coalition in Congress. The families of our service men and women face extraordinary demands in caring for loved ones who are injured while serving our Nation. Currently, the spouses, parents, and children receive only the 12 weeks of unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. But, as the Dole-Shalala Commission found, all too often that is just not enough time. An injured servicemember usually grapples with not only the physical injuries but having been, just a few weeks or months before, a healthy, fit young person and now, with the loss of a limb or being blinded or burned, having to come to grips with all of that. That takes time as well as medical care. These new injuries our service members are suffering--the traumatic brain injuries--that we are only now focusing on are especially difficult. I remember being at Walter Reed a few months ago, and I met a young Army captain who had been in a convoy hit by one of those improvised explosive devices, resulting in the loss of his right arm and the ring finger on his left hand because he had his wedding band on his finger and the explosion had caused his wedding band to melt into his finger, unfortunately causing him to lose that finger. I asked him: Captain, how are you doing? He said: Oh, Senator, I am making progress. Folks are helping me get used to the prosthetic, and I am learning how to use it. But where do I go to get my brain back? I never had to ask people for help before. Now my wife has to make a list for me, telling me where I have to go to meet my appointments and what I have to do when I am there. Where do I go to get my brain back? Well, these wounds--some that you can see, some that you can't--are extremely serious and require family members to be available. The language included in the bill expands leave to 6 months. It is a step we can take immediately that will make a real difference in the lives of these wounded warriors and their families, and I hope the President will think about that before he vetoes this bill. Now, I am disappointed that the CHIP bill doesn't include the Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act, which I introduced with Senator Snowe and have been working on with her for a number of years. This bipartisan bill would give States the flexibility to provide Medicaid and CHIP coverage to low-income legal immigrant children and pregnant women. I want to underscore that. We are talking about legal immigrant children and pregnant women. The current restrictions prevent thousands of legal immigrant children and pregnant women from receiving preventive health services and treatment for minor illnesses before they become serious. Families who are unable to access care for their children have little choice but to turn to emergency rooms. This hurts children, plain and simple, and I think it costs us money. A legal pregnant woman who cannot get prenatal care may have a premature baby, who ends up in a neonatal intensive care unit, which ends up costing us hundreds of thousands of dollars. So I hope we are going to be able to lift this ban and make it possible for States to access Medicaid and CHIP for legal immigrant children and pregnant women. But I could not be more proud that the Senate is voting on expanding health care to 3.8 million children. There is no debating the importance of this and the way the Senate has come together in order to produce this result. Finally, I am proud to support the bipartisan legislation which we have passed to strengthen our tools against crimes motivated by hate on the basis of a victim's race, ethnic background, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and gender identity. These are crimes not just against an individual but against a community. What we have done by moving this legislation forward means we are taking a stand on behalf of those individuals and communities affected. Hate crimes are an affront to the core values that bind us one to the other in our country. We should dedicate the resources needed to prosecute these crimes to the fullest extent of the law. I am very proud of our country. I think we rightly hold ourselves up as a model for the ideals of equality, tolerance, and mutual understanding. But we cannot rest. We have to continue to fight hate-motivated violence in America. With today's vote, the Senate is proclaiming loudly that the American people will not tolerate crimes motivated by bigotry and hatred, that we will punish such crimes and the bigotry they represent. I commend Judy and Dennis Shepherd for their extraordinary dedication and leadership when it comes to the prosecution of hate crimes. The murder of their son Matthew was a tragic event for a family, but a motivating cause was created. No parent should ever have to bear what the Shepards have borne, but their grace and their grit in going forward is inspirational. The Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act is a step toward honoring their son's memory, and honoring everyone who has ever been afflicted by hate- motivated violence and harassment. I commend my colleague Senator Kennedy for his long-time leadership on this important matter. The Matthew Shepard Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act condemns the abhorrent practice of victimizing people and authorizes the Justice Department to help State and local governments investigate and prosecute these appalling offenses. I commend my colleague and friend Senator Hatch. Today is a good day for the Senate. We are doing good work. It may be at a glacial pace in the eyes of some of us, but I have faith in our system and I have the utmost respect for this body. It is an honor to be part of it, especially on a day such as today when we make progress on behalf of the values America stands for. I yield the floor.

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

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today, I am proud to join with my colleagues Senator Hatch and Senator Reid to introduce the Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network Act. More than 40 years ago, in her seminal work Silent Spring, Rachel Carson noted that ``For the first time in the history of the world every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals from the moment of conception until death.'' Her words remain true today. Not only are we subjected to chemicals, but we often don't have an understanding of the impact of these chemicals upon our health and the health of our children. I believe that it is past time for us to begin making the investments in research and technology that will allow us to understand the impact of the environmental exposures we face every day. We know that chronic diseases like asthma, heart and lung disease-- the chronic diseases that result in more than $750 billion in health care costs every year--are caused by three factors: genetics, behavior, and the environment. Since the publication of Silent Spring in 1962, we have come a long way in understanding two of those three factors. Through initiatives like the Human Genome Project, we have been making incredible strides in our understanding of the science of genetics, so that we can better prevent and treat diseases. We have made strides in behavior change, with initiatives like smoking cessation campaigns resulting in a reduction of some of these behavioral threats to our health. But we need to make more progress in our understanding of how the environment impacts our health. Far too often, these are silent health hazards that manifest themselves in unexpected cancers or other diseases. Yet we have no systematic way to collect and analyze the data that will allow us to make the linkages between environmental hazards and chronic illness clusters in various communities. Take, for example, central Harlem, where one out of every four children has asthma. Or Fallon, Nevada--a small town with about 8,000 residents--where I attended an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing back in 2001 where we examined the high rates of leukemia among children in that community. There are examples like this from all over the country--often from minority or low-income communities that bear a disproportionate burden of environmental pollution--and we need to do more to protect the health of Americans who are daily living with environmental hazards. But if we don't have information to identify areas of high disease incidence and understand what environmental pollutants exist in those neighborhoods, we cannot adequately address the risks posed to our health. The legislation I am introducing today will help us to understand those links. In establishing a coordinated environmental public health network, we can better track chronic diseases like cancer, asthma, and autism. We can establish critical information sharing between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency, so that those agencies can pool the information that can help researchers and the public identify and address risks. We can increase our resources for biomonitoring, so that we can measure levels of exposure to chemicals. And we can improve our environmental public health capacity, so that we have professionals who are trained to engage in rapid response to environmental health risks across our country. The Coordinated Environmental Public Health Tracking Network will allow us to make enormous gains in our understanding of environmental health, and give us the data necessary to make improvements for the health of our communities. I would like to thank Senators Hatch and Reid for joining me to raise awareness about these issues, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to move this bill forward. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter of support.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today, I am proud to join with my colleagues Senator Hatch and Senator Reid to introduce the Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network Act. More than 40 years ago, in her seminal work Silent Spring, Rachel Carson noted that ``For the first time in the history of the world every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals from the moment of conception until death.'' Her words remain true today. Not only are we subjected to chemicals, but we often don't have an understanding of the impact of these chemicals upon our health and the health of our children. I believe that it is past time for us to begin making the investments in research and technology that will allow us to understand the impact of the environmental exposures we face every day. We know that chronic diseases like asthma, heart and lung disease-- the chronic diseases that result in more than $750 billion in health care costs every year--are caused by three factors: genetics, behavior, and the environment. Since the publication of Silent Spring in 1962, we have come a long way in understanding two of those three factors. Through initiatives like the Human Genome Project, we have been making incredible strides in our understanding of the science of genetics, so that we can better prevent and treat diseases. We have made strides in behavior change, with initiatives like smoking cessation campaigns resulting in a reduction of some of these behavioral threats to our health. But we need to make more progress in our understanding of how the environment impacts our health. Far too often, these are silent health hazards that manifest themselves in unexpected cancers or other diseases. Yet we have no systematic way to collect and analyze the data that will allow us to make the linkages between environmental hazards and chronic illness clusters in various communities. Take, for example, central Harlem, where one out of every four children has asthma. Or Fallon, Nevada--a small town with about 8,000 residents--where I attended an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing back in 2001 where we examined the high rates of leukemia among children in that community. There are examples like this from all over the country--often from minority or low-income communities that bear a disproportionate burden of environmental pollution--and we need to do more to protect the health of Americans who are daily living with environmental hazards. But if we don't have information to identify areas of high disease incidence and understand what environmental pollutants exist in those neighborhoods, we cannot adequately address the risks posed to our health. The legislation I am introducing today will help us to understand those links. In establishing a coordinated environmental public health network, we can better track chronic diseases like cancer, asthma, and autism. We can establish critical information sharing between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency, so that those agencies can pool the information that can help researchers and the public identify and address risks. We can increase our resources for biomonitoring, so that we can measure levels of exposure to chemicals. And we can improve our environmental public health capacity, so that we have professionals who are trained to engage in rapid response to environmental health risks across our country. The Coordinated Environmental Public Health Tracking Network will allow us to make enormous gains in our understanding of environmental health, and give us the data necessary to make improvements for the health of our communities. I would like to thank Senators Hatch and Reid for joining me to raise awareness about these issues, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to move this bill forward. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter of support.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, Our Nation was born out of a struggle against taxation without representation. Yet even as we endeavor to promote democracy around the world, it is alarming that we deny our own American citizens who live in the District of Columbia the right to representation in Congress. The nearly 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia have been denied voting representation in Congress for over 200 years. But this is not just an injustice perpetrated on DC residents. Their disenfranchisement tarnishes our democracy as a whole. The right to be represented in the national legislature is fundamental to our core American values, and for that reason, I am proud to cosponsor the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007. There is no principled basis for the disenfranchisement of the District's residents. After the Nation's Capital was founded, citizens who lived in the District were represented by congressmen from Maryland or Virginia. They were able to make themselves heard in Congress. It was only in 1801 that Congress chose to strip the District of voting rights. As a result of this decision, for more than 200 years, the District's residents have been taxed like other Americans but have been denied a vote in the Nation's legislature. It is Congress that took away the District's representation. After two centuries, it is time for us to fix that mistake. The District's residents deserve a voice in how the Nation is governed. The people of this city are proud Americans. They pay their taxes. They serve with honor and distinction in our military. But yet we deny them the ability to fully participate in our democracy. The legislation before us goes a long way towards righting this wrong by giving the residents of the District representation in Congress that is long overdue.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, this Transportation/HUD appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008 crafted under the leadership of Chairman Patty Murray makes key investments in our Nation's highway systems, aviation system, passenger rail, and provides housing services for those in need, the elderly and our veterans. This legislation allocates over $100 billion for the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, and for Housing and Urban Development. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, for every $1 billion that is spent on transportation, 47,500 jobs are created. In this legislation over $40 billion is invested in our Nation's highway system for construction of new roads, repairs and improvements. This legislation will create tens of thousands of new jobs, improve safety to our highways and bridges--and will go a long ways to strengthen and grow our Nation's economy. I am proud that my Senate colleagues voted to include $1 billion in Federal funding to aid in the repair and maintenance of America's bridges, which would include an additional $100 million for New York State's aging bridges. The bridge collapse in Minnesota is a sober reminder of the tragic results that can occur when our infrastructure needs are not met. New York State has more than 17,000 highway bridges, with 12 percent classified as structurally deficient, and 26 percent classified as functionally obsolete and this additional funding is vital to my State of New York. Several Republicans sought to pass an amendment that would have repealed Davis-Bacon protections for construction workers involved in bridge reconstruction on structurally deficient bridges--an act that puts both our workers and our Nation at risk. I was disappointed by this attempt to undermine our workers' safety, and heartened that the bill does not contain this amendment. The tragic collapse of a major highway bridge in Minneapolis this year illustrates just how critical it is for our roads and bridges to be constructed with the safest and highest quality workmanship. Year after year the administration has attempted to bankrupt Amtrak. And again, I am proud that the Senate has rejected the President's proposal that would have pushed Amtrak into bankruptcy. Amtrak plays a vital role in our Nation's transportation system, especially for New Yorkers and those along the Northeast corridor. In an era of record gas prices, congested highways, and record delays and congestion for the flying public, the role of Amtrak has become more important and it must receive the necessary funding to continue services and improve railway infrastructure. This legislation also contains vital funding for the Federal Aviation Administration, including much needed funding to pay for infrastructure needs at airports throughout New York, as well as funding for new technology to reduce delays and congestion at our Nation's airports. This summer, the flying public has seen record delays at our airports and it is imperative that we resolve this problem as soon as possible. I am proud that the Senate unanimously confirmed my bipartisan amendment requiring the Department of Transportation to develop a plan how the FAA will alleviate congestion and delays in the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia airspace by next summer. In addition to the funding for Transportation, this legislation provides desperately needed funds for more affordable housing and would provide housing for our homeless veterans, the elderly, and those in need. This legislation provides over $2 billion more than the President's request for programs under Housing and Urban Development. The legislation rejects the Bush administration's cuts to housing for the low-income elderly, as well as the administration's plan to eliminate Hope VI, a program that revitalizes neighborhoods by replacing outdated public housing in disrepair with new mixed-income housing. We still have work to do to improve our transportation systems. Airport delays in just a few years will cost our economy more than $30 billion every year and nationwide, poor road conditions and traffic congestion cost American drivers more than $110 billion each year in wasted fuel and lost time. There is a more than $1.6 trillion long-term infrastructure gap to fill--as a nation--we need to invest in our future again. I urge the President to remove his veto threat and sign this legislation into law as quickly as possible so that these needed funds can be used to improve our Nation's aging infrastructure as quickly as possible.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Madam President, I would like to commend the Senegalese-based nonprofit organization Tostan, which today will receive the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. Tostan, founded by former Peace Corps volunteer Molly Melching, promotes basic education and helps to empower women and men to change their communities. As one resident of The Gambia noted, ``With this program, people will make change from within for themselves without anyone else's help.'' The work of Tostan has transformed the lives of residents in Senegal and other African countries. While I was First Lady, I had the opportunity to visit Dakar to meet with Molly and the women and men who were working to address female genital cutting, FGC, in their communities. I learned in these encounters that an extraordinary power is unleashed when people reach out to their neighbors and find common ground. When men and women begin to lift themselves up, they lift up their families and their communities as well. Tostan is the catalyst for change in communities across Africa, and it produces results: More than 160,000 individuals have attended human rights and democracy classes run by Tostan; more than 1,000 community management committees--80 percent of which are headed by women--have benefited from Tostan's guidance; and more than 2 million people in over 2,000 villages have made a public commitment to ending practices like FGC or child marriage. Indeed, earlier this year, women in Senegal announced that they will be seeking to make that country the first in Africa to eliminate FGC entirely within the next 5 years--a pledge that would not have been possible without the work of Tostan over these many years. Tostan will be using the award money from the Hilton prize to further its activities in countries across Africa to end female genital cutting, improve literacy, and promote small business and community development. I look forward to learning how these additional resources are used in the expansion of their programs. The work of Tostan is a shining example of how democracy works; how women's voices and men's voices, can be heard, and can lead to change in their communities. I would like to again congratulate Tostan for receiving the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, as we consider legislation to provide funding for our important international development and assistance programs, I would like to take the opportunity to highlight the issue of quality basic education and the ways in which increasing access to basic education can improve social, economic, and health outcomes in countries around the world. We cannot underestimate the importance of efforts by our Government and its partners around the globe to provide access to education for girls and boys around the world. Basic education is the cornerstone for success in sustainable development. It has a profound impact on the future of individual children, their families, communities, and nations. A population that can read, write, and think critically is far more likely to achieve democracy, economic growth, and improved health. A 2004 report by Barbara Herz and Gene Sperling from the Center on Universal Education at the Council on Foreign Relations detailed the benefits that result from investments in education, particular for girls and women. A single year of primary education correlates with a 10 to 20 percent increase in women's wages later in life, and a study of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa found that from 1960 to 1992, equality in education between men and women could have led to nearly 1 percent higher annual per capita GDP growth. Nor is there any doubt that education saves lives. Educated children are less likely to contract HIV/AIDS and other deadly diseases. Oxfam estimates that if all children completed primary education, 700,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS in young people could be prevented each year, totaling 7 million cases in a decade. I would like to commend the Senate for its efforts to significantly increase U.S. investments in basic education in the developing world. Over the last 15 to 20 years, there has been dramatic progress, particularly for girls, in school enrollment around the world. In 2000, our Nation made a commitment to the goal of achieving universal basic education by 2015. Through some of the initiatives and partnership in which our Government is participating with its international partners, such as the Education for All Fast Track Initiative, we have made progress. Since the Fast Track Initiative was launched in 2002, approximately 4 million children each year--both boys and girls--have gained access to school. But much more needs to be done. We are not on track to meet our 2015 goal. In order to do so, we would need to help millions more children enter school each year requiring a global financial commitment of more than $7 billion every year. Of the 77 million children who are not in school, three-fifths are girls. Forty-three percent of all out-of- school children are in countries affected by conflict and are often the hardest to reach. Approximately half of the school-age children who start primary school do not complete it. And there are hundreds of millions more children who are denied the opportunity to complete a secondary school education to become the next generation of doctors, nurses, lawyers, scientists, and teachers. These statistics represent an unconscionable misuse of human potential--a misuse that we can and must remedy. I have introduced legislation--the Education for All Act--that would enable the U.S. Government to make a significant commitment to reach the 2015 goal and help children in developing countries, particularly areas experiencing conflict or humanitarian emergencies, have access to a quality basic education. But I would also encourage my colleagues to support increased appropriations for basic education programs, and as this legislation moves forward, I will work with my colleagues to ensure that the United States is in the strongest position to meet its 2015 goal and make education for all a reality. This is not only the right thing to do for the world's children; it is right thing and the smart thing to do for this country.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I would like to thank Majority Leader Reid, HELP Committee Chairman Kennedy and ranking member Enzi for their leadership in increasing college access for millions of students and ensuring America stays competitive in the global economy. I am proud to join them in this effort. This legislation comes at a time when the rising cost of college is making it tougher for all students who want to go to college to attend. Those who do attend college are borrowing twice what they would have borrowed 10 years ago. That is why I am pleased this legislation will increase Pell grants up to $5,400 in the next 5 years, providing hundreds of millions in increased grant aid to New York students over the next 5 years. It is no secret to anyone that the purchasing power of the Pell grant has declined dramatically in recent years. This package not only provides a dramatic increase in the Pell grant, but also raises the automatic-zero expected family contribution threshold to $30,000, making more students from needy families eligible to receive the maximum grant award. This conference report cuts the interest rate for certain student loans in half from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent, saving our student borrowers hundreds each year on their student loans. The mathematics of rising college costs are simple. More students are taking on more debt. I am pleased to join my colleagues in taking these critical steps to increase college affordability and access for all students. I am thrilled to support a conference report that will help low- and middle-income students meet the cost of college. Last November, Democrats made a promise to reduce the cost of college for our student borrowers and today we have delivered on that promise. Under the management of Chairmen Kennedy and Miller, the House and Senate have reached an agreement that provides $20.2 billion in student aid, nearly $3 billion more than the original Senate Reconciliation package passed in July of this year. I am very pleased the College Cost Reduction and Access Act tackles an issue addressed in legislation I sponsored The Student Borrower's Bill of Rights by providing protections for student borrowers while they repay their loans. It does so by capping monthly loan payments at 15 percent of the borrower's discretionary income and providing several important protections to members of the Armed Forces and public service employees during repayment. Under this provision, for example, a starting teacher in New York with the state average student loan debt can have his or her monthly payments reduced by 21 percent. This savings will prove critical to helping students manage their debt, especially in the first few years after they graduate. I hear from many young people in New York and around the country, who want to be teachers, police officers, nurses, social workers and public defenders, but sadly are so straddled with debt, such careers are not an option for them. This is the wrong policy; and today, we send the message that we want to encourage more young people to go into lower paying public service jobs. I am pleased this bill creates a new loan forgiveness plan through the direct loan program for public service employees. Under the loan forgiveness program the remaining loan balance on a loan is forgiven for a borrower who has been employed in a public sector job and making payments on such loan for 10 years. Under the loan forgiveness for public service employees provision, a public school teacher in my State with $19,000 in student loan debt will not only have his loan repayment capped at 15 percent, but could save nearly $8,000 on his loan after teaching for 10 years. I strongly believe this program will help to fill the void in public service our nation will soon face as our baby boomer generation sets to retire by providing an incentive for college graduates to pursue lower paying, but vital professions. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act helps make higher education more affordable, and that is good economic policy, good social policy, and good budgetary policy. I am proud Congress has chosen to make this groundbreaking investment in our students.

Mrs. CLINTON

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, today, I am introducing the Secondhand Smoke Education and Outreach Act of 2007 to provide information to the public about the health consequences of secondhand smoke and support tobacco cessation education. I want to thank Senators Sanders and Murray for cosponsoring the Secondhand Smoke Education and Outreach Act and recognize them as strong advocates for smoking cessation efforts. I believe that tobacco use constitutes one of the greatest threats to public health, a conclusion that was also expressed in the 2000 Supreme Court ruling, and I also believe that we have a duty to safeguard our Nation's health against tobacco products. Every year, an estimated 400,000 smokers die as a result of smoking- related diseases. But nonsmokers also suffer and die from exposure to tobacco smoke. Last year, the Surgeon General issued the report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, which found that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. The Surgeon General reported that nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke, which contains more than 50 carcinogens. Living with a smoker increases a non-smoker's risk of developing lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent and, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths in the U.S. each year. Secondhand smoke also causes 46,000 cardiac deaths annually in our country. Studies have shown that exposure to secondhand smoke has both immediate and long-term adverse health consequences on the adult cardiovascular system. Exposure to secondhand smoke for 30 minutes can damage coronary arteries, while sustained exposure can increase the risk of coronary heart disease by 20 to 30 percent. Although more than 20 States have passed smoke-free laws, including laws that ban smoking in restaurants and bars, Americans of all age groups are involuntarily exposed to tobacco smoke through exposure in workplaces, homes, cars, apartments, and even outdoor public spaces. According to the National Cancer Institute, racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. have higher rates of occupational exposure to secondhand smoke, with Latinos and Native Americans having the highest rates. Therefore, it is critical that individuals, especially youth, should not be exposed to secondhand smoke. Further, parents should have access to information about the adverse health consequences so that they can better protect their children and themselves from secondhand smoke. Education about the dangers of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke is absolutely critical for combating the misleading messages that the tobacco industry propagates through savvy advertising campaigns. There is strong evidence that tobacco advertisements cynically target advertising to adult and adolescent women. According to an analysis published by the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1994 and a 2001 report by the Surgeon General, the tobacco industry has targeted women with some form of this dangerous promotional strategy for almost a century, beginning in the 1920s. The latest example of this is chronicled in a recent New York Times editorial, entitled ``Don't Fall for Hot Pink Camels'', which discusses R.J. Reynolds's $25 million to $50 million investment in an advertising campaign behind the new female-friendly Camel No. 9. In addition to targeting women, tobacco advertisements are also designed to appeal to our youth. In the August 2006 racketeering suit brought by the Justice Department against the tobacco industry, Judge Kessler's Final Opinion concluded that: ``. . . Defendants continue to engage in many practices which target youth, and deny that they do so. Despite the provisions of the MSA, Defendants continue to track youth behavior and preferences and market to youth using imagery which appeals to the needs and desires of adolescents.'' This is an unconscionable, but effective, practice. A study published this year in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine concluded that youth are more likely to start smoking if exposed to retail cigarette advertising and that cigarette promotions also increase the probability of youth becoming regular smokers. Finally, racial and ethnic minority communities are disproportionately targeted with advertising campaigns for tobacco products, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The tobacco industry has contributed to primary and secondary schools, funded universities and colleges, and supported scholarship programs targeting racial and ethnic minorities. Tobacco companies have also placed advertising in community publications and sponsored cultural events in racial and ethnic minority communities. Despite the public's growing understanding of the health dangers posed by tobacco, too many still succumb to the lure of these deadly products. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 20 percent of adults currently smoke cigarettes in the U.S. Among racial and ethnic communities, approximately 16 percent of Hispanic adults, 13 percent of Asian American adults, 22 percent of Caucasians adults, 22 percent of African American adults, and 32 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives currently smoke cigarettes. As for our Nation's youth, a 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that nearly 3 million Americans under the age of 18 currently smoke cigarettes. According to the CDC, unless current rates of youth smoking are reversed, more than 6.3 million children under the age of 18 will die from smoking-related diseases. That is why health care professionals should have the opportunity to receive training in the delivery of evidence-based tobacco dependence and prevention treatment in order to assist smokers in overcoming their addiction and educating all patients about the harm of secondhand smoke. That is why I, along with Senators Sanders and Murray, am introducing the Secondhand Smoke Education and Outreach Act. I am grateful to have developed this proposal with the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. This bill, through education and outreach, will help reverse the public's underestimation of the harm that secondhand smoke can wreck on one's health and will promote smoking cessation efforts across our nation. This new legislation would establish grants and demonstration projects, awarded by the Secretary of HHS in consultation with the SAMHSA administrator, for educating the public about the health consequences of secondhand smoke in multi-unit dwellings and in public spaces, such as public parks, playgrounds, and national parks. Special consideration would be given to awarding grants to organizations whose participation includes secondary school or college-age individuals, and to organizations that reach racial or ethnic populations that experience a disproportionate share of the cancer burden. The Secondhand Smoke Education and Outreach Act would also authorize and fund grants for regional or local tobacco cessation education and counseling for health care workers and providers. The training curricula would assist smokers in quitting through smoking cessation counseling, educate smokers and nonsmokers about the health consequences of secondhand smoke, and help promote self- sustaining networks for the delivery of affordable, accessible, and effective cessation services. The U.S. spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation and yet we struggle to provide adequate health care for all our citizens. We literally cannot afford the myriad of health problems that we know result from tobacco use: bladder, esophageal, laryngeal, lung, oral, and throat cancers, chronic lung diseases, coronary heart and cardiovascular diseases, as well as reproductive effects and sudden infant death syndrome. The Secondhand Smoke Education and Outreach Act is an important step in ensuring that our nation's communities have the knowledge they need to keep themselves and their environments healthy, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this legislation during the upcoming reauthorization of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at the Department of Health and Human Services. I ask unanimous consent that letters of support be printed in the Record.