Pete Domenici

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to talk about the Senate passage of the Veterans' Millennium Health Care Act. I am extremely pleased the act contains a provision that will extend the useful life of the Santa Fe National Cemetery in New Mexico. I also want to thank Senator Specter for his assistance in making passage of this Bill possible. The men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces have made immeasurable sacrifices for the principles of freedom and liberty that make this Nation unique throughout civilization. The service of veterans has been vital to the history of the Nation, and the sacrifices made by veterans and their families should not be forgotten. These veterans at the very least deserve every opportunity to be buried at a National Cemetery of their choosing. Unfortunately, projections show the Santa Fe National Cemetery will run out of space to provide casketed burials for our veterans at the conclusion of 2000. However, with Senate passage of this bill we are ensuring the continued viability of the Santa Fe National Cemetery. I believe all New Mexicans can be proud of the Santa Fe National Cemetery that has grown from 39/100 of an acre to its current 77 acres. The cemetery first opened in 1868 and within several years was designated a National Cemetery in April of 1875. Men and women who have fought in all of nation's wars hold an honored spot within the hallowed ground of the cemetery. Today the Santa Fe National Cemetery contains almost 27,000 graves that are mostly marked by upright headstones. The Senate's action today guarantees the Santa Fe National Cemetery will not be forced to close next year. A provision in the bill passed today allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for the use of flat grave markers that will extend the useful life of the cemetery until 2008. While I wish the practice of utilizing headstones could continue indefinitely if a veteran chose, my wishes are outweighed by my desire to extend the useful life of the cemetery. I would note that my desire is shared by the New Mexico Chapter of the American Legion, the Albuquerque Chapter of the Retired Officers' Association, and the New Mexico Chapter of the VFW who have all endorsed the use of flat grave markers. Finally, this is not without precedent because exceptions to the law have been granted on six prior occasions with the most recent action occurring in 1994 when Congress authorized the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for flat grave markers at the Willamette National Cemetery in Oregon. Mr. President, I again want to thank Senator Specter for his assistance and state how pleased I am with the final passage of this important bill.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate today will pass S. 1515, an important bill to make some much needed changes to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. I am pleased to join my colleagues, including the Chairmen of the Senate Judiciary and Indian Affairs Committees, in support of this legislation. Mr. President, my home state of New Mexico is the birthplace of the atomic bomb. One of the unfortunate consequences of our country's rapid development of its nuclear arsenal was that many of those who worked in the earliest uranium mines became afflicted with terrible illnesses. I noticed this problem more than twenty years ago, when I learned that miners had contracted an alarmingly high rate of lung cancer and other diseases commonly related to radiation exposure. Many of the miners were Native Americans, mostly members of the Navajo Nation, with whom the United States government has had a longstanding trust relationship based on the treaties and agreements between our country and the tribes. Some 1,500 Navajos worked in the uranium mines from 1947 to 1971. Many of them have since died of horrible radiation-related illnesses. All of the uranium miners, including the Navajos, performed a great service out of patriotic duty to this country. Their work helped us to win the Cold War. Unfortunately, our Nation failed to fulfill its duty to protect the miners' health. After hearing of the problem, I began the effort the miners' health. After hearing of the problem, I began the effort to see that the miners and their families received just compensation for their illnesses. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to recognize a person who has been a champion in the hearts of uranium miners and their families throughout the Colorado Plateau. This person, a former uranium miner himself, has worked tirelessly in advocating many of the reforms we have established within this bill. Mr. President, Paul Hicks of Grants, New Mexico deserves a large amount of credit for bringing attention to this legislation in the United States Senate. Paul is President of the New Mexico Uranium Workers Council and he has spearhearted the grassroots effort that is responsible for several of these much needed reforms. Paul was a uranium miner for over twelve years in New Mexico. He later worked as a lead miner, a shift boss, and ended his mining career as a mine foreman. But as Paul will tell you, ``it takes about ten years to make a good miner, but only ten minutes to make a good foreman.'' Mr. President, Paul Hicks is and will always be a miner at heart. Paul has fought this effort for the miners of the Navajo nation, Acoma Pueblo, Grants, New Mexico, and Dove Creek and Grand Junction, Colorado. Paul Hicks is truly a hero in the heart's of the many people along the Colorado Plateau that have been adversely affected by exposure to uranium. Unfortunately Mr. President, Paul is now facing another battle. That is fight against cancer. Paul was diagnosed last week with bone cancer and now, he must endure massive radiation treatments for the next six weeks. It will be a tough fight, but one I know he'll win. Simply, because I know Paul Hicks. Way back in 1979, I held the first field hearing on this issue in Mr. Hicks' hometown of Grants, New Mexico to learn about the concerns and the health problems faced on uranium miners. In later years, I traveled to Shiprock, New Mexico and the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation to gather more information about the uranium miners and their families. Twelve years after I introduced that first bill, President Bush signed RECA into law. At the time, RECA was intended to provide fair and swift compensation for those miners and downwinders who had contracted certain radiation-related illnesses. Since the RECA trust fund began making awards in 1992, the Department of Justice has approved a total 3,135 claims valued at nearly $232 million. In my home state of New Mexico, there have been 371 claims approved with a value of nearly $37 million. For that work, the Department of Justice is to be commended. The original RECA was a compassionate law which unfortunately has come to be administered in a bureaucratic, dispassionate and often unfair manner. Many claims have languished at the Department of Justice for far too long. Miners and their families, particularly Navajos, often have waited many years for their claims to be processed. Many claims were denied because the miners were smokers and could not prove that their diseases were related solely to uranium mining. In other cases, miners faced problems establishing the requisite amount of working level months needed to make a successful claim. Native American claims by spousal survivors often were denied because of difficulties associated with documenting Native American marriages. This bill makes some important, common-sense changes to the radiation compensation program to address the problems I have outlined. First, it expands the list of compensable diseases to include new cancers, including leukemia, thyroid and brain cancer. It also includes certain non-cancer diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis. Medical science has been able to link these diseases to uranium mining in the 10 years since the enactment of the original RECA. We now know that prolonged radiation exposure can cause many additional diseases. This bill uses the best available science to make sure that those who were injured by radiation exposure are compensated. The bill also extends eligibility to above-ground and open-pit miners, millers and transport workers. The latest science tells us that the risks of disease associated with radiation exposure were not necessarily limited to those who worked in unventilated mines. Most importantly, the bill requires the Department of Justice to take Native American law and customs into account when deciding claims. I have heard countless stories about the inequities faced by the spouses of Navajo miners who have been unable to successfully document their traditional tribal marriages to the satisfaction of the Justice Department under current law and regulations. This bill will change that, and make it easier of spousal survivors to make successful claims. Mr. President, I am pleased to support this important legislation. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill will cost close to $1 billion over the next 21 years. That is far less than some of the other proposals floated in the House and Senate during the past few years. This is a common-sense approach, which addresses many of the problems with the existing program, without unnecessarily expanding the scope of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. The Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has done a fine Job crafting this bill and I have been pleased to work with him in that regard. I yield the floor.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure and honor that I rise today to introduce a bill to create a National Veterans Cemetery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces have made immeasurable sacrifices for the principles of freedom and liberty that make this Nation unique throughout civilization. The service of veterans has been vital to the history of the Nation, and the sacrifices made by veterans and their families should not be forgotten. These veterans at the very least deserve every opportunity to be buried at a National Cemetery with their fellow comrades. However, the Santa Fe National Cemetery, which serves the Northern two thirds of New Mexico, is rapidly approaching maximum capacity. Unfortunately, even though the Senate has already passed my legislation to extend the useful life of the Santa Fe National Cemetery by authorizing the use of flat grave markers the life of the Cemetery will only be extended to 2008. Consequently, I would submit that it is not too soon to being planning or the day when Santa Fe will no longer be available. Before I continue, I would like to take a moment to talk about the Santa Fe National Cemetery. I believe all New Mexicans can be proud of the Santa Fe National Cemetery that has grow from 39/100 of an acre to its current 77 acres. The cemetery first opened in 1868 and within several years was designated a National Cemetery in April of 1875. Men and women who have fought in all of nation's wars hold an honored spot within the hallowed ground of the cemetery. With that said, I believe now is the right time to begin looking for another suitable site to serve as the last resting place for those New Mexico veterans who gave of themselves to protect the American ideals of liberty and freedom. The need to begin planning becomes even more pressing by virtue of the fact that more than half of New Mexico's 180,000 veterans live in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area and internments are expected to peak in 2008. Consequently, I am introducing legislation today to create a National Veterans Cemetery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I also want to compliment Congresswoman Heather Wilson who offered this far-sighted legislation in the House of Representatives last week with the knowledge that there is only a finite amount of space available over the long term at the existing national cemetery in Santa Fe. The Bill simply directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a national cemetery in the Albuquerque metropolitan area and to submit a report to Congress setting forth a schedule for establishing the cemetery. Mr. President, in conclusion I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure and honor that I rise today to introduce a bill to create a National Veterans Cemetery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces have made immeasurable sacrifices for the principles of freedom and liberty that make this Nation unique throughout civilization. The service of veterans has been vital to the history of the Nation, and the sacrifices made by veterans and their families should not be forgotten. These veterans at the very least deserve every opportunity to be buried at a National Cemetery with their fellow comrades. However, the Santa Fe National Cemetery, which serves the Northern two thirds of New Mexico, is rapidly approaching maximum capacity. Unfortunately, even though the Senate has already passed my legislation to extend the useful life of the Santa Fe National Cemetery by authorizing the use of flat grave markers the life of the Cemetery will only be extended to 2008. Consequently, I would submit that it is not too soon to being planning or the day when Santa Fe will no longer be available. Before I continue, I would like to take a moment to talk about the Santa Fe National Cemetery. I believe all New Mexicans can be proud of the Santa Fe National Cemetery that has grow from 39/100 of an acre to its current 77 acres. The cemetery first opened in 1868 and within several years was designated a National Cemetery in April of 1875. Men and women who have fought in all of nation's wars hold an honored spot within the hallowed ground of the cemetery. With that said, I believe now is the right time to begin looking for another suitable site to serve as the last resting place for those New Mexico veterans who gave of themselves to protect the American ideals of liberty and freedom. The need to begin planning becomes even more pressing by virtue of the fact that more than half of New Mexico's 180,000 veterans live in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area and internments are expected to peak in 2008. Consequently, I am introducing legislation today to create a National Veterans Cemetery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I also want to compliment Congresswoman Heather Wilson who offered this far-sighted legislation in the House of Representatives last week with the knowledge that there is only a finite amount of space available over the long term at the existing national cemetery in Santa Fe. The Bill simply directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a national cemetery in the Albuquerque metropolitan area and to submit a report to Congress setting forth a schedule for establishing the cemetery. Mr. President, in conclusion I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Yesterday (November 18), House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier introduced H. Res. 396, a resolution expressing the sense of the House that biennial budgeting legislation should be enacted in the second session of the 106th Congress. Notably, this resolution has 245 cosponsors, significantly more than a majority of that body. Those sponsors include the entire House Republican leadership, 25 members of the House Appropriations Committee, including the Chairman, and 45 Democrats. Critics of biennial budgeting often point to lack of support in the House as a reason why the proposal will never be adopted. That hurdle seems now to have been swept away, as significantly more than a majority of the House has been convinced by the inescapable logic and numerous advantages of a biennial budget process. This year, we have yet again been faced with a numbing repetition of the all-too-familiar appropriations end game. Annual appropriations have been stalled because of a handful of controversial policy and funding issues. While the vast bulk of appropriations are routine and are funded from year to year with only incremental change, they nonetheless are held hostage to these controversial and often unrelated budget and policy debates. This is unnecessary and counterproductive. A biennial budget process would restore the integrity and effectiveness of the appropriations process, would reinvigorate the tradition of separate Congressional authorization and oversight, and would give Federal departments and agencies badly needed time to carry out and evaluate Federal programs more effectively. Many Senators of both parties have long acknowledged the need for a biennial budget process. A majority of House members now concurs. Both President Clinton and Vice-President Gore support biennial budgeting, and recently Governor George W. Bush voice strong support for the idea. All sides now agree that biennial budgeting is the right thing to do. Now is time to go forward. We have studied, talked, and debated enough. Let's now resolve to act on this important bill as soon as possible when we return from the congressional adjournment.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Allergies--all kinds of things. We believe the breakthroughs will come in the next the millennium from this kind of investment. We are proud of it. We increased national defense--if you take out emergencies--by $13.5 billion, and increased the pay for the military at a very significant rate, which was long overdue and much needed. In addition, also in this bill, we have taken care of the shortcomings in Medicare that came from the Balanced Budget Act. And $16 billion goes into that in the next 5 years, including $2.1 billion to replenish skilled nursing home payments. Also, the therapy caps have changed. There are slower reductions in payments for teaching hospitals, and a long list of changes. I ask unanimous consent that the list be printed in the Record.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Thank you very much, I say to Senator Roth. I might say, on the bill that we are speaking to, the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, I do not know how many Senators have ever had a disabled person who is holding a job and getting a paycheck. Come and see them. A disabled person who is holding a job and just got a paycheck--and you get to visit with them--they are glowing. They are filled with pride that they are able to work. Actually, it is the best therapy in the world for a disabled person to have a job. I happen to know that from personal experience in my own family. But I have seen it in scores of faces of people who come and tell me as disabled people that they are working and they are getting a paycheck. The U.S. Government, probably because it did not understand what it was doing, decided that we would help disabled people who were not working with health insurance, either under Medicare or Medicaid. Then what a cruel hoax, as soon as they started working and making sufficient money, as low as $700 a month, they started losing their health care coverage, and they began to wonder and their parents began to wonder, why did they ever take a job? For some, they did not even make any net profit out of getting a job. Because if they are cut off from health care, some of them have to pay their entire paycheck to take care of their illness. That is just not right. Frankly, it was a hard issue in terms of drafting something that could work, and I compliment everybody that worked on this bill. I think it is a very important day today. In fact, I am sorry it is getting passed along with a great deal of other legislation because the importance of it might very well get lost. Sometimes a long debate on a bill is meritorious, for the country finds out what we are doing. They are not necessarily going to find out about this bill because we did not use a lot of time today. But I asked the distinguished chairman if I could use a few moments and he gave it to me. Now, if the Senate would bear with me, I just want to take the remaining time I have, and how much is that?

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by Senator Bingaman in introducing legislation authorizing the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct a feasibility study regarding water supply on the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation in New Mexico. There are major deficiencies with regard to safe water supplies for residents of the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, since the federally owned municipal water system is severely dilapidated. The United States has a trust responsibility to ensure that adequate and safe water supplies are available to meet the economic, environmental, water supply, and public health needs of the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation . Today, the House of Representatives passed identical legislation to help resolve this problem. The Jicarilla Apache Tribe is a federally recognized Indian nation in northern New Mexico, with over 3,000 citizens. In the 1920s, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) constructed a water delivery system to serve federal facilities on the Reservation. In the 1960s, the system was extended to serve tribal facilities and members, but for the last 20 years this federal owned and operated water system has been deteriorating due to inadequate federal funding for regular maintenance and improvements. No capital improvements have been made to the system for at least ten years. Currently, the system is not in compliance with Federal safe drinking water standards or pollutant discharge standards. In October of 1988, the inlet system collapsed and caused a devastating five-day water outage on the Reservation. That catastrophe required emergency assistance from the National Guard. A home burned to the ground without necessary water to fight the fire. After that experience, the Tribe expended its own funds to make some repairs, and began a large-scale evaluation of the system. The Tribe has discovered serious problems with the system. Line breaks are common and frequent, and existing supply facilities are near or at maximum capacity. The Jicarilla Apaches have had to ration water for the last seven summers. According to a recent EPA report, the water system on the Jicarilla Reservation is the third worst system operating in a six-state region. In addition to being out of compliance with federal drinking water standards, the sewage plant has been operating without a federal discharge permit, exposing the BIA to fines up to $25,000 per day. Sewage lagoons are operating at 200% capacity, and wastewater spillage threatens not only the Jicarilla Apaches, but down-stream communities in New Mexico and beyond. The Jicarilla Apache Tribal Council has enacted a resolution declaring a state of emergency due to the continued operation of these unsafe water systems. The Tribe has been forced to expend their own funds due to the serious health threats posed by the unsafe system. In addition to the severe health threats that these systems pose, their inadequate and unsafe condition has virtually suspended social and economic development on the Reservation. The water deficiencies have forced the Tribe to place a moratorium on new projects, including housing, school, senior center, post office, and health care facility construction. These projects cannot be completed, even though many are already funded, because the existing infrastructure cannot support any further development. While the federal government is entirely responsible to maintain and operate the federal water systems which serve the Reservation, the BIA lacks the resources improve the system. The water system on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation is one of only two or three such systems still being maintained by the BIA. The BIA does not even own equipment necessary for routine sewer cleaning. While the BIA has continued federal responsibility for these systems, BIA no longer budgets for water delivery systems. In fact, Kevin Gover of the BIA referred the Tribe to the Bureau of Reclamation for assistance. The Bureau of Reclamation has the needed expertise to help, having experience in providing water to Native Americans through irrigation projects, as well as providing water supplies to other rural communities. The Tribe wants to eventually own and operate the water system, and wishes to enter into a relationship with the Bureau of Reclamation for completion of rehabilitation of this project. This legislation will allow the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct a feasibility study to determine the best method for developing a safe and adequate municipal, rural, and industrial water supply for the residents of the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation in the State of New Mexico. We want to help the Jicarilla Apaches end their water crisis, and secure congressional authorization for the necessary studies the Bureau of Reclamation has the expertise to conduct. I ask unanimous consent that our proposed legislation and the Jicarilla Apache Counsel Resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by Senator Bingaman in introducing legislation authorizing the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct a feasibility study regarding water supply on the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation in New Mexico. There are major deficiencies with regard to safe water supplies for residents of the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, since the federally owned municipal water system is severely dilapidated. The United States has a trust responsibility to ensure that adequate and safe water supplies are available to meet the economic, environmental, water supply, and public health needs of the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation . Today, the House of Representatives passed identical legislation to help resolve this problem. The Jicarilla Apache Tribe is a federally recognized Indian nation in northern New Mexico, with over 3,000 citizens. In the 1920s, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) constructed a water delivery system to serve federal facilities on the Reservation. In the 1960s, the system was extended to serve tribal facilities and members, but for the last 20 years this federal owned and operated water system has been deteriorating due to inadequate federal funding for regular maintenance and improvements. No capital improvements have been made to the system for at least ten years. Currently, the system is not in compliance with Federal safe drinking water standards or pollutant discharge standards. In October of 1988, the inlet system collapsed and caused a devastating five-day water outage on the Reservation. That catastrophe required emergency assistance from the National Guard. A home burned to the ground without necessary water to fight the fire. After that experience, the Tribe expended its own funds to make some repairs, and began a large-scale evaluation of the system. The Tribe has discovered serious problems with the system. Line breaks are common and frequent, and existing supply facilities are near or at maximum capacity. The Jicarilla Apaches have had to ration water for the last seven summers. According to a recent EPA report, the water system on the Jicarilla Reservation is the third worst system operating in a six-state region. In addition to being out of compliance with federal drinking water standards, the sewage plant has been operating without a federal discharge permit, exposing the BIA to fines up to $25,000 per day. Sewage lagoons are operating at 200% capacity, and wastewater spillage threatens not only the Jicarilla Apaches, but down-stream communities in New Mexico and beyond. The Jicarilla Apache Tribal Council has enacted a resolution declaring a state of emergency due to the continued operation of these unsafe water systems. The Tribe has been forced to expend their own funds due to the serious health threats posed by the unsafe system. In addition to the severe health threats that these systems pose, their inadequate and unsafe condition has virtually suspended social and economic development on the Reservation. The water deficiencies have forced the Tribe to place a moratorium on new projects, including housing, school, senior center, post office, and health care facility construction. These projects cannot be completed, even though many are already funded, because the existing infrastructure cannot support any further development. While the federal government is entirely responsible to maintain and operate the federal water systems which serve the Reservation, the BIA lacks the resources improve the system. The water system on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation is one of only two or three such systems still being maintained by the BIA. The BIA does not even own equipment necessary for routine sewer cleaning. While the BIA has continued federal responsibility for these systems, BIA no longer budgets for water delivery systems. In fact, Kevin Gover of the BIA referred the Tribe to the Bureau of Reclamation for assistance. The Bureau of Reclamation has the needed expertise to help, having experience in providing water to Native Americans through irrigation projects, as well as providing water supplies to other rural communities. The Tribe wants to eventually own and operate the water system, and wishes to enter into a relationship with the Bureau of Reclamation for completion of rehabilitation of this project. This legislation will allow the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct a feasibility study to determine the best method for developing a safe and adequate municipal, rural, and industrial water supply for the residents of the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation in the State of New Mexico. We want to help the Jicarilla Apaches end their water crisis, and secure congressional authorization for the necessary studies the Bureau of Reclamation has the expertise to conduct. I ask unanimous consent that our proposed legislation and the Jicarilla Apache Counsel Resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to salute the selfless men and women who have sacrificed so much in order to secure and protect the freedoms that we, as Americans, enjoy today. Volunteering one's body and mind without thought of consequence in order to safeguard the ideologies our country holds dear, is the utmost act of patriotism. Today we recognize the importance of the hardships endured by our Nation's veterans to preserve peace and freedom. As a Senator from New Mexico, I take great pride in the fact that New Mexico has among the top ten highest per capita military retiree populations in the Nation and honor the prominent contributions they have made towards the preservation of our great Nation. During World War II, members of the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery, better known as the New Mexico Brigade, repelled Japanese attacks for 4 months before being overwhelmed by disease and starvation. Following the ensuing capture, the survivors of the battle were subjected to an 85-mile ``Death March.'' These men were then held for more than 40 months in Japanese prisoner of war camps. Of the 1,800 men in the New Mexico Brigade, less than 900 returned home and a third of those who did died within a year of returning to the U.S. The bravery exhibited by the New Mexico Brigade is characteristic of the men and women that comprise our Armed Forces. As a nation, we have an obligation to provide for those who have risked everything to the benefit of all. I am pleased that this session of Congress has produced legislation which will increase funding for veterans health care by $1.7 billion to a total of $19.6 billion for fiscal year 2000. However, we need to remain vigilant in our commitment to provide for those who are charged with the considerable task of defending this country from potential adversaries. Today I would like to pay tribute to our veterans and I am sure that my colleagues will join me in honoring these valorous men and women for their dedicated service to our great Nation.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Bingaman and I be permitted to proceed for 10 minutes as in morning business for the purposes of introduction of an important bill.

Mr. DOMENICI. Senator Bingaman and I want to introduce a bill that is very historic to New Mexico, and we would like to each speak for about 5 minutes on it. We do not ask for any action. It will be referred to its appropriate committee.

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

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, the Republican bill does the following: It raises the minimum wage $1 in three installments instead of two. It gives great opportunity to small businesspeople and others who have been denied relief under the Tax Code of this country. Let me explain so everybody will understand the basic ones we try to help in this bill. One, we help workers pay for health care. For the first time in history, workers in the United States, many who work for small businesses, can buy their own health insurance and deduct every penny of it. Heretofore, they could not do that. We have a 100 percent self-employed health insurance deduction. That should have been the case 10 years ago. We finally have it in this bill. We made permanent the work opportunity tax credit, which is to help employers, mostly small businesses, hire those who cannot get jobs, and they get a credit for it. We made that permanent. That is good for America since we have reduced the number of welfare recipients in America by 48 percent; and we need to make permanent the incentive to hire them. We have reduced the Federal unemployment surtax. As I said, we have made permanent that work opportunity tax credit I just told you about. In addition, there is no question that the Democrats decided to raise taxes to pay for their wage increases. So they raise taxes almost $13 billion in the first 5 years, which is not necessary with the kind of surpluses that we have. We have used merely 12.5 percent of the tax cuts we had proposed 5 months ago. So 12.5 percent of them are in this bill. This is the right thing to do. Let me close by telling you, 55 percent of the minimum wage earners in America are young people; two-thirds are part-time workers; and 8 percent are women who are heads of households working full time. I yield the floor.

Mr. DOMENICI. I say to Senator Kennedy, I am prepared to yield back my time. Are you?

Mr. DOMENICI. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. President. What is the next order of business?

Mr. DOMENICI. I thank Senator Kennedy for a good debate. It was pretty exciting for so early in the morning. The Senator is pretty energetic even at 9 o'clock. However, let me close by saying our amendment saves small business and gives them an opportunity to grow and prosper and energize this economy; at the same time, it gives every opportunity for the young people in our country to get into jobs wherein they break into the marketplace, that first-level job, and get those kinds of jobs in sufficient numbers to be helpful for whatever they are doing. There are even high school students doing this. They are 50 percent of the minimum-wage people in this country. I have nothing against them. I have eight children; six of them worked in restaurants before they went to college and saved enough money because I didn't have enough money to put them through, having that many children. I understand that. They worked hard. They got promoted. Nothing could be further from the truth that we are trying to hurt young people, whatever their status. We want them and their employers to continue to have a mutual opportunity--mutual for the small business to energize the economy and mutual for job opportunity at the first level of employment in the American system. If Members are speaking of women heads of households, they are not talking about the minimum wage today; they are talking about the minimum wage 30 years ago. Eight percent of the minimum-wage earners in America today are women with full-time jobs--not 30, 40, or 50; 8 percent. Clearly, we are trying to give everybody an opportunity to get better training and move ahead in job opportunities in the United States. I move to table the Kennedy amendment, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I say to my friend from Massachusetts that I can yell as loud as he. But today I won't do that because I believe we have a great bill and a great position. The Republicans do support the minimum wage. In fact, they are going to vote for the minimum wage that I propose. That is, instead of a dollar coming in two installments, it will come in three, of 35 cents, 35 cents, and 30 cents. Frankly, there will be an overwhelming vote in favor of that. In addition, we took the opportunity to give small business and some other absolutely necessary situations that need it tax relief. We chose in this bill to do that. Those have been explained fairly well. I will take a minute at the end of my remarks to explain them one more time. I suggest that the Democrats are living in an era that has passed. If they were here on the floor in the 1930s, they would have a case. They would have a case that the minimum wage is going to affect poor families supporting their children. That was the issue in the 1930s. But I suggest the best research today says that day is gone in terms of who is impacted by the minimum wage. It is more likely to impact a teenager than it is the head of a household. The fact is, 55 percent of the minimum wage applies to people between the ages of 16 and 24. The overwhelming number of those are teenagers in part-time jobs, working in McDonald's-type restaurants across America. They need these jobs. They don't even stay in the minimum-wage position very long, according to the research we have seen. If they work well and choose to follow the rules and the orders and do an excellent job, they are raised above the minimum wage rather quickly. To put it another way, to show that the arguments about who benefits from the minimum wage are passe 1930 arguments, two-thirds of all minimum-wage people are part-time employees. The fact is, the argument that these are women heads of households is absolutely dispelled by reality. The best we can find out is that 8 percent of the minimum-wage employees in America today are women heads of households, not the numbers or the tenor and tone of the argument about the slap of the hand we are giving to those who work in America. Quite the contrary. Our minimum wage reflects a sufficient increase to match up with inflation, and we permit many people an opportunity to get into the job market. In fact, we make permanent one of the best taxes we have, which is now there on an interim basis. It says if you hire minimum-wage workers out of the welfare system, and you want to take a chance because they aren't capable of doing the jobs and you need to train them, you get a credit for that. That is a very good part of the Tax Code. We make that permanent so it costs something and it uses up some of our tax money. As to the argument of how big this tax cut is, it is 12.5 percent of the total tax package that the Republicans offered, which passed here and the President vetoed. It tries something very new and exciting. It says to Americans who want to buy their own insurance--because their employers don't furnish it--for the first time, they are going to be permitted to deduct the entirety of their health insurance. Heretofore, they were punished if they tried to buy it, penalized because they didn't get to deduct it while everybody else did. We also made permanent the allowance that the self-employed can take the insurance deduction. We raise that to 100 percent. Everybody knows that is good. Everybody knows that helps with the problem of the uninsured in America, and that is good. So, for all the talk, the Republicans have come forward with a very good bill. I am very pleased that I suggested to the Republicans the basics of this bill, that we ought to do it in three installments. Some wanted to make it longer. Actually, I think this is exactly the right length of time. Add to that the kind of tax relief we have provided versus the tax increases on that side, and it seems to me there is no choice. While everybody is clamoring to do something about the estate tax because it is a very onerous tax, as if to try to punish people, in a minimum-wage bill they raise death taxes and inheritance taxes. I don't care what kind of American they impose it on. We don't have to do that when we are reforming that system because it is somewhat confiscatory. I could go on, but if anybody has any doubt, the gross tax increase under the Democrat package is $12.5 billion over 5 years, and a $28.9 billion tax increase over 10 years. What in the world are we increasing taxes for at this point? To pay for a minimum-wage bill? Of course not. It is because they want other tax relief and they choose to raise taxes to give the benefit to someone else. There is sufficient surplus. This is a very small tax cut in our package--12.5 percent of what we perceived was adequate and what we could do about 4 months ago with the surpluses we have. The President proposed $250 billion, $300 billion in tax relief. In this bill, they raise taxes rather than take advantage of what we know is the right thing; that is, to reduce taxes in these economic times. I reserve my remaining time.

Mr. DOMENICI. I yield 4 minutes to Senator Nickles.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. How does the current language of section 415 deprive workers of the pensions they earn?

Mr. DOMENICI. Does the Senior Senator from Alaska have any examples of how section 415 negatively impacts workers in multiemployer plans?

Mr. DOMENICI. Does this affect all retirees with pension plans?

Mr. DOMENICI. How does the current treatment of section 415 comport with recent efforts to increase pension education and to encourage people to save for retirement?

Mr. DOMENICI. How would the proposed changes to section 415 impact the treasury?