John Ensign

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise in strong support of the amendment offered by Senator Gregg to cut the capital gains tax rate from 20 percent to 15 percent. I truly believe of all of the economic stimulus that needs to happen through a tax cut, there is none more important that we can do as a Senate than to cut the capital gains tax rate from 20 percent to 15 percent and the lower rate from 10 percent to 8 percent. If any of our colleagues had read the Wall Street Journal this Monday, not only was there an excellent op-ed by several authors that illustrated how much revenue would be produced if we cut the rates at which capital gains are taxed, but also on the front page of the Wall Street Journal there was an article talking about the various States whose revenues are going to have serious shortfalls, including the State of California, simply because of the problems in the stock market. The State of California probably is going to suffer worse than any other State because many of the high-tech companies in these States are paying in stock options. When those stock options are exercised, their employees actually pay ordinary income taxes. Those income taxes also usually have a State income tax, as is the case in California, and because the stock market has been depressed for the past 6 months, and it looks like for quite a bit of this year, none of these stock options is worth anything, so the employees cannot exercise the stock options. Therefore, States such as California are having serious budget shortfalls. Not only to stimulate the economy is a capital gains tax rate reduction absolutely necessary, but it is also important to many of the States' budgets, including the Presiding Officer's home State, the State of Virginia, which has a similar problem. We can help State budgets not suffer serious shortfalls this year by cutting the rate on which capital gains are taxed. I truly believe it is going to be an incredibly important tax cut for us to enact. Over 10 years it only scores, as far as what it will cost the Federal Government, about $10 billion, and I believe, with all deference to the Joint Tax Committee, the bean counters over there who actually score these various provisions, historically if one looks at the economic activity that happens with a capital gains tax rate reduction, that $10 billion it says is going to cost the Treasury, it is going to actually produce more revenue over the next 10 years than it costs the Treasury. Cutting the rate at which capital gains are taxed is one of the most important things in the short term and in the long term. It makes no sense at all to even have a capital gains tax, and the least we can do is to cut the rate. Most industrialized countries around the world do not tax capital because they understand this simple formula, and I talk to high school students about this all the time. In order to have employees, there first have to be employers. Most people in America understand that. I am not sure how many in Congress do but most of the people in America get that. In order to have employers, there first has to be capital. To tax the formation of capital hurts the ability to have employers, which hurts employees, thus hurting jobs in America or wherever capital is taxed. That is the reason we should someday eliminate the capital gains tax, but for sure we should at least decrease the rate to incentivize people to invest. Investing creates jobs, and that is really what it is all about. If we want to stimulate the economy, this is the best thing to do. I yield the floor and ask other Senators to support this critical amendment.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I am pleased to rise today in support of the sense of the Senate being offered by the junior Senator from California on the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. The 21st Century Community Learning Centers provide a safe-haven for children during the after-school hours. They provide students in rural and inner-city public schools with access to homework centers, tutors, mentors, and drug and alcohol prevention counseling, as well as cultural and recreational activities. Nationwide, these centers serve over 615,000 children per year in over 3,600 public schools. There are an estimated 8 million ``latch-key kids'' who go home every day to an empty house after school. Approximately 35 percent of 12 year-olds are regularly left alone while their parents are at work. Parents need a viable alternative to leaving their children alone. According to the Department of Education, children who regularly attend high-quality after-school programs have better peer relations and emotional adjustment, better grades and conduct in school, more academic and enrichment opportunities, spend less time watching television, and have lower incidences of drug-use, violence, and pregnancy. This makes sense considering that studies by the FBI have found that the peak hours for juvenile crime and victimization are from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. My home State of Nevada receives four grants from this program, which serve numerous elementary, middle, and high schools across the state. Recently a news crew was visiting one of the 21st Century Community Learning Center sites in Las Vegas and asked the children why they liked coming to the program. The children responded more enthusiastically than the reporter had anticipated, stating that the program had helped them improve their grades from D's and F's to A's and B's, and was a safe and fun place for them to go after school. I am committed to ensuring that our schools have the assistance they need to ensure that our children leave the public education system as well-rounded individuals. Children attending public schools should not only be proficient in reading, writing, and arithmetic, but should also be skillful in music, art, and athletics. I hope that my colleagues will support this amendment to prove that Congress is willing to provide the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program with the much-needed support that it deserves. Mr. President, on a personal note, when I was growing up with a single mother--my mom worked--at times she wasn't home for us latchkey kids and we did not have these types of programs after school. I will tell you that I was on my road to a life of crime because of the situation. I was very fortunate that later in life my mom got remarried and was able to quit her job and stay home with us; but a lot of parents are not in that kind of a situation. There is no question that direct supervision helped me turn away from a life of juvenile delinquency into now what, obviously, has become a productive life. At least I like to think of it that way. I think of many children, though, in the same situation that I was in, go home after school with nothing to do. Back then, my friends and I would say: What are we going to do today? We would think of numerous ways to get in trouble. Now, the things that we did back then, which we don't want to mention today, were not exactly good things to do but are mild compared to what a lot of the kids are into today because of the influences we have in our society. So for us to use programs such as this, programs that are working to make a difference and giving children positive things to do, I think these programs should be applauded and supported. We should work to eliminate wasteful Government spending, but when Government programs such as this are working, we should all be getting behind them and say: Let us fund these programs; let us make sure that they are working effectively. Hold them accountable for their results. But as long as they are providing the results they have been, I think we should continue to support them. Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I thank the junior Senator from California for allowing me to participate in her amendment. (Mr. ENSIGN assumed the Chair.)

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, today the Senate will immediately resume consideration of the Murray amendment regarding class size. Under the order, there will be 2 hours of debate on the amendment prior to the 12:30 recess. When the Senate reconvenes at 2:15 p.m., there will be 5 minutes for final remarks on the Murray amendment with a vote to occur at 2:20 p.m. Following the vote, the Senate will continue consideration of amendments to the education bill. Rollcall votes are expected throughout the day. I thank my colleagues for their attention.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 85, submitted earlier by Senator Warner for himself and others.

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I now ask that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order following the remarks of Senator Conrad.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 74.

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 108, which is at the desk.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that the HELP Committee be discharged from further consideration of the following nominations, and, further, the Senate proceed to their consideration: Pat Pizzella, PN296; Ann Combs, PN354; David Lauriski, PN324; Shinae Chun, PN370; and Stephen Goldsmith, PN222. I further ask unanimous consent that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then return to legislative session.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 86, submitted earlier by Senator Bond for himself and others.

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Armed Services Committee be discharged from consideration of S. Res. 80 and the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution and preamble be agreed to en bloc, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 428 and that the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. ENSIGN. Senator Hatch has an amendment at the desk. I ask for its consideration.

Mr. ENSIGN. I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read the third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, on behalf of the leader, I have a number of items for wrapup. I ask the following consents as in morning business.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. For the information of all Senators, there will be up to 1 hour 50 minutes of debate remaining on the budget conference report tomorrow morning. It is expected that some time on the resolution will be yielded back, and therefore the vote is expected to occur between 11 and 11:30 tomorrow morning. After the disposition of the budget conference report, the Senate will resume consideration of the education bill. There are numerous amendments pending and further amendments are expected to be offered. Therefore, further votes will occur during tomorrow's session.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until the hour of 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 10. I further ask consent that on Thursday, immediately following the prayer, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and that the Senate then resume consideration of the conference report to accompany the budget resolution as under the previous order.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 81 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. ENSIGN. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and, finally, any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise today in order to join my colleague Senator Reid and other members of the Nevada Delegation in introducing a bill that would designate the U.S. Post Office facility located at 811 Main Street in Yerington, as the ``Joseph E. Dini, Jr. Post Office.'' Jospeh Deni was born and raised in Yerington, Nevada. As a native Nevadan, Joe has passionately served the interests of Western Nevadans in the State Assembly for over thirty years. His tenure as the longest- serving assemblyman in Nevada's history includes a record eight terms as Speaker. In 1995, Joe was a co-Speaker over an evenly divided State Assembly, and it was his effective leadership that allowed the Legislature to maintain its productivity and pass sweeping reforms to Nevada's criminal justice system. In addition to his service to Nevada as a legislator, Joe has been extremely active in a number of community service organizations. Specifically, he serves as a member of the Yerington Rotary Club and has been involved with the Yerington Volunteer Fire Department. Joe has also received special recognition awards from such groups as the Nevada State Firefighters Association, Nevada Farm Bureau, Nevada Judges Association, Nevada Education Association and the Yerington Kiwanis Club. Joe embodies the best in public service and bipartisanship, and is admired throughout Nevada as a valuable mentor and leader. Joe spent the last three decades working tirelessly and behind the scenes for our State. All Nevadans will be proud to have a post office named after a man who has committed his life to public service.

Mr. ENSIGN

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I first thank the Senator from Michigan for the work we have done together. He started this work and I joined him in it some time ago. We had a few differences on the amendment, but we were able to work those out. I thank the managers of the bill for also working with us to make sure we would be able to include this amendment in the bill. It is a very important amendment. We look at our turnout of voters today, and we see a continual decline each and every year. The people who have brought the underlying bill to the floor are doing it partially because of that decreasing turnout. People out there in America are increasingly turned off from elections because of negative ads. A lot of those negative ads have been funded by some of the independent expenditures as well as some of the soft money that has been run through the parties. What this bill, I don't think, intended to do, however, was to limit the activities of actually getting people to the polls, of first signing people up to register to vote and then encouraging them to go to the polls. When I was running against Senator Harry Reid back in 1998, the labor unions put about 300 people on the ground to get out the vote for Senator Reid. It was perfectly within their right to do that. This bill would have limited, though, State parties from doing similar activities. We want to encourage more people to go to the polls, not discourage people from going to the polls. Let's face it, if more people are not interested in our government, if they are not participating in this form of government we call a Republic, then our Republic will be doomed. We have to encourage people to go to the polls, and part of that is through the State parties. This amendment is going to allow State parties to be funded to the point where they will have the resources to be able to get people to the polls on election day because they will be allowed to spend money for voter ID, for voter registration, and then for what is called get- out-the-vote efforts, things that are very important for increasing the number of people who get to the polls. I thank the Senator from Michigan for working together on this amendment. It is a very important amendment. I also thank Senator McConnell for allowing us to bring this amendment up. I yield the floor.