Chuck Grassley

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, getting old is probably the most universal experience no one really likes to talk about. Sure, people talk about minor aches and pains, but the big topics are unmentionable. They include paying for a funeral, preparing for a nursing home stay, or getting checked for prostate problems. These things make people uncomfortable, but they really should not. Consider Katie Couric's comment about colon cancer. She said, ``Some people find the procedures like . . . colonoscopies unappealing. I can tell you they are all much more appealing than dying of this disease.'' In honor of Older Americans Month, I encourage aging adults--and that means all of us--to mention the unmentionable, and to think the unthinkable. Once you get these chores done, the rest of your years will be a day in the country. Here are 10 Smart Things to Do While You Age: 1. Secure your retirement income. One financial planner said saving for retirement is ``like pushing a ball up a hill. The longer you wait, the steeper the hill (seems).'' Yet 56 percent of U.S. households do not save enough for retirement. What should you do? The experts advise developing a financial plan and sticking to it. Save $25 a week for 40 years with 5 percent interest. You will have $165,000. Before you decide how much to set aside, think about how much you will need to maintain a standard of living. My own advice is do not overrely on Social Security. Think of it this way, a solid retirement plan is a three-legged stool of Social Security, retirement savings, and a pension. Look carefully at your pension plan, too. Make sure you understand what's coming to you, and when. 2. Think about where you would like to live, and how. Do you dream of staying in the same town or city for the rest of your life? If necessary, could you modify your home to accommodate you as you get older? Would you like to move closer to friends and family? Would you like a condo on the beach in Florida or an assisted living facility, where you pay people to do your laundry and cook your meals? This item goes hand-in-hand with financial planning. The more retirement income you have, the more housing options you have. 3. Get preventive health checks, exercise, and eat well. Preventive health checks are getting easier all the time. Increasingly, they are available through insurance coverage. Medicare covers vaccinations, mammograms and screenings for colon and prostate cancer, diabetes and other illnesses. Unfortunately people often do not take advantage of the health screenings available to them. Only one of eight older people gets the recommended testing for colon cancer. This is a shame, when you consider that colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death. More than half of all Americans do not get the exercise they need. Generally, the older people get, the less they exercise. Of course, some people have physical limitations that prevent such activities, but those who can exercise should, and at any age, doctors say. Exercise can help stave off heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. A good diet carries many of the same benefits 4. Write a will or living trust. Either of these documents delineates how you'd like your property distributed after your death. If you die without a will, the State will distribute your property for you. The result may be contrary to your wishes. It is best to write a will or living trust well before old age. That way, your spouse and children will be provided for if you face an untimely death. More than 40 percent of people 35 or older do not have any kind of legal document determining how their belongings will be distributed after they die. 5. Consider long-term care insurance. Many people do not realize that nursing homes are very expensive. Most nursing home residents do not pay out of their pockets for long. They spend down their assets to become qualified for Medicaid, which then picks up the tab. Spending down assets means giving up almost everything, including a house. Long- term care insurance is an option for covering long-term care expenses. The earlier you buy the insurance, the less expensive your premiums. I have sponsored legislation that would establish a tax deduction to encourage the purchase of long-term insurance. 6. Plan your funeral and burial or cremation. The national average cost for a funeral, burial and monument is $7,520. These costs can be much lower, but they can be much, much higher. The average mark-up on caskets is high. The latest estimated mark-up is 500 percent. Some are marked up as high as 2,000 percent. The high costs, and the presence of some bad applies in this industry, build the case for arranging a funeral early. It is hard to comparison-shop when you are grieving. If you plan ahead, you can call funeral homes for the best price. Of course, planning ahead has its pitfalls. Be sure you tell your family members about prearrangements, and give them all the relevant paperwork. That way, your family can verify that your contract is fulfilled after you're gone. 7. Think about whether a family member will care for you, or vice versa. Unpaid family caregivers keep millions of people at home and out of nursing homes. More than 22 million households have a caregiver who is age 50 or older. The majority are women. Caregiving takes a large toll, both financially and emotionally. I am working to provide more resources to family caregivers, including a $3,000 tax credit that would help them cover their expenses. 8. Decide how long you will work. Until recently, people who worked past age 65 lost Social Security benefits if they made more than $17,000 a year. Congress just repealed that penalty for people ages 65 to 69. This likely will cause many Americans to rethink whether they will work past age 65, either part-time or full-time. Choosing the best age at which to retire is an important financial decision. 9. Determine your treatment at the end of life. In a living will, which, or course, is completely different from an estate-planning will, you direct how your doctor should administer life-sustaining treatment if you are unable to decide for yourself. A living will guides your treatment if you are terminally ill, irreversibly unconscious, or in a persistent vegetative state. 10. Enjoy yourself. You have worked hard to stay financially fit and physically healthy. The opportunities for older Americans are greater than ever before. You can work well into your eighties and nineties if you choose. You can become a competitor in the Senior Olympics. You can write a book, volunteer with your church, or teach people how to read. Surf the Internet. E-mail your grandchildren. Take advantage of the insight and depth that inevitably come with aging. Someone once said, ``Being a fun person is the hallmark of true maturity. I yield the floor.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, we have now reached the final stage of the legislative process with regard to the Trade and Development Act of 2000. The moment has come to vote on final passage. Once again, I urge my distinguished colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for opportunity, to vote to reaffirm America's historic leadership in international trade. What we do here, what we say here, reverberates all around the world. So I say to my distinguished colleagues, let's send a resounding message, a clear message, a strong message, that America is engaged with the world. I urge my colleagues to vote for the Trade and Development Act of 2000. I hope we will have speakers now on the African trade bill so we can move ahead to get a vote on that. I think I have not had any requests for speakers in support of the legislation because those of us who support the legislation would like to move it to immediate passage. I hope those who would still like to speak in opposition to it and express those points of view will please do that at this particular time. In the meantime, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. GRASSLEY. The Senator is correct.

Mr. GRASSLEY. The Senator is correct.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, following up on what Senator Moynihan just said, and associating myself with those remarks, as important as the bill we passed is for the continent of Africa and the Caribbean Basin Initiative, and as important as it is for the consumers of America and the 120,000 new jobs it is going to create for American working men and women, this bill is far more significant, from my point of view, because it is the first major piece of trade legislation passing the Congress in years, as Senator Moynihan said. In the meantime, I think the United States has been seen by other nations as giving up some of our traditional leadership around the world in negotiations and tearing down trade barriers, which has been our role as a world leader since 1947. I hope that this legislation is the start of America, once again, leading the world in reducing barriers to trade, the promotion of international trade, and seeing trade as more important than aid as an instrument to helping depressed economies around the world. I look forward to the continuation of our leadership in setting the agenda for the World Trade Organization agenda and regional trade agreements, as well. Besides all the staff members Senator Moynihan mentioned, I also compliment my international trade counsel, Richard Chriss, on his outstanding contribution to the passage of the Africa Trade and CBI bill. I yield the floor.

Mr. GRASSLEY. I agree with distinguished colleagues from Tennessee and Virginia that Temp. Reg. Section 1.448-2T presents problems for qualified service providers. Furthermore, the Treasury Secretary should consider amending these temporary regulations to provide a more accurate method.

Mr. GRASSLEY. That is correct, provided that all the other requirements of both the 807A and 809 provisions are satisfied. This includes the requirement that U.S. thread be used in the assembly of the apparel article.

Mr. GRASSLEY. That is correct.

Mr. GRASSLEY. That is the case.

Mr. GRASSLEY. The Senator is correct.

Mr. GRASSLEY. That is correct. While the fibers need not be manufactured in the United States, let me be clear that it is the managers' intent that the man-made core of a wrapped yarn must originate in the United States and that all mechanical processes necessary to convey fibers into yarns must be performed in the United States.

Mr. GRASSLEY. The Senator is correct. The Finance Committee reported out the Africa and Caribbean Basin measures separately. The committee reports on each of those measure addresses this issue explicitly. The reports make clear that those provisions commonly referred to as ``807A'' and ``809'' are to be administered in a manner consistent with the then-current regulations regarding the ``Special Access Program'' for textile and apparel articles from the Caribbean and Andean Trade Preference Act countries. The report, in fact, expressly cites the Federal Register notice dated April 3, 1998, that sets out the rules that the Committee intended would apply. The language of the reports then restates the language of the Federal Register notice, concluding that the requirements that products must be assembled from fabric formed in the United States applies to all textile components of the assembled products, including linings and pocketing.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 11, 2000, at 10:00 a.m. to hold a hearing.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to conduct a hearing Thursday, May 11, 2000, at 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., to receive testimony on the Administration's legislative proposal on the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 11, 2000, at 9:30 a.m. on reauthorization of the Pipeline Safety Act.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic Preservation and Recreation of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 11 at 2:30 p.m. to conduct a hearing. The subcommittee will receive testimony on S. 1367, a bill to amend the Act which established the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, in the State of New Hampshire, by modifying the boundary and for other purposes; S. 1617, a bill to promote preservation and public awareness of the history of the Underground Railroad by providing financial assistance, to the Freedom Center, in Cincinnati, Ohio; S. 1670, a bill to revise the boundary of Fort Mantanzas National Monument, and for other purposes; S. 2020, a bill to adjust the boundary of the Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi, and for other purposes; S. 2478, a bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a theme study on the peopling of America, and for other purposes; and S. 2485, a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance in planning and constructing a regional heritage center in Calais, Maine.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 11, 2000, to conduct a hearing on pending nominations.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, May 11, 2000, at 10:00 a.m. The markup will take place in Dirksen Room 226.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. I defer to the Senator from New York.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleagues Senator Bond and Senator Durbin, as an original cosponsor to the Clean Air and Water Preservation Act of 2000. I commend them for their leadership in resolving a very real problem--not a phony problem. The real problem is that MTBE is contaminating our Nation's water supplies. The phony problem is the proposition that the Clean Air Act's oxygenate standard caused the MTBE water contamination. Unfortunately, powerful, influential forces are trying to sucker Congress and the American public into embracing the phony problem. Some propagandists of the phony problem may be motivated by greed. After all, if the petroleum industry gets its way, its profits will balloon. If they can get Congress or the administration to grant waivers of the oxygenate standard, big oil will be able to squeeze out the 3 to 4 percent of the market currently supplied by alternatives. The Department of Energy has determined that even a small amount of alternative fuels can save consumers billions of dollars each year by leveraging lower gasoline prices. Petroleum companies also tell us that they can produce a gasoline just as clean for the air, but without oxygenates. Of course, they tell you that it will come at some extra cost. Mr. President, I must ask my colleagues: Do we really need to give the petroleum industry both the ability and the excuse to jack up gasoline prices and further gouge American consumers? Of course not. And the way to make certain this does not happen is by enacting the Clean Air and Water Preservation Act of 2000. Other propagandists of the phony problem may be political opportunists seeking to engage in some self-serving election-year shenanigans. The Clinton administration is facing a tough political dilemma. Chevron and other petroleum interests have convinced California's Governor that the only solution to the MTBE problem is to waive the oxygenate requirement. California represents enormous political stakes for November's elections. Understandably, the Clinton administration does not want to say ``no'' to California. But the Clinton administration does not want to say ``no'' to America's farmers. If the administration gives California and other states a waiver from the oxygenate standard, they will have single- handedly destroyed a $1 billion per year market for America's farmers. So, what's the easy political solution? Simple. Throw the hot-potato into the laps of Congress. Hold a press conference laying out quote, end-quote, legislative principles for solving the MTBE problem. By dumping this on Congress, the administration does not have to make the tough decisions, and will be in a position to second-guess and attack anything and everything Congress does do to try to work this out. And the irony of all of this, is that had the Clinton administration followed Congressional intent about the Clean Air Act Reformulated Fuels Program, instead of listening to the oil companies and some misguided environmentalists, other oxygenates such as ethanol could have competed with MTBE, and we would have far less MTBE water contamination today. The Clinton administration was warned loud and clear about the health and environmental problems of MTBE. I personally sent many letters and made a lengthy floor statement in 1993 warning then about MTBE and urging that they not give Big Oil a regulation guaranteeing them a market monopoly over the oxygenated problem. Anyone who has ever smelled MTBE, knows that had consumers been given a choice, they would have overwhelmingly chose to buy reformulated fuel made with ethanol, not MTBE. So the Clinton administration created this MTBE problem in the first place, and now they tell the world that the only way to correct it is for Congress to fix it. That's just not true. But the truth sort of got lost during the administration's press conference by EPA's Carol Browner. She forgot to tell the American public the truth that each and every State has the authority to protect its water supplies from MTBE contamination. As long as the States pass laws designed to protect the water, as opposed to protecting the air, the Clean Air Act does not legally pre-empt the States from taking action on their own. And I received assurances from EPA during a recent hearing that they would never attempt to stop a State from protecting water supplies from MTBE contamination. Now, some would argue that the oil industry would try to challenge such efforts in court. Mr. President, that proposition is ridiculous. The oil companies chose to use MTBE instead of ethanol. They are now liable for what could be billions of dollars of MTBE clean up costs. And these liability costs mount with every day that passes, that the oil companies refuse to replace MTBE with other oxygenates. Therefore, who in their right mind could think that the oil companies are stupid enough to take court action to block a State from banning the use of MTBE? So, why didn't EPA's Carol Browner announce to the world the States already have the authority to ban MTBE--the source of the real problem? Well, if the administration admits the truth, and if they fail to convince Americans and Congress that only Congress can fix this problem, then the Clinton administration is stuck back at ``square one'' having to choose between California or America's farmers who have suffered the lowest prices in decades. Mr. President, there are others pushing the phony problem who may simply be struggling to save face, hoping that they not suffer the embarrassment of being proven wrong--wrong in their efforts to help petroleum interests in securing a Clinton administration regulation guaranteeing that MTBE would monopolize the oxygenate market. These environmentalists would like the public to believe that ethanol was never really a viable option--not then, not now. If they ever concede that point, then it will be clear to Americans that these environmentalists were key promoters of what has turned out to be one of the biggest environmental crises ever to face America. Mr. President, there are some environmentalists who do not like ethanol, simply because it is something that can be made by farmers. They don't like farmers because sometimes they have to use fertilizers and chemicals. It is that simple-minded. Mr. President, the real problem is MTBE, and the real solution to this problem is passing the bill introduced today by our colleagues Senator Bond and Senator Durbin. I warn my colleagues, however, that if they buy into the phony problem, they will end up having to buy into phony solutions. For instance, the Clinton administration suggested that Congress might want to only reduce the amount of MTBE used, as opposed to banning it altogether. Well, that's a phony solution. No level of MTBE in gasoline can protect our water supply. My State of Iowa is facing an MTBE water contamination disaster. First, understand, we sell no Clean Air Act reformulated gasoline in Iowa. Second, understand that for years now, no gasoline was supposed to be sold in Iowa that contained more than 1 percent MTBE unless warning labels were posted. Nevertheless, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources recently found that 29 percent of Iowa's water supplies tested contained MTBE above the acceptable levels established by EPA. So what does this mean? Simply this: MTBE is used in conventional fuel as an octane enhancer and will contaminate your water. If a State is allowed to waive out of the oxygenate requirement, MTBE will still be used and will continue to contaminate our water supplies. It is phony to argue the oxygenate requirement is the problem, and it is phony to argue waiving or eliminating the oxygenate requirement will protect our water supplies. Mr. President, this is just one of many phony issues that we are being asked to embrace. I will be speaking further about this at a later time. But in closing, I ask my colleagues to cosponsor our legislation. It provides real solutions to the real problem: MTBE water contamination.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I object to further proceedings on this matter at this time.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk due its second reading.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, we all thank Reverend Robinson for his prayer this morning and for his leadership in the spiritual world.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleagues Senator Bond and Senator Durbin, as an original cosponsor to the Clean Air and Water Preservation Act of 2000. I commend them for their leadership in resolving a very real problem--not a phony problem. The real problem is that MTBE is contaminating our Nation's water supplies. The phony problem is the proposition that the Clean Air Act's oxygenate standard caused the MTBE water contamination. Unfortunately, powerful, influential forces are trying to sucker Congress and the American public into embracing the phony problem. Some propagandists of the phony problem may be motivated by greed. After all, if the petroleum industry gets its way, its profits will balloon. If they can get Congress or the administration to grant waivers of the oxygenate standard, big oil will be able to squeeze out the 3 to 4 percent of the market currently supplied by alternatives. The Department of Energy has determined that even a small amount of alternative fuels can save consumers billions of dollars each year by leveraging lower gasoline prices. Petroleum companies also tell us that they can produce a gasoline just as clean for the air, but without oxygenates. Of course, they tell you that it will come at some extra cost. Mr. President, I must ask my colleagues: Do we really need to give the petroleum industry both the ability and the excuse to jack up gasoline prices and further gouge American consumers? Of course not. And the way to make certain this does not happen is by enacting the Clean Air and Water Preservation Act of 2000. Other propagandists of the phony problem may be political opportunists seeking to engage in some self-serving election-year shenanigans. The Clinton administration is facing a tough political dilemma. Chevron and other petroleum interests have convinced California's Governor that the only solution to the MTBE problem is to waive the oxygenate requirement. California represents enormous political stakes for November's elections. Understandably, the Clinton administration does not want to say ``no'' to California. But the Clinton administration does not want to say ``no'' to America's farmers. If the administration gives California and other states a waiver from the oxygenate standard, they will have single- handedly destroyed a $1 billion per year market for America's farmers. So, what's the easy political solution? Simple. Throw the hot-potato into the laps of Congress. Hold a press conference laying out quote, end-quote, legislative principles for solving the MTBE problem. By dumping this on Congress, the administration does not have to make the tough decisions, and will be in a position to second-guess and attack anything and everything Congress does do to try to work this out. And the irony of all of this, is that had the Clinton administration followed Congressional intent about the Clean Air Act Reformulated Fuels Program, instead of listening to the oil companies and some misguided environmentalists, other oxygenates such as ethanol could have competed with MTBE, and we would have far less MTBE water contamination today. The Clinton administration was warned loud and clear about the health and environmental problems of MTBE. I personally sent many letters and made a lengthy floor statement in 1993 warning then about MTBE and urging that they not give Big Oil a regulation guaranteeing them a market monopoly over the oxygenated problem. Anyone who has ever smelled MTBE, knows that had consumers been given a choice, they would have overwhelmingly chose to buy reformulated fuel made with ethanol, not MTBE. So the Clinton administration created this MTBE problem in the first place, and now they tell the world that the only way to correct it is for Congress to fix it. That's just not true. But the truth sort of got lost during the administration's press conference by EPA's Carol Browner. She forgot to tell the American public the truth that each and every State has the authority to protect its water supplies from MTBE contamination. As long as the States pass laws designed to protect the water, as opposed to protecting the air, the Clean Air Act does not legally pre-empt the States from taking action on their own. And I received assurances from EPA during a recent hearing that they would never attempt to stop a State from protecting water supplies from MTBE contamination. Now, some would argue that the oil industry would try to challenge such efforts in court. Mr. President, that proposition is ridiculous. The oil companies chose to use MTBE instead of ethanol. They are now liable for what could be billions of dollars of MTBE clean up costs. And these liability costs mount with every day that passes, that the oil companies refuse to replace MTBE with other oxygenates. Therefore, who in their right mind could think that the oil companies are stupid enough to take court action to block a State from banning the use of MTBE? So, why didn't EPA's Carol Browner announce to the world the States already have the authority to ban MTBE--the source of the real problem? Well, if the administration admits the truth, and if they fail to convince Americans and Congress that only Congress can fix this problem, then the Clinton administration is stuck back at ``square one'' having to choose between California or America's farmers who have suffered the lowest prices in decades. Mr. President, there are others pushing the phony problem who may simply be struggling to save face, hoping that they not suffer the embarrassment of being proven wrong--wrong in their efforts to help petroleum interests in securing a Clinton administration regulation guaranteeing that MTBE would monopolize the oxygenate market. These environmentalists would like the public to believe that ethanol was never really a viable option--not then, not now. If they ever concede that point, then it will be clear to Americans that these environmentalists were key promoters of what has turned out to be one of the biggest environmental crises ever to face America. Mr. President, there are some environmentalists who do not like ethanol, simply because it is something that can be made by farmers. They don't like farmers because sometimes they have to use fertilizers and chemicals. It is that simple-minded. Mr. President, the real problem is MTBE, and the real solution to this problem is passing the bill introduced today by our colleagues Senator Bond and Senator Durbin. I warn my colleagues, however, that if they buy into the phony problem, they will end up having to buy into phony solutions. For instance, the Clinton administration suggested that Congress might want to only reduce the amount of MTBE used, as opposed to banning it altogether. Well, that's a phony solution. No level of MTBE in gasoline can protect our water supply. My State of Iowa is facing an MTBE water contamination disaster. First, understand, we sell no Clean Air Act reformulated gasoline in Iowa. Second, understand that for years now, no gasoline was supposed to be sold in Iowa that contained more than 1 percent MTBE unless warning labels were posted. Nevertheless, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources recently found that 29 percent of Iowa's water supplies tested contained MTBE above the acceptable levels established by EPA. So what does this mean? Simply this: MTBE is used in conventional fuel as an octane enhancer and will contaminate your water. If a State is allowed to waive out of the oxygenate requirement, MTBE will still be used and will continue to contaminate our water supplies. It is phony to argue the oxygenate requirement is the problem, and it is phony to argue waiving or eliminating the oxygenate requirement will protect our water supplies. Mr. President, this is just one of many phony issues that we are being asked to embrace. I will be speaking further about this at a later time. But in closing, I ask my colleagues to cosponsor our legislation. It provides real solutions to the real problem: MTBE water contamination.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, for the leader, I will announce today's business. The Senate will resume debate on the conference report to accompany the African Growth and Opportunity Act. By previous consent, at 10 a.m. the Senate will proceed to a cloture vote on the conference report. If cloture is invoked, debate will resume with the anticipation of an early afternoon vote on final passage of the trade bill. Senators will be notified as further votes are scheduled. Following the disposition of this important legislation, it is hoped the Senate can begin consideration of the military construction appropriations bill. The leader thanks colleagues for their attention and cooperation.