Judd Gregg

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. I object.

Mr. GREGG. I object.

Mr. GREGG. I object.

Mr. GREGG. Madam President, I make a point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. GREGG. Madam President, I make a point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr President, I rise today in honor of Keene, NH, the Elm City of New Hampshire. As the United States prepares to observe the 227th anniversary of our independence, the citizens of Keene will be celebrating the city's 250th birthday. It is therefore timely and appropriate that we recognize this great American community. From its first settlement in the early 1700's until today, Keene has been the economic and cultural hub for the Monadnock region. The city's manufacturing and commercial companies have not only energized the local economy but have made significant contributions to our country. The Kingsbury Machine Tool Corporation, for example, was a key supplier of equipment during the Nation's involvement in World War II and the Korean War. The Faulkner and Colony Manufacturing Company is certainly one of the great industrial companies in our Country's history and its legacy is still being felt today. In addition to this central role as an economic engine, Keene has been an education leader. It is home to Keene State College, one of the our State's leading institutions of higher learning. Of course, we cannot talk about this city without praising its most distinctive asset: the people of Keene. They have never been restrained in lending their talents and energies to any noble cause or to any effort that will strengthen the community's social fabric. Throughout its history, Keene's residents have demonstrated this commitment to their neighbors and their country. For example, upon hearing of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the town organized a celebration of this great news. Unfortunately, they had no way of affixing the new American flag to the Liberty Pole, other than by climbing to the top, which was dangerous. A 9-year-old boy stepped out of the crowd and offered to take up this challenge. Witnesses said as the boy went higher, the pole started to bend. However, he made it and, as the crowd cheered, set the American Flag at the pole's highest reach. In February 1835, a Keene native, the Honorable John Dickson, delivered the first important anti-slavery speech ever made in the United States Congress. In 1892, John Henry Elliot donated the building which became the City's first modern hospital. During the Civil War, 584 men from Keene served; 48 gave their lives. Forty Keene residents fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Catherine Fiske opened the Young Ladies Seminary in Keene on May 1, 1814. This was the first boarding school in New Hampshire and just the second in the United States. Its reputation for educating the young women of Keene and of many other States in the country was unmatched in its day. Horatio Colony, the city's first mayor in 1874, is one of a long line of talented public servants from Keene who have helped make New Hampshire such a great place to live. Today, the city is continuing this honorable tradition. The long-time dean of the New Hampshire State Senate, Clesson ``Junie'' Blaisdell, hailed from Keene. The sitting mayor, Michael E.J. Blastos, has been a long-time leader here. The current President of the New Hampshire State Senate, Tom Eaton, calls the city his home. In addition to guiding one half of New Hampshire's legislative body, Senator Eaton also serves as acting Governor of New Hampshire whenever the Governor is out of state or otherwise unable to perform the duties of the office. Born and raised in this region of the State, Senator Eaton represents all that is great about the City. All of these people, and their stories, illustrate the can-do attitude and spirit of activism of Keene's people. With that, I am proud to honor and salute them as they celebrate the 250th birthday of Keene, NH, the Elm City of the Granite State.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, as chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, I want to clarify for the record the intent of Section 307 of H.R. 1298, which we debated and passed a few nights ago. Section 307 amends the Public Health Service Act to provide the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the authority to ensure that health programs using injection equipment also work to ensure the safety of injections. This section specifies only that when injections are involved in medical treatment programs of the U.S. Government, CDC should work hard to ensure that injection safety is maximized, including the use of single-use needles and training of health care workers in injection safety. Since Federal law prohibits Federal funds from being used to provide needles to illegal drug users, I want to make clear that nothing in this section ought to be interpreted to suggest a change in that policy. Since the activities in this section fall under the jurisdiction of the HELP Committee, we will be monitoring the program with great interest.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a special person, Private First Class Andrew Stevens of Stratham, NH. Andrew joined the United States Army after graduating from Exeter High School in 2001. He completed basic training and advanced individual training at Fort Benning, GA, and served proudly as an infantryman in Charlie Company of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Light, United States Army. His awards include the Basic Marksmanship Qualification Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Army Meritorious Service Medal. Tragically, on March 10, 2003, this young soldier, only 20 years old, gave the last full measure for our Nation when he and 10 comrades perished in the crash of their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during a training mission in the woods of Fort Drum, NY. Patriots from the State of New Hampshire have served our Nation with honor and distinction from Bunker Hill to Iraq--and Andrew served in that fine tradition. Daniel Webster said, ``God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.'' Andrew was one of those proud and dedicated volunteers who chose to serve our Nation and guard our precious liberty, and for that we will always owe our sincere gratitude. The sudden death of a young person is especially difficult for family and friends. In November 1864, President Abraham Lincoln was informed by the War Department of a mother who had lost five sons in the Civil War. He wrote the mother: I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Family, friends, and fellow soldiers will no longer be able to enjoy the company of Private First Class Andrew Stevens. Strangers will never have the opportunity to know his friendship. Yet memories of this young patriot will last forever with those who were fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to know him. May God bless Andrew Stevens. Mr. President, I also rise today to pay tribute to a special person, SFC William J. Tracy, who grew up in Weare, and Webster, NH. William joined the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating from Merrimack Valley High School in Penacook in 1993. He served as a field artillery fire controlman for 4 years and completed his enlistment as a corporal in April 1999. Subsequently, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and attended the Utility Helicopter Maintainers Course at Fort Eustis, VA. There he earned his wings, and proudly became an air crewmember. Immediately afterwards, he was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment in Giebelstadt, Germany. In 3 years there, he deployed six times and logged over 500 hours flying. In October 2002, William extended overseas and moved to his sister unit, B Company, of the 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, in Aviano, Italy. In January 2003, he departed for Kuwait as part of the 11th Aviation Task Force. In his U.S. Army career, he received the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Ribbon, and the Good Conduct Medal. He was qualified as expert on the M9 semiautomatic pistol and on the helicopter-mounted M60 machine gun. Tragically, on February 25, 2003, this young soldier, 1 day short of his 28th birthday, gave the last full measure for our Nation when he, and three crewmembers, perished in the crash of their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in the Kuwaiti desert. Their helicopter crashed 30 miles northwest of Kuwait City during night exercises. Patriots from the State of New Hampshire have served our Nation with honor and distinction from Bunker Hill to Iraq--and William served in that fine tradition. Daniel Webster said: ``God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.'' William was one of those proud and dedicated volunteers who chose to serve our Nation and guard our precious liberty, and for that we will always owe our sincere gratitude. The sudden death of a young person is especially difficult for family and friends. In November 1864, President Abraham Lincoln was informed by the War Department of a mother who had lost five sons in the Civil War. He wrote the mother: I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. Family, friends, and fellow soldiers will no longer be able to enjoy the company of SFC William Tracy. Strangers will never have the opportunity to know his friendship. Yet memories of this young patriot will last forever with those who were fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to know him. May God bless William Tracy.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. I was wondering if the Senator from Massachusetts would be willing to enter into a time agreement, say, 2 minutes on each side, and then have a vote?

Mr. GREGG. Will the Senator from Massachusetts yield?

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. My amendment addresses a problem that faces a large number of our largest employers in the country and that's the funding of pension plans. Because there is no longer a 30-year Treasury bond issued in this country, the values of pension plans are being artificially underaccounted. As a result, many companies are going to have to take money which they might spend on employees or money they might spend on plants and equipment and put it into funding in order to cover what is an artificial shortfall. This amendment is supported by the AFL-CIO and by the business community. This includes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, the ERISA Industry Committee, the American Benefits Council, the American Society of Pension Actuaries, the Committee on Investment of Employment Benefit Assets, and Financial Executives International, and other major business groups. My amendment is an attempt to address what we all understand to be a problem that is created through the fact that there is no longer a 30- year Treasury bond being issued. The amendment extends a fix put in place last year and uses a composite of high quality corporate bonds as a new standard during that extension period. Then the amendment sets up a commission, the purpose of which is to come up with a new standard for the purpose of valuing what the pension funding mechanism should be and how much should be put into pension plans. So it is an appropriate action. The problem is it has to be taken before the middle of the summer. I will withdraw the amendment at this time in order to move the process along.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I am not going to call up the amendment. I will withdraw the amendment. I do wish to speak for 1 minute on the amendment.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that at 2:15 p.m. today the Senate proceed to executive session for consideration of Calendar No. 128, Cecilia Altonaga be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida. I further ask consent that there be 15 minutes equally divided between the chairman and ranking member or their designee; provided further that following that debate time the Senate proceed to a vote on confirmation of the nomination with no intervening action or debate. I finally ask unanimous consent that following that vote, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. GREGG

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

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the outstanding contribution to public safety and community building made by Dover, NH, Police Chief William W. Fenniman. Chief Fenniman was first appointed as a Dover police officer in 1981. He rose through the ranks and in 1991, just 10 years later, was appointed the chief of police in Dover. Chief Fenniman has led his Department to become only the 49th police department in the country to be nationally accredited three times by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Under Chief Fenniman's leadership, the Dover police department has also had the distinction of being the first police department in the State of New Hampshire to be accredited through the State accreditation system. Chief Fenniman's success at the helm of the police department is a testament to his dedication, hard work and determination to strengthen the community through an expansive and effective law enforcement agency that truly is an integral part of the community. Chief Fenniman has concentrated on fostering strong ties to and within the community. Chief Fenniman's focus on creating lasting and positive relationships between the community and law enforcement has brought crime levels down and improved community spirit. The creation of a youth safe haven and police ministation in partnership with the city housing authority to provide outlets and activities for children after school hours continues to flourish each year. I am honored to participate in the Afterschool Alliance ``Breakfast of Champions'' event to present Chief William Fenniman with the 2003 Afterschool Community Champion award. Chief Fenniman has made a significant commitment to helping the children of his community find positive activities to do after their school days are over, and his work has helped to increase community ties and reduce crime.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, today my colleagues, Senators Lieberman, Frist, Alexander, Carper and Bayh, joined me in the introduction of S. Res. 125, a resolution to designate the week of April 28 through May 2, 2003, as National Charter Schools Week. This year marks the 11th anniversary of the opening of the Nation's first charter school in Minnesota. In the last 11 years, we have come a long way since that auspicious moment when one teacher collaborating with parents started a public school specifically designed to meet the needs of the students in the community. Today, we have almost 2,700 charter schools serving nearly 700,000 students. Charter schools are immensely popular: two-thirds of them report having long waiting lists, and there are currently enough students on waiting lists to fill another 1,000 average-sized charter schools. Survey after survey shows parents are overwhelmingly satisfied with their children's charter schools. Charter schools are popular for a variety of reasons. They are generally free from the burdensome regulations and policies that govern traditional public schools. They are founded and run by principals, teachers, and parents who share a common vision of education, a vision which guides each and every decision made at the schools, from hiring personnel to selecting curricula. Furthermore, charter schools are held accountable for student performance in a unique way--if they fail to educate their students well and meet the goals of their charters, they close. Since each charter school represents the unique vision of its founders, these schools vary greatly, but all strive for excellence. For example, the Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington, TX, was created in 1999 to serve deaf and hearing-impaired children and their siblings. All instruction at Jean Massieu is in American Sign Language, accompanied by English text. For 2 consecutive years, the academy has earned the second-highest rating in the State's accountability system based on its students' excellent performance. Here in the District of Columbia, low-income fifth graders at KIPP DC/KEY Academy performed remarkably in reading and math on a national test, increasing their scores by more than twice the amount children typically gain from year to year. Students and teachers at the KEY Academy log long hours, attending class from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday, half a day on many Saturdays, and for much of the summer, but their hard work is obviously reaping rewards. These are but a handful of the success stories in the charter school movement, which includes a wide range of schools serving a variety of different learning needs and styles, often at a lower cost than traditional public schools. I expect that we will see the popularity of charter schools continue to grow. Last year, the President signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act, which gives parents in low-performing schools the option to transfer to another public school. The act also provides school districts with the option of converting low-performing schools into charter schools. I believe these provisions will strengthen the charter school movement by creating more opportunities for charter school development. And, as parents exercise their right to school choice and ``vote with their feet'', the demand for charters schools will grow. I commend the more than 1.6 million people involved in the charter school movement, from parents to teachers to community leaders and members of the business community. Together, they have led the charge in education reform and have started a revolution with the potential to transform our system of public education. Districts with a large number of charter schools reported becoming more customer service oriented and creating new education programs, many of which are similar to those offered by charter schools, and increasing contact with parents. These improvements benefit all our students, not just those who choose charter schools. I encourage my colleagues to visit a charter school this week to witness firsthand the ways in which these innovative schools are making a difference, both in the lives of the students they serve as well as in the community in which they reside.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce legislation reauthorizing the Museum and Library Services Act. I am joined in this effort by Senator Reed, Senator Frist, Senator Kennedy, Senator Enzi, and several other colleagues of mine. Libraries and museums serve as important cultural institutions in communities throughout our Nation, and this legislation will provide them with continued Federal support through innovative grant programs administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Specifically, this bill authorizes $250 million for libraries and $41.5 million for museums in 2004, and such sums as necessary in 2005 through 2009. In addition, it authorizes a doubling of the minimum state allotment under the Grants to State Library Agencies Program, up to $680,000. That provision, coupled with the expected increase in appropriations for 2004, will greatly benefit New Hampshire's libraries. The bill contains a number of other important provisions. Recognizing the important of school libraries, it requires that the Institute's library activities be coordinated with the school library provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. My bill also prohibits projects determined to be obscene from receiving Federal funds, requires the Institute to conduct analyses of the need for museum and library services and the effectiveness of funded projects in meeting those needs, consolidates the library and museum advisory boards into one entity, and prohibits funds appropriate under the Act's authority from being used for library or museum construction. furthermore, this bill increases the indemnity limits in the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act, thereby facilitating the international exchange and display of works of art, books, rare documents and other published materials, artifacts, and films and other audiovisual media. This will ensure that people throughout the world are exposed to American culture and that our own citizens will have richer educational opportunities available as well. I want to thank Senator Reed for his leadership on this issue, as well as Senator Frist, Senator Kennedy, and Senator Enzi, particularly. Together we have crafted a bipartisan bill that will serve our museums and libraries well in the coming years. I expect to move this bill through the HELP Committee soon, and look forward to its speedy passage. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce, along with my colleagues Senator Enzi and Senator Cochran, the Higher Education Technical Amendments Act of 2003. This legislation makes several technical and non-controversial changes to the Higher Education Act, HEA, and is designed to expand access to higher education, provide relief from burdensome legal requirements, improve the financial aid process, and bring greater clarity to the law. My bill provides for the re-enactment of two provisions in the HEA that expired at the end of the last fiscal year, and which are of great importance to students, their families, and schools. These provide schools having low student loan default rates with exemptions from the requirement that loan proceeds be disbursed in multiple installments, and the requirement that the disbursement of loan proceeds to first- time undergraduate borrowers be delayed for 30 days after classes start. Thousands of institutions of higher education across America have traditionally counted on these exemptions to save them time and money in the disbursement of their limited financial aid resources. These provisions should also serve as an incentive for schools to keep their default rates low. At a time when both student and institutional budgets are being squeezed, we should do what we can to provide them with relief. Furthermore, this legislation provides for greater access to federal financial aid for those students participating in distance education programs. Specifically, it provides a waiver to the rule that a school having a 50 percent or more of its students or 50 percent or more of its courses in distance education is ineligible for the Title IV student aid programs. Schools eligible for the waiver must already be participating in the programs and must have low cohort default rates. This bill will also clarify that the HEA provision that limits the aid eligibility of a student convicted of one or more drug offenses applies only to those offenses that occur while the student is in school and receiving aid. Thus, students who may have had drug problems in the past but who want to turn their lives around through postsecondary education will be able to do so. The bill makes a number of other beneficial changes to the HEA. Most notably, it: Helps protect home-schooled students by making it clear that institutions of higher education will not lose their institutional eligibility for Federal financial aid by admitting home-schooled students; clarifies the Federal policy on the return of financial aid funds when students withdraw, to better protect students' grant aid; removes barriers to students seeking forbearance from lenders on student loan payments, by eliminating the requirement that new agreements between lenders and borrowers be in writing; instead, the bill allows a lender to accept a request for forbearance over the telephone, as long as a confirmation notice of the agreement reached is provided to the borrower and the borrower's file is updated; makes clear that under the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program, the U.S. Department of Education can provide scholarship aid to low-income and minority students to prepare for and attend law school; eases requirements for Hispanic-Serving Institutions, HSIs, by allowing them to apply for federal HSI grants without waiting two years between applications; corrects a drafting error in current law that mistakenly bars students attending certain nonprofit schools of veterinary medicine from eligibility for the Federal Family Education Loan Program; requires the GAO to conduct a study on how institutions of higher education report teacher pass rates on state certification exams; allows financial aid administrators to use ``professional judgment'' to adjust a student's financial need in cases where the student is a ward of the court; and expands the use of technology to provide voter registration material directly to students in a timely manner. The Higher Education Technical Amendments of 2003 will provide important benefits to our Nation's postsecondary students. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce legislation reauthorizing the Museum and Library Services Act. I am joined in this effort by Senator Reed, Senator Frist, Senator Kennedy, Senator Enzi, and several other colleagues of mine. Libraries and museums serve as important cultural institutions in communities throughout our Nation, and this legislation will provide them with continued Federal support through innovative grant programs administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Specifically, this bill authorizes $250 million for libraries and $41.5 million for museums in 2004, and such sums as necessary in 2005 through 2009. In addition, it authorizes a doubling of the minimum state allotment under the Grants to State Library Agencies Program, up to $680,000. That provision, coupled with the expected increase in appropriations for 2004, will greatly benefit New Hampshire's libraries. The bill contains a number of other important provisions. Recognizing the important of school libraries, it requires that the Institute's library activities be coordinated with the school library provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. My bill also prohibits projects determined to be obscene from receiving Federal funds, requires the Institute to conduct analyses of the need for museum and library services and the effectiveness of funded projects in meeting those needs, consolidates the library and museum advisory boards into one entity, and prohibits funds appropriate under the Act's authority from being used for library or museum construction. furthermore, this bill increases the indemnity limits in the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act, thereby facilitating the international exchange and display of works of art, books, rare documents and other published materials, artifacts, and films and other audiovisual media. This will ensure that people throughout the world are exposed to American culture and that our own citizens will have richer educational opportunities available as well. I want to thank Senator Reed for his leadership on this issue, as well as Senator Frist, Senator Kennedy, and Senator Enzi, particularly. Together we have crafted a bipartisan bill that will serve our museums and libraries well in the coming years. I expect to move this bill through the HELP Committee soon, and look forward to its speedy passage. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise today to express my thanks, and the thanks of all the citizens of New Hampshire, to the amazing men and women of our United States Armed Forces, and to our coalition partners. We all are very impressed with the incredible success of our military effort in Iraq, especially the professionalism, discipline, and expertise of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. George Washington said, ``Discipline is the soul of any army. It makes small numbers formidable.'' And truly, our relatively small force has been very, very formidable. In about twenty days, they advanced some five hundred miles, while engaged in combat, and have taken Baghdad. They have fought with great skill and have acted professionally throughout, and they have accomplished this feat, with just slightly over a hundred deaths--that is an extraordinary act of military expertise. Our reserve forces, the American citizen soldiers, have been major contributors in this effort. Patriots from New Hampshire have served our Nation with honor and distinction from Bunker Hill, to Afghanistan--and now they continue to carry on that tradition, serving in support of our nation's war on terrorism and in support of the coalition's Operation Iraqi Freedom. While New Hampshire is a small state, over 1,000 members of our Reserves and National Guard have been called to active duty. Those called include: 290 Air National Guardsmen from the 157th Air Refueling Wing; the 260th Air Traffic Control Squadron; the 157th Security Group; and 39 Army National Guardsmen from the 1st Battery of the 172nd Field Artillery; the 114th Public Affairs Detachment; and 526 Army Reservists from the 94th Military Police Company; the 368th Engineer Battalion; the 362nd Public Affairs Detachment; and 167 Marine Reservists from B Company, 1st Battery, 25th Marines; and 13 Navy Reservists from the 4th Marine Division 125th Battery; the Amphibious Construction Battalion 2, Detachment 101; the CINC US Atlantic Fleet, Mobile Ashore Support Group; and the Submarine Support Facility, HQ Detachment 101. They have left their homes and are serving as military police, engineers, air traffic controllers, pilots, public affairs specialists, and in other specialties, both within the United States, and abroad, in Southwest Asia, Cuba, Kosova, and the Middle East. I especially want to thank our citizen soldiers, their families, their employers--each in their own way, is making a sacrifice for our nation. We can take tremendous pride in what our military has done, and especially in what our soldiers, marines and special forces have done on the ground, and in the fact that the results have turned out extremely positive. We have freed a people who have been oppressed by an extremely criminal regime that has killed literally tens of thousands of Iraqi people over the years. We are now seeing the people of Iraq suddenly freed, and their reaction to that freedom is so positive, and genuine. They are realizing that finally Saddam Hussein is not going to rule them any longer. So, many are justifiably excited that we have had success up to this point--but there is still a long way to go in this war. There are many pockets of resistance still to be addressed. But as we move forward toward Tikrit and other parts of Iraq, I would expect that Saddam Hussein's evil regime will continue to collapse. Hopefully we are looking at better days for the Iraqi people. Abraham Lincoln said, ``Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.'' Now, 143 years later, another president, George Bush, has also clearly seen our nation's duty--and he has demonstrated the courage to pursue it to a just end. We are a nation which goes into an event like this for good purposes. I believe the world will see that we have delivered a country into freedom--and provided their people an opportunity for a better life. We can take pride in that as a nation.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Madam President, with a mortality rate of over 30 percent, smallpox was one of the world's most feared diseases until a collaborative global vaccination program eradicated the disease in the 1970s. Smallpox no longer occurs naturally, and today can only be found in laboratories in the United States and Russia. Or so we believe. With the fall of the Soviet Union, some in the intelligence community are concerned that samples of the virus may have found its way to other countries, including Iraq. This is of grave concern to our Nation and the entire global community. Highly contagious and easily dispersed in the air, smallpox virus can be a deadly weapon in terrorist hands. Congress and the administration have responded to this potential threat by authorizing the purchase of approximately 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine, enough for every man, woman, and child in America. Equally important, the administration developed a plan to respond in the event of an outbreak of the disease. Since the administration launched its smallpox vaccination plan on January 24, 2003, over 30,000 health care workers have been inoculated. To adequately prepare our Nation for the possibility of such an attack, however, more health care providers must be immunized. Additionally, it is critical that we begin vaccinating other emergency personnel, such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, and paramedics. However, confusion as to the threat posed by the smallpox virus and concerns about the safety and potential side-effects of the vaccine, as well as the availability of compensation for any vaccine-related injuries, have impeded the program's progress. Although severe adverse reactions to the smallpox vaccine are very rare, we must ensure that health care and emergency workers who suffer such reactions receive appropriate medical care and compensation. Moreover, since the smallpox vaccine is made up of a live virus, we must also provide protection to any family members, patients, and others who are accidentally infected by these inoculated workers. That is why I introduced the Smallpox Emergency Personnel Protection Act of 2003 (S. 313), which I chair. The bill before us reflects the bipartisan agreement that was reached after many weeks of hard work and long discussions with Republicans, Democrats, and the White House on this legislation. The Smallpox Emergency Personnel Protection Act would create a ``no fault'' system to compensate vaccinated health care and emergency workers injured by the smallpox vaccine and other smallpox countermeasures, including any persons who accidentally contract smallpox from the vaccine. All persons experiencing any adverse events from the smallpox vaccine would be reimbursed for all reasonable necessary medical expenses and be compensated for lost wages. In the rare event of death, the victim's family would receive a $262,100 lump-sum benefit payment. If there are any surviving children, then the family would have the option of receiving either the lump-sum or a $50,000 annual death benefit payment until the children become 18 years of age. Those who become permanently and totally disabled as a result of the vaccine could receive up to $50,000 annually in lost wages. Those who are temporarily disabled could receive up to $50,000 annually in lost wages, up to a lifetime total of $262,100. No such lifetime limit would apply in the case of permanent and total disability. While those harmed by the smallpox vaccine retain the right to sue the federal government for negligence, all vaccine related claims must first go through the compensation program. Finally, the legislation includes some clarifications of section 304 of the Homeland Security Act, to ensure that providers, such as hospitals, doctors, nurses, and public healthcare workers, are protected from personal liability in the administration of the smallpox vaccine and in caring for infected persons. The Smallpox Emergency Personnel Protection Act is an important element of our national smallpox vaccination program that will help ensure its timely implementation. I do hope that the Secretary of Health and Human Services will carry out the smallpox vaccination program in a manner that appropriately monitors and evaluates newly proposed technologies, devices, and other elements of the program, in order to assure the safest route of administration. To this end, I anticipate that the Secretary will review periodically for possible inclusion under the program new and modified technologies, tasks, and procedures that may reduce the risks and increase the safety of the program and its administration. I understand that the Secretary will continue to engage in dialogue with the affected parties and to ensure the safe and effective administration of the smallpox vaccine. Our Nation's healthcare and emergency workers will be on the front line in responding to any smallpox attack. Now, more than ever, we need to provide piece-of-mind and security to healthcare and emergency workers who volunteer to be vaccinated. This compensation package will give these workers the confidence they need to proceed with vaccinations. It is imperative that Congress pass the Smallpox Emergency Personnel Protection Act as swiftly as possible, so that we can ensure that our healthcare and emergency workers and their families are protected and that this country is prepared to respond in the event of an attack.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce, along with my colleagues Senator Enzi and Senator Cochran, the Higher Education Technical Amendments Act of 2003. This legislation makes several technical and non-controversial changes to the Higher Education Act, HEA, and is designed to expand access to higher education, provide relief from burdensome legal requirements, improve the financial aid process, and bring greater clarity to the law. My bill provides for the re-enactment of two provisions in the HEA that expired at the end of the last fiscal year, and which are of great importance to students, their families, and schools. These provide schools having low student loan default rates with exemptions from the requirement that loan proceeds be disbursed in multiple installments, and the requirement that the disbursement of loan proceeds to first- time undergraduate borrowers be delayed for 30 days after classes start. Thousands of institutions of higher education across America have traditionally counted on these exemptions to save them time and money in the disbursement of their limited financial aid resources. These provisions should also serve as an incentive for schools to keep their default rates low. At a time when both student and institutional budgets are being squeezed, we should do what we can to provide them with relief. Furthermore, this legislation provides for greater access to federal financial aid for those students participating in distance education programs. Specifically, it provides a waiver to the rule that a school having a 50 percent or more of its students or 50 percent or more of its courses in distance education is ineligible for the Title IV student aid programs. Schools eligible for the waiver must already be participating in the programs and must have low cohort default rates. This bill will also clarify that the HEA provision that limits the aid eligibility of a student convicted of one or more drug offenses applies only to those offenses that occur while the student is in school and receiving aid. Thus, students who may have had drug problems in the past but who want to turn their lives around through postsecondary education will be able to do so. The bill makes a number of other beneficial changes to the HEA. Most notably, it: Helps protect home-schooled students by making it clear that institutions of higher education will not lose their institutional eligibility for Federal financial aid by admitting home-schooled students; clarifies the Federal policy on the return of financial aid funds when students withdraw, to better protect students' grant aid; removes barriers to students seeking forbearance from lenders on student loan payments, by eliminating the requirement that new agreements between lenders and borrowers be in writing; instead, the bill allows a lender to accept a request for forbearance over the telephone, as long as a confirmation notice of the agreement reached is provided to the borrower and the borrower's file is updated; makes clear that under the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program, the U.S. Department of Education can provide scholarship aid to low-income and minority students to prepare for and attend law school; eases requirements for Hispanic-Serving Institutions, HSIs, by allowing them to apply for federal HSI grants without waiting two years between applications; corrects a drafting error in current law that mistakenly bars students attending certain nonprofit schools of veterinary medicine from eligibility for the Federal Family Education Loan Program; requires the GAO to conduct a study on how institutions of higher education report teacher pass rates on state certification exams; allows financial aid administrators to use ``professional judgment'' to adjust a student's financial need in cases where the student is a ward of the court; and expands the use of technology to provide voter registration material directly to students in a timely manner. The Higher Education Technical Amendments of 2003 will provide important benefits to our Nation's postsecondary students. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise today along with Senator Hollings to introduce the Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act. We are introducing this much needed coastal protection act along with Senators Kerry, Snowe, Inouye, Reed, Breaux, DeWine, Sarbanes, Biden, Kennedy, Mikulski, Cochran, Murray, Corzine, Collins, Dodd, Levin, Nelson, Wyden, Lieberman, Feinstein, Lautenberg, Cantwell, and Chafee. In addition, this legislation is supported by the Trust for Public Land, the Coastal States Organization, the Nature Conservancy, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, American Sportfishing Association, and the Land Trust Alliance. The Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act promotes coordinated land acquisition and protection efforts in coastal and estuarine areas by fostering partnerships between non-governmental organizations and Federal, State, and local governments. With Americans rapidly moving to the coast, pressures to develop critical coastal ecosystems are increasing. There are fewer and fewer undeveloped and pristine areas left in the Nation's coastal and estuarine watersheds. These areas provide important nursery habitat for two-thirds of the Nation's commercial fish and shellfish, provide nesting and foraging habitat for coastal birds, harbor significant natural plant communities, and serve to facilitate coastal flood control and pollutant filtration. The Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act pairs willing sellers through community-based initiatives with sources of Federal funds to enhance environmental protection. Lands can be acquired in full or through easements, and none of the lands purchased through this program would be held by the Federal Government. This bill puts land conservation initiatives in the hands of state and local communities. This new program, authorized through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at $60,000,000 per year, would provide Federal matching funds to States with approved coastal management programs or to National Estuarine Research Reserves through a competitive grant process. Federal matching funds may not exceed 75 percent of the cost of a project under this program, and non-Federal sources may count in-kind support toward their portion of the cost share. This coastal land protection program provides much needed support for local coastal conservation initiatives throughout the country. In my role on the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Subcommittee, I have been able to secure significant funds for the Great Bay estuary in New Hampshire. This estuary is the jewel of the seacoast region, and is home to a wide variety of plants and animal species that are particularly threatened by encroaching development and environmental pollutants. By working with local communities to purchase lands or easements on these valuable parcels of land, New Hampshire has been able to successfully conserve the natural and scenic heritage of this vital estuary. Programs like the Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Program will now enable other States to participate in these community-based conservation efforts in coastal areas. This program was modeled after the U.S. Department of Agriculture's successful Forest Legacy Program, which has conserved millions of acres of productive and ecologically significant forest land around the country. I welcome the opportunity to offer this important legislation, with my close friend, Senator Hollings. I am thankful for his strong leadership on this issue, and look forward to working with him to make the vision for this legislation a reality, and to successfully conserve our coastal lands for their ecological, historical, recreational, and aesthetic values.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise today along with Senator Hollings to introduce the Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act. We are introducing this much needed coastal protection act along with Senators Kerry, Snowe, Inouye, Reed, Breaux, DeWine, Sarbanes, Biden, Kennedy, Mikulski, Cochran, Murray, Corzine, Collins, Dodd, Levin, Nelson, Wyden, Lieberman, Feinstein, Lautenberg, Cantwell, and Chafee. In addition, this legislation is supported by the Trust for Public Land, the Coastal States Organization, the Nature Conservancy, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, American Sportfishing Association, and the Land Trust Alliance. The Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act promotes coordinated land acquisition and protection efforts in coastal and estuarine areas by fostering partnerships between non-governmental organizations and Federal, State, and local governments. With Americans rapidly moving to the coast, pressures to develop critical coastal ecosystems are increasing. There are fewer and fewer undeveloped and pristine areas left in the Nation's coastal and estuarine watersheds. These areas provide important nursery habitat for two-thirds of the Nation's commercial fish and shellfish, provide nesting and foraging habitat for coastal birds, harbor significant natural plant communities, and serve to facilitate coastal flood control and pollutant filtration. The Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act pairs willing sellers through community-based initiatives with sources of Federal funds to enhance environmental protection. Lands can be acquired in full or through easements, and none of the lands purchased through this program would be held by the Federal Government. This bill puts land conservation initiatives in the hands of state and local communities. This new program, authorized through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at $60,000,000 per year, would provide Federal matching funds to States with approved coastal management programs or to National Estuarine Research Reserves through a competitive grant process. Federal matching funds may not exceed 75 percent of the cost of a project under this program, and non-Federal sources may count in-kind support toward their portion of the cost share. This coastal land protection program provides much needed support for local coastal conservation initiatives throughout the country. In my role on the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Subcommittee, I have been able to secure significant funds for the Great Bay estuary in New Hampshire. This estuary is the jewel of the seacoast region, and is home to a wide variety of plants and animal species that are particularly threatened by encroaching development and environmental pollutants. By working with local communities to purchase lands or easements on these valuable parcels of land, New Hampshire has been able to successfully conserve the natural and scenic heritage of this vital estuary. Programs like the Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Program will now enable other States to participate in these community-based conservation efforts in coastal areas. This program was modeled after the U.S. Department of Agriculture's successful Forest Legacy Program, which has conserved millions of acres of productive and ecologically significant forest land around the country. I welcome the opportunity to offer this important legislation, with my close friend, Senator Hollings. I am thankful for his strong leadership on this issue, and look forward to working with him to make the vision for this legislation a reality, and to successfully conserve our coastal lands for their ecological, historical, recreational, and aesthetic values.