Tim Johnson

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I wish to remember the fire that devastated the community of Redfield, SD, on November 16, 1986. Though there was a tragic loss of life and many families saw their property and possessions destroyed, the community was able to come together to help each other through those difficult times and to ultimately rebuild and thrive. The fire began sometime prior to 4:30 that morning and was reported by Dawn Waldner. Soon local police and firefighters were on the scene, but the blaze proved uncontrollable. It was in the process of consuming an apartment building with 31 apartments and many of the downtown businesses in Redfield. The fire was so hot that it cracked the windows of any building in the vicinity of the flames. The Senior Citizens Center, Crawford Furniture, Coast to Coast hardware, Blaine St. Clair's business office, American Family Insurance, KQKD Radio, and a TV repair shop were among the businesses that were destroyed or damaged. The day's greatest loss, however, was the life of young Rebecca Nelson, who was just over a year old. She was trapped in the burning apartment building, and though people on the scene made heroic efforts to save her, they could not discover her in time. Civilian Gene Freshour and police sergeant Dave Dosch both risked their lives by going into the building without masks to search for the child. Firefighters Bob Tiff, Jim Haider, Ron Eimers, and Rich Gruenwald formed a search team, also risking their lives, in the attempt to find Rebecca. Despite the brave actions of all those involved in the effort, she could not be rescued. The fire burned so hot that firefighters said they could see the water evaporating before it even hit the fire. The tar on the streets melted, and ammunition in the hardware store was set off. By the time the embers were cold, over a million gallons of water had been used putting it out. It wasn't long, though, before the community came together to start the hard work of healing and rebuilding. With the help of two community development block grants, the city was able to purchase much of the damaged property. Over 580 truckloads of debris were taken from the area, but new businesses have moved in and prospered. The site also is home to a memorial to Rebecca Nelson. There will be a memorial service in memory of the events of the day on November 16, 2006, at Siegling's Parking Lot, near the Rebecca Nelson Memorial. I extend my deepest condolences to those who suffered losses in the fire and commend the community for their unity and perseverance in rebounding from this disaster.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, civility is alive and well in the great State of South Dakota. During the recess, there was an extraordinary, bipartisan celebration honoring our former colleague, Senator George McGovern. The occasion was the dedication of the George and Eleanor McGovern Library at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, SD. The dedication brought together former President Bill Clinton, former majority leader Bob Dole, former majority leader Tom Daschle, Senator John Thune, Representative Stephanie Herseth, Governor Mike Rounds, and 5,000 of Senator McGovern's closest friends and admirers. Governor Rounds noted that Senator McGovern was a ``patriot'' and that ``all of us gathered here today have a whole lot more in common than what divides us as Americans.'' Senator Thune noted that his father always voted for George McGovern, even as the children urged him to vote Republican, because George was a decorated WWII fighter pilot. Perhaps it was Senator Dole, with his characteristic humor, who best captured the significance of Senator McGovern's inspiring career. I ask unanimous consent that the remarks of Senator Dole be printed in the Record.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today in support of Senator Conrad's agriculture disaster assistance amendment and am pleased to be a cosponsor of this important legislative package. The package would provide comprehensive, critical relief dollars for agriculture disaster. It would provide assistance for a drought that has plagued our Nation's family farms, including those in my home State of South Dakota. Producers in South Dakota have suffered from drought conditions that have rivaled the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. These chronic conditions have already ruined the wheat and corn crop for many producers in the State and resulted in thousands of cattle being sold off prematurely in auction barns. Those who have already sold the factory are left with only a mortgage to pay and no relief in sight. Senator JOHN THUNE and I jointly traveled across South Dakota this summer to some of the areas hit hardest by this drought. We consistently heard about the astronomically high price for hay and fuel costs for transportation, if a producer could even find forage to purchase. We saw the effects of the drought on corn and soybeans, many of which barely got out of the ground and were stunted by desert-like conditions. Some producers saw yields that measured out to the tenth of the bushel, after being socked with severe fuel and fertilizer costs. At a stop at the Ft. Pierre Livestock Sale Barn, we met with ranchers who finally had to sell out because of extreme conditions. The Herreid Livestock Sale Barn saw an estimated 2,500 to 3,500 head per week over the summer instead of the usual 200 to 300 cattle per week for that time of year. I invited USDA Secretary Mike Johanns to travel to South Dakota and see this extensive damage firsthand. The Secretary of Agriculture came to my home State, but, unfortunately, rolled out a grossly inadequate agriculture disaster assistance program. This empty shell game is a glaring example of the ``too little, too late'' approach that this administration has too often employed with agriculture disaster assistance. The Agriculture Department released only $2 million in Grasslands Reserve Program money and less than $7 million in Emergency Conservation Program funds to South Dakota over the summer. These dollars barely made a dent in the backlog of producers who have applied for these programs, leaving many out in the cold. While in my home State, the Secretary announced the release of section 32 funds for distribution in our agriculture communities, amounting to $50 million in block grants to drought-impacted States. Although South Dakota has been subject to chronic extreme and exceptional drought conditions, the State received only $4.3 million. It was announced that Texas, however, would be given $16.1 million in assistance. The administration's disaster relief package provides just a fraction of the dollars that the 2005 disaster relief measure, that my colleagues and I successfully attached to the most recent agriculture appropriations bill, would contain for my home State of South Dakota. Over $100 million would be directed toward producers impacted by devastating conditions, including comprehensive livestock and crop assistance measures. The agriculture appropriations bill, however, has yet to see the light of day for debate on floor of the U.S. Senate. It is my hope that the majority leadership would allow this bill to be considered with due process. My colleagues and I also passed agriculture disaster assistance as part of the supplemental spending measure that funded Katrina relief efforts and the war in Iraq. Because of a Presidential veto threat, however, the vast majority of meaningful agriculture disaster assistance was stripped out. The White House said that it would reject money for our troops in Iraq and victims devastated by Hurricane Katrina if that spending package contained a nickel of agriculture disaster relief for our Nation's farm and ranch producers. Secretary Johanns adopted a ``wait and see'' approach to aiding our rural communities. The Secretary said this summer that he wanted to see how the harvest looked after the combines ran before considering further agriculture disaster aid for this production year. As the worst drought since the Dust Bowl, however, combines haven't run at all in parts of South Dakota. Our Nation's food security demands immediate assistance, not stop-gap measures and delay tactics. Agriculture disaster is like any other disaster, and producers deserve meaningful relief. The administration continues to dig in their heels on drought assistance for our Nation's producers. Yet, this White House places a priority on rebuilding Iraqi agriculture while crying poor and lack of revenue at home. The truth is that the administration has the authority to provide more comprehensive drought assistance at the stroke of a pen, if it wants, just as it did in 2002. I urged President Bush to establish a program that would target those who suffer from actual losses, avoiding the type of waste and abuse that was disclosed with the implementation of the 2002 program. I expressed my interest in working with the Department of Agriculture to develop an effective and timely plan before more producers sold the family farm and were forced out of business. It has become painfully clear that real drought relief is not on this administration's current agenda. The administration's lack of action on drought assistance underscores a need to pass this drought amendment today. This comprehensive agriculture disaster assistance measure covers 2005 and 2006 losses with a livestock compensation program and resources for crop production losses, and funds are included for impacted sheep producers. Small business assistance grants will also offer critical help. This amendment qualifies agriculture disaster money as an emergency, deserving immediate attention--attention that has so far been denied. Producers are faced with critical financial decisions, and for many relief was needed frankly, months ago. Because of this drought and the delay in assistance, many producers won't be able to rebuild their herds. A meaningful agriculture disaster relief package already passed the Senate--it was only because of this administration's veto threat that it was stripped out in conference by leadership. Today I am pleased to join with my colleagues in offering comprehensive agriculture disaster assistance for 2005 and 2006. I thank Senator Conrad for offering this important legislation. An agriculture disaster is a natural disaster, like a tornado or a hurricane, and providing relief for our Nation's producers is simply fair and simply just. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, in July the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year 2007 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill. As a member of the committee, I supported this measure, and it is now being considered by the full Senate. The bill provides a total of $94.3 billion in spending, including funding to make a number of critical upgrades to our military infrastructure. As a member of the appropriations subcommittee that has oversight on military construction, I was able to use my position to ensure that $23.4 million was included for three military construction projects in South Dakota. Investing in our military infrastructure ensures that our military personnel have the tools they need to perform their mission. This bill provides $7.5 million to construct a new base civil engineer maintenance complex for the South Dakota Air National Guard at Joe Foss Field. This funding is necessary because the current complex is undersized and inadequate. The new facility will help the 114th Fighter Wing maintain a combat-ready force of civil engineers. In addition to this infrastructure upgrade, Ellsworth Air Force Base will receive $3 million to install an urgently needed base water well. Likewise, a new Armed Forces Reserve Center will be constructed in Sioux Falls. Currently Army Reserve and Navy Reserve operations are housed in leased facilities that are over 40 years old. The new center will consolidate all operations into a new complex. The bill also includes nearly $78 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is $6.45 billion above last year's funding level. This amount includes $28.7 billion for medical services--an increase of $3 billion from last year. Most importantly, the Senate Appropriations Committee rejected President Bush's budget proposal to implement a $250 annual enrollment fee and increased pharmacy copayments for category 7 and 8 veterans. These fees are designed to generate revenue in order to help offset VA expenditures. In reality, they may force veterans to seek health care elsewhere because they cannot afford either the annual enrollment fees or the increased copayment costs. Rather than relying on budget proposals aimed at driving veterans out of the VA in order to save money, I am pleased that the Senate opposed President Bush's proposal. I firmly believe that we should provide adequate funding to ensure all those who have defended our country receive the health care they have earned and deserve. Mr. President, I continue to have deep concerns about the spending priorities of the Bush administration, but I do believe this bill will help provide our service members with top-notch military facilities. And while we can always do more for our veterans, this bill is a step in the right direction toward honoring our commitment to all those who served.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I honor the owners and operators of the Herreid Livestock Market on its 25th anniversary. Each year, hundreds of thousands of animals are moved through the sale barn to be purchased by farmers or by packers, and eventually find their way to supermarket shelves. The Herreid Livestock Market is one of the largest sale barns in the region, and has proven to be a pillar of the local community both by facilitating business and through advocacy and philanthropy. The Herreid Livestock Market began operating in 1981. A previous sale barn in Herreid had burned down in 1978. Herman Schumacher, the late Gordie Ulmer, and the late Andy Heisler were primarily responsible for the building of the current structure. Joe Vetter quickly joined in the enterprise as an auctioneer and soon purchased a third of the business. Since then, Schumacher and Vetter have remained partners, along with various other individuals, most recently J.R. Scott. Finally, though, last summer the business was sold to Joe Varner. Scott still manages the sale barn, however, and Schumacher and Vetter remain involved as well. In addition to operating a premier sale barn, Schumacher, Vetter, and Scott have been active in a variety of issues of vital importance to their industry. They have been active in pushing for country-of-origin labeling, helping to close the Canadian border for food safety reasons, and perhaps most notably, Schumacher was a founder of the Ranchers- Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, R-CALF. R-CALF has advocated for producers by opposing market manipulation on the part of meatpackers, working to restrict the importation of foreign cattle into the U.S., and food safety, among other areas of concern. R-CALF has now merged with the United Stockgrowers of America and has over 18,000 members. The owners of the Herreid Livestock Market have also supported access to local health care by giving large donations to the Linton Hospital Foundation and the Campbell County Clinics. While drought conditions have caused a spike in short-term sales, the sale barn may be facing some challenging years as producers work to build their herds back up. However, I am confident that the same work ethic that has caused the Herreid Livestock Market to flourish for 25 years will allow the business to continue prospering. On October 6, 2006, the community celebrated the Herreid Livestock Market with a free BBQ Beef Lunch before the 25th anniversary sale. I wish to congratulate the current and past owners and employees of the Herreid Livestock Market on reaching this milestone for their business, and for their years of service to the community. Once again, I commend the individuals involved in this enterprise and am pleased to see them publicly honored.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I applaud the progress we will soon make in the Homeland Security appropriations bill to lower the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans. While the prescription drug reimportation provision included in this bill is certainly not a complete solution to the ever-increasing cost of pharmaceuticals, it is part of the answer. This legislation includes a provision to allow Americans to bring a 90-day, personal supply of prescription drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration, for which they have a valid doctor's prescription, into the country from Canada. I commend Senators David Vitter and Bill Nelson, who introduced this amendment to the Homeland Security appropriations bill during the Senate debate, for their dedication to lowering prescription drug prices. We must reduce prescription drug prices so that Americans are not forced to cut their pills in half or to choose between medicine and groceries. Virtually all democracies in the world, except the United States, negotiate drug prices for their citizens. The pharmaceutical industry currently sells its Food and Drug Administration, FDA, approved drugs to virtually every other industrialized democracy in the world at prices that are typically 50 percent less than prices in the United States. Ours is an ``open checkbook'' strategy, and the result is massive profits for the drug companies but catastrophe for ordinary Americans. The growth of prescription drug spending in recent years has outpaced every other category of health care spending. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, prescription drug costs grew at an inflation-adjusted average annual rate of 14.5 percent from 1997 to 2002, reaching $162 billion in 2002. That amount is four times larger than prescription drug costs were in 1990. An analysis by the Congressional Budget Office found that average prices for patented drugs in other industrialized nations are 35 to 55 percent lower than in the United States. In its 2002 annual report, the Canadian Patented Medicine Prices Review Board found that U.S.-patented drug prices were 67 percent higher, on average, than those in Canada. South Dakotans are painfully aware that their neighbors just a few hundred miles to the north, in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada, are paying much less for the exact same prescription medication. One of my constituents recently wrote me with his concerns about the huge discrepancy between drug prices in Canada and the United States. The generic version of his medication is not available in the United States, but because he could obtain the generic from Canada, his physician prescribed it and this man successfully used it for many years. He writes that in Canada, the price of his generic medication is $0.46 per tablet, and the brand-name drug is $0.77 per tablet. After enrolling in Medicare Part D, he was required to use the brand-name drug, available in the United States for $1.19 per tablet--a 16 percent increase over the Canadian brand-name price, and a 62-percent price increase over the generic drug, which got the job done just fine. This constituent writes: It appears to me that the Medicare D plan is a ``gold mine'' for the drug makers. . . at least for this one drug. It is true that I probably should NOT complain because under the Medicare D I only pay my co-payment. However, my concern is not so much my drug cost but the fact that the American taxpayer is being cheated because of the much higher cost per tablet that is paid to the drug producer under the Medicare D program than if the drugs were purchased on a competitive bid procedure. . . After all, I am also an American taxpayer so it does concern me. Ehile reimportation is an important step forward, it is only a start in our effort to improve access to necessary medications at affordable prices. We need to go further and allow Americans access to Canadian prices at their local pharmacy. They should not have to take buses to Canada to access these savings. To that end, I remain dedicated to enacting the provisions of legislation I introduced with a bipartisan group of colleagues, the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2005, S. 334. This bill would provide for the safe importation of prescription drugs from Canada that are both approved by the FDA and manufactured in an FDA- approved plant. Eventually, once the FDA establishes the appropriate safety protocols included in the legislation, this bill would allow individuals to purchase drugs directly from Canadian and U.S. wholesalers, and pharmacies could import drugs from facilities in several countries that are registered, fully inspected, and approved by the FDA. So while I applaud the Senate on this small step forward in its efforts to reduce prescription drug prices for Americans, I remain committed to working with my colleagues to create additional initiatives that will lower the cost of prescription drugs.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I wish to speak today of the Code Talkers Recognition Act, which passed the Senate last week with 79 cosponsors. This bill would present commemorative medals to Sioux, Comanche, Choctaw, Sac and Fox, and any other Native American code talkers that served during World War I and World War II in recognition of the contributions of their service to the United States. Earlier this summer, I, along with Senator John Thune, were able to present Clarence Wolf Guts, our last remaining Lakota code talker, with a star quilt on behalf of the National Indian Education Association. Mr. Wolf Guts is now 83 years old and is of Oglala and Rosebud descent. Mr. Wolf Guts attended St. Francis Indian School in Marty, SD, and spent most of his life living on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He now lives in a state veteran's home in Hot Springs, SD. In his late teens, Mr. Wolf Guts enlisted in the Marines and served as a radio operator during World War II. He has become a spokesman among tribal elders and traditional leaders about the importance of keeping native languages alive for future generations. He is very proud to be a veteran, a full-blooded Lakota, and a Lakota speaker. Earlier this year, another Lakota code talker, Charles Whitepipe, passed away. Mr. Whitepipe, a Sicangu Lakota from the Rosebud tribe, valiantly served in the Army as a Code Talker in World War II. He served as a ``Forward Observer'' on Japanese-held islands in the South Pacific, communicating by radio with a ship-based partner, using the Lakota language to direct artillery fire from ships at sea onto the islands. Other Lakota code talkers that will also be recognized in this legislation include Eddie Eagle Boy, Simon Brokenleg, Iver Crow Eagle, Sr., Edmund St. John, Walter C. John, John Bear King, Phillip ``Stoney'' LaBlanc, Baptiste Pumpkinseed, and Guy Rondell. During World War II, these men were Army radio operators who used their native Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota dialects to transmit strategic messages to foil enemy surveillance in both the Pacific and European theaters. There is no doubt that the bravery and the courage of Mr. Whitepipe and Mr. Wolf Guts, as well as the other code talkers, helped to make the United States the free and proud place it is today. While Navajos have received the most recognition, it is important to remember that members of at least 17 other tribes also served as code talkers in World War I and World War II. The syntax and tonal qualities of the native languages were so complex that no message transmitted by any code talker was ever decoded by the enemy. However, for the code talkers who returned home, there were no parades or special recognition, as they were sworn to secrecy, an oath they kept and honored but one that robbed them of the accolades and place in history that they rightfully deserved. The accomplishments of the code talkers were even more heroic, given the cultural context in which they were operating. Subjected to alienation in their homeland and discouraged from speaking their native languages, they still stepped forward and developed the most significant and successful military code of their time. That spirit of military service continues today. Native Americans make up a higher percentage of servicemen and servicewomen in the Armed Forces than any other ethnic group in America. They have served with honor in all of America's wars, beginning with the Revolutionary War and on through our current operations in Iraq. I commend the work of Senators Inhofe, Grassley, Harkin and Thune for their work in moving this bill forward, as well as the leadership of the Banking Committee, Senators Shelby and Sarbanes. It is now time to honor all of our native code talkers that have contributed to the safety of our Nation.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss the importance of breast cancer awareness and to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which takes place this October. We celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month every October in order to raise awareness of the disease and to stress the importance of early detection through an annual mammogram for women over 40, or earlier for women with increased risk factors. I say that we celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month because in my family, we truly do celebrate. Were it not for the efforts of so many fine individuals and organizations to raise awareness of this disease, my wife Barbara might not have sought early treatment and won two battles with breast cancer. Barbara's triumphs truly give our family reason to celebrate. Yet the numbers remind us that we have more work to do. Breast cancer is the most common nonskin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women. We know we are making strides against this disease because while the breast cancer diagnosis rate has increased, the overall breast cancer death rate has decreased. Simply put, although more women are personally fighting breast cancer, more women are winning. One of the most effective ways for women to win their battle against breast cancer is through early detection and treatment, and highlighting this fact is a fundamental goal of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In this spirit, Barbara and I sponsor a mammogram van every year at the South Dakota State Fair in Huron, SD. The van, which our generous sponsors help us provide free of charge, offers 2 days of free mammograms for uninsured women. We are so proud to have the opportunity to offer this important screening to so many women. I am disappointed that the President's budget request for fiscal year 2007 does not prioritize funding for cancer programs in a way that allows us to move quickly forward in the fight against breast cancer. The President requested level funding for the National Institutes of Health, NIH, the world's largest and most distinguished organization dedicated to maintaining and improving health through medical science. This proposed budget would cut funding for 18 of the 19 Institutes at NIH, including a $40 million cut for the National Cancer Institute. I am pleased that the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill approved by the Appropriations Committee, on which I serve, in July not only restored funding for the National Cancer Institute, but also included a $9 million increase over the fiscal year 2006 level. While we must still travel a long path to passing this appropriations bill, I am committed to maintaining and, if possible, increasing this funding level. Earlier this year, I joined 73 Senators in voting to add $7 billion to the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill. Unfortunately, the fiscal year 2006 emergency supplemental bill contained a ``deeming resolution'' that forced the Senate to make significant spending cuts in domestic programs. As a result, on July 20, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out a bill that is $2 billion short of the fiscal year 2005 level. I am committed to securing the rest of the funds that so many of my colleagues and I support and to ensuring that important programs like breast cancer research and screening and treatment programs receive the benefit of these additional funds. We can only expect to conquer breast cancer and other forms of cancer if we commit the funds necessary to researching, understanding, and preventing this disease. During the month of October, I urge my Senate colleagues, my constituents in South Dakota, and all Americans to join me in celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I thank the Senators from North Dakota, Mr. Conrad and Mr. Dorgan, for their extraordinary leadership on this issue. We have a crisis of enormous proportions across a large swath of America, from the Canadian border all the way to Mexico. My home State of South Dakota, as has been noted, is virtually the epicenter of what has been a drought, not just a catastrophic drought this year but the previous year and some portions of South Dakota going back to the year 2000. It has been devastating to our agricultural economy, but then as well to our Main Streets, to the economy of that entire region. Recently, I joined with my colleague, Senator Thune, in a joint drought tour around portions of South Dakota that have been worst hit. It was evident that the needs were urgent. We saw herds being sold off entirely, calves being sold prematurely. We saw the factory, in effect, being sold off from the livestock sector of our State. In the crop areas, we saw areas where there was corn that was perhaps 6 inches high with no ears. In other areas, you would have to get out of the pickup and kick the dust to tell what had been planted, whether it was soybeans, corn, whatever. It was entirely lost. There are stock dams without water. Farming operations--good operations--that have been in the family for generations, some 100 years or more, are in great jeopardy. So I am here today to share my support for getting on with disaster relief. We passed disaster relief for the 2005 drought as part of the supplemental appropriations bill. Unfortunately, when it went to the House, the agriculture portion of it was largely stripped out. We provided money to rebuild Iraq and money to rebuild Katrina--and I wish them all well--but there is a lack of regard for the crisis that exists in rural America. The administration is talking about rebuilding Iraqi agriculture in rural communities. That is fine. But we have American farmers and ranchers and American Main Streets that need some attention, and that need for attention is urgent. We attempted to pass agriculture relief on the Agriculture appropriations bill, but that has now been delayed until after the election. Whether we are able to hold on to that funding remains to be seen. Clearly, we will have progress if we continue the bipartisan support we have up to now exhibited in the Senate where there has been pretty good support, with Republicans and Democrats, Senators from all regions behind us on this issue. We need to have support from the White House as well. It is my hope that the White House will recognize that this drought has only grown worse, the needs more urgent. Senator Conrad, to his good credit, has worked very closely with the White House and with others to reduce the cost of this effort, to meet some of the objections that have been raised by the White House and by USDA. So what we have here is a drought bill that would cost about the equivalent of 2 weeks' expenditure in Iraq for the entire Nation, for the entire year, for multiple drought years. It is important we recognize droughts are disasters, just as much as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes. They are less dramatic because they happen through a drawn-out period of time, but they are just as devastating. Just as Americans come together to deal with disasters that occur in other parts of the country, we need to come together on this disaster as well. Americans looking after Americans. We are now at the final shred of time left in this Congress. This is our last remaining hope to get this done. It is my hope we can set aside partisan politics and appreciate the losses that are being sustained are losses that are happening to American farmers and ranchers and American Main Streets, and it needs an American response. If we pull together in this body, I am confident that we will, in fact, make some progress. There still is time, but we have to act now. Again, Mr. President, I urge my colleagues, I urge USDA, the White House, and our friends in the other body to recognize the critical need, the urgent need for attention to this catastrophic string of drought years that our farmers and ranchers and Main Streets are facing. I yield the floor.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to remind men and the women who love them that early detection saves lives. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed nonskin cancer in American men and it is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death among men. Approximately one out of every six men will develop it at some point in their lives. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, more than 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States and, sadly, about 27,000 sons, fathers, brothers and husbands will die of the disease. Fortunately, through early detection and treatment, fewer men are dying and more men are living long and healthy lives following their diagnosis. A simple blood test, the prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, test can detect prostate cancer, and is usually administered by your regular doctor. Health experts recommend that doctors offer men yearly screening beginning at age 50. However, men with one or more high risk factors should consider starting yearly testing at age 45 or earlier and some may choose to take a PSA test at age 40, to establish a baseline level for future comparison. Each year my wife Barbara and I sponsor a cancer booth at the South Dakota State Fair in Huron, SD. For many years, we have been able to provide free PSA tests to hundreds of men, and several people have returned to the booth to tell us that the PSA test they took at the fair detected their cancer, and they are now on the road to a full recovery. Barb and I are grateful that we are able to offer this service, and that it is making a difference for South Dakotans. Many individuals have had their own lives or the lives of family and friends touched by cancer; I am so grateful that my own battle with this disease had a successful outcome. Prostate cancer is often not an easy subject to discuss, but uncomfortable though the topic may be for some, we must remember that early detection saves lives. My wife Barbara is a two-time cancer survivor, and her experience taught me that early detection and swift treatment is the best defense in fighting any form of cancer. I am proud to add my voice to those who are working to fight prostate cancer, and to commend them on their indefatigable efforts to raise awareness of the risks, to promote early detection and treatment, and to further our efforts to understand and eliminate this disease. I urge men to discuss their risks and screening options with their doctor, and I urge women to raise this important topic with the men in their lives. Through screening and early detection, we truly can save lives.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. I thank the Senator for his explanation. I understand that the regulatory agencies, specifically the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation agree with this interpretation as does the House of Representatives.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I have serious concerns about extraneous provision that was included in the port security conference report. The internet gaming prohibition which was included in the conference report at the eleventh hour has been opposed by banks, convenience stores, American Indian tribes, religious groups, and a Government agency--the National Indian Gaming Commission. There are several troublesome attributes to this legislation, but perhaps none more so than how it became included in the port security conference report. This legislation was never approved by the Senate Banking Committee nor debated by the full Senate. Many unresolved concerns exist about this legislation regarding the impact it will have on the banking and gambling industry, an effect that could be in the billions of dollars. I strongly support firm regulation and oversight of the gambling industry, but this legislation is unequal in its treatment of gambling activities creating specific carve outs for horse racing while not providing similar treatment for other gambling entities. As expressed in the opposition letter of the National Indian Gaming Commission, the Federal agency charged with oversight of Indian Gaming, this legislation could have unintended consequences that will have negative and far reaching effects on the Indian Gaming industry. Moreover, this legislation charges banks with a responsibility for regulating the wire transfers that could potentially place an undue burden on the small independent banks that serve countless South Dakotans and others on main streets across the country. At the very least, the effects of this legislation needed to be studied and analyzed by the full Senate before final passage. While I now have no choice but to vote for Defense legislation at a time when our Nation is at war, I deeply resent the Republican leadership shopping this unrelated matter into a must pass bill. The inclusion of the Internet Gambling provision in a must pass bill at the last minute is irresponsible legislation.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that today I publicly honor and congratulate White Lake School District on achieving blue ribbon status under the Federal No Child Left Behind Act. The prestigious blue ribbon designation is based on strong test scores and a myriad of other successes. The White Lake School District is among only 250 entities to be recognized nationwide so far this year. For public schools like White Lake to qualify for blue ribbon status, they must meet State testing levels or have a student body comprised of a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, yet demonstrate improvement. Achieving this goal is a wonderful accomplishment, and White Lake schools ought to be applauded. This is not the first time White Lake schools have been honored. In both the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 school years, the district was named a Distinguished District, due to high scores on the DakotaSTEP achievement test. The U.S. Department of Education has also named White Lake as a Title I Distinguished School. In order to apply to be a blue ribbon school, the White Lake School District submitted a 27-page application outlining their strategies and techniques for learning success. Mr. President, I am proud to have this opportunity to honor White Lake School District. It is a privilege for me to share with my colleagues the exemplary leadership and tireless commitment to education that White Lake School District provides to its students. I strongly commend the hard work and dedication that the faculty, administrators, and staff devote to White Lake schools, and I am very pleased that their hard work and the students' substantial efforts are being publicly honored and celebrated. On behalf of all South Dakotans, I would like to congratulate this extraordinary school system and wish them continued success.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the hard work and amazing results of the Weed and Seed organization of Rapid City, SD. The Rapid City group will cease operations later this month after nearly a decade of tireless efforts to rehabilitate a significant portion of the residential and business area in the community. In partnership with organizations that included the Rapid City Police Department, the Center for Restorative Justice, Volunteers of America, the Project Safe Neighborhood/Gunwise Program and Good Housekeeping, dozens of individuals came together to address neighborhood crime, abuse, housing and aesthetic issues. Primarily focused on the East North and East Boulevard neighborhoods, the Rapid City Weed and Seed organization worked with the Rapid City Police Department on a zero tolerance policy with an aggressive police presence in areas that were beset with crime, homelessness and urban blight issues. The group worked with Rapid City leaders to aggressively enforce city codes involving housing. Vacated and rundown homes and businesses were torn down and replaced with new and thriving businesses and new homes. Other businesses, homes and apartment complexes were expanded and renovated during this time frame. Efforts to revitalize Roosevelt Park resulted in the construction of a new ice arena and indoor swimming pool, as part of the city's 2012 economic development program. A business association was formed to bring together local business owners to discuss relevant issues of importance. The Weed and Seed organization also developed an ``Adopt a Creek'' program with 23 sections of Rapid Creek adopted by local companies, organizations and families. The first major cleanup of Rapid Creek since the tragic 1972 flood resulted in the collection of 18 tons of trash, including debris from the 1972 flood event. Four townhall meetings were conducted with local residents and annual picnics were sponsored to develop a sense of camaraderie and connection between neighbors. As a result of these efforts, the East North and East Boulevard areas have once again become a source of pride for the community. This sense of pride is now reflected in the residents and businesses located in the area. These results are due in large part to the collective work of the Rapid City Weed and Seed organization and the partnerships that were developed with city officials, law enforcement agencies and the local businesses. Funded through a 5-year Weed and Seed grant of $1.025 million, the local organization will cease operations later this month. I wish to recognize the vision and hard-working efforts of the dozens of Rapid City citizens and officials who have provided tireless efforts to rehabilitate and renovate a key part of the community. I wish to recognize the help of executive director Patricia Pummel and board members Wayne Asscherick, Phyllis Boernke, Dave Bussard, Jim Castleberry, Patrick Clinch, Cynthia Clinch, Linda M. Colhoff, Richard Cooper, Lt. Ray Cornford, Darcy Dennison, Lee Dennison, Ken Edel, Fred Eisenbraun, Lawren Erickson, Dan Island, Adeline Kalmbeck, Jim Kinyon, Craig Kirsch, Eileen Leir, Burt Long, Carol Long, State legislator Alice McCoy, Jim McCoy, Dave Morgan, Lou Morgan, Sharon Oney, Kenneth Palmer, Gloria Pluimer, Alys Ratigan, Kerri Severson, Mickey Snook, Roberta Stevens, Betty Strobel, Raymond Summers, Patricia Trumble, William Trumble, Holli Vanderbeek, Jerry Walenta, Lt. David Walton, Les Wermers, Dexter Wittman, Rapid City Mayor Jim Shaw, former mayor Jerry Munson and Connie Ewing. Thanks to the efforts of these individuals, other concerned and committed citizens, and officials in Rapid City, the East North and East Boulevard areas of Rapid City have been effectively rehabilitated. The efforts of this organization may serve as a model for other Weed and Seed organizations in the country. Although ceasing operations, the vision and tireless efforts of individuals in the Rapid City Weed and Seed organization will be maintained. I wish to commend the energetic and innovative work of the Rapid City Weed and Seed organization and the individuals involved in their great work over the past several years.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to the centennial of the founding of the city of Stratford, SD. A latecomer in inclusion into Brown County, Stratford sprung up rapidly in just weeks. Stratford was founded 100 years ago on the Minneapolis and St. Louis railways. Stratford was a convenient commuter system to many of its neighboring cities at the time. In just 5 years, Stratford reached its peak population of 600. Stratford is one of South Dakota's classic small towns. It has been the home of industry and farm-related businesses and has been served by a volunteer fire department since 1911. The Baribeau Honey Company, which processes about a million pounds of honey annually, was established in 1955 and is still a booming business. The post office and BS Bar and Grill are open to this day. A hundred years after its founding, Stratford continues to be a vital community and a great asset to South Dakota. I am proud to honor the achievements of Stratford on this memorable occasion.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the hard work and amazing results of the Weed and Seed organization of Rapid City, SD. The Rapid City group will cease operations later this month after nearly a decade of tireless efforts to rehabilitate a significant portion of the residential and business area in the community. In partnership with organizations that included the Rapid City Police Department, the Center for Restorative Justice, Volunteers of America, the Project Safe Neighborhood/Gunwise Program, and Good Housekeeping, dozens of individuals came together to address neighborhood crime, abuse, housing, and aesthetic issues. Primarily focused on the East North and East Boulevard neighborhoods, the Rapid City Weed and Seed organization worked with the Rapid City Police Department on a zero-tolerance policy with an aggressive police presence in areas that were beset with crime, homelessness, and urban blight issues. The group worked with Rapid City leaders to aggressively enforce city codes involving housing. Vacated and rundown homes and businesses were torn down and replaced with new and thriving businesses and new homes. Other businesses, homes, and apartment complexes were expanded and renovated during this timeframe. Efforts to revitalize Roosevelt Park resulted in the construction of a new ice arena and indoor swimming pool, as part of the city's 2012 economic development program. A business association was formed to bring together local business owners to discuss relevant issues of importance. The Weed and Seed organization also developed an adopt-a-creek program with 21 sections of Rapid Creek adopted by local companies, organizations, and families. The first major cleanup of Rapid Creek since the tragic 1972 flood resulted in the collection of 18 tons of trash, including debris from the 1972 flood event. Four townhall meetings were conducted with local residents, and annual picnics were sponsored to develop a sense of camaraderie and connection between neighbors. As a result of these efforts, the East North and East Boulevard areas have once again become a source of pride for the community. This sense of pride is now reflected in the residents and businesses located in the area. These results are due in large part to the collective work of the Rapid City Weed and Seed organization and the partnerships that were developed with city officials, law enforcement agencies, and the local businesses. Funded through a 5-year Weed and Seed grant of $1.025 million, the local organization will cease operations later this month. I wish to recognize the vision and hard-working efforts of the dozens of Rapid City citizens and officials who have provided tireless efforts to rehabilitate and renovate a key part of the community. I wish to recognize the help of executive director Patricia Pummel and board members Wayne Asscherick, Phyllis Boernke, Dave Bussard, Jim Castleberry, Patrick Clinch, Cynthia Clinch, Linda M. Colhoff, Richard Cooper, Darcy Dennison, Lee Dennison, Ken Edel, Fred Eisenbraun, Lawren Erickson, Dan Island, Adeline Kalmbeck, Jim Kinyon, Craig Kirsch, Eileen Leir, Burt Lang, Carol Lang, State legislator Alice McCoy, Jim McCoy, Dave Morgan, Lou Morgan, Sharon Oney, Kenneth Palmer, Gloria Pluimer, Alys Ratigan, Kerri Severson, Mickey Snook, Roberta Stevens, Betty Strobel, Raymond Summers, Pat Trumble, Holli Vanderbeek, Jerry Walenta, Lieutenant David Walton, Les Wermers, Dexter Wittman, Rapid City mayor Jim Shaw, former mayor Jerry Munson, and Connie Ewing. Thanks to the efforts of these individuals, other concerned and committed citizens, and officials in Rapid City, the East North and East Boulevard areas of Rapid City have been effectively rehabilitated. The efforts of this organization may serve as a model for other Weed and Seed organizations in the country. Although ceasing operations, the vision and tireless efforts of individuals in the Rapid City Weed and Seed organization will be maintained. I commend the energetic and innovative work of the Rapid City Weed and Seed organization and the individuals involved in their great work over the past several years.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life of Madonna Archambeau. Madonna was a member of the Ihanktonwan Dakota Nation who passed away just over a week ago. Mrs. Archambeau was born in 1934 in Ravinia, SD just a few miles off the Missouri River near the Nebraska border. Mrs. Archambeau was then educated at St. Paul's Indian Mission in nearby Marty, SD. From there, she began her service to her community which culminated in her election as the first woman to chair the Yankton Sioux Tribe. Mrs. Archambeau began her career at the post office in Greenwood, SD, then moved to the Indian Health Service where she served for 31 years. Although she didn't end her career there; after her retirement from IHS she ran for chairperson of the Yankton Sioux Tribe and eventually tribal members elected her as the first woman to serve in that position. This exceptionally strong woman was an especially strong advocate for the health and wellness of the Yankton Sioux Tribe and some of her greatest contributions to the tribe were in the health care arena. A tireless advocate of the health needs of her people, Mrs. Archambeau fought for adequate health care by working to ensure that emergency services remained at the Wagner Service Unit of the IHS. She was also a major influence in the establishment of a dialysis center for members of the Yankton Sioux Tribe. It was my pleasure to have worked with her during her term and I would like to offer my condolences to the family, friends, and fellow advocates whom Madonna touched with her efforts on behalf of her people. They have much to be proud of, and it is my hope that their memories will be rich with the great many accomplishments she achieved during her career. Her memory will serve as a beacon to young Native women in the Yankton Sioux tribe and throughout Indian Country.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Brad Exton, an individual with a long and outstanding record as member of the U.S. Forest Service. Over the course of his 29 years in the Forest Service, Mr. Exton has held many demanding posts, including deputy forest supervisor and acting forest supervisor of the Black Hills National Forest, BHNF, in South Dakota. He has also been instrumental in helping the Forest Service improve relations with Native American tribes, and helped to create a closer relationship between the Forest Service, National Park Service, and the State park system. Before his tenure in South Dakota, Mr. Exton served in several States and numerous positions within the Forest Service. He was a graduate forester in Oregon; a river ranger in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho; a district ranger in Caribou-Targhee National Forest, encompassing 3 million acres in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah; and a recreation staff officer in the Ashley National Forest in Utah. He brought this wealth of experience with him to BHNF in April of 2003. As deputy forest supervisor and acting forest supervisor at BHNF, Mr. Exton took a leadership role in confronting some of the most difficult challenges facing the organization. For example, Mr. Exton was a BHNF spokesman and negotiator on issues of concern to Indian tribes. The Black Hills area is sacred land to 22 tribes, including the Lakota people, and there has often been tension with the Forest Service over the role of the tribes in land management and usage. Through meetings and the formation of an advisory group, Mr. Exton has partnered with tribal members to seek a more active role for the tribes in maintaining healthy forests and creating an atmosphere of respect for indigenous cultures and knowledge. His commitment was reflected in 2005, when he was awarded a Regional Forester Honor Award for his work with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in developing a program of fuel reduction. While it is unfortunate for BHNF to lose a valuable public servant such as Mr. Exton, I am confident he will thrive in his new position as manager of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. I wish to congratulate Mr. Exton on this exciting new opportunity, and wish him all the best. The cooperation and respect Mr. Exton has fostered in South Dakota will remain as a worthy legacy.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, the Senate is considering today an increase in the minimum wage, a package of tax extenders, and the repeal of the estate tax. I am highly disturbed and disappointed by the course that the Senate has chosen to hold badly needed tax cut extenders and the minimum wage increase hostage to the estate tax bill. And I find it ironic that the Republican leadership has been referring to this as a ``trifecta''--betting terminology. It certainly is a gamble. It is a gamble with the livelihoods and pocketbooks of the American taxpayer and American worker, and that is surely not what I was elected to do. Tying an increase in the minimum wage and important tax extenders to the estate tax in order to further a political agenda which has otherwise failed on this issue is outrageous and manipulative, and I will not support it. And to add insult to injury, the majority leader has refused to allow his Senate colleagues, who would like to substantively address these issues, to offer any amendments. This ``my way or the highway approach'' is quintessential partisan politics. I would like to be very clear on my position here. I strongly support an increase in the Federal minimum wage. I supported Senator Kennedy's amendment to the DOD authorization bill that would have increased the minimum wage to $7.25 over a 2-year and 2-month period, and I am a cosponsor of his Fair Minimum Wage Act. I am also a cosponsor of Senator Clinton's Standing with Minimum Wage Earners Act, S. 2725, which would raise the Federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour and link future increases in the minimum wage to congressional raises. I have always supported updating the Federal minimum wage in the past and would like to have the opportunity for an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. The Republican leadership in both the Senate and the House of Representatives has thus far managed to block an increase in the minimum wage. Ironically and sadly, that leadership continues to prioritize tax breaks for America's most fabulously wealthy over an increase in wages for hard-working families. It just makes no sense. A minimum wage employee working 40 hours per week, 52 weeks a year, would earn only $10,700, a figure far below the poverty level for even a two- person family. Inflation has eroded the buying power of the minimum wage since it was last increased in 1997. The current minimum wage is woefully inadequate to provide enough income for workers to afford decent housing, set aside sufficient funds for a comfortable retirement, or meet any emergency needs. Increasing the minimum wage is about both economics and values. I tire of hearing people talk about ``family values'' while at the same time doing little to increase wages or provide affordable health care and housing. I also strongly support the package of tax extenders that were left behind during tax reconciliation. I was disappointed that the final tax reconciliation measure, H.R. 4297, failed to include provisions that would allow South Dakotans to deduct their State and local sales taxes. South Dakota collects more than 50 percent of its revenue from sales tax assessments. It is unfair to expect South Dakotans to pay an additional Federal tax liability simply because of the form of taxes my home State collects, and I strongly favor making the sales tax deduction a permanent part of the Tax Code. I was also disappointed that this measure did not include provisions to allow families paying college tuition to deduct that tuition from their Federal taxes or teachers to deduct the cost of classroom supplies. These tax cuts are important to many Americans, and I support them unequivocally, but I will not allow the Republican leadership to tell me that I can only give these tax breaks to middle-class Americans by also voting for an estate tax repeal that will leave our grandchildren hundreds of billions of dollars of debt. Additionally, I will support tax cuts that target working Americans, so long as they are enacted in a fiscally responsible manner with appropriate revenue offsets. The estate tax noose that has been tied around this legislative package is not in keeping with this philosophy. While I feel strongly that Congress must act to give some estate tax permanency and certainty to estate planning, I do not support full repeal or any measure that would only benefit a tiny number of fabulously wealthy estates while at the same time being so costly that it would require massive borrowing from foreign nations and from the Social Security trust fund in order to write the checks. Since the Federal Government is already running several hundred billions of dollars annually in the red as it is, any further tax cuts and giveaways for America's multimillionaires will require that we borrow the money to give to them. Increasingly, the borrowing will be from foreign nations and from Social Security revenues. That also means that additional tax cuts for the middle-income taxpayers will be almost impossible and that the middle class and their children will have to pay higher taxes for decades to pay off the debt service on the multimillionaire tax cut. That debt service already costs the taxpayers $1 billion per day. The estate tax legislation that has come before us thus far has been unrealistic and costly. I would be supportive of legislation exempting family farms, ranches, and small businesses from the estate tax. In fact, in 2001, I voted to do just that. Unfortunately, then, the Republican party decided to enact legislation that called for, among other things, a phaseout of the Federal estate tax that provides complete repeal in 2010 but reverts to an exemption of only $650,000 in 2011. Because of this mistake we have had to have this discussion every election year since. Easing taxes on farms, ranches, and small businesses is one thing, but the total repeal being pushed as a political statement during this runup to the election season is irresponsible. I believe the Federal Government ought to be doing more for middle-class and working families, rather than focusing its attention on the Paris Hilton and Donald Trump crowd.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, recently the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year 2007 Defense appropriations bill. As a member of the committee, I supported this measure, and it is now being considered by the full Senate. The bill provides $453.5 billion in new discretionary spending authority for the Department of Defense. Included in this amount is $50 billion for contingency operations related to the global war on terror. I have repeatedly called upon the Bush administration to be frank with American taxpayers about funding levels for ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. For far too long, the Bush administration has relied upon emergency supplemental spending measures, as opposed to the annual budget process, to fund our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. I believe that is wrong. In his budget proposal, President Bush finally submitted a $50 billion request for a bridge fund to support military efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq for the coming fiscal year. The Senate Appropriations Committee funded this request, but I remain concerned that this level of funding will be insufficient, and once again Congress will need to consider another emergency supplemental appropriations bill. Furthermore, President Bush's continued insistence on maintaining tax breaks for the extremely wealthy has made it incredibly difficult to fund important domestic spending programs. In fact, the President's budget reduced funding for critical programs including No Child Left Behind, the Perkins Career and Technical Education Program, and firefighter assistance grants. Consequently, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran was forced to reduce defense spending by $9.1 billion to meet urgent domestic spending needs. As a result, our servicemembers received a 2.2 percent across- the-board pay raise, a reduction of nearly 1 percent from last year's level of 3.1 percent. In addition, the Bush budget recommended funding for only 333,000 Army National Guard personnel, well below the National Guard authorized end-strength of 350,000. This proposal was opposed by the National Guard and Reserve, and I am pleased that the Senate was able to provide sufficient funding to support an Army National Guard end strength of 350,000 soldiers. While some shortfalls remain in the bill, it is important to note that it provides an additional $340 million for National Guard and Reserve equipment above the President's request. The bill also provides $735 million for body armor and personal protection equipment, as well as $1.5 billion for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization. Furthermore, I am pleased that the bill reported out by the Senate Appropriations Committee provides funding for a number of important South Dakota projects. Due to my seat on the Appropriations Committee, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology received funding to develop a number of important defense related projects. Researchers at the school will receive over $3.3 million to establish and staff a nationally competitive polymer and composites processing laboratory in South Dakota; they will work to develop new transparent armor for the Army's Future Combat Systems; and the school will develop a control system for laser powder deposition. The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is not the only organization conducting critical defense-related research in South Dakota. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe will receive $5 million to continue their efforts to establish the Advanced Electronics Rosebud Integration Center. The center will research, develop, test, and demonstrate advanced electronics integration and fabrication technology on the Rosebud Sioux Tribe reservation in South Dakota. In addition, funding was provided to RPM & Associates to facilitate their efforts to use LENS technology for aerospace applications. Likewise, the Batcheller Consulting Group will move forward in developing innovative on-board sensor systems to assess the wear-and-tear to military vehicles and weapon systems. Finally, the South Dakota National Guard will benefit from defense- wide funding increases I championed. For example, the Senate Appropriations Committee included nearly $35 million above the President's request to meet the urgent needs of our National Guard and Reserve. This funding will help procure additional M22 Automatic Chemical Agent Alarms, Improved Chemical Agent Monitors, targeting pods for F-16 aircraft, and helmet mounted cueing systems. Mr. President, while I continue to have deep concerns about the spending priorities of the Bush administration, I do believe that the funding included in this bill will go a long way toward providing our troops with the resources they need to defend our country.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleagues today in support of legislation that expands access to domestically produced oil and natural gas by opening new areas for exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. Earlier this spring, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee took action on a similar bill introduced by Senators Bingaman and Domenici. That bill provided the framework for today's action by garnering an important, early consensus on the need to bring on-line additional gas and oil reserves. As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I supported moving that earlier version through the Energy Committee with the goal of lowering energy input costs for agriculture producers, and manufacturers. This bill strikes an appropriate balance by focusing on Outer Continental Shelf lands located in relative close proximity to the existing infrastructure of natural gas gathering and distribution lines necessary to deliver oil and gas to consumers. When compared to a competing version passed by the House of Representatives that throws long-standing environmental provisions and drilling moratoriums out the window, the Senate bill is a reasoned and responsible bill. I do, however, share the concerns of many other Senators that the final legislation cannot include many of the damaging provisions included in the House of Representatives-passed bill. I will do my best to convince my colleagues in the coming weeks that the best, quickest path toward bringing more than 6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas to market is through a conference report that maintains the key aspects of the Senate bill. I also want to let my colleagues know that I am determined to ensure that a final bill include additional funds for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, as well as wildlife habitat funding through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Account. I introduced an amendment cosponsored by Senator Lincoln that seeks to use a portion of the royalties, rents, and bonus bids from Lease Sale 181 South after 2017 for this important purpose. Should Congress make the determination to direct a portion of the royalties from these Outer Continental Shelf lands for the restoration of lands from the Gulf of Mexico producing States, then those revenues should be sufficient to increase the amount dedicated from these leases to the 46 other States of this Nation. Again, I rise in support of S. 3711 and will vote in favor of this legislation.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to my very close friend, Roger Andal. Last month, Roger died following a long battle with Crohn's disease. His passing is a tremendous loss to our veterans, as well as a personal loss for my family and me. His friendship will be terribly missed. Roger began his extraordinary service to our country as a combat medic with the Army's Fourth Infantry Division during the war in Vietnam. It was Roger's duty to help his fallen comrades and tend to their wounds, and it was a responsibility that came naturally to him. He braved enemy fire to ensure the injured were safely evacuated from the battlefield. Roger often did so with little regard to his own personal safety and was ultimately wounded in battle. He received the Purple Heart, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Campaign Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal for his service to his country. But for Roger what mattered most were not the commendations, but the knowledge that he had helped his fellow soldiers. After returning stateside, Roger dedicated himself to working on behalf of our Nation's veterans. For the next 30 years, he was active in various veterans' causes, and at the time of his death he was completing his service as the South Dakota commander of the Disabled American Veterans. The creed of the Disabled American Veterans is ``building better lives for America's disabled veterans and their families.'' I think it's profoundly true to say Roger personified these words and made them his life's mission. As a former Army medic, Roger understood both the physical and emotional wounds of war. Some soldiers survive the harrows of battle, only to suffer severe injuries including brain trauma and amputated limbs. These veterans required lifelong medical treatment, and Roger was adamant that they receive it. Roger also recognized that some wounds heal long after the battle is over, if at all. That is why he consistently called upon his congressional Representatives to increase funding for posttraumatic stress disorder initiatives. Roger fought to make sure homeless veterans were sheltered. He worked to make sure that soldiers returning from war were transitioned back to society with as much ease as possible. But the issue most identified with Roger was mandatory funding. I have introduced mandatory funding legislation in each of the past three Congresses, and Roger was the bill's most tireless and dedicated champion. If it were possible to pass mandatory funding based on Roger's passion and commitment, enacting this legislation into law would have happened long ago. Mandatory funding is long overdue, and in honor of Roger, I believe we must redouble our efforts to ensure the VA health care program has guaranteed funding adequate to provide veterans' health care each and every year. For over three decades Roger never shied away from a fight. He was motivated by his sincere belief that if you make a promise to the men and women placed in harm's way, then you have a responsibility to honor those commitments when they return. But what Roger valued most was honesty. He was a straight-shooter, and it was one of his most endearing personality traits. If you asked Roger a question, he would give you a straight answer--and he expected one in return. It speaks volumes about Roger's character that his peers continually elected him to leadership positions within the Disabled American Veterans. In addition to holding every elected position in the Sioux Falls chapter of the DAV, Roger served twice as the State commander, and represented South Dakota on the executive national committee. On a personal note, Roger had a close working relationship with my staff and in particular with my Chief of Staff, Drey Samuelson. He was an invaluable resource and often provided insight on legislation and veterans' benefits programs. Despite occasional legislative setbacks, Roger always kept a positive outlook on the process. In the days following Roger's death some veterans have expressed how much more difficult the fight will be without Roger to lead the charge. Without question, Roger's voice will be missed. But we should remember that the best way to honor Roger's life is to fight wholeheartedly for the causes he championed. Mr. President, my thoughts are with Roger's wife Peggy and their two children during this difficult time. Roger left us much too soon, but his commitment to our veterans and his service to the public and to our Nation will continue to inspire us all. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. JOHNSON. I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 10 minutes as in morning business.

Mr. JOHNSON

Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, recently the Senate approved the fiscal year 2007 Homeland Security appropriations bill. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I voted in favor of this measure. The bill allocates a total of $32.8 billion in discretionary spending for the Department of Homeland Security. This funding will increase the current number of detention beds and Border Patrol agents, and during floor consideration, the Senate supported additional funding for border infrastructure upgrades and port security. While this funding will help secure our borders and protect our homeland, President Bush's continued insistence on maintaining tax breaks for the extremely wealthy has made it incredibly difficult to fund important first responder grant programs. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program provides critical funding to our local fire departments for training, equipment, and facility improvements. In his fiscal year 2007 budget request, President Bush recommended only $293 million for this important program--a dramatic reduction from the previous fiscal year's funding level of $545 million. If this request had been enacted, it would have undermined the efforts of local fire departments in meeting their training and equipment needs. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I was pleased the committee provided $680 million for firefighter assistance grants, of which $127.5 million will be allocated for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Firefighters, SAFER, Act grant program. These grants help communities hire firefighters, and in turn, local governments are responsible for providing funds to match a portion of each grant. Regrettably, President Bush requested no funding for this important program. As a result, the money appropriated by the Senate will go a long way toward helping our first responders. Finally, first responders also rely upon the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program. This program provides funding to State and local governments for all-hazards emergency management including natural disasters, accidents, or terrorist threats. Unfortunately, the President requested only $170 million for this program in his fiscal year 2007 budget proposal--$15 million less than what Congress appropriated the previous year. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, we restored this important funding and recommended $205 million for this program. In a post-September 11 world, we must make homeland security one of our top priorities. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue my efforts to ensure that our first responders have the resources and tools necessary to respond to threats against our homeland.