Ted Kennedy

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I support this legislation because it will help millions of families across the country. One of the most important provisions offers urgently needed aid to communities to improve their public schools. Democrats worked effectively to provide funds for more teachers and smaller classes, and these efforts were successful. The result is that assistance is on the way for this important aspect of school reform. The bill provides $1.2 billion on the current fiscal year for this vital initiative to reduce class sizes in the nation's public schools. This is the first installment in an ongoing effort to help schools throughout the nation hire 100,000 more teachers, so that all students will get the attention they need in school to succeed in life. The bill also contains a major literacy initiative that will provide $260 million to help children learn to read well by the end of the third grade. It's a strong response to President Clinton's America Reads Challenge, and it makes a significant additional victory for education reform. In addition, the legislation includes $871 million for summer jobs for disadvantaged youth. For many of these youth, summer jobs are their first opportunity to work and their first step in learning the work ethic. This legislation also fully funds the Youth Opportunity grants established by the Workforce Investment Act signed into law in August. This innovative new program will offer education and career opportunities for teenagers most at risk and living in the poorest communities. The bill also contains the level of funding recommended by President Clinton for Head Start and after-school programs. These programs are vital to children across the country, and these funds are urgently needed. Another key part of this bill provides much needed assistance for home health care for senior citizens and persons with disabilities under Medicare. In 1997 in Massachusetts, approximately 150 home health agencies cared for 125,000 Medicare beneficiaries. But the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 contained provisions that led to an unintended 15 percent reduction in reimbursement for the state's home health providers. That reduction translated into a $110 million cut this year for providers across the state. Ten home health agencies in Massachusetts have closed their doors since January 1--in part due to the unanticipated consequences of the 1997 Act. Last February, Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and I introduced legislation to remedy this problem, and I am pleased that this bill achieves our goal. No senior citizens or persons with disabilities who depend on Medicare for home health services should have to worry that health care won't be available when they need it most. By delaying a forthcoming reduction in payments and by improving the formula for reimbursements, this bill enables home health agencies to provide the medical care needed for patients to stay in their own homes and communities, and out of hospitals and nursing homes. All of us who are concerned about this issue welcome the progress we have made, and we will continue to do all we can to see that home health care is widely available to those who need it in our states. The legislation also makes important changes in the immigration laws. It temporarily increases the number of visas available to skilled foreign workers to meet the demands of colleges, and the high-tech industry. It also contains a substantial investment to improve job training and educational opportunities for U.S. workers and students. In addition, the bill ensures that the 49,000 Haitians who came to this country fleeing persecution will have the opportunity to apply for asylum to remain in the United States permanently. The bill also provides $171 million for naturalization activities. Without this support, the processing of naturalization applications would fall even farther behind. The legislation also takes a major step toward more effective enforcement of the civil rights laws. For the first time in many years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will receive the level of funds needed to fulfill its important mission. In many other respects, this legislation also deserves support. I commend the bipartisan support it has received, and I urge the Senate to approve it. However, in passing this important bill, this Congress leaves behind a number of key initiatives of great importance to working families. I know that my Democratic colleagues join me in pledging to renew our efforts early next year on behalf of the unfinished business of the current Congress. First, we must act on the Patient's Bill of Rights, which will end the abuses of HMOs and guarantee the 161 million Americans who use HMOs that medical decisions affecting their families will be made by doctors and patients, not insurance company accountants. Democrats will also give high priority to campaign finance reform next year. The greatest gift that Congress can give the American people is clean elections. This reform is important for our democracy, and it deserves to be enacted at the beginning of 1999, so that it will clearly apply to elections in the year 2000. Our nations school buildings are crumbling, and many areas of the country do not have enough classrooms. The 105th Congress did not act on our proposal to give localities tax breaks for bond initiatives to pay for school construction. And we will pursue this proposal again next year. We must also act in 1999 to reduce youth smoking and save millions of children from a lifetime of addiction and early death. Three thousand more children a day start smoking, and a thousand of them will die prematurely from tobacco-induced disease. We need strong legislation to prevent tobacco companies from targeting young Americans. It is the only effective way to stop this tragedy. Another top priority should be action on the minimum wage. At this time of extraordinary national prosperity, millions of minimum wage earners are working full time but still living in poverty. We proposed a modest increase of $1.00 an hour over two years to give a much-needed raise to 12 million Americans. The fight for this proposal--so important to working families across America--must be and will be renewed next year. We had landmark, bi-partisan legislation to assist Americans with disabilities to obtain skills and go to work, rather than sit a home on public assistance. Disabled Americans want the dignity of work. But this bill, too, was not considered by this Congress. The tragic deaths of James Byrd, an African American killed because of his race, and Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student killed because of his sexual orientation, brought the issue of hate crimes to the forefront this year. Their deaths and other senseless acts of hate resulting in death or serious injury should be a catalyst for passage of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This bill ranks high among the unfinished business of the 105th Congress, and we will pursue it again next year. All of us regret that this massive legislation is being considered under end-of-session restrictions that make sensible debate impossible. But overall, I believe the bill deserves to pass, and I look forward to renewing the debate next year about the nation's basic priorities. medicare home health care provision

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, last Thursday, Mary McAleese, the President of Ireland, visited Boston and delivered an important address at President Kennedy's Library. In her address, she paid tribute to President Kennedy and to the long-standing ties between Ireland and the United States, and she spoke eloquently of the peace process in Northern Ireland and Ireland, and the people's hopes for lasting peace and a permanent end to the violence. I believe that President McAleese's remarks will be of interest to all of us who care about these issues, and I ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I would like to state for the Record that Senator Leahy agreed to cosponsor S. 1529, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1998 on September 30. Due to an unfortunate clerical error, his name was not added until today, October 15.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, the passage of the Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program Act is an important step to facilitate the ongoing peace process in Northern Ireland and advance the goals of the Good Friday Agreement of April 10, 1998. The legislation contributes to this effort by providing the people of that strife-torn region with new opportunities to achieve permanent peace and reconciliation. This bill which authorizes a total of 12,000 residents of Northern Ireland and the six border counties of the Republic of Ireland to come to the United States for up to three years for job training and education. Northern Ireland has an overall unemployment rate of 9.6 percent, and it is 13 percent in Belfast. The economy grew only three percent in the last year. Economic stagnation and high unemployment disproportionately affect unskilled workers. The legislation reaches out to these disadvantaged workers by giving many of them an opportunity to learn skills in the United States, which they will in turn take home to their communities in Northern Ireland and the border counties and use them productively for their future. One of America's greatest strengths is its diversity, and the diversity of Northern Ireland can be a strength as well. A major goal of this legislation is to promote cross-community and cross-border understanding and build grassroots support for long-term reconciliation and peaceful coexistence of the two communities. Building on the success of similar programs, this legislation will enable persons who have lived amidst the conflict and bigotry of Northern Ireland to spend time in communities in the United States where reconciliation works to achieve a strong and more just society. It is our hope that the experience generated by this legislation produce long-lasting social and economic benefits for all the people of the borders and Northern Ireland.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Bernardino R. Stabile on his retirement from the Secret Service. A military veteran and dedicated civil servant, Mr. Stabile has completed 53 outstanding years in service to the government. Mr. Stabile has served with great distinction for the past 25 years as an Operations Support Technician in the Boston Field Office of the Secret Service, working in support of the agency's protective and investigative missions. Earlier, Mr. Stabile had served for 27 years in the United States Marine Corps. He served in the South Pacific in World War II, including the Marshall Islands, Saipan, and Iwo Jima. He also served in the Korean War in the 1950's, was part of the Dominican Republic operation in 1965, and had two tours of duty in Vietnam in the 1960's. In the course of this extraordinary career, he became a highly decorated Sergeant Major and received numerous commendations, including the Bronze Star, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Navy Unit Citation. Some say, once a ``boot,'' always a ``boot.'' But Sergeant Major Stabile took many ``boots'' over the years and developed them into effective leaders. Throughout his brilliant career, Bernardino Stabile has served his country with commitment, dedication, bravery, integrity, honor, and patriotism of the highest order. He deserves the gratitude of the Senate and the nation, and I am proud to take this opportunity to praise his outstanding service.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I want to address the Senate for a few moments today to call attention to some progress that has been made, as I understand it, in budget negotiations in the areas of education, but also to indicate why I think the resolution of the President of the United States in identifying the importance of the help and assistance of the Federal Government for local communities and the States is extremely important, and why it has been very important in these last few days, that these negotiations reflect the President's strong commitment to education policy, and to put into some perspective why this battle has been necessary over the period of recent years and why it is necessary now. I will mention in just a few moments some of the areas where I understand progress has been made. Nothing will be achieved until everything is settled, but, nonetheless, the areas that I will mention here, I think, have been generally recognized as having been fairly well agreed to, and I think it is relevant to mention those because they are important and will be important when the final omnibus legislation has been achieved. If you look over the recent years to see what has happened in terms of the education budget, you will see why this battle has been so important. If you look at the amount of the Federal budget that is devoted to education, it represents only 2 percent of the total budget. We are talking now of a budget of $1.7 billion. Only 2 percent of that budget is education. I think most Americans would believe that it should be a good deal higher. What we are trying to do is to make sure that even this 2 percent is going to be preserved. If there is an opportunity, we are going to see some expansion of it. We understand that we have a tight fiscal situation. We are grateful for the economic policies that have brought us to some surplus, and we expect that to continue, although the surplus for the first 5 years is reflected really in the cumulative savings in our Social Security. And that is why the President is wise to say it is not appropriate now to have a tax cut because those funds which have been paid in and reflect themselves in the form of a surplus are really the hard-earned wages of workers and employers paying into the Social Security trust fund, and until we resolve the challenges of the Social Security trust fund, we should not, and we must not, see a tax cut. But what we are trying to do is give education more of a priority within the total budget. That is certainly the desire of the American people. What we have been faced with over the period of recent years is the following: In 1996, the Republicans attempted to cut $3.7 billion below the previous year, 1995, in terms of what had actually been appropriated. Do we understand? In the education budget--that was in 1996, that was resisted by the President--all those budget cuts were not achieved but there were some budget cuts. In 1997, the Republican proposal was to cut $1.5 billion below the previous year--not add on, Mr. President, not try to find out how we could possibly squeeze other aspects of our national budget in order to increase our commitment to education. No. We saw the request for $1.5 billion less in 1997 over the previous year; in 1998, a $2 billion cut below the President's request, and this year $2 billion below the President's request. These are the facts. And so it is understandable that in the final wrap-up of these budget negotiations, the President of the United States is going to do everything he possibly can to resist that kind of cut in terms of education funding. Now we know, as I have said before, the amounts of money do not necessarily indicate the solution to all of our problems. That is true in education as well. But what it does reflect is a nation's priorities--a nation's priorities. When you look over the record, for 1996, $3.7 billion; 1997, $1.5 billion; 1998, $2 billion; this year, 1999, $2 billion. That is reflected in the $420 million cut for title I, cutting back on the Eisenhower Teaching Program, cutting back on teacher technology, cutting back on the Afterschool Program, cutting back on the Year 2000 Program, zeroing out the Summer Jobs Program. We can understand why the President and many of us--the Democratic leader, Senator Daschle, the Democratic leader in the House, Dick Gephardt--are saying we are not going to have an omnibus budget unless it protects education. In effect, that is what is happening in Washington. Surely, there are other priorities, but this is one identified by the President and the leaders, and the one which I believe is the overriding and overarching issue that those families across our country care most about. Now, we have heard that in the past few days the Reading Excellence Act, which is basically the Literacy Program that passed in the Senate virtually unanimously, was tied up over in the House of Representatives, and when they effectively halted other kinds of action, that legislation was still hanging out there and would not have been approved unless put into this omnibus legislation. When we understand that 40 percent of our children who are in the third and fourth grades cannot read properly, and when we understand that this is increasingly a problem, we are not going to be able to solve it all with our Reading Excellence Act, but we are going to be able to help and assist teachers who are attempting to set up literacy programs, who are tying into the Head Start Program, who are working with volunteers who reflect the interests of many of our young people who are working as volunteer teachers in the areas of literacy in our schools and colleges, with the Work-Study Program, which has been expanded significantly in the last couple of years. I am proud that Massachusetts is ranked as the second State in the country in the number of volunteers in the Work-Study Program who are working with children in their communities on literacy. California is first; we are second. California better look out because we are increasing the number of our colleges that will be doing it. Close to 60 percent of all of our colleges scattered around our State of Massachusetts now are doing that. I believe every college ought to be involved. We ought to be challenging the young people in all of our colleges to give something back to the community. This program will provide that little seed money to help assist those kinds of efforts in our States. That is an important program, and I understand has been agreed to. We have the Afterschool Program which last year had been a $40 million program; this year, now, some $200 million. We have 5 million American children who are under 14 years of age who are left alone every afternoon in this country--5 million of them. And we wonder what happens when we see these kinds of charts that reflect the spiking up in indexes of violent crime right after school, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon; 3 o'clock to about 6 o'clock in the afternoon have the highest incidents. These people should be involved in afterschool programs. They are working. They are working in my own city of Boston. Not all the city of Boston has it, but Mayor Menino is working to improve these programs. This is a good $200 million program. But that would not be there unless we had been battling--as in the past few days the President has--to have a modest program to try to help, to work through the nonprofit organizations, even some of those church-related groups, so children in this category can complete their homework in the afternoon. That way, when they go back home they can spend some quality time with their parents rather than come home and have the parents say, ``Jimmy, go upstairs and finish your homework.'' This happens. This is a family issue. These are two very, very modest but important programs. But we have more to do, Mr. President. This important program reflects what has been happening in our schools across this country in terms of the total number of students going to the schools. We have seen, now, the escalation in the number of students; 53 million now are going. This number is increasing. The demography, the number of children going in, is putting additional burdens on local communities and States. All we are saying is let's be a partner with them. Let's be a partner with them. We have listened on the floor to those saying, ``This is not a role for the Federal Government.'' You ask the parents. They want their child educated. They want a well trained teacher in a modern classroom with modern equipment so their child can learn. They want a partnership. With all due respect to our colleagues on the floor yesterday, talking about local control, saying, ``We ought to let the local communities make those judgments,'' the fact is, the local community has control, now, over 93 cents of every dollar that is spent at the present time. Only 7 cents out of that dollar is related to expenditures that are made by the Federal Government. That reflects a very narrow, targeted area of child needs like the title I programs for those children that come from economically deprived communities across this country, whether they are urban or rural communities. It has been worked out with bipartisan support, that program and the programs that are related to the needs of disabled children and the other limited, targeted programs here. What we are saying, and what the President is saying, is this: With this escalation, we are going to need more teachers. Let us develop the help and assistance so we will have more teachers so these children, particularly in the most formative time of their lives, are going to be in smaller classes so the children will have 16, 17, 18--hopefully, 17 children in the first three grades. That is when the children coming out--perhaps the children coming from a Head Start Program, maybe others who are not, who are coming from some kindergarten, entering first grade--that is when they are making their decisions in terms of developing their confidence, developing their interests in academics. As we have heard from virtually every teacher across the country, the advantage of having that number of students is that a teacher can spend individual moments every single day with that child. That is enormously important.

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, this is the issue that still remains: Increasing the funding for teachers and also helping, assisting to try to do something about what the General Accounting Office has pointed out is the condition of schools all across this country. They say, to try to address the old schools, to modernize the old schools, nationwide, it would cost $110 billion. The President's program is only $22 billion. Listen to the conclusion, not of Democrats, not of Republicans, listen to the General Accounting Office that says: Virtually all communities, even some of the wealthiest, are wondering how to address school infrastructure needs while balancing them with other community priorities. This is a national problem. We want to make sure our children are in the best classrooms with the best teachers and that they have the best opportunity to learn. This afternoon I will be going out with the President to the Forrest Knoll Elementary School just out in suburban Maryland. We are going to an event. The whole sixth grade is housed in trailers. The Forrest Knoll Elementary School was originally built to hold 450 students. It now teaches over 700 students. We could find these kinds of conditions in communities, not only in urban, but in rural areas. We need the best local and State efforts, and also Federal help and assistance. That is what we are talking about in terms of modernization. That is what we are talking about in terms of enhanced teachers. These are priorities for American families. We ought to be able to work out a process, Republicans and Democrats alike, to try to address those very, very important and special needs. They are the No. 1 priorities for families in this country and we ought to, even in these final hours, we ought to be able to work through this process to make sure we are going to give our best efforts to the protection of children in our society, for their own interests and for our national interest. It is in our national interest clearly, so America is going to be able to compete in a global economy and we are going to have the best trained and best educated children and young people in this world. We can do no less. We owe that to our country. That is a great deal of what this debate is about here in the Nation's Capitol, over the time we are meeting here today. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, as I understand it, under the previous order I have 20 minutes. Is that correct?

Mr. KENNEDY. Will the Chair be kind enough to let me know when I have 2 minutes remaining?

Mr. KENNEDY. I thank the Chair.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I withhold my request because I understand the acting majority leader has some further business.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a wonderful friend who has left us all too soon, Patrick Murphy of Provincetown, Massachusetts, who died last Friday from complication of AIDS. The poet Yeats wrote about another young man who died too young, in lines that apply to Patrick Murphy, too--he was ``all life's epitome. What made us dream that he could comb grey hair?'' Patrick was a very special friend, and we grieve all the more today because his life was so tragically cut short. But he lived that life with great energy, passion and commitment. And these priceless qualities won him countless friends and enormous success throughout his lifetime. But even more important, they won him the enduring respect and genuine affection of the people whose lives he touched and helped. Patrick succeeded where others failed because he would never allow himself to be distracted by the mean-spirited. He had a determination that could overcome any obstacle or criticism. He was seldom burdened by a sense of reality, which made him all the more endearing and all the more successful. In the Patrick Murphy handbook on life, ``No you can't'' became ``Yes you can.'' You can fight the bureaucracy. You can make a difference. You can live with AIDS--and never let anyone tell you you can't. All of us who knew Patrick knew that he never gave up and never gave in. He was the ``ever-ready bunny'' in the television commercial--the one who just keeps going and going--ever-ready to fight for all the causes we share. I remember my own campaign in Massachusetts in 1994. Patrick had just left the hospital. But that didn't stop him for a second. Before we knew it, he had list after list of events and phone-banks and campaign stops he was planning--working skillfully and tirelessly until every last vote was counted and victory was won. He did the same for Senator John Kerry in his reelection campaign in 1996--and for President Clinton and Vice President Gore in their campaign that year too. And he did it all over again for the impressive ``For the Love of Life'' Foundation that he founded in 1992 and that will be his lasting memorial. In the years to come, the Foundation will remind us again and again of Patrick and the power of individuals to make a difference. Ever since Patrick created ``For the Love of Life'' in 1992, the Foundation has brought greater hope and a higher quality of life to countless people living with AIDS--in Massachusetts and across the country. The Foundation was inspired by Patrick's extraordinary belief that people's dreams can come true. And, the Foundation's great mission has been to grant the wishes of individuals and families living with HIV and AIDS. ``For the Love of Life'' works closely with other AIDS organizations. It provides a special extra dimension that others can't. For an HIV positive father who could not afford a funeral for his infant son who died of AIDS--``For the Love of Life'' made the difference. For a person living in a hospice in Boston--``For the Love of Life'' enabled him to visit his mother in Pittsburgh for one last time, to share a birthday. The Foundation has helped many others as well--a mother with AIDS to attend her daughter's wedding--a teenage girl with AIDS to have a Sweet 16 party for her family and friends. Because of Patrick's vision and leadership, the dreams of countless others will come true. As many have said, life is best measures not by its length but by its depth--by those magical moments that make life special. Patrick made life special for himself and everyone he touched. And in the years to come, ``For the Love of Life'' will continue Patrick's great work by helping people with AIDS to live life and love life. And for that great gift and lesson to all of us--we thank Patrick with all our heart. Patrick, for the light you brought to dark hours and for the dignity you gave to the human spirit--God bless you and sustain you. Patrick said he was always happier and healthier when he had a project. So I say now, to Patrick in heaven, may you always have a project!

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. The Senator is correct.

Mr. KENNEDY. Yes, absolutely correct.

Mr. KENNEDY. The Senator is quite correct in his general summation of the approach of the President. And that is: One, to have smaller class sizes; two, to upgrade and modernize schools; three, to have an effective after-school program; four, to enhance the quality of teaching in the classroom; five, to ensure that we are going to have access to the new technology and that that is going to be available in the public schools so these children are going to be able to move ahead; six, to raise academic standards for all children; and then seven, to try to get the encouragement to those students to go on to higher education. That is all part of the partnership, among the local community, the States, and the Federal Government. This is not just a singular effort; this is a partnership. And when you eliminate the Federal assistance in that partnership, you undermine critical support for improving education that is so important to families and their children.

Mr. KENNEDY. Yes.

Mr. KENNEDY. The Senator is correct.

Mr. KENNEDY. The Senator is correct again.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. I ask for an additional minute and a half.

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I wish to address the Senate briefly this afternoon on an issue of which the President, Senator Daschle, and Congressman Gephardt, and other members of Congress, have spoken on so many different occasions, and most particularly during the last several days--the negotiations on appropriations which are taking place, even as we meet here this afternoon, on whether we are going to give the education the priority that it deserves. I believe families all over this country want us to get education funding high priority. Families across the country want the federal government to be a helping hand in improving public schools. This year, the nation will set a new record for elementary and secondary school enrollment. The figure has reached an all-time high of 53 million students--500,000 more students than last year. Communities, states, and Congress must work together to see that these students receive a good education. Local communities are doing the very best they can to keep up with the increasing demand for good facilities and high academic standards. States are helping. But the issue today is whether we at the Federal Government are going to be a partner in helping to improve public schools for communities and families across the country. I believe we must be a strong education partner. The President believes we must be a strong education partner. We are very hopeful that the final negotiation allocate scarce resources to strengthening the education of the children of the nation. Mr. President, we know at the outset that money in and of itself is not the answer, but it is a pretty clear indication about what a nation's priorities are. If we look over what the budget was for 1998, we will see that only 2 percent of the Federal budget was actually appropriated in for education. I think most Americans would believe that that percentage ought to be a great deal higher. I certainly do. The President does. I rise this afternoon to commend the President for making the case he has made in ensuring that in this final funding agreement, we give high priority to education. Some may wonder why we have to be concerned about federal support for education? I want to review just for a few moments, Mr. President, the decision that was made by the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives in the earlier part of the year that shows why we have to stay here and fight for education funding. If Americans are wondering why the President continues to make statements about the importance of education, let's just review for a few moments how Republicans in the House of Representatives cut funding for education in June of this year. They cut $421 million below the President's request for title I. Now, it is important to try to understand what the title I program is. The role of the Federal Government in education is to target the children in our country that need the most help. We have made a commitment to children from economically distressed families that they would get extra help in order to help them increase their academic achievement. We can see the need reflected in a wide variety of indicators. In reading, for example, 40 percent of fourth graders are reading below grade level. We decided as a nation that we would give extra help in reading, math, and other academic subjects, to those children who would qualify. That has been a time-honored program. An increase in support for the program was in the President's budget and it was paid for. But our Republican friends decided to cut the program by $421 million below President Clinton's request. I think that cut was a mistake, but that was a decision made by the House of Representatives. Then, the cut a time-honored piece of legislation known as the Eisenhower Teacher Training Program--a program that helps teachers upgrade their skills so they will be more effective teaching science and math--by $50 million below last year. I believe very strongly that one of our main objectives as a nation should be to have a well- qualified teacher in every classroom in this country. The Eisenhower Teacher Training Program has played a very important and significant role in helping communities meet that goal. Nonetheless, that program was significantly cut back. I think all of us understand there are political leaders--Members of Congress, those who are running for Governor, those who are running in local communities--who are talking about the importance of new technology in their schools. We in Massachusetts were 48th out of 50 States in access to the Internet just 4 years ago. Then, in Massachusetts, we formed what was called Net Day, a cooperative effort between the private sector and the public sector, to improve children's access to technology. Now Massachusetts ranks 10th in the country in schools wired to the Internet. That was done by a cooperative effort of the software industries, labor, educators, business and communities. 50 miles of cable were laid down in Boston, voluntarily. All of the people who helped wire those schools understand the importance of having new technology and having Internet access. Therefore, it is difficult for me to understand why, the House of Representatives cut education technology programs by $137 million below the President's program, and zeroed out the Star School Program, which brings distance learning to rural and underserved communities. With the school budgets being cut back, critical programs are often eliminated such as music, the arts, and health programs. In addition, rural and underserved communities often have difficulty finding qualified math and science teachers. So, we developed a Star School Program so that all communities would have access to the best teachers who would be able to enter those schools through satellite. It was an overwhelming success. It has been evaluated and reevaluated and it has been one of the most effective programs that we have, particularly in rural areas --in urban areas as well, but particularly in rural areas. But the Star Schools program was zeroed out. They even cut support for after-school programs. After-school programs have an important impact on providing children opportunities for constructive activities, such as doing their homework with the assistance of a tutor. It also benefits families because when children go home and see their parents who have been working hard all day, the parents will not be in the situation where they must say, ``Go upstairs and do your homework,'' but they might have some quality time with their children. After-school programs also help keep children safe, drug-free and out of trouble. We know that juvenile crime peaks in the after-school hours between, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. By developing afterschool programs, we enhance education but we also have a dramatic reduction in juvenile crime and delinquency. The 21st Century Community Learning Center program is a modest program to help create models for other communities in the best practices for after-school programs. But, the Republicans cut the program by $140 million below the President's level. Beyond that, Republicans in the House eliminated the Summer Jobs Program. A program that provides summer jobs for children who are in some of the most difficult educational and economic situations. A program that is a lifeline in so many communities across this country. Yet they zeroed it out--they didn't' just cut it by a quarter, or cut it in half, or cut it by three-quarters, but they eliminated it. If you go to Chicago--and I see our friend, Senator Durbin, from Illinois, who is an expert about this--to find out what is being done to reform their schools, you will find that they are providing academic enrichment and work experiences to children during the summer vacation. But, the Republicans zeroed out every single nickel for the Summer Jobs Program. If you are asking, as we have heard the Speaker asking and the Republican leader asking, Why should we be suddenly so concerned about education? We need to be concerned because families across the nation want us to help improve education, but instead, Republicans cut the title I program that help the neediest children. They cut the Eisenhower Teacher Training Program. They eliminated the Summer Jobs Program. They cut $130 million from the technology programs for schools. They cut the afterschool program. That is why these hours are important; they make a difference. The President has proposed that we make needed investments in reducing class size and modernizing our schools. He is making that speech against a background of a GAO report that schools have $112 billion in repair and modernization needs that they cannot address.

Mr. KENNEDY. We ought to be doing all we can to repair and modernize the nation's public schools. What kind of message are we sending to every child in America who goes to a school with leaking pipes, exposed wiring, broken windows, faulty heating systems, and no air conditioning? The message we are sending to every child is, they don't make a difference, they don't count. We believe, and the President believes, that the children count, and it is important to provide them with safe, modern schools. We are here in these final days, to make sure that, unlike the Republican judgment that was made in the House of Representatives in June of this past year, any budget that is going to bear the President's signature or have our vote is going to make these needed investments in education that are essential for every working family in this country.

Mr. KENNEDY. The Senator is absolutely correct. By every kind of indicator of which countries are going to continue to survive and prosper in a world economy, education is the linchpin for these initiatives.

Mr. KENNEDY. I will be glad to yield.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. I thank the Chair.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to the Chaplain for his very fine prayer in opening the Senate today. I think Christopher Columbus would be proud of us. We are doing the business of the Nation that he discovered, and we honor Italian Americans today for all of their contributions. I don't think there is a place in the Nation where the cause for celebration is more lively or more deeply felt than in my State of Massachusetts, where sons and daughters of Italian immigrants have made such an extraordinary contribution in so many different aspects of life. We honor those brave Italian Americans who faced the seas and struggled for their existence, for their deep-seated commitment to family and to their religion and for their sense of optimism and hope in coming here to the United States. I think we honor them best by being about the business of working families today on Columbus Day and in the final hours of this Congress. Mr. President, I would like to reserve about the last minute and a half of my time, if I might.