Herb Kohl

Mr. KOHL

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

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, the Leahy amendment No. 2234 has been approved on both sides, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. KOHL. I thank the Senator from Minnesota for bringing to my attention this issue. I understand the importance of the joint research effort on bovine tuberculosis taking place at the University of Minnesota and Michigan State University. I will work with Senator Klobuchar to ensure that the bovine tuberculosis joint university research program is addressed as the fiscal year 2010 Agriculture appropriations bill moves through the legislative process.

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

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. KOHL

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

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

Mr. KOHL

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I call up the substitute amendment.

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following staff have unlimited floor privileges during the consideration of the fiscal year 2010 Agriculture appropriations bill: Galen Fountain, Jessica Frederick, Dianne Nellor, Fitzhugh Elder, Stacy McBride, Phil Karsting, and Riley Scott.

Mr. KOHL. I ask unanimous consent that Bob Ross, a detailee from the Department of Agriculture to the Committee on Appropriations, and Katie Toskey, an intern on the Committee on Appropriations, be granted unlimited floor privileges during consideration of the Agriculture appropriations bill.

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the fiscal Year 2010 appropriations bill for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and related agencies. This bill was unanimously reported out of Committee on July 7, and I believe it is a well-balanced bill that deserves the support of all Senators. This bill includes total spending of $124 billion. Of that total, $101 billion is for mandatory programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps, which is funded at $61 billion, and the Child Nutrition Programs, which are funded at $17 billion. Discretionary spending totals $23 billion, an increase of $2.3 billion, and is within our 302(b) allocation. While this is a significant increase from last year, the President's request in just four areas--WIC, food and drug safety, humanitarian food assistance, and rural rental assistance--account for nearly 90 percent of the total increase. The depth and breadth of the responsibilities held by the USDA and FDA are far greater than I believe most Americans realize. The funds in this bill are used to help ensure the most basic of human needs are met. This bill provides the funds for the two major agencies charged with keeping America's food and medical supply safe, something we nearly always take for granted. It provides funds to ensure that low-income families in rural America have access to affordable housing and opportunities for homeownership. It provides funds to ensure that over 11 million kids receive breakfast and 31 million kids receive lunch at school every day. It provides funds to make sure 2 million kids from low-income families receive a nutritious meal during the summer when their parents are not home. It provides funds to developing countries to provide meals to children when they go to school--which is often the only way to get them there. USDA is also responsible for important agricultural research, conservation activities, community development, animal and plant health activities, agricultural trade, and much more. It is an important bill--more important than many may realize. There are many specific high notes to mention. Of the total funding provided in this bill, 69 percent is directed to nutrition programs. The WIC program is funded at more than $7 billion, which is an increase of almost $700 million over last year's appropriations bill. This is the amount necessary to meet the increasing need for this program, and will provide nutritious food to nearly 9.8 million low-income mothers and children each month. There is also language included to ensure that military families are not disqualified from the WIC Program because of increased combat pay--this is a small provision, but an important one in recognizing the sacrifices that our soldiers and their families make. This bill includes $163 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides supplemental food to nearly 450,000 very low- income senior citizens and more than 30,000 low-income women and children. The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides free food to food banks, many of which have seen private donations decrease significantly, will receive $253 million in fiscal year 2010. An additional $7 million is provided to assist food banks in maintaining and upgrading their facilities and equipment so they can continue to serve those in need. In difficult economic times, these programs are vital to those that might otherwise go hungry. In the area of food and drug safety, this bill provides the full budget request for both the Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA is provided $2.3 billion, an increase of nearly $300 million. This increase, one of the largest in FDA's history, is necessary to continue the slow turnaround of an ailing organization whose responsibilities have vastly outgrown its funding over the past several years. The FDA is in charge of ensuring the safety of one-quarter of consumer products, and it is imperative that it has the funding to carry out its responsibilities. Similarly, the Food Safety and Inspection Service is responsible for ensuring that all of the Nation's meat and poultry is safe to eat. FSIS is provided the full budget request of more than $1 billion to carry out its mission. This bill provides substantial funding to support international humanitarian food assistance. The PL 480, Food for Peace, and McGovern- Dole programs are funded at the President's request, which together is an increase of more than $500 million above last year. These programs are vital to helping relieve hunger in some of the most distressed parts of the world and to encourage children in developing countries to receive an education. To enhance those programs, funding is provided to support the use of micro-nutrient fortified foods and to develop new food aid products that can make a real difference in saving lives and securing long-term health benefits, especially for children. The bill also provides $13 million, as requested by the President, for USDA to help develop agricultural systems in countries facing severe food shortages. We believe that the development of sustainable food systems is the proper alternative to emergency food assistance. Therefore, this bill provides guidance and support for USDA, in partnership with the country's land grant institutions, PVOs, and others, to work together toward global food security. America's farmers and ranchers face some of the tightest credit conditions they have faced in years. Agricultural producers are having difficulty obtaining capital necessary to maintain operations, and demands for Federal credit have skyrocketed. This bill provides over $4 billion of needed credit, representing an increase of nearly $750 million over 2009. These funds will help sustain agricultural producers as private credit markets stabilize. This bill also provides increased funding for development of rural America, including housing, essential community facilities, business assistance, and infrastructure. In response to the recent housing crisis, USDA rural housing programs remain among the most important, and the most active, for Americans to achieve home ownership. Over $13 billion is available for housing loans and grants, including funds for new construction, repair and rehabilitation, and housing vouchers and rental assistance to ensure shelter for the lowest income rural residents. Almost $1.6 billion is available for loans and grants to small towns to support clean water and sanitary waste disposal systems that are essential for thriving communities. Agricultural research agencies receive a total of $2.5 billion in the bill, an increase of nearly $130 million, not counting research funding provided in the 2008 farm bill. The Agricultural Research Service is USDA's premier in-house research agency. Funding is provided in this bill for ARS scientists to conduct increased research on bioenergy; improved livestock and crop production; human nutrition, including the prevention of childhood obesity; and the reduction of world hunger, among other issues. USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, NIFA, formerly the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, CSREES, funds research, education and extension projects at universities and other partners throughout the country. As part of NIFA, the bill includes an increase of more than $94 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative that awards competitive research grants throughout the Nation. These programs allow USDA the flexibility to adapt to meet changing research needs and to work with leading researchers throughout the country. This bill makes substantial investments to protect the Nation's animal and plant resources from diseases and pests. Almost $40 million is provided to combat the emerald ash borer which has been found in thirteen states and threatens hardwood forests. Over $30 million is available to fight the Asian long horned beetle, and almost $46 million is provided to support the citrus health response program to combat citrus greening. In all, this bill provides a proper balance among all the agencies funded and sets the proper priorities. Conservation, food and drug safety, farm programs, rural development, renewable energy, nutrition, trade, and the day-to-day functions of USDA and FDA are provided adequate funding and proper guidance. The programs funded by this bill touch the lives of every American numerous times each day, and impact the lives of people living on the other side of the world. These are important programs, and I urge each Senator to support this bill. Mr. President, I would also like to recognize and thank my ranking member, Senator Brownback, for his counsel and support in putting together this bill, and look forward at this time to his opening statement.

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Tester.

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. KOHL

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

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

Mr. KOHL

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, for 7 years now, the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Leadership has conducted a program for summer interns working in congressional offices. This 6-week program is designed to enhance their internship experience by giving them an inside view of how Congress really works. It also provides an opportunity for them to meet with senior congressional staff and other experts to discuss issues ranging from the legislative process to the influence of the media and lobbyists on Congress. The program is a joint effort of the Stennis Center and a number of current and former senior congressional staff who have completed the Stennis Congressional Staff Fellows leadership program. These Stennis Senior Fellows use their experience and expertise to design the program and to participate in each of the interactive sessions and panel discussions. Interns are selected for this program based on their college record, community service background, and interest in a career in public service. This year, 21 outstanding interns, most of them juniors and seniors in college, who are working for Democrats and Republicans in both the House and Senate, participated. I congratulate the interns for their participation in this valuable program, and I thank the Stennis Center and the Senior Stennis Fellows for providing such a unique experience for these interns and for encouraging them to consider a future career in public service. I ask unanimous consent to have a list of 2009 Stennis congressional interns and the offices in which they work be printed in the Record.

Mr. KOHL

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, today I honor Reuben K. Harpole, Jr.--a man who has changed countless lives in Wisconsin through his selfless devotion to helping people. Reuben developed an entrepreneurial spirit growing up in Milwaukee. His family worked at the family grocery store, sold their home-raised chickens in the front yard, and rented out bicycles. This work ethic went with him throughout his life. He went on to serve our Nation in Korea from 1957 to 1959. Then he came back home, earned his bachelor's degree, and began his professional life as a teacher and community activist. With 31 years service to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and continued community activism, Reuben helped mold the future of Wisconsin. In the 1960s Reuben began working to direct youth away from gangs into fruitful career paths. When central Milwaukee's health services were shutting down in the 1970s, Reuben worked with local, county, and university officials to reinstate much needed assistance. He helped establish the Isaac Coggs Health Center and a coalition of neighborhood health organizations. Reuben also founded or developed the College Prep Program at Marquette University High School, the UWM Center for Urban Community Development, the Harambee Ombudsman Program, and the Children's Performing Arts Group that has evolved into the renowned Ko Thi Dance Company. Reuben has also been an outstanding advocate for our African-American community in Milwaukee. He has written forewords for several books about African-American history in Milwaukee. He voluntarily conducts tours of Black Milwaukee, which brings a real-life perspective to his work in African-American history. A multitude of African-American programs and organizations are indebted to his service including the NTU African Rites of Passage Program, the Asentu Adult Rites of Passage Institute, the Black Holocaust Museum, and the Milwaukee 100 Black Men Group. In fact, it was on Reuben's invitation to a gathering that I met with Martin Luther King, Jr., during one of his few visits to Milwaukee many years ago. Even after retirement, he continues to be a great leader in the community. Most notably, he joined the Helen Bader Foundation. Through this he is able to help programs and centers secure the funds they need to function and more successfully serve the community. The work he has done for Milwaukee continues to grow as the many people he has inspired are starting to follow in his footsteps. I would like to specifically note the Volunteer Reading Tutoring Program at the UWM Reading Clinic. A truly great person is one who not only does great works but also inspires other to do so as well. I am proud to call Reuben a fellow Wisconsite and a dear friend. I wish him and his lovely wife Mildred good health, happiness, and many more years to come.

Mr. KOHL

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

Mr. KOHL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for 10 minutes.

Mr. KOHL. Madam President, I rise today to talk about our effort to achieve comprehensive health care reform. Most people agree that reforming our health care system is a necessity and that we cannot afford to wait another 10 or 20 years until health care costs consume the American economy as well as the budgets of most American families. However, as urgent as this issue is, we must approach every aspect of health care reform thoughtfully and not rush to complete what might be one of the most important legislative initiatives any of us will ever work on during our time here. As the HELP Committee and the Finance Committee release their proposals for health reform, we know we cannot consider a bill that does not control costs. Controlling costs is an enormous priority. I believe it is as important as ensuring universal coverage, because if we provide universal coverage without controlling costs, the result would be financial catastrophe for our Nation. I want to be clear that lowering costs does not mean limiting access to care, although opponents of health care reform will try to convince the American people that it does. These political talking points are a distraction at a time when we are trying to expand access to health care. No one will be forced to change their health plan, their doctor, or their hospital if they like what they have now. Health care reform will provide coverage to those who do not have it today, and it must lower costs for both families and businesses. One key component to cutting costs is to eliminate unnecessary testing and overtreatment. If we can do that, then our health care system and America's patients will be in better shape. We can move in this direction if the Federal Government starts paying for value of care, not volume. As it stands, the Medicare reimbursement system provides perverse incentives. Currently, geographic areas that provide the most inefficient care oftentimes get the highest reimbursements. We need to ensure that all health care systems provide better care in a more efficient way and reward those systems that already do so; otherwise, we will never get costs under control. As chairman of the Aging Committee, I am familiar with many of the health care issues that affect seniors as well as all Americans. In this capacity, I have been pushing for health reform to include improvements to our long-term care system. Our Nation's population is aging at a record rate, and with every passing year more elderly Americans find themselves in need of long-term care. Most of us will at some point struggle with the high and rising costs of caring for a loved one. These too are costs we must get under control as part of health care reform, and I applaud Chairman Kennedy for including the CLASS Act in the HELP Committee bill. This bill will provide new funding for long-term care through a voluntary social insurance program. We can also get long-term care costs under control by promoting a move toward home and community-based long-term care services in Medicaid. These programs break away from a ``one size fits all'' approach, offering flexibility and choices tailored to an individual's needs. Even better, they save a lot of money that would otherwise be spent on nursing home care. Senators Kerry, Grassley, and Cantwell all have good ideas in this area that I hope will be considered. We must also protect those consumers who are making an effort to plan for the costs of their own long-term care in advance. In recent years, long-term care insurance has gained popularity. Over 40 States have initiated programs to encourage residents to buy long-term care insurance in an attempt to ease the burden of Medicaid costs on State budgets. I believe we have a duty to make sure these policies, which may span several decades, are financially viable. Many long-term care insurance companies have been raising their policyholders' monthly premiums, which can be devastating for older persons who are living on a fixed income. Until we can guarantee that consumers have strong protections, that carriers will not deny legitimate claims, and that premiums will not skyrocket down the road, long-term care insurance is not ready to be a major part of the health care reform solution. The funding of care is not our only concern. It has been 22 years since we raised the standard of care in nursing homes, and quality improvements are long overdue. Every year, as part of our Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement system, our government collects information about all 16,000 nursing homes across the country. We should make this information available to consumers so they can judge a home's track record of care for themselves before deciding where to place a loved one. We should make nursing homes safer by instituting a comprehensive background check system for long-term care workers. Pilot programs have shown that this would keep thousands of predators out of our nursing homes where they can cause, and do cause, terrible physical, financial, and emotional harm to residents and their families. The truth is that while there are some hot button issues that divide us and while there is seemingly endless ground to cover, there is a lot about improving health care we do agree on. We all recognize the need to bolster the ranks of those who provide care. As America ages, we will face a severe shortage of workers who are equipped to manage seniors' unique health needs. It is important to expand the training and education for licensed health professionals, direct care workers, and family caregivers, and I applaud the HELP Committee for recognizing this need in their bill. We agree that America's health systems should expand the use of health information technology, which has been shown to save lives by reducing medical errors and save money by promoting efficiency in testing and communication. We agree that those who have suffered from a health problem in their past should not be denied insurance that will protect them for the future by ensuring that these individuals with preexisting conditions can purchase coverage. We also agree that we should do everything we can to remove fraud, waste, and abuse from the system. We must employ a vigorous health care fraud enforcement program that will protect policyholders, businesses, and taxpayers. We agree that we should work to provide appropriate care at the end of life. We need to break down the barriers to advance planning and encourage Americans to talk with their doctors about end-of-life care long before such choices must be made. Finally, we agree that we have a lot to gain if we get this done in a thoughtful, deliberate way. We can do this right and we must do this soon because so many Americans are depending upon us. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.