Carl Levin

Mr. LEVIN

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

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, 33 million people rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water, including 10 million on Lake Michigan alone. Millions of people use our Great Lakes for recreation, such as swimming, fishing, and boating. It is simply irresponsible to risk contamination of this source of drinking water and a large portion of our tourism industry and our recreation without studying the potential damages of drilling. Our pristine Great Lakes' coastlines are home to wetlands, over 400 of them along Lake Michigan alone, and to some of the world's most spectacular sand dunes. They are home to endangered species. Even advocates of drilling acknowledge that some damage at the shoreline is inevitable from more and more slant drilling. It just is not worth the potential harm for the small amount of oil that could be produced in the Great Lakes. That is all we are talking about, a very small drop in a very large bucket, taking risks that we should not be taking with about 20 percent of the world's supply of fresh water. The Great Lakes are a shared natural resource. That means that many of the States need to work together in order to protect them. What that also means is that if we are going to protect them, we must work at a broader level than just one State. That is why Governors of many States have stated their opposition to drilling of the kind which is being proposed. One of our highest priorities in the Great Lakes area is to protect the ecological health of the Great Lakes and the economic and recreational value of our lands, our wetlands, our beaches, and our shorelines. This amendment would accomplish that goal. I hope this body will support the amendment. I believe most of the Senators from the Great Lakes States support the amendment. It is an issue which is much broader than one State. We should be very leery, and very careful, before action is taken without adequate study of slant drilling beneath the Great Lakes because of the potential ecological damage that could be done, particularly along our shorelines. For that reason, I hope this body will give a strong endorsement to the amendment of Senator Stabenow. It is the cautious, conservative thing to do. It does not jeopardize more than a minute amount of our energy supply, and it does that for a very good cause--the protection of one of the world's truly great natural assets, the source of about 20 percent of the world's fresh water. I yield the floor.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, before we adjourned for the Fourth of July recess, we spent two weeks on the Senate floor discussing the Patients Bill of Rights. I supported the strong, enforceable bill which the Senate finally approved on June 29th. After years of consideration and a hard legislative battle, the bipartisan vote this bill received reflects the overwhelming support the bill has from the American people. Over the next several months we will continue to discuss the importance of reforming our health care system to make it more affordable and more accessible to the American people. But as we debate the subject, we must not ignore an issue that is often overlooked as a public health problem. I'm talking about gun violence. Because, Mr. President, accompanying the tremendous human costs of gun violence are enormous public health costs that we cannot afford to ignore. According to a 1999 report from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, every day in the United States, 93 people die as a result of gunshot wounds and an additional 240 sustain gunshot injuries. The report states that ``the fatality rate is roughly equivalent to that associated with HIV infection--a disease that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized as an epidemic.'' In addition, according to a 1997 study cited by the Violence Policy Center, the cost of gunshot wounds exceeded $126 billion in 1992 alone. That same year, the injury cost per bullet sold in the United States exceeded $25. So as we in the Senate work to improve health care for all Americans, we should work just as hard to address the loopholes in our gun laws. Only by doing the latter can we reduce the costs to public health that result from gun violence.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I, too, thank the Senator from Florida for this clarification.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today I acknowledge the life and accomplishments of a distinguished and principled public servant who served as a minister in my home State of Michigan, Reverend Hurley J. Coleman Sr. Today, people will be gathering in Saginaw, MI, to pay tribute to and celebrate the life of a man who for nearly five decades, served as a leader, spiritual mentor and role model in his community. Throughout his life, Reverend Coleman dedicated himself to serving his family, his church and his God. The esteem in which he was held by all who knew him is due to the fact that Pastor Coleman's life was a powerful testimony to the message he preached weekly at Coleman Temple Church of God in Christ. Considered one of the deans of the Saginaw clergy, Pastor Coleman's career had a humble beginning. Licensed as a minister in the Church of God in Christ in 1953, Pastor Coleman's first congregation gathered for worship in his home. A short four years after the inception of this congregation, they broke ground for a new church. This facility now serves over 300 members--an amazing number considering that the Pastor's first congregation included only six members. During his tenure as pastor, Hurley Coleman played a pivotal role in the struggle for racial equality and other civil rights causes. In these efforts, he has been able to unite people of different races and denominations around the common goal of improving life for all people. I believe that nothing bears witness to the depth and integrity of Pastor Coleman's ministry and life more than his family. Pastor Coleman and his wife Martha were married for 51 years. During this time they served the community and were able to raise 10 children. These children: Hurlette Dickens, Hurley Jr., Charles, Ritchie, Ronnie, E. Yvonne Lewis, Myra Williams, Elaine Bonner, Evelyn Yeager and Edna Coleman, are pillars in their community who have followed their parent's example of service to others. The vitality and strength of our Nation is due, in a large part, to the dedication and efforts of individuals like the Reverend Hurley J. Coleman Sr. Reverend Coleman and his wife were a dedicated couple whose love for one another and their family touched the entire community that they tirelessly sought to serve. I am sure that my Senate colleagues will join me in honoring the memory of the Reverend Hurley J. Coleman Sr., and in wishing his family well in the years ahead.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs will hold a hearing entitled ``What Is the U.S. Position on Offshore Tax Havens?'' The upcoming hearing will examine past and current U.S. efforts to convince offshore tax havens to cooperate with U.S. efforts to stop tax evasion, the role of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, (OECD), tax haven project in light of U.S. objectives, and the current status of U.S. support for the project, in particular for the core element requiring information exchange. The hearing will take place on Wednesday, July 18, 2001, at 2 p.m. in room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. For further information, please contact Linda J. Gustitus of the subcommittee staff at (202) 224-3721. Subcommittee on national Parks

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I support the strong, enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights which the Senate is finally going to vote on today. After years of consideration, and a hard legislative battle over the last few weeks, the bipartisan vote which this bill is about to receive on final passage reflects the overwhelming support the bill has from the American people. The Patients' Bill of Rights assures that medical decisions will be made by doctors, nurses and hospitals, not by someone in an insurance office somewhere with no personal knowledge of the patient and no professional background to make medical judgments. It guarantees access to needed health care specialists. It requires continuity of care protections so that patients will not have to change doctors in the middle of their treatment. And, the bill provides access to a fair, unbiased and timely internal and independent external appeals process to address denials of needed health care. This legislation will hold HMOs accountable for their decisions like everyone else in the United States. The Patients' Bill of Rights also assures that doctors and patients can openly discuss treatment options and includes an enforcement mechanism that ensures these rights are real. We have taken a big step forward today on comprehensive managed care reform for 190 million Americans. I am hopeful that the House of Representatives will again pass a real Patients' Bill of Rights and that the President will reconsider his stated intention to veto the legislation.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the President's request for Defense and the text of the bill be printed in the Record, including the section-by-section analysis.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, a new poll conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation International and released by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence confirms once again that the American people support sensible gun safety legislation. Eighty-three percent of those polled said they support criminal background checks on all gun purchases at gun shows. Nearly four out of five respondents voiced support for preventing gun dealers from selling guns to anyone who has not passed a background check, even if it takes more than 3 days to complete the check. And more than 8 out of every 10 people polled believe that all guns should be sold with childproof safety locks. The message here is clear. People are fed up with the reports of gun violence that dominate the front page and the evening news. America wants action. The Brady Campaign's poll and countless other studies demonstrate our mandate. The incidents of gun violence that plague our neighborhoods and endanger our children confirm our moral obligation. We should ignore neither. We cannot let another Congress go by without action. Let's close the loopholes in our gun laws and remember the 107th Congress as a time when we made America a safer place for our children and our grandchildren.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, for the Committee on Armed Services, I report favorably the following nomination lists which were printed in the Records of the dates indicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar that these nominations lie at the Secretary's desk for the information of Senators.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am delighted to speak today to acknowledge a leader, from my home State of Michigan, who has dedicated his life to serving the citizens in Michigan, Dr. Richard W. McDowell. Today, many people will gather to pay tribute to Dr. McDowell for his service as President of Schoolcraft College, in Livonia, MI, for the past twenty years. Dr. McDowell has dedicated his life, both professionally and personally, to the service of his community. Dr. McDowell has served capably and honorably as the President of Schoolcraft College during a period of incredible growth for this institution. He has presided over programs and projects that have reshaped the campus, and enhanced its ability to meet the needs of students at Schoolcraft College. During his tenure as President, Dr. McDowell has presided over the construction of numerous structures including additions to the Campus Center, the Child Care Center and the student center that bears his name. In addition to enhancing the physical facilities, he has greatly enhanced the economic structure of the campus by forming the Schoolcraft Development Authority, and by expanding the endowment of the college. These efforts will secure the ability of the school to maintain a world-class campus while providing students with access to an affordable education. In addition to these activities, Dr. McDowell is a leader in his profession and in numerous civic institutions. His love of academia and education translated into his desire to serve the educational community writ large. Dr. McDowell has served as President of the Michigan Community College Association, and he has been a member of the Michigan Educational Trust Board, the National Advisory Panel for the Community College Program at the University of Michigan, the American Association of Community Colleges and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. He has further assisted his community by serving on the board of Wayne County Private Industry Corporation, St. Mary Mercy Hospital and the City of Livonia Ethics Board. This selfless leadership has been recognized by many organizations, including his alma maters--Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Purdue University. Both of these institutions awarded him their distinguished alumni awards. In addition, he was selected one of the top fifty community college presidents in the United States by the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin. I hope my Senate colleagues will join me in saluting Dr. McDowell for his career of public service, particularly the commitment to education which he has exhibited for the last two decades.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, it is my pleasure to join with Senators Leahy and Hagel in submitting S. Con Res. 53, which encourages the development of strategies to reduce hunger and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. In the year 2000, almost 200 million Africans, fully a third of the total population, went to sleep hungry and 31 million African children under the age of five were malnourished. One child out of seven dies before the age of five, and one-half of these deaths are due to malnutrition. Nearly half of sub-Saharan Africa's population, some 291 million people, live on less than $1 a day, and almost 85 percent of the world's 41 heavily indebted poor countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. These problems are compounded by epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, and other diseases now ravaging the continent. The human costs are staggering. Almost 4 million people are infected with AIDS each year, adding to the over 25 million already infected. Over 75 percent of the people worldwide who have died of AIDS lived in Africa. One million people each year, mostly children, die from malaria. Hunger only adds to the spread of disease, rendering the poor and malnourished too weak to defend against AIDS and other infectious diseases. Even if treatment clinics are available, those suffering from hunger are unable to afford fees for care or medicine to aid them with their battle against the illness. Despite funding shortfalls, the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, and other U.S. government agencies, foundations, universities, non-governmental organizations, NGOs, and private sector companies are presently implementing many innovative programs directed toward alleviating hunger and poverty in Africa. While tremendously significant, these actions are not enough to keep poverty and hunger from growing in many African countries. Many of our experts have concluded that the United States is not tapping into the full range of interest, ability, experience and capacity available to address this problem. The introduction of our Resolution, which addresses these issues, coincides with the conference of The Partnership to Cut Hunger in Africa, an independent effort formed by U.S. and African public and private sector institutions, international humanitarian organizations and higher educational institutions. Michigan State University continues to play a strong leadership role in this effort. The President of Michigan State University, Peter McPherson, serves as one of the Partnership's co-chairs and was instrumental in arranging conference-discussion activities in the Senate this week. The goal of the Partnership is to formulate a vision, strategy, and action plan for renewed U.S. efforts to help African partners cut hunger dramatically by 2015. For three days this week, the Partnership's 22 distinguished policy experts and practitioners from the U.S. and 8 African countries will share their views on hunger in Africa and will open a dialogue on the role the U.S. might play in diminishing hunger and poverty in Africa. On Thursday, June 28, 2001, Partnership experts will culminate their 3-day conference with a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill, during which time they will share their findings and action plan to effectively combat hunger and poverty in Africa. I am honored to have the opportunity to join in hosting this event. I ask unanimous consent that the members of the Partnership to Cut Hunger in Africa and the Partnership's expert panel be printed in the Record. They are as follows:

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, it is with great pride that I pay tribute to a special place in my hometown of Detroit that for the last century has inspired not only our city but our country. This year we are commemorating the tricentennial of the founding of a city that to Americans has long meant great automobiles. To Detroiters, it also means great sports teams and inspiring hero-athletes. Indeed, as Detroit enters its fourth century, our pride in our city is equaled by our pride in the house these heroes built--our storied Tiger Stadium. Today at home plate, the people of Detroit will gather to unveil one of eleven new stamps commemorating Baseball's Legendary Playing Fields. Of those eleven ballparks, only four still stand, and one is right in Detroit, where baseball was the pastime at The Corner of Michigan and Trumbull for more than a century. The history of this stadium is in so many ways the history of our city. The spirit of hard work and determination that has always defined Detroit revealed itself early. When the Great Depression hit Detroit harder than most American cities, it was the 1935 World Champion Tigers--and the renowned ``G-Men'': Charlie Gehringer, Goose Goslin, and Hank Greenberg--who renewed the hopes of an entire city. Detroit would forever after be the City of Champions, with four World Series titles to prove it. When the riots and ruin of 1967 left deep scars of division across our city, it was the 1968 World Champion Tigers led by Al Kaline, Willie Horton, Bill Freehan, Denny McLain and Mickey Lolich who led one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history and who, in their unforgettable victory, united us to celebrate as one city. It is no exaggeration to state that the heroes of Tiger Stadium also pointed us to a better America. By the time the prize fighter Joe Louis triumphed over Bob Paster in then-Briggs Stadium in 1939, he was more than a hometown hero from the East Side, he was a national hero and a symbol to all people of all races. Even today, I almost weep thinking of ``Hammerin' Hank'' Greenberg's grand slam in 1945 that put the Tigers in the Series and for what that one swing of the bat meant. When Nelson Mandela spoke to a massive rally in Tiger Stadium a decade ago, his words rung out past the rafters to every American on the endurance and inspiring power of the human spirit. In this City of Champions, the names and feats of champions echo still. Here is where the three time NFL champion Detroit Lions played for more than three decades. Here is where the legends of baseball's Golden Age took to the field in the unforgettable 1941 All-Star Game-- Bob Feller, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams. Here is where the Tigers earned three divisional championships, nine pennants, and those four World Series titles. Here is the where the Tiger greats were born, the eleven Hall of Famers: Sparky Anderson, Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane, Sam Crawford, Hank Greenberg, Hugh Jennings, Al Kaline, George Kell, Heinie Manush, Hal Newhouser, and Charlie Gehringer. And one more Hall of Famer, broadcaster Ernie Harwell, made sure that when we couldn't physically be at Michigan and Trumbull, the sights and sounds of the ballpark were part of our lives. This house of heroes may have been built on the shoulders of giants, but someone else sustained it, the fans. If ever a community has unified around a place, Detroiters came together at The Corner. In this city of immigrants, attending a game there became an American rite of passage. The language of Tiger Stadium, as the Detroit News once put it, was not Polish or Armenian or Ukranian, it was baseball. Generations of parents brought their children to those sun-drenched bleachers. Years later, those grown children brought their own children to Tiger Stadium. I know because like many Detroiters I still call the old ballpark the place of my youth, a place where our parents took us and where I took my daughters and granddaughter. To this day I remember my father leading me through the corridors to see Game 1 of the 1945 World Series. Through all my visits back through all the years since, I have never forgotten the sights, smells and sounds of that day and the unique character of that park. There was the sight of heroes--like Hal Newhouser--who I had only imagined while listening to the radio and could now virtually reach out and touch. That is, when he wasn't obscured by one of the much-beloved posts that always caused so many of us to strain our necks. There was the smell of the popcorn, the peanuts and the hot dogs. And there were the unforgettable sounds the crack of the bat, and the roar of a hometown crowd. Like many Detroiters, my feelings on this occasion are best captured by the words spoken by Al Kaline about his first day at Tiger Stadium. He said, ``As I was walking under the corridors trying to find the locker room, I took a peek right behind home plate. I walked out, the sun was shining beautifully, and I thought, 'Man, I never saw anything so pretty in my life.' '' While over the years, the name may have changed, the address for baseball in Detroit was the same the Corner of Michigan and Trumbull. It is still one of oldest ballparks in one of the oldest cities in America. In it we feel our hometown pride in a national landmark. Our city. Our ballpark. The new commemorative stamp to be unveiled today celebrates their common spirit, and it gives me great pride today to join the people of Detroit, in praise of both.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, last Wednesday the Michigan Supreme Court heard oral arguments on whether or not the State should allow a new concealed weapon law to go into effect without being put before the voters in a referendum. I oppose the law because it would undermine the authority of local gun boards and explode the number of concealed weapons on Michigan's streets. As the Justices deliberate this issue, recent press reports have raised a number of disturbing questions about the law. For example, how will the corner drug store deal with a suspected shoplifter knowing that every person could be legally armed? Will emergency rooms and board rooms be filled with armed citizens? If so, what will that mean for public safety? Think about it. One Michigan employment expert perhaps described it best: ``How many times have people seen others react to situations or stress in the workplace, or react to a situation and think, if they had a gun?'' A recent article from the Oakland Press in Michigan refers to a bumper sticker that says, ``An armed society is a polite society.'' While I am all for improving civility, I don't believe that arming our citizens is the best way to achieve it. And, I hope that I don't have the opportunity to be proven correct.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I voted to sustain the Constitutional Point of Order made against the Hutchinson-Bond amendment to the Patients' Bill of Rights legislation. While I have in the past supported and continue to support full deductibility of health insurance for the self-employed, I oppose this amendment to this bill for several reasons. Firstly, the Constitution states that tax legislation must originate in the House of Representatives. Attaching this amendment to this bill would create parliamentary burdens for the Patients' Bill of Rights legislation which would be very difficult to overcome. This is precisely the reason that opponents of this bipartisan legislation are proposing to attach this amendment at this time and why Senator McCain, Senator Kennedy, and Senator Edwards, the authors of the bipartisan Patients' Bill of Rights oppose this amendment. Secondly, the full phase-in of premium deductibility is already scheduled to occur in 2003. Congress has already speeded up the phase-in twice since passing the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Because I strongly support the Patients' Bill of Rights, I do not want to see language added to the bill which will interfere with its becoming law.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am introducing today, along with Senator Jeffords, as co-chairmen of the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, two bills to help communities expedite the economic redevelopment of brownfields. These bills are complementary to S. 350 which we strongly support. Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. More than 450,000 of these sites taint our nation's landscape, inhibiting economic development and posing a threat to human health and the environment. Undeveloped, or underdeveloped, brownfields blight communities forcing development onto greenfields. But redeveloped, these sites offer new opportunities for businesses, housing and green space. Brownfields redevelopment is a fiscally-sound way to bring investment back to neglected neighborhoods, cleanup the environment, reuse existing infrastructure that is already paid for, utilize existing markets and labor pools, and relieve development pressure on our urban fringe and farmlands. My home State of Michigan is a national leader in brownfields redevelopment. Michigan communities are reclaiming brownfields in urban centers, towns and villages, ensuring that natural areas and greenspaces are less likely to succumb to sprawl when there are brownfield properties available to meet development needs. The City of Kalamazoo has leveraged $28 million in private investment and created over 200 jobs through its brownfields redevelopment program. The city has fully completed development of 4 sites and played a role in the redevelopment of 16 properties, creating new opportunities for commercial and industrial development. The City of St. Ignace, a small community in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, successfully redeveloped a former railroad property into a community recreation building and conference center. The project, built jointly by the Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Indian Tribe and the City of St. Ignace, created jobs and has the potential of stimulating additional year-round tourist activities where seasonal unemployment rates range between 20-25 percent during the winter months. At the Federal level, we need to support local communities and States in their efforts to reclaim brownfields by providing economic development resources to revitalize these sites. The two bills I am introducing today will aid cities like Kalamazoo and St. Ignace in their efforts to promote social well-being and create economic vitality by redeveloping brownfields. The first bill, the Brownfield Site Redevelopment Assistance Act of 2001, creates a new program within the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, EDA, to provide targeted assistance for projects that redevelop brownfield sites. The Act would provide EDA with a dedicated source of funding for brownfields redevelopment and increased funding flexibility to help States, local communities, Indian tribes and nonprofit organizations restore these sites to productive use. This bill would provide EDA with the authority to facilitate effective economic development planning for reuse; develop the infrastructure necessary to prepare brownfield sites for re-entry into the market; and, provide the capital necessary to support new business development on brownfields. The bill provides $60 million each year for FY2002 to FY2006. The second bill, the Brownfields Economic Development Act of 2001, would allow the Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, to make existing Brownfields Economic Development Initiative, BEDI, grants more easily available to units of general local government and federally-recognized Indian tribes by permitting the Department to make these grants independent of economic development loan guarantees. The bill also provides funding for small communities, known as nonentitlement areas, and federally-recognized Indian tribes. BEDI grants can help communities redevelop brownfields by providing local governments with a flexible source of funding to pursue brownfields redevelopment through land acquisition, site preparation, economic development and other activities. Currently, BEDI grants are required to support economic development loan guarantees known as Section 108 loan guarantees. To be eligible for these funds, a local community or State must pledge Community Development Block Grant, CDBG, funds as partial collateral for the loan guarantee. This requirement is a significant barrier to many local communities that need assistance to revitalize brownfields, but are unable to pledge these funds. This bill would allow HUD to make BEDI grants independent of economic development loan guarantees, providing critical financial assistance to leverage private sector investment in brownfields. Many organizations support these bills, including: (1) the Council for Urban Economic Development, (2) Enterprise Foundation, (3) National Association of Business Incubators, (4) National Association of Counties, (5) National Association of Development Organizations, (6) National Association of Installation Developers, (7) National Association of Regional Councils, (8) National Association of Towns and Townships, (9) National Congress for Community Economic Development, (10) National League of Cities, (11) Smart Growth America, and (12) United States Conference of Mayors. Brownfields affect urban, rural and Native American communities. In urban areas, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, USCM, estimates that brownfields redevelopment could generate more than 550,000 additional jobs and up to $2.4 billion in new tax revenues in over one hundred cities surveyed. The cities surveyed by the USCM reported that lack of funding for redevelopment and liability problems arising from Superfund are the major obstacles to reuse. In rural areas it is easy to ``leap frog'' over brownfields to abundant open space. The National Association of Development Organizations, NADO, in a report on reclaiming rural America's brownfields found that Federal agencies are not reaching rural areas through existing brownfields programs, and rural communities need financial and technical assistance to include brownfields in economic development strategies. Indian tribes face a legacy of contamination from former agricultural, industrial and commercial facilities. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that nationwide there are 1,645 facilities located on tribal lands and 6,982 facilities located within three miles of tribal lands. Nationally, State brownfields programs have facilitated reuse of more than 40,000 sites, but this is less than 10 percent of the estimated 450,000 brownfields nationwide. A report of the National Governors Association stated that assessment and cleanup of brownfields are only part of the process, equally important is physical development of these sites. These two bills would provide the financial resources to help communities and states realize new private investment and tax revenues from the redevelopment of brownfields, and would assist EDA and HUD to reach rural towns and Indian tribes to support their reuse efforts. The two bills that Senator Jeffords and I are introducing will complement the resources and liability clarifications provided in S. 350, and together these three bills will provide communities with the financial assistance needed to leverage private investment in brownfields and accelerate reuse. Providing economic development resources through HUD and EDA can stimulate brownfields economic development by leveraging private investment into communities, and can give communities the financial resources and technical assistance they need to turn brownfield environmental liabilities into economic assets. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the two bills and letters of support be printed in the Record.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am introducing today, along with Senator Jeffords, as co-chairmen of the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, two bills to help communities expedite the economic redevelopment of brownfields. These bills are complementary to S. 350 which we strongly support. Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. More than 450,000 of these sites taint our nation's landscape, inhibiting economic development and posing a threat to human health and the environment. Undeveloped, or underdeveloped, brownfields blight communities forcing development onto greenfields. But redeveloped, these sites offer new opportunities for businesses, housing and green space. Brownfields redevelopment is a fiscally-sound way to bring investment back to neglected neighborhoods, cleanup the environment, reuse existing infrastructure that is already paid for, utilize existing markets and labor pools, and relieve development pressure on our urban fringe and farmlands. My home State of Michigan is a national leader in brownfields redevelopment. Michigan communities are reclaiming brownfields in urban centers, towns and villages, ensuring that natural areas and greenspaces are less likely to succumb to sprawl when there are brownfield properties available to meet development needs. The City of Kalamazoo has leveraged $28 million in private investment and created over 200 jobs through its brownfields redevelopment program. The city has fully completed development of 4 sites and played a role in the redevelopment of 16 properties, creating new opportunities for commercial and industrial development. The City of St. Ignace, a small community in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, successfully redeveloped a former railroad property into a community recreation building and conference center. The project, built jointly by the Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Indian Tribe and the City of St. Ignace, created jobs and has the potential of stimulating additional year-round tourist activities where seasonal unemployment rates range between 20-25 percent during the winter months. At the Federal level, we need to support local communities and States in their efforts to reclaim brownfields by providing economic development resources to revitalize these sites. The two bills I am introducing today will aid cities like Kalamazoo and St. Ignace in their efforts to promote social well-being and create economic vitality by redeveloping brownfields. The first bill, the Brownfield Site Redevelopment Assistance Act of 2001, creates a new program within the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, EDA, to provide targeted assistance for projects that redevelop brownfield sites. The Act would provide EDA with a dedicated source of funding for brownfields redevelopment and increased funding flexibility to help States, local communities, Indian tribes and nonprofit organizations restore these sites to productive use. This bill would provide EDA with the authority to facilitate effective economic development planning for reuse; develop the infrastructure necessary to prepare brownfield sites for re-entry into the market; and, provide the capital necessary to support new business development on brownfields. The bill provides $60 million each year for FY2002 to FY2006. The second bill, the Brownfields Economic Development Act of 2001, would allow the Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, to make existing Brownfields Economic Development Initiative, BEDI, grants more easily available to units of general local government and federally-recognized Indian tribes by permitting the Department to make these grants independent of economic development loan guarantees. The bill also provides funding for small communities, known as nonentitlement areas, and federally-recognized Indian tribes. BEDI grants can help communities redevelop brownfields by providing local governments with a flexible source of funding to pursue brownfields redevelopment through land acquisition, site preparation, economic development and other activities. Currently, BEDI grants are required to support economic development loan guarantees known as Section 108 loan guarantees. To be eligible for these funds, a local community or State must pledge Community Development Block Grant, CDBG, funds as partial collateral for the loan guarantee. This requirement is a significant barrier to many local communities that need assistance to revitalize brownfields, but are unable to pledge these funds. This bill would allow HUD to make BEDI grants independent of economic development loan guarantees, providing critical financial assistance to leverage private sector investment in brownfields. Many organizations support these bills, including: (1) the Council for Urban Economic Development, (2) Enterprise Foundation, (3) National Association of Business Incubators, (4) National Association of Counties, (5) National Association of Development Organizations, (6) National Association of Installation Developers, (7) National Association of Regional Councils, (8) National Association of Towns and Townships, (9) National Congress for Community Economic Development, (10) National League of Cities, (11) Smart Growth America, and (12) United States Conference of Mayors. Brownfields affect urban, rural and Native American communities. In urban areas, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, USCM, estimates that brownfields redevelopment could generate more than 550,000 additional jobs and up to $2.4 billion in new tax revenues in over one hundred cities surveyed. The cities surveyed by the USCM reported that lack of funding for redevelopment and liability problems arising from Superfund are the major obstacles to reuse. In rural areas it is easy to ``leap frog'' over brownfields to abundant open space. The National Association of Development Organizations, NADO, in a report on reclaiming rural America's brownfields found that Federal agencies are not reaching rural areas through existing brownfields programs, and rural communities need financial and technical assistance to include brownfields in economic development strategies. Indian tribes face a legacy of contamination from former agricultural, industrial and commercial facilities. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that nationwide there are 1,645 facilities located on tribal lands and 6,982 facilities located within three miles of tribal lands. Nationally, State brownfields programs have facilitated reuse of more than 40,000 sites, but this is less than 10 percent of the estimated 450,000 brownfields nationwide. A report of the National Governors Association stated that assessment and cleanup of brownfields are only part of the process, equally important is physical development of these sites. These two bills would provide the financial resources to help communities and states realize new private investment and tax revenues from the redevelopment of brownfields, and would assist EDA and HUD to reach rural towns and Indian tribes to support their reuse efforts. The two bills that Senator Jeffords and I are introducing will complement the resources and liability clarifications provided in S. 350, and together these three bills will provide communities with the financial assistance needed to leverage private investment in brownfields and accelerate reuse. Providing economic development resources through HUD and EDA can stimulate brownfields economic development by leveraging private investment into communities, and can give communities the financial resources and technical assistance they need to turn brownfield environmental liabilities into economic assets. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the two bills and letters of support be printed in the Record.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Willing Seller Amendments of 2001 which would amend the National Trails System Act, NTSA, to provide Federal authority to acquire land from willing sellers to complete nine national scenic and historic trails authorized under the Act. The legislation gives the Federal agencies administering the trails the ability to acquire land from willing sellers only. The legislation would not commit the Federal Government to purchase any land or to spend any money but would allow managers to purchase land to protect the national trails as opportunities arise and as funds are appropriated. For most of the national scenic and historic trails, barely one-half of their congressionally authorized length and resources are protected. Without willing seller authority, Federal trail managers' hands are tied when development threatens important links in the wild landscapes of the national scenic trails or in the sites that authenticate the stories of the historic trails. With willing seller authority, sections of trail can be moved from roads where hikers and other trail users are unsafe, and critical historic sites can be preserved for future generations to experience. Moreover, this authority protects private property rights, as landowners along the nine affected trails are currently denied the right to sell land to the Federal Government if they desire to do so. Willing seller authority is crucial for the North Country National Scenic Trail, which runs through my home State of Michigan, because completion of the Trail faces significant challenges. These challenges which relate to development pressure and the need to cross long stretches of private and corporate held lands are common themes throughout the seven states linked by the 4,600-mile long North Country Trail. This legislation is also vital on a national level and accomplishes several important goals. First, it restores basic property rights-- Section 10 (c) of the National Trails System Act as currently written diminishes the right of thousands of people who own land along four national scenic trails and five national historic trails to sell their property or easements on their property, by prohibiting federal agencies from buying their land. Many of these landowners have offered to sell their land to the Federal Government to permanently protect important historical resources that their families have protected for generations or to maintain the continuity of a national scenic trail. Providing this authority to Federal agencies to purchase land from willing sellers along these nine trails will restore this basic property right to thousands of landowners. Second, it restores the ability of Federal agencies to carry out their responsibility to protect nationally significant components of our nation's cultural, natural and recreational heritage. The National Trails System Act authorizes establishment of national scenic and historic trails to protect important components of our historic and natural heritage. One of the fundamental responsibilities given to the Federal agencies administering these trails is to protect their important cultural and natural resources. Without willing-seller authority, the agencies are prevented from directly protecting these resources along nine trails--nearly one-half of the National Trails System. Third, it restores consistency to the National Trails System Act, NTSA. Congress enacted the National Trails System Act in 1968 ``. . .to provide for the ever-increasing outdoor recreation needs of an expanding population and . . . to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open- air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nation . . . by instituting a national system of recreation, scenic and historic trails . . .'' The agencies are authorized to collaborate with other Federal agencies, State and local governments and private organizations in planning, developing and managing the trails; to develop uniform standards for marking, interpreting and constructing the trails; to regulate their use; and to provide grants and technical assistance to cooperating agencies and organizations. The NTSA is supposed to provide these and other authorities to be applied consistently throughout the National Trails System. However, land acquisition authority, an essential means for protecting the special resources and continuity that are the basis for these trails, has been inconsistently applied. The Federal agencies have been given land acquisition authority for thirteen of the twenty-two national scenic and historic trails but have been denied authority to acquire land for the other nine trails. This bill restores consistency to the National Trails System Act by enabling the Federal agencies to acquire necessary land for all twenty-two national scenic and historic trails. Finally, this legislation enables Federal agencies to respond to opportunities to protect important resources provided by willing sellers. The willing seller land acquisition authority provided for these nine trails and subsequent appropriations from the Land and Water Conservation Fund will enable the Federal agencies administering them to respond to conservation opportunities afforded by willing landowners. I am pleased today to introduce this important legislation to restore parity to the National Trails System and provide authority to protect critical resources along the nation's treasured national scenic and historic trails.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Willing Seller Amendments of 2001 which would amend the National Trails System Act, NTSA, to provide Federal authority to acquire land from willing sellers to complete nine national scenic and historic trails authorized under the Act. The legislation gives the Federal agencies administering the trails the ability to acquire land from willing sellers only. The legislation would not commit the Federal Government to purchase any land or to spend any money but would allow managers to purchase land to protect the national trails as opportunities arise and as funds are appropriated. For most of the national scenic and historic trails, barely one-half of their congressionally authorized length and resources are protected. Without willing seller authority, Federal trail managers' hands are tied when development threatens important links in the wild landscapes of the national scenic trails or in the sites that authenticate the stories of the historic trails. With willing seller authority, sections of trail can be moved from roads where hikers and other trail users are unsafe, and critical historic sites can be preserved for future generations to experience. Moreover, this authority protects private property rights, as landowners along the nine affected trails are currently denied the right to sell land to the Federal Government if they desire to do so. Willing seller authority is crucial for the North Country National Scenic Trail, which runs through my home State of Michigan, because completion of the Trail faces significant challenges. These challenges which relate to development pressure and the need to cross long stretches of private and corporate held lands are common themes throughout the seven states linked by the 4,600-mile long North Country Trail. This legislation is also vital on a national level and accomplishes several important goals. First, it restores basic property rights-- Section 10 (c) of the National Trails System Act as currently written diminishes the right of thousands of people who own land along four national scenic trails and five national historic trails to sell their property or easements on their property, by prohibiting federal agencies from buying their land. Many of these landowners have offered to sell their land to the Federal Government to permanently protect important historical resources that their families have protected for generations or to maintain the continuity of a national scenic trail. Providing this authority to Federal agencies to purchase land from willing sellers along these nine trails will restore this basic property right to thousands of landowners. Second, it restores the ability of Federal agencies to carry out their responsibility to protect nationally significant components of our nation's cultural, natural and recreational heritage. The National Trails System Act authorizes establishment of national scenic and historic trails to protect important components of our historic and natural heritage. One of the fundamental responsibilities given to the Federal agencies administering these trails is to protect their important cultural and natural resources. Without willing-seller authority, the agencies are prevented from directly protecting these resources along nine trails--nearly one-half of the National Trails System. Third, it restores consistency to the National Trails System Act, NTSA. Congress enacted the National Trails System Act in 1968 ``. . .to provide for the ever-increasing outdoor recreation needs of an expanding population and . . . to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open- air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nation . . . by instituting a national system of recreation, scenic and historic trails . . .'' The agencies are authorized to collaborate with other Federal agencies, State and local governments and private organizations in planning, developing and managing the trails; to develop uniform standards for marking, interpreting and constructing the trails; to regulate their use; and to provide grants and technical assistance to cooperating agencies and organizations. The NTSA is supposed to provide these and other authorities to be applied consistently throughout the National Trails System. However, land acquisition authority, an essential means for protecting the special resources and continuity that are the basis for these trails, has been inconsistently applied. The Federal agencies have been given land acquisition authority for thirteen of the twenty-two national scenic and historic trails but have been denied authority to acquire land for the other nine trails. This bill restores consistency to the National Trails System Act by enabling the Federal agencies to acquire necessary land for all twenty-two national scenic and historic trails. Finally, this legislation enables Federal agencies to respond to opportunities to protect important resources provided by willing sellers. The willing seller land acquisition authority provided for these nine trails and subsequent appropriations from the Land and Water Conservation Fund will enable the Federal agencies administering them to respond to conservation opportunities afforded by willing landowners. I am pleased today to introduce this important legislation to restore parity to the National Trails System and provide authority to protect critical resources along the nation's treasured national scenic and historic trails.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I want to pay tribute to a remarkable person from my home State of Michigan, the Reverend Eddie K. Edwards, who celebrates his retirement as CEO of Joy of Jesus, Inc. on Friday, June 22. Reverend Edwards, has received national acclamations, for having developed and implemented a strategy that served to revitalize the Ravendale Community, one of Detroit's most distressed and underserved areas. He has embodied the work of his ministry and fulfilled his mission of providing positive direction and opportunities for those in need of such guidance. In 1976, Reverend Edwards established Joy of Jesus, Inc. a nonprofit organizations which set as its primary goal, the task of promoting positive values and healthy lifestyles as a means to help underprivileged youth become responsible citizens who can make a meaningful contribution to society. For this work, he has received national attention: a Points of Light Award and was featured in a national award-winning TV documentary entitled, ``A Neighborhood Redeemed.'' Reverend Edwards serves on the board of numerous community and civic organizations, all of which he devotes an inordinate amount of time. He is in frequent demand as a speaker on the topics of church empowerment, collaboration of churches, neighborhood revitalization, and various other community issues. He has repeatedly demonstrated his expertise is developing non-traditional partnerships and collaboratives which have had significant impact on his community and in particular, the lives of our younger generation. And, in spite of his commitment and involvement in community, he is a devoted husband and father of six adult children. I can only hope that in Reverend Edward's retirement he finds future endeavors are as successful and fulfilling as the previous ones. For certain, he will remain active in his many church and community activities, but will have more time to dedicate to his favorite hobbies--golfing and jogging. I am pleased to join his colleagues and friends in offering my thanks for all he has accomplished in making his community a better place. Reverend Eddie K. Edwards can take pride in his long career of service and dedication to Church, Community and Family. I invite my colleagues to join me in saluting Reverend Edwards' work, and in wishing him well in the years ahead.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs will hold hearings entitled ``Diabetes: Is Sufficient Funding Being Allocated To Fight This Disease?'' The upcoming hearings will examine whether sufficient Federal funding is being allocated to fight diabetes. The subcommittee intends to hear from children suffering from the disease, celebrities affected by diabetes, scientists, and business leaders who will explain the toll that this disease has on individuals who suffer from it, its impact on society, and current research opportunities to find a cure. The hearing will be held in conjunction with the second Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Children's Congress. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, June 26, 2001, at 10 a.m., in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building. For further information, please contact Claire Barnard of the subcommittee's minority staff at 224-3721.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with, and that I be allowed to proceed in morning business for 4 minutes.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, for nearly 2 months the Senate has been debating reform measures that would establish new goals for our teachers, our schools, our students and their parents. These substantial and creative measures passed the Senate today as part of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The legislation focuses on improving student achievement, student performance, and school success through expanding accountability provisions, increasing resources, improving technical assistance, and providing mechanisms intended to help turn around schools which are falling short. The bill seeks to ensure that local education agencies and States have the resources over the next four years to put a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. This provision also includes an amendment that I offered which provides that the professional development training authorized for these teachers also include training in the use of computer technology to improve student learning in core academic subjects. The bill also provides for over 125,000 new teachers to be paired with mentors and to have the opportunity for year-long internships. The Reading First provisions of the legislation authorize an important new initiative that provides nearly $1 billion for States and local school districts to improve reading education, and help teachers get ready to ensure that all children become proficient readers by the end of the third grade. I am pleased that an amendment I offered, to permit funds under this program to be used for family literacy programs, was adopted. The bill also authorizes partnership grants, a new initiative designed to boost achievement in the areas of math and science through strengthening and training and recruitment of highly qualified teachers; and continues the ``Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology'' program, which trains teachers in the use of technology in the classroom. Mr. President, this legislation contains extremely complicated testing requirements. I have reservations about the utility of such a federal mandate, given the tests that are already administered in my State of Michigan. However, because I support the essential reforms also included in this legislation, I have decided, on balance, to support the bill.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on New Years Day 2001, the Governor of Michigan signed into law a bill to take discretion away from local gun boards to issue concealed gun licenses and require authorities to issue concealed weapons licenses to any one 21 years or older without a criminal record, with limited exceptions. Under the law, the number of concealed handgun licenses in our State would grow by 200,000 to 300,000 a ten-fold increase. Needless to say, the law has the potential to increase gun violence in Michigan and endanger the lives of thousands of people. Istrongly believe that this law is better suited to the old West than the new millennium. I am pleased to report that hundreds of thousands of my fellow Michiganders agree with me. While the law was scheduled to take effect on July 1st of this year, a coalition of law enforcement and community groups from across our State called the People Who Care About Kids collected 232,582 signatures on a petition to suspend the law and put it before the voters in 2002. One of those signatures was mine. Now the issue is before the courts. Just last month, a State Appeals Court ruled unanimously that the referendum process should proceed. And this Wednesday the Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments on whether the Appeals Court ruling should stand. For the good of my State and for the safety of its citizens, I hope that the Supreme Court upholds the lower court ruling and lets the voters decide the issue. If voters are given the opportunity, I am confident that this wrongheaded effort to roll back Michigan's gun laws will be defeated.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an outstanding public servant, Robert B. Pirie, Jr., as he completes more than 7 years of continuous service within the civilian leadership of the Department of the Navy, first as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Installations and Environment, then as the Under Secretary of the Navy, and finally as Acting Secretary of the Navy. In each capacity, he worked tirelessly to serve America and our Navy and Marine Corps. His time in the Pentagon was the pinnacle of a public service career spanning fifty years. Secretary Pirie is a 1955 Naval Academy graduate, whose achievements as a midshipman propelled him to a Rhodes Scholarship. He served 20 years on active duty, a military career that culminated in command-at- sea aboard a nuclear attack submarine. Secretary Pirie went on to provide exceptional public service as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Carter Administration. When he returned to the Department of the Navy seven and a-half years ago, his confident leadership and far-reaching vision helped the Navy navigate through many complex issues. Whether leading the Department's efforts to conduct critical training at the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility at Vieques, Puerto Rico, or increasing force protection for Sailors and Marines in the aftermath of the USS COLE terrorist attack, or addressing the encroachment issues that complicate our operational and training ranges, Robert Pirie's leadership has been vital to the readiness and success of our country's military forces. Secretary Pirie provided exceptional advice, support and guidance to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. His keen insight, relentless dedication, and extraordinary talent have contributed significantly to building and maintaining the world's best-trained, best-equipped, and best-prepared Navy and Marine Corps. His vision has positively shaped the future readiness and capabilities of the fleet in ways that will resonate for many years. It is a pleasure to recognize Secretary Pirie for his many contributions in a life devoted to our nation's security as he leaves the Department of the Navy. I know my colleagues join me in wishing him and his wife Joan much happiness and fair winds and following seas as they begin a new chapter in their lives.