Carl Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 756.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am delighted to speak today to acknowledge a gentleman, from my home State of Michigan, who has served the citizens of Battle Creek, Jim Hettinger. On May 24th of this year, people will gather to pay tribute to Jim Hettinger for his tenure as Executive Director of Battle Creek Unlimited (BCU). Jim Hettinger has dedicated his professional career, to the development of jobs and opportunities for individuals in the communities where he has worked. For the past twenty years, Jim has served as the president and executive director of Battle Creek Unlimited, Battle Creek's economic development agency. In the past two decades, Battle Creek has witnessed numerous changes in its economic landscape, but throughout that time period Jim has been working to ensure the economic health and vitality of Battle Creek. As director of Battle Creek Unlimited, Jim Hettinger tirelessly works to promote Battle Creek as an ideal place for businesses to locate. His promotion of Battle Creek has spanned the globe, and has yielded impressive results. A Michigan native, Jim returned to his home State to work for Battle Creek United after working for the Mid-Missouri Council of Government where he was able to lure a German company to Missouri instead of Battle Creek. However, since arriving in Battle Creek, he has created an industrial park that is recognized as second to none. Under Jim's guidance, BCU has turned Fort Custer, an abandoned military base, into an industrial park that contains over ninety businesses that provide over 8,000 jobs. The Fort Custer Industrial Park provides good-paying jobs to thousands of individuals by harnessing the dynamism of the global economy. Nearly, three-quarters of the workers in the Ft. Custer Industrial Park are employed by Japanese owned companies. The willingness of international businesses to locate in Battle Creek is testimony to Jim's ability to bridge cultures and convince companies to utilize Battle Creek's world-class workers and receptive business environment. Jim Hettinger's hard work has been recognized by Michigan Governor John Engler who awarded him the Economic Developer of the Year Award in 1995. Last year, the Counsel General of Japan in Detroit awarded Mr. Hettinger with a ``Certificate of Designation'' on behalf of the Government of Japan. I hope my Senate colleagues will join me in saluting Jim Hettinger for his career of public service, particularly his efforts to provide quality jobs to the residents of the Battle Creek community while fostering a vibrant and dynamic relationship between the Battle Creek area and Japan.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, in a speech in Philadelphia on Monday, President Bush spoke out about gun violence in this country. Citing alarming statistics about the number of Americans killed and injured by handguns each year, he stated that ``this is unacceptable in America. It's just unacceptable, and we're going to do something about it.'' The President emphasized that ``we're going to reduce gun violence in America, and those who commit crimes with guns will find a determined adversary in my administration.'' I commend the President for his commitment to helping eliminate gun violence. In his speech, the President introduced ``Project Safe Neighborhoods,'' an initiative to combat gun violence. The main focus of this initiative is on the increased enforcement of existing gun laws and more vigorous prosecution of crimes committed with handguns. The President plans to devote $550 million in funding to this initiative over the next 2 years. The majority of the funding will be dedicated to hiring new Federal and State prosecutors to focus on gun crimes, updating State criminal record systems, improving Federal ballistics testing that trace illegal guns and developing regional task forces of Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies to catch and prosecute criminals in gun cases. Although there is often disagreement about the best approach to ending gun violence, we can all agree that enforcement of our gun laws and prosecution of people who use guns illegally are essential elements to any successful approach. Since 1993, increased law enforcement and prosecution efforts have resulted in a 16 percent increase in the number of gun cases filed and a 41 percent increase in the number of offenders sentenced to more than 5 years in prison. These increases in enforcement efforts enjoy broad bipartisan support. I commend the President for building upon this consensus by taking another step toward ensuring that gun criminals are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. While I agree with the aims of the President's initiative, I believe that it is not enough. We must also make it harder for criminals to get guns in the first place, by closing the gun show loophole that allows the purchase of handguns without a background check. Although he stated during the presidential campaign that he supported closing the gun show loophole, President Bush did not mention it in his speech on Monday. The President expressed that ``Project Safe Neighborhoods is one step, an important step'' toward making domestic tranquility a reality. I hope that the President will take the next, necessary step toward protecting the citizens of this country by supporting efforts to close the gun show loophole.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, this week, May 6-12, is National Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. This devastating tragedy takes the lives of more than 30,000 Americans each year, and brings suffering and loss to the lives of the friends and family who are left behind. Citing suicide as a ``national public health problem,'' the U.S. Surgeon General recently announced a national strategy for suicide prevention. Central to the strategy is promoting awareness of the fact that suicide is, indeed, preventable and that we must all do our part to help end this tragedy. One of the Surgeon General's main goals for preventing suicide is to reduce access to lethal means of suicide of which guns are the most deadly. I commend the Surgeon General for recognizing the need to address the role that guns play in our Nation's staggering suicide rate. Firearms account for 60 percent of all suicides, making them the most commonly used method of suicide and; Each year more Americans die in suicides by firearms than in murders by firearms. The national suicide prevention strategy recommends a public campaign to reduce the accessibility of lethal means of suicide, including firearms, and urges the gun industry to improve firearm safety design. These aims are backed by evidence that limiting access to lethal means of suicide and self-harm can be an effective strategy to prevent suicide attempts and other self-destructive behaviors. In fact, studies have shown that there is a separate, additional risk of suicide when there is a handgun in the home. Moreover, limiting access to lethal means of suicide, especially handguns, can reduce the number of suicide attempts that are fatal. While more than 650,000 Americans attempt suicide each year, the chance that the attempt will be fatal increases dramatically in those cases where a handgun is used. The relationship between handguns and suicide is even stronger among young people. Every 46 minutes a young person in this country kills himself or herself, over 60 percent of the time with a firearm. And these numbers are continuing to increase: the youth suicide rate has nearly tripled since 1952, making suicide the third leading cause of death among young people 15 to 24 years of age. There is no question that the increased access young people have to guns has been a major factor in this rise. In fact, one of the most rapidly rising suicide rates in this country is among young African-American makes, increasing 105 percent between 1980 and 1996, and this rise can be attributed almost entirely to suicides by firearms. The Surgeon General has stated that ``we should make it clear that suicide prevention is everybody's business. I believe the Surgeon General is right. Suicide is a national problem that demands our attention and our commitment. Congress should do its part to help prevent suicide by encouraging the manufacture of safer handguns and by closing the loopholes that allow young people easy access to handguns.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I thank the Chair and thank my good friend from North Dakota for his extraordinary effort.

Mr. LEVIN. I would appreciate 10 minutes. That will be fine.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, the budget resolution before us does not offer a fiscally responsible budget, and it should be rejected. It uses most of the projected surplus for tax cuts that not only go mainly to upper income people but are also based on surplus projections which are highly speculative. I want to turn the attention of the Senate to this chart for a moment. In 1985, we projected a deficit 5 years hence, in 1990, of $167 billion. It turned out the deficit was much worse--by $50 billion. That was an error rate of 30 percent in this 5-year projection. Every single year in the last 10 years that we looked at these projections, the error rates have averaged over 100 percent, with the smallest error rate being 28.1 percent and the largest error rate being the most recent one, a 268-percent error rate. We talk about speculative projections. This is a 5-year projection. That is how far off these projections have been for the last 10 years using a 5-year projection. The budget resolution before us has a 10- year projection. A 100-percent-plus error rate for the last 10 years and we are betting the economy on that kind of a wildly speculative projection of surpluses down the road. To base permanent tax cuts on such projections is simply fiscally irresponsible. Tax cuts should be based on real surpluses, not on far-off projections. It would be far preferable to use most of the projected surplus for debt reduction and a smaller immediate tax cut which would give our economy a boost. That way, if the surplus projection is wrong, we will not go back into a deficit ditch out of which we just climbed. As for tax cuts beyond this year, we should have a smaller tax cut which helps middle-income and lower income people more and upper income people less than the Bush tax proposals, and we should also give tax relief to the 25 million working Americans who pay Federal payroll taxes but who get no tax cut at all under the Bush proposal. The budget resolution before us is fiscally irresponsible for other reasons as well. It is timed to be passed before we receive an expected request for a huge defense spending increase, which is going to follow the strategic review due to be completed by the Secretary of Defense in the next few months. The request for added defense dollars could well be $250 billion over 10 years. It is going to be in that range, reliable reports indicate; $250 billion more for defense is likely to be requested by the administration following the strategic review which is going to be completed within the next few months. It just is simply not sound planning to rush to a judgment on a tax cut, as this resolution forces us to do, with its 8-day deadline to the Finance Committee to write a huge Tax Code when we know, with reasonable certainty, that the administration will be seeking a huge increase in the defense budget. Because the projected surplus will have been used for the tax cut, the defense increase will dig further into Medicare and Social Security surpluses. I say ``further'' because does anyone here really seriously doubt that there are going to be tax extenders which are going to be added to the tax cut? Does anyone doubt that the tax-writing committees are going to avoid pushing additional millions of people into paying alternative minimum taxes? Does anyone here really doubt that there is going to be added interest costs that result from the budget resolution and its tax cuts? I think it is clear, almost beyond any doubt, that there are going to be tax extenders, there are going to be further interest costs as a result of this budget resolution and its tax cuts, and that we are going to force millions of Americans to pay alternative minimum taxes. When all that happens, we have additional huge raids on Medicare and Social Security. That is before the expected defense increase is presented to this Congress by the administration. The budget resolution also violates the pledges to add money for education. For instance, the Senate version of this budget resolution included the Harkin amendment and the Breaux-Jeffords amendment. Those two amendments alone projected $300 billion in added spending for education. They were summarily dropped in conference. The budget resolution will result in significant cuts in renewable energy funding. Funds for energy research will be cut. There will be cuts in clean water infrastructure. It provides for cuts in clean air research and investment. All the rhetoric about a prescription drug program will go up in smoke because other Medicare programs are used in this resolution to pay for the prescription drug benefit. The opportunity to keep our economy sound, keep Social Security sound, to keep Medicare sound, to keep education commitments to our children, and to keep the commitment of a prescription drug program to our seniors, to keep our promises of environmental and alternative energy initiatives--they are all thrown out the window in the frenzy of this administration to give big tax cuts to upper income people. This budget resolution represents a terrible application of fiscal and social responsibility. And it should be defeated. I thank the Chair. I not only thank the ranking member of the Budget Committee, but I know that I add my voice to probably every voice on this floor, even those who may vote for this budget resolution, but particularly those of us on this side who rely so heavily on the ranking member for his tenacious determination to simply get to the facts--just the facts. The good Member of this body from North Dakota has spent a huge amount of his time and his life looking at numbers and looking at the facts. He has given us some unvarnished information which is of immense value to this body. And as time goes on, I think we will realize the truthfulness of it, and the honesty of those facts will regard him in greater esteem, even if that is possible, for the courage that he brings to this process, and the determination that this body, before it votes on a budget resolution, understands fully the implications of what it is voting for and the fundamental underlying numbers which are either there or hidden and which are an important part of the future economy of this country. I want to add my personal thanks to him. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a chart setting forth the history of the unreliability of budget projections over the 10-year period I referred to be printed in the Record.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, the Nuclear Control Institute, NCI, this year celebrates its 20th anniversary. For 20 years the NCI has worked to prevent the further spread of nuclear weapons to nations or to groups. In honor of their achievements and contributions, I ask unanimous consent that a letter of congratulations to NCI by our former colleague, Senator John Glenn, adn the remarks of the founder and president of NCI, Paul Leventhal, at NCI's 20th anniversary conference on April 9, 2001, be printed in the Record.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am pleased today to introduce the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Establishment Act. The Detroit River is one of North America's greatest rivers and is a part of our Michigan heritage. It not only joins the Upper Great Lakes to the Lower Great Lakes, but it also connects Canadians and Americans through an inseparable border. This great resource is one that we must work hard to protect so that generations to come can benefit from its economic, recreational and ecological value. The Detroit River provides a home to communities of unique plants and animals and rare, threatened and endangered species. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources recognize the Detroit River as having one of the highest diversities of wildlife and fish in all of the Great Lakes. More than 29 species of waterfowl and 65 kinds of fish make their home in the Detroit River. The river is an important waterfowl migration corridor where an estimated three million ducks, geese, swans, and coots migrate annually. The Detroit Audubon Society has documented over 300 species of birds in the Detroit-Windsor area, and approximately 150 bird species nest near the river. The Detroit River also provides shipping channels which link Detroit to a worldwide economy. Further, approximately half of the over 870,000 pleasure boats registered in Michigan are used on the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair, in part to fish for the estimated 10 million walleye that ascend the Detroit River each spring from Lake Erie to spawn. These walleye have helped create an internationally renowned sport fishery. In 1998, the Detroit River was designated an American Heritage River which will assist the community in a revitalization effort to celebrate the river's history and heritage. Further, it is anticipated that the Detroit River will receive a Canadian Heritage River designation this year, making it the first international heritage river system in North America. This is a river that we need to protect. Fish and wildlife habitat in the Lower Detroit River continue to be destroyed and degraded. It has been estimated that over 95 percent of the historical, coastal wetlands along the river have been lost to development. This legislation would protect remaining high quality habitat before they are lost to further development and rehabilitate and enhance degraded ones. Specifically, this legislation would authorize the Secretary of Interior to acquire American lands adjacent to the Detroit River in order to protect its wildlife and habitat. It further authorizes the President and Secretary of Interior to negotiate with Canadian officials to create a Detroit River International Wildlife Corridor in the lands adjacent to the River, including both American and Canadian lands. The legislation authorizes the Secretary to procure land from willing sellers or donors, islands and other natural features along the Detroit River, running some 18 miles from Mud Island to Pt. Mouillee. The legislation would also authorize the Secretary to negotiate cooperative management agreements with landowners living along the Detroit River. The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Establishment Act will provide the protections necessary to save and preserve this priceless treasure for generations to come.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am pleased today to introduce the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Establishment Act. The Detroit River is one of North America's greatest rivers and is a part of our Michigan heritage. It not only joins the Upper Great Lakes to the Lower Great Lakes, but it also connects Canadians and Americans through an inseparable border. This great resource is one that we must work hard to protect so that generations to come can benefit from its economic, recreational and ecological value. The Detroit River provides a home to communities of unique plants and animals and rare, threatened and endangered species. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources recognize the Detroit River as having one of the highest diversities of wildlife and fish in all of the Great Lakes. More than 29 species of waterfowl and 65 kinds of fish make their home in the Detroit River. The river is an important waterfowl migration corridor where an estimated three million ducks, geese, swans, and coots migrate annually. The Detroit Audubon Society has documented over 300 species of birds in the Detroit-Windsor area, and approximately 150 bird species nest near the river. The Detroit River also provides shipping channels which link Detroit to a worldwide economy. Further, approximately half of the over 870,000 pleasure boats registered in Michigan are used on the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair, in part to fish for the estimated 10 million walleye that ascend the Detroit River each spring from Lake Erie to spawn. These walleye have helped create an internationally renowned sport fishery. In 1998, the Detroit River was designated an American Heritage River which will assist the community in a revitalization effort to celebrate the river's history and heritage. Further, it is anticipated that the Detroit River will receive a Canadian Heritage River designation this year, making it the first international heritage river system in North America. This is a river that we need to protect. Fish and wildlife habitat in the Lower Detroit River continue to be destroyed and degraded. It has been estimated that over 95 percent of the historical, coastal wetlands along the river have been lost to development. This legislation would protect remaining high quality habitat before they are lost to further development and rehabilitate and enhance degraded ones. Specifically, this legislation would authorize the Secretary of Interior to acquire American lands adjacent to the Detroit River in order to protect its wildlife and habitat. It further authorizes the President and Secretary of Interior to negotiate with Canadian officials to create a Detroit River International Wildlife Corridor in the lands adjacent to the River, including both American and Canadian lands. The legislation authorizes the Secretary to procure land from willing sellers or donors, islands and other natural features along the Detroit River, running some 18 miles from Mud Island to Pt. Mouillee. The legislation would also authorize the Secretary to negotiate cooperative management agreements with landowners living along the Detroit River. The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Establishment Act will provide the protections necessary to save and preserve this priceless treasure for generations to come.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, the Michigan State Police recently introduced a 24-hour school violence prevention hot line to allow students, parents, teachers and others, to report school violence or suspicious criminal conduct to the State Police. The hot line, 800-815 TIPS, offers young people and others in Michigan a way to reach out to law enforcement anonymously, if desired, and in a non-confrontational environment. In the past month, students and citizens from across the state have given the State Police approximately 60 tips, including tips about bullying, harassment, sexual assault, as well as tips about knives and guns in school. The State Police then passed these tips on to the appropriate local law enforcement agency for investigation. Michigan is the thirteenth state to implement such a hotline and we hope it will help keep our schools safer for students and teachers. We also hope that other preventative measures will be taken to keep our schools safer, such as legislative initiatives to keep firearms out of the hands of juveniles and prohibited persons. Together, we can work toward preventing the disturbing number of violent acts in school that we have seen far too much of in the last few years.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to honor members, past and present, of the Detroit Police Department. Detroit is my home town and as a citizen of Detroit, I owe much to our men and women in uniform. Each day, the members of the Detroit Police Department put their lives on the line to act as guardians of peace and protect the people of our great city. On May 11, 2001, at the Twenty-Eighth Annual Detroit Police Department's Interfaith Memorial Service, we will recognize our distinguished law enforcement and honor the memory of officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. These officers have made the ultimate sacrifice for our safety and we are forever indebted to them and their families. I am sure all of my colleagues will join me in honoring the fallen law enforcement officers of the Detroit Police Department and commemorate their timeless dedication to the men, women and children of our great city.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am delighted to speak today to acknowledge a lawyer, from my home State of Michigan, who has dedicated his life to serving the citizens of Detroit, Saul A. Green. On May 2nd of this year, hundreds of people will gather to pay tribute to Saul A. Green for his service as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. Saul Green has dedicated his life, both professionally and personally, to the service of his community. Since graduating from the University of Michigan law school in 1972, Saul has been a lawyer dedicated to serving the public interest. He began his career in the law as an Assistant United States Attorney. However, he quickly became chief counsel for the Detroit Field Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He served in this capacity from 1976 until 1989 when he was asked to serve as the Wayne County Corporation Counsel. It was while serving as corporation counsel that President Clinton nominated Saul to be the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. His nomination was confirmed by the Senate on May 6, 1994. The position of U.S. Attorney is not an easy one for it requires that one enforce and interpret the laws of our great Nation. Difficult as this position may be, for nearly 7 years Saul capably and honorably served as U.S. Attorney. In addition to these activities, Saul Green is a leader in his church and with numerous community projects. He has worked on several Weed and Seed projects in the Eastern District of Michigan, sponsored an Explorer Scouts Troop and worked with a Drug Education Youth Camp. On account of his leadership with these projects, he received the Damon J. Keith Community Spirit Award. Saul is also a life member of the NAACP. Saul has been an active alumnus of his alma mater, the University of Michigan. In addition to serving on the university's board of directors, he currently is the vice president of the U of M alumni association. His devotion to the maize and blue was acknowledged in 1994 when the University of Michigan awarded him the Leonard F. Sain Esteemed Alumni Award. I hope my Senate colleagues will join me in saluting Saul A. Green for his career of public service, particularly the commitment to justice and law enforcement he embodied while serving as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan for nearly 7 years.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, this week I joined Senator Reed and a number of my colleagues in introducing the Gun Show Background Check Act, which would close the gun show loophole. If enacted, prospective buyers at gun shows would be required to undergo Brady background checks to ensure that they are not felons, fugitives, domestic abusers, or other persons prohibited from purchasing firearms. It is incredible to me that more than two years after Columbine, lawmakers have not yet acted to reduce the availability of guns to criminals and other prohibited persons by closing this loophole in our federal firearm laws. Just a few days ago, America memorialized the worst school shooting in our nation's history. On April 20, two years ago, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold brought terror to Columbine High School. Of the four guns used by the two Columbine shooters, three were acquired at a gun show. The teenage shooters took full advantage of the gun show loophole, which allowed their friend, Robyn Anderson, to buy them two rifles and a shotgun without ever submitting to a background check. Later, Robyn Anderson testified about her experience to the Colorado Legislature. She said: While we were walking around [at the gun show], Eric and Dylan kept asking sellers if they were private or licensed. They wanted to buy their guns from someone who was private-- and not licensed--because there would be no paperwork or background check. I was not asked any questions at all. There was no background check . . . I would not have bought a gun for Eric and Dylan if I had had to give any personal information or submit any kind of check at all. I wish a law requiring background checks had been in effect at the time . . . It was too easy. I wish it had been more difficult. I wouldn't have helped them buy the guns if I had faced a background check. Of all the testimony that came out of Columbine, Robyn Anderson's is among the most memorable. The citizens of Colorado and Oregon, States with high rates of gun ownership, reacted by supporting referenda to close the gun show loopholes in their States. Now, Congress should do the same and enact legislation to close the gun show loophole nationwide.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I would like to engage my colleagues, Senators Jeffords, Reid, and Smith from New Hampshire in a colloquy on the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act of 2001, S. 350. I am a co-sponsor and strong supporter of this brownfields revitalization bill. I commend Senators Smith, Reid, Chafee and Boxer for their hard work on crafting bipartisan brownfields legislation which will help communities return these former commercial and industrial properties back to productive use. The financial incentives and statutory reforms provided in S. 350 will dramatically improve our communities' efforts to redevelop brownfields. As cochairmen of the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, Senator Jeffords and I will introduce bills to complement S. 350 by providing communities with economic resources to redevelop brownfield sites. Our first proposal would expand efforts of the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, or EDA, to assist distressed communities. The bill will provide EDA with a dedicated source of funding for brownfields redevelopment and increased funding flexibility to help States, local communities and nonprofit organizations restore these sites to productive use. Our second proposal would permit the Department of Housing and Urban Development to make brownfields economic development initiative grants independent of economic development loan guarantees, and set-aside a portion of the funding for smaller communities. I hope that Senators Smith and Reid will work with us to get our proposed legislation enacted. These proposals would be very complementary to S. 350. Economic development funding through EDA and HUD along with the financial resources and liability clarifications contained in S. 350 would provide communities with the help they need to return brownfields to productive uses. Together, our proposals and S. 350, would provide communities with the financial assistance needed to leverage private investment in brownfields and accelerate reuse. A number of national economic development organizations support this proposal, including the US Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, National Association of Development Organizations, National Association of Regional Councils, National Association of Towns and Townships, Enterprise Foundation, National Congress for Community Economic Development, Smart Growth America, Council for Urban Economic Development, National Association of Installation Developers, and the National Business Incubator Association.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate is taking up and will pass S. 350, the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act of 2001. I am a strong supporter and advocate of this legislation. I commend Senators Smith of New Hampshire, Reid, Chafee and Boxer for their tremendous effort to craft strong bi-partisan legislation to help our nation's communities. Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used commercial or industrial properties where development or expansion is hindered by real or perceived environmental contamination. Businesses located on brownfields were once the economic foundations of communities. Today, brownfields lie abandoned--the legacy of our industrial past. These properties taint our urban landscape. Contamination, or the perception of contamination, impedes brownfields redevelopment, stifles community development and threatens the health of our citizens and the environment. Redeveloped, brownfields can be engines for economic development. They represent new opportunities in our cities, older suburbs and rural areas for housing, jobs and recreation. As Co-Chair of the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, I believe brownfields redevelopment is one of the most important ways to revitalize cities and implement growth management. The redevelopment of brownfields, is a fiscally-sound way to bring investment back to neglected neighborhoods, cleanup the environment, use infrastructure that is already paid for and relieve development pressure on our urban fringe and farmlands. The State of Michigan is a leader in brownfields redevelopment, offering technical assistance and grant and loan programs to help communities redevelop brownfields. This legislation will compliment state and local efforts to successfully redevelop brownfields. The bill provides much needed funding to state and local jurisdictions for the assessment, characterization, and remediation of brownfield sites. Importantly, the bill removes the threat of lawsuits for contiguous landowners, prospective purchasers, and innocent landowners. Communities must often overcome serious financial and environmental barriers to redevelop brownfields. Greenfields availability, liability concerns, the time and cost of cleanup, and a reluctance to invest in older urban areas deters private investment. This bill will help communities address these barriers to redevelopment. Finally, the bill provides greater certainty to developers and parties conducting the cleanup, ensuring that decisions under state programs will not be second-guessed. Public investment and greater governmental certainty combined with private investment can provide incentives for redeveloping brownfield properties and level the economic playing field between greenfields and brownfields. I believe the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act of 2001 will do much to encourage commercial, residential and recreational development in our nation's communities where existing infrastructure, access to public transit, and close proximity to cultural facilities currently exist. America's emerging markets and future potential for economic growth lies in our cities and older suburbs. This potential is reflected in locally unmet consumer demand, underutilized labor resources and developable land that is rich in infrastructure. In Detroit, the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that there is a $1.4 billion retail gap, the purchasing power of residents minus retail sales. In Flint, HUD estimates the retail gap to be $186 million and in East Lansing, $160 million. The redevelopment of brownfields will help communities realize the development potential of our urban communities. It is a critical tool for metropolitan areas to grow smarter allowing us to recycle our Nation's land to promote continued economic growth while curtailing urban sprawl and cleaning up our environment.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by Senator Jeffords, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in introducing legislation that seeks to add an important measure of flexibility to a provision of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, TANF, under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The legislation we are introducing increases from 12 to 24 months the limit on the amount of vocational education training that a state can count towards meeting its work participation rate. Under the pre-1996 Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, recipients could participate in post-secondary vocational training or community college programs for up to 24 months. While I support the new law's emphasis on moving welfare recipients more quickly into jobs, I am troubled by the law's restriction on post-secondary education training, limiting it to 12 months. One year of vocational education is an approved work activity, the second year of post-secondary education study is not. The limitation on post-secondary education training raises a number of concerns, not the least of which is whether individuals may be forced into low-paying, short-term employment that will lead them back onto public assistance because they are unable to support themselves or their families. According to recent studies, this is exactly what has happened in far too many cases. According to a March 13, 2001 report of the Congressional Research Service, which is based on research published in the 2000 Edition of the House Committee on Ways and Means Green Book, although the majority of recipients who have left the welfare rolls left because they became employed, most remained poor. The research also revealed that the average hourly wage for these former welfare recipients ranged from $5.50 to $8.80 per hour. Study after study indicates that short-term training programs raise the income of workers only marginally, while completion of at least a two-year associate degree has the potential of breaking the cycle of poverty for welfare recipients. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median earnings of adults with an associate degree are 30 percent higher than adults who have not achieved such a degree. A majority of the members of the Senate has previously cast their vote in favor of making 24 months of post-secondary education a permissible work activity under TANF The Levin-Jeffords amendment to the 1997 Reconciliation bill, permitting up to 24 months of post- secondary education, received 55 votes--falling five votes short of the required procedural vote of 60. The amendment had the support of the National Governors Association, NGA, and NGA's support continues with the legislation Senator Jeffords and I are introducing today. I would also like to make note of Senator Wellstone's efforts on this issue. He subsequently proposed several modifications to TANF, including raising the 12 month limit to 24 months, in an amendment to the 1998 Higher Education reauthorization bill. The amendment passed the Senate but was deleted during conference negotiations. It is my hope that the Senate will again act favorably and expeditiously on this legislation and that the House will support this much-needed State flexibility. We must do what is necessary to achieve TANF's intended goal of getting families permanently off of welfare and onto self-sufficiency. In closing, I would like to present to my colleagues some examples of the earnings that can be made upon completion of two years of training in a structured vocational or community college program. The following are jobs that an individual could prepare for in a two-year community college program, including the average starting salary for each nationwide. Average Starting Salary Nationwide Dental Hygiene..................................................$31,750 Physical Therapy Assistant.......................................28,782 Computer Programing..............................................28,000 Occupational Therapy Assistant...................................27,624 Respiratory Therapy..............................................26,877 Computer Assisted Design.........................................26,890 Drafting and Design..............................................24,800 Electronic Technology............................................24,255 Culinary Arts....................................................22,500 Early Childhood Development Assistant............................18,000 Again, I urge my colleagues to act with haste. The modification embodied in this legislation can give the states the flexibility they need to help improve the economic status of families across America.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask that the Senate join me today in congratulating the St. Mary Parish of New Baltimore, MI on their upcoming one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary. Since 1876, the St. Mary's has been serving the spiritual needs of it's congregation as well as the community at large. The history of St. Mary Parish is too long and rich for me to recount here in full, but it is important to point out that New Baltimore has been home to a Catholic community since 1805, when ``horseback priests'' from Canada and Detroit would come to minister in private homes. It was in 1876, as America was celebrating its centennial, that Father Aloysius Lambert was appointed the first resident pastor and the St. Mary Parish was born. Father Lambert worked to establish a church and chapel, a grade school and a rectory. Other important events in the history of the Parish include the mortgage being paid off and burned in 1938, the addition of a war memorial shrine in 1949, and the completion of a new gymnasium in 1951. This gymnasium would serve as a temporary church when the 83 year old building burned to the ground in 1958. In 1963, the cornerstone was laid in what was now to be known as St. Mary Queen of Creation. The 1960's also saw the creation of a new mission for St. Mary Parish. A chapter of St. Vincent de Paul was opened to serve the needs of the poor in New Baltimore and seventh-grader Mary Jane Plague began a music ministry. This legacy of community stewardship grew with the addition of Sister Loretta Demick to the St. Mary Parish in 1974. Sister Demick began what was known as Sister Loretta's Closet, which helped feed the poor, elderly and infirmed of the Parish. Also in 1974, the former convent was turned into a home for women who are developmentally disabled. People with special needs are still being served in this building, and it is known as the Horizons Residential Centers. In the last decade, the St. Mary Parish has expanded outreach programs to help the homeless and those with HIV/AIDS. Over the years, St. Mary Parish has grown from a few families to thousands of parishioners and along the way has dedicated itself to bettering the lives of everyone in its community. The community of New Baltimore and all of Macomb County have benefitted from many good deeds and continuing works of generosity that the St. Mary Parish has undertaken. I trust that my Senate colleagues will join me in wishing St. Mary Parish a happy one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary, and hoping that the next century and a quarter are as fruitful as the last.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I want to speak today in order to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. As you know, today marks the 86th anniversary of this tragic occurrence. It is important that we take time to remember and honor the victims, and pay respect to the survivors that are still with us. April 24th marks the inception of brutal genocidal campaign to eliminate Armenians from the Turkish Ottoman Empire. From the period of 1915-1923, approximately one and a half million Armenians perished under the rule of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. During this horrific period, the Armenian people fell victim to deportation, conscription, torture, starvation and murder. The Armenian genocide was the result of a consciously orchestrated government plan. The German Chancellor to the Ottoman Empire, Count Wolff-Metternich, stated at the time that, ``In its attempt to carry out its purpose to resolve the Armenian question by the destruction of the Armenian race, the Turkish government has refused to be deterred neither by our representations, nor by those of the American Embassy, nor by the delegate of the Pope . . .'' In a century filled with loss and bloodshed, the Armenian Genocide marked the first effort of the century to systematically eliminate an entire people. Unfortunately, the world did not learn from this massacre, and the past 86 years have been stained by reminders that there are those who will stop at no means to spread their agendas of hate and intolerance. Nobel Laureate writer Elie Wiesel has said that the denial of genocide constitutes a ``double killing'' for it seeks to rewrite history by absolving the perpetrators of violence while ignoring the suffering of the victims. We must acknowledge the horrors perpetrated against the Armenian people to preserve the memory of the victims and to remind the world that we cannot and will not forget these crimes against humanity. However, it is not enough to simply remember those who have perished. We must speak out against such tragedies, and dedicate ourselves to ensuring that evils such as the Armenian Genocide are not revisited on our planet. This is the highest tribute we can pay to the victims of any genocide. The Armenian people have preserved their culture, faith and identity for over a thousand years. In the last century alone, the Armenian people withstood the horrors of two World Wars and several decades of Soviet dominance in order to establish modern Armenia. I hope all my Senate colleagues will join me in honoring and remembering the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today I want to congratulate and honor the Lighthouse of Oakland County, Inc., an independent agency, that has served as a beacon of hope and opportunity for countless individuals. Residents in my home state of Michigan will be gathering this Thursday April 26, 2001 to celebrate the grand opening of the Robert H. & Mary G. Flint Campus of Caring. The Lighthouse is a remarkable institution that began as an ecumenical ministry to assist seniors and low-income families, but has grown to become a dynamic independent agency dedicated to providing vital services that enable people to make the transition from joblessness and despair to independence and empowerment. The mission of the Lighthouse is administered by three subsidiaries: Lighthouse Emergency Services, Lighthouse PATH and Lighthouse Community Development. Independent of one another, these subsidiaries would be an important agent for social welfare and justice. Together, these three branches are a comprehensive service provider that is able to assist individuals and communities as they strive for betterment. Lighthouse Emergency Services provides a full range of services including food, housing, medical treatment and clothing assistance to those who require immediate assistance. The PATH program combines a full-time residency program with intensive case management that provides residents with the assistance needed to form clear and concrete goals for self-improvement. As residents complete their education or enter job training programs, the Lighthouse PATH provides an array of services such as child care, legal assistance and domestic abuse counseling. The Lighthouse Community Development program has worked, primarily in Pontiac's Unity Park neighborhood, to ensure that safe and affordable housing is available for low and moderate income families. Home ownership can ensure the economic well-being and stability of families and neighborhoods, and this program makes home ownership a reality by providing home ownership classes, rehabilitating abandoned houses and building new homes. The Lighthouse's success at administering these myriad programs has not gone unnoticed. In 1990, the volunteers of the Lighthouse were recognized by then President Bush as the 376th Point of Light for their dedication and service to their community. Lighthouse PATH was a recipient of the Richard F. Huegli Award for Program Excellence. In addition, Crain's Business Detroit made the Lighthouse first Runner-up for best managed non-profit of 1994. In 1997, the Lighthouse deservedly won this award. None of the Lighthouse's many awards or important programs would be possible without the dedication and sacrifice of the many staff and volunteers who have freely given of their time, talents and resources to make this program the vital community asset it is today. I have mentioned only a small portion of the dynamic history of the Lighthouse of Oakland County, Inc. and the many ways in which this organization has assisted its community. I know my colleagues will join me in honoring the Lighthouse of Oakland County, Inc. for its service to the people of Oakland County and the State of Michigan.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. LEVIN. I move to lay that motion on the table.