Mary Landrieu

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Absolutely. It is my desire to have many conversations over the weekend. There are just a few points that need to be worked out. The Finance Committee has done its portion of the work, and I thank Senator Baucus and Senator Grassley. Senator Snowe and I have a few other things to work out. The Senator from Michigan is correct. This effort on the part of the Small Business Administration is crucial to change these programs, to lift their limits, provide some support for them to be able to help reach out and support our small business growth throughout the country. The White House has worked very hard on this $30 billion capital infusion to the banks. The Independent Bankers of America supports the $30 billion in additional capital that would be available to them, again, not for lending on Wall Street or Fancy Street but on Main Street where the Senator from Michigan and I come from, to get money into the hands of small businesses. It is imperative particularly for women-owned and minority-owned businesses that have been particularly hard hit by this recession. Some of the provisions reach right to those disadvantaged neighborhoods in our country that need the most help right now in creating jobs for people of every different walk of life.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, as Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I am pleased to introduce the Native American Small Business Assistance and Entrepreneurial Growth Act of 2010. This vital and timely legislation codifies and builds upon the Small Business Administration's, SBA, existing efforts through the Office of Native American Affairs, which is responsible for overseeing and implementing programs that are specifically tailored to meet the needs of the Native American community. By strengthening and improving these programs, the SBA will be able to reach even more Native Americans, helping them to achieve their dream of starting or growing their own small businesses and spurring vital and necessary growth within tribal communities. According to the most recent report released by the U.S. Census bureau, the ``three year average poverty rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives was 25.9 percent higher than for any other race groups.'' Additionally, research shows that entrepreneurial development is playing a significant role in promoting healthy tribal economies, and fostering much needed economic growth in various industries. Data from the 2000 U.S. Census shows that since 1997, the number of Native American-owned businesses has risen by 84 percent to 197,300, and that their gross incomes have increased by 179 percent to $34.5 billion. However, in the face of historically high unemployment and tight credit, particularly for Native Americans, starting a business has never been more difficult. During the 111th Congress, the Committee has heard from industry experts, organizational leaders and entrepreneurs working in or on behalf of Native American communities. From them, we know that, despite the growth we are seeing in Native American-owned businesses, more resources are needed to provide additional technical assistance and business development opportunities so as to ensure the economic sustainability and growth within tribal communities. According to the Aspen Institute, ``training and technical assistance are arguably the most important components of microenterprise development services in the United States, particularly when those services are aimed at low-income clients.'' Additionally, according to the Corporation for Enterprise Development, this is particularly true for Native American entrepreneurs operating in environments that have not traditionally been geared towards private enterprise. For these reasons, it is critical that we do more to provide necessary resources for Native American entrepreneurial development programs that are working to address critical sustainability issues in tribal communities. That is why today I am introducing the Native American Small Business Assistance and Entrepreneurial Growth Act of 2010. Since its establishment, SBA's Office of Native American Affairs worked to promote and support Native American entrepreneurs and to encourage important entrepreneurial activity in Native American communities. This legislation will further enhance and improve the existing programs within the Office of Native American Affairs, as well as create a new program that provides financial assistance to eligible entities to create Native American business centers which will conduct projects to provide culturally tailored business development training and related services to Native Americans and Native American small business concerns. In introducing this important piece of legislation today, I would note that many of the provisions in this bill were included in S. 1229, the Entrepreneurial Development Act of 2009, which I introduced earlier this Congress and which passed out of Committee with unanimous and bi- partisan support in June of 2009. It is also the basis for many of the SBA related provisions included in the Native American Employment Act of 2010 that Senator Dorgan, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs introduced earlier this month. Given the importance of this legislation to hundreds of thousands of Native American-owned businesses, and the potential we have before us to strengthen one of America's greatest emerging markets, I have decided to re-introduce these provisions as a stand-alone bill. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to bring this legislation to the President's desk in the coming months. In closing, I would like to thank Chairman Dorgan for his continued leadership on behalf of existing and future Native American small business owners, and especially for his cosponsorship of this important legislation. Chairman Dorgan has been a tireless advocate for Native American communities across the country and in his home state of North Dakota, and I am pleased to have his support on this legislation. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, as Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I am pleased to introduce the Native American Small Business Assistance and Entrepreneurial Growth Act of 2010. This vital and timely legislation codifies and builds upon the Small Business Administration's, SBA, existing efforts through the Office of Native American Affairs, which is responsible for overseeing and implementing programs that are specifically tailored to meet the needs of the Native American community. By strengthening and improving these programs, the SBA will be able to reach even more Native Americans, helping them to achieve their dream of starting or growing their own small businesses and spurring vital and necessary growth within tribal communities. According to the most recent report released by the U.S. Census bureau, the ``three year average poverty rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives was 25.9 percent higher than for any other race groups.'' Additionally, research shows that entrepreneurial development is playing a significant role in promoting healthy tribal economies, and fostering much needed economic growth in various industries. Data from the 2000 U.S. Census shows that since 1997, the number of Native American-owned businesses has risen by 84 percent to 197,300, and that their gross incomes have increased by 179 percent to $34.5 billion. However, in the face of historically high unemployment and tight credit, particularly for Native Americans, starting a business has never been more difficult. During the 111th Congress, the Committee has heard from industry experts, organizational leaders and entrepreneurs working in or on behalf of Native American communities. From them, we know that, despite the growth we are seeing in Native American-owned businesses, more resources are needed to provide additional technical assistance and business development opportunities so as to ensure the economic sustainability and growth within tribal communities. According to the Aspen Institute, ``training and technical assistance are arguably the most important components of microenterprise development services in the United States, particularly when those services are aimed at low-income clients.'' Additionally, according to the Corporation for Enterprise Development, this is particularly true for Native American entrepreneurs operating in environments that have not traditionally been geared towards private enterprise. For these reasons, it is critical that we do more to provide necessary resources for Native American entrepreneurial development programs that are working to address critical sustainability issues in tribal communities. That is why today I am introducing the Native American Small Business Assistance and Entrepreneurial Growth Act of 2010. Since its establishment, SBA's Office of Native American Affairs worked to promote and support Native American entrepreneurs and to encourage important entrepreneurial activity in Native American communities. This legislation will further enhance and improve the existing programs within the Office of Native American Affairs, as well as create a new program that provides financial assistance to eligible entities to create Native American business centers which will conduct projects to provide culturally tailored business development training and related services to Native Americans and Native American small business concerns. In introducing this important piece of legislation today, I would note that many of the provisions in this bill were included in S. 1229, the Entrepreneurial Development Act of 2009, which I introduced earlier this Congress and which passed out of Committee with unanimous and bi- partisan support in June of 2009. It is also the basis for many of the SBA related provisions included in the Native American Employment Act of 2010 that Senator Dorgan, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs introduced earlier this month. Given the importance of this legislation to hundreds of thousands of Native American-owned businesses, and the potential we have before us to strengthen one of America's greatest emerging markets, I have decided to re-introduce these provisions as a stand-alone bill. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to bring this legislation to the President's desk in the coming months. In closing, I would like to thank Chairman Dorgan for his continued leadership on behalf of existing and future Native American small business owners, and especially for his cosponsorship of this important legislation. Chairman Dorgan has been a tireless advocate for Native American communities across the country and in his home state of North Dakota, and I am pleased to have his support on this legislation. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. That is what is going to happen. This is not Mary Landrieu's opinion; this is just the nature of this business. They don't have to stay in the gulf. They can break these contracts. They are doing that as I speak. There are lawsuits being filed from Houston to Mobile to New Orleans. This is a great boon for lawyers, a bad day for people, and a terrible day for our environment. I am begging this administration to look worldwide. We are a world leader. We are up to the task of finding out what happened quickly, getting these rigs back drilling, and setting an example for the world and showing some sympathy for people who are much less powerful than we are. I would like to hear a leader stand up and say: I am concerned about Niger. I am concerned about Africa. I am concerned about Brazil and South America and what happens off the coast, even in places we are not very happy with right now such as Venezuela or Cuba. Cuba is only 90 miles from Florida. Do you think we can control what Cuba does in offshore drilling? No, ma'am. All we can do is try to do the best we can in America, as we have done for decades and decades and generations and generations, and lead by example and show the world the technology that can work. We can make rational and reasonable decisions in a public arena such as this--very transparent, as corruption-free as possible, as rational and as educated as possible. That is what the world expects of us. I am not going to stand here and let this Congress run with its tail between its legs and overreact to a situation, as horrible as this one is. We most certainly know; we are swimming in the oil. I will come down several times in the next week to try to make as clear an argument as I can that there must be a better way forward than shutting down this industry so that they move to places that have less protection and less ability, while we guzzle most of the oil. What a hypocritical situation this puts us in. I don't know what to tell the people of Niger. I don't even know what to tell the people of Louisiana. I am going to think about it and come back. Madam President, I yield the floor.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, it is with heartfelt sympathy that I stand before you today to offer my deepest condolences to the family members and friends who lost their loved ones in the flash floods that swept through the Albert Pike Recreation Area in the Ouachita National Forest Campgrounds in the early morning hours of June 11, 2010. Approximately 8 inches of rain fell in 1 hour overnight, providing very little warning to campers of the danger. The warnings went unheard early Friday morning; the campground has no sirens, no park ranger on site, poor radio reception, and spotty cell phone service. The Caddo and Little Missouri rivers rose by 20 feet overnight, engulfing the hikers and campers who were spending the night in tents along the rivers in the isolated Ouachita Mountains. The 54-unit campground was quickly inundated with water, which was rising as quickly as 8 feet per hour. The water was so violent it overturned RVs and peeled asphalt off the roads. Twenty people, in some instances several members from the same family including young children, lost their lives in this tragedy. Among those lost were eight Louisianans, and my heart goes out to the Smith family, who lost Anthony, Joey, and Katelynn; to the Basinger family, who lost Shane and Kinsley in Gloster; and the Roeder family in Luling who, lost Kay, Debbie, and Bruce. The 20 people lost to this tragedy will be greatly missed by their families, friends, and communities. I ask that you remember the victims of the flash floods in your thoughts and prayers.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 15 minutes as in morning business.

Ms. LANDRIEU. I rise today for the purposes of giving some context and commenting in response to the President's speech last night as well as to some of my colleagues who have spoken on the need for a comprehensive energy policy as we move forward. But I would like to begin by just reminding us all that today is the 57th day of what may prove to be one of the most damaging environmental accidents in our Nation's history. Fifty-seven days ago, the tragic explosion of the Deepwater Horizon took the lives of 11 men and unleashed an uncontrolled and uncontrollable, to date, torrent of oil and gas into the Gulf of Mexico. It threatens our environment, and it threatens our economy and the wetlands that underpin a way of life, a precious way of life in the gulf region. I have had the--I guess unfortunate opportunity to spend some time with the widows. And I say ``unfortunate'' because I wish I could have met them under different circumstances. But to hear their remembrances of their husbands, to hear the way they expressed to me the heartfelt commitment their spouses had to this industry and to their work and their call for this work to be more safe, for companies to be held accountable, but also their call--which I think serves as real testimony on their behalf to the American people--their call for this deepwater industry to continue, was very moving to me and to all people who I think have had the opportunity to meet these young and very impressive women. I was proud to introduce the Senate resolution honoring these men and their families. I wish to thank my colleagues for agreeing to this resolution unanimously. But today I wanted to speak on three important issues relative to this general situation: one, the need for better safety regulations and improvements at MMS; the other, the impacts of this moratoria; and the call for accelerated revenue sharing and an accelerated claims process. First, let me begin with the need for better safety regulations. There are more than 300,000 men and women who work in the oil and gas industry in Louisiana alone. There are a significant number of them who work offshore and directly support both the offshore and onshore industry. The offshore crewmen know this work can be dangerous. They go through a variety of safety drills and regulations routinely. And we owe it to them to make sure these activities are safer in the future. For this reason, I have fully supported a thorough review of offshore drilling safety standards and have applauded the Department, and particularly Secretary Ken Salazar, for his willingness to clean house at the Minerals Management Service. This tragedy brought to light an unhealthy relationship that has existed, unfortunately for many years, between the oil industry and the Federal regulators who are called to regulate them, to make sure this industry is safe. That must be changed. The regulators did not have the resources to push back. They did not have the expertise. We in Congress bear some responsibility for that. And that did not start under President Obama's administration, but it should end under President Obama's administration. This Congress systematically undermanned and underfunded this important agency by not giving it the appropriate attention it needs, and it is our responsibility to fix it. I look forward to meeting with the man whom the President has appointed or nominated to head MMS. I will be making my own independent decision of whether he is the right person for this position. Until I meet him and talk with him and understand a little bit more about him, I will reserve my judgment. We need a Minerals Management Service that is to be a proud, competent, and respected industry watchdog. We need the watchdog back. We need the cop back on the beat if we are to ensure that an accident of this magnitude never happens again off our shores. As I have said, Minerals Management--many of these employees are my constituents. One of their main offices is in Metairie, LA. I have been there. I have met many of them, and they are some very good people. But they need to be well managed. They need to be well led. They need to be given the resources they need to do the job they can do if that happens. The Coast Guard also has a role to play. We should strengthen the Coast Guard's role and make sure that between Interior and the Coast Guard, they are getting the job done for the American people. Nobody in the country wants this job done better, nobody wants this industry more safe than the people from Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama and Texas who man these rigs, although, as you know, when you were with me, Mr. President, some of our people said to you in the meeting just last week: We were grateful for the men from Illinois who came down to work on these rigs. So we want people to know we have people from all over the country, from Illinois and Maine who come and do shifts 2 weeks offshore, make a good living for their family, support their families for years. We want it to be safe for everyone. So I applaud the President and Secretary Salazar for getting MMS back on the right track. That work needs to be done. As I said, the cop needs to be put back on the beat. Let me speak for a few minutes, though, about this ill-conceived and arbitrary 6-month moratorium. The effort the President is making to ensure this terrible tragedy never happens again is commendable. It is beyond aggravating. It is disgusting. It angers us so much to see the terrible tragedy unfolding on our televisions and to open newspapers across the land and see the most horrific pictures of wildlife being affected, of dolphins and pelicans and birds, precious places to us that we not only work but vacation with our families for many years. It is very hard to look at those pictures. Americans are suffering through this as we watch this horror movie unfold. But what the President has done could cause even more economic damage than the spill itself, by putting a 6-month moratorium on all rigs drilling below 500 feet. I know we have to make sure these 33 floating rigs that drill in deep water and the other standard platforms that drill between 500 and 1,000 feet are safe. But I wish to say unequivocally and with the support of the vast majority of the people of my State and throughout the gulf, 6 months is too long. The deepwater industry cannot survive in the gulf with a 6-month pause. This work has to be done more quickly. The commission was announced last month. It was just seated a few days ago. The work is just beginning. There doesn't seem to be a sense of urgency. We need a greater sense of urgency to get this work done. I was pleased to hear the President say he has urged them to get their work done before the 6-month timeframe. That was a slight step in the right direction. But this work has to be done in a much shorter period than 6 months. These rigs will not stay in the gulf for 6 months idling at a cost of $500,000 a day. They can't be fiduciarily responsible to their investors and do that. They have to move to where they can drill. So they will. We have already received signals they will simply pick up and move off the coast of Africa or Brazil or Cuba or other places--Venezuela--to drill. They can't sit idly in the gulf. We have to figure out a way to make sure they are safe, that this never happens again, and make sure they don't leave. That is the challenge before this administration in the next couple of days and weeks, starting with a meeting I will have with Secretary Salazar this afternoon with a broad coalition of leaders, both from the private sector and the public sector, who are committed to keeping the economy of the gulf coast strong. We have to find a way forward that is somewhere between doing nothing and having all of these rigs leave and not come back for several years. That is one of the points on the moratorium. Second, I wish to ask the President for his personal support and the support of this body to accelerate revenue sharing, or to accelerate revenue sharing to accelerate a large stream of revenue that is reliable for the Gulf Coast States to be able to rebuild our barrier islands, to rebuild our coast, to sustain this economy and this ecology and this environment over the long run so we can produce the oil and gas this country desperately needs. Even though this Horizon accident happened 57 days ago, 57 days ago this country was using 20 billion barrels of oil a day. Today, 57 days later, 11 lives lost, the rig at the bottom of the ocean, we are still using 20 billion barrels a day. The President did not say to people last night to park their cars and walk to work. He didn't say that. I didn't hear him say that. We have to understand we have to continue to drill for oil and gas. But when we drill for oil and gas, the taxes that are paid to the Federal Government and have been paid over the years to the tune of $165 billion to the Federal Government from severances and royalties, that some of that money come back to the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and, yes, even Florida, in my view, even if they decide not to drill. They are at risk. They are at the front line. We are not the only coastal States, but we are the frontline coastal States. Those revenues need to come back to us. We passed a bill some years ago, a bill I worked on for 15 years, called the Landrieu-Domenici Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act. That bill is in effect. But because of concerns about the deficit, because of a lack of understanding of the urgency by this Congress and past Congresses, that money doesn't come to us until 2017. We can see that is too late. We can see it with our own eyes. We can feel it with our own heart. We can see it is too late now. We needed that money 20 years ago. We needed it 5 years ago. We need it today. For any energy bill to pass, with all due respect to my good friend, Byron Dorgan; with all due respect to Senators who have been leading this energy effort, there will be no energy bill. The gulf coast Senators will not allow it. There will be no energy bill of any magnitude without recognizing the vital need for these Gulf Coast States to share appropriately, as interior States share the revenues for drilling. Interior States such as New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah keep 50 percent of the taxes. So the State of Wyoming last year got $1 billion. We could clean up a lot of pelicans with $1 billion. Louisiana got virtually nothing. Our people are on the front line with oil washing up to their knees, and this Congress basically keeps 100 percent of the money. Those days are over. We are going to have some kind of accelerated revenue sharing in any energy bill. Gulf coast Senators will not allow a bill to pass this floor without something we believe is fair to our people. The third issue I wish to speak to the President about and to the Congress--and the President mentioned it last night, and I am grateful--is an accelerated claims process. These claims are going to be different than any kind of claim process that has been paid, maybe similar to what happened after Katrina and Rita, as Mississippi and Louisiana and Alabama struggled with how to make people whole. This is going to be a complicated and difficult situation. We have workers who can't work, who were used to making $500 to $1,000 a week, pretty fairly decent wages, not great but decent. They have not been able to work for a long time.

Ms. LANDRIEU. I ask unanimous consent for 5 additional minutes.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, that is a modest wage and a decent wage. But it gets a lot more complicated than that. There are boat captains who were getting their business back after Katrina and Rita, recreational boat captains, fishing captains. Unlike Florida where people will come to the beach and then they will see a boat charter and they will wander onto the wharf and charter the boat, that does not happen in Louisiana because we don't have many beaches. People call from Mexico and Canada and all over the country months in advance and charter a specific boat with a specific captain because we have some of the best fishing in the world. They come with their sons and daughters and their grandsons and granddaughters. They come down with major corporate groups and do this chartering. These companies make millions of dollars a year. They can't work either. This claims process is going to be difficult. We have restaurants in New Orleans that are 70 miles from the gulf. They have had to either shut their doors or turn down their number of hours of operating or take things off their menus. I don't know how we will calculate the economic damage to them. This is going to be complicated. We have hotels. We have retirees who own three or four condos. A woman came up to me and said: Mary, my mother is not a business person. She is a retiree. She owns a couple of condos in Florida. That is her retirement income. She rents out these condos. She has had all cancellations this summer. What am I going to do for her? That is a good question. She will file a claim. From retirees with condos they rent out to supplement their incomes to fishing boat captains to hotels to restaurants and to the workers themselves, I am glad the President is taking the bull by the horns with this claims process. I hope he is having a frank discussion with Tony Hayward at his office today about that to make sure we don't have one bankruptcy, that we don't have one business, a small business or a medium-size business or a large business that goes bankrupt because of BP's gross negligence in the Gulf of Mexico. They have put the industry at risk. They have put the gulf coast at risk. That claims process needs to work. We have a great job to do ahead of us. Those are the three points I wished to make. One, we most certainly need to move forward on a balanced energy bill. There will be no energy bill; gulf coast Senators will block anything that does not have immediate help for Gulf Coast States. Let my colleagues be on notice. We can debate the rest of the bill, how we move forward, whether we do nuclear or a portion of drilling or wind or solar. These Gulf Coast States are on the front lines, and we are going to get justice for them in the near future. We are going to accelerate and make the claims process more robust, and we are going to continue to put pressure on the White House and Secretary Salazar, respectfully, but appropriately, to say: Let's get our safety work done in the gulf. We cannot lose this industry. We cannot lose these jobs. Our economy depends on it. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, Brian Jackson and Elizabeth Erny Foote are outstanding candidates for judgeships in Louisiana's Middle and Western Districts. I was honored to recommend Brian Jackson and Beth Foote to the President last year. These two well-qualified, noncontroversial nominees are sorely needed in the districts they have been nominated to serve, where courts are facing unacceptable backlogs and sitting judges are overwhelmed with unmanageable caseloads. Ms. Foote and Mr. Jackson have been eager for this body to let them get to work serving justice to the people of Louisiana since they were reported by the Judiciary Committee on March 18. I am relieved to see that their long journey toward confirmation is drawing to a close. Brian Jackson is an exemplary public servant with a distinguished record as an attorney and prosecutor. He has extensive Federal experience, having worked for the Department of Justice for 16 years. From 1992 to 2002, he served as first assistant U.S. attorney and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana. As the first assistant U.S. attorney, he managed or litigated a variety of civil and criminal cases. Because of his leadership, he was selected in 2001 to be the interim U.S. attorney for the Middle District pending the confirmation of President Bush's nominee. Prior to becoming an assistant U.S. attorney, he served as an associate deputy attorney general in Washington, DC. In this role, he was as a principal adviser to the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General on civil rights and criminal justice policies. In 1992 he was honored as the recipient of the Attorney General's Award for Equal Employment Opportunity for his leadership in this area. Since 2002, he has distinguished himself in private practice in the firm Liskow and Lewis, where he is a shareholder. He is currently chair of the firm's government investigations and white collar crime groups and he is on Liskow and Lewis' board of directors and is the immediate past chair of the firm's diversity committee. In addition to this distinguished career in private practice, Brian has also been extremely active in public service. He has graciously served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including Catholic Charities of New Orleans, The Pro Bono Project, Teach for America for the South Louisiana Region, and The Metropolitan Crime Commission, for which he served as vice chair. Additionally, he has given back to the legal community by serving on the board of directors for the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Finally, Brian's impressive academic credentials have also prepared him to serve Louisiana's Middle District. He received his bachelor of science, Xavier University in 1982. He received his J.D. from the Southern University School of Law in 1985 where he served as editor-in- chief of the Southern University Law Review and his master's of law with concentration in international and comparative law from Georgetown University Law Center in 2000. With these credentials, firm roots Louisiana's Middle District, and a long and impressive career in the U.S. Department of Justice, Brian Jackson is truly ready to hit the ground running as district court judge. Elizabeth Erny Foote is an experienced attorney with 30 years of experience in Federal litigation. She is a partner in the Smith Foote Law firm in Alexandria, LA, where she primarily practices civil litigation. She has had extensive experience in Federal court throughout her career, having litigated in all three Federal Court Districts of Louisiana, in addition to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal. In addition to this outstanding private practice, Beth has proven her dedication to the legal profession through her service to the Louisiana State Bar Association. In addition to this outstanding private practice, Beth has proven her dedication to the legal profession through her service to the Louisiana State Bar Association, with which she has been actively involved since 1985 and is currently the immediate past president. In 1994, she became the first woman to serve as an officer in the Louisiana State Bar association when she was elected treasurer. The same year she received the President's Award for outstanding service. Beth is truly a respected civic leader throughout Louisiana. In addition to her contributions to the legal field, she has demonstrated her commitment to justice and equality through a number of nonprofits and government initiatives. Her prestigious awards and honors include: the 2004 Alexandria Human Relations Commission Award for her efforts in promoting better understanding and quality of life in her community, the 2004 Louisiana Heroine Award presented by the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Associations, the 2000 Central Louisiana Woman of the Century Award, and the 1996 Central Louisiana Women Business Owners' ``Business Owner Woman of Excellence'' Award. Finally, Beth's impressive academic credentials have prepared her to serve Louisiana's Western District. She received a bachelor of arts from Louisiana State University in 1974, a master's of arts from Duke University in 1975, and a J.D. from Louisiana State University Law School in 1978. She has also been an adjunct professor at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU, teaching courses in appellate advocacy. I believe Beth's principled commitment to the field of law, her impressive 30-year career as an attorney, her extensive Federal litigation experience, and her esteemed statewide reputation make her an excellent nominee for judge for Louisiana's Western District. The time to confirm these two noncontroversial nominees is far overdue. I urge my colleagues to confirm these nominees without further delay so that they may begin the important work the people of Louisiana need them to do.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, today I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 125th anniversary of Olive Grove Baptist Church in Choudrant, LA. In 1885, a small group of determined men and women founded what would become Olive Grove Baptist Church under the guidance of Rev. Andrew Moaten. Worshipping alongside Reverend Moaten were Deacon Henry Waters, Taylor and Martha Waters, Sister Mattie Hamilton, Deacon Mike Taylor, and Deacon State Wright. These early members held services in a brush arbor for about 1 year before the first small structure, originally lit by kerosene lamps, was built. As the needs of its parishioners grew, so did Olive Grove Baptist Church. A new church was completed in 1926 under the guidance of Rev. H.J. Jordan, and in 1944 members began to raise money for yet another church. A storm destroyed the church in 1986, and current members now worship in the fifth Olive Grove Church to stand in Choudrant. The church is currently led by the Rev. Derric Chatman, a dynamic young pastor. Current members, children of deceased members, individuals with community ties, and the general public continue to support the church with generous financial backing, allowing the church to remain active in its various ministries and demonstrating the important role that Olive Grove Baptist plays in the local community. I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Olive Grove Baptist Church on their 125th anniversary and in wishing them the best for years to come.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Madam President, as we near the close of the 2010 National Small Business Week, I am pleased to join Senator Olympia Snowe in introducing the Small Business Tax Equalization and Compliance Act of 2010, which extends a tax credit to salon owners for FICA taxes paid on employees' tipped income. Currently, salon owners are required to pay the employer's share of the FICA taxes on tips paid to employees even though owners do not control the amount of tips paid and do not get a share of the tips received. The Small Business Tax Equalization and Compliance Act of 2010 would create a tax credit for employers to offset the matching FICA paid on employees' tips just like restaurants received. In addition, it includes education and reporting requirements which may reveal a valuable new source of tax revenues for the Federal Government. The salon industry is a vital and growing sector of America's economy. Not only will extending the tip tax credit to salon owners allow them to reinvest in their businesses and employees, but it will also grant new economic and employment opportunities in local communities. I urge my colleagues to support this bill which puts the professional beauty industry back on equal footing with the restaurant industry.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, along with my distinguished colleague Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, I rise today to introduce the Section 8(a) Improvements Act of 2010. As the Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I have held a number of hearings and roundtables on the issues affecting small businesses that contract with the Federal Government. The Committee has repeatedly heard from small businesses throughout the country that more needs to be done to level the playing field and help our small businesses win Federal contracts. The legislation that I am introducing today seeks to improve access to Federal contracts for small businesses, particularly for socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses. It also represents the third in a series of steps that the Committee is taking to address the disparities and inequalities that currently exist in the Federal procurement process. As I have explained in previous statements before this chamber, as the largest purchaser in the world, the Federal Government is uniquely positioned to offer new and reliable business opportunities for our small firms. Government contracts are one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways the government can help to immediately increase sales for America's entrepreneurs, leading to the creation of new jobs and helping to move our economy forward. When large businesses get government contracts, they are able to absorb that new work into their existing workforce. When small businesses get government work they must ``staff up'' to meet the increased demand. By increasing contracts to small businesses by just 1 percent, we can create more than 100,000 new jobs. Today, we need those jobs more than ever. But the reality is that small businesses need all the help they can get when it comes to accessing Federal contracts. Small businesses face significant challenges in competing for these opportunities, including a maze of complicated regulations, contract bundling issues, size standards with loopholes for big businesses, and a lack of protections for sub-contractors. Despite the fact that Federal agencies have a statutory goal to spend 23 percent of their contract dollars on contracts to small firms, in recent years the government has often fallen short. For example, according to the Federal Procurement Data System, in fiscal year 2007 the Federal Government missed its 23 percent contracting goal by .992 percent. That .992 percent doesn't sound like much, but in reality it represents more than $3.74 billion and 93,500 jobs lost for small businesses. In fiscal year 2008, the Federal Procurement Data System reported that the government missed its goal by 1.51 percent, meaning more than $6.51 billion and 162,700 jobs lost for our small businesses. At a time when more than 15 million Americans are still out of work, merely meeting that 23 percent goal could mean food on the table for a family struggling to make ends meet. Clearly we need to do better when it comes to helping our small businesses access Federal contracting opportunities. Even under the best of circumstances our small businesses face significant challenges when seeking Federal contracting opportunities. But these challenges are further compounded for small businesses that face additional obstacles, particularly those that are socially and economically disadvantaged. The Section 8(a) Improvements Act of 2010 attempts to help socially and economically disadvantaged firms in three ways. First, it makes long overdue and much needed adjustments to the average annual income and net worth thresholds currently in place. Since the establishment of the 8(a) program over 30 years ago, these thresholds have not been significantly updated to account for inflation, placing unrealistic limits on the number of small businesses that are eligible to participate in the program. Additionally, this legislation requires the SBA to establish maximum net worth thresholds for socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses working in the manufacturing, construction, professional services, and general services industries. Small businesses working in these industries simply face different business conditions as well as higher business costs, which prevent them from participating in the 8(a) program. Making this simple fix will open the program up to a wide array of qualified small businesses. Secondly, this legislation builds upon the previously mentioned adjustments to the net worth and income thresholds, by extending the amount of time under which a business can participate in the program. For all of the success that many small businesses experience while participating in the program, upon graduation as many as 70 percent see their businesses fail within several years. By establishing a transition period, businesses that have graduated from the program can continue receiving developmental assistance for up to 3 years after graduation, providing them with much needed stability as they seek to transition their business operations. The third way this legislation attempts to improve contracting opportunities for small businesses is through the creation of a Surety Bond Pilot Program. Under the program, the SBA can guarantee 90 percent of surety bonds, protecting small businesses against any loss resulting from a breach of the terms on a bond. To supplement the guarantee and help put these small businesses in a stronger position to succeed upon graduation from the 8(a) program, the legislation also requires the SBA to provide educational training and technical assistance on a wide range of topics. Finally, the legislation establishes a revolving fund to support the program, and also creates an advisory board to oversee and evaluate the effectiveness and performance of the program. It is well past time to provide greater opportunities for the thousands of small business owners who wish to do business with the Federal Government. The Section 8(a) Improvements Act of 2010 represents another significant step towards opening those doors of opportunity, especially for those small businesses that need a little more help. I thank Senator Cardin for his leadership on this issue, and I hope that all of my colleagues will join us in supporting this important legislation as we work to bring it to the President's desk in the coming months. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, along with my distinguished colleague Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, I rise today to introduce the Section 8(a) Improvements Act of 2010. As the Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I have held a number of hearings and roundtables on the issues affecting small businesses that contract with the Federal Government. The Committee has repeatedly heard from small businesses throughout the country that more needs to be done to level the playing field and help our small businesses win Federal contracts. The legislation that I am introducing today seeks to improve access to Federal contracts for small businesses, particularly for socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses. It also represents the third in a series of steps that the Committee is taking to address the disparities and inequalities that currently exist in the Federal procurement process. As I have explained in previous statements before this chamber, as the largest purchaser in the world, the Federal Government is uniquely positioned to offer new and reliable business opportunities for our small firms. Government contracts are one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways the government can help to immediately increase sales for America's entrepreneurs, leading to the creation of new jobs and helping to move our economy forward. When large businesses get government contracts, they are able to absorb that new work into their existing workforce. When small businesses get government work they must ``staff up'' to meet the increased demand. By increasing contracts to small businesses by just 1 percent, we can create more than 100,000 new jobs. Today, we need those jobs more than ever. But the reality is that small businesses need all the help they can get when it comes to accessing Federal contracts. Small businesses face significant challenges in competing for these opportunities, including a maze of complicated regulations, contract bundling issues, size standards with loopholes for big businesses, and a lack of protections for sub-contractors. Despite the fact that Federal agencies have a statutory goal to spend 23 percent of their contract dollars on contracts to small firms, in recent years the government has often fallen short. For example, according to the Federal Procurement Data System, in fiscal year 2007 the Federal Government missed its 23 percent contracting goal by .992 percent. That .992 percent doesn't sound like much, but in reality it represents more than $3.74 billion and 93,500 jobs lost for small businesses. In fiscal year 2008, the Federal Procurement Data System reported that the government missed its goal by 1.51 percent, meaning more than $6.51 billion and 162,700 jobs lost for our small businesses. At a time when more than 15 million Americans are still out of work, merely meeting that 23 percent goal could mean food on the table for a family struggling to make ends meet. Clearly we need to do better when it comes to helping our small businesses access Federal contracting opportunities. Even under the best of circumstances our small businesses face significant challenges when seeking Federal contracting opportunities. But these challenges are further compounded for small businesses that face additional obstacles, particularly those that are socially and economically disadvantaged. The Section 8(a) Improvements Act of 2010 attempts to help socially and economically disadvantaged firms in three ways. First, it makes long overdue and much needed adjustments to the average annual income and net worth thresholds currently in place. Since the establishment of the 8(a) program over 30 years ago, these thresholds have not been significantly updated to account for inflation, placing unrealistic limits on the number of small businesses that are eligible to participate in the program. Additionally, this legislation requires the SBA to establish maximum net worth thresholds for socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses working in the manufacturing, construction, professional services, and general services industries. Small businesses working in these industries simply face different business conditions as well as higher business costs, which prevent them from participating in the 8(a) program. Making this simple fix will open the program up to a wide array of qualified small businesses. Secondly, this legislation builds upon the previously mentioned adjustments to the net worth and income thresholds, by extending the amount of time under which a business can participate in the program. For all of the success that many small businesses experience while participating in the program, upon graduation as many as 70 percent see their businesses fail within several years. By establishing a transition period, businesses that have graduated from the program can continue receiving developmental assistance for up to 3 years after graduation, providing them with much needed stability as they seek to transition their business operations. The third way this legislation attempts to improve contracting opportunities for small businesses is through the creation of a Surety Bond Pilot Program. Under the program, the SBA can guarantee 90 percent of surety bonds, protecting small businesses against any loss resulting from a breach of the terms on a bond. To supplement the guarantee and help put these small businesses in a stronger position to succeed upon graduation from the 8(a) program, the legislation also requires the SBA to provide educational training and technical assistance on a wide range of topics. Finally, the legislation establishes a revolving fund to support the program, and also creates an advisory board to oversee and evaluate the effectiveness and performance of the program. It is well past time to provide greater opportunities for the thousands of small business owners who wish to do business with the Federal Government. The Section 8(a) Improvements Act of 2010 represents another significant step towards opening those doors of opportunity, especially for those small businesses that need a little more help. I thank Senator Cardin for his leadership on this issue, and I hope that all of my colleagues will join us in supporting this important legislation as we work to bring it to the President's desk in the coming months. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. This amendment will cost $19 million, but in some ways it is simply advancing what the President already has in his budget for these very important projects. President Obama should get a tremendous amount of credit for being the first President in the last decade or more--actually, the last 15 or 16 years--to actually fund a construction project on Louisiana's coast--a wetlands construction project. All we have been doing for the last 35 years is studying the situation. It has been very difficult for our delegation, and maybe it won't be so difficult, now that people have watched us go through Katrina and Rita, and now the oilspill, to understand the impact we have been talking about. It is hard to even say this, but neither President Clinton nor President Bush--although we had many plans that had been approved--ever sent any money for construction and for new programs for the wetlands. We finally got President Obama, to his credit, to send in his budget to us this year $19 million for the purpose of protecting vulnerable coastal wetlands and strengthening the resiliency of that coast. So while we have a score of $19 million--and I know we are trying to keep the bill to a minimum--it is almost as if we might spend it now, and save it later, as long as we don't respend the $19 million. It is in the President's budget. It would be good to get that signal now from the Congress that these programs can go forward. I hope the administration will take a strong look at this. They have already gotten a tremendous amount of credit, as they deserve, from the people of Louisiana for even putting in the President's budget this $19 million, because we definitely need it. This would help us accelerate that. I hope we can get that done. Amendment No. 4234 Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be set aside so that I may call up a final amendment, No. 4234.

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

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I come to the floor to offer some amendments and to call up several amendments regarding the emergency disaster loan program and SBA disaster loan relief on the underlying bill. I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be temporarily set aside to call up amendment No. 4179, which should be at the desk.

Ms. LANDRIEU. I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, this amendment is another tool we can use to give help to these businesses along the gulf coast. It would actually set up a relatively new procedure but based on past action. This procedure would allow the SBA, in giving out an economic damage loan, to substitute the collateral that is normally required, which would be a house or some asset--a boat or something else--to substitute that for the pending BP claim, so that it is technically a loan, but it is acting as a cash advance, to keep businesses in business, to keep lights on, to keep mortgages being paid. I understand the SBA is looking closely at this and may very well want to do it, and this would authorize it. That is the essence of this amendment, which is to give up to $2 million in what would be technically a loan, but with these changes I am proposing would actually act as more of an advance, because no interest or principle would be due for a year. Then, of course, we hope that by then, and maybe even before then, BP meets all of its obligations and all of its claims. A year may be enough time and, if not, we have language that would extend it. Amendment No. 4184, As Modified With that, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be temporarily set aside to call up amendment No. 4184.

Ms. LANDRIEU. I ask unanimous consent that my amendment No. 4184 be modified with the changes at the desk.

Ms. LANDRIEU. I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

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

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I have a series of amendments that will, I believe, give some direct relief and support to individuals and businesses that are struggling with the disaster that is going on in the gulf area, as the Presiding Officer and everyone is aware. We have a terrible situation on our hands. I know the Federal Government, particularly the Coast Guard and the Department of the Interior, the Department of Homeland Security, and others are doing everything they can to stop the flow of this oil and to cap this well. While it is BP's responsibility, it is also our responsibility to make sure it gets done as soon as possible, and I know that is being worked on at many different levels. But in the meantime, as the Presiding Officer can imagine, there is a tremendous amount of angst on behalf of the families and businesses along the gulf coast. Many have already, unfortunately, been directly affected in a very negative way. So many of us have been working now for weeks thinking about what things we could do that could give some direct relief and support and help that didn't cost the Federal Government a huge amount of money, because we understand we are in fiscal times of constraint, but we also need to give help to people, and some confidence, now knowing that BP has said, and under the law will be required, to pick up the full tab on this. The first amendment will allow the Small Business Administration--and they already have funding to do this and are supportive of this amendment--to provide relief of up to $15,000 of interest on current loans that are outstanding from previous disasters. Because when we think about it, one of the most troubling aspects of this is that this emergency is happening in the same place that Katrina and Rita took place--along the gulf coast--so businesses that are still trying to pay off loans from the last disaster are now, unfortunately, having to contemplate the idea that they may have to take out additional economic injury loans to help them through this. What I think we can do is allocate some money we already have allocated in that budget for this purpose, and it would be a tremendous help. That is what the first amendment does. It would also require the SBA to prioritize applications for businesses with fewer than 50 employees or less, and businesses impacted by this recent Deepwater Horizon spill. It gives some targeted relief, and it could be significant. Some of these businesses could waive basically almost all of their interest associated with their loans which could cut their payments either in half or by three-quarters. According to some of the analyses we have done, there are about 11,700 loans outstanding in the gulf, so that would be a great help. Amendment No. 4180 Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be temporarily set aside to call up another amendment that is at the desk, amendment No. 4180, disaster loan referral.

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

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, this is a very important amendment, and it is something that our delegation has actually been working on for quite some time, and we have actually passed it before in the Senate, which is a happy circumstance. This language has been unfortunately taken out in conference on several occasions by the Corps of Engineers, so I am thinking now that this disaster has maybe helped them to rethink the worthiness of this amendment, because, again, it doesn't add any money to the Federal budget. This amendment will allow beneficial use of dredged material, so when the Corps of Engineers spends the $170 million we give it every year to dredge our channels, to keep our navigation channels open, they can take that dredged material and use it for a beneficial use. That might be restoring a marsh. It might be building a levee, and it might be stopping oil from hitting the coastline, which would be a very good use, in my mind, of that beneficial dredge material. Right now, our State has a pending request to the Corps of Engineers to try to help us build--not provide--well, we want them to provide boom, but the boom isn't working very well, to be honest. We need them to do some dredging, potentially a long number of miles, but strategic dredging and building sand barriers to keep that oil from these precious marshlands and estuary areas. This does not meet that full request, but it does allow the Corps of Engineers in the budget authority they already have to use some of that dredge material in a very strategic way, and if we can pass this bill this week and get this language to the President's desk very soon, which I hope we can, within a few weeks it is possible this could go right to work in the gulf. That is the essence of that amendment. It will help protect our wetlands, again, within the budget constraints already in the President's budget. Amendment No. 4213 Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be temporarily set aside to call up amendment No. 4213.