Mary Landrieu

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 10 a.m. in room 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 10 a.m.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 2 p.m., to hold a hearing entitled ``Pathways to a `Green' Global Economic Recovery.''

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. in room 430 of the Dirksen Senate office building.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Discount Pricing Consumer Protection Act: Do We Need to Restore the Ban on Vertical Price Fixing?'' on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate office building.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Leveling the Playing Field and Protecting Americans: Holding Foreign Manufacturers Accountable'' on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate office building.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Public Health Challenges in Our Nation's Capital.''

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 2:30 p.m.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Madam President, I withdraw the request, and I ask for regular order on amendment No. 1079.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Madam President, in order for me to get a vote on this amendment, I am going to have to ask for the amendment to be tabled. I would like to ask for the amendment to be tabled. Of course, I will be voting not to table it and will be asking for the yeas and nays.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Ms. LANDRIEU. Madam President, at this time I would like to remove my motion to table amendment No. 1079, but I would like it to remain pending.

Ms. LANDRIEU. I understand the amendment will still be pending. But when cloture is invoked, unfortunately, this amendment is going to fall because it is not germane to the bill so we will not be able to have a vote on this amendment, which was my hope. But because of time constraints and because of the difficulty of getting Members to the floor for the procedures that we would have to go through to have a vote, I am happy to report that the chairman of the committee has agreed to allow our committee, Small Business, to have jurisdiction over this matter. We will, in the next few weeks, be putting together a bill on the Small Business Administration Reauthorization, which we have to do by matter of course and responsibility. I appreciate Senator Dodd agreeing to acquiesce to allow our committee to have jurisdiction over this narrow matter. I intend, with the help of my ranking member, Senator Snowe, and the help of, I hope, the vast majority of the members of our committee, both Democrats and Republicans--I hope we will stand together to present at that time legislation that can provide real relief to small businesses that need all the help they can get. We are not asking for artificially low rates to be set. We are not asking to tie credit card companies' hands in the event that small businesses renege on their payment plans or are late paying. We are just saying, if you are a business operating out there and you have paid your bills on time, you are paying your credit cards, you are meeting your obligations, that your rates cannot arbitrarily be raised. We understand transactions and contracts between business people. This is not the Government stepping in to try to negotiate. This is simply a level playing field between consumers and small businesses. Again, because 69 percent of businesses in America today depend on credit cards to finance their operations, I am here to say, and our committee will be back saying to the Members of the Senate, we must get our eyes on small business, on their access to credit, on their ability to survive so this recovery can take root, and we can create the kinds of jobs that will be necessary. I am sorry because of the time constraints and the unwillingness of some here to be cooperative. But I thank the chair of the committee, Senator Dodd, for allowing our committee to have jurisdiction. I can promise, as the chair of that committee, this amendment will be on the bill when our bill comes to the floor for consideration and we will get a vote. If people want to vote against our amendment--something may not be exact--fine. Let them vote against it. But I want the record to be clear that there are a number of Members of the Senate, hopefully a majority, who believe the same protections extended to consumers for their credit cards would be extended to businesses in America, small businesses--those with 50 employees or less--with at least a $25,000 limit on their credit card. It is not going to be every business in America that will get covered, but it is the small businesses that are having the most difficult time. I yield the floor.

Ms. LANDRIEU. I ask unanimous consent that the Landrieu-Snowe amendment No. 1079 be modified as it is presently at the desk.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Madam President, I would like to speak for 3 or 4 minutes. I see my colleague from Iowa is here to speak, so I will not take any more time. I spoke briefly about this amendment when I introduced it on behalf of Senator Snowe and others who joined us, from both sides of the aisle. I have spoken at some length with the chairman and ranking member as well. I am hoping we could have a positive outcome on this amendment because it is so important to our small businesses in America. We have been trying with some degree of success to actually help small businesses on Main Street in our communities. I say ``with some success,'' because we all go home on the weekends and we continue to hear very serious complaints from our grocery stores and our hardware stores and our shoe repair shops and our cleaners and our business owners saying: Senator when is any help coming our way? You are giving all of these billions of dollars to Wall Street and to these big banks. Yet we are here really struggling. Is anyone listening to us in Washington? Olympia Snowe and I, as chair and ranking member of the Small Business Committee, are doing what we can, saying: Yes, we are listening, and we want to be of some help. Every bill that comes to the floor, we try to put a lens on it: How is this helping small business? This bill is a good step to help consumers, individuals, persons, who have a credit card. Unfortunately, the way the bill is currently drafted, it leaves out small businesses. My amendment with Senator Snowe will simply put them in this bill so when this bill passes, we can have a real celebration about helping, not just individual cardholders but small businesses that are struggling to keep their doors open. Madam President, you serve on the Small Business Committee. You have heard the testimony, immediate past testimony, of, really, businesses that have 500 employees that are struggling, to businesses that have 2 employees; from a conservative perspective, from a liberal perspective, that have come before our committee. That is how this amendment came to be. As I reviewed the underlying bill and thought there were some terrific things in this bill that will help credit card users, let me just quickly say, it bans at any time, for any reason, increases in rates. No more can credit card companies just raise your rate any time for any reason. That is eliminated in this bill. No longer can credit card companies charge you for a balance that you paid. If you owe $1,000, you send them a check for $900, they can still, under current law, charge you interest on the entire $1,000. That is not fair. It is not fair to individuals. It is not fair to small businesses. That will be corrected in this bill. It simplifies disclosures. Yes, I believe in the free market, but I believe in order to have a free market you need to be able to read the print. Sometimes not only is the print small, but it is almost difficult to understand. So it is more simple disclosures. I think small business owners need that opportunity as well. It prohibits credit card companies from charging interest on transaction fees that they add to monthly bills. So small business will get that benefit. This is, in conclusion, not going to solve every challenge that small businesses have, but at least they will know there are Members of the Congress, Senators and House Members, who hear them, who are trying to do what we can to respond, and this amendment will actually cover 26 million small businesses in America, in addition to the millions of other credit cardholders, perhaps over 50 million, maybe more. This will include small businesses with less than 50 employees. I would like to help every business in America. I will continue to work on that. But for this bill, because it was directed to individuals, we thought by keeping it to relatively small businesses, it would fit in the overall scope and framework of this bill. Senator Snowe and I are going to continue to work to expand credit opportunities for businesses with your help. This bill also is supported by Senator Shaheen, as an original cosponsor, and Senator Cardin. I wish to thank them very much for their support and help. I see my colleague from Iowa and will reserve the remainder of my remarks for Tuesday, when I hope we can vote on this amendment.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Madam President, I come to the floor to speak about one of the pending amendments, No. 1079. In a few minutes, I am going to make a motion on that amendment. I did not get to hear all of what the wonderful Senator and colleague from Missouri said, but I take it that she, like I, supports the underlying bill. I can appreciate the need for this consumer protection. As chairman of the Small Business Committee, I have been hearing literally for months, as has the occupant of the chair, who has sat through hearings with me--we have heard the tragic stories of small businesses that have done everything right--businesses that had excellent business models, people who have been in business for four decades or longer, businesses that have never missed a credit card payment. You have heard their pleas to us to give them some relief. The consumers generally have said the same. The wonderful thing is that this underlying bill gives some relief to consumers, to personal credit cardholders. I commend Senator Dodd and Senator Shelby for bringing this bill to the floor. It only got out of this Banking Committee, which is tough to get any pro-consumer legislation out of, unfortunately, by only one vote, I understand. But they got it to the floor. It is a very important bill. People cannot have their interest rates raised without notice. They cannot have their balances double charged. In other words, right now, today, if you owed $5,000 on your credit card and you cashed in your savings bonds and everything else and paid $4,500 on that balance to get it down, under the current law, credit card companies can still charge you the full interest on $5,000. That is wrong. These same companies are receiving billions and billions of taxpayer dollars so they can turn around and fleece the people who are sending them the tax dollars to bail them out. It is unconscionable, truly. So the committee acted. They did the right thing. They extended these protections to consumers. But there were some potential jurisdictional questions, or perhaps an oversight, that the bill does not protect holders of business credit cards. Twenty-five years ago, this wouldn't have been an issue, because most people who were building a business, or financing one, had other avenues of capital. You can see on this chart the trend in credit card use. In 1993, 16 years ago, 16 percent of business owners said they used credit cards to finance their operations. In that 16 years, it has gone to 60 percent-- from 16 percent to 60 percent. It has become a source of capital and cashflow, a tool, for small business. Here again is another chart. We have learned this in our hearings we have had. Sources of small business financing in 2009: Credit cards, 59 percent, just about 60 percent; bank loans, 45 percent; vendor credit, 30 percent; used no financing--cash or savings--19 percent; private loans through a friend or family, 19 percent; and SBA loans, 5 percent. That is an important part, although it is small, which helps to finance. It is long term, I might say; our loans are 20, 25, 30 years. Some of these others are only 30- or 60-day loans. It is small, but it is important. We hope with your leadership, Madam President, and that of the Senator from Maine, we can get this number up. The point of this discussion is this number--60 percent: Small businesses in Louisiana, from New Orleans, to Alexandria, to Shreveport--small business people I see when I am shopping at Costco or at Sam's Club, standing in line, and I know it is not a family because they have four dozen oranges. No family eats that many oranges in a week, so you know they are buying for their small business or restaurant or for their corner store. So we know that these small businesses are relying more and more on credit cards. In this bill we are voting on, there is no protection for them--zero. This bill only protects personal credit cards, not business credit cards. So the Landrieu-Snowe amendment, cosponsored by the occupant of the chair--and I will get the list of others in a moment--it was cosponsored by several Members of the Senate, and they are Senators Cardin, Shaheen, Brown, Cantwell, Inouye, Klobuchar, Snowe, Collins, and I think others will be joining in support of this amendment. We have decided to offer an amendment that simply says the underlying safeguards for holders of personal credit cards should simply extend to businesses of 50 employees or less, up to $25,000 on their business card, because there are many people who carry a personal card for personal business. Of course, they may carry a business card for business-related business. I know we have to give consumers relief, but I am here to say, as the chairman of the Small Business Committee, if we don't give our small businesses some relief, we are not going to have an economy to depend on because if we are looking for people to create jobs--which I think is what the President is calling on us to do--those jobs are going to be created by the small businesses of America. That is why in this debate the National Federation of Independent Businesses--not a bastion of liberalism by any means--is supporting this bill, and the American Society of Travel Agents, the American Beverage Licensees, the Consumer Federation of America, the Food Marketing Institute, the National Association for the Self-Employed, representing tens of millions of self-employed individuals--and they find it ironic that we say we are trying to get help to the little guy and we say we are trying to get help from Wall Street to Main Street. Yet every time there are amendments on the floor to actually do that, they never seem to be able to pass. I know there are arguments that say: Well, we don't know what the effect of this amendment will be. I can tell you what the effect will be. The small businesses in America, the 20 million that will be affected by this, will say: Thank you for not allowing my rates to go up without notice. Thank you for not allowing them to double-charge me if I am paying down $20,000 on my $25,000 balance. Thank you, because I didn't get a penny from the TARP money, but at least I am getting some help through this consumer relief bill. As I said, the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Small Business Association, the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, the Service Employees International Union, the Small Business Majority, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Women's Chamber of Commerce, and the Black Chamber of Commerce have all endorsed this bill. We haven't heard yet from the U.S. Chamber, but I am hoping they will step forward--at least the small business section of the U.S. Chamber. I understand they represent large banks, credit card-issuing companies, so it is tough for them. But somebody has to speak up for small business, and I hope that right now my colleagues will consider this amendment. Again, I am going to have to call it up for action now and actually move to table it, and when I do that, we will not be able to have any discussion on this because that motion is not debatable. That is why I am speaking about it now. But at least we will get on the record how people feel about this, and I am hoping we can get a substantial vote. I have decided that even if it is just my vote, and the cosponsors and Senator Snowe, at least the small business people in America will know there are some people here who understand they deserve the minimal protections this bill provides, particularly at this time, and that in the next year or two, or three, four, or five--until we get on safe ground--we need to be doing everything we can to help small businesses because without them, there will be no recovery. It is not the large businesses that are going to create these jobs. They are going to contract. They are going to redesign themselves. They are going to contract until things are safe. They are going to poke their head out of that shell when the way is clear. The people who are going to run out in the line of fire are the small businesses these people represent. They are the ones who are going to say: No, I am not going down. I am going to hire. I am going to keep moving forward because I know my idea is good or because I know when we come out of this recession, I will be able to make it. These are the people on whom we will build this recovery, and these are the people who need help today. We don't need to study it for 10 years or look at it for 5 years. These organizations represent the millions of businesses that need help today. So on behalf of this coalition, I think the facts are on our side. This is not an anti-credit card company amendment, this is a pro- small business amendment. I know people have to make money. Everybody has to make money. And everybody is trying to do what they can. But there is no excuse right now, when small businesses have to rely--as I said, 60 percent of our small businesses--and this is an average. In some States, it probably could be up to 70 percent of small businesses. In some States, maybe it is below 50 or 45. But it is still a significant number of businesses using credit cards to help finance their business. Let's give them a little help today. So I move to call up and I ask for the yeas and nays on amendment No. 1079. I further move to table the amendment.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I wanted to take a few minutes in reference to the vote we just had. I cast my vote for the nominee, based on not only his experience with the Department, but based on my confidence in the Secretary that the President has appointed to help lead this country to a position of energy security, a position we do not enjoy at this very moment. Despite the work that has been done here and on the other side of the Capitol in the last couple of years, despite the rhetoric of several decades, we do not enjoy energy security. We have environmental issues, but we have security issues. I wanted to express this, because there was obviously some hesitancy about this nominee based on an issue, I believe, involving domestic oil and gas production. That is what this vote was about, not about this personal nominee. This was a vote to express concern, which I share to some degree, that this administration has not positioned itself appropriately and aggressively enough in the area of domestic energy production, of traditional as well as alternative and new sources. Here I want to express that while I voted yes on this nominee, that I plan, and Members on the Republican and Democratic side plan, to be more vocal in expressing our concern to this administration that the tax proposals on the oil and gas industry are not going to create jobs. We are going to lose jobs, 1.8 million. While we move to alternative fuels, we are turning our back on traditional natural gas, which is plentiful, which makes money for lots of people, which secures America, strengthens our industry and creates jobs. So this was a vote to indicate an unsettling on this floor, both from the Republican side and among some Democrats, that this issue needs to be addressed more directly and more aggressively. I have all the confidence, as I close, in Secretary Salazar. He served right here with us a few years ago. I know he seeks a balance. So I trust that we will start seeing some aggressive comments coming out from the administration as we push forward to keep leasing up in the gulf off the coast of Alaska, opening up Virginia, other parts of the Continental Shelf, as well as the plentiful gas in your own State, and in places such as Pennsylvania and Ohio, where our industries are desperate for this cheap, clean energy source. I yield the floor.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I want to speak for a few moments about an amendment that I ask be called up, amendment No. 1079.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I call this amendment up for discussion purposes. I am open to some modification. I want to explain, basically, this amendment. I have spoken with the chairman of the committee that has proposed the underlying bill. He sees merit in this proposal, and I am grateful for that. I want to talk about what the issue is, generally, and then as we proceed to a final vote, I may be open to some modification of this amendment. As chair of the Small Business Committee, I offer this amendment on behalf of myself and my ranking member, Senator Snowe from Maine, who served for many years as chair of this important committee. We have committed to try to be the very best advocates we can for small businesses in America. There are close to 30 million small businesses that are actually feeling the brunt of this recession--in some ways more than anybody, as the Chair knows. In Illinois, I am sure the occupant of the chair hears on a regular basis from small mom-and-pop operators who have been in business for decades, to the more established but relatively small businesses, restaurants, shoe repair shops, hardware stores--people who have said to me--and I am sure he hears this--``Senator, we have never experienced this kind of difficulty getting access to credit.'' They are angry, and they should be. They are frustrated, because while they understand shared sacrifice, like many hard-working Americans do, they are having trouble understanding how we continue to send billions and billions of dollars to the big banks, the Wall Street companies, to the international companies, and they are having trouble seeing any of that actually hit Main Street, where they are, where they have been, and where they want to stay. The small businesses are right around the corner and, in some instances, on the same block as the constituents whom we represent--of course, we represent them as well. It came to the attention of this Chair and our ranking member that this bill, which has a lot of merit-- this amendment to consumer protection language is very important, but it has a limit that we are not comfortable with. That limit is that this credit card protection extends only to a natural person, what is defined in the law as a natural person. So it is a personal credit card that you would get that would get this benefit. I think, as chair of the Small Business Committee, representing a broad coalition, that this same benefit should extend at least to small businesses as well, to businesses that are literally trying to keep their access to capital-- not just to keep themselves in business, to keep their communities strong, but to lead our Nation's recovery. The President himself has said he expects that in our recovery--and he is correct--job creation is not going to come from the big businesses, the multinational companies; they are going to be contracting for some time, I suspect. What big business has to do to survive--I have some general understanding of that, but the big risks are going to be taken by the small entrepreneurs who, despite the gloom and doom, have decided their ideas are worth pursuing, and they are going to build this recovery one job at a time. I don't know why we would even be considering only limiting this help and support to private individuals and leaving small business out. I don't think that is the intention of the chairman of the Banking Committee, as he has indicated to me. So that is basically what our amendment would do. It would simply include small businesses that have $25,000 on their credit card, where they are trying to stay in business, keep their lights on, keep that capital flowing, as other sources dry up, as we have heard, and extend the same protections to them. I am open to some slight modifications because I understand there may be some objections. I am not clear about where those objections would come from. So right now, let me say again that I offered this in a bipartisan amendment from Senator Snowe and myself. I am happy also that we are joined by Senators Shaheen, Cardin, and others, who have indicated they may want to cosponsor this amendment. I have a long list of organizations that have endorsed this concept. I will read them into the Record. The Consumer Action Group; Consumer Federation of America; Food Marketing Institute; National Association of College Stores; National Association of the Self Employed; National Association of Theater Owners; American Beverage Licensees; American Society of Travel Agents; National Small Business Association, which brought this issue to my attention; Petroleum Marketers Association; Service Employees International; U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce; National Consumer Law Center on Behalf of Low-Income Clients; National Community Reinvestment Coalition. I understand that also the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the largest organization of independent businesses in the country, is poised to endorse this as well. So we have a very credible group of organizations that think these protections for credit cardholders should not go to persons but to businesses that arguably need as much, if not more, protection as they attempt to create jobs and keep their businesses open, which is a help to all. So that is the nature of this amendment. I understand that it is important to bring this debate to a close and, hopefully, we can get there. I do know there are probably 30 other amendments pending and this, of course, is one. I am sure we can find a time that is appropriate for this vote. I wanted to bring to the attention of the Senate that one of the reasons this issue is becoming so important to small businesses is, if you think about it, only 15 years ago, most people who started their own business would either take out a home equity loan or they might borrow money from a rich uncle or aunt or they would dip into their savings, and this was sort of the traditional way. If they had some status or credit in the community, they could go to their local bank and they might get a loan for their business. Those times have changed dramatically. I don't have the charts here, but if I could show one, it would show that on the latest survey our committee took, 59 percent of all businesses in America are using credit cards to finance their business or for their primary cash flow tool. Credit cards for businesses are different. We just had American Express testify this morning. Of course, if you have an American Express business card, their model is different. The good news is that you have unlimited amounts of money that you can borrow. The bad news is that you have to pay it off at the end of the month. So it is more of a cash management tool than it is long-term credit. However, they are useful. But there are Visas and Master Charge and Discover cards and others that people are now putting $50,000 on the card or $75,000 on the card or $100,000 on the card to finance their restaurants and their printing shops and their hardware stores. This was not true even 25 years ago. This was quite unheard of. So we have to recognize that small businesses today are relying on the good will of these credit card companies. Some of them are more reliable, in my view, than others. But regardless of whether they are doing excellent work or shoddy work--and some of them are doing shoddy work-- this Government has an obligation to say let's make sure the basic consumer protections are there. You cannot raise rates without giving notice. You cannot retroactively raise rates. What we are doing for consumers is good. We need to extend it to small business. That is the essence of this amendment. I am proud to be joined by Members from both sides of the aisle. I am going to be talking with the chair of the committee. There perhaps could be some modifications where we could agree to this amendment and not have to have a vote, but I don't know. Right now I am intending to have a vote on this amendment. I appreciate the thousands of business owners who are supporting this amendment through these very reputable organizations that are supporting the extension of these benefits to the small businesses of America that absolutely need our action on this, this week. I yield the floor. Cloture Motion

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce two bills, S. 1017 and S. 1018, one that will help to protect and preserve Louisiana's rich cultural and historic legacy, and one that will contribute to historic research and preservation throughout the country. The first bill will protect and preserve an important and treasured part of our historical legacy--the Cane River National Heritage Area. This breathtaking region in northwestern Louisiana is known for its historic plantations, its distinctive Creole architecture, and its rich cultural legacy. Historically, this region was where the French and Spanish realms intersected as they explored the ``New World.'' Both the Spanish and the French left an indelible imprint on the area's people, on its architecture, and ultimately on the U.S. as a whole. Congress recognized this lasting legacy when it created the Cane River National Heritage Area in 1994. Today I ask that Congress reaffirm its commitment to this rich legacy and act to reauthorize the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission until 2025. The central corridor of the heritage area begins just south of Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase, and extends along both sides of Cane River Lake for approximately 35 miles. The heritage area includes Cane River Creole National Historical Park, seven National Historic Landmarks, three State Historic Sites, and a dense area of historic plantations, homes, and churches. While much of the roughly 116,000-acre heritage area is privately owned, many sites are open to the public. The community's pride in its history and traditions is legendary. The residents of Northwest Louisiana stand united in their interest and involvement in preserving their traditions and their landscape for future generations. The Heritage Area offers residents a collaborative approach to conservation that does not compromise traditional local control over and use of the landscape. The landscape of Cane River is an American treasure--one that we must preserve. The Cane River region has been the focal point for American Indian settlements, colonial forts, and Creole plantations. The river itself was a major trade route, one that sparked alliances with American Indians and brought European colonial powers to the area. To protect their interests, the French established Fort Saint Jean Baptiste in 1714. Shortly thereafter, the Spanish responded by building the presidio known as Los Adaes 15 miles to the west. Settlements spread from these early outposts, and the town of Natchitoches grew up around Fort Saint Jean Baptiste to become the most prosperous town in the region. As countries came together in this place, so did cultures. American Indians were joined by European settlers, who imported large numbers of enslaved Africans to farm the land. The interaction of these groups led to the development of a distinctive Creole culture, a culture that cut across racial categories and drew from many traditions but remained grounded in French colonialism and Catholicism. A thriving agricultural economy developed along the banks of the river by the time the region was joined to the United States in 1803, by the Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches was the region's commercial center. Downriver from the town, in the areas known as Cote Joyeuse ``Joyous Coast'' and Isle Brevelle, large and small plantations produced indigo, tobacco, and later cotton. The Civil War and its aftermath brought great economic devastation and cultural change to the residents of the Cane River region. Tenant farming and sharecropping replaced slavery, exchanging one labor- intensive system for another. After World War II, mechanized farming permanently supplanted the old agricultural practices that depended on human labor in the fields. As a result, many people migrated to urban centers, leaving the fields behind. This is the complex past that Congress acted to honor, preserve, and protect when it established the Cane River National Heritage Area in 1994. Today I call upon my colleagues to continue their recognition of the history and culture of this unique region. The next bill I would like to call up and introduce is related to the Heritage Area, but the entire Nation will benefit from its prompt passage. This bill simply authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, to construct a curatorial center for the use of Cane River Creole National Historical Park, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, and the University. These institutions emerged in the Cane River region because its beauty and rich historical legacy have attracted some of the Nation's finest historians and experts in historical preservation from the world over. Cane River Creole National Historical Park has a veritable treasure trove in its museum collection--boasting more than 1,000,000 objects. Unfortunately, this valuable cultural storehouse has been granted short shrift in terms of Federal funding. Today it is housed in leased space that fails to meet National Park Service museum standards, since there is no land in the area which is above the 500-year floodplain. But the historical park has a longstanding partnership with Northwestern State University. In 1992, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training was established at Northwestern University. The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training requires additional space to house equipment and workspace connected with the development and dissemination of preservation and conservation skills and technologies. The University is willing to make available land suitable for the National Park Service to construct a facility for curatorial and workspace needs. This bill simply allows that to happen. Since this Center facilitates the training and research of experts nationwide, I submit that this bill will do much to aid historical preservation efforts in every State, and I ask my colleagues to supports its prompt passage. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce two bills, S. 1017 and S. 1018, one that will help to protect and preserve Louisiana's rich cultural and historic legacy, and one that will contribute to historic research and preservation throughout the country. The first bill will protect and preserve an important and treasured part of our historical legacy--the Cane River National Heritage Area. This breathtaking region in northwestern Louisiana is known for its historic plantations, its distinctive Creole architecture, and its rich cultural legacy. Historically, this region was where the French and Spanish realms intersected as they explored the ``New World.'' Both the Spanish and the French left an indelible imprint on the area's people, on its architecture, and ultimately on the U.S. as a whole. Congress recognized this lasting legacy when it created the Cane River National Heritage Area in 1994. Today I ask that Congress reaffirm its commitment to this rich legacy and act to reauthorize the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission until 2025. The central corridor of the heritage area begins just south of Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase, and extends along both sides of Cane River Lake for approximately 35 miles. The heritage area includes Cane River Creole National Historical Park, seven National Historic Landmarks, three State Historic Sites, and a dense area of historic plantations, homes, and churches. While much of the roughly 116,000-acre heritage area is privately owned, many sites are open to the public. The community's pride in its history and traditions is legendary. The residents of Northwest Louisiana stand united in their interest and involvement in preserving their traditions and their landscape for future generations. The Heritage Area offers residents a collaborative approach to conservation that does not compromise traditional local control over and use of the landscape. The landscape of Cane River is an American treasure--one that we must preserve. The Cane River region has been the focal point for American Indian settlements, colonial forts, and Creole plantations. The river itself was a major trade route, one that sparked alliances with American Indians and brought European colonial powers to the area. To protect their interests, the French established Fort Saint Jean Baptiste in 1714. Shortly thereafter, the Spanish responded by building the presidio known as Los Adaes 15 miles to the west. Settlements spread from these early outposts, and the town of Natchitoches grew up around Fort Saint Jean Baptiste to become the most prosperous town in the region. As countries came together in this place, so did cultures. American Indians were joined by European settlers, who imported large numbers of enslaved Africans to farm the land. The interaction of these groups led to the development of a distinctive Creole culture, a culture that cut across racial categories and drew from many traditions but remained grounded in French colonialism and Catholicism. A thriving agricultural economy developed along the banks of the river by the time the region was joined to the United States in 1803, by the Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches was the region's commercial center. Downriver from the town, in the areas known as Cote Joyeuse ``Joyous Coast'' and Isle Brevelle, large and small plantations produced indigo, tobacco, and later cotton. The Civil War and its aftermath brought great economic devastation and cultural change to the residents of the Cane River region. Tenant farming and sharecropping replaced slavery, exchanging one labor- intensive system for another. After World War II, mechanized farming permanently supplanted the old agricultural practices that depended on human labor in the fields. As a result, many people migrated to urban centers, leaving the fields behind. This is the complex past that Congress acted to honor, preserve, and protect when it established the Cane River National Heritage Area in 1994. Today I call upon my colleagues to continue their recognition of the history and culture of this unique region. The next bill I would like to call up and introduce is related to the Heritage Area, but the entire Nation will benefit from its prompt passage. This bill simply authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, to construct a curatorial center for the use of Cane River Creole National Historical Park, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, and the University. These institutions emerged in the Cane River region because its beauty and rich historical legacy have attracted some of the Nation's finest historians and experts in historical preservation from the world over. Cane River Creole National Historical Park has a veritable treasure trove in its museum collection--boasting more than 1,000,000 objects. Unfortunately, this valuable cultural storehouse has been granted short shrift in terms of Federal funding. Today it is housed in leased space that fails to meet National Park Service museum standards, since there is no land in the area which is above the 500-year floodplain. But the historical park has a longstanding partnership with Northwestern State University. In 1992, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training was established at Northwestern University. The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training requires additional space to house equipment and workspace connected with the development and dissemination of preservation and conservation skills and technologies. The University is willing to make available land suitable for the National Park Service to construct a facility for curatorial and workspace needs. This bill simply allows that to happen. Since this Center facilitates the training and research of experts nationwide, I submit that this bill will do much to aid historical preservation efforts in every State, and I ask my colleagues to supports its prompt passage. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Ms. LANDRIEU

Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I am proud to honor a group of 120 World War II veterans from all over Louisiana who will travel to Washington, DC, on May 9 to visit the various memorials and monuments that recognize the sacrifices of our Nation's invaluable servicemembers. Louisiana HonorAir, a group based in Lafayette, LA, sponsored this trip to the Nation's Capital. The organization is honoring each surviving World War II Louisiana veteran by giving them an opportunity to see the memorials dedicated to their service. The veterans will visit the World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iwo Jima memorials. They will also travel to Arlington National Cemetery. This is the third of four flights Louisiana HonorAir is making to Washington, DC, this spring. It is the 16th flight to depart from Louisiana, which has sent more HonorAir flights than any other state to the Nation's Capital. World War II was one of America's greatest triumphs but was also a conflict rife with individual sacrifice and tragedy. More than 60 million people worldwide were killed, including 40 million civilians, and more than 400,000 American servicemembers were slain during the long war. The ultimate victory over enemies in the Pacific and in Europe is a testament to the valor of American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. The years 1941 to 1945 also witnessed an unprecedented mobilization of domestic industry, which supplied our military on two distant fronts. In Louisiana, there remain today more than 33,000 living WWII veterans, and each one has a heroic tale of achieving the noble victory of freedom over tyranny. This group had 44 veterans who served in the U.S. Army, 27 in the U.S. Air Force, 42 in the Navy, 3 in the Coast Guard and 4 in the Marines. Our heroes trekked the world for their country. They fought in Germany, France, Italy, Africa, Japan, Guam, Guadalcanal, China, Okinawa, the Philippines, New Guinea, Korea, Thailand, and Saipan. Their journeys included the invasions of North Africa, Sicily and Normandy, and the Battle of the Bulge. Their fight for freedom extended to New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands. One of our Army Airborne veterans navigated a glider plane and became a prisoner of war. He also lost a brother during the D-day invasion and earned many awards, including the Purple Heart. One of our Army Air Corps veterans flew 50 European missions in a B-24 bomber as a flight engineer. Another of our Army Air Corps heroes flew 20 missions as a tail gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress. And one of our Navy veterans fought at Pearl Harbor. I ask the Senate to join me in honoring these 120 veterans, all Louisiana heroes, who will visit Washington, and Louisiana HonorAir for making these trips a reality.