Barbara Mikulski

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, and to all who are with us in the proceedings today, I rise with melancholy to pay tribute to a great Marylander who passed away over this weekend, our beloved and endeared comptroller, Louie Goldstein. Louie, indeed, was a Maryland treasure-- and he was--to the State, and the State treasured him. Like all Marylanders, I will miss Louie Goldstein and mourn his passing. As Maryland's comptroller, he always stood steadfast sentry over the State purse. He helped make sure that the economy was booming, and he fought for the economy of our State. He fought for the State to have a triple- A bond rating. He also was out there absolutely on the side of his constituents. It is hard to believe that the State tax collector was the most popular elected official in the State. This man collected the State taxes for 40 years. And every tax season he would say ``Don't delay. File today.'' He crisscrossed the State often going close to 100,000 miles reaching out to rotaries, senior citizen clubs, and League of Women Voters gatherings always talking about the State's economy, what the tax dollars went for, and he was beloved. He ran a tight ship, and Maryland benefited from it for more than 39 years. In his 10 terms as the comptroller, he always made sure that Maryland kept its triple-A bond rating, which was an indication of our fiscal soundness. As the State's tax collector, he prided himself on getting tax returns back quickly and efficiently to Marylanders. There was no IRS- type heavy hand on Louie Goldstein's watch. We always knew that the tax collector's office was run efficiently, fairly, and a taxpayer could get a hearing and get their refund early and on time. Louie was a man of the old school. He was a gentleman. His word was his bond. He believed in high-tech and reach-out politics. But also he was a very shrewd businessman. Under his very folksy style in which he would reach out and always had a laugh and a word of encouragement, he also knew the power of high-tech. He came from an era of pen and paper. He would joke about himself, and was maybe even a stylist. But quickly he saw the power and utility of new technology and worked diligently to bring high-tech efficiency to the comptroller's office. Under his leadership, Maryland was the first State to computerize its tax records. At the time of his death, he was working on a system that would allow Marylanders to file their taxes electronically. He also realized the magnitude of the Year 2000 problem. He got a jump-start on fixing it. Imagine an 85-year-old comptroller who had served 10 terms doing the job, had more new ideas and was more farsighted than many of the young people who want to come into government. He was reshaping Maryland's computers so they would be ready by 1999. Now, anyone who met him knew there was much more to Louie Goldstein than his position as comptroller. When he came up to you, he would shake your hand, give you his trademark little imitation gold coin that said ``God bless you, real good.'' He radiated warmth that was truly genuine. Louie was a tremendous public speaker and, unlike most politicians, people looked forward to his southern Maryland accent. However, when other politicians found out he was scheduled to speak, they always got a little nervous, including yours truly. Louie Goldstein was a dedicated Democrat and worked tirelessly for a Democratic ``Team Maryland,'' but would work on a bipartisan basis for fiscal soundness and business attraction to the State. Early on, he campaigned for me. He knocked on doors, and he believed in me, when I was a little upstart politician before I got to be one of the fortunate 100. All Maryland Democrats owe Louie Goldstein a debt of gratitude for showing us how to stay in touch with constituents, whether it was at a church supper or in a business boardroom. Louie Goldstein was tremendously warm and kind. He loved to laugh and loved to be on the sunny side of life. I am proud to call him a friend, a colleague, and a mentor. There was and will be no one like him. We will find a successor, but we will never find a replacement, nor should we seek one. He was unique in Maryland politics, and I think he was unique in American history. On the day of his death, he was in five different parades, came home, read the Declaration of Independence to his gathered family, as he had done for so many years, took a swim, and then God called him to glory. We salute him. As Louie would say to one and all, I say to him, ``Louie, God bless you, real good.'' I ask unanimous consent that the Baltimore Sun tributes to Louie Goldstein be printed in the Record.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I thank the chairman. Privilege of the Floor I ask unanimous consent that during consideration of S. 2168, the fiscal year 1999 VA-HUD appropriations bill, Ms. Bertha Lopez, a detailee from HUD serving with the committee, be provided the privilege of the floor.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, this amendment is cosponsored by Senators Glenn and Sarbanes. I am pleased that this amendment has been accepted by the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, and I thank Senator Thurmond, Senator Levin and Senator Warner for their assistance. The amendment I am introducing today seeks to change the way we dispose of unneeded Navy ships. Our great Navy ships served valiantly--and they should be retired with honor. Instead, men die as they break these ships. Others are maimed forever, Our waterways become terribly polluted. Then, when they're done, we're left with torn hunks of metal--polluting our ports--and requiring huge sums of money to clean-up. With the end of the cold war the number of ships to be disposed of in the military arsenal is growing. There are 180 Navy and Maritime Administration ships waiting to be scrapped. These ships are difficult and dangerous to dismantle. They usually contain asbestos, PCB's and lead paint. They were built long before we understood all the environmental hazards associated with these materials. This issue was brought to my attention by a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles that appeared in the Baltimore Sun written by reporters Gary Cohn and Will Englund. They conducted a thorough and rigorous investigation of the way we dispose of our Navy and maritime ships. They traveled around the country and around the world to see firsthand how our ships are dismantled, and Mr. President, I must advise that the way we do this is not being done in an honorable, environmentally sensitive, or efficient way. I believe when we have ships that have defended the United States of America, that they were floating military bases--and they should be retired with the same care and dignity with which we close a military base. Let me read from the Sun series: As the Navy sells off warships at the end of the Cold War, a little known industry has grown up. In America's depressed ports and where the ship breaking industry goes, pollution and injured workers are left in its wake. The Pentagon repeatedly deals with ship breakers with dismal records, then fails to keep watch as they leave health, environmental and legal problems in their wake. Of the 58 ships sold for scrapping since 1991, only 28 have been finished. And oh, my God, how they have been finished. I would like to turn to my own hometown of Baltimore. Workers in Baltimore spoke about toiling in air thick with asbestos. Laborers scrapped the U.S. Coral Sea, ripping asbestos insulation from an aircraft carrier with their bare hands. At times they had no respirators, standard equipment for asbestos workers. As we all know inhaling those fibers can have lethal consequences. Workers were ordered to stuff asbestos into a leaky barge to hide it from inspectors. Dangerous substances from scrapped shipyards have polluted harbors, rivers and shorelines, the Sun paper goes on to say. This is what the Coral Sea looked like while it was being dismantled in the Baltimore harbor. It looks like it was ravaged. Like it was cannibalized. The Coral Sea's dismantling had been marked by several fires. Dumping oil in the harbor. Lawsuits and repeated delays. The mishandling of asbestos. The Navy inspector refused to board the Coral Sea because he was afraid it was too dangerous. I am quoting now the Sun paper. ``September 16, 1993, the military sent its lone inspector for the United States to the salvage yard in Baltimore. He didn't inspect it because he thought it was too dangerous.'' The inspector was right to be concerned about his own safety. The next day a 23-year-old worker found out how safe it would be. He walked on a flight deck and he dropped 30 feet from the hangar. ``I felt the burning feeling inside,'' he said, ``blood was coming out of my mouth, I didn't think I would live. He suffered a fractured spleen, pelvis, and broke his arms in several places. At the same time we had repeated fires that were breaking out. In November of 1996, a fire broke out in the Coral Sea's engine room. No one was standing fire watch. No hose nearby. The blaze burned quickly out of control and for the sixth time Baltimore City's fire department had to come in and rescue a shipyard. At the same time the owner of the shipyard had a record of environmental violations--a record for which he ultimately was sentenced to jail. All this was happening right in Baltimore Harbor. You've probably passed it if you've taken the Baltimore Harbor tour. It is right across from Fort McHenry--where we defended the United States of America and won the second battle for the War of 1812. And look at it--that's what it looks like--it is a national disgrace that was in the Harbor as well as a national environmental danger. It wasn't limited to Baltimore. In Terminal Island, California, workers were fired when they told federal investigators how asbestos was being improperly stripped from Navy ships. A scrap yard from the southeast, Cape Fear, North Carolina, was so contaminated with asbestos, oil, and lead, that David Heater, an assistant attorney general, said the site looked like one of the levels of Dante's hell. Now ship scrappers frustrate regulators by constructing a maze of corporate names and moving frequently. Meanwhile, right down the road from the Coral Sea in Baltimore was the Baltimore city shipyard, the Bethlehem steel shipyard that was foraging for work. We were desperate for work in our shipyard. Desperate. But no, do you think the Navy turned to shipyards like Bethlehem Ship? While all of this has been going on, the Navy also planned to send our ships overseas--where worker and environmental safety are virtually ignored. In India, the Sun paper found a tidal beach where 35,000 men scrapped the world ships with little more than their bare hands. They worked under wretched conditions. This is the United States Navy ships being dismantled in India. Thirty-five thousand people work on a beach, often with no shoes, dismantling ships with their bare hands. This is an international disgrace. I introduced a bill to change the way we dispose of unneeded Navy ships. This bill had two parts. The first would ban the export of ships to countries that don't care about protecting workers or the environment. The second part would create a pilot program to use American shipyards to break ships. Because while fly-by-night companies were attempting to break ships, we had American shipyards foraging for work--both in Baltimore and around the country. The amendment I'm introducing today includes only the second part of my legislation. This amendment will create a pilot program to enable the Navy to develop new, efficient ways of breaking ships that meet environmental and occupational safety standards. The Navy raised legitimate concerns about my original bill. My bill focused on competence. I wanted shipyards to break ships--because I believe that our shipyards have the experience and facilities to break ships safely. Shipyards, like the ones in my hometown of Baltimore, that are fit for duty. They know how to build a ship, they know how to convert a ship, they know how to dismantle a ship. But the Navy was concerned that this would limit competition. So I changed my amendment to insure full and open competition. Any competent company can apply to participate in the pilot program. What do I mean by ``competent?'' I mean that whoever breaks ships must have a record of protecting their workers' safety and the environment. They must have technical skills, a safe workplace, and a record of complying with environmental laws. So my amendment addresses competency--as well as competition. It will make sure that ships are broken in a way that protects workers, the environment, and the American taxpayer. This amendment will enable the Navy to do a better job of disposing of unneeded ships. My legislation will give the Navy the will and resources to retire our ships with honor. I knew when the Senate saw these pictures they would be as taken aback as I have. I would like to thank the Sun paper for their outstanding series in bringing this not only to my attention but to America's attention. They won the Pulitzer prize. But I want the United States of America to be sure that we win a victory here today for workers, the environment--and especially for the Navy. Because I know our Navy wants to do the right, honorable thing. Again, I thank Senator Thurmond, Senator Levin, and Senator Warner for their support of my amendment.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the amendment offered by Senators Murray and Snowe. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this amendment. This amendment states Senate support for providing access to reproductive services for military women overseas. It repeals the current ban on privately funded abortions at US military facilities overseas. I strongly support this amendment for four reasons. First of all, safe and legal access to abortion is the law. Secondly, women serving overseas should have a full range of medical services. Thirdly, this amendment protects the health and well-being of military women. Finally, we should not deprive military women from legal medical procedures. It is a matter of simple fairness that our servicewomen, as well as the spouses and dependents of servicemen, be able to exercise their right to make health care decisions when they are stationed abroad. Women who are stationed overseas are totally dependent on their base hospitals for medical care and should not be denied abortion services when confronted with an unintended pregnancy. Most of the time the only access to safe, quality medical care is in a military facility. We should not discriminate against female military personnel just because they are stationed overseas. They should be able exercise the same freedoms they enjoy at home. Without this amendment, military women will continue to be treated like second-class citizens. It is ridiculous to think that a woman cannot use her own funds to pay for access to safe and quality medical care. The current ban on access to reproductive services is yet another hit on Roe v. Wade. It is an attempt to cut away at the constitutionally protected right of women to choose. It strips military women of the very rights they were recruited to protect. Abortion is a fundamental right for the women in this country. It has been upheld repeatedly by the Supreme Court. Let's be very clear on what we are talking about here today. We are talking about the right of women to obtain a safe and legal abortion paid for with their own funds. We are not talking about using any taxpayer or federal money. We are not talking about reversing the conscience clause. No military personnel will be compelled to perform an abortion against their wishes. This is an issue of fairness to the women who sacrifice every day to serve our nation. They deserve the same quality care that women in America have access to each day. I urge my colleagues to support this important amendment to the 1999 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. I thank the Chairman for his consideration of this project. Assateague is one of the most important restoration projects in Maryland. The environmental, economic and ecological value of the Assateague Seashore is extraordinary. It is not just a Maryland priority, it is a national priority.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. president, I rise today to congratulate the University of Maryland women's lacrosse team on winning their fourth consecutive national championship by beating the number one-ranked University of Virginia, 11-5. Simply put, this is unprecedented in the history of women's lacrosse. The Maryland women's lacrosse team is the only team in NCAA Division I history to accomplish this remarkable feat. As the Senator for Maryland, I couldn't be more proud. Because lacrosse is the unofficial state sport of Maryland, the Terrapins' championship is especially sweet for people in my home state. You see, in Maryland, we love our lacrosse, and it seems like the Maryland women's lacrosse team always comes through for us. This year, Maryland made its 15th ninth consecutive NCAA Final Four appearance, advanced to the championship game for the fifth consecutive year, played its record-setting 29th tournament game, won its record- setting 21st tournament game, won its fifth national championship in the last seven years, and won its record-setting 21st tournament game, won its fifth national championship in the last seven years, and won its seventh national championship overall. Five Terps were named to the NCAA All-Tournament team, including College Lacrosse USA Division I Woman Player of the Year Sascha Newmarch, Kathleen Lund, Alex Kahoe, Tonia Porras, and Cathy Nelson, who was honored as the tournament MVP. The Terps were led by head coach Cindy Timchal, who has a 203-51 career record and is the third- winningest coach in women's lacrosse history. Too often, women's sports go unnoticed. However, every single member of this fabulous team deserves to be recognized--not only for their championship, but for exemplifying what college athletics are all about. Mr. President, I'm sure you can see why Maryland is so proud of its Terrapins. Like so many lacrosse fans in my home state, I can't wait until next season.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today I joined former First Lady Betty Ford, former HEW Secretary Joe Califano, and Congresswoman Nancy Johnson to release the first national, comprehensive study of the abuse of alcohol, cigarettes, and psychoactive prescription drugs by women over age 59. The study found that in 1998, substance abuse by mature women will trigger more than $30 billion in health costs--$10.1 billion in inpatient hospital bills, $12.2 billion in nursing home bills, and $7.7 billion for physician services and home health care. I would like to pay a special tribute to Mrs. Ford. Her courage and her gallantry has given hope to others who have faced similar if not identical problems. By speaking out and by facing her own problems with the love and support of her family, she gave those who have less power, or maybe less love, the strength to do what she did. Mrs. Ford, Liz Taylor, Ann Richards, I think we really owe a debt of gratitude to them, and we owe a debt to every well-known woman in our society who has been willing to step forward, speak up and speak out about the dangers of older women and substance abuse. I'd also like to pay tribute to President Ford for the courage to organize a family intervention. Thank you for showing us that when a man really loves a woman, sometimes you need tough love. If Mrs. Ford had had a heart attack, Mr. Ford would have been the first one there with CPR. His intervention was the CPR of substance abuse. Today's findings address a problem hidden in the shadow for too long. Mature women who struggle with depression and loneliness and fight them with drugs and alcohol today know they are not alone. This study shines the bright light of research and knowledge to take this problem out of the shadows. It is the first step to help mature women get help from doctors, from family, and from friends. It is the first step to help grown men and women identify the warning signs of addiction, not just with their own kids, but with their parents. It is startling and troubling that mature women are more likely to be hospitalized for substance abuse than for heart attacks. In Maryland in 1996, 285 mature women sought help for substance abuse in certified treatment centers, 230 in 1997. Thousands more are too scared, too sick, or too alone to seek out care they need. This study can help them. And it can help America. I have been a life-long fighter for mature Americans. I believe ``honor your mother and father'' is not just a good commandment, it's good public policy. That's why I am such a big supporter of research like today's study. This study not only highlights a big problem, it highlights opportunities to make good public policy. If we can end substance abuse among the elderly, we can lower financial costs for Medicaid and Medicare. More importantly, we can lower the emotional cost to women and families. We can't let a blanket of shame and denial blind us to problems that we can and should solve. I support more research to help protect seniors from scams, from poverty, and from threats to their health. I send thanks to Bristol- Myers Squibb and to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse for revealing this troubling problem and helping to create solutions. Today's research, which focuses on women and seniors, is one big reason I am a big supporter of NIH. Women's health has made great headway with NIH. In 1990, Congresswomen Connie Morella, Pat Schroeder and I showed up on the steps at NIH to launch what we hoped would be a women's health initiative. Through our efforts, the Office of Women's Health Research was established so that women would no longer be left out of clinical trials and research protocols. I am pleased that we are now seeing more and better research on women's health. I am sending this report to Dr. Varmus, Director of NIH with my endorsement and with my request that NIH expand its research on alcohol and drug abuse by mature women. Today's study is a shining example of what can get done with attention and money and more women in the House and Senate. I would ask all my colleagues, men and women, Democrat and Republican, House and Senate, to read the executive summary of ``Under the Rug: Substance Abuse and the Mature Woman'', which I will send to them. We shouldn't play politics with women's lives, and we shouldn't play politics with the lives of the mature women and their families who are trying to cope with the terrible problems of substance abuse.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the life of Mabel Virginia Jews, a dedicated mother and a great educator who passed away on May 23, 1998. As we work to strengthen our Nation's families, I hope we can all find inspiration in the life of this remarkable woman. In 1934, Mrs. Jews graduated from then Morgan State College and followed her undergraduate studies with a Masters degree from the former Salisbury State College in the 1960's. She lived most of her life on Maryland's Eastern Shore where she dedicated herself to education, both in her classrooms and in the life of her son, William Jews, Jr. As a teacher, Mrs. Jews taught English and home economics in junior high and high school where her patience and kindness taught students to feel comfortable about learning. In addition to her service as a schoolteacher, Mrs. Jews also worked as hospital administrator, Pentagon employee and property manager. Mabel Jews believed in getting behind our kids, making her son and his education her top priority. Mrs. Jews focused her life's work on helping young Bill build an educational record that would give him the opportunity to attend any school in the country. I'm pleased to say he chose Maryland's Johns Hopkins University. As many of my colleagues know, Bill Jews is now the president of CareFirst Inc. and chief executive officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maryland. We can imagine how proud Mrs. Jews was of her son's success. She was a model mother who espoused the values we work to promote in our country's families. Mr. President, I am honored today to pay special tribute to such an inspirational and important Marylander. Throughout her lifetime, Mabel Jews made vital contributions to the successful life of her son Bill, as well as to the lives and lessons of those who surrounded her. The great state of Maryland is fortunate to have been home to such a great woman.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today I rise to honor a remarkable naval officer and good friend, Admiral Charles R. Larson. Having served a distinguished career in the United States Navy, Admiral Larson will enjoy a well deserved retirement after forty years of service. Over his forty years of service, Admiral Larson has served in 11 positions, spanning more than nineteen years as a flag officer. Admiral Larson is a man of honor, integrity, and patriotism. For the past four years, Admiral Larson has served as the 55th Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. It was in this position that I got to know and admire him. Under Admiral Larson's leadership, honor and discipline were restored following the most scandal-ridden period of the Academy's history. As a member of the Naval Academy Board of Visitors, I worked closely with Admiral Larson as he developed and implemented his successful reform agenda. I was highly impressed with the tough choices he had to make to change the Academy. Under his leadership, he led the full integration of women into the academy. He also initiated many new programs and improved the curriculum. Always he led the midshipmen by example. We in Maryland are very proud of the United States Naval Academy. It is important to our state and our nation. The Board of Visitors recently conducted a comprehensive investigation of the Naval Academy. We concluded that while we must continue to improve the Naval Academy, this vital national resource is on the right track and will produce top-notch cadets for the twenty-first Century. Admiral Larson's leadership is what made this possible. I would also like to take this opportunity to commend Admiral Larson's wife, Sally, and his family, who have greatly contributed to the success of his naval career. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Admiral Larson for his service to our nation. I wish Admiral Larson the very best for the future.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today I am cosponsoring with Senator Rockefeller, the DVA Primary Care Incentive Act of 1998. Mr. President, I believe that this bill will ultimately benefit our veterans. It will help the Department of Veterans Affairs in its effort to provide the highest quality of care that our veterans deserve. Mr. President, this bill will create a new Education Debt Reduction program, and an Employee Incentive Scholarship Program. The Debt Reduction Program will aid the VA in its efforts to increase its number of primary care professionals. Preference will be given to those choosing to serve at rural or under-served sites, and to those professionals in hard to fill specialties. The bill provides the Secretary of the VA with the discretion to determine priority needs with respect to profession, and locations with the greatest need. Debt Reduction program recipients will have to serve a term with the VA equivalent to the length of the repayments. A key component of the Debt Reduction Program is that each years repayments won't begin until a person has completed a corresponding year of service to the VA. This requirement is critical to ensuring that our veterans get the service they deserve, and that taxpayers get a return on their tax dollars invested. Mr. President, I introduced a debt reduction bill in 1992 because I recognized the need to provide the VA with adequate resources to recruit the professionals it needs. And I realized that some who may want to get the training to help our veterans may not have all of the necessary means to do so. I applaud Senator Rockefeller for including an updated debt reduction component to this bill. The second component of the bill is the Employee Incentive Scholarship Program. This is designed to help meet the VA's need for more primary care professionals and to help retain and retrain some of the VA's current employees. Like the Debt Reduction program, priority would be given to those willing to serve in under-served areas and in hard to fill specialties. Recipients would also have to serve at a VA clinical site for a term equivalent to the scholarship term. The difference is that the Scholarship program would be open only to current VA employees with a minimum of two years of service. We want to ensure that those benefiting from the Scholarship program have demonstrated a commitment to the VA. We also want to provide the opportunity structure for those employees who want to expand their skills and move into new fields. In 1996, Veterans Health Administration Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Kenneth Kizer, published a work called ``Prescription for Change''. In it, he noted the VA's goal to increase the number of VA non-physician primary care providers by 200 percent by 1998. While the VA has made progress, it has not met its goal. This bill seeks to provide another tool in the VA's tool belt that will allow it to meet its goal. Mr. President, I have been an advocate for our nation's veterans for years. I firmly believe that promises made to our nations veterans must be promises kept. Our veterans risked their lives for our freedom and the protection of democracy. I believe that we as a nation are committed to providing the services that our veterans need. As the VA continues its move to more outpatient primary care, we must make sure that the VA can attract and retain the type of professionals who can give our veterans the medical care and treatment they deserve. I urge my colleagues' support.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President: I rise in strong support of the Iran Missile Proliferation Sanctions Act. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation. This legislation is very simple. It says you can have normal economic and political relations with the United States--or you can join America's enemies in building weapons of mass destruction. You cannot do both. This bill applies sanctions to organizations that transfer missile hardware or technology to Iran. It would ban U.S. economic assistance and the export of technology to anyone who is helping Iran develop the means of using weapons of mass destruction. Iran has a robust chemical and biological weapons program. As we debate this legislation, Iran is building the Shihab 3 missile. This ballistic missile could carry conventional, biological or chemical weapons to Israel, to the Gulf states or to American interests within 800 miles of Iran. Imagine these weapons in the hands of a country that is our sworn enemy. A country that supports the most radical, anti-American terrorist organizations on earth. A country that does everything it can to derail the Middle East peace process. These missiles could destroy Tel Aviv. They could reach our NATO allies. They could threaten the thousands of American troops in the Gulf. Russia has played a central role in helping Iran to develop these weapons. Despite past assurances, Russian scientists and engineers are using their skills to threaten America's national security. The United States has done a lot to help Russia build a prosperous democracy. Since 1991, we have given Russia over four billion dollars in assistance. We have done a great deal to build a cooperative partnership with Russia. As the ranking member of the VA-HUD subcommittee that funds the space program, I have been a strong supporter of US-Russian cooperation with the space station. I supported Russia's participation in the space program for three reasons: 1. Their technical expertise 2. To build stronger links between the United States and Russia 3. To ensure that Russian scientists and engineers had civilian work--so they would not sell their skills to rogue governments Russia has failed to live up to their promises on the space station. I have no question of their technical competence. But I have strong concerns about their failure to meet their end of the bargain. They have not adequately funded their share of the space station, resulting in delays and a cloud of uncertainty that hovers over the entire program. Even more troubling is Russia's role in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Russia has exported technology, material and expertise to help Iran develop ballistic missiles. They can't do this-- and expect to have business as usual with America on the space program. Mr. President; our foreign policy must reflect our values. We cannot stand by while any country threatens our national security, or the very existence of our closest allies. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today I am cosponsoring with Senator Rockefeller, the DVA Primary Care Incentive Act of 1998. Mr. President, I believe that this bill will ultimately benefit our veterans. It will help the Department of Veterans Affairs in its effort to provide the highest quality of care that our veterans deserve. Mr. President, this bill will create a new Education Debt Reduction program, and an Employee Incentive Scholarship Program. The Debt Reduction Program will aid the VA in its efforts to increase its number of primary care professionals. Preference will be given to those choosing to serve at rural or under-served sites, and to those professionals in hard to fill specialties. The bill provides the Secretary of the VA with the discretion to determine priority needs with respect to profession, and locations with the greatest need. Debt Reduction program recipients will have to serve a term with the VA equivalent to the length of the repayments. A key component of the Debt Reduction Program is that each years repayments won't begin until a person has completed a corresponding year of service to the VA. This requirement is critical to ensuring that our veterans get the service they deserve, and that taxpayers get a return on their tax dollars invested. Mr. President, I introduced a debt reduction bill in 1992 because I recognized the need to provide the VA with adequate resources to recruit the professionals it needs. And I realized that some who may want to get the training to help our veterans may not have all of the necessary means to do so. I applaud Senator Rockefeller for including an updated debt reduction component to this bill. The second component of the bill is the Employee Incentive Scholarship Program. This is designed to help meet the VA's need for more primary care professionals and to help retain and retrain some of the VA's current employees. Like the Debt Reduction program, priority would be given to those willing to serve in under-served areas and in hard to fill specialties. Recipients would also have to serve at a VA clinical site for a term equivalent to the scholarship term. The difference is that the Scholarship program would be open only to current VA employees with a minimum of two years of service. We want to ensure that those benefiting from the Scholarship program have demonstrated a commitment to the VA. We also want to provide the opportunity structure for those employees who want to expand their skills and move into new fields. In 1996, Veterans Health Administration Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Kenneth Kizer, published a work called ``Prescription for Change''. In it, he noted the VA's goal to increase the number of VA non-physician primary care providers by 200 percent by 1998. While the VA has made progress, it has not met its goal. This bill seeks to provide another tool in the VA's tool belt that will allow it to meet its goal. Mr. President, I have been an advocate for our nation's veterans for years. I firmly believe that promises made to our nations veterans must be promises kept. Our veterans risked their lives for our freedom and the protection of democracy. I believe that we as a nation are committed to providing the services that our veterans need. As the VA continues its move to more outpatient primary care, we must make sure that the VA can attract and retain the type of professionals who can give our veterans the medical care and treatment they deserve. I urge my colleagues' support.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise in support of the conference report accompanying the re-authorization of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. While I support this legislation, I am disappointed that veterans programs were used to pay for a portion of this bill. Nonetheless, this bill contains significant increases in funding for Maryland's highway and transit programs. I am proud to have worked with my colleague Senator Sarbanes to make sure Maryland got its fair share of funds for its transportation needs. With billions in needed maintenance and construction in the State of Maryland, this legislation will make our highways safer and expand transit options for our citizens. It will help to ease the flow of traffic on our major highways and byways and begin the long awaited re- construction of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. This bill provides $900 million for a new Wilson Bridge, $500 million more than the Administration proposed last year. Although this does not represent the total cost of a new bridge, it is a first step toward replacement of the bridge. Let me make it clear, I do not consider this funding to be the end. I consider this to be the beginning. In future years, I will continue the effort to secure additional funding to complete the re-building of Wilson Bridge, a critical link on the I-95 system and the only federally owned bridge in the system. Under this bill, Maryland will receive more money for its highway program than it gets now. Maryland can expect approximately $400 million per year for its highway program--almost $90 million more than it gets now. This is almost a 30 percent increase in funding that will help improve the conditions of our highway system--which is one of the most congested in the nation. The Washington area has the second longest commute time in the nation. The funds authorized in this bill should help provide some much needed relief. The bill not only provides more funds for Maryland's overall highway program, it specifically targets funds for high priority projects around the State. The bill provides $26 million to upgrade Route 113 in Worcester County, one of the most dangerous highways in the State of Maryland. Every time I visit the Eastern Shore, I am always reminded about the need to upgrade this highway. Too many Marylanders have lost their lives on this stretch of roadway. This legislation will fund the first and most critical phase of this project to make the road safer for those who use it. Another major project that has desperately needed funds has been the I-70/I-270 interchange in Frederick. It is one of the only interchanges on the interstate system that does not meet interstate standards. It has been a safety hazard for years. The lack of an adequate interchange in the area has forced trucks off the interstate and into surrounding areas. This legislation will provide funding to complete the first phase of reconstruction and relieve the local community of this burden, while improving the safety of this section of highway. For the first time, almost $10 million will be earmarked for Route 32 in Anne Arundel County in the vicinity of the National Security Agency. This highway is one of the most heavily traveled highways in the State and needs to expand capacity to accommodate the growth in the surrounding area. This legislation will also increase funding for the Appalachian Highway System. Maryland can expect to receive approximately $6 million per year for the next six years under this bill--that is enough to rebuild U.S. 220 in Allegany County. This is the number one highway priority for Western Maryland and a serious safety problem. This is $4 million per year more than Maryland receives now. Thanks to this legislation, Maryland will have the funds to upgrade this highway. Mr. President, not only does Maryland receive more highway dollars, we receive more transit dollars. Maryland will receive almost twice as much federal funds for its transit programs. The MARC system will receive an additional $185 million and the Baltimore Light Rail System will receive $125 million to double-track the system. This will continue to expand transit opportunities for Marylanders and help relieve congestion on our highways. Mr. President, I do have one major reservation to this conference report. I believe it is just plain wrong that our veterans are being asked to sacrifice their compensation for our transportation needs. I made my feelings very clear when I voted in favor of an amendment to the Budget Resolution earlier this year that called on the Congress to protect veterans benefits. As the Ranking Member of the Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, I will look for way to ensure that these funds are replenished. Our vets, our heroes, deserve better and I will fight to correct this deep injustice. Despite my anger over the veterans offset, I will support this legislation because it is so important to improving the safety of Maryland's highways, byways and transit systems. Improving public safety and creating jobs are two of my highest priorities and this bill addresses both.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I am honored to rise today as an original co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act II. I commend Senator Biden for his hard work on this continuing effort to combat violence against women. I believe we are making great progress as a nation to make our streets and our world safer by cracking down on violent crime. This new law represents the continuing Federal effort to deal with these crucial issues. I am encouraged by the bipartisan support for this bill. Protecting the lives of women and children should not be a partisan issue. Both Democrat and Republican members of the United States Senate are taking a solid stand against the disgraceful and cowardly crime of domestic violence. Mr. President, I strongly support this important legislation for three reasons. First, this bill continues the fight for a safer world by providing new and continuing grants to improve the criminal justice system's protections for women and children. Second, it provides important training for those involved in the response to citizens abused by domestic violence. Third it expands and strengthens the services available to victims of violence. The Violence Against Women Act II is a big step forward in the effort to keep women, children and communities safe. One of the most critical components of this bill is the reauthorization of the STOP Grant funds for vital programs in our states. This allows the states to obtain the money they need to create and mobilize effective strategies against violence. In my state of Maryland, the Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General of Maryland created the Family Violence Council to find ways to reduce and prevent family violence. With the STOP Grant funds Maryland received through the 1994 Violence Against Crime Act, the Council has been able to effectively assist a statewide initiative against crime. This money has been used to help Maryland develop policies and procedures against domestic violence. It has been used to ensure the development of the best possible laws to protect victims and hold abusers accountable. We have coordinated community programs that protect victims. We have made efforts to break the cycle of violence between generations. And we have stood together as citizens of Maryland and said that violence against women is something we cannot and will not tolerate. Second, this legislation provides the authorization for money to train people to respond to domestic abuse. It amends the STOP and Pro- Arrest grants and makes states and local courts specifically eligible for funding. These are the same programs that brought police and prosecutors into the loop of personnel who combat violence toward women. The bill we are introducing today takes the next vital step. It expressly targets funds to the courts and helps engage them in the fight against domestic violence. By educating judicial staff and officers of the court about the special issues raised by violence against women, we completed the circle of people who must work in partnerships to end these crimes. Judges and officers are often the first people a victim will meet in the criminal system when seeking legal intervention. The judicial staff are the ones who can set the stage for whether or not a victim will proceed with her claim. This legislation ensures that all personnel in the criminal justice system are educated and trained to handle cases of domestic violence. This ensures that the proper support, services and protection are available to those who need it most. Finally, I support this bill because of the services it provides for the victims of these destructive crimes. In 1992, we witnessed a national travesty. In 1992 the National Domestic Violence Hotline went out of business. Not because there was no domestic violence. At that time, the hotline averaged 7.5 calls an hour, 180 calls a day and 65,520 calls a year. The hotline went out of business because it had no funding. That means lives were lost because our citizens had an emergency hotline number that no longer worked. That means more children were beaten and murdered every day who might have been able to get the help they needed. That means the federal government was not meeting its duty to stop the deadly cycle of violent crime. We cannot and must not allow this to happen again. That is why in 1994 we included a new provision in the law to authorize grants to revive the national hotline. That is why today we are now increasing and extending authorizations to meet the growing demands on the Hotline. Today any woman or child with access to a telephone can dial 1-800-799-SAFE and get the help they urgently need from a qualified and informed professional. Domestic violence in this country was ignored for far too long before we passed the first Violence Against Women Act. Annually, at least 2 million children and 2 to 4 million women are abused by the people closest to them. These statistics truly send home a very strong message: The most vulnerable members of our society have historically not been served by our government. These alarming crime rates resound loudly and should be heard by every legislator elected to Congress. We must remain keenly aware of the fact that four women a day are killed at the hands of their batterer. That fifty-seven percent of children under 12 who are murdered are killed by a parent. That every fifteen seconds a woman is beaten by her husband or boyfriend. The Violence Against Women Act II will continue the effort to combat this violence toward women. The time is now to act and to continue our fight. No woman should live in fear that any person will get away with hurting her or her children. I have stated in the past that if you intend to harm a woman that you better stay out of my state of Maryland. I strongly encourage every single member of the Senate to not only vote for, but to actively support this crucial legislation.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise to support the Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act. I supported the 1995 Private Securities Litigation Reform Act for three reasons: to stop the bounty hunters, to put the person who had lost the most money in charge of class action suits, and to penalize people who commit fraud. I have been very disturbed and disappointed to hear from many Maryland biotechnology and high technology companies that the 1995 reforms are being circumvented and, that in some respects, nothing has changed. Why has nothing changed even though we enacted those important reforms? Because some have refused to accept the law of the land. Rather than abide by congressional efforts to protect small companies that create jobs and help to maintain our robust economy, a small group of specialized lawyers have simply shifted their filings to state courts. Enacting this uniform standards legislation would close this loophole and enable Congress to finish the job of eliminating abusive securities litigation that hampers and harms our economic future Uniform standards would only involve class action suits with at least 50 plaintiffs involving nationally traded securities. These claims were rarely filed in state courts until federal reform became law in December 1995. This exposure of national companies and their shareholders to lawsuits by 50 different sets of rules amounts to a balkanization of securities law that boosts legal fees, distracts companies from creating jobs, and erodes the value of shareholder investments. I have heard from Maryland CPAs, venture capitalists, and Maryland companies along the I-270 High-Tech Highway that these uniform standards are needed. I believe that much of our economic future is in new and developing industries such as high technology and bio-technology. New, high-tech jobs are created only when companies generate capital to allow them to move into new fields. Without a balanced and uniform legal system free of loopholes, these companies must spend too much on frivolous litigation and not enough on investments to generate jobs. Mr. President, this legislation is about perfecting the important reforms we passed in 1995 to protect our emerging industries as they strive to innovate and create jobs. Promoting job creation is one of my economic principles, and I am pleased to support this legislation today.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I wish to bring to the attention of the Senate that today I am introducing legislation to change the way we dispose of Navy ships that are no longer needed. I am proud to say that this bill is being cosponsored by my senior Senator, Paul Sarbanes, as well as the distinguished Senator from Ohio, Senator John Glenn. With the end of the cold war, the number of ships to be disposed of in the military arsenal is growing. There are 180 Navy and Maritime Administration ships waiting to be scrapped. These ships are difficult and dangerous to dismantle. They usually contain asbestos, PCBs, and lead paint. They were built long before we understood all of the environmental hazards associated with these materials. I am prompted to offer this legislation because an issue was brought to my attention by a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles that appeared in the Baltimore Sun written by reporters Gary Cohn and Will Englund. They conducted a very thorough and rigorous investigation into the way we dispose of our Navy and maritime ships. They traveled around the country and around the world to see firsthand how our ships are dismantled. I must advise the Senate that the way we do this is not being done in an honorable, environmentally sensitive, efficient way. I believe that when we have ships that have defended the United States of America, that were floating military bases, they should be retired with honor. When I unfold to you the horror stories that the Sun paper found, you will be shocked, and I hope you will join in the cosponsorship of my bill. Let me recite from the Sun paper: As the Navy sells off obsolete warships at the end of the cold war, a little known industry has grown up in America's depressed ports, and where the shipbreaking industry goes, pollution and injured workers are left in its wake. Headline No. 1. No. 2: The Pentagon repeatedly deals with shipbreakers with dismal records, then fails to keep watch as they leave health, environmental and legal problems in America's ports. In terms of our own communities on the border in Brownsville, TX: In this U.S. shipbreaking capital on the Mexican border, where labor and life are cheap, scrapping thrives amid official indifference. And, I might say, danger. Also, even more horrendous is the way we use the Third World to dump American ships: In India, the Sun paper found: On a fetid beach, 35,000 men scrap the world's ships with little more than their bare hands. Despite wretched conditions-- And dangerous environmental situations. I point out what this means close to home. Let me tell you some stories. In Baltimore: Workers have been toiling in air thick with asbestos dust. In Baltimore, laborers scrapping the USS Coral Sea ripped asbestos insulation from the aircraft carrier with their bare hands. At times they had no respirators, standard equipment for asbestos work. [As we all know,] inhaling asbestos fibers can have . . . lethal consequences. It was not limited to Baltimore. At Terminal Island, CA, 20 laborers were fired when they told Federal investigators how asbestos was being improperly stripped from Navy ships. In Baltimore, workers were ordered to stuff asbestos into a leaky barge to hide it from inspectors. Dangerous substances from scrapped ships have polluted harbors, rivers and shorelines. The Sun paper goes on to say: A scrapyard along the Northeast Cape Fear River in Wilmington, NC, was contaminated by asbestos, oil and lead. ``That site looked like one of Dante's levels of hell,'' said David Heeter, a North Carolina assistant attorney general. Ship scrappers frustrate regulators by constructing a maze of corporate names and moving frequently. The Defense Department has repeatedly sent ships to scrappers who have records of bankruptcies, fraud [and] payoffs. . . . Because of downsizing, the Navy promised that this would be a bonanza, for amounts ranging from $15,000 to dismantle a destroyer--15 grand to dismantle a destroyer--to $1 million for an aircraft carrier. They buy the rights to Navy ships, then sell the salvaged metal. . . . Because of environmental violations and other issues, the Navy has had to take back 20 ships in yards in North Carolina, Rhode Island and California. . . . Of the 58 ships sold for scrapping since 1991, only 28 have been finished. And, oh, my God, how they have been finished. I would like to turn to my hometown of Baltimore. Mr. President, this is what the Coral Sea looked like while it was being dismantled in the Baltimore harbor. It looks like it was ravaged, like it was cannibalized. It looks like a tenement in a Third World area. The Sun paper continues: In Baltimore, torch handlers worked without other men on fire watch and without fire hoses. . . . Picture yourself going out there trying to do that in the early morning. The Coral Sea's dismal end has been marked by stubborn fires and dumping of oil in the harbor, by lawsuits and repeated delays--but most of all, by the mishandling of asbestos. Let me tell you that it was so bad that even a Navy inspector who came to look at what they were doing was scared to death to go on that ship because he was afraid it was too dangerous. I am quoting the Sun paper. On September 16, 1993, [the military] sent its lone inspector---- One inspector for the United States---- On his first visit to the Seawitch Salvage yard in Baltimore. . . . But Evans didn't inspect [it because]. . . . He thought it was too dangerous. The next day, a 23-year-old worker named Alfio Leonardi Jr. found out how unsafe it would be. He walked on a flight deck up in that situation and dropped 30 feet from the hangar. I felt a burning feeling inside. . . . There was blood coming out of my month. I didn't think I was going to live. He suffered a ruptured spleen, fractured pelvis, fractured vertebrae, and he broke his arms in several places. The inspector was new to the job when the accident occurred. He had only 20 hours of training on environmental issues. He was not appropriately trained, and he didn't even know what shipbreaking was. At the same time, we had repeated fires breaking out. In November of 1996, a fire broke out in the Coral Sea engine room. There was no one standing fire watch, no hose nearby. The blaze burned quickly out of control, and for the sixth time, Baltimore City's fire department had to come in and rescue the shipyard. At the same time, the owner of this shipyard had a record of environmental violations for which he ultimately went to jail. We cannot tolerate this in the Baltimore harbor. If you look there, that is where it is, right across from Ft. McHenry that defended the United States of America and won the second battle in the war of 1812. And look at it. That is what it looks like. It is a national disgrace that that was in the harbor as well as a national environment danger. Right down the road was the Baltimore City Shipyard, the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard that was foraging for work. Another fighting lady from Maryland, Helen Bentley, our former Congresswoman--she and I and Senator Paul Sarbanes worked for Baltimore to be a home port. We were desperate for work in our shipyard--desperate. But no; do you think the Navy turned to shipyards like Bethlehem Steel? They turned to the rogues, the crooks, the scum, the scams, to dismantle our Navy ships. I think the ships deserve more. I think the Baltimore harbor deserves more. And I think the United States of America deserves more. That is why I am introducing legislation to create a pilot project on how we can dispose of these ships, and in a way that is efficient, is orderly, and environmentally safe, and keeps the work in American shipyards, because while this was so terrible in my own home of Baltimore, MD, let me show you what was going on in the Third World. This is the U.S. Navy ships being dismantled in India. Thirty-five thousand people work on a beach, often with no shoes, dismantling ships with their bare hands. This is so dangerous, in terms of what they are doing, that I believe it is an international disgrace. I was appalled we were also exporting our environmental problems overseas. Mr. President, I called upon Secretary Cohen, when I read this series, to immediately stop what we were doing and to take a look. He did it. I want to thank him for his prompt response. He analyzed what they should do, and they made recommendations. But the recommendation was more enforcement of the same old way of doing business. Well, more enforcement of the same old way of doing business will still end up with the same old way of doing business--occupational safety dangers, environmental catastrophes, and a national disgrace. So that is why I am introducing my own legislation. The first section of the legislation will absolutely ban the shipping, the sending of our 180 Navy ships overseas to be dismantled in such despicable situations. The other part establishes a pilot project for the U.S. Navy to look at how it could put our ships out for dismantling bids in American shipyards that meet environmental and occupational standards. Those shipyards, like the ones in my own hometown of Baltimore, that are fit for duty. They know how to build a ship. They know how to convert a ship. They know how to dismantle a ship. I think the Navy can do better. The Navy has an outstanding record of dismantling nuclear submarines. They do it in a particular and unique way. They have the ingenuity and the technical competence, but they lack the will and the resources. What I hope my legislation will do is give them both the will and the resources to dismantle this in a way that retires our ships with honor. I knew that when the Senate saw those pictures they would be as taken aback as I have been. I thank the Sun paper for their outstanding series in bringing this to not only my attention but to America's attention. They won the Pulitzer Prize. But I want the United States of America to be sure that we win an environmental victory here. So, Mr. President, I am going to be introducing my legislation today as we speak. In fact, I send my legislation to the desk and ask that it be referred to the appropriate committees. I just want to close by saying that when we close military bases, we do it the right way, we pay to clean them up, we close them down and find other basic ways of recycling their use. Every weekend I am around veterans who wear the ships on which they sailed. They have the U.S.S. Coral Sea; they have a variety of the ships that they sailed on. They are proud of those ships, and I am proud of those ships. And I am proud of the military. I conclude by saying, I thank Secretary Cohen for his leadership as well as Secretary Perry. They have done more environmentally positive things for the military than we have ever had done. But this is the next step. I yield the floor, and I thank the Senate for its kind attention.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. I thank the Democratic leader.

Ms. MIKULSKI. Will the Senator yield?

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I ask the Senator from South Dakota, our Democratic leader, a question. In all of his research on the bill, has he not found that this is a very compelling issue for women and for children, that there has essentially been a ``moat'' around access to medical treatment and, therefore, leaving it to the Senate or legislative bodies to make corrections, one procedure at a time, like drive-by deliveries, dumping of mastectomy patients? Would it not be better to take down the ``moat'' around medical treatment and do this in a comprehensive way, especially a way that it affects the women and children? Has the Senator found that?

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I wish to bring to the attention of the Senate that today I am introducing legislation to change the way we dispose of Navy ships that are no longer needed. I am proud to say that this bill is being cosponsored by my senior Senator, Paul Sarbanes, as well as the distinguished Senator from Ohio, Senator John Glenn. With the end of the cold war, the number of ships to be disposed of in the military arsenal is growing. There are 180 Navy and Maritime Administration ships waiting to be scrapped. These ships are difficult and dangerous to dismantle. They usually contain asbestos, PCBs, and lead paint. They were built long before we understood all of the environmental hazards associated with these materials. I am prompted to offer this legislation because an issue was brought to my attention by a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles that appeared in the Baltimore Sun written by reporters Gary Cohn and Will Englund. They conducted a very thorough and rigorous investigation into the way we dispose of our Navy and maritime ships. They traveled around the country and around the world to see firsthand how our ships are dismantled. I must advise the Senate that the way we do this is not being done in an honorable, environmentally sensitive, efficient way. I believe that when we have ships that have defended the United States of America, that were floating military bases, they should be retired with honor. When I unfold to you the horror stories that the Sun paper found, you will be shocked, and I hope you will join in the cosponsorship of my bill. Let me recite from the Sun paper: As the Navy sells off obsolete warships at the end of the cold war, a little known industry has grown up in America's depressed ports, and where the shipbreaking industry goes, pollution and injured workers are left in its wake. Headline No. 1. No. 2: The Pentagon repeatedly deals with shipbreakers with dismal records, then fails to keep watch as they leave health, environmental and legal problems in America's ports. In terms of our own communities on the border in Brownsville, TX: In this U.S. shipbreaking capital on the Mexican border, where labor and life are cheap, scrapping thrives amid official indifference. And, I might say, danger. Also, even more horrendous is the way we use the Third World to dump American ships: In India, the Sun paper found: On a fetid beach, 35,000 men scrap the world's ships with little more than their bare hands. Despite wretched conditions-- And dangerous environmental situations. I point out what this means close to home. Let me tell you some stories. In Baltimore: Workers have been toiling in air thick with asbestos dust. In Baltimore, laborers scrapping the USS Coral Sea ripped asbestos insulation from the aircraft carrier with their bare hands. At times they had no respirators, standard equipment for asbestos work. [As we all know,] inhaling asbestos fibers can have . . . lethal consequences. It was not limited to Baltimore. At Terminal Island, CA, 20 laborers were fired when they told Federal investigators how asbestos was being improperly stripped from Navy ships. In Baltimore, workers were ordered to stuff asbestos into a leaky barge to hide it from inspectors. Dangerous substances from scrapped ships have polluted harbors, rivers and shorelines. The Sun paper goes on to say: A scrapyard along the Northeast Cape Fear River in Wilmington, NC, was contaminated by asbestos, oil and lead. ``That site looked like one of Dante's levels of hell,'' said David Heeter, a North Carolina assistant attorney general. Ship scrappers frustrate regulators by constructing a maze of corporate names and moving frequently. The Defense Department has repeatedly sent ships to scrappers who have records of bankruptcies, fraud [and] payoffs. . . . Because of downsizing, the Navy promised that this would be a bonanza, for amounts ranging from $15,000 to dismantle a destroyer--15 grand to dismantle a destroyer--to $1 million for an aircraft carrier. They buy the rights to Navy ships, then sell the salvaged metal. . . . Because of environmental violations and other issues, the Navy has had to take back 20 ships in yards in North Carolina, Rhode Island and California. . . . Of the 58 ships sold for scrapping since 1991, only 28 have been finished. And, oh, my God, how they have been finished. I would like to turn to my hometown of Baltimore. Mr. President, this is what the Coral Sea looked like while it was being dismantled in the Baltimore harbor. It looks like it was ravaged, like it was cannibalized. It looks like a tenement in a Third World area. The Sun paper continues: In Baltimore, torch handlers worked without other men on fire watch and without fire hoses. . . . Picture yourself going out there trying to do that in the early morning. The Coral Sea's dismal end has been marked by stubborn fires and dumping of oil in the harbor, by lawsuits and repeated delays--but most of all, by the mishandling of asbestos. Let me tell you that it was so bad that even a Navy inspector who came to look at what they were doing was scared to death to go on that ship because he was afraid it was too dangerous. I am quoting the Sun paper. On September 16, 1993, [the military] sent its lone inspector---- One inspector for the United States---- On his first visit to the Seawitch Salvage yard in Baltimore. . . . But Evans didn't inspect [it because]. . . . He thought it was too dangerous. The next day, a 23-year-old worker named Alfio Leonardi Jr. found out how unsafe it would be. He walked on a flight deck up in that situation and dropped 30 feet from the hangar. I felt a burning feeling inside. . . . There was blood coming out of my month. I didn't think I was going to live. He suffered a ruptured spleen, fractured pelvis, fractured vertebrae, and he broke his arms in several places. The inspector was new to the job when the accident occurred. He had only 20 hours of training on environmental issues. He was not appropriately trained, and he didn't even know what shipbreaking was. At the same time, we had repeated fires breaking out. In November of 1996, a fire broke out in the Coral Sea engine room. There was no one standing fire watch, no hose nearby. The blaze burned quickly out of control, and for the sixth time, Baltimore City's fire department had to come in and rescue the shipyard. At the same time, the owner of this shipyard had a record of environmental violations for which he ultimately went to jail. We cannot tolerate this in the Baltimore harbor. If you look there, that is where it is, right across from Ft. McHenry that defended the United States of America and won the second battle in the war of 1812. And look at it. That is what it looks like. It is a national disgrace that that was in the harbor as well as a national environment danger. Right down the road was the Baltimore City Shipyard, the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard that was foraging for work. Another fighting lady from Maryland, Helen Bentley, our former Congresswoman--she and I and Senator Paul Sarbanes worked for Baltimore to be a home port. We were desperate for work in our shipyard--desperate. But no; do you think the Navy turned to shipyards like Bethlehem Steel? They turned to the rogues, the crooks, the scum, the scams, to dismantle our Navy ships. I think the ships deserve more. I think the Baltimore harbor deserves more. And I think the United States of America deserves more. That is why I am introducing legislation to create a pilot project on how we can dispose of these ships, and in a way that is efficient, is orderly, and environmentally safe, and keeps the work in American shipyards, because while this was so terrible in my own home of Baltimore, MD, let me show you what was going on in the Third World. This is the U.S. Navy ships being dismantled in India. Thirty-five thousand people work on a beach, often with no shoes, dismantling ships with their bare hands. This is so dangerous, in terms of what they are doing, that I believe it is an international disgrace. I was appalled we were also exporting our environmental problems overseas. Mr. President, I called upon Secretary Cohen, when I read this series, to immediately stop what we were doing and to take a look. He did it. I want to thank him for his prompt response. He analyzed what they should do, and they made recommendations. But the recommendation was more enforcement of the same old way of doing business. Well, more enforcement of the same old way of doing business will still end up with the same old way of doing business--occupational safety dangers, environmental catastrophes, and a national disgrace. So that is why I am introducing my own legislation. The first section of the legislation will absolutely ban the shipping, the sending of our 180 Navy ships overseas to be dismantled in such despicable situations. The other part establishes a pilot project for the U.S. Navy to look at how it could put our ships out for dismantling bids in American shipyards that meet environmental and occupational standards. Those shipyards, like the ones in my own hometown of Baltimore, that are fit for duty. They know how to build a ship. They know how to convert a ship. They know how to dismantle a ship. I think the Navy can do better. The Navy has an outstanding record of dismantling nuclear submarines. They do it in a particular and unique way. They have the ingenuity and the technical competence, but they lack the will and the resources. What I hope my legislation will do is give them both the will and the resources to dismantle this in a way that retires our ships with honor. I knew that when the Senate saw those pictures they would be as taken aback as I have been. I thank the Sun paper for their outstanding series in bringing this to not only my attention but to America's attention. They won the Pulitzer Prize. But I want the United States of America to be sure that we win an environmental victory here. So, Mr. President, I am going to be introducing my legislation today as we speak. In fact, I send my legislation to the desk and ask that it be referred to the appropriate committees. I just want to close by saying that when we close military bases, we do it the right way, we pay to clean them up, we close them down and find other basic ways of recycling their use. Every weekend I am around veterans who wear the ships on which they sailed. They have the U.S.S. Coral Sea; they have a variety of the ships that they sailed on. They are proud of those ships, and I am proud of those ships. And I am proud of the military. I conclude by saying, I thank Secretary Cohen for his leadership as well as Secretary Perry. They have done more environmentally positive things for the military than we have ever had done. But this is the next step. I yield the floor, and I thank the Senate for its kind attention.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. I thank the Presiding Officer. (The remarks of Ms. Mikulski and Mr. Daschle pertaining to the introduction of S. 2064 are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'') Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of the Senior Citizens Protection Act of 1998, introduced by Senator Baucus. I support this legislation for two reasons--it fights fraud and protects seniors. Fraud and abuse pose a serious threat to Medicare and Medicaid. We cannot afford to tolerate any more abuse of the system. The job of Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) is to investigate and prosecute Medicaid fraud in state programs. MFCUs have prosecuted thousands of cases and recovered hundreds of thousands of Medicaid dollars. Every dollar saved by MFCUs is another dollar we can use to provide quality service to those who need it. This legislation expands the authority of Medicaid Fraud Control Units in two ways. It allows MFCUs to investigate federal fraud violations discovered during a state Medicaid investigation. Currently, MFCUs cannot investigate Medicare fraud or other federal fraud violations. Under the Senior Citizens Protection Act, MFCUs will be able to investigate federal fraud, and return recovered funds to the federal government. I am firmly committed to protecting seniors from elder abuse. This legislation protects seniors by authorizing to MFCUs to investigate patient abuse in residential health care facilities that do not receive Medicaid reimbursement. The number of residential facilities is growing, but local authorities often lack the resources to investigate elder abuse. MFCUs are already investigating elder abuse in facilities that receive Medicaid funding. But under the Senior Citizens Protection Act, MFCUs will be able to protect all of our senior citizens living in residential facilities. I want to let those who depend on Medicaid and Medicare know that we are fighting to stop fraud and waste. We have done an outstanding job in protecting Medicaid-covered seniors from fraud and abuse. It is now time to extend that protection to all of our senior citizens.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise in strong support of the IRS Reform and Modernization Act. It is now over six months since the House passed this reform measure. I am pleased that at last we are taking this bill up here in the Senate, and that we will be voting on this today. Let me tell you why I think this bill is so important. Others have spoken on the new projections that this bill will provide for taxpayers. I agree that they are very important. As my colleagues have noted, this bill will provide taxpayers with important new rights and protections. It shifts the burden of proof in many tax court cases from the taxpayer to the Secretary of the Treasury. It gives taxpayers an expanded ability to recover costs if they win their cases. It protects ``innocent spouses''. The bill also will help taxpayers by changing the framework for interest and penalties and improving due process in matters regarding audits and collections. These are all important reforms. They will help ensure fairness for taxpayers. Mr. President, I really want to get to the heart of why I am for this bill. First, the Senate should know that I am very, very proud of the fact that the IRS will have its headquarters in Maryland. I want to salute the devoted men and women at the IRS who have worked under a very difficult set of conditions. They have often worked under a lack of leadership and often with a lack of technology. I hope that as we move ahead with the IRS reform package, we really remember and reward the dedicated and faithful civil servants who follow the laws that Congress passes. I must tell why I am so enthusiastic about this bill. It provides not only a new legislative framework, but a new culture and a new attitude at the top that then says to the agent at the grassroots level what is expected of him. Let me tell you why I think this new culture and new attitude is so important. I believe there is no doubt that the IRS has engaged in many inappropriate management practices. I know from my conversations with Maryland constituents that too many of them have been outright harassed by the IRS. I want to talk about two constituencies: the veterans of the State of Maryland and the firefighters in Frederick County. I think it is outrageous that IRS singled out these veterans of Maryland, and actually even stalked them over what they were doing in their VFW halls and their American Legion posts. The IRS wanted to penalize them because they had a little beer and a little bingo on a Friday night. Over the past several years IRS has targeted a number of veterans posts in Maryland. Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion posts have been subjected to audits, harassment and threats. What is their crime? They sell drinks and food to their post members and their guests; a little bingo and a little beer and a lot of IRS. Let me tell you, that has got to end. Every member of this Senate has veterans' posts in their state. We know that these neighborhood meeting places offer veterans a place for fellowship, entertainment and an affordable meal for their families and friends. The IRS believes that posts should have to pay taxes on these sales. Maryland veterans' posts report that IRS has confiscated their sign-in books. People have been subpoenaed. One post, the Dundalk post in the State of Maryland, was even threatened the loss of their nonprofit status. Ladies and gentleman of the Senate, these are the men and women who fought to save America, and I am willing to stand up today to save America's veterans from the Internal Revenue Service. And that is why I am going to be an enthusiastic voter for the final passage of this bill. What did our veterans have to do? They had to hire attorneys, they had to hire CPAs. Amazingly, the American Legion was told by the IRS they could not use post funds to provide this legal help. Then instead of offering to work cooperatively with the post to help them come into compliance, the IRS went after them in the most heavy-handed manner. They also said, ``If you go to any Member of your Congress, we will get you.'' I am not out to get anybody. But what I am here to be sure of is that our Tax Code is a workable one and that the people who work at IRS follow the law. Let me give you another example--our volunteer firefighters. Underline that, Mr. President. Volunteer firefighters, who put themselves, their lives on the line to save us and our families. One of the ways that they get money to be able to purchase a firetruck or other equipment is something called a tip jar. It is just a big glass jar which they have in taverns or other places; voluntary contributions to help a volunteer fire department. But, oh, no. Along comes the IRS and says even though you risk your lives, even though you do not have the backing of big city technology, we are going to make sure we are going to tax you for what you have done. To help the firefighters, the Frederick County Commissioners passed a local gaming law making it legal and less bureaucratic for the fire company to have tip jars in local taverns. The new law eliminated the need for the county tax processors to get involved in a voluntary philanthropic activity. But, no, the IRS had other ideas. They had to come after our firefighters. They audited the fire company. They informed the volunteers that they owed $29,000 in back Federal taxes because the money was not funneled through some local tax authority. What comes next? Are they going to be after the Girl Scouts when they sell their cookies? I believe an agency culture that identifies America's veterans and America's volunteer firefighters as the enemy is a culture in desperate need of change. So that is why this bill is important. I believe that we are not only changing the law, but it will change the culture of IRS. The Oversight Board this bill provides will work to ensure the best use of agency resources. It will help the IRS focus its priorities where they should be--stopping flagrant tax cheats and tax evaders, not going after veterans and volunteers who have made innocent mistakes. The National Taxpayer Advocate, and the system of local taxpayers advocates will help these groups navigate their way through an often intimidating and complex dispute resolution process. The special customer group dedicated to working with members of the tax-exempt sector will also be a big help. This division will be able to work with the non-profits to ensure they understand their responsibilities under the law, and to help them comply. Mr. President, before closing, I want to pay tribute to the devoted men and women who work at the IRS, often under difficult circumstances, inadequate and dated technology, and often poor leadership or supervision. I believe this bill will help them too. They have chosen to devote their careers to our government and to public service. They receive little recognition and little thanks. I want them to know I value their work. And I am delighted that the Oversight Board will include an employee representative. No one knows more about how to change the culture of the IRS than the employees themselves. This bill recognizes the importance of ensuring that they have a place at the table. I do want the IRS to focus on collecting the taxes in the most efficient way, and I want them to go after tax cheats, tax evaders, and drug dealers so that we can use the IRS to stop real crime in our country. There is no crime going on in the VFW or in the volunteer fire companies of America. I know this bill and hopefully now the new Commissioner will interact with different customer groups by working with them in a different type of way. I look forward to the fact that with the new leadership and the new legislation that we will really back the dedicated civil servants with this new framework and that we will be able to help them. But today I vote for reform of IRS. I stand here on the Senate floor in my own modest way to fight as hard for the veterans as they have fought for us and to stand up for protecting our volunteer firefighters. Certainly in the United States of America a little beer and a little bingo should not be penalized. Mr. President, I yield the floor. Mr. FEINGOLD addressed the Chair.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of the Senior Citizens Protection Act of 1998, introduced by Senator Baucus. I support this legislation for two reasons--it fights fraud and protects seniors. Fraud and abuse pose a serious threat to Medicare and Medicaid. We cannot afford to tolerate any more abuse of the system. The job of Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) is to investigate and prosecute Medicaid fraud in state programs. MFCUs have prosecuted thousands of cases and recovered hundreds of thousands of Medicaid dollars. Every dollar saved by MFCUs is another dollar we can use to provide quality service to those who need it. This legislation expands the authority of Medicaid Fraud Control Units in two ways. It allows MFCUs to investigate federal fraud violations discovered during a state Medicaid investigation. Currently, MFCUs cannot investigate Medicare fraud or other federal fraud violations. Under the Senior Citizens Protection Act, MFCUs will be able to investigate federal fraud, and return recovered funds to the federal government. I am firmly committed to protecting seniors from elder abuse. This legislation protects seniors by authorizing to MFCUs to investigate patient abuse in residential health care facilities that do not receive Medicaid reimbursement. The number of residential facilities is growing, but local authorities often lack the resources to investigate elder abuse. MFCUs are already investigating elder abuse in facilities that receive Medicaid funding. But under the Senior Citizens Protection Act, MFCUs will be able to protect all of our senior citizens living in residential facilities. I want to let those who depend on Medicaid and Medicare know that we are fighting to stop fraud and waste. We have done an outstanding job in protecting Medicaid-covered seniors from fraud and abuse. It is now time to extend that protection to all of our senior citizens.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act of 1997. As a member of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, I am very proud that we have produced this bipartisan legislation. As a United States Senator, one of my priorities for Maryland is to work hard to keep our economy strong. This bill represents a real step forward in maintaining a robust economy for America. I support this bill for three reasons. First, it represents a comprehensive reform of vocational, adult education and job training programs. Second, it provides for the essential element of accountability. Finally, it streamlines the delivery service system into ``One Stop Customer Service.'' This legislation consolidates many of the narrowly focused programs which exist for job training and adult education. In the past, these programs have really represented no system at all. The patchwork of rules, requirements and bureaucracy did nothing but confuse the people these programs were designed to help. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act incorporates nearly 70 of these programs into a simplified plan. Allowing states the option to submit a ``Unified Plan'' makes the most sense for streamlining and simplifying the system. I believe, Mr. President, that accountability in training is essential. Programs must deliver what they promise. In exchange for giving States the flexibility they need to design and achieve strategies for reform, it is reasonable to retain some Federal control. Taxpayers deserve a dollar's worth of service for a dollar's worth of taxes. The standards for measuring state performance provide that accountability. In my state of Maryland, we currently have forty-one One-Stop career centers with more on the way. These ``user-friendly'' services are critical to helping people entering into employment training and placement. Providing core functions in one, easy customer service system is truly the focal point of the legislation we are voting on here today. One Stop centers have been proven effective both in Maryland and nationwide. I am very pleased to see the progress these centers have made and that they are the cornerstone of the Workforce Act. This legislation, Mr. President helps our citizens who are ready, willing and able to work. By giving the States and business communities more flexibility in designing their training programs, we are giving our citizens an opportunity for a new beginning. It gives them a new beginning to become more productive members of our workforce. It gives them a new beginning to get off the welfare rolls and earn the self- respect they deserve by earning their own money and taking care of themselves. The future of our country means making sure that our workforce is trained and ready to face the challenges of the 21st century. This means the federal government taking responsibility for getting our people off welfare and providing real solutions for getting them trained and helping them find work. By empowering our citizens with real life tools for success in the workforce we can achieve real reform of the current system. I am proud to serve on the committee that stepped up to the plate and showed the American public that we are ready to fight for our workforce. High Schools at Community Colleges