Barbara Mikulski

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, this August, 25 years ago, Capitol Police Sergeant Christopher Sherman Eney died in the line of duty. I rise to remember Sergeant Christopher Sherman Eney and the great sacrifices of our law enforcement officers. The men and women who make up the Capitol Police protect not only Members of Congress but all the people visiting Capitol Hill, from foreign dignitaries to Girl Scout troops. Sergeant Eney was a loyal and dedicated member of the U.S. Capitol Police. He served on the force for twelve years. On August 24, 1984, U.S. Capitol Police officers participated in SWAT training. That evening, the officers wanted to practice a particularly difficult exercise just one more time. During this final activity, Seg. Eney was accidentally shot and killed. Sergeant Eney's life was cut tragically short. He was 37 years old. He left behind his wife Vivian and their two daughters: Shannen and Heather. My thoughts and prayers are with Sergeant Eney's family as we remember that tragic day. Shortly after Sergeant Eney's passing, Vivian spoke of her husband and other fallen officers. She could not have spoken truer words when she said, ``It is not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived.'' Her famous words are forever engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. It is up to us to honor Vivian's words. Twenty five years later, we remember Sergeant Eney as a man dedicated to risking his life for his Nation. He was a brave and courageous man. He lived every day protecting his country and the future of his children. I am so proud of every U.S. Capitol Police officer who puts their life on the line. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking them for their service.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. I thank the Senator for answering the question. I, too, am deeply troubled by the plight of these dealers, and I ask unanimous consent to be listed as a cosponsor of the amendment.

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, will the Senator yield for a question?

Ms. MIKULSKI. I will only take a moment because I know the Senator from Oregon is on a tight schedule and wants to call up his amendment. But is the Senator proposing legislation?

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I strongly support the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act. This legislation is about protecting American families. Credit card companies have been pushing schemes and scams for years. This legislation beefs up regulations and enforcement to help consumers avoid them. And it makes it easier for families to pay down their bills and get out of debt. I support this legislation because heart and soul I am a regulator and a reformer. Over and over, I have voted for more teeth and better regulation because I believe government should be on the side of the people. I was one of nine Senators to vote against the deregulation that led to casino economics and caused the economic crisis we are fighting to get through today. From tainted dog food to toxic securities, we've seen the consequences of a lax regulatory culture and wimpy enforcement, which is why I have fought against it at every turn. We need to get back to basics. For too long we have let credit card companies get away with schemes and scams. We relaxed the rules and allowed the whales and the sharks to grow bigger and fiercer. I am on the side of the minnows. We need to regulate the whales and the sharks. We need to stop the scamming and the scheming. American families are worried about their jobs. They are worried about their health care. They are worried about their kids' school. They shouldn't have to worry about unfair credit card practices. People who saved for their retirement, those who've been faithful in paying their mortgage, those who have worked hard to pay for college are wondering, ``What is going on? The cost of groceries and health care and energy are going up and my pay check, if I'm lucky enough to still have one, is going down. Where's my bailout?'' No wonder my constituents are mad as hell. They have watched Wall Street executives pay themselves lavish salaries. They have watched them engage in irresponsible lending practices. They have watched them do casino economics, gambling on risky investment mechanisms. And now those same banks who are asking my constituents for a bailout with one hand are raising interest rates for no reason, and charging exorbitant fees with the other hand. Well, my constituents are mad as hell and so am I. I want them to know that I am on their side. I am fighting to get government back on the side of the people who need it. We need to look out for the public good, not private profits. The banks on Wall Street have been busy in the past 10 years. At the same time they were inventing new ways to make risky loans and engage in casino economics, they were also figuring out how to get American consumers in debt traps, and keep them there by raising interest rates, charging fees, and marketing to consumers who didn't know any better. They have been raising interest rates on consumers for no reason, and applying the higher interest rates retroactively. They have been charging fees without any legitimate purpose--and then charging interest on top those unfair fees. And they have been marketing their products to college students who they knew couldn't afford the credit they were providing. This has led to a massive unsustainable debt increase for too many families. It has made it almost impossible for some to get out of debt even though they have acted responsibly, and it's led to too many students graduating college with thousands of dollars in credit card debt but no steady paycheck. This legislation says no more. No more raising interest rates for no reason and with no notification. No more applying higher interest rates to balances that have already been paid off. No more unfair sky-high fees with no recourse for the consumer. And no more targeting college kids to weigh them down with debt before they even graduate. These reforms will give families in debt the opportunity to get out, it will lower monthly credit card bills, and it will help consumers avoid the predatory debt traps that are the problem in the first place. We need to fight for the middle class. We need to fight for the people who play by the rules. And we need a major attitude adjustment. Congress is trying to stand up for the middle class, for our constituents who are asking, ``Where is my bailout?'' But the banks and financial industry continue to stand in the way. We have given them hundreds of billions in bailouts. But there is no sense of gratitude. There is no sense of gratitude that the waitress, that the single mother, that the farmer, that the firefighter is willing to do their part. And there is no willingness to help out those who have stepped up. There is no gratitude, no remorse, no promise to sin no more, no ``let's make amends.'' Instead, they pay themselves lavish salaries, bonuses and perks, like lavish spa retreats, and they fight tooth and nail against our efforts to help the very people who are now paying their salaries. Wall Street is bankrupt--both on its balance sheets and in its attitude towards the American consumer. I am proud to stand with Chairman Dodd and Senator Shelby as we put government back on the side of the people who need it. These reforms have been a long time coming; I am proud to stand in support of this bill today and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of it as well. Senator Levin's 11,000th Vote

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today in support of Gary Gensler's nomination to be Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. I have known Gary for many years--when he worked in the Senate during the Clinton administration, and as a community leader in Maryland. I know him to be a man of principle and great intelligence with a deep understanding of all areas of domestic finance and how to turn ideas into workable policy. During this time of great financial turmoil and uncertainty, we need someone with these skills to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. I enthusiastically support Gary Gensler's nomination for this important position on President Obama's economic team, and I applaud the administration for working to address my colleagues' concerns so Gary can finally be confirmed. I have three criteria for considering nominees: competence, dedication to the mission of the department, and integrity. Gary Gensler clearly meets these criteria. His experience in all areas of domestic finance is stellar. He has worked in the executive branch, the Congress and on Wall Street. He was a top economic adviser to Senator Paul Sarbanes on the Senate Banking Committee. And he worked under Larry Summers during the Clinton administration as Under Secretary of Treasury. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is an essential part of the financial regulatory system. Its decisions affect everyone who purchases food or commodities including consumers and small businesses. I have always stood for strong regulation with teeth. I applaud President Obama for choosing an economic team that is committed to this kind of reform. And I am convinced Gary will be a great asset in carrying it out. We faced similar challenges in 2003. Enron had just exposed giant cracks in our regulations, flushed the savings of hundreds of thousands of people, and put our broader economy at risk. Congress needed to act boldly to set up new regulations, just as we do now. Those new regulations were called Sarbanes-Oxley. They were championed by Senator Sarbanes and his top economic advisor at the time--Gary Gensler. They rewrote the rules of corporate America. They made business more accountable, shined light where others were afraid to look and stood up to big business. Gary has integrity and a strong family. I have gotten to know Gary and his family as his wife Franchesca struggled and succumbed to breast cancer. I saw the strength of Gary and his three wonderful daughters: Anna, Lee and Isabel. He has tried to help others whose loved ones have cancer, and he was honored for his work on behalf of the American Cancer Society. President Obama has inherited a mess. Our economy is teetering and people have lost faith in the institutions that are supposed to protect them. We need a Chairman of the CFTC who will enforce our laws, reform our regulatory system and guard us against fraud and abuse. I have full confidence that Gary Gensler is up to this challenge. He will be a strong, effective and reform minded Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. I urge my colleagues to support his nomination.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, this month the Nation was gripped by the pirate attack on Maersk Alabama off the coast of Africa. Today, I rise to cheer Captain Richard Philips, for his bravery and valor, and the Navy SEALs, for securing the Captain's safe return. We also need to honor the Merchant Marines who did not give up their ship. Though unarmed, using their wits, grit and training, they saved their ship--an American flag-ship--and the much-needed food aid they were carrying to the desperately poor of Africa. The 20-man crew of the Maersk Alabama belonged to the American Merchant Marines. They were sailing a U.S.-flag vessel carrying 17,000 metric tons of cargo to Mombasa, Kenya. I am so proud that many of them trained in Maryland at Calhoon MEBA Engineering School in St. Michael's or at the maritime training school in Piney Point. Here, they learned how to navigate at sea, operate and repair ships, and how to handle a pirate or terrorist attack. Here, they received the education to sail the sea with skill that allowed them to save their ship with courage. Thirteen of the 20 crew members aboard the Maersk Alabama trained in Maryland; 4 at Calhoon MEBA Engineering School and 9 at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education. Richard Matthews of St. Michael's was an engineer aboard Maersk Alabama. He trained at Calhoon MEBA Engineering School, as did three others aboard the ship: Ken Quinn, the ship's second mate who called CNN from the ship; Michael Perry; and John Cronan. John Cronan later told the ``Today'' show: ``We didn't have to retake the ship because we never surrendered it. We're American seamen. We're union members. We stuck together and did our jobs.'' Twelve crew members aboard the Maersk Alabama are members of the Seafarers International Union, SIU. Many of them trained at SIU's maritime school, the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education, in Piney Point, MD. It is the largest training facility for deep sea merchant seafarers. It teaches skills for sailors and seafarers, such as how to maintain a boat engine and how to secure a ship from pirates. I salute the SIU members aboard the Maersk Alabama for their patriotism and pluck and for their refusal to surrender their ship. This incident reminds us of the importance of the Merchant Marines. Often unseen and unappreciated, they are vital to our economic security and our national security. They are our eyes and ears on the water. They are experts in marine safety, environmental protection and the new and latest technology. They keep our ports safe and our commerce flowing. They are the Ready Reserve. They are there in war, transporting vital military aid and supplies to our troops. They are there in peace, supplying aid to those most in need--just as the Maersk Alabama was doing when the pirates attacked. They are prepared to risk their lives defending their flag. Let's salute the Merchant Marine, not just for what they did aboard the Maersk Alabama, but for what they do, what they stand for, their proud tradition. The Merchant Marine tradition is one of saving America time and time again. They have been the Nation's fourth arm of defense since the American Revolution. President Roosevelt called our Merchant Marines ``heroes in dungarees'' because during World War II these gallant men braved the waters of the North Atlantic and the dangers of the Murmansk run to keep our troops overseas fed and clothed. They have fought on the front lines of every war since then--from Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf to the Iraq War. They were there on 9/11, ferrying thousands of people to safety in New York. They were there in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. And they have been there providing food to starving children in Ethiopia, Somalia and dozens of other regions around the world. The maritime community has been a major player in my personal and political history, from growing up in east Baltimore to my early days in Congress on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. I got my start in politics by representing blue collar workers in Baltimore, the shipyard workers and the dock workers. I am relieved by the safe return of the Maersk Alabama's crew and captain and I am grateful for all of those involved in their safe rescue and return: the Navy and their elite Navy SEALs squad and President Obama and his administration for handling the hostage situation with great skill. As we welcome them home, let us acknowledge not just their heroism off the horn of Africa, but the everyday heroics of our Merchant Marines; their skills and training, their patriotism and proud tradition, and the role they play every day, in every way, supporting our troops, guarding our ports, keeping our economy strong and safeguarding our interests overseas.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to support the nomination of Kathleen Sebelius to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. I am pleased that the Senate today will finally confirm Governor Kathleen Sebelius as the new Health and Human Services Secretary. Governor Sebelius brings much needed policy and management expertise to the job as our Nation Faces serious public health challenges. Our immediate concern is the effective coordination of our Nation's public health resources to combat the emerging swine flu pandemic. Sebelius and her team must immediately respond to contain this very serious threat. I look forward to working with her as she helps fulfill President Obama's promise to enact comprehensive health reform. Governor Sebelius will add urgency, substance, and know-how to pass complicated health legislation that will benefit American families and businesses. Govenor Sebelius will serve as the effective CEO of HHS and ensure its agencies are well run and consumer focused. She has the difficult task of not only restoring the public's confidence in our Nation's health agencies, but also building the trust of HHS' committed workforce. Special effort must be made to listen and learn from the scientists at FDA who lacked effective leadership during the previous administration. Governor Sebelius' immediate leadership also will help guide the implementation of the economic recovery act that included several important health initiatives--particularly the development and adoption of interoperable health information technology standards. I am confident she will meet the intent and deadlines enacted by Congress.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President. I wish today to recognize the 60th anniversary of the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Sixty years ago this April, NATO was created to ensure the freedom and security of western nations in the aftermath of the Second World War. Since then, it has evolved into the most comprehensive international security organization the world has ever known and has become a reliable cornerstone of America's national security. As many of my Senate colleagues know, I was an active proponent of NATO expansion in 1999 and again in 2004. For me, the debate over whether to expand NATO had deep personal resonance. For many of the countries aspiring to join NATO at that time, freedom did not come to every nation in Europe at the end of the Second World War. For those countries caught behind the Iron Curtain, the end of the Second World War marked the beginning of a long struggle for freedom and democracy. Even after the Iron Curtain fell, their freedom and security was not ensured. For many of those countries, joining NATO in the expansion rounds in 1999 and 2004 provided true security for the first time. For me, growing up as a Polish American in east Baltimore, I learned about the burning of Warsaw. I knew about the occupation of Poland by the Nazis. I learned about the burning of Warsaw at the end of World War II, when the Germans burned it because of the Warsaw uprising, Soviet troops stood on the other side of the Vistula River and watched it burn. I learned about the Katyn massacre, where Russians murdered more than 4,000 military officers and intellectuals in the Katyn Forest at the start of the Second World War, so there would not be an intellectual force in Poland, ever, to lead it to democracy. I learned that these terrible events must never be permitted again. When the Senate voted to ratify the accession of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary into NATO, I knew that Poland could finally emerge from the shadow of the Cold War to join the family of Western nations. In the 60 years since it was created, NATO has been an unprecedented success in deterring conflict and promoting peace and stability. To remain relevant and successful in the future, NATO must keep its doors open to those European democracies ready to bear the responsibilities, as well as the burdens, of membership. We must all remember that for many nations that have been occupied and oppressed over the last 100 years, NATO represents an institution that will guard against a repeat of the despicable and inhumane practices of the old century.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I rise in objection to the Vitter amendment No. 705 to single out ACORN, and actually, inadvertently, target other organizations that have no involvement whatsoever with ACORN. The Senator's amendment prohibits ACORN or organizations affiliated or which are colocated with ACORN from receiving assistance under this act. First, I want to address this colocating. For whatever you feel about ACORN--and I believe it is the one organization being singled out--this amendment would prohibit AmeriCorps funds to any organization simply because they rented space in the same building as ACORN. Well, in my hometown, many nonprofits are often within the same buildings as other organizations. So there might be a building in Baltimore or Baton Rouge or Fargo, ND, or in New Orleans, where in the very same building that ACORN might be located St. Ambrose Housing Counseling Service might also rent a floor; or it might be the community law center renting another floor in that building; or it might also be the St. Franciscan nuns who might have office space for their outreach to the senior community. So when you are in the same building as ACORN, this amendment would mean you could not get AmeriCorps volunteers. I am so sorry my rebuttal was considered so insignificant, so trivial, that the Senator didn't even stay to hear it, but maybe everybody listening will hear it. The fact is, in the examples I have given--St. Ambrose Housing Counseling Service might be giving very important financial service counseling to people on financial literacy, and also helping them screen what they can afford or not afford; and on another floor the community law center might be working with our new task force organized by the U.S. attorney to go after mortgage fraud; and the community law center might be working with that task force because so many of our poor, in my community, have been a victim of predatory lending, and we are trying to track down the scams and the schemes and the bums to get rid of them--those organizations might have some AmeriCorps volunteers working with the community to help accomplish our public policies. But simply because they share the same building, they are going to be penalized and not have access to AmeriCorps volunteers. I think that is wrong, I think it is irrational, I think it is harsh, I think it is punitive, and I think this amendment should be defeated. The other part of the amendment singles out ACORN for exclusion from AmeriCorps. We want to make it clear that the amendment prohibits funding for one single organization. Whatever you think about ACORN, know that they do work in 110 different cities, and they do a variety of other kinds of things--such as weatherization. The gentleman from Louisiana might be interested to know that after Hurricane Katrina, ACORN volunteers--hundreds of them--went to Louisiana to rehabilitate 3,500 homes. Now, I know the Senator from Louisiana is concerned that money not go to organizations to conduct voter registration, and I understand that. But this is where the amendment is unnecessary: First, ACORN hasn't received any AmeriCorps funds in a decade. Let me repeat: ACORN hasn't received any AmeriCorps funds in a decade. Also, if ACORN does ever in the future participate in AmeriCorps, they will not be able to use AmeriCorps volunteers to conduct voter registration drives or legislative advocacy. But that is not only ACORN. None of our groups can do voter registration or legislative advocacy. The other point is that ACORN and any other group would become ineligible if they were ever convicted of a Federal crime. As you know, in the last election, ACORN was viewed in a controversial way. There was an indictment against them. And, by the way, that indictment charge was dismissed, so, therefore, ACORN has never, to my knowledge, been convicted of a Federal crime. So when we look at the amendment offered by the gentleman from Louisiana, it is punitive toward other organizations that might be in the same building as ACORN, even though it might be a totally different organization. It could be health care for the homeless, it could be a hot line for battered women dealing with violence against women. They would be prohibited from getting AmeriCorps volunteers simply because they are in that building. As I said, this singles out ACORN, yet ACORN hasn't received any AmeriCorps funds in over a decade. And if AmeriCorps should ever get Federal funds, they would be prohibited from doing any of the activities that would give the other side of the aisle pause or concern. We would have that same pause or concern of, No. 1, no national service participants receiving funds can engage in legislative advocacy and, No. 2, an absolute red light would be if anyone applying for AmeriCorps volunteers--any organization applying for AmeriCorps support--would have been convicted of a Federal crime. So I oppose the Vitter amendment. Later on today, we will be voting on the Vitter amendment. We expect that vote to occur around 2:30, and I ask my colleagues to reject that amendment. Madam President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

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

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be set aside.

Ms. MIKULSKI. I now call up the Ensign amendment, No. 690, and I ask that the amendment be modified with the changes at the desk and that the amendment, as modified, be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table.

Ms. MIKULSKI. On behalf of myself and Senator Enzi, I call up an amendment of technical changes, which is at the desk, and I ask unanimous consent that it be considered and agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table.

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

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I wish to respond to the amendment of my colleague from North Carolina and reach out a hand to him as well in terms of seeing if we could come up with a consensus. First of all, I support the goals of what the Senator from North Carolina wishes to achieve. There is no one from our side of the aisle who would want to expose anyone in a vulnerable population--children, the elderly, those with disabilities--to a sexual predator, to a druggie, to a pill head, whatever terms we want to use, because the whole idea of AmeriCorps is to have people who will volunteer their services, and out of that will be able to help to uplift these vulnerable populations. So we are on the same broadband in terms of that. Actually, remember: This bill has not been reauthorized in more than a decade, and in reauthorizing the bill, we actually examined these situations. The bill before the Senate actually requires that national service programs to run a background check through either a State criminal registry or send fingerprints to the FBI for a background check. It does not deal with drug testing. That is a new concept introduced by our colleague. I wish to reiterate that the new legislation, the Serve America Act, already requires a criminal background check for programs serving children, the elderly, disabled individuals, or any other vulnerable population. It requires that every employee and every volunteer undergo a criminal history check in order to participate in federally funded programs. We also want to go the extra mile in our bill by prohibiting sex offenders from serving as volunteers. No registered sex offender can serve as either a foster grandparent, a senior companion, or participate in any activity involved in exposure to children as a school volunteer. Our approach is consistent with the comprehensive rules promulgated by the corporation in 2007 following extensive consultation with the Department of Justice and public comment. So we took what they did through rule-making and we have codified it in this bill exactly to deal with the deep and grave and authentic concerns voiced by the Senator from North Carolina. So our comments to the Senator from North Carolina are, No. 1, we don't think the amendment is necessary because we think we have dealt with it in the bill. Also, I am going to suggest that he and I confer off the Senate floor so we can review the bill and see if it accomplishes his objectives and deal with the issue of drug testing which is in the amendment the Senator has offered today. If staff on our side of the aisle did not respond to the Senator's inquiry, I apologize for that. We are going to have that staff here, supervised by my staff and Senator Kennedy's staff, to see what we can work out. I have worked with the Senator from North Carolina on so many issues, including on the Health Committee where he was a stalwart ally in moving the Higher Education Act. We have worked together in the area of intelligence. We do know about bad guys--bad guys and gals over there and possibly bad guys and gals here. We both want to accomplish the same policy objectives. Let's see if we can't have a conversation. If our failure to respond in some way needlessly triggered an amendment, I again wish to apologize. So what I would like to do is leave the amendment pending, and let's have a conversation and see what we can work out. But I can assure my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that we want to make sure no vulnerable population is exposed to an AmeriCorps volunteer or any other volunteer receiving Federal funds in this bill who in any way would jeopardize their health, their safety, and their well-being. I yield the floor.

Ms. MIKULSKI. I appreciate that, as we have engaged with each other on so many other occasions. Therefore, I think that is an excellent way to proceed. I have only two concerns. One is already in the bill, and the other could be onerous costs to very small agencies. I think we can deal with it and approach it the way we always have--rationally, civilly, and with a commitment to get the job done.

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

Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that at 2:30 p.m. today, the Senate resume consideration of amendment No. 721; that upon disposition of that amendment, the Senate resume amendment No. 716; that upon the disposition of that amendment, the Senate then resume amendment No. 705; that prior to a vote in relation to each amendment, there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled in the usual form; and that no amendments be in order to any of the amendments in this agreement, prior to a vote in relation thereto; that after the first vote in this sequence, the remaining votes be limited to 10 minutes each.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I am excited that we are wrapping up this historic legislation. We all know that our Nation is facing many challenges. But times of crisis are times of great opportunity. They are the times in which our Nation's character is forged and in which Americans show their mettle. We are a nation of believers. We believe in ourselves, and we believe in our country's ability. And at such a time of national need, we here in the Congress also know how to come together. This bill is the result of extensive bipartisan work by Senators Kennedy and Hatch who have worked for more than a year on this legislation. They have lived lives that are a testament to the values expressed in this legislation. Thus, it is more than just a bipartisan bill, it is an American bill, and exemplifies everything that is good about our country. It exemplifies not only their great friendship but their shared passion for service and for giving back and working across the aisle to do get things done. This really shows the Senate acting at its best. I am no stranger to National Service. In 1989 I introduced the National and Community Service Act with Senators Kennedy, Nunn, and McCain to establish the Commission on National and Community Service, to oversee and coordinate our national volunteer efforts. That legislation also created a demonstration program that evolved into AmeriCorps. That program provided vouchers for full and part-time service, to pay for education, job training, and homeownership In 1993, we took national service to the next level, by enacting the National and Community Service Trust Act. We worked on that landmark legislation with President Clinton. It created the framework for the programs we are strengthening and expanding today. National service is not just another social program. We created national service as a social invention. It was created to address two critical questions, a practical question and an idealistic one: How would young people pay for their education? How could we reinstall the habits of the heart that made our country great? And it worked. As our economy struggles, these American habits of the heart are shining through. Americans across the country are also doing their best by signing up to serve their communities and their country. City Year applications are up 180 percent. AmeriCorps applications are up as much as three to four times over last year's levels. Teach for America received 35,000 applications for just 4,000 slots. The help they get with student loans through the educational award is a real incentive for these young people. That worked as well. This legislation will help us to harness a renewed energy for service to our communities and our country. It increases the number of AmeriCorps volunteers to 250,000 a year over 8 years, from 75,000. This will provide opportunities for more Americans to serve while ensuring the Corporation has time to handle the growth. This bill isn't just about growth. It is about focusing AmeriCorps on areas of the most pressing national need, and where service can do the most good. That is why we include an education corps, a health futures corps, a clean energy corps, a veterans corps, and an opportunity corps focusing on poverty. This is why we are focusing our service efforts. If we are going to do more in service we need to be sure it is done right. That is why this bill contains many vital accountability measures, to measure outcomes for specific service grantees and outcomes for the Corporation itself. And for this we can truly thank our colleague, Senator Enzi, the Ranking Member of the HELP Committee and a vital partner in this bill. He has once again brought his very sound accounting skills to the table, and we came up with a way to, again, ensure value for the taxpayer, value for the community. One of the things that is so exciting about this bill is what it does to encourage service among young people. We all know that our future lies with the next generation, with America's youth. And we know that young people who learn to serve take those lessons with them for a lifetime. I look at my colleagues--Senator Hatch, Senator Dodd, and Senator Rockefeller. Many of them had important service experiences when they were young that encouraged them to embark on a career of public service. Indeed, working on this bill has reminded me of many things that I did in my own life. When I started my career as a social worker, I wasn't just working in the jobs that paid. I was volunteering with nuns to help women get their lives back on track after getting out of prison. I was working with foster children and children with special needs--our most vulnerable population--to help them get the services and the care they needed. I was a trainer at the very first VISTA training center in Baltimore, making sure that those VISTA members weren't just working to build President Johnson's ``Great Society,'' but that they were doing great work in their communities. I didn't do all of this because anyone asked me to, I did it because nobody asked me to. I saw the compelling human need, and I used my skills as a community organizer to do the best I could in my neighborhood, and my hometown of Baltimore. It led to me fighting to stop a highway, which led to the city council in Baltimore, then to the House of Representatives and, now, to the floor of the U.S. Senate. I didn't know that I would be here when I started my career, but I know that what I did in those early years as a social worker, and volunteer has impacted everything that I've done since. These experiences that we have when we are young truly shape the habits of a lifetime. That is why it is so important that this legislation makes key investments in our Nation's young people. The bill will increase service-learning opportunities for students. Working with Senator Dodd, who has been such a leader on these issues, we create ``summer of service'' opportunities for middle and high school students. In return for spending the summer doing service, students will receive an educational award--which will not only help them pay for college, but will send them a signal that college is within reach. It will also create ``youth engagement zones,'' which provide for coordinated community-wide service learning programs in areas with high dropout rates. Both of these programs provide students with meaningful service experiences and put them on a path to a lifetime of service. College is where so much of our young people's character and experiences are shaped, and our colleges must do a good job instilling the virtues of service. This bill recognizes those that are going the extra mile by allowing for the designation of 25 ``Campuses of Service'' across the country, schools which are undertaking activities to help their students engage in service, service-learning, and go on to public service careers. As I mentioned, this bill will also help students pay for college and decrease student debt for those who serve in AmeriCorps. This was something we thought about very carefully when we created this program. And with college costs rising, it is more important than ever that we reaffirm this commitment. Across AmeriCorps, it will increase the Eli Segal Education Award to $5,350 for the first time since its creation. We also pegged the award to the Pell grant, to ensure it does not get stuck once again in the future. This bill also recognizes we must to do more to appreciate what older Americans have to give back and more to ask them to do them. The largest generation in American history is retiring, but in many cases they have more to give. Recent surveys show that many older Americans are interested in continuing to do more to help the greater good, and a full 58 percent of the first wave of baby boomers reported that they would consider entering ``encore'' careers in service. To help them help us, this bill makes AmeriCorps work better for adults. It allows adults over the age of 55 to transfer their educational award to a child or grandchild, to help such a young person go to college. This keeps the tie between service and educational benefit, but makes it work better for adults. The legislation also creates encore fellowships to help adults transition to longer-term public service. This is a way to bring in people who have retired and who have incredible skills, such as that retired accountant who can help a nonprofit get its books together and maybe find new grant opportunities. Finally, the bill updates and expands the Senior Corps programs, RSVP, Senior Companions, and Foster Grandparents. These programs have been providing opportunities for seniors across the country for decades, and this bill will ensure they continue to do so. Some of the most important work this bill does is around supporting social innovation. We don't know ahead of time what these will be, but every generation comes up with a social invention that shapes our nation for years to come. Often, these ideas come from a young social entrepreneur who has the courage to think they have a new way to solve a tough problem--and they're right. From Teach for America to the Community Health Corps to New Song Urban Ministries' Youth Mentoring Program in Baltimore, they have so much to teach us. The Social Innovation Fund in this bill will do just that, by creating public-private funds to support the expansion of effective, outcomes-based nonprofits that are meeting real needs. One of the things that is truly a hallmark of the American character is our willingness to help each other. There is an overwhelming majority of Americans that donate a few hours of their time each week to do just that. Particularly in this time of need, we must continue to focus on these part-time volunteers. To help organizations better recruit and manage these volunteers, this legislation creates a Volunteer Generation Fund to improve volunteer management and increase capacity at small organizations that rely on volunteers. From part-time volunteers to full-time volunteers, from students to retirees, this bill will help every American at every stage of life give back. By doing so, it will draw on some of our best attributes as a nation--our strength, our compassion, our ingenuity--to address the challenges we are facing. We all agree there is nothing about our country's current situation that is easy. But there are some easy steps on the path to getting back on our feet. This legislation is one such step. In a very short time, we will vote on final passage of the Serve America Act. This is going to be a great day for the Senate and a great day for people everywhere who wish to give back to their country. The content of the bill is outstanding. The way the process has worked has been amazing. What is so wonderful about this bill is, it showed that the Congress and the Senate can work together. We can check our party hats at the door and then concentrate on what we need to do to help the American people. This legislation passed in the House. In the Senate, we have been deliberating on it this week. This bill is the result of extensive bipartisan work by Senators Kennedy and Hatch who have worked for more than a year on the legislation. They, too, have devoted their lives to service. Senator Kennedy's role is well known. For more than 40 years, his steadfast commitment to the Peace Corps, to the VISTA volunteers, to being a founding father of AmeriCorps, he has been there every single time benchmark legislation has passed that has led to the opportunity for greater service. Senator Hatch brings his wonderful background, his Mormon commitment to service, where he himself went on a service mission and to know how it would change their lives. They have brought extensive work on the bill, and they brought a lifetime of experience. I am no stranger to national service because in 1989, I introduced the National Community Service Act with Senators Kennedy, Nunn and McCain to establish a commission and a demonstration project to look at national service. We actually wanted to test out ideas. Then, in 1993, working with President Clinton, we took national service to the next level by enacting the National and Community Service Trust Act. We worked on that landmark legislation with President Clinton. It created the framework for the programs we are strengthening and expanding today. When we did this in 1993, we did not want national service to be just another social program. We wanted to see this as a social invention that would spark a social movement. At that time in the 1990s, everyone was worried about the me generation, where young people were forgetting the legacy of what this country is, the habits of the heart, of neighbor helping neighbor. We wanted to stimulate a movement from the me generation to the we generation. At the same time we faced the hard reality that access to the American dream, particularly higher education, was slipping away from many young people. It worked. We found that the framework for AmeriCorps and other important programs that are in the Corporation for National Service did generate exactly what we wanted. Thousands and thousands of people stepped forward to volunteer, people of all ages, young people and not so young people, in AmeriCorps, the foster grandparent corps, the RSVP, and Senior Companions Programs. It absolutely changed their lives. What is it that we see now? What we see now, as we come into the new century, those habits of the heart continue to burn brightly among our population. We are seeing that as the economy struggles, the American habits of the heart are shining through. All across America, people want to volunteer, if they have the opportunity to do so. City Year applications are up 180 percent. Teach for America has received 35,000 applicants for 4,000 slots. AmeriCorps applications are three or four times last year's level. That is not because they don't have a job and they see AmeriCorps or Teach for America as a substitute for a job. They see it as a calling. They see it as an opportunity to take all this talent and put it to work for our society. We are going to do that. This legislation helps us to harness a renewed energy for service to our communities and our country. It increases the number of AmeriCorps volunteers to 250,000 volunteers a year. But we do it in a well paced way and also in an affordable way. It increases the number of AmeriCorps volunteers to 250,000 a year over 8 years. We will get the job done. It will provide opportunities for more Americans to serve while we ensure that the corporation has time to handle the growth. Also, we wanted to reform, reinvigorate, and refocus AmeriCorps. In AmeriCorps now we are refocusing it on the areas of the most pressing national need and where service can do the most good. That is why we have included the permissible use of establishing an education corps to work at improving school outcomes for young people, more literacy, more math skills, better attendance. We also have a healthy futures corps which will work to make sure people who are eligible for benefits can get them but also to go into schools to be able to help develop those new healthy habits that will last over a lifetime. We have a clean energy corps that will work on weatherization and helping clean our parks and neighborhoods. We have an opportunity corps to focus on poverty, and a veterans corps to help those families where men and women are deployed. That is why we are focusing our service efforts. This bill also includes many accountability measures to ensure to not only measure outcomes but to ensure fiscal stewardship. I thank Senator Enzi, the ranking member of the HELP Committee, a vital partner on this bill. He brought his very sound accounting skills to the table. Working together, we found a way to ensure value for the taxpayer and value for the community. That is what I mean about working together, taking the time to listen to one another, to recognize there is not only talent out there in the community, there is talent right here in the Senate. If we take the time to listen to one another and the ideas we have, sort them through, pay attention to one another, talk with one another--first of all, talk with one another, and do it in a civil way, wow, we can really do some very special things. That is what we did in this bill. We know our future lies with the next generation. We know young people who learn to serve take those lessons with them for a lifetime. My colleagues Hatch, Dodd, and Rockefeller did a year of service. My own work as a social worker had a profound impact on me. My work as a foster care worker and a child abuse worker will stay with me all of my life, when I think about vulnerable populations and what we need to do. The work I was able to do in my own community, working with women who were in jail, who had no programs to assist them when they came out, to the work in the church I belonged to in the African American community, where they did not have access to credit except to the gougers and scammers and schemers, to work to establish a credit union. And then, of course, as a grassroots volunteer, I helped fight a highway that saved neighborhoods in Baltimore and took me into politics. In our country, sometimes those of us who are active in those activities raise the dickens, or in dissent, end up in jail. I ended up in the city council, the House of Representatives, and the Senate. I turned my protest signs into amendment and legislative signs. This is what we see today. Habits last a long time. When we look at what is happening in the healthy futures corps where young people are already working in their community health centers and so on, when they finish their year of service, many of them are going into health careers. They go into medicine, nursing, allied health, or in the great area of public health. Eighty five percent of the people who volunteer in this area want to go into some kind of career that produces improvements in health outcomes. So this is what AmeriCorps is all about. When I worked in the community, I didn't do this because somebody asked me. I did it because it needed to be done. It is not only about what I did as a young volunteer. It is about what young volunteers are doing now. Sure, President Obama is inviting them to participate. But a lot of young people out there see compelling human need, and they want to make a difference. These experiences are going to shape them for a lifetime. We cannot minimize the impact this will have on communities. In its decade and a half of existence, AmeriCorps has already changed lives and communities. When we talk to people where our young people have volunteered in public schools, we know that attendance went up, behavioral problems went down, motivation increased. Working with those volunteers, they even took the time to look at what were the opportunities for scholarships and loans and grants that they could go on to higher education. They make a difference. When we take a look at what they were able to do working in response to disaster assistance, weren't we proud of what our volunteers were able to do--working side-by-side-down there dealing with Katrina where they helped New Orleans dig out? But not only dig out, they dug in to help Louisiana and New Orleans move to a better future. Those AmeriCorps young men and women helped clean up after the debris, clean up after the terrible hurricane that hit. They are working with Habitat for Humanity to build housing or to repair housing and also working side-by-side with public school leadership to create a new New Orleans public school system. This is fantastic. Every community that has been hard hit in many ways enjoys the benefits of these programs. There were other programs we were able to do. One of the things we are especially pleased with was that we were able to increase the education award named after its first founder, Eli Segal, and increased it to $5,300. There are other programs in here. When we talk about programs, it sounds so bloodless, so ``there they go again.'' But that is right; here we go again. We are creating an opportunity ladder for people to be able to participate in our society. There is no other country in the world that does this. I am not just talking about bragging rights for the United States, but it is a lesson learned that in our society, we have a public sector and a private sector. But we have a vibrant sector that is really in the nonprofit field where people can get involved and get engaged. It is what we call the intermediary institutions. It is what de Tocqueville called the habits of the heart. It is what sociologists called the little platoons of neighbor helping neighbor. It is what George Bush the elder called the Thousand Points of Light. But whatever you call it, it is called serving America. Shortly, we will be voting on this bill. I think we have done a very good job. We have created opportunity. We have done it in a way that is affordable. We have built-in, sound accountability measures, and we have governed on a truly bipartisan basis. I thank Senator Kennedy and Senator Hatch for being the lead architects on this bill. I also thank Senator Enzi and Senator Dodd for their very important contributions in improving this bill. I thank all of the staff who have participated in this effort: from Senator Hatch's staff, Chris Campbell, Bryan Hickman, and Jace Johnson; from Senator Kennedy's staff, Christine Leonard, Charlotte Burrows, Janice Kaguyutan, Portia Wu, Michael Myers, and Emma Vadehra; from Senator Enzi's staff, Beth Buehlmann, Adam Briddell, Frank Macchiarola, and Greg Dean; from my own staff, Julia Frifield, Ben Gruenbaum, and Mario Cardona. And the Corporation's general counsel was available to us all the time through Frank Trinity. So I thank the staff who put in so many hours in helping design the bill but also working with other Senators to get the best ideas and the best thinking on how we could get the bill done, but to do it in a way that has accountability and outcome measurements. But also, when the American people hear about what we have done this week, it is such an antidote to last week, when we were talking about AIG and bonuses and ``ain't I greedy,'' and all of those things. What we are talking about here today is about the very best of the American people and how we can draw upon it, and also the very best of the Senate. We do govern best when we work together. So today we were not a red State, we were not a blue State, we were the United States of America States, and we will be ready to vote on it. Mr. President, at the appropriate time--or even now--I urge passage of this bill. I yield the floor.

Ms. MIKULSKI

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 26, 2009, at 10 a.m.

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 26, 2009, at 2:30 p.m.