Betty McCollum

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. If the State requires mammography screening, is that covered under the Kind amendment?

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, would contraceptive coverage be allowed for women under the Kind plan?

Ms. McCOLLUM. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I just want to make sure that I understand clearly the benefits of the Kind amendment in contrast to the underlying bill that we will be asked to vote on later. One of the concerns I had in committee, as the gentleman knows, was that gender discrimination by the coverage that can be allowed under the existing bill that we are going to be voting on would have a direct impact on women's health care coverage, especially during their reproductive years. So I would like to know, under the Kind plan, is cervical cancer screening covered if States cover it?

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Once again, congratulations to the University of Minnesota Duluth Lady Bulldogs. I know the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Sabo), the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson), and, of course, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), who represents the University of Duluth here in Washington, D.C., could not be more proud. I have to say this was truly exciting to get to do this, Madam Speaker, because when I was a young girl trying to learn how to ice skate, hockey was not available for us; and it certainly was not available to participate on a team and even think about winning a championship. So congratulations, Lady Bulldogs.

Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am pleased to support House Resolution 171, commending the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team for winning the NCAA 2003 National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship. I also too want to congratulate Bulldog Coach Shannon Miller for being named the 2003 American Hockey Coach's Association Women's University Division Coach of the Year. We are all proud of the extraordinary accomplishment of these women. The March 23 triumph of the UMD Bulldogs over Harvard has been referred to as the greatest game in the history of college women's hockey, played before a record-breaking crowd of over 5,000, double overtime, 4 to 3, in order to defeat the Harvard team. This gave the Bulldogs their third consecutive national championship. In only the fourth season of their existence, the Bulldogs have brought the sport of women's hockey to a new and exciting level. The success that this team has achieved over the past few years has helped to fuel a women's hockey explosion in Minnesota and across the country. Twenty-nine colleges now sponsor Division I teams, and the NCAA is considering expanding its field in 2005. In Minnesota, the number of high school women's hockey teams has rocketed from 24 in 1995 to 128 today. Nationwide, the number of girls and women playing ice hockey has increased more than four-fold in this last decade, with more than 39,000 registered females playing hockey today. The success of the Bulldogs and the ever-growing opportunities for women in sports remind us of the importance of title IX, the landmark legislation that banned sex discrimination in schools. It passed over 30 years ago. Title IX has kicked open the door for women and girls in athletics and education, and since the passage of title IX, girls and women have gone from hoping for a team to hoping to make the team. Unfortunately, there are still some who would like to turn back the clock and see this law weakened. But as women continue to make strides towards equal opportunity, title IX must remain strong. We must uphold the progress we have made and continue to expand the opportunities for our daughters, granddaughters, and nieces for the next generation and beyond. Every girl and young woman must be given a chance to one day become a national champion. Once again, I congratulate the UMD Lady Bulldogs on their remarkable achievements. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis). (Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar).

Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to support H. Res. 171, commending the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team for winning the NCAA 2003 National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship. I also want to congratulate Bulldogs Coach Shannon Miller on being named the 2003 American Hockey Coaches Association Women's University Division Coach of the Year. We are all proud of the extraordinary accomplishments of these women. The March 23 triumph of the UMD Bulldogs over Harvard has been referred to as the greatest game in the history of college women's hockey. Played before a record-breaking crowd of over 5,000, the double-overtime 4 to 3 defeat of Harvard gave the Bulldogs their third consecutive national championship. In only the fourth season of their existence, the Bulldogs have brought the sport of women's hockey to a new and exciting level. The success that this team has achieved over the past few years has helped to fuel a women's hockey explosion in Minnesota and across the country. Twenty-nine colleges now sponsor Division I teams, and the NCAA is considering expanding its field in 2005. In Minnesota, the number of high school women's hockey teams has rocketed from 24 in 1995 to 128 today. Nationwide, the number of girls and women playing ice hockey has increased more than four-fold in the last decade, with more than 39,000 registered females playing today. The success of the Bulldogs and the ever-growing opportunities for women in sports remind us of the importance of Title IX--the landmark legislation that banned sex discrimination in schools. Over the past 30 years, Title IX has kicked open the door for women and girls in athletics and education. Since the passage of Title IX, girls have gone from hoping for a team to hoping to make the team. Unfortunately, there are some who would like to turn back the clock and see this law weakened. But as women continue to make strides toward equal opportunity, Title IX must remain strong. We must uphold the progress that we have made and continue to expand opportunities for our daughters, granddaughters and generations beyond. Every girl must be given the chance to one day become a national champion. Once again, I congratulate the UMB Bulldogs on their achievements.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1588, the fiscal year 2004 Defense Authorization bill. While I strongly believe we must support our armed servicemen and women around the world, this bill contains several unnecessary provisions intended to weaken employee protections and the environment while authorizing billions of dollars on a national missile defense policy that is unproven and untested. It is unfortunate that these controversial measures were included in such an important piece of legislation. I agree that the Department of Defense (DOD) should have the flexibility to manage itself in an efficient manner and provide the strongest national defense. This flexibility, however, should not come at the expense of worker's protections. H.R. 1588 gives the DoD broad authority to strip almost 700,000 civilian employees of fundamental rights relating to due process, appeal and collective bargaining rights. This means the DoD will be able to fire employees with no notice and no opportunity to respond, prevent discrimination actions from being heard by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, strip employees of their right to join a union and repeal the laws preventing nepotism. Civil service employees at DoD have defended our Nation bravely and made enormous sacrifices to support the military effort in Iraq. DOD should not be given unlimited authority to trample on their basic rights. H.R. 1588 also unnecessarily weakens long-standing environmental protections at our military facilities by lowering the accountability standard DoD must follow when recovering imperiled species under the Endangered Species Act. The new standard fails to ensure the DOD's conservation plans are actually effective in assisting the recovery of imperiled species. H.R. 1588 also creates a far less protective definition of `harassment' of marine life by military activities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This new definition allows DoD to avoid ensuring its activities are conducted in a manner to minimize harm to marine life such as whales, dolphins and sea lions. Although I fully appreciate the importance of military training and readiness, the DOD has not made the case that exemptions to important and long-standing environmental laws are necessary or that training is greatly impaired because of those laws. Furthermore, the President already has the authority to waive environmental laws if he deems it a matter of national security, and not once has a waiver requested by the President been turned down. Until our national security is at stake, no government agency--including the DOD--should be above laws that preserve our air and water and sustain America's wildlife. This measure also authorizes $9.1 billion for the unproven and untested National Missile Defense system. This costly program fails to address the rising threat of a chemical or biological weapons attack by terrorists and will divert precious resources away from the very real human investments needed to keep our military, intelligence agencies and domestic security agencies strong. At a time when the Federal Government shortchanges our local communities and neighborhoods in their hometown security efforts, it is irresponsible to be adding billions of dollars to a risky National Missile Defense program. We must strengthen our home security and provide our citizens with the appropriate resources necessary to ensure a terrorist attack never happens again on American soil. Although I oppose H.R. 1588, I am encouraged that the bill provides a significant boost for military salaries, health care, housing allowances and housing construction opportunities. We need to assure our military that as we continue to support their readiness capabilities, we remember the personal well being of the men and women in uniform as well as their families. When the Conference Report on this bill between the House and Senate is addressed in the House, we will have another opportunity to pass a measure that reflects the critical needs of our military while protecting the civil service protections of our employees and our environment. I look forward to working with my colleagues on these efforts.

Mr. McCOLLUM

Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I support S. 222, the Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2003, and S. 273, the Grand Teton National Park Land Exchange Act. Unfortunately, House Republican leaders continue to refuse to schedule debate on legislation that would include all low-income Americans in last month's tax bill. The only way to get their attention is to vote against these measures. Although I don't want to oppose these bills today, it is the only way to show House leaders that we must extend child tax credits to all families now. It is an outrage that the House would consider legislation under suspension of the rules while millions of families continue to be left out of the $350 billion tax cut. The tax bill that passed last month failed to extend child tax relief to all low-income children and families. Fixing this omission must be our first priority. This House lacks the leadership to ensure that the working parents of 19 million children receive the increased child tax credit they were denied. This House lacks the right priorities. I will continue to use my vote to speak out until we finally include all Americans, not just the well off, in the tax bill.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1261, the Workforce Reinvestment and Adult Education Act of 2003. Nearly nine million Americans are unemployed today, the highest level in nearly a decade. Not only are there more unemployed, but people out of work are finding it harder to get a job. People who become unemployed are staying out of work for almost 20 weeks on average, the longest since 1984. The proportion of workers who exhaust their unemployment benefits before they find a new job is the highest since the 1970s. Unfortunately, H.R. 1261 does nothing to put people back to work. It instead unravels the very programs that ensure these workers have the skills and training they need to find high paying, long-term jobs. H.R. 1261 eliminates targeted programs designed to help both dislocated workers and unemployed adults find a job. It blocks grants dedicated to assistance, forcing low-income workers and welfare recipients to compete with dislocated workers for the same limited Federal resources. This bill also eliminates dedicated funding for job search services, like Minnesota's Job Bank, which assists thousands of Minnesotans. This funding also supports a rapid response system that meets the immediate needs of workers affected by mass layoffs. These changes threaten to break apart Minnesota's statewide workforce development system at the very time when these services are needed most to help unemployed workers find jobs. H.R. 1261 does nothing to ensure that job-training funds are used for training. It allows governors to take money from adult education and veterans' job programs to cover bureaucratic costs. It also repeals critical civil rights protections for employees of job training organizations by allowing organizations that receive Federal job- training funds to discriminate on the basis of religion. Mr. Chairman, I strongly believe that we must strengthen our workforce investment system to help Minnesotans get back to work. H.R. 1261, however, fails to meet that goal. I urge my colleagues to reject this bill today.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, the Republican tax cut threatens our nation's long-term economic future. It's not fair. It's not fast acting, and it's not fiscally responsible. That's why I am voting against it today. Instead of this irresponsible plan, the House should be passing a bill that immediately stimulates job growth and our economy. Unfortunately, House Republican leaders silenced democratic debate by not allowing an alternative plan or any amendments to be offered in place of their reckless proposal. I support an alternative jobs and economic growth plan that creates 1.1 million new jobs, cuts $29 billion in taxes for working families, invests in small businesses and provides much-needed financial support to states this year. This plan also invests $26 billion in homeland and economic security and forestalls state tax increases or service cutbacks, which would otherwise deepen the recession and destroy jobs. This is an immediate $129 billion boost to our economy. More importantly, this package avoids corrosive long-term deficits that harm the economy and undermine job growth. This plan pays for itself over ten years. Large long-term deficits harm the economy by driving up interest rates and undermining business investment and job growth. This plan maintains fiscal discipline so we can plan for our children's future. Unfortunately, the House can't consider this proposal because it is being kept from the House floor today. Republican leaders are instead pushing a plan that is tilted even more toward the wealthy than the President's own proposal, adds billions to already record deficits and does nothing to create new jobs for the unemployed. Republican leaders want to cut taxes for millionaires while leaving middle-income families behind. Their plan reduces the top tax rate on both dividends and capital gains to 15 percent. According to the non- partisan Tax Policy Center, this move saves taxpayers with incomes over 1 million an average of $42,800. Amazingly, the top 5 percent of households receive 75 percent of this plans tax cut benefits. Under the Republican proposal, middle-income Americans will only receive $217 this year. We are in danger of piling up $1.4 trillion in new debt over the next ten years if we pass these tax cuts today, a huge burden on our children's future. Bigger deficits will crowd out other national priorities like education, job training, housing and homeland security. We still must pay for the war and reconstruction in Iraq and continue the war on terror. Big deficits also leave Congress with little room to reinforce Social Security and Medicare, especially now when baby boomers are about to retire. I am extremely concerned about our nation's economy. I cannot support, however, saddling our children with massive debt. That is why I will continue to support a fair, balanced plan and oppose the Republican tax cuts today.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join many of my colleagues in observing this month as Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month. I was proud to celebrate Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month by joining members of the Asian community in my Congressional district at their annual banquet on May 10, 2003. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are part of our long-standing tradition, enriching, strengthening and enhancing the fabric of our community through many talents, skills, and hard work. This month provides an opportunity for us to recognize and celebrate the daily contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans that make our community, our state, and our Nation a better place to live in. Asian and Pacific Americans have made great contributions to our Nation in all sectors, including the arts, academia, business, economy, sciences, law and government. Often Asian and Pacific Americans have achieved successes in the face of extreme hardships such as language and cultural barriers, stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice. To honor the Asian and Pacific American's sacrifices, achievements and contributions to our society, the United States Congress passed Public Law 102-450 that designates the month of May as Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month. I am proud to submit this statement for the Record observing this month as Asian and Pacific Heritage Month.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, May 6, 2003, I was unavoidably detained in my district and missed rollcall votes 159, 160, and 161. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 159, 160, and 161.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV), and in honor of their receiving the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans 2003 Outstanding Member Award. The Outstanding Member Award is presented annually to the coalition member that demonstrates ``exemplary commitment and service to American's homeless veterans.'' Through a strong, collaborative partnership with medical and veterans' centers across Minnesota and an unmatched commitment to the state's homeless veterans population, the MACV has met and exceeded these qualifications. As a result, this award recognizes the tremendous achievements the MACV has provided for all Minnesota citizens. Since 1992, when it opened its first office in my Congressional District, the MACV has grown significantly. Today, the MACV operates eight transitional housing facilities throughout the state. By providing food, housing, employment and school opportunities in a structured, affordable program, the MACV represents a model organization for other states to replicate. As we celebrate the achievements of the MACV and all our nation's homeless assistance programs, I urge my colleagues to remember the thousands of homeless veterans across the United States that go without help each and every day. On any given night, 275,000 veterans of the United States armed forces--including thousands in Minnesota--are homeless, and many struggle with alcohol, drug and mental challenges. It is critical that we continue to support the efforts of those who seek to provide these honorable veterans with a better way-of-life. I commend the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans and their staff for this award, and thank the thousands of people across the United States committed to helping our nation's homeless veterans each and every day.

Mrs. McCOLLUM

Mrs. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 1350, to reauthorize the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Although I have outstanding concerns about this bill that I will continue to work with my colleagues to resolve, this bill responds to the needs of special education teachers and the children they serve. It also authorizes much-needed funding levels for our States and local school districts. H.R. 1350 will help schools identify special needs students at an earlier age and avoid misidentification of children. When a child is identified as having a disability at an early age, their parents and teachers are better able to address their needs and integrate them as much as possible into the regular educational curriculum. I have worked hard to secure funding for newborn hearing screening programs, which save schools millions of dollars in special education costs by ensuring early detection and intervention of infants with hearing loss. Further efforts to increase early identification, as H.R. 1350 will accomplish, will surely save our schools millions more in special education costs. H.R. 1350 puts us on the right track to provide funding that has been promised to our States and local school districts for 28 years. Many of us would have preferred that this bill provide mandatory IDEA funding increases, but by authorizing a plan to reach full funding of 40 percent of the excess cost of educating students with disabilities within seven years, H.R. 1350 is a step in the right direction. This bill will provide funding that our schools desperately need now. This reauthorization will also help us learn how to reduce excessive paperwork for teachers. H.R. 1350 requires the General Accounting Office to conduct a study on Federal requirements under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act that result in excessive paperwork burdens for teachers. This study will help policymakers better understand how we can improve conditions for teachers. I will continue to work with all community leaders to improve the discipline and procedural safeguards provisions in this bill. During my time in the Minnesota House of Representatives, our State crafted a careful balance between the rights of children with disabilities and non-disabled students. This allows schools to maintain a safe learning environment for all children and at the same time, resolve discipline issues. I hope to offer Minnesota as a model to create Federal policies that best meet the needs of students and schools. The bill before us today, while not perfect, will make notable improvements to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. In the coming weeks, I will work very hard with the disability community and my colleagues in the Senate to pass a final version of this reauthorization that allows for the best educational opportunity for all children.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself of such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I want to begin by thanking once again the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde) and the ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), for their hard work on this critical legislation. President Bush should also be congratulated for his leadership on this important legislation. This bill is a huge step forward in our global leadership to respond to the AIDS pandemic. The gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) have recognized AIDS orphans and vulnerable children and have included them in this historic bill expressing the sense of Congress that they receive a portion of funding. Nonetheless, I believe we can and we must do more to ensure that some of our planet's most vulnerable children are protected. The amendment I am offering today would ensure that 10 percent of the appropriated funds in this bill be expended for HIV--AIDS assistance for millions of orphans and vulnerable children affected by AIDS. As we prepare to authorize this groundbreaking legislation, I urge my colleagues to join me in committing this funding for children who are being left behind to survive on their own as a result of the AIDS pandemic. This funding will go far in providing the most basic health, education and economic needs to millions of children throughout the work of community and faith-based groups, as well as NGOs and host country governments. Today there are more than 12 million children, 12 million children in Africa, that have lost one or both parents to HIV--AIDS. By the year 2005, there will be more than 20 million AIDS orphans around the world. Children in Africa are suffering the loss of parents, extended family members, teachers, health care providers and peers. Every community affected by AIDS is being robbed of a generation of adults in their most productive years, leaving behind children to be raised by relatives, left on their own in households headed by other children, or, even worse, to be totally left alone to forage in rural villages and on the streets of cities across the continent of Africa. The scope and complexity of the challenges facing children affected by AIDS cannot be overstated. Children become responsible for their own survival while providing care for dying parents. They are forced to abandon school and face the stigma and isolation far too frequently associated with AIDS. Tragically, orphan children who are the most vulnerable are often forced into labor, sexual exploitation, and the hopelessness of a life of mere survival. This amendment can help transform the future of communities filled with AIDS orphans by committing to reinvest into communities that have faith-based organizations and other groups that are committed to working with orphans. We are ensuring by doing this that an entire generation of children in Africa will not be lost. We have the responsibility today to make a firm commitment to ensure that the resources in this bill go to provide the most basic needs of every child; food, shelter, safety, medicine, education, and, most importantly of all, hope for the future. I urge my colleagues to join me today in supporting the millions of children orphaned by AIDS. I respectfully ask my colleagues to support this amendment and to make a strong commitment to the millions of AIDS orphans and vulnerable children who desperately need our help today.

Ms. McCOLLUM. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.

Ms. McCOLLUM. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I am very honored to have this amendment accepted, and I thank both my mentors for their help in preparing this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, today, while Congress debates this bill, every 15-year-old boy in Botswana is living with a 90 percent, a 90 percent chance of dying from AIDS during his life. AIDS is destroying millions of lives, families, and entire nations in Africa. Congress should and must act now. America possesses the wealth, the knowledge, the leadership to partner with the people of Africa to save lives, offer dignity to the dying, and provide opportunity to orphans struggling for survival. Our fight against AIDS at home, in Africa, and around the world is both a strategic and humanitarian battle that reflects the greatest strengths and the absolute goodness of the American people. Standing together, let us pass this bill today and empower the people of Africa to use every means available and necessary to treat and stop the spread of AIDS. Today, the people of America and Africa stand together in our fight against AIDS. I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for their work.

Ms. McCOLLUM

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the fiscal year 2003 supplemental appropriations bill, yet express my sincere disappointment that the amendment offered by Representative Obey to increase funding for our homeland security needs was defeated on a party-line vote. I support our troops in the field, and believe it is the responsibility of Congress to provide our armed servicemen and women with the resources they need to achieve victory in Iraq and return home quickly and safely to their families. Just as important, however, is the responsibility of Congress to ensure the safety and security of our hometowns. Representative Obey's amendment would have added $2.5 billion for homeland security needs, including $150 million for State public health and environmental laboratories to deal with chemical weapons attacks, $800 million for the equipment and training needed to let local fire, police, and medical personnel meet the difficult challenges a terrorist attack would entail, and $66 million to help the Reserves train and relocate deployable military hospitals. This amendment would have taken a significant step to protect American communities and neighborhoods. By rejecting this amendment, the House missed an opportunity to address pressing unmet needs for protection of the American people from terrorist attacks. I am concerned that the failure of the amendment to be made in order will delay for months and perhaps longer the implementation of numerous simple, straightforward steps that we should be taking to prevent future catastrophic attacks against the United States. For the Record, I submit a copy of a letter I received from Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Rich Stanek, urging support of additional funds for homeland security in the supplemental to assist Minnesota's rising homeland security needs. Representative Obey's amendment would have gone a long way toward meeting this need, but unfortunately the Republican Party in Congress said ``no'' to Minnesota and ``no'' to this new funding. Protecting our homeland is a nonpartisan issue. Nothing is more important than the security of our hometowns and our families. As this bill moves to conference with the Senate, I hope we can agree that homeland security needs must be above party-line politics. Minnesota Department of Public Safety St. Paul, MN, March 28, 2003. Hon. Betty McCollum, Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC. Dear Representative McCollum: As the United States continues military action to disarm and liberate Iraq, Minnesota's Office of Homeland Security has taken a number of security measures to assess any potential risks and to ensure the safety of Minnesotans throughout the state. The State Emergency Operations Center (SEPC) was partially activated at the onset of military action and was fully activated at 8:00 a.m. on March 20, 2003. The SEOC remained fully activated until 11:30 p.m. on Friday, March 21, 2003 and partially activated until 8:00 a.m. on March 24, 2003. In addition, the Minnesota State Patrol was deployed on March 17, 2003 for security purposes to the Flint Hills Oil Refinery, Ashland Oil Refinery, Prairie Island and Monticello Nuclear Plants, and the Minneapolis and St. Paul Water Treatment Facilities. On March 19, 2003, the Minnesota National Guard relieved State Patrol troopers and continued to provide facility security until 7:00 a.m. on March 26, 2003. State cost estimates to activate the SEOC and to provide facility security total approximately $463,000. The major costs incurred by the state were the facility security costs: Department of Military Affairs, Minnesota National Guard ($368,000) and Department of Public Safety, Minnesota State Patrol ($65,000). There were also just over $30,000 in costs to activate the SEOC which include some operating and overtime costs for other state agencies. These costs do not include any costs at the local level to provide security or to prepare and respond to potential threats. The cooperation and coordination at the state level has gone very well, and I am pleased that Minnesota has no incidents to report. In a conference call with the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Ridge assured states that every attempt would be made to seek reimbursement for costs to provide heightened security at critical infrastructure sites. As Congress prepares to act on a supplemental appropriations bill, any funds you can secure for Minnesota's extraordinary costs, particularly in light of the state's budget crisis, will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of Minnesota. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or need additional information. Sincerely, Rich Stanek, Commissioner.