Jay Rockefeller

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I thank the Chair. They have been cleared on both sides.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I urge the adoption of each of the three amendments.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, I am proud to have joined last week with the Chairman and Ranking Republican Member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, as well as a bipartisan group of my colleagues to cosponsor S. 1499, the American Small Business Emergency Relief and Recovery Act of 2001. It is no exaggeration to say that small businesses have always solidified the economic foundation of our country. While the Fortune 500 companies make the news, small businesses create most of the jobs and are responsible for much of the economy's growth. When terrorists attacked our country on September 11, there were many unforeseen and unfortunate side-effects. Our economy, which was going through a tough period anyway, suffered a significant blow that day and in the days that followed, and we can only hope that the recovery is rapid and steady. Unfortunately, the adverse effects of the September 11 attacks on many our Nation's 25 million small businesses may turn out to be even more profound than those sustained by the economy as a whole. The bipartisan proposal that my colleagues and I have introduced will provide a measure of the critical financial relief necessary to help small businesses recover from the financial losses and other damages incurred in the days and weeks following the attacks. Specifically, this emergency legislation will ensure greater stability in the industry by strengthening and expanding access to the Small Business Administration's loans and management counseling. By aiding small businesses in their efforts to meet payments on existing debts, to finance their businesses, and to maintain and create new jobs, this legislation helps entrepreneurs and their employees to remain productive and self-sufficient. This bill attempts to save valuable jobs and resources placed in jeopardy by addressing the decreasing availability of credit and venture capital afforded small businesses by traditional lenders and investors. In an effort to encourage new investment, this measure includes changes to two of SBA's main non-disaster lending programs put in place to facilitate borrowing and lending. By providing incentives for loans and investment, this bill protects those small businesses directly affected because they are physically located in or near the buildings and areas attacked. Our hearts go out to the businesses and workers in this category, because on top of severe financial hardships, many in this category may have also suffered the loss of loved ones and co-workers. The bill also targets small businesses directly or indirectly affected because they are suppliers, service providers, or complementary industries to any affected industry. This is the type of assistance that might help small businesses like the Galley Restaurant in the Benedum Airport in Bridgeport, WV. When the FAA shut down commercial aviation for several days in the wake of the attacks, business at the Galley just stopped. Likewise, the bill could help the Mountain State Travel Agency in Clarksburg, WV. In the days after the attacks, Mountain State has seen its business dry up to virtually nothing. It is my hope and belief that this legislation may help the Galley's owner, Beverly Bland, and Mountain State's owner, Maria Elena Oliverio, and the owners of thousands of small businesses in West Virginia and throughout the country, from having to close the doors of their small businesses. Finally, the bill will provide assistance to small businesses in need of capital and investment financing, procurement assistance or management counseling. The incentives include physical and economic injury disaster loans, reductions in interest rates, and easier approval standards on Guaranteed Business Loans. Small businesses across our Nation are in great need of economic assistance. The vitality of this sector is of crucial importance to our economy. This bill will allow thousands of working families the opportunity to maintain a reasonable standard of living, and give small business owners the boost they need to maintain and hopefully grow their businesses.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I ask unanimous consent for an additional 10 minutes.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. It will take some time. People should understand that. We cannot take a workforce without sufficient training and upgrade it in a day, in a month. You don't quickly reconfigure airplanes in the way we will have to with sky marshals, through cockpit arrangements. It will take time. People need to understand that. If they want airport security totally now, we can give them a lot of that, but we cannot give it all to them immediately; it will take time. The federalization will give people confidence this will be done at the highest level. We have anti-hijack training for pilots and flight attendants. We propose to pay for this with passenger security fees, authorizing DOT to reimburse airports for the costs incurred by them since September 11. Most have no idea that is coming, but it is. We will help them pay their costs. We will give airports temporary flexibility to pay for their security responsibilities under the AIP program. They can't do that now. We will give them that flexibility. They can pay for security equipment and infrastructure, but they cannot pay for any direct expenditures such as salaries and the rest. It will be a very good bill. We are looking at security with biometric and hand-retina recognition devices. As the bill comes before us and as we debate it, there can be no higher order of magnitude for our Senate concentration than this bill as it emerges. I strongly urge my colleagues to support it. I thank the Presiding Officer. I yield the floor.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. The fault of these attacks clearly lies with those who perpetrated them, but the failures are all our shared responsibilities. There is no way to get away from that. On the other hand, they are also a shared opportunity. I have long argued and made many speeches that we have a habit in the Congress, and to some extent in our country, of taking aviation for granted, knowing very little about its details, complaining when we are delayed but not making the effort to understand what aviation entails, what happens when passenger traffic doubles--as everybody knew would happen before September 11, and which I believe will come to be true again. This is an opportunity, this horrible tragedy, to set a number of accounts straight in terms of the way we secure our airports. We have to develop, we have to fund, we have to implement a better and changed way of providing security--particularly true after September 11. Had it never happened, we still should have been doing it. Instead, we were concentrating on air traffic control, runways, matters of this sort that are tremendously important, but we were not focused on security. That has to change. The Aviation Security Act gives us the chance to do exactly that. First and foremost, the bill restores the basic responsibility for security to its rightful place. That is with Federal law enforcement rather than with the airlines and the airports, which can neither afford it nor do it properly. This is not a question of private security companies. There is absolutely no other segment of American life in which we need national security contracted out to the private sector. Until last month, the airports' private security companies had in fact managed to ensure that ours was the safest system in the world. Let that be said. It always has been, always will be. But there is public concern that if there is an accident, it will be of a very large nature; if there is terrorism in our future, it will be of a very large nature. We have to begin to think about all things more seriously. We want the safest system in the world. We have the safest system in the world, but it has to be a lot better. Law enforcement has to be fulfilled by the Federal Government. Everybody agrees on that, both sides of the aisle. The Bush administration is working on that, leaning towards that. We owe it to the American people to take profitability out of aviation safety altogether. This bill, still subject to some details that have to be worked out-- but that is good, that is not bad; we are moving--creates a new Deputy Secretary for Transportation Security, with ultimate responsibility for interagency aviation security, and expands the air marshal program to provide armed, expert marshals on both domestic and international flights, and increases Federal law enforcement for airport perimeter and for air traffic control facilities--not just getting in and out of airports but the complete perimeter of the airport. Screening will also be monitored as it has never been monitored before by armed Federal law enforcement. It will be conducted in virtually all cases by a Federal screening workforce. When you walk into a small airport, you will see uniforms, pistols, screeners who, like everybody else in this country, are going to have to be trained more or less from ground zero because the training is insufficient, the turnover is horrendous. It is a national embarrassment. The whole level of training will have to be raised very dramatically in urban and in rural airports. In rural airports there is a possibility, where there are five or six flights a day, you don't need full-time security. There we would have deputized local police officers who are federally trained at the highest levels and who are federally funded. So there is no net difference, no first and second class airport. It is a question of making sure the rural airports have the security they need. We will be sure of that. On board the aircraft, the bill requires strengthening cockpit doors. We had a fascinating discussion at length with El Al. They have a double set of doors with space in between so if even a hijacker were able to get through one, he or she probably could not possibly get through the second. That, obviously, would take reconfiguration, would take some time, and it would take some costs. We have to do what is necessary. Does a pilot come out of a cockpit, for example, to use the lavatory? I am not for that. I think lavatories ought to be inside the cockpit. A cockpit should be absolutely inviolate--nobody gets in. If nobody gets in, there will be no more hijackings. El Al has not had any, and I don't expect them to. Even flight attendants will not have keys to be able to get into the cockpit. No one will be able to access the plane's controls other than the pilot.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I ask unanimous consent for an additional 4 minutes.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I am proud today to introduce the Networking Electronically To Connect Our Police Act of 2001, or the NET COP Act, which will help police departments in rural communities throughout the United States take advantage of the many crime-fighting and information-sharing resources available through the Internet. In the first decade of widespread use of the Internet, people everywhere have become accustomed to ready availability of a tremendous volume of useful information available to anyone with a computer and access to the Web. Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies in this country have made extremely good use of this capability to share intelligence, to widen their investigatory nets, to find lost or abducted children, to locate deadbeat parents, to tap into centralized criminal databases, and to track and apprehend criminals with a speed they could not have dreamed of before using the Internet. Unfortunately, as truly amazing as the law enforcement successes have been, the results could be better. Much as schools, libraries, local governments, and businesses in rural America have not always shared equally in the benefits of Internet access with their counterparts in urban and suburban areas, police departments serving some smaller communities have been unable to participate in this revolutionary crime-fighting technology to the same degree enjoyed by big-city departments. Of the many lessons this country learned so painfully because of the terrorist attacks of September 11, perhaps the most painful is that information and intelligence that is not shared is information and intelligence wasted, often with tragic results. Crimes, including acts of terrorism, might be prevented if the right information finds its way to the appropriate law enforcement officials. We are also sensitized to the fact that crime knows no boundaries. In the world today, criminal activity is as great a concern for citizens and police officers in small towns as it is for those in large population centers. With our renewed national dedication to supplying law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to fight crime, we cannot doubt the necessity of ensuring that police departments in rural communities, like their colleagues in cities, have access to Internet-based crime-fighting and information-sharing resources. The NET COP Act does just this. This bill sets up a grant program, administered by the United States Department of Justice, to enable rural police departments without Internet access to purchase appropriate computer hardware and software, or to pay for Internet access, so that they can join the many thousands of federal, State, and local agencies already sharing information and cooperating to track down and arrest criminals via such Internet-based services as DOJ's Regional Information Sharing Systems, RISS, and the FBI's Law Enforcement On-Line, LEO, program. NET COP grants will be given directly to police chiefs, so that they can buy just what they need to hook into the growing network of web-based law enforcement tools. NET COP grants will also be available for computer upgrades, if they are determined to be necessary. Some rural police department officials and officers have been able to afford computer equipment, or to have their departments wired for the Internet, and have paid for out of their own pockets. So, NET COP grants will also be made available for reimbursement to those police officers and officials who have taken it upon themselves to provide their departments with these essential tools. Criteria for this reimbursement will be set by the Attorney General. Additionally, this bill will require the Attorney General to set up a Police Department Technology Assistance Desk, to answer questions from local police chiefs about necessary technologies, and to assist police officials and local governments in making appropriate purchases from reputable dealers. Finally, to gauge how effective the NET COP grant program is, the bill requires the General Accounting Office to make an annual report to Congress comparing the concentration of the nation's ``wired'' police departments generally with the number of rural departments having Internet access. I believe the NET COP Act will serve as an extremely important crime- fighting tool for rural America. As we endeavor to create a safer and more secure United States, I recommend this legislation as a crucial component of a comprehensive response to crime.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I am proud to join with Senators DeWine Landrieu, Snowe, Breaux, Bond, and Levin to introduce bipartisan legislation which includes President Bush's initiative to reauthorize and increase funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program. The President's initiative increases funding to help abused and neglected children by $200 million. He knows this group of vulnerable children deserves our attention, even in this most challenging of times in American history. These children face their own form of terror in their own homes, at the hands of their own parents. It is a horrible circumstance that we know something about how to address--and address it we must. Our legislation also includes the President's initiative to start a new program to provide mentoring services to the more than 2 million children whose parents are in prison. These children are at high-risk and they too, deserve our support. This bill includes the President's initiative to provide $5,000 in education vouchers to teens who age out of foster care so they have incentives to continue their education. This final program suggested by President Bush means a great deal to me because in 1999, I worked closely with the late Senator John Chafee to develop a new program to help teenagers from the foster care system. Senator Chafee passed away that fall, but I was proud to work with a bipartisan group to enact the foster care legislation that meant so much to him. It is one important piece of Senator John Chafee's remarkable legacy of leadership for children and families. Senator DeWine and I added a small, but important provision to help adoption agencies, like Catholic Charities and others, finding permanent homes for children with special needs. On January 23, 2001, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a new policy announcement which changed current practice for children with special needs. We need a legislative clarification to ensure that children with special needs who are voluntarily relinquished to private, non-profit adoption agencies can still receive the adoption assistance they need and deserve. In the Senate, there is a long, strong tradition of bipartisanship on child welfare issues. Over recent years we have made real progress. In 1993, working with Senator Bond and others we created a new program to invest in prevention and treatment. In 1997, another bipartisan group worked long and hard on the Adoption and Safe Families Act. This act significantly revised child welfare policy. It said for the first time in Federal law that a child's safety and health are paramount, and every child deserve a safe, permanent home. In this act, thanks to the leadership of Senator DeWine we clarified ``reasonable efforts'' to focus more concern and attention on the needs of the child. The Promoting Safe and Stable Families Act was part of that historic agreement, and it must be reauthorized this year or we will lose the funding that exists in the budget baseline, and, more importantly, children and families will lose needed services and support. The Safe and Stable Families Program provides a range of services including promoting adoptions and post-adoption support, family support to avoid placements and neglect, family preservation, and time-limited reunification for children who return home from foster care. Each is a necessary piece. This program is one of the major funding resources for adoption. Almost daily and far too often we read tragic stories about abuse and neglect in our newspapers. Such reports are disturbing and disheartening. But the untold story is the progress that is being made thanks to new policy and new investments which is why I believe so strongly that we must continue those investments and progress by enacting the President's initiative. In 1996, 28,000 children were adopted from the foster care system. In 2000, nearly 50,000 were adopted from foster care. I am proud to report that my State of West Virginia is one of many States that is increasing the number of adoptions. But almost 100,000 children nationwide are still waiting for adoption which is why the increase in Safe and Stable Families is crucial. With the $200 million increase included in our legislation, we will make the commitment to invest a minimum of $100 million in adoption promotion and the adoption support. Victimization rates are slowly declining. In 1993, the children victimization rate was 15.3 per 1,000 children. In 1999, the child victimization rate was 11.8 per 1,000 children. The 1999 rate is the lowest rate since we started collecting this data in 1990. In some States within a year or two, there will be more children receiving adoption assistance and subsidized guardianship payments than in the foster care system, and that is a major shift and historic progress towards the fundamental goal of permanency for vulnerable children. These are encouraging trends, but there are still 581,000l children in foster care and about one million substantiated cases of abuse or neglect each year. We are making progress, but we should and must do more for the most vulnerable children in our country. Since September 11, 2001, our world has changed. We face new challenges for recovery, national security and combating terrorism. We must focus on this immediate threat, but we also must remember those vulnerable children who are at risk of abuse and neglect in their own homes. The Senate has a long tradition of working hard, and doing the right thing, usually as one of the last orders of business to help such children. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting President Bush's initiative. Delivering on this promise truly will help ensure that no children is left behind as the President eloquently insisted in his campaign and in his State of the Union address. Remembering our commitment to vulnerable children is one clear way to emphasize how our country is unique and strong. In the midst of challenge and terror, we should remember our youngest victims, too. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I am proud today to introduce the Networking Electronically To Connect Our Police Act of 2001, or the NET COP Act, which will help police departments in rural communities throughout the United States take advantage of the many crime-fighting and information-sharing resources available through the Internet. In the first decade of widespread use of the Internet, people everywhere have become accustomed to ready availability of a tremendous volume of useful information available to anyone with a computer and access to the Web. Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies in this country have made extremely good use of this capability to share intelligence, to widen their investigatory nets, to find lost or abducted children, to locate deadbeat parents, to tap into centralized criminal databases, and to track and apprehend criminals with a speed they could not have dreamed of before using the Internet. Unfortunately, as truly amazing as the law enforcement successes have been, the results could be better. Much as schools, libraries, local governments, and businesses in rural America have not always shared equally in the benefits of Internet access with their counterparts in urban and suburban areas, police departments serving some smaller communities have been unable to participate in this revolutionary crime-fighting technology to the same degree enjoyed by big-city departments. Of the many lessons this country learned so painfully because of the terrorist attacks of September 11, perhaps the most painful is that information and intelligence that is not shared is information and intelligence wasted, often with tragic results. Crimes, including acts of terrorism, might be prevented if the right information finds its way to the appropriate law enforcement officials. We are also sensitized to the fact that crime knows no boundaries. In the world today, criminal activity is as great a concern for citizens and police officers in small towns as it is for those in large population centers. With our renewed national dedication to supplying law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to fight crime, we cannot doubt the necessity of ensuring that police departments in rural communities, like their colleagues in cities, have access to Internet-based crime-fighting and information-sharing resources. The NET COP Act does just this. This bill sets up a grant program, administered by the United States Department of Justice, to enable rural police departments without Internet access to purchase appropriate computer hardware and software, or to pay for Internet access, so that they can join the many thousands of federal, State, and local agencies already sharing information and cooperating to track down and arrest criminals via such Internet-based services as DOJ's Regional Information Sharing Systems, RISS, and the FBI's Law Enforcement On-Line, LEO, program. NET COP grants will be given directly to police chiefs, so that they can buy just what they need to hook into the growing network of web-based law enforcement tools. NET COP grants will also be available for computer upgrades, if they are determined to be necessary. Some rural police department officials and officers have been able to afford computer equipment, or to have their departments wired for the Internet, and have paid for out of their own pockets. So, NET COP grants will also be made available for reimbursement to those police officers and officials who have taken it upon themselves to provide their departments with these essential tools. Criteria for this reimbursement will be set by the Attorney General. Additionally, this bill will require the Attorney General to set up a Police Department Technology Assistance Desk, to answer questions from local police chiefs about necessary technologies, and to assist police officials and local governments in making appropriate purchases from reputable dealers. Finally, to gauge how effective the NET COP grant program is, the bill requires the General Accounting Office to make an annual report to Congress comparing the concentration of the nation's ``wired'' police departments generally with the number of rural departments having Internet access. I believe the NET COP Act will serve as an extremely important crime- fighting tool for rural America. As we endeavor to create a safer and more secure United States, I recommend this legislation as a crucial component of a comprehensive response to crime.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I am proud to join with Senators DeWine Landrieu, Snowe, Breaux, Bond, and Levin to introduce bipartisan legislation which includes President Bush's initiative to reauthorize and increase funding for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program. The President's initiative increases funding to help abused and neglected children by $200 million. He knows this group of vulnerable children deserves our attention, even in this most challenging of times in American history. These children face their own form of terror in their own homes, at the hands of their own parents. It is a horrible circumstance that we know something about how to address--and address it we must. Our legislation also includes the President's initiative to start a new program to provide mentoring services to the more than 2 million children whose parents are in prison. These children are at high-risk and they too, deserve our support. This bill includes the President's initiative to provide $5,000 in education vouchers to teens who age out of foster care so they have incentives to continue their education. This final program suggested by President Bush means a great deal to me because in 1999, I worked closely with the late Senator John Chafee to develop a new program to help teenagers from the foster care system. Senator Chafee passed away that fall, but I was proud to work with a bipartisan group to enact the foster care legislation that meant so much to him. It is one important piece of Senator John Chafee's remarkable legacy of leadership for children and families. Senator DeWine and I added a small, but important provision to help adoption agencies, like Catholic Charities and others, finding permanent homes for children with special needs. On January 23, 2001, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a new policy announcement which changed current practice for children with special needs. We need a legislative clarification to ensure that children with special needs who are voluntarily relinquished to private, non-profit adoption agencies can still receive the adoption assistance they need and deserve. In the Senate, there is a long, strong tradition of bipartisanship on child welfare issues. Over recent years we have made real progress. In 1993, working with Senator Bond and others we created a new program to invest in prevention and treatment. In 1997, another bipartisan group worked long and hard on the Adoption and Safe Families Act. This act significantly revised child welfare policy. It said for the first time in Federal law that a child's safety and health are paramount, and every child deserve a safe, permanent home. In this act, thanks to the leadership of Senator DeWine we clarified ``reasonable efforts'' to focus more concern and attention on the needs of the child. The Promoting Safe and Stable Families Act was part of that historic agreement, and it must be reauthorized this year or we will lose the funding that exists in the budget baseline, and, more importantly, children and families will lose needed services and support. The Safe and Stable Families Program provides a range of services including promoting adoptions and post-adoption support, family support to avoid placements and neglect, family preservation, and time-limited reunification for children who return home from foster care. Each is a necessary piece. This program is one of the major funding resources for adoption. Almost daily and far too often we read tragic stories about abuse and neglect in our newspapers. Such reports are disturbing and disheartening. But the untold story is the progress that is being made thanks to new policy and new investments which is why I believe so strongly that we must continue those investments and progress by enacting the President's initiative. In 1996, 28,000 children were adopted from the foster care system. In 2000, nearly 50,000 were adopted from foster care. I am proud to report that my State of West Virginia is one of many States that is increasing the number of adoptions. But almost 100,000 children nationwide are still waiting for adoption which is why the increase in Safe and Stable Families is crucial. With the $200 million increase included in our legislation, we will make the commitment to invest a minimum of $100 million in adoption promotion and the adoption support. Victimization rates are slowly declining. In 1993, the children victimization rate was 15.3 per 1,000 children. In 1999, the child victimization rate was 11.8 per 1,000 children. The 1999 rate is the lowest rate since we started collecting this data in 1990. In some States within a year or two, there will be more children receiving adoption assistance and subsidized guardianship payments than in the foster care system, and that is a major shift and historic progress towards the fundamental goal of permanency for vulnerable children. These are encouraging trends, but there are still 581,000l children in foster care and about one million substantiated cases of abuse or neglect each year. We are making progress, but we should and must do more for the most vulnerable children in our country. Since September 11, 2001, our world has changed. We face new challenges for recovery, national security and combating terrorism. We must focus on this immediate threat, but we also must remember those vulnerable children who are at risk of abuse and neglect in their own homes. The Senate has a long tradition of working hard, and doing the right thing, usually as one of the last orders of business to help such children. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting President Bush's initiative. Delivering on this promise truly will help ensure that no children is left behind as the President eloquently insisted in his campaign and in his State of the Union address. Remembering our commitment to vulnerable children is one clear way to emphasize how our country is unique and strong. In the midst of challenge and terror, we should remember our youngest victims, too. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, the day of September 11 has been eloquently described by the preceding speaker, Senator Torricelli. Its consequences are unknown. In fact, one of the great questions none of us can answer at this point is: What are the unintended consequences of what will follow this attack over a period of weeks and months? However, this is not our purpose. Our purpose is to get an aviation security bill done. That is why this Senator from West Virginia chooses to speak. I wish to make a couple of very clear points. We have not yet passed an aviation security bill. There were those who said, no, you cannot work on the aviation industry's financial condition until you have done an aviation security bill. That was an understandable argument, as well as those who talk about people who have lost their jobs. There really was not much point in doing an aviation security bill if there weren't any airplanes flying. That had to be done as a first order of business. They are flying. They have picked up a modest amount of business. It has increased about 7 percent in the last week, but they are still in a very bad position, even with the money we gave them after forcing them to ground all of their airplanes for a period of time. In any event, that and the loan guarantees part is done and so now we move on to aviation security, which we ought to do. One could say, well, that is a fairly easy subject. We could go ahead and do that promptly and without much fuss. That is not quite the case. There is a lot involved, which is serious, which is complex, a lot of back and forth about which is the best agency to do this or that and how do people feel about it, what are the costs involved. That being said, the Department of Transportation, under President Bush's leadership, immediately after September 11, took some very strong steps with respect to our airports and our airlines. Within days, Congress sent, as I have indicated, its strong support with an emergency financial package that, in fact, included $3 billion, still unknown to most people, for airport security. That was included to be used at the discretion of the President, which was fine. Most of that has been used for sky marshals and other items. Urgent aviation security efforts are already in place. The money is there. Now we are talking about a bill for a broader aviation security purpose. In the few weeks that have passed since September 11, a large group has been working around the clock through a lot of very contentious issues, not easy issues, to try to resolve what should be in an aviation security bill that would best serve the Nation, not just in the next months but in the coming years. One can say, therefore, that the Aviation Security Act is a result of these efforts. It is not finally worked out. There was to be a meeting this morning with the Secretary of Transportation. He was called to the White House. There are still details pending. That is not the point. We are on it and moving at the point, for those who come down to speak on it, because we want this done if at all possible this week, with the American people knowing that aviation security is at the top of our legislative agenda. I am very proud to have joined Senator Hollings, Senator McCain, Senator Hutchinson as original cosponsors, and I rise in strong support of the managers' amendment because we have been working closely with Senator Lott and Senator Daschle. I can report there is broad bipartisan support within this body on both sides of the aisle as to what we ought to do. That has come through in meetings and compromises. That is a very important fact and bodes well for the bill. The truth is, the horrific attacks of September 11 do reflect broad intelligence and other failures.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, today I introduce legislation requested by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as a courtesy to the Secretary and the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA. Except in unusual circumstances, it will be my practice to introduce legislation requested by the administration so that such measures will be available for review and consideration. This ``by-request'' bill is titled the ``Veterans' Benefits Act of 2001.'' It would, among other things, authorize a cost-of-living adjustment for fiscal year 2002 for VA disability compensation, make modifications the VA home loan guaranty program, and make permanent certain temporary authorities. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill and Secretary Principi's transmittal letter that accompanied the draft legislation be printed in the Record.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, today I introduce legislation requested by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as a courtesy to the Secretary and the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA. Except in unusual circumstances, it will be my practice to introduce legislation requested by the administration so that such measures will be available for review and consideration. This ``by-request'' bill is titled the ``Veterans' Benefits Act of 2001.'' It would, among other things, authorize a cost-of-living adjustment for fiscal year 2002 for VA disability compensation, make modifications the VA home loan guaranty program, and make permanent certain temporary authorities. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill and Secretary Principi's transmittal letter that accompanied the draft legislation be printed in the Record.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise before you today to support the Aviation Security Bill introduced by Senator Hollings and me. As the nation strives to recover from the tragic events of September 11, 2001, one of the vital steps we must take to protect our economy and regain our sense of national security is to restore full function and confidence to our nation's air transport system. We are on the verge of passing a large financial package to aid in relieving the financial pressures placed on our airlines as the result of these heinous attacks. This is a crucial first step in restoring consumer confidence in our airlines, both to the passengers who rely on their services and to the economy. While the financial package is of critical importance, I believe the single most crucial element in the airlines' recovery is restoring confidence in air travel by making it as safe and secure as is practical. While the financial package will help the airlines recover from the short-term losses associated with the September 11th disasters and subsequent shutdown, only the public's return to air travel can guarantee their long-term success. Travelers must be confident that the United States has the most advanced, secure aviation system in the world. The Aviation Security Bill before us today is an important first step in restoring such confidence to those in the sky and those on the ground. I am proud to stand with Senator Hollings to introduce this momentous legislation. The Aviation Security Bill contains important security measures which will drastically reduce the potential for future disruptions in our nation's air traffic. The bill demands the strengthening of cockpit doors and limits access to the cockpit itself, thus assuring that a commercial plane can never again be used as a guided weapon of destruction. Only pilots will be able to allow others into the cockpit. Under the provisions of this bill, even flight attendants won't have keys. It federalizes airport security operations, improving the training and testing programs for screening personnel, giving these invaluable men and women the tools necessary to perform their jobs properly. It increases perimeter security at airports, in their parking lots, and in air traffic facilities so that we can be sure at all times that only authorized personnel and vehicles have immediate access to our airports and aircraft. Additionally, it increases the number of federal Air Marshals and provides hijack training for flight crews to make certain those in the skies are equipped to deal with any situation that may arise after takeoff. It establishes a Deputy Administrator at the Federal Aviation Administration for Aviation Security and establishes an interagency Aviation Security Council to make it easier for the government to assess and respond to the needs of the aviation community. It requires the performance of background checks on those seeking training in the operation of large planes. This will allow us to ensure that those who know how to fly our planes have the noble goals of service and self-betterment in mind. All of these steps guarantee that air transportation will be safer and more secure than it has ever been. However, it is important to remember that this is only the first step. It is crucial that we take immediate, but not final action. In the eleven days since these tragic events, many common-sense security solutions have emerged all over the country and on Capitol Hill. These are the solutions included in this bill. Yet a longer look remains necessary. We must continue to examine aviation security, working in phases to implement newer and better security measures as we go. We cannot forget about smaller commercial airports and general aviation airports. My home state of West Virginia is full of these airports and we must ensure that they receive the same scrutiny and attention as larger airports. We must ensure that customers in smaller markets can also travel with confidence. Furthermore, additional security measures for our major airlines, such as limits on carry-on baggage, must also be considered. I am certain that as we continue to examine the safety issues before us, we cannot only restore confidence in our nation's air transport system but, in fact, instill in the flying public a level of confidence even greater than before. I ask you to join me in supporting The Aviation Security Bill and to join me in finding future solutions to improve our national aviation system.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, in the wake of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, it is not with pride exactly, but with a firm resolve that I join with my good friend and colleague Senator Bob Graham, the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, in cosponsoring two important pieces of legislation: Bills to establish the National Office for Combating Terrorism and the Intelligence to Prevent Terrorism Act of 2001. While we strive to go on and do the work that the people sent us here to do, we cannot help but feel heartsick as a Congress, and I am quite sure as individuals, when we consider the unimaginable loss of human life and the magnitude of the destruction wrought by these malicious and misguided men. But grieve though we must, it is our solemn responsibility as representatives of the American people to look into this abyss and find the lessons that may be there for us. When a relatively large group of foreign terrorists who had lived and even trained in this country carried out a despicable and unfortunately well-choreographed wave of terror attacks months or years in the planning, it cast a harsh light on a range of deficiencies in our Nation's efforts to combat terrorism. We are made to feel vulnerable by the sheer enormity of the evil and by the realization that any of us could become targets of the next fanatical assault. Our dread might even turn to despondency if we consider the agonizing possibility that our law enforcement and intelligence establishments might have been able to prevent the horror of last Tuesday if they had had adequate mechanisms with which to collaborate on strategy, share information, and assist in investigation and apprehension of men capable of these heinous crimes. Rather than feeling despondent, however, it is our duty as a Congress to act. This Nation and this Congress can no longer tolerate a situation in which competing missions of agencies--or competing personalities of public officials--put our citizens and our property at risk. We must create an environment of coordination between the intelligence community, our Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies, the military, public health authorities, and all the other parties who can play a role in combating terrorism. I believe these two pieces of legislation, which establish a centralized authority to coordinate the activities and responsibilities of a multifaceted group of agencies, and provide both the intelligence community and law enforcement with valuable tools to combat terrorism-related crimes, do just this. Briefly, the bills introduced today in the Senate would do the following: Establish a ``National Office for Combating Terrorism'' to provide a greater level of coordination among the Nation's law enforcement establishment, the intelligence community, the military, public health authorities, and State and local governments to create a coherent, functional strategy for combating terrorism out of a current system a blue-ribbon Presidential Commission has called fragmented, uncoordinated, and politically unaccountable. Ensure that terrorism-related intelligence gathered under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act--FISA--is used to further the overall antiterrorism strategy. The legislation clarifies that the Director of Central Intelligence--DCI--is the primary government official responsible for coordination and dissemination of intelligence gathered under, while retaining the FBI as the agency with operational authority for intelligence gathering from foreign nationals. Require law enforcement agencies to share with the DCI any terrorism- related intelligence information gathered in criminal investigations. Mandate cooperation between the DCI and the Treasury Department to root out and cut off the international money trail terrorists use to finance their activities. Develop training programs for State and local law enforcement agencies and public officials to help them detect terrorist activity, and to improve their understanding and use of intelligence shared with them. Establish a National Virtual Translation Center to enable intelligence information collected anywhere in the world to be transmitted over secure electronic lines, translated and analyzed by experts elsewhere, and shared with relevant law enforcement and government personnel throughout this country, as well as by policymakers in Washington and intelligence agents overseas. Make explicit that U.S. Government officers, acting in their official capacity, may recruit any person who has information about terrorist, terrorist groups, or those who assist or harbor them--including foreign governments. The reactions to last week's attacks have ranged from shock, to horror, to sadness, to rage, and now, as I said at the beginning of my remarks, to resolve. Just over a week after the worst act of terrorism, indeed, the worst crime, in the history of the country, we are united as a people behind our President, our armed forces, and our law enforcement agencies, resolved to root out and defeat terrorism wherever this particular breed of hatred is fostered. Part of that resolve may be seen in the package of legislation introduced here today, although it would be incorrect to characterize this legislation as a reaction to the nightmare of September 11. These bills are the product of a longstanding concern about a lack of coordination between our law enforcement and intelligence resources and are the result of several months of hard work on the part of Chairman Graham, several other members of our committee, and Intelligence Committee staff. I believe these bills represent good first steps. I have not had the privilege of being a member of the Intelligence Committee for very long, but from the very first day I have been enormously impressed with the careful balance the committee strikes between the intelligence gathering needs of this nation, and the civil liberties enjoyed by its citizens. However, in this time of heightened tension and increased security, I must admit that I share some of the concerns of many Americans, from across the political spectrum, who fear that well-meaning reforms may unduly infringe on the liberties we cherish. While I am confident that in crafting this legislation Senator Graham has taken those concerns very much to heart and has protected the rights of law-abiding Americans, I will closely monitor the progress of this legislation. I cannot overestimate the importance of ensuring that in our zeal to prevent another terrorist assault on this Nation we do not contribute to an atmosphere of fear and mistrust of our fellow citizens. I will also be looking for an understanding of these concerns from our colleagues on the various committees of referral, and in the Senate as a whole. We must commit ourselves and our Nation that, despite the grave seriousness of combating terrorism, we will always safeguard civil liberties as we consider this or any other piece of legislation introduced to combat terrorism. What is needed--and what this package of legislation provides--is greater coordination, efficiency, and effectiveness among our existing antiterrorism resources, without a surrender of the rights and liberties that make this the greatest nation in the history of the world.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, the Senator from the State of Oregon has up to 5 minutes.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I commend the majority leader for his hard work in putting together an airline stabilization bill that will save our nation's airlines and our air transport infrastructure. I will strongly support this bill without amendment. The terrorists who launched those despicable attacks on September 11 took thousands of American lives, and did billions of dollars of damage. It has also become clear in the past 10 days that they dealt a body blow to the U.S. airline industry, on which virtually all of our citizens depend to one degree or another. Demand for air travel has virtually collapsed in the past week. Last weekend I flew back to West Virginia, and on the return flight Sunday night--usually a crowded flight from Charleston to Dulles--I was the only passenger on the plane. Many of my colleagues have mentioned that they've had similar experiences in the past ten days. Flights are departing West Virginia airports with a load factor of 25 per cent-- only one in four seats filled. Unfortunately, this is not, like last week's closure of the New York Stock Exchange, a temporary phenomenon. Based on past air disasters or international conflicts--none of which was of the same massive scale as last Tuesday's attacks--airlines are predicting that passenger traffic will be down by almost half for the remainder of this year, and will take until next summer to return to normal levels. And those are optimistic estimates. This kind of crisis could do irreparable harm to the ability of America's airlines to continue in business. Airlines lost $300 million each day that they were shut down last week. They are set to lose billions more in the coming months. Their insurance rates have shot up, with some airlines telling us of a 600 percent increase in their insurance rates. Coming on top of what was already a difficult outlook because of our slowing economy, the nation's airlines--main line carriers and regional carriers alike--could be in bankruptcy within a few weeks and possibly out of business within a few months. Already we are seeing the first signs: a round of massive, painful layoffs for nearly 100,000 of our nation's hardworking airline employees. And huge cutbacks of around 20 percent to most airlines' schedules. Some people have said, well, this is the market, and it's not the American way to interfere with the market. But I've been pleased, as chairman of the Senate's Aviation Subcommittee, to see a broad consensus among my colleagues that the air transport industry is not just a huge business and employer, but it's also a critical element of our nation's infrastructure. Nowhere is that more the case than in the smaller states and communities like West Virginia. When people think of the airline industry, they usually think of big hub airports like Hartsfield and O'Hare. But airline traffic is just as important--maybe more important--to smaller communities like Beckley and Bridgeport. Safe, convenient and affordable air service represents an important element of our efforts to attract development to our state. It's an important connection that allows our citizens and our businesses to overcome our state's historic isolation created by our mountainous terrain. And when I see planes flying with one passenger, and learn that carriers are cutting back on their schedules, and hear that several carriers could be in bankruptcy within two weeks, I know that the first communities to be hit will be small communities like those in West Virginia that are at the end of the food chain, so to speak. That would be tragic. It would reverse the efforts our communities have made to attract and retain air service, and turn their residents into aviation ``have nots.'' It would also set in motion the slow implosion of the U.S. airline industry, which would spread to larger hubs and airports as well. And finally, it would give the terrorists who perpetrated last week's heinous attacks the ultimate victory, as their actions would lead to a severe curtailment of America's freedom of movement and mobility. It is the shared consensus of this body that cannot be permitted to happen, and that has driven our remarkable efforts this past week to put together a stabilization package for our nation's airlines. It will contain up to $5 billion in immediate credits to reimburse airlines for the revenues they lost when the government shut down U.S. air space last week. It will also contain $10 billion in loan guarantees so that our airlines can continue to obtain financing in the coming months. It will limit airlines' liability for collateral damage incurred as a result of last week's terrorist attacks up to the amount allowable under their insurance policies--a key provision because our airlines might otherwise not be able to obtain or afford insurance. It will set up a victim's compensation fund for the families of the innocent victims of last week's despicable attacks. It will provide $120 million in additional authorization authority for the Essential Air Service program, a key element in preserving air service to smaller communities. This package is an important first step in stabilizing the U.S. airline industry and ensuring that air service to communities across the nation survives this crisis. But it does not address all the needs that this crisis has created. One important issue we will need to take up in short order is the plight of the nearly 100,000 airline workers who will lose their jobs as a result of this week's cutbacks. We have already begun to see airline layoffs in West Virginia. Excellent workers who expected a promising career in a growing industry, until terrorists hijacked four planes and frightened Americans out of the skies. We must take measures to address their needs. We provide special assistance to American workers who have been displaced by foreign trade; we must provide the same level of assistance to American workers who have been displaced by foreign terrorism. We must also be prepared to look at the needs of related industries, as well as the future needs of the airline industry. Many related industries--aircraft manufacturers, travel agents, and various travel- related businesses--have already begun to feel the effects of this attack. We will have to look carefully at the real needs of those industries, and be prepared to take bold measures where they are needed and appropriate. One thing is certain: the survival of America's airlines is a key element of any solution. Their needs are real and urgent, and I congratulate the majority leader on his success in putting together a stabilization package that will address them.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, I revise my statement simply to say the senior Senator from West Virginia has 15 minutes under the unanimous consent agreement.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, I yield 10 minutes to the senior Senator from West Virginia.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I yield 2 minutes to the Senator from Vermont.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, the Senator from West Virginia recognizes the junior Senator from New York for a period of 5 minutes.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, I would like to commend the Majority Leader for his hard work in putting together an airline stabilization bill that will save our nation's airlines and our air transport infrastructure. I will strongly support this bill without amendment. The terrorists who launched those despicable attacks on September 11 took thousands of American lives, and did billions of dollars of damage. It has also become clear in the past 10 days that they dealt a body blow to the U.S. airline industry, on which virtually all of our citizens depend on to one degree or another. Demand for air travel has virtually collapsed in the past week. Last weekend I flew back to West Virginia, and on the return flight Sunday night--usually a crowded flight from Charleston to Dulles--I was the only passenger on the plane. Many of my colleagues have mentioned that they've had similar experiences in the past ten days. Flights are departing West Virginia airports with a load factor of 25 per cent-- only one in four seats filled. Unfortunately, this is not, like last week's closure of the New York Stock Exchange, a temporary phenomenon. Based on past air disasters or international conflicts--none of which was of the same massive scale as last Tuesday's attacks--airlines are predicting that passenger traffic will be down by almost half for the remainder of this year, and will take until next summer to return to normal levels. And those are optimistic estimates. This kind of crisis could do irreparable harm to the ability of America's airlines to continue in business. Airlines lost $300 million each day that they were shut down last week. They are set to lose billions more in the coming months. Their insurance rates have shot up, with some airlines telling us of a 600 percent increase in their insurance rates. Coming on top of what was already a difficult outlook because of our slowing economy, the nation's airlines--main line carriers and regional carriers alike--could be in bankruptcy within a few weeks and possibly out of business within a few months. Already we are seeing the first signs: a round of massive, painful layoffs for nearly 100,000 of our nation's hardworking airline employees. And huge cutbacks of around 20 percent to most airlines' schedules. Some people have said, well, this is the market, and it is not the American way to interfere with the market. But I have been pleased, as chairman of the Senate's aviation subcommittee, to see a broad consensus among my colleagues that the air transport industry is not just a huge business and employer, but it is also a critical element of our nation's infrastructure. Nowhere is that more the case than in the smaller states and communities like West Virginia. When people think of the airline industry, they usually think of big hub airports like Hartsfield and O'Hare. But airline traffic is just as important--maybe more important to smaller communities like Beckley and Bridgeport. Safe, convenient and affordable air service represents an important element of our efforts to attract development to our state. It's an important connection that allows our citizens and our businesses to overcome the historic isolation created by our state's mountainous terrain. And when I see planes flying with one passenger, and learn that carriers are cutting back on their schedules, and hear that several carriers could be in bankruptcy within two weeks, I know that the first communities to be hit will be small communities like those in West Virginia that are at the end of the food chain, so to speak. That would be tragic. It would reverse the efforts our communities have made to attract and retain air service, and turn their residents into aviation ``have nots.'' It would also set in motion the slow implosion of the U.S. airline industry, which would spread to larger hubs and airports as well. And finally, it would give the terrorists who perpetrated last week's heinous attacks the ultimate victory, as their actions would lead to a severe curtailment of America's freedom of movement and mobility. It is the shared consensus of this body that cannot be permitted to happen, and that has driven our remarkable efforts this past week to put together a stabilization package for our nation's airlines. It will contain up to $5 billion in immediate credits to reimburse airlines for the revenues they lost when the government shut down U.S. air space last week. It will also contain $10 billion in loan guarantees so that our airlines can continue to obtain financing in the coming months. It will limit airlines' liability for collateral damage incurred up to the amount of their existing insurance coverage as a result of last week's terrorist attacks--a key provision because our airlines might otherwise not be able to obtain or afford insurance. It will set up a victim's compensation fund for the families of the innocent victims of last week's despicable attacks It will provide $120 million in additional authority to fund to the Essential Air Service program, a key element in preserving air service to smaller communities. This package is an important first step in stabilizing the U.S. airline industry and ensuring that air service to communities across the nation survives this crisis. But it does not address all the needs that this crisis has created. One important issue we will need to take up in short order is the plight of the nearly 100,000 airline workers who will lose their jobs as a result of this week's cutbacks. We have already begun to see airline layoffs in West Virginia. Excellent workers who expected a promising career in a growing industry, until terrorists hijacked four planes and frightened Americans out of the skies. We must take measures to address their needs. We provide special assistance to American workers who have been displaced by foreign trade; we must provide the same level of assistance to American workers who have been displaced by foreign terrorism. We must also be prepared to look at the needs of related industries, as well as the future needs of the airline industry. Many related industries--aircraft manufacturers, travel agents, and various travel- related businesses--have already begun to feel the effects of this attack. We will have to look carefully at the real needs of those industries, and be prepared to take bold measures where they are needed and appropriate. One thing is certain: the survival of America's airlines is a key element of any solution. Their needs are real and urgent, and I congratulate the Majority Leader on his success in putting together a stabilization package that will address them. Madam President, Senator Schumer and I believe Senator Clinton wants to speak, along with the Senator from Texas and a few others. But I note that the Senator from Texas has an obligation, as well as all of us, and we would like to see this drawn to a close and have our vote. Those who want to speak on other subjects could perhaps do that after the vote. It would be just as relevant. From my point of view, we are at a very clear and obvious, arithmetically, inevitable point in time where we have to say to the aviation industry of the United States and, even more importantly, to the American people that there are going to be planes flying on Monday. We have to have a safety bill. That is an enormous subject, and safety has to come. Safety will come. Safety is going to be addressed immediately. There are planes to make safe. People need to feel confident about safety and then get aboard the plane. None of it makes any difference if their insurance expires. When insurance expires-- airplane companies have all received their notices--then of course there can be no flights. That will happen very early next week. The Nation will shut down with respect to that. The whole question of providing support on a temporary basis and based only on what happened as a result of the tragedy on September 11 is important. Nothing that the Senate will be voting on will be based upon anything that had to do with the airlines' financial condition prior to September 11--only as a result of the tragedy on September 11 and the Government-mandated shutdown. There are a lot of considerations about the broad economy of America as well as the ability of the American people to gain some level of confidence in getting back to travel. In fact, there are airplanes at the airport they can board. I remind all Americans as well as my colleagues that airlines remain far and away the safest form of travel, and they have been that way for a long time in comparison with any other form. Safety will happen. Safety is somewhat more complex, and it will happen. It will be done by legislation. It will be done by the administration. There will be a lot of money for it. But the ability of the aviation industry to put planes in the sky next week is where we have to start. If we do not pass this legislation, and do not do so promptly, it will not happen. I urge my colleagues--who understandably are saying: Wait a second, what about my rental car company or what about my steel industry--there are all kinds of things that can come into an emergency designation. But here, we are focused on aviation. That is the order of this day within our national security situation. If the planes don't fly, much of the economy shuts down. I think this is arithmetically uncontestable. I think it is an absolute priority of this Senate to pass it and hopefully do so in a very short amount of time. I call upon my colleagues to at the proper time support this aviation legislation--not to say that it is perfect, not to say that some of the legislation which has arisen out of this crisis is perfect. We will have a chance to revisit it. This is only the first of a wave of accountability and dealings with the airline industry, its financial health, safety, and all other manner of conditions that are coming before us. Without this, nothing else follows. I plead with my colleagues to support this legislation in spite of worker protection and other things which will be absolutely a part of what follows this vote and this legislation. I reserve the remainder of my time and yield 5 minutes to the senior Senator from the State of New York.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. If the Senator wishes to do it, it is on his time.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. The Senator from West Virginia is happy to yield 5 minutes to the Senator from New Jersey.