Jay Rockefeller

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate the West Virginia Americorps Program for their outstanding service and accomplishments. Currently, 500 Americorps members work at nearly 100 sites throughout West Virginia. Americorps programs strive to extend and promote education for children of all socioeconomic backgrounds and to fulfill basic needs, such as, food, shelter, and health care, for West Virginians. By working together with the community, the members of Americorps search for solutions to improve the quality of life and expand opportunities for individuals who are less fortunate. Helping individuals become more independent and self-sufficient are goals of Americorps. To help people with multiple sclerosis, the West Virginia chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Americorps members provide friendly home visits, organize peer support groups, and help them with their daily chores. The Energy Express Americorps opens new doors and expands the possibilities for children of West Virginia. This 6-week summer learning program provides nutritious meals, a safe learning environment, and positive role models. While developing a strong relationship between students and mentors, the children improve their reading skills. With the support of the community and the involvement and attention of parents and volunteers, children's self esteem is increasing and their reading skills are improving. Throughout the mountains of West Virginia, homes need constant care and attention. My colleagues know that floods, violent storms, and other uncontrollable factors can cause homes to deteriorate more rapidly. My State is fortunate enough to have organizations like the Southern Appalachian Labor School, Fayette Environmentally Safe Housing, and Americorps volunteers to repair and remodel homes for low income families. With project partners and community support, West Virginia families may live in a safe, clean environment. Another Americorps program, Project HEALTH [Health Education Associates Learning to Teach Health], encourages healthy diets and lifestyles while increasing public awareness on health issues. Through a learn and serve america higher education grant, Project HEALTH and Americorps volunteers have a profound impact on rural communities. As a result of their hard work, communities have reduced illnesses and injuries, increased immunizations for children, improved the diets for high risk individuals, and reduced the number of low birth weight babies. While working class families struggle to find adequate child care and affordable health insurance, the cost of living rises. Parents must provide more than the basic needs for their families. However, with the aid of the Regional Family Resource Network and Americorps, these services become a reality. Immunizations, developmental screening, and after school services are available to families in Kanawha, Clay, and Boone counties in West Virginia. Preventive medicine, medical attention, and a safe environment for children after school are vital to raising healthy children. To help victims of domestic violence, the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence provides food and shelter, legal assistance, support, and counseling. With the assistance of Americorps volunteers, there are programs in Beckley, Charleston, Elkins, Huntington, Keyser, Lewisburg, Morgantown, Sutton, Welch, Wheeling, and Williamson. Emergency hot lines, resources, and counseling services are offered by the coalition also. Educating women about the warning signals and teaching them ways to avoid violent situations can prevent abusive behavior and possibly death. In West Virginia, there are twelve shelters providing services to victims. Finally, I'd like to thank all the volunteers and employees who dedicate their lives to public service, and I'd like to thank the community for their support and involvement in Americorps projects. Your time and effort are greatly appreciated by all. With your help, our state has been able to improve the quality of life for West Virginians and to increase the opportunities for them in the future.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I would like to take this moment to praise a citizen of West Virginia, Annie Campbell. Annie has recently received the J.C. Penney Golden Rule award for her outstanding volunteer community service. Annie has been volunteering her time for Manna Meal for the past 20 years, and has seen it expand considerably. Even though she is nearing 80 years old, Annie pursues her service with confidence and generosity. She drives to pick up food at local businesses and hospitals and sometimes helps to serve the food to the people who come to Manna Meal. She loves to give a helping hand to those in need. She says, ``You feel good to know you've done something to alleviate hunger.'' Annie's life is built around helping people. She is a registered nurse at the Charleston Area Medical Center's General Division, and a leader in her church, where she is the secretary, a circle leader, on the mission committee, and on the kitchen committee. Annie is a committed woman to her community. Manna Meal provides food for the hungry. Annie says, ``A lot of people who come to Manna Meal are not food hungry, they are companionship hungry.'' She helps with both. She provides food and friendship for those who attend the meals. Manna Meal is run by volunteers and donations. Annie has watched Manna Meal expand from a tiny soup kitchen serving 40 to large service providing for 300. Volunteer service is vital to West Virginia and America because it is done on a personal and natural level. It is comforting to hear that there are people who willingly dedicate their lives to helping those in need. West Virginia is extremely lucky to have Annie in the State, and I am proud to make this statement regarding her award today. The J.C. Penney Golden Rule award had several other recipients in different categories. The other local winners included Sue Meadows, Ernest Matthew Stone, and the Volunteers of PRO-KIDS. They are now going to step up to the National Golden Rule Awards, and are eligible for a $10,000 donation to their organization. All of these volunteers need to be congratulated for their effort and generosity, and I wish them luck in the next round of competition.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize two students of Potomac State College in West Virginia who have accomplished great feats through the assistance of our Federal TRIO programs. These programs have helped students for more than 30 years to overcome financial barriers to education. Paul Kesner was a participant in the student support services program at Potomac State from 1977 to 1979. This section of the TRIO programs helps students to stay in college until they earn their baccalaureate degree by providing tutoring, counseling, and financial assistance. Not only was Paul able to earn his BA, he went on to obtain an MS in counseling psychology from Frostburg State University, and is currently working on his dissertation to earn a Ph.D. from West Virginia University. Paul is currently the Dean of Student Affairs at Potomac State College. Paul was recently elected to be president of the West Virginia Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Paul is also very active in Rotary International and various other local civic organizations in his community. Paul, who grew up on a farm in Mineral County, WV, notes that, ``I am grateful for the impact and change TRIO had on my life. Without it, I certainly would not be in a situation to help others progress toward their own educational goals.'' Michelle Francis participated in the student support services program at Potomac State from 1989 to 1990. This Federal program helped Michelle to graduate from college and to make the career choices that she wanted to make. After earning an associate's degree from Potomac State, Michelle went on to earn her BA from Frostburg State University. Michelle is presently the day treatment coordinator at the developmental center & workshop in Keyser. Like Paul, Michelle is also very active in her community, serving in the Ladies Auxiliary of the American Legion, and as a mentor at the Mountaineer Challenge Academy. Michelle was also awarded the 1996 West Virginia TRIO achiever award. As the fine results of these two West Virginia citizens demonstrate, the TRIO programs are clearly helping Americans to overcome financial, social, academic and cultural barriers to earn their college degrees. Since 1965, when the Federal TRIO programs began receiving funding under title IV of the Higher Education Act, the facts have shown that students who participate in the TRIO student support services program are more than twice as likely to remain in college than those students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in the program. Paul and Michelle have joined the ranks of many West Virginians who have achieved outstanding feats after participating in the TRIO programs. Thirty years ago, the TRIO programs were founded on the basis that all Americans deserved the opportunity to achieve a college education regardless of race, ethnic background, or economic circumstances. Today, the town of Keyser is a better place in which to live because of the contributions of Paul Kesner and Michelle Francis to the community. Because the TRIO programs were there for Michelle and Paul, they have been able to be there for the benefit of other West Virginians. I know that the TRIO programs will continue to help future West Virginia students to obtain a college degree, and because of this, these future students will be able to benefit their respected communities in much the same way that Paul and Michelle help the city of Keyser, WV. The TRIO programs don't just create a real society of opportunity for everyone, they result in better cities and communities throughout the State of West Virginia and nationwide.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, before casting my vote for this tax portion of the budget plan, I want to comment on the aspects that are of most concern to me. The basic point I want to emphasize is that my vote for both the spending bill and this tax bill that make up the balanced budget and tax plan is the result of weighing its merits against its flaws. The fundamental job for Congress this year has been to agree on a plan to balance the budget, which is the main objective of the bills we are approving this week. Unlike the Republican budgets that I opposed over the last 2 years, this plan is the result of bipartisan negotiations and contains real benefits and important compromises in the interest of West Virginians and all Americans. At the same time, it has been clear that the only way we could finish the job some of us started in 1993, to balance the budget and start dealing with future priorities, was to find middle ground. I recognize that I cannot write or cause the passage of the budget plan that reflects exactly how I would chart Medicare's course, design the childrens' health insurance program, target tax relief, or address other priorities for West Virginians. Instead, I have worked hard in the recent months to influence these parts of the budget and make the best possible case for the approach I think is fair and balanced. The spending plan approved this morning and the tax bill before us today are improvements over the extreme Republican budgets that were rejected in the past 2 years and over the earlier versions of these very bills. With the many aspects that will benefit West Virginians and address national priorities, I made the decision to vote for both bills. The crucial part of the bill before us is the fact that it will provide tax relief to 27 million hardworking American families who are responsible for raising over 45 million children under the age of 17. Today, Congress joins the President to give those families a per-child tax credit much like the one that the bipartisan Children's Commission unanimously recommended when I chaired that commission 7 years ago. We are delivering real tax relief to American families so that they can share in the benefits of our sharply declined, and soon to be completely eliminated, deficit. That is an achievement I think we can be proud of, particularly because this tax conference report will benefit 5.9 million lower income families who were left out of the Senate-passed tax bill. The fight to make the child tax credit fairer was won by the President and Democrats who refused to ignore the millions of families struggling the hardest to provide for their families. Winning, improving the child credit so it is extended to more American families is important because it means we will more fairly distribute the benefits of the tax cuts in this bill than under the initial tax plans passed in Congress. I am pleased that I can report that 25,000 more West Virginia families will benefit from the child tax credit as a result of the changes in the conference report--changing the stacking order of the child credit, now placed before the EITC, and its partial refundability for families with three or more children. It is predominantly for that reason that I will cast my vote in favor of this tax package. Improving the child credit so it reaches more families, the families who need the most help to buy their children shoes, pay the mortgage, or deal with an unexpected medical expense, is a major victory in this tax bill. With this important improvement, I can support this tax package. The substantial dedication of funds to provide health insurance to about 3.4 million of the 10 million uninsured children in our country-- totaling $24 billion in new dollars for kids' health--is another major reason to vote for this bill. The additional financing for kids' health comes from a hike in the tobacco tax. I think that is a smart way to pay for this new spending on children's health. I am deeply disappointed that we did not insist on a meaningful benefit package for those children, but I will be back another day to fight to improve that provision. But I don't want to cast my vote in favor of this 5-year budget bill without making it perfectly plain that I have serious worries about the long-term costs of some of the tax cuts in this bill. Certain provisions could be a potential tax timebomb because of how their costs explode in the 5 years following the 5 years in this budget, sometime after 2002. The explosion of costs in what we refer to as the outyears--years after the first 5 years of the budget--of the provisions that benefit the wealthiest Americans are very worrisome to me. I have to honestly wonder whether or not we will realistically be able to retain them. The long-term costs of providing such generous reductions in tax rates for estates and gifts, capital gains, and the expansion of individual retirement accounts [IRA's] may prove too expensive to sustain. I cite these particular provisions because they are the ones that score as relatively small costs in the first 5 years of this budget, but are projected to multiply 10 and 20-fold in the second 5 years, according to the scoring of both the Joint Committee on Taxation and the Treasury Department. Consider these numbers--estate tax relief costs $5.9 billion in the first 5 years and jumps to $33 billion in the second 5 years; capital gains relief scores as if it saves $123 million in the first 5 years but the cost of that relief increases to $20.2 billion in the second 5 years; and the IRA expansions cost $1.8 billion in the beginning of this agreement, but rise precipitously to $21.1 billion in the next 5 years. Those are enormous increases, and I worry that we cannot afford to include such narrowly targeted tax relief over the long term when we don't know how healthy our economy will be in the year 2002. We may well have to revisit these benefits and reconsider whether they are worth retaining. I would be thrilled if our economic growth and expansion continued at such a pace that we do not have to revisit this work, but I want my colleagues to know that this is one of my worries about enacting this tax bill. I remain very confident that over the next few years we have a unique opportunity to provide some tax relief to many Americans --and well understand the promise of that relief helps us deliver an agreement to balance the budget. At the same time, we are plowing $40 billion into education tax credits to help 5 million students with a $1,500 HOPE scholarship to make the first 2 years of college universally available and a 20 percent tuition tax credit for college juniors, seniors, and graduate students, along with working Americans to pursue lifetime learning and get the skill upgrades they need to compete in a changing economy. This level of tax support for education will help us prepare our children and our workforce for the new century. I congratulate the President for holding firm to his commitment. I am hopeful that both budget bills headed for the President's signature will make the steps forward that are being promised and celebrated today. I know that many provisions will directly benefit West Virginians in key areas. But I also urge everyone in Congress to keep a careful watch on the results of both bills, and maintain a commitment to correcting anything that may go wrong and budgetary effects that may go awry. Let's do our best to achieve the good promised in these bills, and work to make sure that the legacy of this legislation will be something we can continue to praise in future years. air passenger tax formula

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today with my friend, Senator Jim Jeffords, of Vermont to introduce a bill that will help families avoid an additional tragedy in their already traumatized lives. We are introducing a bill to raise lifetime limits on insurance policies to $10 million. But, first, I want to recognize and applaud Chairman Jeffords' extraordinary leadership on this issue--last Congress and this year. With his leadership, we will succeed in raising the lifetime cap on health benefits to $10 million. People buy health insurance to protect themselves and their families when they get sick. They spend their lives paying for it. They count on it. But each year, 1,500 people have their insurance taken away, just when they need it most and for the very reason why they bought the insurance in the first place, because they are gravely ill or in need to extensive medical care or some other extraordinary reason. These 1,500 people run into the lifetime limit on their health insurance policy. When that happens, the insurance company won't spend a single cent to help that person cope with his or her health care costs. But the need for medical care continues. And the bills keep coming. The $1 million limit, first used by insurance companies to give their customers peace of mind and security in the 1970's, is widely out-of- date and hugely insufficient. According to Price Waterhouse, had the limit kept pace with medical inflation, it would be more than $10 million today. In fact, a $1 million health insurance policy in 1970 would buy you about $100,000 in health benefits in 1997. When a family runs into the lifetime limit, they have no choice but to spend themselves into poverty in order to qualify for Medicaid. This drains families of their assets, their self-esteem and costs Medicaid several billion dollars in additional health care costs. Many people have to give up everything--their house, their savings, and their kids' education in order to get the medical care they need through Medicaid. In my home State of West Virginia, Mike Davis hit his $1 million lifetime cap in 1994. That was 14 years after his son Todd was hit by a drunk driver, causing severe brain injury. Before Todd qualified for Medicaid, his father received a $90,000 bill for his son's care--a bill he's still struggling to pay. This can happen to anyone. Catastrophic injury, chronic illness or significant disability are arbitrary. They hit young and old, rich and poor. You plan for routine illness, but no one plans for this kind of illness or injury. At least if you have a health insurance policy without a $1 million cap, you can get the medical treatment you need. Most people don't even know if their insurance policy has a lifetime cap. The insurance companies don't talk about them. The caps are stuck in the fine print. People assume that if you buy insurance, you're covered. Unfortunately, that's not the case. About 60 percent of employer-sponsored health plans have lifetime caps. Several modifications were made to this year's bill. We include an exemption for small businesses. We give all businesses 2 years to comply. We phase the cap in--first raising it to $5 million and then lifting it to $10 million by the year 2002. We're talking about a roughly 1 percent increase in premiums, according to Price-Waterhouse. That's it. The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program doesn't allow participating insurers to set lifetime limits on their basic health insurance polices for Federal employees. Members of Congress don't have lifetime caps. We know our health insurance will be there when we need it. All Americans should have that same security. Raising the cap is something we can and should do. It's the right thing to do. It's good policy and it can save Medicaid up to $7 billion over the next 7 years. Mr. President, the idea behind insurance is simple: no matter how sick you are, you're covered. It's about basic decency and fairness.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. The provision that will probably become law, in this gigantic stack of papers, is opposed by telecommunications companies. It is opposed by education groups. It is going to be opposed by a lot more groups before this process is finished. The universal service fund is private money. It comes from telephone companies. We don't own the telephone companies. They are their own property. It is managed by nonprofit NECA, the National Exchange Carriers Association. This is private money--private money--that should not be used for budget gimmicks. At this point, we are caught between a rock and a hard place. The bill is before us. It is a good bill on balance. It is a bill that I am going to vote for. It is something that all of us have worked hard for since 1993, and probably before that. It is going to have to be changed, I fear, in the future. I tried to reach Franklin Raines this afternoon. I could not do so. I have spoken to the Vice President about it. I have spoken to everybody I possibly could, because it is terribly bad public policy. I am committed to protecting the integrity of universal service, and I intend to work with Senator Dorgan, Republican colleagues, industry leaders, and advocates to protect universal service and its promise of affordable access to rural America. I urge interested parties to join me in this fight. Universal service is not just about putting computers in classrooms. It is about fairness to rural Americans. It is a sacred trust. The universal service fund has been briefly violated. One can hope that this will be the only time, and one can hope that even this time, it will only last for about a year before we clear it up. Mr. President, I thank the Presiding Officer and yield the floor. Mr. STEVENS addressed the Chair.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I yield myself, off the time of the Senator from New Jersey, 10 minutes.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I thank my friend and ask unanimous consent the time used by my friend from New Mexico be used on his side and not from the time of the Senator from New Jersey.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I strongly agree with what Senator Dorgan of North Dakota has said. I expect that, if the Presiding Officer were in a position to take the floor, he might say something not that dissimilar. There is an enormous amount of anger among those of us who worry about rural America, that for the first time in its history --hopefully for the last time in its history--the universal service fund is literally being raided for the purpose of a gimmick. The Senator from New Mexico is correct, I think, in the way he describes the process of what will happen. He is incorrect in one small matter, which doesn't really make that much difference but happens to make some difference to me as a Democrat, and that is that the idea came first from the Congressional Budget Office, not from the White House. It came from the Congressional Budget Office, this so-called gimmick fix. Then it was upheld by, so to speak, the Office of Management and Budget, which is something that I am very angry about, as a Democrat, because that happened on the President's watch. I think the problem with this is that universal service is sacred. When the Senator from North Dakota described equal phone calls--as he sometimes says, Donald Trump can call into Minot, ND, and that is good for Donald Trump in New York City and that's good for Minot, ND, and the possessor of that phone. But the purpose of universal service is, in fact, that rural areas are able to be sustained in part of their rate-paying because some States have to be more generous than others. That is what universal service is about. That is what the money is there for. It is not there for black lung, it's not there for retired miners, it's not there for environmental purposes. It's there for one purpose, and that is to guarantee that universal service on the telephones is available and affordable by people no matter where they live, and people particularly in rural areas. Part of my objection to all of this, of course, is that this whole process of working out this reconciliation bill--which I do support. I am not jumping up and down, but I do support it. That will be another speech at another time. But basically there were a lot of meetings held in a lot of rooms in which a lot of us were not allowed to be. I have a feeling that this decision was made at the last moment by OMB. Their people tried vainly to convince Senator Dorgan and his folks and myself and my folks that this was all really nothing but just a shifting of money here and there. But that is not the case. If you look at the historic proportions of raiding the universal service fund, no matter for what purpose--it's not for telephone service, it's not for making it possible in rural New Mexico or rural West Virginia or rural North Dakota for people who have telephones not to have to pay exorbitant rates. So here we have this one very unfortunate example. It's a budget gimmick. It's lousy policy. It's using the service fund as a piggy bank. There is no excuse for it. It's in the bill. I understand that we are probably not going to be able to do very much about it, but it is wrong. It is not only wrong because of what it does to universal service, but it's also very wrong because of what it does to libraries and schools and health care center telemedicine programs, which I will talk about in a moment. I will say the fact that Senator McCain was on the floor, that Senator Stevens has strong feelings about this, and Senator Hollings has strong feelings about this, Senator Daschle has strong feelings about this, Senator Dorgan, myself, many others, Senator Snowe--many others--this is a problem that we are going to come back to and fix. As the Senator from Arizona indicated, he's going to hold hearings. But we are going to come back on this until we can fix this problem. We can't fix it today, but we will be back, we will be back again, until we get this eliminated--eliminated and changed. Because it is wrong. I recognize the universal service fund isn't recognized by most people. They don't know what it means. But it's something of such incredible importance to affordable phone rates for rural citizens that it is something people better understand very, very thoroughly. When a group of us passed and fought hard for something called the Snowe- Rockefeller-Exon-Kerrey amendment, we extended the promise and the idea of universal service to something which fits in that category; that is, schools, libraries and rural health care facilities that use telemedicine. There are 116,000 schools in this country, Mr. President, and we are going to make every classroom applicable and every one of those classrooms, every one of those schools, we are going to make them fully wired up, ready for Internet, so there won't be any first- and second-class society in our country. I never, ever thought during the battle that we had to get to pass that Snowe-Rockefeller-Exon-Kerrey amendment, I never ever for a moment thought that we would be dealing with budget negotiators, but much more significantly I think, in this case, the Office of Management and Budget and their intransigence in trying to work out some kind of a Federal budget worked out that was not--I was shocked when I heard about that. Unfortunately, the budget has a neat trick, and as the Senator from New Mexico points out, it will work. It will loan universal service funds in the year 2001 and it will repay that in the year 2002, solely to have enough money appear on the books to make it possible to say that the Federal budget was balanced in that particular year, 2002. It violates the promise made to telecommunications providers that the universal service money was for telecommunications only. They are offended by it. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from Bell Atlantic and Nynex expressing exactly that view.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I appreciate that very much. I also appreciate very much, as I always do, what my good friend, the Senator from New Mexico, said. I would draw one small point, however of difference. That is, in the miners' health retirement bill there has never been any thought, any action, any suggestion that any of that money should be used for anything but the health care of miners, period. It doesn't go anywhere else. In the case of what we are now talking about, the universal service fund, it is something which was set up for one purpose and which is being used for an entirely different purpose. The Senator may wish to come back--

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Of course.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate the members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States for their program called Operation Uplink. Through private donations, the VFW has been able to distribute more than 11,000 hours worth of free long-distance calling time to hospitalized veterans and active duty troops overseas who might not otherwise be able to talk with their loved ones back home. Since I represent a State which especially honors national service and has the most combat veterans per capita, you can be sure that this is an issue I care about deeply. Shortly after I joined the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I learned that none of our country's veterans' hospitals had bedside phones. Patients had to collect change to use at a pay phone, or wait for a nurse to wheel a portable phone into their room. Not only did this inconvenience patients greatly, it added to the burdens of an already overworked nursing staff. We all realize that a phone is more than a modern convenience; it is a lifeline to the outside world for a sick veteran. That is why I fought for, and won, $1.5 million in 1993 to support the work of the bedside phone project, P.T. Phone Home, in West Virginia and elsewhere. A couple of years ago when I was in West Virginia visiting the Clarksburg VA Medical Center, I spoke with a World War II combat veteran, Kenneth Getz. Mr. Getz had been experiencing serious medical problems, but he was much more concerned about his blind wife than his own health. He told me, ``We start the day with a phone call and end it with a phone call. Phones should have been in here years ago.'' And he is exactly right--we have an obligation to make certain that every veteran receives the same quality care you or I would want for ourselves. Unfortunately, too many poor veterans are not able to take advantage of the bedside phone service, since for many, home is not a local call from the hospital. The thought of a sick or wounded veteran, lying in a distant veterans' hospital, cut off from family, children and friends, is very troubling to me. It is plain wrong. I highly commend the VFW for recognizing this problem and taking action. We know that in the long run, veterans who can talk to their spouse or children are not only happier, but also have higher morale, and that can go far in improving their health. I can just envision the comforting effect on a patient like Mr. Getz in having the opportunity to talk to his son in Houston or wife in Charleston--all of this made possible by the VFW initiative. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending a warm thank-you to the VFW and its members all across America. I am especially pleased to note that this service is being provided by private donations, thus protecting the already beleaguered Federal budget. This project is a tribute to the many veterans who believed in the principles of freedom and democracy strongly enough to risk their lives in the name of freedom. By providing prepaid phone cards to sick vets and overseas troops, the VFW truly ``Honors the dead by helping the living.''

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I wanted to take a moment to commend the members of the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Subcommittee for including $1,675,000 for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology [EPSCoT] in the fiscal year 1998 appropriations request. This program model is based on the successful National Science Foundation's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research [EPSCoR]. EPSCoR has a strong track record in helping to promote quality research in States, like West Virginia, that are traditionally under represented in Federal research and development funding. EPSCoT is intended to promote similar activities for technology transfer. This is a wise investment with bipartisan support. Senator Burns and I have discussed this concept and its potential, and we have sought the comments of leaders in our states and regions. Technology plays a vital role in economic growth. According to the Congressional Research Service, experts widely believe that technological progress is responsible for up to one-half of the growth of the U.S. economy and is one principal driving force in long-term economic expansion and increases in our Nation's standard of living. Given this compelling point, it is essential to ensure that technology is successfully transferred to business and industry in every region, including those regions which historically are under served. Our Nation will not thrive if some regions are left behind in the key sectors of R&D or technology transfer. The National Science Foundation's EPSCoR program has considerably helped States enhance their capacity for research and development. The Department of Commerce is now looking to use this successful model for technology transfer. It is important to note that this initiative has been debated and considered for quite some time. Commerce officials have worked closely with Governors and U.S. Innovation Partnership. As a longstanding advocate for EPSCoR, I am enthusiastic about the potential for this new Commerce initiative, EPSCoT, to effectively build partnerships at the State level and promote technological advances that will lead to long-term growth in regions of our country that traditionally have been left behind. I am confident that West Virginia and other States can benefit enormously by such a targeted incentive program. This appropriations is a good start in the right direction on technology transfer. Funding of the Patent and Trademark Office

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today I am introducing a duty suspension bill that will not only benefit the chemical workers in my state of West Virginia, but also will enable U.S. farmers to grow more crops at lower cost and protect the environment at the same time. This legislation will suspend the U.S. duty on a hydrochloride known by its code name of KN001. This substance is a key raw material in a new, environmentally safe family of agricultural chemicals invented by DuPont in the 1980's. These new agricultural chemicals, called sulfonylureas, are used in extremely small amounts by farmers to control weed growth in their fields without harming the crops that the farmers are trying to grow. By suppressing weed growth, these chemicals make sure that all of the available soil nutrients and moisture go into growing the crops instead of growing weeds. Because sulfonylureas operate on plant enzymes, they do not affect insects or animals, and because they biodegrade rapidly, they are among the most environmentally friendly crop protection chemicals in use today. An additional benefit of suspending the duty on KN001 is the effect it will have on jobs in my home state of West Virginia. DuPont is in the process of constructing a $20 million revitalization project at their plant in Belle, West Virginia, and KN001 is the cornerstone of that project. The new investment will enable the production at Belle of a new sulfonylurea product family that uses KN001 as a feedstock. This revitalization project will preserve 50 existing jobs at Belle and create over a dozen new jobs. On top of all that, I've been told that this duty suspension is unlikely to result in any substantial revenue loss to the U.S. Treasury. Because it is used in the manufacture of new products, U.S. imports of this chemical are very small, and the resulting duty is also small. Equally important is the fact that this substance is not manufactured in the United States by another company, so no U.S. producer should be disadvantaged by the duty suspension. It's rare that we get a chance to support legislation that benefits workers, farmers, and the environment at virtually no cost to the Treasury. This is one of those times, and I hope the Senate will look favorably on this modest measure at the appropriate time. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full text of this bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

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

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. There is another aspect which worries me greatly. I have heard so many people talk about the importance of technology and the importance of understanding that technology is our future and the fact that so many of the people in our rural areas and in our urban areas are not hooked up to the Internet and hooked up to all of the advantages that technology and the computer brings us. It was with that in mind that during the consideration of the Telecommunications Act, a number of Senators, led by Senator Snowe of Maine, put forward an amendment which would allow, for the very first time, money to be used with the full consent of the carriers, to be used to wire up 116,000 schools in this country, endless numbers of public libraries, enormous numbers of rural health clinics so that they could develop in the practice of telemedicine and other new technologies that are now and will be available. If what is being contemplated by those who are working on the reconciliation process is the use of universal service money to plug up a potential shortfall in the spectrum auction, the entire Snowe amendment, which relates to whether or not we are going to have a first- or second-class citizenry in this country --first-class being those who have the money to have computers in their schools and at home and then the second class, and that being the majority, being those who do not--all of that will go down. I make the further point that this is not the Government's money. Some may try to argue that it is, but it is money that is paid into a special fund and it is money which is being administered by something called NECA, which is the ``national exchange cable association''--I believe that is what it stands for. They are private. They are private. They are a private entity administering this fund. This has been through a Senate process where it was agreed to in a bipartisan debate, 98 to 1. It has been through a joint board, FCC process, that is State and FCC together, voting 8 to nothing, and through a further final FCC process, 4 to nothing--unanimous, virtually the entire way through. If the budget negotiators use this universal service fund for any purpose other than for the purposes that the universal service fund is meant to be used for, I think it begins a tremendous downfall in not only our future in terms of rural rates, but also in terms of learning and technology. The Vice President of the United States, our former colleague, Albert Gore, said that in his view the Snowe amendment, relating to 116,000 schools, more public libraries and more rural health clinics, was the biggest and most important thing that had happened in education policy in the last 30 years. He may have said, in this century. In any event, all of that is in jeopardy, and the resolution, which is being circulated, I hope will be carried by staff members and others who hear the voice of the Senator from North Dakota and myself, to their Senators to know that something called universal service is in dire jeopardy as of this moment, because the tampering with that universal service is now in the bill that may come before us. There has to be a change made. Change is hard to come by. In other words, we really are at the ramparts on this issue. I thank the Presiding Officer and I yield the floor. Several Senators addressed the Chair.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, the junior Senator from West Virginia wishes to continue, a little bit, the comments that were made by the Senator from North Dakota [Mr. Dorgan]. Needless to say, the Senator from West Virginia not only wholly agrees with him, but would carry the argument even further. The concept of universal service is literally sacred in our country. For the majority of the people of our land, which is rural land, it is the only lifeline they have potentially to the present day and to their future day. They are able to afford certain kinds of rural rates. But if people start to take the universal service fund and use it for any other purpose other than what it was originally intended, the whole system of equality between rural States and urban States, of user States and using States, disappears. The concept of universal service is ended. I would like to suggest that this is not a thought which is held by myself alone. I ask at this moment to have printed in the Record a letter from the U.S. Telephone Association and a letter from the Rural Telephone Coalition on the subject that the Senator from North Dakota and I were discussing.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise to urge the Senate to reject the amendment offered by Senator Brownback that is designed to weaken a program absolutely critical to the country's technological strength. I thought that the fact that this bill contains the $200 million in funds needed for the Advanced Technology Program was a sign that we could finally get past a debate that is nothing but a distraction and a danger to our own economy. I stand here today just as I did last year and the year before to defend this program--this investment in America's economic competitiveness. As I, along with many others in this Chamber, have stated before, this program supports American industry's own efforts to develop new cutting edge, next-generation technologies--technologies that will create the new industries and jobs of the 21st century. Let me remind my colleagues that ATP does not, and I repeat, does not fund the development of commercial products. Instead, this program provides matching funds to both individual companies and joint ventures for pre-product research on high risk, potentially high payoff technologies. The Senate should give credit to Secretary of Commerce Daley, and let us work with him through the authorization process to improve the program. Secretary Daley just met his pledge to conduct a 60-day review of the program to assess the ATP's performance and the criticisms that have been levied against it. Sure enough, his review took into account comments provided by both critics and supporters of ATP. The Department of Commerce notified more than 3,500 interested parties, soliciting comments about ATP. In fact, Senators Lieberman, Domenici, Frist, and I joined together and provided 1 of the 80-plus comments the Department received. I commend Secretary Daley for the job he did in undertaking this review. As we all know, there is not a department or program that can't be improved. And as a long time and avid supporter of ATP, I believe that after 6 years of operation, experience shows us some areas that indeed can be improved. This review has done just that. I agree with his suggestion to place more emphasis on joint-ventures and consortia and more emphasis on small and medium-size single applicants. I also support his proposal to shift the cost-share ratio for large single applicants to 60 percent, and I will further review his suggestions to encourage state participation. As ranking Democrat on the Science and Technology Subcommittee, which has oversight of the ATP, I look forward to working with my colleague Senator Frist to review this report and to make any necessary legislative changes during consideration of legislation to reauthorize the Technology Administration. Secretary Daley's review could not have been done at a better time. As I stated, this program has been in existence for 6 years, and this review was conducted on those 6 years of experience. The proposals set forth in this review strengthen a very strong program that is one of the cornerstones to the Nation's long-term economic prosperity. Some of us in the Senate, Senator Hollings, Senator Burns, Senator Lieberman, and myself, to name just a few, have been fighting every year for the past 4 years to keep the ATP alive. We welcomed the Secretary's review because we knew that it would validate the arguments we've been making for the past 4 years. A new element also is emerging in this debate that is validating what we have been saying. That new element is the success stories that are finally emerging. The mere ideas receiving grant money 4, 5, and 6 years ago are now technologies entering the market place and enhancing our economy and our livelihood. Let me close with some success stories that are starting to emerge. In Michigan for example, there are already two success stories, the first relating to the auto industry and the second relating to bone marrow transplants. In September 1995, an ATP-funded project, the ``2 millimeter (2mm) program,'' was completed. As a result of this grant, new manufacturing technologies and practices that substantially improve the fit of auto body parts during automated assembly of metal parts was developed. This technology has substantially improved the fit of auto body parts during assembly, resulting in dimensional variation at or below the world benchmark of 2 millimeters, the thickness of a nickel. What does this mean for this Nation's economy? It means that U.S. auto manufacturers can make cars and trucks with less wind noise, tighter fitting doors and windshields, fewer rattles, and higher customer satisfaction. In addition, there is a cost savings between $10 and $25 per car to the consumer, and maintenance cost savings is estimated between $50 and $100 per car. In addition, this improved quality is estimated to give the U.S. auto manufacturers a 1- to 2-percent gain in market share. Equally important is that this newly developed technology is applicable in the sheet metal industry, and industries as diverse as aircraft, metal furniture fabrication, and appliance manufacturing. Quality improvement from this technology could result in an increase in total U.S. economic output of more than $3 billion annually. In 1992, Aastrom Biosciences, a 15-person firm in Ann Arbor, MI, proposed a bioreactor that would take bone marrow cells from a patient and within 12 days produce several billion stem, white, and other blood cells--cells that can be injected into the patient to rapidly boost the body's disease-fighting ability. The technology looked promising but was too risky and long-term at that point to obtain significant private funding. The national benefit of this program was that it provided a reliable device that would allow blood cells from a patient to be grown in large quantities would reduce health care costs, require fewer blood transfusions, and greatly improve the treatment of patients with cancer, AIDS, and genetic blood diseases. Aastrom submitted a proposal identifying the economic opportunity and technical promise, and in 1992 the ATP co-funded a research project that developed a new prototype bioreactor. Today, after completing the ATP project and proving the technology, the company has over 60 employees, and another 30 providing contract services, a practical prototype, and over $36 million in private investment to develop their new blood cell bioreactor into a commercial product. In North Carolina, Cree Research of Durham, won an ATP award in April 1992 to develop improved processing for growing large silicon-carbide crystals--a semiconductor material used for specialized electronic and optoelectronic devices such as the highly desired blue light-emitting diodes [LED's]. In 1992, this market was limited because of difficulties in growing large, high-quality single crystals. With ATP support, Cree Research was able to double the wafer size, with significant improvements in the quality of the larger wafers. Since 1992, LED sales are up by over 850 percent as a result of the ATP- funded technology. In Texas, a company has developed a cost-effective, microchip-based DNA diagnostic testing platform which contains both a family of diagnostic instruments and disposables. This successful prototype has demonstrated single molecule detection at a tenfold throughput advantage over conventional technologies. Numerous patented products will result from this technology in a market--molecular tools for diagnostics--which is expected to reach $2 billion by the year 2004. ATP funded projects from 5 and 6 years ago are becoming success stories all across the Nation. Mr. President, ATP is working, and the U.S. economy is benefitting; 288 awards have been given thus far, including 104 joint ventures, and 184 single applicants. Small businesses account for 106 awards and are the lead in 28 of the joint ventures. For the $989 million in ATP funding committed by the Federal Government, industry has committed $1.03 billion in cost sharing. The success stories, however, show us Mr. President, that the Federal funding and the cost sharing is just the seed money for enormous contributions to our national economy and our global competitiveness. Necessary seed money that bridges the innovation gap in this country between basic research and emerging technologies. I encourage my colleagues to continue their support of this worthy and successful program, and to reject this amendment that will take us backwards and help our foreign competitors while weakening our own economy.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I want to reflect on the positive results of our country's growing commitment to equal opportunities for women in college sports and to the elimination of discrimination in our Nation's educational programs. During this time of commemorating the 25th anniversary of title IX, Americans recognize the success of our Nation's athletes as they continue to grow both on the field and in the classroom. I take this opportunity to commend the achievement of women in college and university sports and to support their advancement in the athletic world. Expanded opportunities for women as a result of title IX have enabled more young women from all arenas to challenge themselves and each other, develop the competitive spirit, and truly enrich their academic lives. In West Virginia, title IX's impact on college and university sports is made clear by the success of their women's athletic programs. It pleases me to see the competitive spirit grow within West Virginia and to include the aspirations of our daughters as well as our sons. I am proud to commend our individual athletes who deserve praise for their constant and persistent efforts. Over the past years, West Virginia's fine institutions that include, to cite just one example, Bluefield State College, in Bluefield, WV, have given scholarship money that significantly increased participation in women's athletics. Alderson-Broaddus College in Phillipi, WV, in this past year alone has had an award-winning WVIAC women's softball team, with players like Laura Granger, who balances a competitive sports schedule, her honors GPA, and her enrollment in a difficult sports medicine program. At the University of Charleston [UC], the Golden Eagles Volleyball Team complied an impressive 29-4 record in 1996 and continues to strive toward success. UC's basketball team is also on the high rise with athletes like Jodie Prenger, who plays Division II basketball and spends the rest of her time devoted to academics. With a devotion to the team and to their own growth as individuals, these women athletes will provide role models for our future daughters. I can see how perseverence learned in athletics contributes to the academic lives of these high-achieving students. I am pleased to hear of the progress we as a State have made by supporting greater opportunities for women in sports, and I want to continue to honor such dedication on the parts of our athletes and school administrators who prize and promote such equality. As the struggle to root out discrimination from all realms of life continues, I am very proud to say West Virginia is a strong part of the extraordinary progress that America is celebrating during title IX's anniversary year.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today I am introducing a duty suspension bill that will not only benefit the chemical workers in my state of West Virginia, but also will enable U.S. farmers to grow more crops at lower cost and protect the environment at the same time. This legislation will suspend the U.S. duty on a hydrochloride known by its code name of KN001. This substance is a key raw material in a new, environmentally safe family of agricultural chemicals invented by DuPont in the 1980's. These new agricultural chemicals, called sulfonylureas, are used in extremely small amounts by farmers to control weed growth in their fields without harming the crops that the farmers are trying to grow. By suppressing weed growth, these chemicals make sure that all of the available soil nutrients and moisture go into growing the crops instead of growing weeds. Because sulfonylureas operate on plant enzymes, they do not affect insects or animals, and because they biodegrade rapidly, they are among the most environmentally friendly crop protection chemicals in use today. An additional benefit of suspending the duty on KN001 is the effect it will have on jobs in my home state of West Virginia. DuPont is in the process of constructing a $20 million revitalization project at their plant in Belle, West Virginia, and KN001 is the cornerstone of that project. The new investment will enable the production at Belle of a new sulfonylurea product family that uses KN001 as a feedstock. This revitalization project will preserve 50 existing jobs at Belle and create over a dozen new jobs. On top of all that, I've been told that this duty suspension is unlikely to result in any substantial revenue loss to the U.S. Treasury. Because it is used in the manufacture of new products, U.S. imports of this chemical are very small, and the resulting duty is also small. Equally important is the fact that this substance is not manufactured in the United States by another company, so no U.S. producer should be disadvantaged by the duty suspension. It's rare that we get a chance to support legislation that benefits workers, farmers, and the environment at virtually no cost to the Treasury. This is one of those times, and I hope the Senate will look favorably on this modest measure at the appropriate time. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full text of this bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, the next few days could make the difference between every working family getting the benefit of the child care tax credit in the budget--or the benefit of the child credit only going to families earning more than $30,000. The next few days could make the difference between whether or not more than 25,000 West Virginia families get the benefit of child tax credit or not. Nationwide we're talking about almost 5 million families who could get left out if we don't make the child credit fairer to all families. Democrats want all hard working families to get the benefit of the child credit--under the tax bills that passed the House and Senate they won't. As congress and the President try to wrap up the bipartisan budget deal and its family tax cuts, we need to improve the child tax credit so it helps American families that need it most. The average family in West Virginia has an income of $27,500. What that means is that about 25,000 West Virginia families won't benefit from the Republican child credit plans under consideration unless we change the tax bills so that all working families share in the benefits of the child tax credit just like middle income families do. The President has a child tax credit proposal that benefits all working families. We should adopt it as part of our tax cut package or too many West Virginians and lower-middle income families across the country will be left out. For the average hard-working American family to get a direct, real benefit from this year's budget agreement, we need to make sure that all working families get the benefit of the $500 child tax credit. Average American families don't have multi-million dollar estates, and they're not playing the stock market. They don't have enough money to invest in IRA's. They go to work every day, often both parents work full time, and they have a tough time paying their bills, putting food on the table, making the mortgage, and seeing to it that their kids grow up safe and healthy. Those are the families who I think this budget agreement should deliver for first and foremost--before we give the wealthy a chance to save tax-free, benefit a handful of the wealthiest Americans with big estates, or provide a capital gains tax cut. Extending health care coverage to the children of working families who don't qualify for Medicaid is the other major benefit of this tax bill for working families. Right now, we don't know if these families will get real health care coverage from the final agreement, with health care benefits they can count or not. That is another major issue which could be decided in the next few days. I am here to tell my colleagues and the American people that there is simply no choice but for us to stand up for hard working American families and give them the family tax credit they were promised, and the health insurance coverage their children need. It defies common sense to allocate $85 billion in net tax cuts--as called for under the bipartisan budget agreement--and leave out the working families who need it most. The President's proposal directly benefits families who work and who pay taxes--it is not welfare--it is the helping hand they need. These families deserve to share in the benefits of the tax cut. These families are the families of a rookie cop in West Virginia, a public school teacher, a bank teller, or a fireman. Middle class families deserve a break, so do families who are lower-middle class, and we don't have to choose between them. Working families all can benefit from the child tax credit as it is constructed in the President's child tax credit proposal. It would treat the children of all working families equally--all the families who are working hard and pulling the proverbial wagon should benefit from the child tax credit. The Children's Commission unanimously endorsed this kind of child tax credit. This tax bill is where we can deliver. I am here to report that in the next few days or over the next few weeks as we complete our work on this historic budget agreement, I will not stop fighting for the families in West Virginia who deserve a child tax break, who deserve health care coverage for their kids, and who deserve our help, now.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, as the ranking member of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, I am pleased to express my support for S. 1034, the fiscal year 1998 Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies appropriation bill, and most particularly for title I, the part of the bill dealing with VA. I realize that this has again been a very difficult year for funding issues, with a reduced 602(b) allocation, agency spending being cut by reconciliation measures, and increased competition for what limited funding remained available. The Chair of the VA-HUD Subcommittee, Senator Bond, the ranking member, Senator Mikulski, and the other members of the subcommittee deserve credit for their remarkable efforts with regard to veterans' needs, as evident in this bill. Mr. President, I remind my colleagues that the budget resolution included proposed reductions in VA spending below the current fiscal year 1997 level, and below what is generally considered the current services level. At the time that the Senate passed the balanced budget resolution, I took strong exception to the proposal funding for veterans. In my view, the budget resolution asked veterans to carry a disproportionate share of the burden to balance the Federal budget. Realizing, too, that slashing discretionary spending--especially for health care--was inappropriate, the Committee on Appropriations [Committee] saw fit to alter the spending priorities for veterans. Instead, the committee was able to increase funding for VA medical care, research, and the State Veterans Home Program. This is a tremendous achievement. While I would always want to increase support for veterans programs further, I am enormously pleased with the result of their efforts, and would like to highlight several accomplishments in particular. For health care, the committee recommended $17.02 billion for VA medical care, an increase of $68 million over the President's request. The committee also recognized that VA is to retain, under new authorizing legislation which is part of the budget agreement, the so- called medical care cost recovery [MCCR] collections estimated to reach $604 million in fiscal year 1998. Because collections of these third- party receipts has grown from $267 million in fiscal year 1991 to over $557 million in fiscal year 1996, I am encouraged by VA's ability to generate nonappropriated revenue. I note with caution however, that VA's outpatient billing remains problematic. Along with my colleague, Senator Mikulski, I intend to be attentive to VA's collection activities. When combined, the committee's recommendation and the authorization for the retention of insurance moneys bring total discretionary resources for medical care to $17.6 billion. As we proceed with Senate approval of the VA appropriations bill, it is important to note that this amount constitutes an increase of $617 million over current spending. I am also particular gratified by the committee's report language on the need for a community-based outpatient clinic [CBOC] in Charleston, the capital of my home State of West Virginia. Indeed, the committee noted that a Charleston CBOC would improve service to more than 27,000 veterans in Kanawha and surrounding counties, including Boone, Putnam, Lincoln, and Logan. Thousands of these veterans reside in rural areas, many miles from the nearest VA medical center. Many of them live in areas with no public transportation, where just a trip to the doctor can take several hours of driving time on winding, mountainous roads. A VA outpatient clinic in this part of West Virginia is long overdue. Throughout my tenure on the Committee on Veteran's Affairs, I have witnessed the direct benefits of a strong research program, such as higher quality clinicians and discoveries in prosthetics, cancer, AIDS, and aging. These discoveries directly affect the everyday activities of veterans. After several years of flat funding, I believe that the time has come to increase the VA research appropriation. The Appropriations Committee agreed and included an increase in the VA medical and prosthetic research account. Although the increase--$5 million--is modest, it sends an important signal to the VA research community that we value their work and the direct impact it has on our veterans. The increase in research funding will help support important work on the health problems of atomic veterans, Vietnam-era veterans, and gulf war veterans. Over the years, we have witnessed the emergence of special health problems associated with each war. In response, VA researchers have made important gains in the understanding of each of these populations and their clinical needs. Their challenges continue, and we must make sure that their research efforts are well supported. I also express my strong support for the committee's action to fully fund the Court of Veterans Appeal's Pro Bono Representation Program. This program is of utmost importance to our Nation's veterans. At a time when the court is experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of appeals filed, it would be devastating to cut the funding of a program that matches up pro bono attorneys with indigent veterans. It is a small program, but it's impact is great. In fact, the Pro Bono Program will be assigning its one thousandth case to a pro bono attorney on July 24, 1997. Mr. President, although I am pleased with the overall outcome of this bill, I have concerns about the effect of the bill's appropriation for VA's general operating expenses account. The bill provides for $786 million, which is $41 million below the current budget and $60 million below the budget request. This is a significant cut for VA to absorb, especially at a time when it is still taking VA an average of 135 days to process an original compensation claim. However, as we strive toward deficit reduction, Congress cannot continue to throw money at problems in the absence of effective leadership at agencies to bring about the change that is needed. Sadly, that absence has been profound at the Veterans Benefit Administration in recent years. It is time for VA to manage the benefits process, not just administer it. It is past time for VA to change, in major ways, beginning with the implementation of many of the recommendations contained in the recent reports of the Veterans' Claims Adjudication Commission and the National Academy of Public Administration. Mr. President, there is no doubt that this is a very exciting time. VA has the potential for meaningful change. Whether it is in the area of a medical care or benefits administration, I believe that, on balance, the Committee on Appropriations has given VA the resources it needs to move forward with much needed reforms. I applaud the leadership of all the members of the Appropriations Committee, and especially those members on the VA-HUD Subcommittee. Mr. President, in closing, I express my deepest gratitude to my esteemed colleague, Senator Mikulski, the ranking Democrat on the Senate VA-HUD Subcommittee, for her continued efforts with respect to veterans' programs. This year, as she does every year, Senator Mikulski has shown her unwavering support for veterans. I am pleased to call her my colleague and friend. csoc

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to recognize a worthy school in my State. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program annually identifies elementary and middle schools which attain high academic standards, foster an educational community, productive communication and strong leadership, and indicate a hopeful future. These schools are acknowledged for their achievements and held up publicly as models for other schools. In testament to West Virginia's strong commitment to education, I am proud that my State contains more blue ribbon schools this year than most others--7 schools out of the 263 honored across the country. Of these, I wish to highlight the achievement of one today: Pleasant Hill Elementary School in Grantsville, WV. Pleasant Hill's two-story brick building is tucked among the forests of Calhoun County, far from any city or even a fast-food restaurant. It is a place where West Virginians face many financial challenges, yet those at Pleasant Hill have struggled and succeeded in the face of these obstacles. They see that education is the way to a better future. For 8 years, under a community vision that every child must first master a backbone of basic skills, the school has steadily improved its standing. When teachers were not satisfied with math scores, they examined their teaching methods and implemented a new approach which emphasized practicing skills after they were learned. Now Pleasant Hill students placed in the 91 percentile in math. With this strategy, directing attention to one needy area at a time, the whole school has raised itself to a level which deserves notice. But the whole community--not just the teachers--has also changed the atmosphere at Pleasant Hill. Under the leadership of administrators like Principal Lawrence Stinn, the faculty and parents see themselves as members of the same team aspiring together to teach the children. When a school community is so united, perhaps the most important aspect of education is already achieved: a sense of optimism. And the Pleasant Hill community certainly has reason to see a bright future. During a time when our public schools face innumerable obstacles, it is comforting to see places like Pleasant Hill. They reassure us that, with a little determination, all schools in America can improve. Thus I am pleased to congratulate the accomplishments and continuing efforts of the people of Grantsville. I am proud they are from West Virginia and know that they will continue to represent the best that our State has to offer.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Harrisville Elementary School of Harrisville, WV. This fine public school was recently selected as a 1997 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education. It was 1 of 7 elementary schools in my State to receive this prestigious award, and 1 of 38 West Virginia schools that have been recognized since the National Blue Ribbon School Program began in 1982. Schools are judged on curriculum, leadership, teaching environment, student performance on standardized tests, parent and community support, graduation rates and post graduation pursuits. Harrisville Elementary's goal is ``to educate all students to their maximum abilities.'' Although 65 percent of the students are from low socioeconomic backgrounds, a high level of achievement is expected of all students. Along with Principal Marion Roby; teachers, support staff, parents, and community members work together to provide students with quality learning experiences. This dedication to student success and academic excellence is evident in the remarkable growth the students have achieved. Student total battery scores on the CTBS/4 test have increased from the 47th percentile to the 88th percentile. Located in the north-central part of the State, Harrisville Elementary School was the first school in Ritchie County to have a networked computer lab where all students have daily scheduled class. The students also participate in STARS (Special Time with At-Risk Students) and take part in GATORS (Guiding Attitudes Toward Outstanding Responsible Students). These two staff designed programs promote life- long decisionmaking skills and build self esteem. The school piloted a comprehensive health program, Know Your Body, which was later adopted by the rest of the country. The school's staff is one of the best in the State with four Ritchie County Teachers of the Year, including the 1996 honoree. As a National Blue Ribbon School, Harrisville Elementary School is a role model for other schools across the country on how teachers, administrators, parents and students can work togther to create an educational environment that helps children excel. Everyone in the Harrisville community should be proud of the notoriety that their local institution has achieved. It is my pleasure to publicly congratulate this school for its commitment to academic success. I know that this school will continue its good work and represent West Virginia proudly on a national level.

Mr. ROCKEFELLER

Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, this amendment seeks to further a valuable, mutually beneficial affiliation between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans' Affairs by authorizing a $15 million increase for the DOD/VA Cooperative Research Program. This program encourages health-related research which benefits both veterans and active duty military personnel. In fact, fostering this collaborative relationship was the original intent of the DOD appropriation, back when this program began in 1987. It has been funded every year since then. Funding for this amendment is made available from the Army procurement, specifically, special equipment for user testing. Each year, the DOD/VA Cooperative Research Program begins with jointly selected, specific research topics, and the Departments, working together, come up with priorities for research areas and the appropriate funding levels. The VA and DOD jointly designate representatives to oversee the entire process. The result is research which provides a strong, direct link between DOD and VA investigators to pursue research of mutual interest, and facilitates research that follows the natural course of disease or injury in individuals, first as active duty military personnel, and then as veterans. I am cosponsoring this amendment with Senator Durbin and Senator Specter who also believe that the joint research program reaps tremendous benefits. I thank the distinguished junior Senator from Pennsylvania for his willingness to reach agreement on this amendment. In fiscal year 1997, DOD and VA agreed to spend the funds provided for this program on such areas as a new Environmental Epidemiology Research Center and studies on combat casualty care including bone healing, blood replacement, skin repair, vascular repair, and spinal cord injury. Last year's program also yielded expanded research on prostate cancer and emerging pathogens. In addition, I am particularly encouraged by a new research program on psychiatric disease and post-traumatic stress disorder targeted at identifying risk profiles for soldiers who might have a higher probability of developing PTSD. This PTSD-prevention program will be developing methods to screen potential combat-ready soldiers for PTSD. As the ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I have witnessed the devastating effects of PTSD on the lives of former military personnel, and I am enormously encouraged by research which may prevent the onset of PTSD. Because of the collaborative nature of the joint program, this amendment does not specify research areas for focus. Rather, it leaves that decision with the Departments. Given the number of unanswered questions surrounding the illnesses and health problems of gulf war veterans, however, I am optimistic the DOD and VA will want to pursue more research in this area to help identify effective treatments and recognize the battlefield risks that our troops face in today's warfare. This research would not only address the current health problems of gulf war veterans, it will also help identify prevention measures for future deployments. As the nature of war changes, the modern military must cope with threats that include environmental hazards and possible biological or chemical warfare, as well as the more traditional hazards of combat. Research is needed to ensure that we are ready to meet these new risks.