Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Yes.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I wish to state that if there is no objection, the vote on the continuing resolution would occur at 4:15. I ask unanimous consent that that be the order.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I enter a motion to reconsider the vote by which the conference report was defeated.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, the Senate will shortly vote on the conference report to accompany H.R. 4516, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for 2001. As the managers have stated, this conference report also includes the Treasury-general government bill for fiscal year 2001. Many Senators have voiced concern about the inclusion of the Treasury bill, which had not previously passed the Senate, in this conference report. Many Senators have questioned me personally about this. Having served in this body for nearly 32 years, I understand and share that commitment to the procedures of the Senate and want to do my best to preserve the rights of all Senators. I am here to ask Senators in this case to consider the product rather than the process by which this conference report comes before the Senate. This report addresses critical funding priorities for all of the elements of the legislative branch. Senator Bennett and Senator Feinstein have achieved a very balanced agreement with the House on the underlying bill that merits the support of the Senate. In the Treasury bill, substantial changes were made to the committee- reported bill, the bill that came out of our Appropriations Committee, to accommodate priorities of the Members of the House and of the executive branch, both in terms of funding and of legislation. It would be preferable to have this bill come separately before the Senate, but the Appropriations Committee now finds itself in the stranglehold of the calendar. In all likelihood, we have about 10 voting days remaining in this Congress. We are working to compress weeks of work into a handful of days. There are additional changes that Members and the President seek in the Treasury portion of the conference report. I have extended my personal commitment to Senator Dorgan to work with him and Senator Campbell to try to incorporate those adjustments into another conference report. I also have given my word to Senator Reid concerning problems regarding the police section of the legislative bill itself. Adoption of this report now will permit us to redouble our efforts to conclude our work as rapidly as possible on the other bills that still pend before Congress, and we will be able to achieve the changes some sought to make in the current bill. Any other course will set the Senate and the Congress way back in getting our job done. If this conference report is not approved, we will have to find some way to go back to conference with the House. And if it is decided that we must bring the Treasury bill before the Senate, I can assure Senators that we will have a postelection session. It is just not possible to finish these bills before the election and get home in a reasonable amount of time--at least before the election-- for the Members of the House and Senate who are up for election to conduct their campaigns. I don't know of any other way to do what we have to do, other than to try to match up some of these bills in conference. There are lots of issues that both sides of the aisle may disagree on and fight over during the days that remain in this Congress. The bill before the Senate, I believe, is a reasonable bill, comprised of two separate bills that meet important national objectives. I have come to the floor to urge the Senate to support this conference report, to accept the commitments that I and others have made concerning the additional concerns expressed on the floor, and let our committee complete its work. I report to the Senate that conferences are scheduled today on the Interior bill and Transportation appropriations bill. But there is one thing Senators should know; our committee will be working every day-- not just the 10 days of votes--between now and adjournment to try to finish the bills before the scheduled day of adjournment, October 6. Even when that day comes, it will not be the last day for the Appropriations Committee. We will have to await the outcome of the President's review and determine whether there have to be changes made in the bills following the veto, should that occur. I am not predicting it will occur, but it might. If the Senate votes and approves this bill and sends it to the President, it is going to lend real momentum to concluding the appropriations process in a very responsible way this year. There have been things that held up these bills this year, including many days on the Senate floor with cloture motions and other matters. I am not critical of those. That is very important work for the Senate to do. Now we are in the appropriations process and we are trying to deal with a period that will really end on the 28th, not the 30th, because of the holiday and our recess next week. We have to find a way to complete these bills. The Senators who want to vote against the bill ought to be prepared to come back after the election. We are not going to be able to finish these bills separately this year. We are going to have to find a way to join them together. I, for one, have lived through too many postelection sessions. I don't want to live through another one. I urge Members of the Senate to support this conference report and let us get on about our work. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. STEVENS. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, Alaska lost one of its true pioneers when Dr. Milo Fritz died at his home in Anchor Point at the age of 91. One of America's pre-eminent eye, ear, nose, and throat surgeons, Milo treated patients throughout Alaska. Dr. Fritz came to Alaska 60 years ago. With his wife Betsy, a nurse by his side, he began a practice that took him into almost every remote community of our State--to areas where there were no doctors, no clinics, no health care facilities of any kind. The area he served covered almost a quarter of our State's 586,000 square miles, from Anchorage northeast to the Canadian border near Fort Yukon, west to Bettles and Huslia, south to Anvik and Shageluk, and east again over the Chugach Mountains to Anchorage. Dozens of villages in that vast expanse would never have seen a doctor if Milo Fritz had not traveled by dog sled or small boat, or piloted his own single-engine airplane, because in that region there were no health-care facilities. A command surgeon for the 11th Air force in World War II, Milo spent much of his service time in Alaska. After the war, and a brief sojourn in New York, he and Betsy returned to Alaska at the request of our then-territory's commissioner of health to investigate problems of blindness and deafness among children in Alaska Native communities. Sterilizing his surgical instruments in boiling water heated on a portable stove he carried with him, Dr. Fritz performed tonsillectomies and sometimes, in the absence of a dentist, even had to extract infected teeth. He specialized in treating otitis-media, a terrible and common disease among Alaskan rural children. He wrote this brief account of one of his typical visits, this one in the village of Allakaket, which rests on the Arctic Circle in the foothills of the Brooks Range: In Allakaket, we operated in a log community hall and slept in the schoolteacher's quarters. In this village we did 22 T and A's (combined removal of tonsils and adenoids), five tonsillectomies, extracted a few teeth, and prescribed two pairs of glasses. We took one night off and in my airplane went into the wilderness into a heavenly spot called Selby Lake, where we fished for grayling and lake trout amid majestic surroundings that were as simple and beautiful and unspoiled as they must have been on the seventh day (a reference to the biblical account of creation). After our territory of Alaska became the 49th State, Dr. Fritz took advantage of an opportunity to bring the health problems he encountered to the attention of State government, and ran successfully for the Alaska State legislature. in the 1960s and early in the 1970s he represented Anchorage in our State house. In 1982 he represented the Kenai Peninsula. I had the privilege to serve with him from 1966 to 1968. Just as he was a perfectionist in the practice of medicine, Dr. Fritz was a stickler for fair and thorough legislative practices. I remember Milo came to the Alaska House of Representatives at 5:30 a.m.--so he could read and analyze each bill before the regular session started. Milo had a commitment to the processes of democracy that few people share or understand. At the time of his death, a family member said: He was a skilled practitioner of the healing arts; a patron of the arts; humanitarian; solon; diligent inquirer into the mysteries of jurisprudence and its philosophy; a student of the legislative process; stern foe or hypocrisy and deceit; physician in the true tradition of Hippocrates and Saint Luke; and friend. Milo would want people to know that he tried. Mr. President, Milo Fritz's contributions to Alaska and Alaskans over almost three generations are far more than those of a man who just ``tried.'' He left a legacy of caring and hard work and love of people and of his profession that will be hard to match. He gave his all, over and over again, whether in a distant village or in his office in Anchorage, and Juneau and Anchor Point. I was not only fortunate to serve with him in our legislature, I was also one of his patients. so I know first had of the excellence with which he accomplished whatever task was before him. Flags in Alaska flew at half staff last week to honor the memory of Dr. Milo Fritz, a great Alaska physician, legislator, and pioneer. A great man. To Betsy, his wife of 63 years, and his son Jonathan, we extend our deepest sympathy. I, too, Mr. President, have lost a friend. Mr. President, I ask that the articles about Dr. Fritz's life and death which appeared in the Kenai Peninsula Clarion, and the Anchorage Daily News on September 8th and 9th respectively, and editor Bill Tobin's tribute in the ``voice of the times'' column on September 10th, be printed in the Record. The material follows: [From the Anchorage Daily News, Sept. 8, 2000] Doctor, 91, a Pioneer fritz worked with deaf, blind in alaska's bush (By Jon Little) SOLDOTNA.--Milo Fritz, a former state legislator and pioneering physician who dedicated much of his life to healing deaf and blind children in the Alaska Bush, died Aug. 31 at his home in Anchor Point. He was 91. Gracious, direct and with a razor wit, Fritz was an institution on the Southern Kenai Peninsula. He was an eye, ear and throat specialist who treated thousands of Alaskans over the years, among them Sen. Ted Stevens, friends and family say. He briefly set up practices on Park Avenue in New York, said Elizabeth Fritz, has wife of 63 years. But Fritz's career path took a more meaning route, following his heart to villages across Alaska. ``So many of the Native children were going blind and deaf for lack of medical care,'' she said. Gov. Tony Knowles ordered state flags lowered through the end of the workday today in Fritz's memory. The governor's office recounted Fritz's career in detail: He was born in Pittsfield, Mass., on Aug. 5, 1909, and came to Alaska in 1940 to set up a practice in Ketchikan. He was soon drawn away by World War II, serving in the Army Air Corps beginning in 1941. When asked where he wanted to serve, Fritz replied Alaska and was sent back to the state where he'd already set up a practice. He went across the state, helping soldiers. He rose to the rank of command surgeon for the 11th Air force. According to the governor's office, Fritz won commendations for rescuing a pilot from a plane crash on Mount Redoubt and another pilot from a burning plane at Elmendorf Air Base. After the war; Fritz went to New York, but in 1947 he was called back by the then Alaska commissioner of health to investigate blindness among Alaska Native children. Fritz was elected to the Legislature in 1966 and again in 1972 to represent Anchorage in the state House. After moving to Anchor Point, he was elected to a third term in 1982. Janet Helen Gamble, has long-time receptionist, described Fritz as a missionary. ``Sometimes he got paid, sometimes he didn't, because he really was not interested in money. He was interested in people's health, how he could make people see better.'' Fritz and his wife retired to the house they bought in 1949, where the scenery hasn't changed much over the decades. ``We see nothing man-made from our windows in the summer unless a ship goes by,'' Elizabeth Fritz said. ``It was the perfect place to end our lives and do things we'd put aside all these years.'' He is remembered by his family as, ``a skilled practitioner of the healing arts'' as well as a humanitarian and a ``diligent inquirer into the mysteries of jurisprudence and its philosophy'' and a ``stern foe of hypocrisy and deceit.'' In addition to his wife of 63 years, Fritz is survived by his son Jonathan, also of Anchor Point. No memorial service is planned, in accordance with his wishes.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, at the end of this week the men and women of the United States Olympic Team will march into the Olympic Stadium in Sydney, Australia for the XXVII Olympic games. These athletes who inspire all of us to set high goals and reach those goals deserve our congratulations and support. The American people also deserve praise and thanks for their individual contributions to our athletes and to the United States Olympic Committee. Without those contributions, most of our athletes would never have the chance to compete. American companies have also financially supported the United States Olympic Committee and the Olympic games through official sponsorships. Unfortunately, Mr. President, that Olympic sponsorship is being eroded by an insidious practice known as ``ambush marketing''--advertising that falsely implies an official association with a particular event or organization. In no context is ambush marketing more prevalent or more damaging than with the Olympic games which, because of the reliance on private and corporate funding, are increasingly threatened by a decline in sponsorship interest. Internationally, it is fair to say that corporate sponsorship saved the Olympic movement. In 1976, Montreal was left with a debt of nearly one billion dollars following the summer Olympic games in that city. Los Angeles, however, managed to capitalize on corporate sponsorship, turning a profit and revitalizing international interest in the games. American companies have long been proud to be official sponsors of the Olympic games because of the humanitarian and inspirational values the games present. These companies also recognize the valuable marketing potential of the Olympics, enhancing their presence and business reputation in an increasingly global marketplace. By encouraging corporate involvement, Olympic organizers have ensured that such companies continue to devote tremendous financial and human resources to be identified as official Olympic sponsors. This sponsorship is particularly important in the United States, because there is no direct government support of our athletes. Congress has recognized the value of corporate sponsorship by adopting the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, which I authored, to authorize the International Olympic Committee to grant worldwide sponsors of the Olympic games exclusive rights to use certain emblems, trademarks, and designations in the advertising, promotion and sale of products in designated product categories. The act also provides enhanced trademark protections to prevent deceptive practices specifically involving the use of Olympic trademarks or trade names. As a consequence, numerous major corporations have become Olympic sponsors and have contributed millions of dollars to the games and to U.S. athletes. As the popularity of the Olympics has grown, so have the incentives to be associated with the games. Unfortunately, it is too easy for companies to imply an affiliation with the olympics, without becoming official sponsors. Such ambush or parasite marketing is often subtle-- frequently depicting olmypic sports, athletes, medals, the host city, a burning torch, or other olympic games indicia--but its effect is proven. Studies have concluded that ambush marketers have been quite successful in their efforts to mislead the American public. As companies begin to perceive only negligible goodwill or favorable publicity resulting from their Olympic sponsor status, their willingness to support the Olympic games and our athletes may wane. That is why I am considering legislation to further clarify the types of unauthorized use of Olympic games imagery and indicia that are actionable under the Amateur Sports Act. Australia, which will host the Olympic games in the next few weeks, has in place an ``Olympic Insignia Protection Act'' to protect against ambush marketing, and we may need additional protection in the U.S. Unfortunately, that legislation cannot be addressed this year. There is a vast difference between freedom of speech and deceptive advertising. I will ask the congress to authorize private suits, similar to private antitrust legislation, to allow those injured by ``ambush marketing'' to recover their losses and financially punish those who try to mislead our people. The USOC has been aggressive in protecting its trademark interests. These additional tools may be needed, however, to ensure the value of Olympic sponsorships and encourage corporate participation in the Olympic movement.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, Research into the molecular basis of disease using mouse models of human disease and a miniaturized version of PET (positron emission tomography) called MicroPET currently being conducted at the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine's Division of Nuclear Medicine offers exciting new possibilities for development of treatments for human disease based on the molecular disorders that cause it. Among the diseases for which mouse models have already been developed are breast, prostate, lung and colorectal cancers, Parkinson's disease and diabetes. New funding will allow for development of mouse models for lymphoma cancers and dementia/Alzheimer's disease and will allow development of extremely precise molecular diagnostics and molecular therapies. Added funding will allow development for the next generation of MicroPET imaging technology. The new technology will combine MicroPET, which measures the biological processes of a body, and MicroCT, which measures a body's anatomical structure into a single device for simultaneous and precise imaging of both biology and structure and will allow for the differential screening of biological, genetic and structural changes caused by disease in living mice. This will allow researchers to see precisely the effect of new molecular, targeted treatments including gene therapies for a wide range of diseases using human disease genes inserted into mouse models. Because the mouse models are developed using human disease genes, the added funding for these new technologies and procedures will lead to new means of treating and tracking human disease using clinical PET technology. The research will lead to the ability to both diagnose disease and track the effect of targeted molecular/genetic therapies on a broad range of serious human diseases.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I am joined by my colleague from Alaska, Senator Murkowski, in thanking the managers of this bill for accepting an amendment important to the residents of Kake, Alaska. The city of Kake is a predominantly Tlingit Indian community of 850 located on Kupreanof Island in a remote section of southeast Alaska. Since the recent collapse of the timber industry in southeast Alaska, Kake's economy has been almost entirely reliant on a local salmon hatchery and a seafood processing plant. The city water was supplied by the Gunnuk Creek Dam, a wooden dam built in 1946 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) at a cost of approximately $1.5 million. In late July, after three days of severe storms dumped approximately 24 inches of rain, several logs swept across Kake's water reservoir and gouged an 18-foot by 12-foot hole in the 54 year old dam. The reservoir emptied and within minutes Kake's residents, hatchery, fish processing plant, general store, city offices, school, and fire department were without water. For the next 10 days, residents were forced to boil water before they could drink it. On August 10, the governor of Alaska issued a disaster declaration for Kake. As an interim measure, small pumps have been installed in Gunnuk Creek to pump water to the filtration plant. Those pumps are highly susceptible to storms, and must be monitored 24 hours per day for debris and wear. The city purchased the small pumps with borrowed money, which must be repaid. Because of lack of water, the salmon hatchery has lost $2 million to date, primarily in loss of fish and egg harvests for next year's run. Also because of a lack of water, the cold storage plant--the major employer in Kake--laid off its 70 workers and has lost $500,000 in business. Engineers from the Indian Health Service and a private consulting firm have declared the dam a total loss and estimate that $7 million is needed for a replacement. The amendment included in this bill would provide the needed funding to replace the dam and I thank my colleagues for their support. rio grande

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I want to thank the managers of the bill for accepting the amendment on behalf of Senator Murkowski and myself to help find a solution to the problem plaguing Harding Lake. Harding Lake is the largest road accessible lake in the interior of Alaska. It holds significant recreation, fishery, natural resources and economic value for interior Alaska. In a recent Fairbanks Daily News-Miner article, state officials closed Harding Lake to pike fishing due to dried up spawning grounds. Harding Lake is suffering from a dramatic drop in water levels. This drop in water level has impacted the shoreline--in some areas causing a recession of as much as 700 feet. This loss of water could cause problems with water quality, land use, and fishery harvests. Residents of Harding Lake, have asked for help in identifying the source of the water loss problem at the lake. After discussions with the Corps of Engineers and officials at the soil and conservation district, it appears a watershed study and plan is needed to protect the lake from further degradation. My amendment would provide the necessary funding to begin the watershed study and to develop a comprehensive plan to address the problem. I thank the managers of the bill for their understanding and for accepting this provision.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. How much time remains, Mr. President?

Mr. STEVENS. I will be happy to engage in such a colloquy with my colleague.

Mr. STEVENS. I am aware of the Senator's interest and of the Stinger's and Apache's capabilities. They are fine systems and have received the support of this committee for years.

Mr. STEVENS. I believe that the intent of Section 8138 was to require the Army to conduct an operational test of Stinger and Starstreak, not to impede sales of the Apache.

Mr. STEVENS. The Senator is correct. The conference report includes $2 million for Bayonet 2000 in the Marine Corps procurement account.

Mr. STEVENS. I thank the assistant majority leader for his kind words and note that I have very good support and participation on the defense subcommittee with Members from both sides of the aisle, so I share his kind words with my colleagues on the committee. Regarding the ACCE program, the Senator is correct: this conference report restores $20 million to the ACCE program. He is also correct that the Senate bill had a larger cut to the program and that the cut reflected substantial reservations over the cost of a new developmental engine for both the M-1 and the Crusader.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, this conference report contains funds to support both the Crusader vehicle and the M-1 re-powering effort. These efforts are supported in the final bill. The final funding levels reflect the substantial concern over the cost to develop a new engine, as well as the desire to see the Army pursue an NDI solution.

Mr. STEVENS. My distinguished colleague from Pennsylvania is correct that the conference committee intends that $2,000,000 of the Fiscal Year 2001 appropriation for MTAPP be expended in Pennsylvania through the National Education Center for Women in Business at Seton Hill College. Further, it is my understanding that FY2000 monies intended to be spent in Pennsylvania pursuant to last year's appropriations bill have yet to be obligated. Therefore, I wish to express to the Senator my clear intent to ensure that FY2000 and FY2001 monies fund the MTAPP in the manner this committee and the Congress intend. Electronic Warfare System

Mr. STEVENS. I am happy to accommodate the Senator.

Mr. STEVENS. I appreciate the Senator's concerns. My understanding is that the Navy planned to buy 30 Low Rate Initial Production units. However, testing of the IDECM system occurs throughout fiscal year 2001. The operational evaluation of the IDECM System will not be complete until early in fiscal year 2002. The conferees were concerned about a large LRIP buy proceeding ahead of the test program. The conference recommendation still allows the Navy to buy 20 units, more than the number required for the operational deployment. I will work with you to review the test results and to ensure that the LRIP program is appropriate. alcoholism research

Mr. STEVENS. Yes, your interpretation of the language is correct.

Mr. STEVENS. The Senator is correct. longbow apache helicopters

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I would say to my friend from Oklahoma that the language in the statement of managers is not intended to delay the continued development of Crusader. I would also state that Senator Inouye and I expect that the AOA should be completed and delivered to the Congress by December 15th of this year.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. I move to reconsider the vote.