Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I object.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I want to clarify why I am objecting to the passage of H.R. 1254, the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act, in its current form. In the past, I supported a bill very similar to this. I have always supported transparency in these matters. My concern is in the fairness of passing this legislation today. When this legislation was introduced at the very beginning of this administration's tenure, I supported it because it would have provided sufficient notice to the new administration of a change in reporting requirements. However, this administration's final term is near an end, and I do not believe it is fair to change the rules on them. This administration has complied with the existing procedures. Changing them now would put a greater burden on them than any other past administration which already finished collecting the majority of donations for their libraries. Enacting this bill to apply only to future administrations would solve this problem, and put them on notice of the new reporting requirements and procedures. I have an amendment to this bill so that it will be enacted only to apply to administrations serving on or after January 21, 2009. If this amendment is accepted, I will be happy to support the legislation.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I come to the floor to support the Commercial Fishing Industry Healthcare Coverage Act of 2008. My good friend Senator Kennedy and I, along with Senators Kerry and Murkowski, are introducing this bill to improve healthcare options for our Nation's fishermen and fishing families. Few things are more Alaskan than fishing. Long before Alaska was even a U.S territory, our people were fishing for their livelihood. The first Alaskans, Alaska Natives depended on subsistence fishing, as many do today. Russian settlers built salteries to preserve their catch through our long, harsh winters. In the 1800s, the first canneries were built in Sitka and Klawock, marking the birth of Alaska's modern commercial fishing industry. Today, Alaska's seafood industry is the State's largest private employer and a fundamental part of Alaskan culture. All around our State, from Ketchikan, at the Southern end of the panhandle, to Kotzebue, above the Arctic Circle, fishermen brave the elements so all Americans may enjoy the bounty of Alaskan waters. Their work is vital to the economies of numerous communities in our State. While Alaskans have fishing in their blood, skyrocketing costs have made it increasingly difficult for these hard-working men and women to earn a living. One of the major challenges our commercial fishermen face is obtaining affordable healthcare. The problem is not unique to my State. Lack of health coverage is a dilemma for fishermen in other coastal States. Surveys conducted in different parts of the country show fishing families are significantly more likely to be uninsured than other Americans. The commercial fishing industry produces billions of dollars for the U.S. economy each year. Despite their contributions, the seasonal and dangerous nature of their profession bars many commercial fishermen from obtaining health insurance; most work for themselves or for small employers. Fishermen are forced to pay high premiums and deductibles, which can effectively put health insurance out of reach. In my State, fishermen face additional complications when looking for affordable health insurance. A study by the United Fishermen of Alaska found that our fishermen are more likely to work and live in communities without a hospital. Also, fewer private insurance companies offer individual or small business medical coverage in Alaska than in other States. And, most fishermen simply cannot afford the rates charged by these providers. That lack of basic health services impacts everyone in our fishing fleet, from our older fishermen, who may be most in need of health coverage, to the younger generation of fishermen, who find the lack of affordable healthcare a barrier to entering the profession. As one fisherman from Juneau put it: I've applied with two different major health insurance providers, and both have declined me coverage because of my occupation . . . living and working without health insurance is like living on borrowed time. I constantly feel I am pushing my luck, and a single illness or injury could mean bankruptcy for me. With the high cost of individual health insurance and the lack of proximity to healthcare facilities in Alaska families are less likely to seek preventive care, resulting in medical emergencies that could have been avoided. When uninsured fishermen end up in emergency rooms with serious diseases and injuries, taxpayers often absorb the costs. Our bill is inspired by the successful fishermen's healthcare plan adopted by Senator Kennedy's home State of Massachusetts, which has proven that health insurance can be made affordable for fishing families. This legislation will establish a grant program to help States and fishing organizations create and administer group health insurance programs for fishermen and fishing families. Americans are consuming more and more seafood as they discover its great taste and considerable health benefits. We cannot forget where these fish come from. They come from the labor of men and women working up and down the coasts of this country, many struggling to earn a living and preserve a tradition that has spanned generations. This measure would help put affordable medical care within their reach. I encourage my fellow Senators to support the bill.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I come to the floor to support the Commercial Fishing Industry Healthcare Coverage Act of 2008. My good friend Senator Kennedy and I, along with Senators Kerry and Murkowski, are introducing this bill to improve healthcare options for our Nation's fishermen and fishing families. Few things are more Alaskan than fishing. Long before Alaska was even a U.S territory, our people were fishing for their livelihood. The first Alaskans, Alaska Natives depended on subsistence fishing, as many do today. Russian settlers built salteries to preserve their catch through our long, harsh winters. In the 1800s, the first canneries were built in Sitka and Klawock, marking the birth of Alaska's modern commercial fishing industry. Today, Alaska's seafood industry is the State's largest private employer and a fundamental part of Alaskan culture. All around our State, from Ketchikan, at the Southern end of the panhandle, to Kotzebue, above the Arctic Circle, fishermen brave the elements so all Americans may enjoy the bounty of Alaskan waters. Their work is vital to the economies of numerous communities in our State. While Alaskans have fishing in their blood, skyrocketing costs have made it increasingly difficult for these hard-working men and women to earn a living. One of the major challenges our commercial fishermen face is obtaining affordable healthcare. The problem is not unique to my State. Lack of health coverage is a dilemma for fishermen in other coastal States. Surveys conducted in different parts of the country show fishing families are significantly more likely to be uninsured than other Americans. The commercial fishing industry produces billions of dollars for the U.S. economy each year. Despite their contributions, the seasonal and dangerous nature of their profession bars many commercial fishermen from obtaining health insurance; most work for themselves or for small employers. Fishermen are forced to pay high premiums and deductibles, which can effectively put health insurance out of reach. In my State, fishermen face additional complications when looking for affordable health insurance. A study by the United Fishermen of Alaska found that our fishermen are more likely to work and live in communities without a hospital. Also, fewer private insurance companies offer individual or small business medical coverage in Alaska than in other States. And, most fishermen simply cannot afford the rates charged by these providers. That lack of basic health services impacts everyone in our fishing fleet, from our older fishermen, who may be most in need of health coverage, to the younger generation of fishermen, who find the lack of affordable healthcare a barrier to entering the profession. As one fisherman from Juneau put it: I've applied with two different major health insurance providers, and both have declined me coverage because of my occupation . . . living and working without health insurance is like living on borrowed time. I constantly feel I am pushing my luck, and a single illness or injury could mean bankruptcy for me. With the high cost of individual health insurance and the lack of proximity to healthcare facilities in Alaska families are less likely to seek preventive care, resulting in medical emergencies that could have been avoided. When uninsured fishermen end up in emergency rooms with serious diseases and injuries, taxpayers often absorb the costs. Our bill is inspired by the successful fishermen's healthcare plan adopted by Senator Kennedy's home State of Massachusetts, which has proven that health insurance can be made affordable for fishing families. This legislation will establish a grant program to help States and fishing organizations create and administer group health insurance programs for fishermen and fishing families. Americans are consuming more and more seafood as they discover its great taste and considerable health benefits. We cannot forget where these fish come from. They come from the labor of men and women working up and down the coasts of this country, many struggling to earn a living and preserve a tradition that has spanned generations. This measure would help put affordable medical care within their reach. I encourage my fellow Senators to support the bill.

Mr. STEVENS

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

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, is it in order for me to make a comment as in morning business at this time?

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

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I too rise to join Senator Murkowski in honoring a personal friend and long-time political colleague, Willie Hensley. He soon will be retiring after spending the last 10 years representing the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. in Washington, DC, the pipeline that brings Alaska's North Slope oil to the rest of the Nation. Immediately prior to that job, he was Alaska's Commissioner of Commerce and Economic Development, under the administration of former Alaska Governor Tony Knowles. He also has served on important State commissions under both Democratic and Republican governors. Besides leading Alaska's State department responsible for tourism and seafood marketing, international trade, insurance, banking and securities, and occupational licensing, he also was a director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, the Alaska Railroad Corporation, and the Alaska Industrial Development Authority under Democratic Governors, and chairman of the Capitol Site Selection Committee and the chairman of the Land Claims Task Force under Republican Governors Jay Hammond and Walter Hickel.

Mr. STEVENS. As Senator Murkowski knows, while Mr. Hensley entered the Alaska Legislature in 1967, he also was a founder of the NANA Regional Corporation, one of the 13 Alaska Native regional corporations formed by the 1971 Native Claims Act. He served as a director of the corporation for the first 20 years during its formative period, and ended his career at NANA as president. While at NANA, he directed its involvement in the oilfield service industry, most notably in environmental services and drilling ventures. He also was a guiding force in NANA's development of the Red Dog lead and zinc mine--the world's largest lead and zinc mine. While at NANA he also was a founder of the nonprofit Manillaq Corp., the regional nonprofit corporation that represented the tribes in northwest Alaska and that has been the leader in improving health care and social services for 11 villages in an area nearly the size of the State of West Virginia. While at NANA, Mr. Hensley also served in the formation of the Alaska Federation of Natives, the umbrella organization that represents the hopes and aspirations of all Native Alaskans, and served as the AFN's executive director, president and cochairman. In 1979, partially for his pioneering work in Native rights, he was named as one of the young leaders of America by Time Magazine in a cover story ``50 Faces for America's Future,'' He was honored along with then Arkansas Governor and later President Bill Clinton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Congressman and later Federal Budget Director David Stockman and Ted Turner.

Mr. STEVENS. I too wish him well and know that all Members of the Senate join us and all Alaskans in wishing him the very best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I have come to the floor to speak to the Senate about the heroic actions of PO Willard Milam, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer who serves our Nation in Kodiak, AK. I hope many Senators have seen the film ``The Guardian.'' Really, I do believe it was Willard Milam who inspired the preparation of that movie, and I want to tell the Senate about his actions. Shortly after midnight on February 10, 2007, the U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center in Juneau, AK, received an emergency beacon from a fishing vessel. The vessel was the Illusion. Like so many of our brave Coast Guard men and women, Petty Officer Milam and his crew of four launched in a Coast Guard rescue helicopter to investigate the source of the distress signal they had received, undaunted by a howling 50-mile-an-hour wind and heavy rain and near zero visibility. When the aircrew arrived on the scene, they realized that the crew of the fishing vessel had abandoned their ship and climbed into a life raft, which was being tossed, at that time, in the treacherous Bering Sea. Petty Officer Milam readied himself to be hoisted down into the 40-degree temperature seas below. As soon as Petty Officer Milam entered the water, he swam to the life raft and found four survivors. They were hypothermic and in shock and unprotected from the elements. They did not have any survival equipment on. One by one, Petty Officer Milam pulled the survivors out of the life raft and took them and swam with them over to a rescue basket that had been lowered through the darkness from the helicopter that was hovering above them. After loading the first two survivors into the rescue basket, Petty Officer Milam could begin to feel the frigid water flowing into his own suit. He told me it had, unfortunately, hung up on the edge of the life raft and partially unzipped and that water was filling into his survival suit. But he had to fight the debilitating effects of the cold and struggle against exhaustion in order to continue to swim the third survivor from the life raft to the rescue basket. While the third survivor was being lifted toward the spotlights of the rescue helicopter, Petty Officer Milam--his legs now numb with cold--realized that the life raft, with one survivor still onboard, had drifted too far for him to reach under its current condition. So he signaled for an emergency pickup, and he was hoisted back into the helicopter. Once inside the helicopter, he became aware of the fact that the crew had only enough fuel to remain on the scene for 15 minutes more. But Petty Officer Milam courageously asked to be lowered back into the sea, now over the top of this survivor, to try and save that last remaining survivor. Upon entering the water, Petty Officer Milam pulled the last survivor, who was now very combative because of the fear of the circumstances--he was nearly drowning--he was forced to drag this person from the life raft through the storm back into this rescue basket. With the last survivor in the rescue helicopter, Petty Officer Milam drifted into a stage of unconsciousness as the aircrew lowered the rescue basket directly back to him. He was still in the water. Miraculously, Petty Officer Milam was able to climb inside that basket and was hoisted to safety. He told me personally that the next time he awoke he was in the clinic at Dutch Harbor, AK, wrapped in blankets and surrounded by heat lamps. As a matter of fact, he told me he was in bed for a period of hours, and they told him his boat was leaving, so he just got himself up and went back to the dock and went onboard the boat. This man is one of the most courageous men I have ever met in my life. When we consider the Coast Guard as the guardian of our last frontier, I am proud to tell the Senate that fellow Alaskans recognize him as a man who has dedicated his life to public service. Petty Officer Milam's heroic actions personify the selfless public service representative of U.S. Coast Guard men and women who are stationed around the globe and represent us so well.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President I ask unanimous consent that my following statement appear in the Record as if read contemporaneous with consideration of the resolution honoring the life of Diane Wolf. The Senate was deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Diane. Her passion for art and philanthropy lead her to devote her considerable talents to the service of countless organizations and causes. Diane was an attorney, teacher, and civic leader. Much of her work was dedicated to the preservation of the very building in which we meet. My wife, Catherine, and I worked closely with Diane on her efforts to preserve and restore the U.S. Capitol. Diane was passionate about the Capitol's history and symbolism. She enjoyed the pomp and circumstance of the Presidential inauguration and the annual tradition of the President's State of the Union Address. Her contributions as a member of the board of trustees of the U.S. Senate Preservation Commission were invaluable. It was her support and guidance that led to the development of the commemorative coins which marked the bicentennial of the U.S. Capitol. President Reagan appointed Diane to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in 1985. Her father, Erving, says Diane considered that appointment as a full-time job. Diane demanded high quality in all endeavors. She believed a thing worth doing is worth doing well. During her tenure on the Commission she strongly advocated redesigning our coins to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights and update the Presidential portraits. She believed that American coinage could recapture our imagination and become highly prized by collectors. This is just one example of how Diane used her creativity, intelligence, and boundless energy to promote art in America. Her vision has been realized in recent years, as the Mint produced new designs for the quarter with images representing each of the 50 States. Diane's energy and passion for public service will be missed. The institutions she served and the lives she touched benefited greatly from her dedication, generosity, and lively spirit. Catherine and I are fortunate to know Diane's wonderful family. She cherished her relationships with her parents, Erving and Joyce, and her brothers Daniel and Matthew. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved ones.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I am pleased to speak today in support of my colleague, Senator Murkowski, and explain my strong support for the passage of S. 1200 which will reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. It has been 15 years since the Indian Health Care Act was reauthorized and almost 10 years during which reauthorization bills were introduced in the Congress but received no action. Great advances in the models for the delivery of health care have occurred during this time which need to be incorporated into the Indian health care system. This bill does that. The health needs of Alaska Natives in our State and American Indians throughout the country continue to grow. It is important we pass this bill. Ten years ago, we opened the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. It is the only tertiary care hospital in the Indian health care system. At the same time, we created the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and Alaska Natives took over the management of the entire Native health care system in our State. I believe much has been done in the last decade. Alaska now has the best health care system in the entire country. The reason, in my judgment, is that the system is operated by the Alaska Native people, who have shaped it to fit their own needs. But Alaska Native health leaders across our State have told me again and again that they believe this legislation needs to be passed because it contains new provisions to aid delivery of health care to the Indian people. It is necessary to continue their critically important work. This Indian Health Care Improvement Act is a comprehensive bill. Every aspect of what it takes to improve a true system of care to the Alaska Natives and the American Indians is in this bill. The health status of Alaska Natives and American Indians is poorer than that of the average American. It is poorer than what the average American receives. Many of our people live in remote communities with little economic base, high unemployment rates, and low income levels. These conditions create a ``perfect storm'' of health care obstacles for Alaska Native people. These people must travel farther than others throughout our country to receive health care services. They are less healthy than the average American, and they have more medical issues they face because of the circumstances under which they live. In Alaska, many communities are not served by roads. For instance, a pregnant woman living in Adak, way out on the Aleutian chain--almost 1,200 miles from Anchorage--must travel by air to deliver her child. She must fly to Anchorage to do that. As she does, she will have flown more than 5 hours, and she will be flying on a plane that is only available 2 to 3 days a week. As it is almost everywhere in Alaska, the weather conditions are really great problems and can delay the start of such a trip for a week or more. Of course, all of these concepts increase the cost of health care, but it is the availability of health care that counts, and it is really difficult for our people to get to the areas where health care can be provided to them. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the Native health organizations in our State have worked hard to improve the health status of our Native people. Rates for diseases, such as tuberculosis, have dropped dramatically, and we have improved access to health care and basic public health measures, such as childhood vaccinations, and installation of water and sewer systems in rural Alaska has also improved our health care. Between 1950 and 2007, Alaska Native life expectancy rose from 46 years to 64 years of age. Those are improvements brought about by health care. However, in Alaska, as in other parts of the country with Indian populations, many infectious diseases have increased, and other health problems have taken the place of those we have eliminated. Respiratory illness outbreaks threaten the lives of Native babies and toddlers and fill our hospital beds in the Yukon-Kuskokwim area of our State every winter. Noninfectious conditions, such as suicide, violent injury, and intentional injury, still plague Alaska Natives at a very high rate. As the population ages, rates of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes threaten the gains we have made in life expectancy. The Alaska Native health system has been innovative and pioneered access to and delivery of health services to the Native people in Alaska. Yet huge disparities continue to exist. This bill needs to be passed and funding increased to address these health disparities to save and improve lives in Alaska and to reduce the cost of health care throughout our area and Indian Country. Title I of this Indian health care bill provides support for Native people to receive training as health workers. Each year, Alaska Natives and American Indians complete their education, supported in part by programs authorized under title I, and return back to their home to take positions as nurses, doctors, social workers, behavioral health specialists, and administrators--all to improve the health care system. The Alaska Community Health Aide Program, which is an important example, is an outstanding example of innovation in the delivery of health care in remote communities. When I came to the Senate, there was hardly any health care in our Alaska villages. They received their health care by the wife or a spouse of the superintendent of the Indian school or native school, calling in to Anchorage, their one central hospital. There were no health aides. We created and pioneered the concept of community health aides. Through the many years since that time, Alaska Native health leaders worked with the Indian Health Service to train community members to provide tuberculosis treatment during epidemics in Alaska, and the program has provided more than 500 community health aides, with all levels of health care in over 178 remote villages where there is no other type of health care provider. Recently, the Community Health Aide Program was expanded by the Alaska Native health system, making specifically trained behavioral and dental health aides available to people living in villages. Today, Alaska's telemedicine system, with installations in 235 sites across Alaska, allows the community health aides to have direct access to physicians and dentists in regional hub hospitals in Anchorage and Fairbanks. They can use telemedicine to contact outside specialists who can assist them in the various clinics throughout the country. I will speak of a few of these people. Jennifer Kalmakof, a community health aide from Chignik Lake, is an example of how important the aides are in their communities. Jennifer won the 2007 Vaccine Alaska Coalition's Excellence in Immunization Award, presented to her at the Alaska Public Health Summit this past December. She made it her mission to increase and improve and maintain immunizations at the local level. She started her own system to keep track of infants, children, elders, and adults, using her own money to buy tackle boxes in which she organized clinic vaccines and kept them in her own refrigerator. She pioneered keeping track of the type of assistance these people need in terms of immunizations and various types of vaccinations. Title II of the bill addresses the range of services authorized, recognizing the change which has already occurred in our non-Native health system, where the emphasis has shifted from health care to home- and community-based care--such as provided by the young woman I mentioned--especially for long-term care services. All Alaska Natives need to have access to these home-based services, and the assisted living and nursing homes that recognize the cultural needs of Alaska Native elders need to also be available. Title III of the bill addresses safe water and sanitation needs. There continues to be enormous unmet needs for investment in safe water and sanitation systems in Alaska Native communities. Currently, 26 percent of rural Alaska Native homes lack adequate water and wastewater facilities. For instance, Andrew Dock lives with his large family in Kipnuk, AK. In his household, there are two adults, six boys, and three girls. The youngest child is 1, and the oldest is 22. There is no piped-in water in this village and not even a central watering point. In the winter, water is obtained by chopping ice from tundra ponds with a steel ice pick and hauling it to his home in three 30-gallon gray garbage cans in a sled pulled by a snow machine. In the summer, he obtains water by collecting rainwater from domestic rooftops. It is also possible to haul water from a lake at Tern Mountain, which is a 13-mile boat trip. Hauling water is a daily chore--one to three trips a day to support drinking, cooking, and washing clothes. He hauls over 1,000 gallons of water per week to just keep safe water for the Dock household. In Kipnuk, sanitation is accomplished by 5-gallon honey buckets in each home. I know Senator Murkowski talked about this. Buckets are self-hauled twice a day through the living space of the family and deposited in a collection hopper nearby. Buckets must be emptied into another bucket when they become too full to carry without spilling in the home. Collection of the hoppers is often delayed, and there can be as many as five buckets waiting next to the hopper to be emptied. More than 6,000 homes in rural Alaska are without safe drinking water, and nearly 14,000 homes require upgrades or improvements to their water, sewer, or solid waste systems to meet minimum sanitation standards. There is also an immense unmet need for health care facilities throughout the Indian Health Care system, including in remote parts of Alaska. In Barrow, the northernmost point in the United States, $143 million is needed to build the only hospital in an area the size of Idaho. And in Nome, $148.5 million is needed to build the only hospital in an area the size of Virginia. Other parts of the bill address the ability of native health organizations to bill third parties for health care services delivered to native beneficiaries also covered under public or private insurance programs. These funds provide critical additional funds to make up for shortfalls in Indian Health Service funding, including for emergency care. While the typical emergency response time from emergency 911 call to hospital care is generally clocked in minutes, in Alaska it is clocked in hours. In 2005, a young man in Bethel, Alaska, was stabbed in the stomach during an early morning fight and needed to be air-ambulanced to Anchorage, more than an hour away by jet. Due to weather and mechanical issues, the patient finally arrived at the hospital in anchorage about 7 hours after the first emergency call. A one-way air ambulance flight from Bethel to Anchorage costs more than $13,000. Finally, the bill addresses behavioral health needs of native people. The life expectancy of people with mental health issues is 25 years less than those without mental health issues. In Alaska that means that while we continue to make strides towards improving life span, we have not yet been able to adequately address this issue due to program and funding limitations. The combination of substance abuse and mental illness is associated with much higher rates of multiple diseases and early death. One in eleven Alaska native deaths is alcohol-induced, and alcohol was the fourth leading cause of death from 1993 to 2002 in Alaska. Alcohol contributed to 85 percent of reported domestic violence cases and 80% of reported sexual assault cases between 2000 and 2003. Suicide among Alaska natives remained steadily at two times the non-native rate in Alaska from 1992 to 2000. Integrated behavioral health programs can make a difference in this picture. Maniilaq, the native health organization in northwest Alaska, operates a very successful behavioral health program called the Mapsivik Treatment Camp, which provides alcohol treatment for families in a remote location. It is a year-round program that integrates the family into cultural and behavioral health treatment models. The camp has been successful in reducing recidivism and helping to heal whole families. And the Raven's Way program operated by the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium for adolescents has now graduated more than 1,000 kids. Many of these graduates have gone on to lead healthier lives, become hardworking adults, and some have even become native leaders. In conclusion, the need to pass this legislation now is clear, and I urge my colleagues to support passage of the bill.

Mr. STEVENS

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

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for about 4 minutes.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, at the end of the year my good friend Dr. Bill Hogarth will be leaving his position as the leader of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Bill is the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and his departure will mark the end of a 6-year tenure in this post. Throughout Bill's career with the National Marine Fisheries Service, I have had many opportunities to work with him on Fisheries issues critical to the State of Alaska, to the Nation, and to international fisheries management organizations. Bill's knowledge of our fisheries and commitment to science-based management have helped to conserve and rebuild many of our most important fish stocks, both domestically and internationally. Last January, the President signed our reauthorization bill for the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, which mandates an end to overfishing by requiring fisheries management councils to adhere to science-based catch limits. As we wrote that legislation, my colleagues and I worked with Bill to ensure this goal would be met. His expert advice and insight into our Nation's fisheries regulations proved to be indispensable. In Alaska, which has half the coastline of the United States and produces half of our Nation's fisheries products, Bill has also demonstrated a firm commitment to both conserving and supporting our State's fisheries. Under his tenure, the fisheries service has invested in the scientific research and facilities that will enable sound conservation of Alaska's fish stocks. Bill has also ensured effective implementation of all fisheries legislation important to our State. Alaska native communities have also benefited under Bill's leadership. He knows that the survival of our Alaskan villages relies on maintaining access to fisheries and marine mammals, and therefore Bill worked hard to ensure that this access is upheld. At this year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Anchorage, during which Bill served as Commission Chairman, he secured the subsistence bowhead whale quota for Alaska Native communities. This was a significant victory at a contentious meeting, and our communities owe Bill a debt of gratitude for his achievements. I am pleased that Bill will be remaining on as Chairman of the International Whaling Commission. I look forward to continuing to work with him in this capacity. This will build on his other achievements in the international arena--such as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, where, as Chairman, he was at the forefront of the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing--a serious threat to all global fish stocks. I thank Bill for his many years of service to our fisheries and fishing communities. I also thank him for his cooperation and friendship as we worked to achieve our common goals of fisheries sustainability. I think he has done a grand job for the Nation. I wish Bill and his wife, Mary, all the best in the future. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The clerk will call the roll.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, while I was deeply saddened when Senator Trent Lott told me he would retire at the end of the year, I understood completely why he made this decision. Trent and Tricia have been trying to restore their lives in Mississippi following the devastation of their home as a result of the terrible devastation which struck our East Coast during the Katrina and Rita hurricanes. They lost their home--and most of their possessions, and, they need time to recover. There is no Senator with whom I have served who has had a deeper commitment to our Nation. Trent was the whip of our party in the House of Representatives when I was whip here in the Senate. We initiated weekly conferences to try to share the progress and intentions of our leaders at that time. From those days until now I have considered Trent one of the best friends I have had in my lifetime. Trent and I have served together on several committees of the Senate. Our primary work together has been on the Commerce Committee where Trent has been our leader on the aviation and maritime commerce subcommittees. His work on our Commerce Committee will be sorely missed. Trent's own words on ``herding cats'' is well known here. He has had more success in achieving bipartisan results than most people outside the Senate know. Trent has not sought the credit for what he has accomplished--it has been enough for him that he knew the job was done. His role as a member of the ``Singing Senators'' is well known. What people should know is that he had the good sense to ask this Senator not to join--they didn't need a monotone! As I told the The Politic, it is doubtful the Oak Ridge Boys will come back to the Capitol. Trent brought them to the LBJ Room--where he asked them to sing ``The Late Night Benediction at the Y'all Come Back Saloon.'' It is hard for me to visualize the Senate without Trent Lott. I believe every Senator here now knows what he has done. He stepped down from the leadership--kept a smile on his face and went back to work. He regained the leadership as he was selected to be our whip--and the Republican leader's comments show that Trent Lott became the whip any leader would dream to have: loyal, supportive, full of energy to get the job done, and all with that smile that we all know so well. So, as I said in the beginning, it is with sadness that I join in wishing Trent and Tricia the best that life has to offer as they leave this Senate family. Catherine and I wish them the best and will pray for their success in the future. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I yield myself 5 minutes from the time on this side.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I do not support the Levin amendment. I rise in strong support of the amendment offered by our leader, Senator McConnell, and the Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Lieberman. That amendment will provide the Department of Defense and our deployed military personnel the resources they need to continue the mission they have been assigned. It will also eliminate the distinction proposed by the House to fund only those troops that are assigned to Afghanistan. In my view, it is unconscionable for Congress to send the message to our troops that they will only get what they need if they are lucky enough to be assigned to fight the war in Afghanistan. What if they were assigned to Iraq? Should they go without funds? I believe it is our duty as Senators to support the troops in the field and provide them all the resources they need to complete the mission they have been assigned. Unlike us, they do not get to choose which battle they fight. They go where duty calls, without hesitation. Senator Inouye and I were in Iraq during the Thanksgiving recess, and I can tell the Senate that the troops are watching what is going on right here. They will get the message over there, and if the House amendment is approved, it will be a real blow to the morale of our forces. This particularly concerns me, that some of my colleagues would consider cutting off funds in Iraq at a time when we are starting to see real progress and reconciliation. I listened to the comments made by the Senator from Arizona, Mr. McCain. I am really pleased to see his strong approval of the funding of our troops that are deployed in harm's way. In March, Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus will be testifying before Congress to give us their assessment of the situation in Iraq. We know General Petraeus's plans are working. To withhold funding now would only invite defeat and step back from the progress that has been hard fought and won over the last few months. I have urged Congress for quite some time to approve this funding and allow progress to continue until we hear from our leaders on the ground in Iraq. The funds that are sent--the President sent us the request for these funds 10 months ago. For the past 3 years, the Committee on Appropriations has included bridge funding as part of the annual appropriations bill to cover the cost of war, until a supplemental bill was passed in the following year. This amendment would continue what Congress has done in prior years by providing funds to cover the cost of continued operations, including special pay and subsistence to our troops, fuel, transportation, supplies, and equipment reset and procurement. The amendment is intended to cover half-year costs for keeping troops in the field. It also provides resources to provide critical force protection equipment, including body armor, helmets, armor plate for vehicles, and aircraft survivability equipment. There is also other equipment procurement funding to reset our forces returning from theater. This includes buying down shortfalls for the National Guard and Reserve units. Specifically, the McConnell-Lieberman amendment would provide $1.1 billion military pay and benefits to include support for our wounded warriors and death gratuities; $50.2 billion for operation and maintenance activities to include fuel, spare parts, transportation, and equipment maintenance, including $500 million for the commander's Emergency Response Program, $1.4 billion for body armor and personal protection equipment, and $9 billion for depot maintenance funding to reset equipment and maintain force readiness. This amendment also provides funds to continue our efforts to train and equip the Iraqi and Afghan security forces. That funding is critical so that the elected governments in those countries can effectively provide for their own security and our troops can come home. There is also $4.3 billion for the Joint Improvised Explosive Devise Defeat Fund which will help our troops detect and defeat the No. 1 killer of our troops in Iraq--the IEDs, the improvised explosive devices we have heard so much about. Mr. President, $6.1 billion is included for the procurement of equipment, ammunition, vehicles, missiles and aircraft, including $946 million for Army aircraft, $3.46 billion for Army vehicles and equipment, $703 million for Marine Corps vehicles and equipment, and $266 million for special operations forces equipment. The amendment also includes $1 billion for the Defense Working Capital Fund, which includes $587 million to reset prepositioned stocks stationed around the world, which greatly enhances our Nation's ability to respond to contingencies, and we have forces in 141 different--I ask for 1 more minute.

Mr. STEVENS. It also provides $141 million for increased fuel costs, $3.7 billion to continue to enhance our intelligence activities in the theater, $600 million for the Defense Health Program to provide for the care and recovery of our wounded servicemembers, and $193 million for counterdrug activities to curb production of opium in Afghanistan. Without these funds, the Department of Defense would be forced to pay for the cost of war out of the regular DOD moneys we have already appropriated. This cost of this war is approaching $15 billion a month, with the Army spending $4.2 billion of that every month. Without relief, the Army will totally deplete their 2008 operations and maintenance funding by mid-February. I urge the Senate not to take the risk that our troops in the field will not have those resources they need in time to complete the mission they have been assigned. I urge the Senate to support the McConnell- Lieberman amendment. I ask to have a chart showing the $70 billion bridge fund, as I tried to outline, printed in the Record.

Mr. STEVENS. I also thank my colleagues for their continued support of the troops in the field. I yield the floor.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Will the Senator yield for a question?

Mr. STEVENS. This Senator wonders if we will have a chance to read that omnibus. I understand it may or may not contain all of the bills that are unresolved as far as the appropriations process is concerned.

Mr. STEVENS. It is still subject to amendment in the House, isn't it?

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. I am happy to withdraw my request. I thought it would be a quorum call.