Gordon Smith

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Madam President, I thank my leader, Mitch McConnell. Winston Churchill observed that ``Democracy is not always a polite employer.'' That is the case in my reelection effort. Yet I feel nothing but gratitude to the people of my State. I acknowledge the wisdom of the people of Kentucky in your reelection and of the wisdom of my colleagues for electing you again as our leader. You are an articulate advocate for causes that I think are important for America not to forget in the coming days. It is one of the high privileges of my life that I have been able to serve with you as a friend and as a colleague. I thank you and I thank my Senate family, without respect to party, for the help that was given to Sharon and me at the most painful time of our lives--to find additional meaning in the life of our son by helping the sons and daughters of others. I hope and pray that my Senate colleagues, while I am gone, will not forget those who struggle with mental illness. I am so proud of Senator Domenici, Senator Kennedy, and others who championed mental health parity. It has been a privilege to be on their team in this cause. It is a silent cause. It is one that does not get a lot of ink or much attention because America is still opening its mind to this important area of medicine. But we have blazed a new trail, and much of it was because of your leadership, sir. For the privilege of serving with you, of serving my State, of serving with these colleagues here, I thank God and I thank the State of Oregon and I say God bless America.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Madam President, the late Oregon Governor Tom McCall once said: Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are individuals who say, ``This is my community and it is my responsibility to make it better.'' The community of Eugene and the entire State of Oregon lost a true hero 2 weeks ago with the untimely passing of Randy Pape. I have had the privilege of dealing with countless community leaders during my 12 years in the U.S. Senate, but I can't think of anyone who was more dedicated to making his community, State, and Nation better than was Randy. As the chief executive officer of The Pape Group, a 2,000-employee, seven-State conglomerate of industrial equipment, aviation and recycling businesses, Randy was one of Oregon's most respected and admired corporate leaders. Guiding his business empire was more than a full-time job, yet Randy found time to give his talent and treasure to an endless variety of worthy causes. There was no bigger booster of his alma mater, the University of Oregon, than Randy. There was no better cheerleader and fundraiser for the United Way than Randy. As a member of the Oregon Transportation Commission, there was no better advocate for Oregon's roads and highways than Randy. There was no more committed member of the Nature Conservancy of Oregon, and the Oregon Trail Council of Boy Scouts of America than Randy. I had no wiser counselor than Randy. And above all, there was no one who loved and cherished his family more than Randy. Randy's wonderful wife, Susie, was at his side for 34 years. She knew him better than anyone else, and she captured him better than anyone else, when she said: He was the most positive person, the most upbeat. He was a joy to live with. Randy was justifiably very proud of his three sons, Ryan, Christian, and Jordan, all of whom chose to follow their dad into the family business, and all of whom inherited his values of honesty, decency, and a dedication to making their community better. The Greek poet Sophocles, once wrote: One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been.'' For his family, his friends, his community, his State, and our Nation, the evening of Randy's life came much, much too soon. But let us take solace in the fact that in that evening, Randy Pape could look back at a life filled with the love of family; a life filled with accomplishment; a life filled with making a positive difference; a life filled with the heroism that came from making his community better, and say: The day has indeed been splendid.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Madam President, I rise today to congratulate a young man who has not only achieved beyond his years but has also advanced the state of the art of solar power technology. William Yuan of Beaverton, OR, is a seventh grader at Meadow Park Middle School whose achievements are both jaw-dropping and important. Recently, William earned a $25,000 scholarship from the Davidson Institute and became a Davidson Fellow for his work in renewable energy research. William's project, ``A Highly-Efficient 3-Dimensional Nanotube Solar Cell for Visible and UV Light,'' featured a novel solar panel that enables light absorption from visible to ultraviolet light. The carbon nanotubes William designed can overcome the barriers of electron movement, doubling the light-electricity conversion efficiency. His optimized design provides 500 times more light absorption than commercially available solar cells and nine times more than the cutting-edge, three-dimensional solar cell. Given the current energy crisis, everyone must pitch in to reduce our dependence on oil consumption. In Congress and in the private sector, we are working to facilitate advancements in renewable energies. However, we cannot be successful without brilliant minds like William's. Winning the Davidson scholarship is far from William's only achievement. This year alone, William won second place at the Northwest Science Expo, Best Engineering Project at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and second place at the Oregon Chess for Success State Tournament. The list goes on. Last year, William also received a junior black belt pum certification from the World Taekwondo Headquarters in Seoul, Korea. He has also received a number of awards from various Intel Oregon competitions and First Place in Oregon in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Talent Search in both quantitative and verbal sections. At 12 years old, William is only just getting started. He intends to continue his research in renewable energy and eventually select a major for his college study toward a Ph.D. degree. John F. Kennedy once said: Our nation's first great leaders were also our first great scholars. I look forward to watching William progress as a scholar and a leader.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I agree with Senator Lincoln. We made good progress in enacting the timber tax provisions in the farm bill, but we must take the important next step of making the provisions permanent or, at the very least, extending them.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the need for hate crimes legislation. Each Congress, Senator Kennedy and I introduce hate crimes legislation that would add new categories to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society. Likewise, each Congress I have come to the floor on many occasions to highlight a separate violent, hate-motivated crime that has occurred in our country. On Saturday, September 6, 2008, in Portland, ME, a 31-year-old resident was walking home at 12:30 a.m. when he was stopped by two men and assaulted. According to the police statement, one of the assailants used homophobic slurs toward the victim, questioning his sexual orientation before attacking him. The police are searching for two suspects in connection with the weekend assault that they have classified as a hate crime. The victim was hit once in the head and recalls little else, the police said. A passerby reportedly found the victim unconscious on the sidewalk and called police. The victim was taken by ambulance to Maine Medical Center where he was admitted for treatment of a head injury. I believe that the Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Matthew Shepard Act is a symbol that can become substance. I believe that by passing this legislation and changing current law, we can change hearts and minds as well.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to speak about a recent act of hate and intimidation in my home State of Oregon. On Tuesday morning, September 23, 2008, the custodial crew at George Fox University found a life-size cardboard cutout of Senator Barack Obama hung by fishing wire from a tree on the campus. Attached to the cutout was a sign that read, ``Act Six reject.'' George Fox is a Christian university of 1,800 undergraduate students in Newberg, OR. In an effort to expand diversity on campus, George Fox instituted a university scholarship program--Act Six--that provides full scholarships to students chosen for their leadership potential from Portland high schools. While not a requirement, many of the recipients are from a minority group. Sadly, this crude and incendiary act of racial intimidation highlights our continued need to address the issue of civil rights in our country as racism still lurks in many dark corners of our Nation. Hate crimes and acts of racial intimidation seek to marginalize entire groups of Americans--and it simply cannot be tolerated in a democratic society. The freedom and opportunities in the United States are the envy of the world. And while our Nation has made significant strides in protecting minority groups, the recent event at George Fox is a reminder that the civil rights struggle remains far from finished. I praise the actions of George Fox President Robin Baker for acting quickly to unite the campus in expressing outrage to the act, and in urging students to show that the incident has no place in our society.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague, Senator Blanche Lincoln to introduce a very important bill for our Nation's working families, the Child Care Investment Act of 2008. Throughout our Nation, so many families today are struggling to provide for their families. One important action we can take to support working parents is to help ensure that their children are taken care of in safe and affordable childcare, and, most importantly, that this childcare is available to them. Unfortunately, we know that so many families are not able to access childcare, much less childcare that is high quality. This leads some to leave their children with unqualified caregivers, and, too often, in a dangerous situation. Because families were facing such dire shortages of affordable child care, Congress developed the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 that founded the CCDBG program. Since that time, this program has benefited low-income families by providing them with the help they need to remain employed, care for their children and have the peace of mind that their children are being well cared for. However, much more can be done to support and increase the funding for this important program. Recently, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, NACCRRA, released a report on the cost of child care for parents in our Nation.Their findings were startling and further underline the call to action that Senator Lincoln and I feel is necessary for working parents. The NACCRRA report says that the cost of child care is rising at nearly twice the rate of inflation in most states. In fact, my home state of Oregon is the ninth least affordable state for infant care in a child care center. They found that in Oregon, on average, nearly 46 percent of a single parent's salary goes towards child care for an infant. This study also found that in every region of our Nation, child care costs more than food. During difficult economic times, the resources of families in our Nation become even more stretched. Decisions are often made within family budgets and sacrifices are made during times of lean. However, we owe it to our Nation's children to ensure that they are safe and cared for by responsible care providers while their parents work. Low- income parents should not be placed in a situation when they have to choose between their job and the safety of their children. The bill that Senator Lincoln and I are introducing today will work to ensure more quality children care is available as the cost of this care increase and family budgets are squeezed. This bill will increase funding for the CCDBG program from $2.9 billion to $4 billion. It will also incorporate new quality goals for States to ensure quality care is given to our Nation's children. I thank Senator Lincoln for her continuing commitment to this issue and to children in our Nation and ask my colleagues for their support of this legislation and quick passage.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague, Senator Blanche Lincoln to introduce a very important bill for our Nation's working families, the Child Care Investment Act of 2008. Throughout our Nation, so many families today are struggling to provide for their families. One important action we can take to support working parents is to help ensure that their children are taken care of in safe and affordable childcare, and, most importantly, that this childcare is available to them. Unfortunately, we know that so many families are not able to access childcare, much less childcare that is high quality. This leads some to leave their children with unqualified caregivers, and, too often, in a dangerous situation. Because families were facing such dire shortages of affordable child care, Congress developed the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 that founded the CCDBG program. Since that time, this program has benefited low-income families by providing them with the help they need to remain employed, care for their children and have the peace of mind that their children are being well cared for. However, much more can be done to support and increase the funding for this important program. Recently, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, NACCRRA, released a report on the cost of child care for parents in our Nation.Their findings were startling and further underline the call to action that Senator Lincoln and I feel is necessary for working parents. The NACCRRA report says that the cost of child care is rising at nearly twice the rate of inflation in most states. In fact, my home state of Oregon is the ninth least affordable state for infant care in a child care center. They found that in Oregon, on average, nearly 46 percent of a single parent's salary goes towards child care for an infant. This study also found that in every region of our Nation, child care costs more than food. During difficult economic times, the resources of families in our Nation become even more stretched. Decisions are often made within family budgets and sacrifices are made during times of lean. However, we owe it to our Nation's children to ensure that they are safe and cared for by responsible care providers while their parents work. Low- income parents should not be placed in a situation when they have to choose between their job and the safety of their children. The bill that Senator Lincoln and I are introducing today will work to ensure more quality children care is available as the cost of this care increase and family budgets are squeezed. This bill will increase funding for the CCDBG program from $2.9 billion to $4 billion. It will also incorporate new quality goals for States to ensure quality care is given to our Nation's children. I thank Senator Lincoln for her continuing commitment to this issue and to children in our Nation and ask my colleagues for their support of this legislation and quick passage.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I wish to speak about the need for hate crimes legislation. Each Congress, Senator Kennedy and I introduce hate crimes legislation that would add new categories to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society. Likewise, each Congress I have come to the floor on many occasions to highlight a separate violent, hate-motivated crime that has occurred in our country. On the evening of August 9, 2008, 24-year-old Michael Roike was leaving the Playbill Cafe a Washington, DC, area bar with three of his friends when they noticed an SUV parked next door nearby. The SUV carried several men who reportedly spoke with Roike and his friends. The conversation allegedly began casually but escalated when the men from the SUV repeatedly used the word ``faggot.'' One of Roike's friends, Stevon-Christophe Burrell, 29, allegedly became upset and asked the men to leave them alone. In response, a male from the SUV reportedly approached Burrell aggressively. Roike said he stepped between them and tried to diffuse the situation, but Roike recounts that he suddenly felt pain in the left side of his head and hit the ground. Burrell was also struck before the attackers fled back to the vehicle and drove away. While no suspects have been apprehended, the Metropolitan Police Department report lists the attack as a ''simple assault,'' filing it as a hate crime based on sexual orientation. I believe that the Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Matthew Shepard Act is a symbol that can become substance. I believe that by passing this legislation and changing current law, we can change hearts and minds as well.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, former Oregon Governor Tom McCall once said, ``Heroes are not statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say, `This is my community and it is my responsibility to make it better'.'' Today I pay tribute to a remarkable lady who truly earned the title of ``hero,'' because few individuals have done more in the past several decades to make the community of Portland, OR, a better place than Mary Mark. Mary passed away recently, and last week I joined with over 600 other Oregonians in attending a tribute service that honored Mary's life and legacy. I first met Mary some 13 years ago when I was just beginning my campaign for the Senate. I had heard from many friends of the sterling reputation of Mary and her husband Pete and their status as two of Oregon's most generous philanthropists, but since I was from east of the mountains, I had not had the opportunity to meet them. And, unfortunately, the purpose of our meeting was for me to do something I hate to do, but which is a necessary evil for running for office--and that's to ask people for money. It didn't take me but a few minutes into the meeting to reach a few conclusions--conclusions that have been reinforced time and time again over the years. First, Mary and Pete were two of the warmest and most gracious people I had ever met. There is a tradition here on the floor of the U.S. Senate where members refer to each other as ``gentleman'' or ``gentlelady.'' We yield to the ``gentleman from Iowa,'' or we agree with the remarks of the ``gentlelady from Maine.'' There are some who believe the terms are quaint and old-fashioned. I do not. I don't think that manners and kindness and courtesy ever go out of fashion. And I can't think of better words to describe Pete and Mary as a ``gentleman'' and a ``gentlelady.'' The second conclusion I reached is that Mary and Pete were two of the keenest observers of the political scene that I had ever met. I always looked forward to our meetings, because I knew that Mary was going to ask me some tough questions, and I knew she would share with me her very perceptive opinions. To be frank, in our business it is easy to find individuals who will tell me what they think I want to hear. Mary Mark always told me what I needed to hear. It was also easy to see that as much as Mary loved her country and her community, the true great love of her life was her husband, and their wonderful children and grandchildren. Mary understood instinctively that our success as a society depends not on what happens in the conference tables of Washington, DC, but on what happens at kitchen tables in every community in Oregon. And when Sharon and I experienced a tragedy in our family, Mary and Pete reached out to us with kindness and compassion. Mr. President, the Greek poet Sophocles once wrote, ``One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been.'' For her family, for the community of Portland, and for Mary's countless friends and admirers, the evening of Mary's life came much too soon. It is my hope, however, that we can find solace in the fact that in the evening of her time on earth, Mary Mark could look back at a life filled with family, a life filled with generosity, a life filled with service to others, a life filled with making a positive difference, and say that the day had indeed been splendid. May God bless Mary Mark, and may we all carry on her legacy by loving our community and by loving our family.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, today I introduce the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act of 2008, with my colleague, Senator Joseph Lieberman. This legislation would tackle one of the nation's most pressing domestic challenges, ensuring all Americans have access to affordable, high quality health care. While the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act may not be the panacea to all of our Nation's healthcare woes, I believe it is a reasonable first step along the path of reform and it represents a viable solution to cover the uninsured. In my view, that solution begins with helping small employers gain access to affordable, high quality health insurance. Over half of the Nation's uninsured has a connection to a business that employs fewer than 100 employees. By extending access to affordable health coverage to those individuals through their employers, we can make significant progress in reducing the number of Americans who do not have health insurance. Broadly, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act incentivizes reform of the existing small group market so employers have access to affordable coverage options to meet their particular needs. It provides national direction to ensure consistency across the entire system, but relies upon the existing infrastructure forged by the States and the private market to ultimately provide new coverage options for small employers. Additionally, it provides graduated, income-sensitive subsidies through tax credits to low-income individuals to help offset the cost of their health coverage. It also provides graduated tax credits to small employers who contribute at least 50 percent toward the cost of their employees' premiums to encourage them to purchase coverage through new, regional purchasing exchanges. One of the key principles of the proposal is regional cooperation. The existing system of state-based regulation of the small group market has resulted in a great deal of inefficiency in the marketing and selling of health coverage products. One of the key elements of reform from the Federal perspective should be encouraging regional cooperation--and consistency of regulation--across State lines. The Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act accounts for this by apportioning States with similar existing insurance regulations into new ``Health Coverage Exchange Regions.'' Each of these regions will be charged with developing a common set of rating guidelines so that all insurance products sold in the health coverage exchange are regulated by the same set of rules. Over time, such common regulatory policies will have the effect of stabilizing the small group market, and generating efficiencies that could lead to longterm stabilization of premium cost increases. A stakeholder board will govern each Health Coverage Exchange Region and must include at a minimum representation from the insurance commissioners from all member States. That way, States will be the driving force in determining how to harmonize existing rating guidelines to improve stability in the small group market. Each Regional Board will have the flexibility to develop its own common rating guidelines, in addition to allowing other hard-to-cover groups, like sole proprietors and individuals, to participate in programs sponsored by the Health Coverage Exchange Region. While adoption of the common rating guidelines is voluntary, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act provides States with generous incentives to do so. First, small employers in a given State will be unable to purchase health coverage through its region's Health Coverage Exchange unless their State has adopted the common guidelines. Additionally, small employers and employees only will have access to the Federal subsidies once the guidelines are adopted. Change can be difficult, especially in regard to reform of current regulatory structures. The bill recognizes this fact by allowing States a strong voice in developing the common rating guidelines, as well as additional flexibility to implement such guidelines in special cases where they differ significantly from existing policy. Another key issue the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act addresses is that of ensuring small employers, regardless of their location, has access to a comprehensive health benefit package. We should not expect our small employers to settle for coverage that is far less comprehensive than what a majority of Americans have access to. Congress can and should do better on this front, and the proposal does. All small employers will have access to a standard benefit package that mirrors the benefits available to Members of Congress and other Federal employees. Over time, this benefit package will be updated to ensure that covered services reflect advances in medical science and are supported by sound, evidence-based research. While the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act leaves most responsibility for day-to-day operations of the Health Coverage Exchange to state-based regional boards, it recognizes the need for uniformity across the entire system by creating a National Health Coverage Policy Board comprised of key stakeholders representing the health care field. This Executive-appointed, independent body will apportion States into Health Coverage Exchange Regions and set broad policy guidelines for the overall system. While I firmly believe the reforms needed to improve access in the small group market should occur at the State level, there needs to be a national presence in the overall effort to ensure health care quality, greater regulatory consistency and maximize administrative efficiencies. I also would like to comment on the subsidies available in the legislation. Researchers and policymakers alike are well aware that there are some working Americans who simply will be unable to afford the cost of health insurance no matter how inexpensive it might be. The rhetoric surrounding the issue of the uninsured always includes reference to making health insurance more affordable and I fully support that intent. In the work Senator Lieberman and I have done on this issue, we have found that there are very few politically viable reform policies that would significantly reduce the cost of health coverage for small employers. We can implement initiatives to increase market efficiencies and provide employers with more coverage options, but those efforts still will not always make health coverage affordable for all Americans. In our proposal, allocating targeted, advanceable and refundable tax credits to those who need them is the Federal Government's primary responsibility. To further encourage participation in the Exchange and to recognize the important role employers have in funding health benefits, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act also includes advanceable, refundable tax credits for employers. Employers that contribute at least 50 percent of employees' premiums would be eligible for these tax credits to help offset the cost of their share of health coverage. I believe this approach will help employers who may be struggling to make ends meet and provide their employees the health coverage they need to stay healthy and productive. It is essential that Congress act on this issue. We owe it to our small employers to ensure they have the same health benefit options available to them as larger employers, whose size and structure allow them to self-fund insurance coverage for their employees. The small business community is the backbone of the American economy, representing over 99 percent of all the Nation's businesses. But we often fail to recognize the essential role small businesses play in the economy. Each year, they provide approximately 75 percent of new jobs; account for over half of private sector output; and provide 40 percent of private sales. Small businesses represent the realization of the American dream. However, even with all their successes, there are many challenges that threaten their continued vitality. In the unfurling healthcare reform debate, there is no shortage of innovative ideas. Aggressive proposals have been introduced on both sides of the aisle just this year. With over 46 million Americans uninsured and many more struggling with the cost of coverage, the time has come for Congress to seriously reform our health care system to ensure all Americans have access to care. Should support exist to pursue a comprehensive change, there are several proposals that hold a number of good ideas that combine the best of private and public section ingenuity. Recognizing that many people like receiving their health insurance through their employer; Congress may choose to pursue a more incremental approach-- focusing first on fixing the part of the system that is not working-- the small group market. For a reform debate to be successful, we need to bring all key stakeholders to the negotiating table, including employers. We share common problems, and we must work to develop common solutions. As Congress continues its discussion of healthcare reform; I am hopeful that the concepts included in this proposal will be given full consideration as we begin to develop solutions to the difficult, long- standing problems in the health insurance market. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft policies that significantly expand small employers' access to quality health insurance coverage. This is the help they deserve, and this is the help that I know we can give them if we put our ideological differences aside and begin working together to make real progress on this issue.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, today I introduce the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act of 2008, with my colleague, Senator Joseph Lieberman. This legislation would tackle one of the nation's most pressing domestic challenges, ensuring all Americans have access to affordable, high quality health care. While the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act may not be the panacea to all of our Nation's healthcare woes, I believe it is a reasonable first step along the path of reform and it represents a viable solution to cover the uninsured. In my view, that solution begins with helping small employers gain access to affordable, high quality health insurance. Over half of the Nation's uninsured has a connection to a business that employs fewer than 100 employees. By extending access to affordable health coverage to those individuals through their employers, we can make significant progress in reducing the number of Americans who do not have health insurance. Broadly, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act incentivizes reform of the existing small group market so employers have access to affordable coverage options to meet their particular needs. It provides national direction to ensure consistency across the entire system, but relies upon the existing infrastructure forged by the States and the private market to ultimately provide new coverage options for small employers. Additionally, it provides graduated, income-sensitive subsidies through tax credits to low-income individuals to help offset the cost of their health coverage. It also provides graduated tax credits to small employers who contribute at least 50 percent toward the cost of their employees' premiums to encourage them to purchase coverage through new, regional purchasing exchanges. One of the key principles of the proposal is regional cooperation. The existing system of state-based regulation of the small group market has resulted in a great deal of inefficiency in the marketing and selling of health coverage products. One of the key elements of reform from the Federal perspective should be encouraging regional cooperation--and consistency of regulation--across State lines. The Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act accounts for this by apportioning States with similar existing insurance regulations into new ``Health Coverage Exchange Regions.'' Each of these regions will be charged with developing a common set of rating guidelines so that all insurance products sold in the health coverage exchange are regulated by the same set of rules. Over time, such common regulatory policies will have the effect of stabilizing the small group market, and generating efficiencies that could lead to longterm stabilization of premium cost increases. A stakeholder board will govern each Health Coverage Exchange Region and must include at a minimum representation from the insurance commissioners from all member States. That way, States will be the driving force in determining how to harmonize existing rating guidelines to improve stability in the small group market. Each Regional Board will have the flexibility to develop its own common rating guidelines, in addition to allowing other hard-to-cover groups, like sole proprietors and individuals, to participate in programs sponsored by the Health Coverage Exchange Region. While adoption of the common rating guidelines is voluntary, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act provides States with generous incentives to do so. First, small employers in a given State will be unable to purchase health coverage through its region's Health Coverage Exchange unless their State has adopted the common guidelines. Additionally, small employers and employees only will have access to the Federal subsidies once the guidelines are adopted. Change can be difficult, especially in regard to reform of current regulatory structures. The bill recognizes this fact by allowing States a strong voice in developing the common rating guidelines, as well as additional flexibility to implement such guidelines in special cases where they differ significantly from existing policy. Another key issue the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act addresses is that of ensuring small employers, regardless of their location, has access to a comprehensive health benefit package. We should not expect our small employers to settle for coverage that is far less comprehensive than what a majority of Americans have access to. Congress can and should do better on this front, and the proposal does. All small employers will have access to a standard benefit package that mirrors the benefits available to Members of Congress and other Federal employees. Over time, this benefit package will be updated to ensure that covered services reflect advances in medical science and are supported by sound, evidence-based research. While the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act leaves most responsibility for day-to-day operations of the Health Coverage Exchange to state-based regional boards, it recognizes the need for uniformity across the entire system by creating a National Health Coverage Policy Board comprised of key stakeholders representing the health care field. This Executive-appointed, independent body will apportion States into Health Coverage Exchange Regions and set broad policy guidelines for the overall system. While I firmly believe the reforms needed to improve access in the small group market should occur at the State level, there needs to be a national presence in the overall effort to ensure health care quality, greater regulatory consistency and maximize administrative efficiencies. I also would like to comment on the subsidies available in the legislation. Researchers and policymakers alike are well aware that there are some working Americans who simply will be unable to afford the cost of health insurance no matter how inexpensive it might be. The rhetoric surrounding the issue of the uninsured always includes reference to making health insurance more affordable and I fully support that intent. In the work Senator Lieberman and I have done on this issue, we have found that there are very few politically viable reform policies that would significantly reduce the cost of health coverage for small employers. We can implement initiatives to increase market efficiencies and provide employers with more coverage options, but those efforts still will not always make health coverage affordable for all Americans. In our proposal, allocating targeted, advanceable and refundable tax credits to those who need them is the Federal Government's primary responsibility. To further encourage participation in the Exchange and to recognize the important role employers have in funding health benefits, the Affordable Coverage for Small Employers Act also includes advanceable, refundable tax credits for employers. Employers that contribute at least 50 percent of employees' premiums would be eligible for these tax credits to help offset the cost of their share of health coverage. I believe this approach will help employers who may be struggling to make ends meet and provide their employees the health coverage they need to stay healthy and productive. It is essential that Congress act on this issue. We owe it to our small employers to ensure they have the same health benefit options available to them as larger employers, whose size and structure allow them to self-fund insurance coverage for their employees. The small business community is the backbone of the American economy, representing over 99 percent of all the Nation's businesses. But we often fail to recognize the essential role small businesses play in the economy. Each year, they provide approximately 75 percent of new jobs; account for over half of private sector output; and provide 40 percent of private sales. Small businesses represent the realization of the American dream. However, even with all their successes, there are many challenges that threaten their continued vitality. In the unfurling healthcare reform debate, there is no shortage of innovative ideas. Aggressive proposals have been introduced on both sides of the aisle just this year. With over 46 million Americans uninsured and many more struggling with the cost of coverage, the time has come for Congress to seriously reform our health care system to ensure all Americans have access to care. Should support exist to pursue a comprehensive change, there are several proposals that hold a number of good ideas that combine the best of private and public section ingenuity. Recognizing that many people like receiving their health insurance through their employer; Congress may choose to pursue a more incremental approach-- focusing first on fixing the part of the system that is not working-- the small group market. For a reform debate to be successful, we need to bring all key stakeholders to the negotiating table, including employers. We share common problems, and we must work to develop common solutions. As Congress continues its discussion of healthcare reform; I am hopeful that the concepts included in this proposal will be given full consideration as we begin to develop solutions to the difficult, long- standing problems in the health insurance market. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft policies that significantly expand small employers' access to quality health insurance coverage. This is the help they deserve, and this is the help that I know we can give them if we put our ideological differences aside and begin working together to make real progress on this issue.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Madam President, I thank the Senator from Connecticut, Mr. Dodd, for his statement on health parity. When I first began wrestling with this issue, he was unusually helpful to me in breaking the dam, this cause of mental health and suicide prevention. I thank him for that. I will never forget him for that. I think of Senator Kennedy and of Pete Domenici and others who have been my allies to move not just the youth component but mental health parity as an essential ingredient, to help move it forward and put it on a basis that is equal with physical health. The truth is, if you have physical health and you don't have mental health, you do not have health. In fact, you may have something just as lethal as leukemia or any other dreaded disease. America is taking a great step forward with the passage of this extenders package today. I suspect many of my colleagues are having their phones ring off the hook as we speak on the issue of financial insecurity that is leading the headlines of the papers and on all the news shows and talk shows. It is something that is deeply distressing to every American and certainly to this American. What we have in this country that we are dealing with, at its root, is a crisis in confidence over credit. Right or wrong, like it or not, commerce in this country runs on credit. Small businesses without cashflow have to take out loans. As I evaluate this package--and I have made no decision on it--I am going to be looking to make sure there are no golden parachutes, to make sure this is not a bailout of fat cats but that this goes to Main Street in ways that help people who are already suffering the consequences. We can do things such as extending unemployment insurance, improving LIHEAP. We can even add additional funds to food stamps. But at the end of the day, what does matter to the people who have a job and go to work is to have employers who are creditworthy. If their banks are not creditworthy, if their banks have written their assets down so much that when you put your money in, they keep it, they don't lend it out--when that happens, commerce stops. Jobs are lost. The carnage spreads. That is what we are dealing with in this very difficult week in the Senate, to make sure we do the best we can in this deliberative body that the Constitution gives the purse strings. We have to do it right. If it comes up wrong, we have to start over and do it better. There is no place for golden parachutes for those who have taken advantage of the rules on Wall Street in ways that have victimized many people. We have already put $300 billion toward the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These are government-sponsored enterprises. In those institutions, apparently the leaders, the boards, were playing fast and loose with the terms Congress gave them in their charter in a way that is both deplorable and more than lamentable. There are people who need to be held accountable for what has happened. But Fannie and Freddie are the central plank in the problem of our credit. That is what started the dominos. Having said that, I do wish to suggest that this extenders package is most worthy of passage, not just because of the mental health parity that is included, but I wish to talk about another feature that my colleague Ron Wyden and I have been working on ever since we have been in the Senate together. That is the secure rural schools extension. This has been most difficult because it has not been easy to explain to our colleagues all over the country who do not know what it is like to have the Federal Government own most of your State. When the Federal Government owns your State, the local governments cannot tax the Federal Government. So dating back to the beginning of statehood in Oregon in 1859, there was a relationship developed between the Congress and Oregon, and other similarly situated States, whereby they would receive 25 percent of what are called timber taxes or mining taxes or extraction taxes, these kinds of resources that come from public lands. It is through that, because the counties don't have a tax base, that rural folks are able to have schools, streets, and neighborhoods that are safe, with police protection. That worked very well, even through a big reformation period under Teddy Roosevelt, when these things were redone. It has worked very well. But in the 1990s, there came a great effort to save the spotted owl. There came a change in forest policy with the Clinton administration. The purpose was to save the spotted owl. We learned now, decades later, that the spotted owl was not imperiled by logging. It is now imperiled by catastrophic wildfire. It is now imperiled by a nonnative owl called the bard owl, and the bard owl likes to eat the spotted owl. Nevertheless, the carnage has been done. At the end of the Clinton administration, the President was good enough to sign replacement revenues which are called county payments or secure rural schools funding. It has been hard to get these funds reauthorized. We had it extended by one year last year. This package extends it 4 years. It needs to be extended. This is not a golden parachute. This is keeping the covenant with rural counties. This is vital if we are to keep faith with rural places and people in very vulnerable areas. I am delighted this legislation is included in the package. The Senate has passed it before with huge majorities because Senator Wyden and I--he has worked that side of the aisle and I have worked this side of the aisle--made sure we got it in, that we keep enough support on both sides that it could make it to the House of Representatives, where I hope and I pray it will be accepted. But I would conclude my remarks by saying: I understand from some of my neighboring States that the formula had to be changed. This bill represents a declining interest to Oregon of 60 percent. The 60 percent is based on a cut to Oregon, which is based on a new formula. The new formula is not based on history. You see, the old formula was that the money goes to those counties where God put the trees. Now, it is distributed differently, so our neighboring States can get more, and Oregon gets less. I do not like that. But I want to say there is a way to remedy that deficiency, and that is to go back to a balance on forest policy that allows for a sustainable yield, allows for the creation of timber jobs, allows for the development of American timber for American homes and American commerce. Instead of being a nation that imports lumber, we can once again be a self-sufficient country in lumber. We need the help of the administration. We have had it with President Bush. We have not had it with the courts. But the courts, I hope, are changing because this is literally a matter of economic life and death for vulnerable rural communities. So what we have to have is this, which is the best we can get, and we need it for 4 years. Then we need to make up this deficiency the old-fashioned way, by letting men and women in rural places go back to work, to manage our forests, these public lands that can be managed in a way that is consistent with the environment and creates the economic blessings Oregon and other places have known in the past. Those blessings, in short, are family-wage jobs, the kinds of jobs that pay property taxes, build schools, pave streets, and keep neighborhoods safe. If we can do that, all will be well and this day will represent a good day for the State of Oregon and particularly its rural parts and places. With that, I thank the Presiding Officer for the time and yield the floor.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to commend Dr. Ephraim Zuroff and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for their efforts to track down the last Nazi war criminals from World War II. Their work is enormously important, both in bringing the guilty to justice and preventing future acts of genocide. The statute of limitations does not--must not--expire on crimes against humanity. Earlier this year, I introduced the World War II War Crimes Accountability Act with Senator Nelson, which I hope will help Dr. Zuroff and the Simon Wiesenthal Center in their noble effort. One of the main targets of this effort is Milivoj Asner, who during World War II was the fascist police chief of Pozega, Yugoslavia. Serving the Nazi-allied Ustasha regime in his native Croatia, Asner presided over the destruction of the local Jewish, Serb, and Gypsy populations. After the war ended, Asner fled to Austria, where he lived in obscurity until he was finally charged with war crimes by Croatia in 2005. His extradition has been delayed, however, by Austrian federal and local bureaucratic obstruction. Austrian authorities have claimed that Asner is in poor health, though apparently that infirmity did not stop him from attending a Euro 2008 soccer game this past summer, where he was spotted by a British newspaper. In light of this evidence, the local and national Austrian authorities must summon the political will to bring Asner to justice. The Simon Wiesenthal Center launched Operation: Last Chance in 2002 to identify and assist in the prosecution of the remaining Nazi war criminals still at large. Dr. Zuroff, who has been leading this effort, should be highly commended for his outstanding efforts in bringing the most guilty Nazis to justice. Of these, Asner is near the top of his list. Even today, the crimes of people such as Asner in the service of pro- Nazi regimes strain our understanding of hate. National Socialist Germany today is an icon remembered only for its brutality, its mantra of genocide, and its culture of racism. And those last Nazis, who are waiting out their last days under the coming twilight, must not be allowed to go quietly into the night, as did too many of their victims. For the souls that were lost, and even more for those that remain, there must be justice. I commend Dr. Zuroff and the Simon Wiesenthal Center in the highest possible terms, and urge the U.S. Government to do all it can to help them in their cause.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I wish to congratulate the exceptional educators at Sojourner Elementary School of Milwaukie, OR. Last week, Intel Corporation named Sojourner the ``Star Innovator'' among six winners of the 2008 Intel Schools of Distinction Awards and among hundreds of applicants who entered the competition. Intel Corporation chose Sojourner Elementary because of its groundbreaking teaching strategies in mathematics and the marked improvement of its young math students. Oregon State Assessment data indicate that mathematics achievement at Sojourner has steadily improved over the past 4 years. Sojourner uses an innovative ``team teaching'' approach. At each level, at least one teacher completes additional coursework and training in mathematics. This ongoing professional development has resulted in teachers specializing in content and academic knowledge in mathematics. Increasingly, technology is playing an important role in the classroom, and teachers at Sojourner are using it effectively to excite and engage students. Computers at Sojourner are equipped with the software necessary to complete computer-based units from the school's math curriculum, and teachers are trained to implement these units. With Intel's Star Innovator award, Sojourner Elementary will receive additional funds, products, and services to continue its unique program. Sojourner also involves parents in the learning process, a proven strategy for improving the performance of young students. Newsletters produced at each level inform parents as to the specific content in class so that parents can provide appropriate support at home. All families have math ``kits'' at home so that students can continue to develop ideas at the conceptual level. Families also have access to the district Web site, where the online Student Learning Center provides valuable resources for practice activities at a variety of levels. In the field of education, there is no single path to success. That is why it is important to highlight those programs like Sojourner's that are successful and reward their efforts. Intel's work in promoting mathematics and science education comes at a critical time when America needs more engineers and more mathematicians to stay competitive in a globalizing economy. I am grateful to the teachers at Sojourner Elementary who have worked so hard to set a new standard in math education and that Intel has taken on the responsibility of awarding these remarkable achievements. Our Nation benefits tremendously from sharing these best practices, and I am proud to honor the exceptional work that Sojourner Elementary is doing to educate our Nation's children and the future leaders of America.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, on an otherwise beautiful September morning 7 years ago today, our Nation experienced the greatest of tragedies. The United States was brutally and deliberately attacked. Terrorists took innocent American lives on sovereign American soil. This tragedy was brought to our shores by those who seek to destroy the American dream. The perpetrators declared war on the clearest symbols of our way of life: The Twin Towers in Manhattan, the center of American capitalism and prosperity; the Pentagon in Arlington, VA, a building that represents the strongest guarantor of freedom in history. A third target, either the White House or the U.S. Capitol, was spared only because of the brave and selfless passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, PA. The Civil War once tested the survivability of a nation founded on the concept that every citizen is endowed with fundamental freedoms. In the 7 years since September 11, we have tested America's devotion to these founding principles, bringing to this body a debate over where to draw the line between protecting liberties and preventing another attack. As a nation, I believe we have found a balanced solution to this challenge. And when we remember and defend the truths our founding fathers knew to be self-evident, we strengthen them for the next generation. We have done this all the while defending this great nation from another attack. And that is an accomplishment worth noting. I know that in this hyper political season, we sometimes fail to see beyond daily politics and rhetoric. But it is my hope that as we continue to examine our freedoms in the context of fighting terrorism, we will not lose sight of what they mean for us here at home. This morning, President Bush dedicated the Pentagon Memorial in remembrance of 184 innocent Americans taken from us that morning. We do not identify the fallen as old or young, man or woman, black or white, Jewish or Protestant. We identify them as fellow Americans, all deserving of the same inalienable rights. I thank and pray for our troops overseas, fighting to keep us safe here at home. I thank and pray for the survivors and families of those who have fallen in the defense of this great Nation. And I thank and pray for all those who remind us why this nation is worth defending. The United States will indeed persevere and will continue to serve as the finest example of a nation founded and dedicated to Liberty and justice for all.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I often try to come to this Chamber and offer remarks without reading a text, but this text that I have prepared is of such a personal nature and so difficult to give that I think I am going to try to read it. I also want to note for the record that in this hyperpolitical season, sometimes we forget that we are just Americans. Senator Kennedy somehow knew I was going to give this speech, and I was just called to the Republican cloakroom to take a call from our colleague who struggles with a terrible illness. He wished me well in this speech because we share a common bond when it comes to human loss and the passion for the issue of mental health. I also want to report, Mr. President, that he sounded great, and I am confident he will be back. Mr. President, 5 years ago this week--it was actually 5 years ago on Monday--my wife Sharon and I received the worst news that any parent can receive when a police officer showed up at our door to inform us that our 21-year-old son Garrett had taken his life. That day and the days and weeks that followed were the most painful imaginable. But instrumental to Sharon and me being able to persevere through those weeks was the love and support we received from my colleagues here in the Senate. To note just a few, Senators Wyden, Reid, Stevens, Bennett, DeWine, and Chambliss traveled all the way to Pendleton, OR, a little town in northeastern Oregon, for Garrett's service. When I returned to this Chamber weeks later, Senators Kennedy and Biden, who had experienced the loss of family members in their lives, were just two of many who reached out to me with compassion and wise counsel. Senators Leahy and Santorum lit candles for us in their Catholic parishes, Senator Lieberman remembered us in his synagogue, and many protestant colleagues included us in their prayer circles. Sharon and I were reminded again and again that human heartache has no political affiliation. Sharon and I were also blessed to receive the support and understanding of the people of Oregon. We were overwhelmed with cards, letters, and kind words, many from individuals who had lost a loved one battling depression or who had lost a loved one to suicide. Indeed, as a result of the publicity surrounding Garrett's death, Sharon and I had become the focus of an immense fraternity of sorrow. I had never been aware of or imagined the size of this silent and shapeless society, but the avalanche of letters confirmed what my studies later taught me: There are 30,000 suicides and as many as 600,000 attempts at suicide in America every year. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in the United States for those ages 15 to 24. It is the second leading cause of death among college students, with more than 1,000 taking their lives each year. I began to wonder what I, as a Senator, could do about this epidemic which had claimed the life of my son. Six months after Garrett's death, our then-colleague Mike DeWine provided me with an answer. He told me that the epidemic of youth suicides had been weighing on his mind as well and that he had coauthored two pieces of legislation he hoped might make a positive difference. The first bill, authored with Senator Dodd, increased screening for children to detect those predisposed to depression and suicide. The second, written with Senator Reed of Rhode Island, provided funding necessary to improve suicide prevention programs on college campuses. I reviewed the two bills and felt more and more that I had found my cause: to bring suicide's brutal toll and mental health subordinate status out of our society's shadows. I believed that the shame and the stigma our society feels about mental health must stop and a national conversation needed to begin. I believed that if Government policy and insurance priorities did not change, then more lives would be tragically lost, more families would be shattered, more of our citizens would wander our streets and needlessly fill our jails, and higher costs would be borne by taxpayers or be shifted to overburdened private policyholders. In short, our society would be diminished and too many of our fellow citizens would continue to suffer needlessly. Senators DeWine, Dodd, and Reed graciously offered to let me take the lead in advancing the legislation through Congress. Because of their support, the support of countless others in the House and Senate, and the support of the President of the United States, George W. Bush, we were able to make a difference and for the first time put the Federal Government on the front lines in the battle against youth suicide. This week marks another anniversary, Mr. President. It was on September 9, 2004, on what would have been Garrett's 23rd birthday, that final passage was achieved on what my colleagues' named the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act. So I rise today during what is also National Suicide Prevention Week to reflect on what has been accomplished these past 4 years thanks to the provisions of the Garrett Lee Smith Act and to remind my colleagues of the work that still must be done. Since its enactment into law, the Garrett Lee Smith Act has provided funding for youth suicide prevention programs in 31 States, 7 Native American tribes or tribal organizations, and 55 colleges and universities. Incredibly, more than 150,000 people across our Nation have been trained in youth suicide prevention activities under the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act. This includes more than 40,000 college students who can now look for the warning signs of depression in peers, more than 11,000 parents and foster parents who can spot the warning signs in their children, 9,000 teachers who can better identify the needs of their students, and 1,300 primary care providers who can better serve the mental health needs along with the physical needs of our children and youth they seek to heal. We also know that 13,000 youth have been screened for mental illness through the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act grants. Of these youth, more than 2,800 were found to be at risk of suicide and 95 percent were referred for mental health services. Amazingly, of these children, 90 percent received care. In my home State of Oregon alone, more than 900 people have been trained in suicide prevention activities. They have been taught these new skills in a way that will allow them to share what they have learned to train others. This ``train the trainer'' type of program has created a sustainable program which will continue to grow the number of caring people in our communities who have the know-how to spot mental illness and suicide risks in our children and youth. Mr. President, much has been accomplished in the battle against youth suicide, but there is still much more that needs to be done, and I would like to provide a roadmap of five actions this Congress can and should take before adjournment. First, Congress needs to reauthorize the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act. Last May, I joined with Senators Dodd and Reed in introducing just such a reauthorization proposal. Our bill would provide some important updates to the program, including allowing States and tribes to get more than one grant so that many States can expand on the work they started with the initial youth suicide prevention grants they received. Our bill would also allow for increasing funding levels and allow for the current youth suicide resource centers to serve those of other ages. Second, mental health parity has passed both the House and the Senate and is awaiting final passage. I urge the conference committee to get this to final passage. This final version has been included in the tax extenders package drafted by Senator Baucus that is awaiting consideration. I am very hopeful that through this package, mental health parity will soon be completed. Placing mental health on parity with physical health will send a very important message to our family members and friends with mental illness. It says to them: We support you, we love you, and we are working to ensure that you get the help you need. Third, mental health parity must also be provided to children under SCHIP. Low-income children suffer at higher rates of mental illness. We must ensure that the State Children's Health Insurance Program better supports their needs. We know that the earlier we can identify and help children with any mental health issues, the better chance they will have in obtaining a long-term recovery and learning the ability to manage their illness. Fourth, along with many colleagues, I have long been concerned with the mental health needs of our older veterans as well as those who are returning from our current conflicts. I held a field hearing in Oregon last year on the issues that our aging veterans face and convened two roundtables on the issue with veterans, mental health professionals, and local officials. Senator Kohl and I also held an Aging Committee hearing in the fall of last year that looked at veterans' mental health issues. I was honored that Senator Bob Dole was able to testify at this important hearing. In response to the findings I gathered from these hearings and discussions, I introduced in July of this year, along with my colleague and friend Senator Wyden, the Healing Our Nation's Heroes Act of 2008. This bill would improve the oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense as it relates to the mental health services they provide to our service men and women and veterans. It would also work to increase the number of their mental health professionals and train them to better understand the unique issues of our men and women who have seen combat. Finally, I have worked to introduce a package of bills with Senator Reed of Rhode Island that would support and enhance our community mental health centers. These centers are the safety net of our local mental health systems and work to ensure care to so many low-income individuals. These bills would help to better integrate the physical and mental health at these centers. This package would also help to provide funding for infrastructure expansion and improvements that are so desperately needed as local centers struggle under low funding and increased community needs. Currently, the reauthorization is pending in the HELP Committee. Mr. President, I know we are in the midst of a partisan season. Two of our colleagues are campaigning for the Presidency of the United States, and one is campaigning for the Vice Presidency. In my State of Oregon, my colleague, Mr. Schumer of New York, is spending millions upon millions of dollars running very partisan and negative ads in the hopes of defeating me, and that is certainly his right. I know Mr. Schumer has put pressure on many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle these past few months not to continue any bipartisan work with me. But just as passage of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act was not a partisan issue, taking action on the five items I have just listed is also not partisan. Mental illness does not differentiate between Republican and Democrat. It is an American issue. It is a human issue. And as Americans, we have a duty to act. Perhaps the best counsel I received in the days and weeks following Garrett's death came from Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, who served with such distinction as the Chaplain of the Senate. Lloyd had recently lost his beloved wife Mary Jane and called me from Los Angeles to commiserate. His message to me was that ``gratitude'' is a miraculous antidote for grief, and that, whenever I was feeling overwhelmed by bewilderment and remorse, I should remember to be grateful that the Lord gave us Garret for 22 years less a day. It sounded simple enough--gratitude as an antidote for grief--so I tried it, I tried it again, and I discovered that it works. I stand here today, 5 years after losing my son, with profound gratitude in my heart: gratitude for the countless Oregonians who continue to let Sharon and me know that we are in their thoughts and prayers; gratitude for my colleagues here in this Chamber, without respect of party, who helped me persevere and recover; gratitude for public servants such as Mike DeWine and Chris Dodd and Jack Reed and many others--and I must mention Orrin Hatch, who has been an incredible brother to me. They allowed me to turn my grief into action through the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act. I express gratitude for President Bush signing this act. He did it on a misty day, on an October morning in 2004, just before election day. I express gratitude for those who are on the front lines of the battle against suicide, and countless mental health professionals who are implementing the programs authorized by the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, who are often overwhelmed by the demand and underfunded by resources. And above all, I express gratitude that a remarkable boy graced Sharon's and my life for so many years, and that his memory lives on through the good works implemented by legislation that bears his name on the statutes of the United States of America.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise to extend my appreciation that the Senate will pass the ``SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act.'' I thank Chairman Baucus and Senator Grassley for their help in moving this important legislation to the President. This is a bill that I introduced in the Senate with Senator Kohl and it will make a significant impact in helping our most vulnerable asylees and refugees. I also want to thank Senator Specter for his tremendous support of this bill and help in negotiating a final package. The passage of this bill sends a message that we have not and will not turn our back on those whom we have welcomed to our country. As many of you may know, Congress modified the Supplemental Security Income--SSI--program to include a 7-year time limit on the receipt of benefits for refugees and asylees. To allow adequate time for asylees and refugees to become naturalized citizens, Congress provided the 7- year time limit before the expiration of SSI benefits. Unfortunately, the naturalization process often takes longer than 7 years. Applicants are required to live in the United States for a minimum of 5 years prior to applying for citizenship. In addition to that time period, their application process often can take 3 or more years before there is resolution. Because of this time delay, many individuals are trapped in the system and faced with the loss of their SSI benefits. In fact, by the end of 2008 more than 30,000 elderly and disabled refugees will have lost their benefits and more than 19,000 are projected to lose their benefits in the coming years. Many of these individuals are elderly refugees who fled persecution or torture in their home countries. They include Jewish refugees fleeing religious persecution in the former Soviet Union, Iraqi Kurds fleeing the Saddam Hussein regime, Cubans and Hmong people from the highlands of Laos who served on the side of the United States military during the Vietnam War. They are elderly and unable to work, and have become reliant on their SSI benefits as their primary income. To penalize them because of delays encountered through the bureaucratic process seems unjust and inappropriate. The administration, in its fiscal year 2009 budget, acknowledged the necessity of correcting this problem by dedicating funding to extend refugee eligibility for SSI beyond the 7-year limit. This legislation builds upon those efforts by allowing an additional 2 years of benefits for elderly and disabled refugees, asylees, and other qualified humanitarian immigrants, including those whose benefits have expired in the recent past. The Senate version requires that eligible individuals demonstrate that they are moving toward citizenship in order to gain the additional 2-year extension of benefits. While the Act provides flexibility to the Social Security Administration--SSA--and the Department of Homeland Security--DHS--in developing a procedure whereby they can verify an applicant's eligibility for the extension of benefits, it is our intent that whatever procedure SSA and DHS establish, it does not impose any undue burdens or barriers on the benefactors of this Act. Additionally, the bill allows benefits to be extended for a third year for those refugees who are awaiting a decision on a pending naturalization application. These policies are limited to 2011 and are completely offset in cost by a provision that will allow the Department of Labor to recapture federal funds that are the result of unemployment insurance fraud. I again thank my colleagues for their support of this bill and for its passage.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to commend Dr. Ephraim Zuroff and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for their efforts to track down the last Nazi war criminals from World War II. Their work is enormously important, both in bringing the guilty to justice and preventing future acts of genocide. The statute of limitations does not, must not, expire on crimes against humanity. Earlier this year, I introduced the World War II War Crimes Accountability Act with Senator Nelson, which I hope will help Dr. Zuroff and the Simon Wiesenthal Center in their noble effort. One of the main targets of this effort is Sandor Kepiro, who is charged with the 1942 killing of about 1,000 Jews, Gypsies, and Serbs in Novi Sad, Serbia. Kepiro allegedly committed these crimes while serving as a Hungarian police captain during World War II. He was convicted in 1944, but the verdict was annulled when the Nazis invaded Hungary. He was convicted again in 1946, in absentia, but escaped before serving his sentence. In 2007, a Hungarian court ruled that Kepiro could not be charged again for his alleged crimes. He is now living in Hungary, and the government continues to investigate the circumstances of his WWII activities. The Hungarian government must summon the political will to bring Kepiro to justice. Inaction is not an option. The Simon Wiesenthal Center launched Operation: Last Chance in 2002, to identify and assist in the prosecution of the remaining Nazi war criminals still at large. Dr. Zuroff, who has been leading this effort, should be highly commended for his outstanding efforts in bringing the most guilty Nazis to justice. Of these, Kepiro is near the top of his list. Even today, the crimes of people like Kepiro in the service of pro- Nazi regimes strain our understanding of hate. National Socialist Germany today is an icon remembered only for its brutality, its mantra of genocide, and its culture of racism. And those last Nazis, who are waiting out their last days under the coming twilight, must not be allowed to go quietly into the night, as did too many of their victims. For the souls that were lost, and even more for those that remain, there must be justice. I commend Dr. Zuroff and the Simon Wiesenthal Center in the highest possible terms, and urge the United States Government to do all it can to help them in their cause.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a resolution with my colleague, Senator Feingold, supporting the human rights and religious freedom of Tibetans. Last March, I was one of many people worldwide who watched as Tibetan demonstrations in China exploded into violence. These protests reflected long-standing frustration with the harsh measures imposed on Tibetans by the Government of China. Among other harassment, Tibetans can be required to undergo propaganda-based ``political education,'' detained without judicial due process, and are forbidden from possessing pictures of the Dalai Lama. After the March 2008 unrest, much of the international community urged China and the Dalai Lama to enter a positive, results-based dialogue on the human rights of Tibetans living. Unfortunately, these pleas have apparently fallen on deaf ears in Beijing. After the latest round of Tibetan-Chinese dialogue from June 30 to July 3, the Tibetan representatives expressed disappointment that the two sides could not even agree on a joint resolution calling for more talks. Progress, it seems, has been almost non-existent. As a result, Senator Feingold and I are introducing a resolution urging that the talks--real, results-oriented talks--continue. We also call for the United States to press the Government of China to make a serious commitment to the human rights and religious freedom of Tibetans living on its soil, and an end to forced ``political education'' of Tibetans. The aim of the dialogue between the Government of China and the Dalai Lama must include an end to harassment of lay and religious Tibetans, and genuine autonomy for ethnically Tibetan regions.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague Senator Ron Wyden to introduce a bill that will help improve the lives of our veterans who are suffering from a mental illness. The Healing Our Nation's Heroes Act of 2008 is an important bill and I look forward to its passage. Senator Wyden has been an ally for me in the struggle to ensure veterans, particularly those who are struggling with a mental illness, get the care that they need. It is an honor for me to work him to ensure our Nation's heroes are not forgotten. Our work together on this bill began last summer when I called a Special Committee on Aging field hearing at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center in our home state of Oregon. At that hearing, Senator Wyden and I heard the testimony of officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, as well as local leaders who operate programs that support our veterans' mental and physical health needs. I also held roundtables in my state on the issue and a follow-up hearing in Washington, DC in October, 2007 to further examine the scope of the issues and barriers facing our veterans in need of care. At this hearing, we were fortunate to have former Senator and World War II veteran Bob Dole testify. Senator Dole is a decorated war hero who has fought for decades to ensure that our servicemembers and veterans have the proper supports they need. His insight and knowledge of the issues facing our veterans, both young and old, were instrumental in helping us to draft this legislation. Without the input of countless people who told us of the problems faced by their loved ones and their own struggles with the current system, we could not have made this bill possible. In our Nation today, we have nearly 24 million veterans, about 40 percent of whom are age 65 and older. The Veterans Health Administration serves about 5.5 million of them each year and employs 247,000 employees to attend to their care. I draw attention to these numbers to emphasize not only the scale of the system--and therefore the noted difficulties in meeting all needs at all times--but also to reiterate that there are a large number of veterans to whom we owe an enormous debt. Unfortunately, we are not doing well enough by our veterans. We know that nationally 23 percent of all homeless persons are veterans. In Portland, Oregon, that number could be as high as 30 percent. They suffer disproportionately from poor health, including mental health and substance abuse challenges. We are fortunate to have wonderful community-based groups, such as the Central City Concern in Portland, working to help those who are homeless to get the help and support they need; but we must do more. As was reported at the hearing I held in October of 2007, Dr. Kaplan from Portland State University found that veterans in our nation are at twice the risk of suicide as non-veterans. With the number and needs of veterans ever-increasing in our nation, we must ensure that our mental health infrastructure is prepared to handle their unique needs. What we now refer to as post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, once was described as ``soldier's heart'' in the Civil War, ``shell shock'' in World War I, and ``combat fatigue'' in World War II. Whatever the name, they are serious mental illnesses and deserve equal attention and care as a physical wound. A system must be in place to help our veterans as they adjust back to life with their families and within their communities. So many of our veterans from previous conflicts in Korea, Vietnam and around the globe in World War II, needed similar programs once they returned home. Yet, I fear that we did not do enough to help them. With proper and early support systems in place, we can work to prevent the more serious and chronic mental health issues that come from a lack of intervention. There is no greater obligation than caring for those who have served this country with their military service. We would be remiss if we did not ensure that the health care provided to our heroes in arms is the finest medicine has to offer. A lack of culturally sensitive mental health professionals, an inability to reach rural areas, stigma related to mental illness within the military, bureaucratic run-arounds and long waiting times are just a few of the problems that we hear about-- both in the news and directly from constituents. These are problems that must be addressed and can only be addressed if we all work together to find solutions. As our country faces new waves of veterans with mental health illnesses, many of whose issues arise from combat stress, we must ensure that we learn from the lessons of the past. We must ensure that they are cared for, and we must not leave behind those who fought for our nation in previous generations. This bill has three important parts that will improve mental health services to our veterans. First, it will establish a commission charged with oversight of outreach and services offered to veterans and members of the Armed Forces with post traumatic stress disorder and other disorders that affect mental health. This commission will be a long- term body that will ensure that our veterans have the support that they need. They will report to Congress, make recommendations to the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, and look for innovative ways that the two bodies can work together to better ensure our servicemembers have the proper supports while they are in the Armed Forces, during their time of transition back to their communities, and as they live their lives as veterans in their communities. This bill also will establish the Heroes-to-Healers Program, which we have created to build on the successes of the Troops-to-Teachers Program. In addition to the wonderful work that the Troops-to-Teachers program does in training former servicemembers to work in high-need school districts, the Heroes-to-Healers Program will train former servicemembers to become a part of the mental health workforce. We know that major complaints from servicemembers and veterans working to gain needed mental health services are the wait times for care that they experience due to lack of available staff and their desire to work with professionals who understand, first-hand, the difficult things that they have seen and type of experiences they have had serving overseas in combat zones. Through this program, participants will receive financial support to gain the training and licensing they need to become a mental health professional, while ensuring there is a minimum amount of time that they will then serve their fellow veterans in their new profession. To further help recruitment and retention efforts for mental health service providers, the third part of this bill will provide a new grant program to state and local mental health agencies, as well as non- profit organizations to establish, expand or enhance mental health provider recruitment and retention efforts. These efforts will be targeted at supporting mid-career professionals who are looking to work in the mental health profession. We know that we must do a better job of helping our veterans. We can do better at ensuring they can remain stable in their communities, that they can live healthy lives and that they can prosper as persons to whom we owe a great deal of gratitude and compassion. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure its passage. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague Senator Ron Wyden to introduce a bill that will help improve the lives of our veterans who are suffering from a mental illness. The Healing Our Nation's Heroes Act of 2008 is an important bill and I look forward to its passage. Senator Wyden has been an ally for me in the struggle to ensure veterans, particularly those who are struggling with a mental illness, get the care that they need. It is an honor for me to work him to ensure our Nation's heroes are not forgotten. Our work together on this bill began last summer when I called a Special Committee on Aging field hearing at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center in our home state of Oregon. At that hearing, Senator Wyden and I heard the testimony of officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, as well as local leaders who operate programs that support our veterans' mental and physical health needs. I also held roundtables in my state on the issue and a follow-up hearing in Washington, DC in October, 2007 to further examine the scope of the issues and barriers facing our veterans in need of care. At this hearing, we were fortunate to have former Senator and World War II veteran Bob Dole testify. Senator Dole is a decorated war hero who has fought for decades to ensure that our servicemembers and veterans have the proper supports they need. His insight and knowledge of the issues facing our veterans, both young and old, were instrumental in helping us to draft this legislation. Without the input of countless people who told us of the problems faced by their loved ones and their own struggles with the current system, we could not have made this bill possible. In our Nation today, we have nearly 24 million veterans, about 40 percent of whom are age 65 and older. The Veterans Health Administration serves about 5.5 million of them each year and employs 247,000 employees to attend to their care. I draw attention to these numbers to emphasize not only the scale of the system--and therefore the noted difficulties in meeting all needs at all times--but also to reiterate that there are a large number of veterans to whom we owe an enormous debt. Unfortunately, we are not doing well enough by our veterans. We know that nationally 23 percent of all homeless persons are veterans. In Portland, Oregon, that number could be as high as 30 percent. They suffer disproportionately from poor health, including mental health and substance abuse challenges. We are fortunate to have wonderful community-based groups, such as the Central City Concern in Portland, working to help those who are homeless to get the help and support they need; but we must do more. As was reported at the hearing I held in October of 2007, Dr. Kaplan from Portland State University found that veterans in our nation are at twice the risk of suicide as non-veterans. With the number and needs of veterans ever-increasing in our nation, we must ensure that our mental health infrastructure is prepared to handle their unique needs. What we now refer to as post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, once was described as ``soldier's heart'' in the Civil War, ``shell shock'' in World War I, and ``combat fatigue'' in World War II. Whatever the name, they are serious mental illnesses and deserve equal attention and care as a physical wound. A system must be in place to help our veterans as they adjust back to life with their families and within their communities. So many of our veterans from previous conflicts in Korea, Vietnam and around the globe in World War II, needed similar programs once they returned home. Yet, I fear that we did not do enough to help them. With proper and early support systems in place, we can work to prevent the more serious and chronic mental health issues that come from a lack of intervention. There is no greater obligation than caring for those who have served this country with their military service. We would be remiss if we did not ensure that the health care provided to our heroes in arms is the finest medicine has to offer. A lack of culturally sensitive mental health professionals, an inability to reach rural areas, stigma related to mental illness within the military, bureaucratic run-arounds and long waiting times are just a few of the problems that we hear about-- both in the news and directly from constituents. These are problems that must be addressed and can only be addressed if we all work together to find solutions. As our country faces new waves of veterans with mental health illnesses, many of whose issues arise from combat stress, we must ensure that we learn from the lessons of the past. We must ensure that they are cared for, and we must not leave behind those who fought for our nation in previous generations. This bill has three important parts that will improve mental health services to our veterans. First, it will establish a commission charged with oversight of outreach and services offered to veterans and members of the Armed Forces with post traumatic stress disorder and other disorders that affect mental health. This commission will be a long- term body that will ensure that our veterans have the support that they need. They will report to Congress, make recommendations to the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, and look for innovative ways that the two bodies can work together to better ensure our servicemembers have the proper supports while they are in the Armed Forces, during their time of transition back to their communities, and as they live their lives as veterans in their communities. This bill also will establish the Heroes-to-Healers Program, which we have created to build on the successes of the Troops-to-Teachers Program. In addition to the wonderful work that the Troops-to-Teachers program does in training former servicemembers to work in high-need school districts, the Heroes-to-Healers Program will train former servicemembers to become a part of the mental health workforce. We know that major complaints from servicemembers and veterans working to gain needed mental health services are the wait times for care that they experience due to lack of available staff and their desire to work with professionals who understand, first-hand, the difficult things that they have seen and type of experiences they have had serving overseas in combat zones. Through this program, participants will receive financial support to gain the training and licensing they need to become a mental health professional, while ensuring there is a minimum amount of time that they will then serve their fellow veterans in their new profession. To further help recruitment and retention efforts for mental health service providers, the third part of this bill will provide a new grant program to state and local mental health agencies, as well as non- profit organizations to establish, expand or enhance mental health provider recruitment and retention efforts. These efforts will be targeted at supporting mid-career professionals who are looking to work in the mental health profession. We know that we must do a better job of helping our veterans. We can do better at ensuring they can remain stable in their communities, that they can live healthy lives and that they can prosper as persons to whom we owe a great deal of gratitude and compassion. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure its passage. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an outstanding health care hero from Oregon, Maria Loredo. Through her hard work and tireless dedication to her community, Maria has played a critical role in creating access to health care for those in need in Washington County, OR. Maria Loredo is the chief operating officer for the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, named for a 6-year-old migrant farmworker girl who moved from Mission, TX, to work with her family in Washington County's strawberry harvest. Tragically, Virginia Garcia died from a simple foot wound, but her death inspired a committed group of individuals to improve health care access in the community. Like 6-year-old Virginia Garcia, Maria Loredo also hails from Mission, TX, and as a young person worked with her family throughout Texas following crops. Eventually the family migrated to Oregon and settled there in 1966. Maria began her work with the fledgling Virginia Garcia Clinic in 1978 when it was only 3 years old. Her own experience as a migrant worker has helped her develop the programs and services of the clinic so that they are most effective in reaching the farmworker community. Maria has been instrumental in growing the health center from a clinic operating out of a three-car garage to an organization with four primary care clinics serving over 30,000 people in Washington and Yamhill Counties, OR. Her commitment to the community has enabled the organization to develop a farmworker outreach program that operates from a mobile clinic and provides medical and dental services in over 20 migrant camps throughout the region. In her role as chief operating officer, Maria has helped establish clinics in McMinnville, Hillsboro, and Beaverton serving a diverse community that includes patients who not only speak English and Spanish, but Vietnamese, Russian, Swahili, Chinese, and Farsi. She has helped Virginia Garcia develop critically needed dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health care with an integrated approach to health care delivery that always remains sensitive to the language and cultural background of the patients. Most recently, Maria has helped pave the way to a new access point at the Tigard School Based Clinic and also to the implementation of electronic health records. While working full-time developing Virginia Garcia's programs, Maria found time to pursue her education and graduated with her B.A. from Portland State University in 2003. Once a migrant worker, she has gone on to not only serve her community, but inspire others to achieve a better, healthier life for themselves and their children. Because she has dedicated the last 30 years of her life to the mission of the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center and made a significant difference in the lives of so many, I recognize her as an Oregon health care hero and thank her for her ongoing work. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. SMITH

Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an outstanding health care hero from Oregon, Maria Loredo. Through her hard work and tireless dedication to her community, Maria has played a critical role in creating access to health care for those in need in Washington County, OR. Maria Loredo is the chief operating officer for the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, named for a 6-year-old migrant farmworker girl who moved from Mission, TX, to work with her family in Washington County's strawberry harvest. Tragically, Virginia Garcia died from a simple foot wound, but her death inspired a committed group of individuals to improve health care access in the community. Like 6-year-old Virginia Garcia, Maria Loredo also hails from Mission, TX, and as a young person worked with her family throughout Texas following crops. Eventually the family migrated to Oregon and settled there in 1966. Maria began her work with the fledgling Virginia Garcia Clinic in 1978 when it was only 3 years old. Her own experience as a migrant worker has helped her develop the programs and services of the clinic so that they are most effective in reaching the farmworker community. Maria has been instrumental in growing the health center from a clinic operating out of a three-car garage to an organization with four primary care clinics serving over 30,000 people in Washington and Yamhill Counties, OR. Her commitment to the community has enabled the organization to develop a farmworker outreach program that operates from a mobile clinic and provides medical and dental services in over 20 migrant camps throughout the region. In her role as chief operating officer, Maria has helped establish clinics in McMinnville, Hillsboro, and Beaverton serving a diverse community that includes patients who not only speak English and Spanish, but Vietnamese, Russian, Swahili, Chinese, and Farsi. She has helped Virginia Garcia develop critically needed dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health care with an integrated approach to health care delivery that always remains sensitive to the language and cultural background of the patients. Most recently, Maria has helped pave the way to a new access point at the Tigard School Based Clinic and also to the implementation of electronic health records. While working full-time developing Virginia Garcia's programs, Maria found time to pursue her education and graduated with her B.A. from Portland State University in 2003. Once a migrant worker, she has gone on to not only serve her community, but inspire others to achieve a better, healthier life for themselves and their children. Because she has dedicated the last 30 years of her life to the mission of the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center and made a significant difference in the lives of so many, I recognize her as an Oregon health care hero and thank her for her ongoing work. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.