Paul Wellstone

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I reserve the remainder of my time. The other part of this legislation that is so significant, and I know colleagues are here to speak about it, is the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. I want to reserve time to speak about that very important piece of legislation. For me, to see both of these bills pass and to see it happen today is one of the best days I can have in the Senate. I yield the floor.

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from New Jersey and the Senator from Florida for their excellent work. I want to take a moment to engage in a colloquy with Senator Brownback to clarify a phrase in division A of the bill. In order to be eligible for the visa provided, the traffic victim would be required to prove she would face ``extreme hardship involving unusual and severe harm.'' This is a new standard under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Can the Senator explain why this new standard was created?

Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Senator for his clarification. We have been talking about the trafficking legislation. Before a final vote, I want to get back to that legislation. I think it is such an important human rights effort. I will talk about the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and make a couple of points. Again, to have a vote on legislation that goes after this egregious practice of trafficking of women and girls for the purposes of forced prostitution and forced labor is important to our country and to the world. Then to have reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act also makes this a doubly important bill. I am so pleased to be on the conference committee and to be able to be a part of helping to make this happen. I thank Senator Biden, I thank Senator Hatch, and I thank Senator Leahy and others, for including in this bill authorization for what we call safe havens or safety visitation centers. Let me explain by way of example from Minnesota. I need to honor these children, and I need to honor their mother. Anyone from Minnesota will remember the case of Alex and Brandon, seen in this picture; two beautiful boys. It was these two boys and what happened to them that made me understand the importance of safety visitation centers more than anything else that could ever have happened. On July 3, 1996, Brandon, who was 5, and Alex, who was 4, were murdered by their father during an unsupervised visit. Their mother, Angela, was separated from Kurt Frank, the children's father. During the marriage, she was physically and emotionally abused. Angela had an order of protection against Kurt Frank, but during the custody hearing she requested her husband not be allowed to see the children in unsupervised settings. The request he see the children only in supervised settings was rejected by the judge. Kirk Frank was able to see his sons with no supervision. When he did, and God knows why, he killed them. We have a center now, that the community supports, which is a safety visitation center. The point is this: There are two different examples. Say a woman has been battered. And please remember, every 13 seconds a woman is battered in the country. Say she has had the courage to get away, to end this marriage. There is a separation going on and a divorce; you are still not necessarily going to say the father can't see the child, but if the father comes to the home to pick up the child, he steps inside the home and then battering can start again. There is no protection. If you can do it at the safe havens, supervision centers, you can protect the woman and you can protect the children. Or it might be the case where you are worried about the threat of a father to the children, but you cannot say a father can't see the child; with a supervised visitation center the father can see the children there. This is really important. We are working very hard right now with Senator Hollings to get some funding. I am pleased this is a part of this legislation. I say to colleagues, this was the work of Jill Morningstar on my staff, who, with my wife Sheila, made a lot of progress. It is so important to reauthorize. The hotline is important; the training for police is important; the support for law enforcement is important; the support for battered women shelters is so important for the people who are there in the trenches. All of this matters. The focus on rural communities and support in rural communities is important, as well. It has made a difference, a big difference. In my State of Minnesota, this year already 33 women have been murdered. Each case is an example of ``domestic violence.'' Last year, in the whole year, it was only 28. The year is only half over and we have already had 33 women who have been murdered. Clearly, we are going to have to do a lot more. To reauthorize this bill today is a huge victory. Mr. President, I think it should whet our appetite to do much, much more. I am absolutely committed to making sure we do more to provide some support for children who witness this violence in their homes. These kids run into difficulty in school. These kids, quite often, run into trouble. These children are falling between the cracks and there is no real support for them. There is another piece of legislation--and I hope to get it in the bill--I am very excited about Day One in Minnesota where we want to make sure all of the shelters are electronically wired so with one call to the hotline, a woman will know where she and her children can go. Rather than calling, being told there is no space, and then not knowing where to go, it should only take one call. That is very important. Then, there is a whole set of initiatives that would enable women to be more independent, to get more support to be more independent-- whether it be affordable housing, whether it be family and medical applied to women in this situation, whether it be more job training-- you name it. This will enable women to be put in a position where they are not unable or unwilling to leave a very dangerous situation for themselves and their children. I say to colleagues, I am so pleased we are going to pass this conference report with an overwhelming vote. I am pleased to be a part of helping to work out this agreement. But I also think clearly, more than anything else, this ought to make us more determined to do much more. Again, about every 13 seconds a woman is battered in her home today in our country. I will take a little more time to talk about the trafficking bill, since both these bills are linked together, to again make the point for all my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans alike, it is critically important to vote for this conference report, to keep this conference report intact. I will keep thanking Senator Brownback. It has been great to work with him. I thank him for his fine work. We are talking about 50,000 women, girls, trafficked to our country. We are talking about 2 million worldwide. We are talking about women, sometimes girls as young as 10 or 11, coming from countries where there is economic disintegration. They are trying to figure out a way they could go somewhere and they are told they could become waitresses. They are told there is a job. When they arrive, their visas are taken away from them; they are beaten; they don't know the language; they don't know their rights; and they are forced into prostitution. We had a massage parlor 2 miles from here in Bethesda which was staffed mainly by Russian-Ukraine women. That is one example. This is one of the grimmest aspects of the new global economy. It is, in many ways, more profitable than drugs because these women and girls are recyclable. It is that God-awful. In the year 2000, this legislation is the first of its kind in this country. It is a model for many other governments around the world. We put a focus on three ``P's'': No. 1, prevention, getting the outreach work done to other nations so these young girls and women will know what they are getting into and have some understanding what these traffickers are about. No. 2, protection, so when a girl steps forward, then she is not the one who pays the price. Right now there is no temporary visa protection so if you were to try to get out of this you are the one who is deported. In the meantime, these traffickers go without any punishment, which is something I want to get to in a moment. So you want to provide that protection. You also want to provide services for these young women to be able to rebuild their lives after they have been through this torture. It is torture. And finally, No. 3, prosecution. Right now our law enforcement community tells us they want to go after them but they do not have the laws. What we are saying is, if you are involved in this trafficking, you are going to face stiff sentences. If you are involved in the trafficking of a girl under the age of 14, you can face a life sentence. So there is a very strong part of the provision dealing with punishment. We also have a listing of countries where this is happening, with a special focus on governments that are complicit in it. The President can take action against those governments, but there are also security waivers and other waivers. It is a balanced piece of legislation. I am proud of it. I think it will make a difference. I think it is terribly important. I read some of these examples before. Let me give a couple of examples right now of what is happening in the year 2000. In Los Angeles, where traffickers kidnapped a Chinese woman, raped her, forced her into prostitution, posted guards to control her movements, and burned her with cigarettes, the lead defendant received 4 years and the other defendants received 2 to 3 years for this offense. In another case where Asian women were kept physically confined for years, with metal bars on the windows, guards and an electronic monitoring system, and were forced to submit to sex with as many as 400 customers to repay their smuggling debt, the traffickers received between 4 and 9 years. This is the year 2000 we are talking about. Then I gave the example of a 1996 trafficking case involving Russian and Ukrainian women who would answer ads to be au pairs, sales clerks, and waitresses but were forced to provide sexual services and live in a massage parlor in Bethesda, MD. The Russian-American massage parlor owner was fined. He entered a plea bargain, the charges were dropped, with the restriction he would not operate a business again in Montgomery County. The women, who had not been paid any salary and were charged $150 for their housing, were deported or left the country. This is what we are dealing with right now. There was a case involving 70 deaf Mexicans that my colleagues may remember, who were held under lock and key, forced to peddle trinkets, who were beaten and in some cases tortured. The leader received 14 years and the other traffickers from 1 to 8 years. We intend to take this more seriously. Let me give one other example. The United States v. Hou, several Mexican nationals, all illegally in the United States, were required to live in one of the chicken sheds at an egg ranch. The shed was open to the elements. The defendants, man and wife, did not give the men any shelter, but encouraged them to build a small room out of cardboard and styrofoam egg cartons. The men lived less than 15 feet from the chickens they tended. The men had to spread powerful pesticides in and around the chicken sheds, and the chemicals and various fuel oils were stored immediately next to their cardboard room. Faulty wiring in the rickety building resulted in a fire. One of the workers was killed as he tried to escape the shed and another suffered horrible burns. Despite the atrocious conditions, there was no evidence that the men had been kept in the defendants' service through threats of force or violence; the men stayed in the shed because Ms. Hou preyed upon their lack of English-speaking ability and lack of immigration status, deliberately misleading the victims and convincing them there was nowhere else to go. Because the labor of the workers was maintained through a scheme of nonviolent and psychological coercion, the case did not fall under the involuntary servitude statutes--which could have resulted in life sentences given the death of one of the victims. Our legislation changes that. That is why this legislation is so important. No longer in the United States of America are we going to turn our gaze away from this kind of exploitation, to this kind of murder of innocent people. This is a real commitment by the Senate and the Congress to defend human rights. This is a good piece of legislation. I yield the floor.

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. I know my colleague, Senator Brownback, wants to speak as well. Let me thank Senator Biden for his great leadership as well. We are very proud we were able to work this out and do trafficking and the reauthorization for the Violence Against Women Act together. Let me thank him for safe visas. He was kind enough to mention my wife Sheila. That was really an initiative on which she has been working. I was so pleased to see that in this bill. Let me also say to my colleague, as much as I appreciate the work of the Senator from Tennessee, I want to make the point that this is not about the rule 28 scope of conference. I think the Chair will rule against my colleague from Tennessee. I think the Chair will rule against him with justification. Most importantly, I want colleagues to know the majority of you voted for Aimee's law. I voted against it. But if the Senator from Tennessee should succeed--I know this is not his intention--that is the end of this conference report, that is the end of this legislation on trafficking, that is the end of reauthorization of VAWA, and it would be a tragic, terrible mistake. I hope colleagues will continue to support it. I yield.

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, if I have 20 seconds, with the indulgence of my colleague from Tennessee, I thank Senator Brownback again. I also thank a whole lot of people, a whole lot of human rights organizations, women's organizations, grassroots organizations, religious organizations, who have been there for the bill, organizations of others who have really worked hard for reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Thank you for your grassroots work. I yield the floor and thank my colleague from Tennessee.

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Wyoming.

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I come to the floor of the Senate to speak about Congressman Bruce Vento from Minnesota, the Fourth Congressional District, who passed away today. Bruce Vento was a fierce advocate for justice and a true representative, in the best sense of that word, of the people of the 4th District. He was generous and good-humored, with a seriousness of purpose that energized his work and inspired others. A gentle teacher and great friend, we were all ennobled, challenged and made greater by his presence among us, and will be less for his absence. The model he offered, of a life of public service for the common good, beckons us forward, toward the light, and for that we are grateful. From working to protect our nation's vulnerable homeless, to fighting to protect and preserve earth's natural treasures from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to South American Rain Forests, Bruce's legacy will last many generations. His leadership resulted in enactment of hundreds of conservation-related measures through the years, and protected millions of acres of our nation's parks, forests and wilderness areas. Close to home, when we look at a map of Minnesota we literally are looking at an image created in part by Bruce Vento. Our state's parks and green spaces are as healthy as they are in large part because of Bruce's work over these many years. Sheila and I will miss him terribly, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record an AP story by Frederic Frommer from today, a piece in the Minnesota Star Tribune by Greg Gordon, and a piece from Tom Webb from the Pioneer Press.

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, Bruce was elected to the State legislature in 1970 and to the House of Representatives in 1977. Before that, he had been a science teacher on the lower east side of St. Paul. He is a true product of the lower east side. His family is wonderful. Sheila and I have had the chance to spend a lot of time with his family. It is a wonderful, caring, Italian Catholic family. I believe Frank and Annie had eight children; Bruce was the second oldest. I want to say two or three things if I may. One, I want to say to Bruce's family and to his wife Sue: Sue, you have been a gift from Heaven for Bruce and his family. I talked to Bruce Saturday. He turned 60. Today he passed away. When he passed away, all of his family were with him. All of them said: You can let go. What a beautiful, caring, loving, wonderful family. And what a beautiful, loving, caring man. Bruce has done so much for so many people. He was so committed to public service. But most important of all, to me, he was a friend whom I will miss. I remember once he was going to come over to our home in St. Paul to talk about a big dispute over the Boundary Water Wilderness Area. We were supposed to meet early in the morning, but there was a huge snowstorm and all the weather reports were that all the schools were closed. People weren't going to be able to go to work. Everything was shut down. It was impossible to get around. We were supposed to meet at 8 o'clock in the morning. At 5 minutes to 8 o'clock, there was a knock on the door. There was Bruce. He was in seventh heaven. This was like the outdoors, this was snow, this was Minnesota, and he was there. He loved the environment and did so much for our State and our country. I say to Bruce's family, what a great Congressman. It is easy to say that when someone has passed away, but he truly was. People in Minnesota loved this man. They always will. They will never forget him, will never forget all he has done for our Fourth Congressional District and for our State. Sheila and I will never forget Bruce. Bruce is like my friend, Mike Epstein, about whom I spoke. Mike was here for all these years, so committed to public service. Two men, they died too young, from the horrible disease of cancer, two men who were so committed to public service, so committed to people. From this day on, my belief is I have two friends who are looking down from heaven. I will be talking to them every day. I know Bruce's children and grandchildren will be talking to him every day. I yield the floor.

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair, and I thank my colleague, Senator Byrd.

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, before I leave today, I will finish with some words about another man, a former colleague of the Presiding Officer, Congressman Vento. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Senate Resolution 369 relating to the death of Congressman Bruce Vento.

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, the resolution goes on to read: Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Bruce F. Vento, late a Representative from the State of Minnesota. Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the deceased. Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns or recesses today, it stand adjourned or recessed as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased Representative. This is in behalf of the majority leader, Senator Lott, Senator Daschle, myself, and Senator Grams. I also add Senators Durbin and Feingold. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I consider myself very lucky to be on the floor right now. I thank Senator Byrd for his words. I cannot even come close to matching what my colleague from West Virginia said. I have not known Tinker a whole lifetime, but I will say this: What I know about Tinker today and every day, I say to Senator Byrd, is that he is the kind of person who, when we debate, when we come out on the floor to speak, and sometimes we do not necessarily get the votes we want--that happens sometimes; with me, more than sometimes--Tinker is the person who is always there to give encouragement, always there to say: You keep speaking out for what you believe; you keep at it; everything will be all right. I appreciate Tinker's wisdom. I appreciate his help. I appreciate his commitment to service. I appreciate his commitment to West Virginia. Most important of all, I appreciate his patriotism, because to me he is a true patriot. A patriot is someone who takes a part of their life and gives it to their country, and he has done that. So I am honored to be on the floor at this time.

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, in the spirit of moving forward, I thank colleagues for the bipartisan work on the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. I especially thank Senator Brownback with whom I have had a chance to work very closely on this bill. There are other key people as well. This conference report, without going into all the details, which will come to the Senate I hope--``pray'' may not be too strong a word-- probably Tuesday--it looks as if we are just now working out a time agreement. I thank all Senators for their cooperation. What is important about this legislation is that we have one part of it that deals with trafficking, which I want to talk about in a moment, and the other is the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act which received a huge vote in the House of Representatives. The Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, has made a huge difference. I could talk for hours about the shelters, about the hotline, about the ways in which police take violence against women more seriously, about the ways in which the country takes this more seriously. Still, about every 13 seconds a woman is battered in her home, and still there are somewhere around 3 million to 10 million children who witness this. We have to do even better. I look forward to a couple of efforts next year, one dealing with a program which will electronically link all of the shelters, so with one phone call, one, you will know where to go and can be saved, and, two, it will focus on the children who witness this violence. I feel good about the fact we are going to move forward with this. It certainly appears that way. I thank all Senators who have been willing to cooperate. I also feel good about the trafficking bill on which I have had a chance, as I said, to work with Senator Brownback. So colleagues know, these two pieces of legislation have a lot of integrity in how they interrelate with one another. One deals with violence against women, children, and families. There are a number of women organizations around this country that have worked on this. They made this possible. And the strong voices of Senators--from Senator Biden to Senator Leahy to Senator Boxer and others--have made a huge difference. I started on the trafficking legislation 3 years ago. I do not even know if it is appropriate to brag, but it is not about me. My wife Sheila said this is something we really should do. There has been great help from a lot of Senators. Again, I thank Senator Brownback and also Representatives Chris Smith and Sam Gejdenson for their help and work, and Connie Morella is always there on all these issues. I will talk more about staff and the great work by people after this passes. It has not passed yet, but I think we are there. I say to Senator Reid, I believe we are there in terms of finally getting a time agreement and we can move this forward. We are talking about the trafficking of some 2 million women, and mainly girls, for the purposes of forced prostitution and forced labor, some 50,000 to our country. This rivals drug trafficking in terms of how scummy it is and how exploitative it is. What happens is these women, girls, in countries that are going through economic chaos and disarray are recruited. They are told they will have an opportunity to be a waitress, an opportunity to come to another country, such as our country, and make an income and be able to build a good life. This happened at a ``massage parlor'' 2 miles from here in Bethesda where these girls were forced into prostitution. What happens is, these young women, young girls, do not know their rights; they do not know what they are getting into. They come to these countries, and then it becomes a nightmare. This legislation focuses on prevention. We have an outreach through AID with some of the nongovernment organizations and others who really do the information work so that young girls, young women, know what might be happening to them, know about trafficking, know what the dangers are, and hopefully will have some knowledge about this before they are exploited. That is the first piece. The second piece is the protection piece. The bitter irony is that all too often one of these young girls, young women, steps forward and says: This is what is happening to me. If they should escape from it, they then are deported. So the victim is the one who ends up being punished. There is a temporary visa extension for 3 years, and then decisions are made after that. There are services for these women and girls. I say ``girls'' because we are talking about children, too, 12, 13 years of age. In Minnesota, we have a very, I think, holy place called the Center for the Treatment of Torture Victims. When women and children go through this hell, there is a whole lot that needs to be done to help them rebuild their lives. We have a provision for those services. The final thing is prosecution. If you are going to be involved in the trafficking of a girl under the age of 16 for purposes of forced prostitution, you can face a life sentence. We should take this seriously. We will be the first country to pass such strong legislation, the first Government in the world. This will be a model for a lot of other governments around the world. This is one of the best human rights pieces of legislation in the Congress in some time. I am not objective because I have had a chance to be a part of it. I am proud of the fact that we are going to do this. I am proud of the fact that it is going to be linked with the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. And I am proud of the fact the Senate next week, I hope early on, right after Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday, will take decisive action and will pass this most important human rights legislation. I say to all colleagues, please cooperate. Please, let's do this. This will make a difference. It will make a difference. I yield the floor.

Mr. WELLSTONE. Senator Reid from Nevada is very gracious towards lots of Senators. That is just the way he is. I thank the Senator very much. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, colleagues, I rise to today to offer a resolution calling for thorough investigation into the murder of Father John Kaiser, a Catholic missionary from Minnesota who was brutally murdered in Kenya last month, and requiring the State Department to report to Congress on the progress of the investigation by December 15th, and to make public the final findings of the investigation. For those of you who know little of Father John Kaiser, let me just say this: Father Kaiser was an amazing man. One of those rare individuals who found his calling early in life, he remained dedicated to that calling throughout his life. A catholic of the Order of the Mill Hill Missionaries, Father Kaiser served as a missionary in Kenya for 36 years. Born in Minnesota in 1932 to a German father and Irish mother, from 1954-1957, prior to being ordained, he had served his own country in the U.S. Army training paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne. Those who knew Father Kaiser recall him as humble and soft-spoken with totally selfless zeal for the service of others. In Kenya Father Kaiser was an outspoken advocate on the issue of human rights and injustice, and advocated those rights on behalf of all Kenyans. In March of this year Father Kaiser was awarded the ``Award for Distinguished Service in the Support of Human Rights'' by the Law Society of Kenya. This is the highest award given by the Law Society and it is usually awarded to three people annually--this year Father Kaiser was the sole recipient. I have a copy of the speech given by the Law Society in honor of Father Kaiser and I will ask that this speech be inserted in the Record. I'd also like to note that earlier this week in St. Paul, Minnesota Father Kaiser was posthumously awarded the twin cities International Citizen Award. Father Kaiser spoke frequently against the injustice of government corruption in Kenya and some believe this is what led to his death. In 1992 Father Kaiser was confronted for his political activism against corruption. At an inquiry into why tribal clashes killed hundred in the run-up to Kenya's first multiparty election in 1992, Kaiser had testified that two Cabinet ministers had encouraged the strife in a ploy to drive those in opposition off their land. After accusing high- level government officials of stealing land from the poor, he was arrested last year and threatened with deportation. His most recent confrontation with a powerful Kenyan involved Minister of State Julius Sunkuli, considered by many to be the current Kenya President's personal preference as a successor. Working with the Kenya chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Father Kaiser had been helping a female parishioner who claimed that Mr. Sunkuli raped her three years ago when she was 14 and fathered her child. Father Kaiser was killed one week before the court case was due to begin. A few days later, the young women dropped the charge. Father Kaiser's death is a manifestation of the corruption and injustice rampant in Kenya today. In its annual survey issued two weeks ago, the Transparency International watchdog organization named Kenya the ninth-most corrupt country in the world, on par with Russia. In Kenya, church leaders bemoan the fact that they are told to stay out of politics. They argue that what the government calls politics--promoting human rights, social and economic justice--is part and parcel of their mission. Mr. President, colleagues, I believe the position of the leadership in Kenya is not unusual; religious persecution is up around the world because religious mandates such as promoting human rights, social and economic justice, are inherently political. We must speak up about this case not only to find the truth about Father Kaiser's death and to bring some relief to his family, but also to let Kenya and the world know that the United States does not condone Kenya's behavior. An investigation is underway for the killer of Father Kaiser. The Kenyan Attorney General requested the help of the FBI in the investigation and today three FBI agents are in Kenya. The U.S. Ambassador has also met with the Kenyan Foreign Minister and the Kenyan Attorney General. This is a good start. I am hopeful that the State Department will continue to keep a close eye on this case. We must express our outrage at the violent death of Father John Kaiser, as well as the brutal murder of other activists fighting against injustice in Kenya. And we must demand a thorough investigation into their deaths. Prominent human rights groups and organizations like Transparency International, report that in Kenya corruption reaches to the highest level of government. It is for that reason that any investigation must include persons other than the Kenyan authorities and its final report must be made public. That is what I call for in the Resolution I am offering today with my colleague from Minnesota. I urge you to join us in your support, not only for the family of Father Kaiser and the others who lost their lives fighting injustice in Kenya but for the countless victims who have given their lives fighting injustice worldwide. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Law Society speech honoring Father Kaiser be printed in the Record.

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. I am pleased to yield.

Mr. WELLSTONE. No, no.

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, one has to keep a twinkle in one's eye, I guess. I am glad we are going to vote on something. I do not mind being here Monday early or Friday late as long as we are working. Sometimes it is a little maddening when there are other things you want to do back in your State that you think are important and you do not know if we are going to have a vote. I am glad we are going to vote on something and move forward.

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. I am pleased to yield.

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

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I will take 10 minutes in morning business while we are trying to work things out here on the floor.

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. WELLSTONE. I say this to the Senator from Iowa--and I wonder whether he would agree with me--I think if we had an up-or-down vote on Bonnie Campbell, it would be 100-0 or 99-1. Under the Violence Against Women Act, in terms of dramatically affecting the lives of women and their children, we would not have been able to have made a real difference without Bonnie Campbell. She is the one who made this a reality----

Mr. WELLSTONE. When it came to directly affecting their lives. If we had a vote, I think it would be 100-0 or 99-1.

Mr. WELLSTONE

Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, it has been more than a year since the Columbine tragedy, but still this Republican Congress refuses to act on sensible gun legislation. Since Columbine, thousands of Americans have been killed by gunfire. Until we act, Democrats in the Senate will read the names of some of those who have lost their lives to gun violence in the past year, and we will continue to do so every day that the Senate is in session. In the name of those who died, we will continue to fight. Following are the names of some of the people who were killed by gunfire one year ago today. October 6, 1999: Hector Colon, 34, Bridgeport, CT; David Cook, 32, Kansas City, MO; Raymond Foster, 32, Philadelphia, PA; Michael Gatheright, 46, Detroit, MI; Andres Geronimo, 15, Houston, TX; Jose Godinez, 19, Chicago, IL; Jerome Green, 40, Boston, MA; Relendo McKarney, 21, Washington, DC; Christopher Reese, 17, Fort Worth, TX; and Ennis Walton, 29, Denver, CO. We cannot sit back and allow such senseless gun violence to continue. The deaths of these people are a reminder to all of us that we need to enact sensible gun legislation now.