January 12, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S313 

Firearms, and Explosives agents for, and 

otherwise expend additional resources needed to adequately support, Project Gunrunner. 

(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

There are authorized to be appropriated 

$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 

2011 to carry out this section. 

SEC. 3. ENHANCED INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General, in 

cooperation with the Secretary of State, 

shall— 

(1) assign agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, 

Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to the 

United States mission in Mexico, to work 

with Mexican law enforcement agencies in 

conducting investigations relating to firearms trafficking and other criminal enterprises; 

(2) provide the equipment and technological resources necessary to support investigations and to trace firearms recovered in 

Mexico; and 

(3) support the training of Mexican law enforcement officers in serial number restoration techniques, canine explosive detection, 

and antitrafficking tactics. 

(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

There are authorized to be appropriated 

$9,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011 

to carry out this section. 

By Mrs. BOXER: 

S. 206. A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

1965 to establish a program to help 

States expand the education system to 

include at least 1 year of early education preceding the year a child enters kindergarten; to the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. 

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I 

rise to reintroduce the Early Education 

Act. Early education is critical to preparing children across our Nation with 

the initial skills and abilities to successfully begin their education. While 

the amount of support for early education has been increasing, great discrepancies remain between the quality 

of programs and the level of access 

from State to State. 

This bill is a step forward in making 

a national commitment to giving all 

children access to high quality pre-kindergarten programs that have been 

proven to have a solid impact on a 

child’s success later in school and in 

life. 

Of the more than 8 million 3- and 4- 

year-olds that could be in early education, just over half are enrolled in an 

early education program. In my State 

of California alone, just fewer than 60 

percent of 3- and 4-year-olds are in 

some kind of preschool. 

The result is that too many children 

enter elementary school unprepared to 

learn. 

Studies have shown that children 

who participate in pre-kindergarten 

programs are less likely to be held 

back a grade, show greater learning retention and initiative, have better social skills, are more enthusiastic about 

school, and are more likely to have 

good attendance records. 

Almost all experts now agree that an 

early education experience is one of 

the most effective strategies for improving later school performance. The 

National Research Council reported 

that pre-kindergarten educational opportunities are critical in developing 

early language and literacy skills and 

preventing reading difficulties in 

young children. 

The future of our Nation’s economy 

depends on the next generation of 

workers, and high-quality early childhood education is key to preparing 

them for their careers. In the long run, 

pre-kindergarten programs pay for 

themselves. Decades of research have 

proven that early education programs 

yield between $7 to $16 for every dollar 

invested. 

My bill, the Early Education Act, 

would create a program in at least 10 

States to provide 1 year of pre-kindergarten early education in public 

schools. The bill would require a dollar 

for dollar match by the States and 

would authorize no less than $300 million annually for these programs. 

These funds would be used by States to 

supplement—not supplant—other Federal, State or local funds. This bill 

would serve almost 150,000 children 

across the country. 

Our children need a solid foundation 

that builds on our current education 

system by providing them with early 

learning skills. I urge my colleagues to 

support this legislation. 

By Mrs. BOXER: 

S. 207. A bill to amend the Internal 

Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a deduction for health insurance premiums; to 

the Committee on Finance. 

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I 

am introducing the Health Insurance 

Tax Relief Act to help our Nation’s 

workers and working families deal with 

dramatic increases in health care 

costs. The legislation would allow taxpayers to deduct their health insurance 

premiums up to $2,000 for individuals 

and $4,000 for families. 

While this deduction will certainly 

not solve all of the problems in our 

health care system, it will provide help 

for working individuals and families 

who have seen health care premium 

costs drastically rise. Since 1999, the 

average health insurance premium for 

workers covering their families has 

more than doubled. A recent survey by 

the Kaiser Family Foundation found 

that 40 percent of employers that offer 

health benefits are likely to increase 

the amount their employees pay in premiums. 

This is an issue of fairness. Current 

law provides a patchwork of tax deductions for health care costs depending 

upon an individual’s employer, the 

type of health care plan provided by 

their employer, and/or percentage of 

income spent on health care, among 

other things. 

Unfortunately this patchwork has 

left out many employees who face increasing premiums or are buying high 

cost health plans on their own. This 

legislation rectifies that unfairness and 

will help people meet rising health care 

costs. It would help those currently 

purchasing coverage to continue to do 

so, as well as helping people who are 

uninsured to purchase coverage. 

This legislation is particularly important for employees in small businesses. Many small businesses across 

the country have been forced by the 

rising cost of health care to shift an increasing amount of health insurance 

costs to their employees. These are 

hard working Americans struggling to 

make ends meet in a weak economy. 

Now more than ever we need legislation that provides targeted assistance 

to help families pay for health care. I 

urge my colleagues to support my legislation. 

By Mrs. BOXER (for herself and 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN): 

S. 212. A bill to expand the boundaries of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and the 

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and for other purposes; to the 

Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation. 

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, the Gulf 

of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary 

Modification and Protection Act will 

protect one of the world’s most biologically-diverse and productive marine regions. I am proud to be joined in 

this effort by Congresswoman LYNN

WOOLSEY and Senator DIANNE FEINSTEIN. 

Established in 1981 and 1989 respectively, the Gulf of the Farallones and 

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries have helped protect the special 

marine waters and coastline that are 

quintessentially Californian. My bill 

will protect an even greater part of my 

State’s coast by expanding the sanctuaries’ boundaries to include more of 

northern California’s great coastal 

upwelling area, one of only four on the 

planet. 

Upwelling areas are places where 

deeper water comes up to the surface, 

bringing the nutrients needed by marine algae to grow and support all higher forms of marine life. Though coastal 

upwelling areas comprise only 1 percent of the world’s ocean they produce 

20 percent of its fish. The area from 

Point Arena to Bodega Bay, currently 

outside the sanctuaries’ boundaries, is 

particularly important since it consistently has the most intense upwelling in 

all of North America and an enormous 

capacity to support marine life. I am 

proud that my bill will expand the 

sanctuaries’ boundaries to protect this 

upwelling area. 

The unique productivity of this region is illustrated by the abundance 

and diversity of marine life it supports: 

36 species of marine mammals, including the endangered blue and humpback 

whales; numerous coastal and migratory seabirds, including the black-footed albatross; endangered leatherback 

turtles; and Coho salmon. Expanding 

the existing sanctuaries to include this 

area is necessary to protect this remarkable ecosystem from pollution 

and habitat degradation. 


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