S6744 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 16, 1995

sales revenues will not support the

high costs of reregistration. The result

is that many safe minor crop protection chemicals have been dropped from

production, despite the essential role

they play for our minor crop growers.

The production of the minor commodities, as they are called, is in fact

of major importance to Washington

State. In Washington, 90 percent of our

agricultural industry is in minor crops.

Most notable are hops, apples, small

fruits, vegetables, and hay. Washington

alone produces 77 percent of all commercially consumed hops in the United

States. Hops growers have five pesticides available to them, and four of

these are in danger of being lost due to

the high cost of reregistration. If only

one pesticide is available, pests will

quickly develop their resistance and

this compound will become obsolete as

a tool for crop protection. Another example comes from the hay producers in

Washington. The hay we grow makes

up one-third of the world’s hay market.

We export 75 percent of our product.

One particular pesticide which is essential to the growth cycle is in danger of

not being reregistered. If it goes, with

it will go our global market share.

This purpose of this bill is not an

issue of public health or public safety,

this is an issue of economics. It is designed to preserve safe minor use pesticides and to encourage the development of environmentally sound pest

management tools. We need to provide

the economic incentive for pesticide

manufacturers to pursue the costly reregistration of products with limited

market potential.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recognize this situation. They

have worked with a coalition of minor

crop producers and my colleagues, Senator LUGAR and Senator INOUYE, on

this legislation. Accordingly, this bill

streamlines the registration and reregistration process, and provides new incentives to the pesticide industry to

pursue minor crop registrations. Most

importantly, this bill reinforces EPA’s

authority to deny reregistration of

minor use pesticides out of concern for

public safety. In the Administrator’s

judgment, if a pesticide puts the public

at too great a risk, the incentives for

development, registration, or reregistration can be revoked.

A safe food supply is very important

to me. Minor crops, which in large part

are fruits and vegetables, are staples in

the diets of infants and children, and

they also receive large applications of

pesticides. In its 1993 report, ‘‘Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children,’’ the National Academy of

Sciences found that current pesticide

standards may be inadequate to protect infants and children from pesticide exposure and recommends policies to increase protection.

While this legislation addresses a

market issue, it leaves us with the responsibility of addressing the complex

issue of food safety and the adequacy of

the current pesticide regulatory system. In no way are we relieved of dealing with pesticide issues in a comprehensive manner.

I am very interested in promoting

the development of newer, safer pesticides, and encouraging farmers to decrease their use of dangerous pesticides. Our efforts in this bill should

go hand in hand with incentive-based

approaches that encourage integrated

pest management, and even organic

production practices. I look forward to

working with my colleagues to address

the shortcomings of our current pesticide regulatory system, and to encourage innovative approaches for the

future.

TRIBUTE TO MASSIMO

SANTEUSANIO

fMr. KERRY. Mr. President, I would

like to acknowledge a ceremony which

was held yesterday in Boston to honor

Mr. Massimo Santeusanio.

Mr. Santeusanio recently celebrated

his 100th birthday and the ceremony is

to honor not only this extraordinary

event but his service during World War

I. He is to this day an inspiration to

those Americans who appreciate the

unselfish sacrifices made in defense of

freedom and liberty. During this Memorial Day period, I would like to express our country’s gratitude to all

World War I veterans through Massimo

Santeusanio.

Mr. PELL. Mr. President, I have

WELFARE REFORM

ftoday received a copy of a resolution

passed by the Rhode Island House of

Representatives, outlining the devastating consequences that H.R. 4, the

Personal Responsibility Act, would

have on the State of Rhode Island if it

becomes law.

This resolution, introduced by Rhode

Island State Representatives Benoit,

Sherlock, Williams, Kellner, and

Bumpus, articulates far better than I

can the great damage that this legislation would do to the neediest of Rhode

Island families.

As the welfare debate begins in earnest in the Senate, I hope that my colleagues will bear in mind the strong

opposition of many in my State to this

proposal, and will heed in particular

the part of the Rhode Island House of

Representatives’ resolution which

urges us to ‘‘Put children first by

working for humane welfare reform

that provides for all citizens in need

during difficult economic times, that

supports effective return-to-work programs, and that recognizes that the

care given to our Nation’s children is a

shared Federal-State responsibility. * * *’’

I ask unanimous consent that the

resolution passed by the Rhode Island

House of Representatives on May 10,

1995, be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the resolution was ordered to be printed in the

RECORD, as follows:

HOUSE RESOLUTION

Whereas, under the provisions of the Personal Responsibility Act (H.R. 4), Aid to

Families with Dependent Children would be

replaced by the Temporary Family Assistance Block Grant, and the entitlement program which guarantees benefits to all children who qualify would be eliminated. Under

the proposed block grant financing formula,

Rhode Island would receive $54 million less

in federal funds over the next five years, and

an estimated 25,000 children would be denied

benefits; and

Whereas, while the Personal Responsibility

Act purports to return control to the states,

the block grant legislation, in reality, contains many federal prohibitions limiting

states’ freedom that would deny eligibility

to several categories of children and families; and

Whereas, the Personal Responsibility Act

would virtually eliminate cash assistance to

21% of the disabled children currently in the

SSI program, and $27 million less in federal

funds would be available to Rhode Island

over the next five years; and

Whereas, all child nutrition programs

would be replaced by two block grants; federal funding would be reduced by 10%; federal nutrition standards would be repealed;

eligibility for food stamps would be sharply

curtailed by federal restrictions with the result that Rhode Island would receive a combined total of $127 million less in federal

funding over the next five years; and

Whereas, funding for several major child

protection programs would be sharply reduced and replaced by a block grant, and

Rhode Island would receive $15 million less

in federal funding over the next five years,

sharply reducing funds for adoption assistance, foster care, and the computerization of

the state’s abuse and neglect tracking system; and

Whereas, essential child care programs

that enable low-income families to work

would lose their entitlement status; Rhode

Island would receive $8 million less in federal

funding over the next five years and $2.4 million less by the year 2000, thereby resulting

in 1,570 fewer children receiving assistance;

and

Whereas, most legal immigrants would be

ineligible for most programs, leading to a

loss in federal aid to Rhode Island of $72 million over the next five years; now, therefore,

be it

Resolved, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby respectfully requests that the Rhode Island Congressional

delegation:

1. Oppose the Personal Responsibility Act

(H.R. 4) as passed by the United States House

of Representatives; and

2. Put children first by working for humane welfare reform that provides for all

citizens in need during difficult economic

times, that supports effective return-to-work

programs, and that recognizes that the care

given to our nation’s children is a shared federal-state responsibility; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of State be

and he hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the members of the Rhode Island

Congressional Delegation.

AND ATLANTIS COMMUNITY, INC.

NORWEST BANK OF COLORADO

fMr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I

want to say a few words of congratulation to the people who work for