S6366 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 9, 1995

AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO

MEET

COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Finance Committee be permitted to meet Tuesday,

May 9, 1995, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in

room SD–215, to conduct a hearing on

Medicare solvency.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without

objection, it is so ordered.

SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY POLICY

Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee

on Disability Policy, Committee on

Labor and Human Resources, be authorized to meet during the session of

the Senate on Tuesday, May 9, at 9

a.m., to conduct a hearing on ‘‘Part B

of the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act.’’

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without

objection, it is so ordered.

SUBCOMMITTEE ON PERSONNEL

Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee

on personnel and the Subcommittee on

Readiness of the Committee on Armed

Services be authorized to meet at 9

a.m. on Tuesday, May 9, 1995, in open

session, to receive testimony regarding

military family housing issues in review of S. 727, the national defense authorization bill for fiscal year 1996, and

the Future Years Defense Program.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without

objection, it is so ordered.

SUBCOMMITTEE ON SEAPOWER

Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee

on Seapower of the Committee on

Armed Services be authorized to meet

at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 9, 1995, in

open session, to receive testimony on

the Department of the Navy’s implementation of its strategy for littoral

warfare in review of S. 727, the Defense

Authorization Act for fiscal year 1996

and the Future Years Defense Program.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without

objection, it is so ordered.

SUBCOMMITTEE ON SUPERFUND, WASTE

CONTROL, AND RISK ASSESSMENT

Mr. ROTH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee

on Superfund, Waste Control, and Risk

Assessment be granted permission to

conduct an oversight hearing Tuesday,

May 9, at 9 a.m., regarding the Comprehensive Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without

objection, it is so ordered.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

fREGARDING IRAN

∑ Mr. D’AMATO. Mr. President, I rise

today to discuss the ongoing situation

in Iran.

Clearly, the situation in Iran today is

one of desperation. The Iranian people,

suffering the depredations of 16 years

of rule by a corrupt, terrorist, regime,

deserve better. They deserve to have a

government that respects the rich and

dignified history of the Iranian people.

Unfortunately, what they have gotten

is a government that violates their

human rights and has brought a formerly rich and varied economy down

upon the shoulders of the people, suffocating them.

While we know that the regime in

Teheran practices terrorism with great

frequency throughout the world, most

people forget that they also inflict terror against their own people. If they

will torture and execute their own people, what respect will they have for

those of other nations?

Mr. President, today we must understand one simple fact: the terrorist regime in Iran does not represent the Iranian people. It represents murder, terror, and destruction, nothing more and

nothing less. The Iranian people deserve better, and they deserve freedom

from the corrupt rule of the terrorist

regime that calls itself the Government of Iran.

GOVERNOR EDWARDS ON THE

CONTRACT WITH AMERICA

∑

f∑ Mr. BREAUX. Mr. President, I ask

unanimous consent that a speech by

Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards be

printed in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD.

Governor Edwards recently made remarks concerning the House-passed

Contract With America and its effect

on Louisiana. I found Governor Edward’s remarks very informative, and I

wanted to share them with my colleagues.

The speech follows:

SPEECH BY GOVERNOR EDWARDS

I have said repeatedly that I do not believe

the actions of American voters last fall were

an endorsement of the so-called Republican

‘‘Contract with America’’ so much as a general dissatisfaction with the status quo and

a desire for new faces.

National surveys indicate that few voters

knew anything about the contents of the socalled contract when they went to the polls,

and still fewer based their votes on support

for its provisions.

As the Republican Congressional leaders

continue to act upon what they claim is a

mandate for their so-called contract, however, it has been necessary for me as a responsible Governor of a small state (1.7 percent of U.S. population) with a large percentage of poor people to take a closer look at

just what the provisions mean to the people

of Louisiana.

I don’t like what I see. I am convinced that

Louisianians, at least, would not have voted

for the contract. I am alarmed because it appears that the end result effectively will be

a contract ‘‘on’’ the children of Louisiana

and, ultimately, on the well-being of the entire state.

Neither Louisiana nor our nation can afford to balance the federal budget on the

backs of its most vulnerable and its most

precious resources—its children. But what

makes these particular efforts even more onerous is that the cuts will not be applied to

reduce the federal deficit and, thus, reduce

the price these same children will be paying

on behalf of the nation in the future. Rather,

the cuts will be used to compensate for tax

breaks to wealthy individuals and corporations.

This ‘‘contract on Louisiana children’’

means that while families with incomes of

$200,000 a year get tax breaks that will put

cash in their pockets, many of our poor children will have food taken out of their

mouths. Literally, 59,000 of Louisiana’s poor

children will lose school lunches; 28,500 poor

children will lose meals and snacks in childcare and Head Start programs, and about

410,000 children will lose 10 percent of their

food stamp benefits.

Under the welfare block grant proposal of

House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Louisiana

will lose about $1.68 billion over the next five

years that otherwise would be used for our

children—especially those who are poor, hungry, disabled, abused or neglected, or sick.

Even setting aside the devastating human

effect, the state would suffer economically.

The $1.68 billion potentially lost to the

state’s economy represents almost twice as

much as Louisiana’s annual, net income-tax

revenues. The ripple effect throughout our

business community—whether it be ‘‘Mom

and Pop’’ service stations, shoe shops or grocery chains would be a disaster that would

have a ruinous ‘‘trickle down’’ effect on our

parishes and towns.

Louisiana already is struggling to meet its

obligations to serve the health-care needs of

our poor people under new federal Medicaid

requirements that have reduced federal aid

to the state and threaten to wipe out new

economic gains the state is making. We cannot afford this contract on our state’s economy.

And that would only be the start. Louisiana would get a smaller share of federal dollars that it does today, despite having a larger proportion of poor people than most other

states and an average per-capita income that

is only 80 percent of the U.S. average. History shows that block grants tend to shrink

over years as the spotlight fades away from

them. Further, if the national economy fell

into a decline, there would be no strengthening of the assistance safety net.

And there is more. The contract threatens

the 433,958 children under age 21 who received Medicaid-covered services in 1993 in

Louisiana at a cost of about $1,928 per child.

In 1991, 31,420 births were financed by Medicaid, and payments for maternity and newborn care were 4.5 percent of total Medicaid

expenditures in the state. Meanwhile the infant mortality rate decreased by 22 percent

between 1984 and 1992—from 12.1 to 9.4 per

1,000 live births—obviously a result of better

access to health care, among other factors.

What will happen to the birth rate, to the

pregnant mothers, the infants, and to our

children if that access is reduced because of

budget cuts? That is a campaign ‘‘contract’’

victory I for one would not care to claim.

I am the very embodiment of the difference

a good education can make in the future of

a poor child. However, if Republicans succeed with their stated intentions: 101,621

Louisiana college students—who already pay

more than the Southern states’ average in

tuition—will pay more for student loans; 670

of Louisiana’s young people will not participate in national service jobs that allow them

to earn college tuition; 62 of our state’s 66

school districts will lose money now available to help them make their schools safe

and drug-free; 2,400 Louisiana students with

special needs will lose extra help they need

to learn and to succeed, and 27,000 teenagers

in Louisiana will lose summer jobs.

Our young people cannot afford this ‘‘contract on their future.’’

And there is more: 7,460 Louisiana children

are at risk of losing access to safe, affordable

child care—a move which not only threatens

the well-being of the children but also the
May 9, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6367

psychological well-being of the parents while

they are at work; another 1,700 abused and

neglected children will lose foster care; 28,500

blind and disabled children lose SSI cash assistance immediately, and 114,000 low-income

children lose cash assistance.

The contract falls also on 41,531 senior citizens and families with children in our state

who will lose assistance they depend upon to

provide heat during the winter, and 17,747

Louisiana families who otherwise could

count on an FHA loan, their only access to

an affordable home loan, to help them buy

their first houses.

These are only some of the disastrous effects of the contract on Louisiana that

threaten the young, the weak and the poor—

in short, the very people who need our help

the most. I do not believe that was the intent of the American voters nor is the wish

of Louisiana voters. And I do not believe it

is in the best interests of either the American people or their elected representatives.

I am reminded of the words of Jesus who

described in the Gospel of St. Matthew

(Chapter 25, verses 44–45) how on Judgement

Day those on the left hand of God would ask:

‘Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, or

athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in

prison, and did not minister unto Thee? Then

shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say

unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of

the least of these, ye did it not to Me.’

May I respectfully suggest as we open our

ears to listen to the popular political rhetoric of tax cuts and budget balancing that we

pause for a moment and open our eyes to the

consequences on those who can least afford

to bear the burdens which will be heaped

upon them in the attempt to achieve these

goals.

TRIBUTE TO CATONS CHAPELRICHARDSON COVE VOLUNTEER

∑

fFIRE DEPARTMENT

∑ Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I rise

today to commend the Catons ChapelRichardson Cove Volunteer Fire Department in Sevierville, TN, for their

dedication and service to their community. In east Tennessee’s Sevier County, the county-operated fire department is often unable to reach the remote areas of Catons Chapel and Richardson Cove in time to save a burning

house or building—the distance is just

too great. As a result, residents in

those areas of the county obtained a

State charter in 1992 to create a volunteer fire department that could better

serve those communities.

The fire department began with a

handful of volunteers, who met in the

basement of a local store to plant the

development and cost of a fully operational fire department. With about

$18,000 from the county to get started,

the volunteers held small fundraisers

and obtained a bank loan to raise the

additional money they needed to construct a firehouse and purchase fire

trucks and other equipment. A local

resident donated land, and in November 1993, the community broke ground

for the firehouse.

Mr. President, not only did the

Catons Chapel-Richardson Cove volunteers do much of the construction on

the fire station themselves, they have

built this entire department from the

ground up. These volunteer firefighters

are the true definition of public servants—they recognized a need in their

community and have worked hard to

satisfy it.

Now, all of that work is beginning to

pay off. The fire department has 22 volunteer firefighters, most whom have

been trained by the Sevier Firefighters

School. The department also has three

fire trucks, including one that can

pump more than 1,000 gallons of water

per minute, protective clothing, air

packs, and experience—volunteers from

the Catons Chapel-Richardson Cove department have responded to and assisted on many calls in the area.

Mr. President, the most important

thing about these firefighters is that

they are all volunteers. Every time the

department receives a call to respond,

these citizens leave their families and

risk their lives to help save a neighbor’s life and home or to prevent a

local business from losing everything

that it has. Mr. President, this country

is full of dedicated public servants like

the volunteers in Sevier County, but

all too often, their work goes unnoticed. Today, I would like to recognize

the firefighters in the Catons ChapelRichardson Cove Volunteer Fire Department and the nine members of the

department’s volunteer advisory board

and thank them for their efforts and

dedicated service to their community.

f ∑

THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR

LADY OF REDEMPTION CHURCH

∑ Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I would

like to recognize an impressive milestone which will soon be achieved by a

church in Warren, MI. On May 13, 1995,

Our Lady of Redemption Church will

celebrate its 75th anniversary. The

church serves over 4,000 parishioners in

the Detroit area. In fact, it is the largest Melkite-Catholic Eastern Rite Parish in the United States.

The Detroit community benefits

from a number of community service

activities performed by members of

this historic church. Our Lady of Redemption regularly holds food drives

and their contributions reach far and

wide to Detroit area food banks. Parishioners provide volunteer help to

area hospitals, they support the Hunger Action Coalition, and they participate in the Metro Detroit Youth Day.

The parish annually donates its facilities for use by the city of Warren’s

Parks and Recreation Department. Not

only is Our Lady of Redemption the

spiritual center for its members, but

the church regularly organizes activities with parishes of other denominations to interchange fellowship in the

spirit of ecumenism.

Please join me in saying congratulations to an integral member of the Detroit community—Our Lady of Redemption Church. I thank the clergy

and members of this church for their

dedicated service and wish them many

more years of fellowship.∑

SUBMISSION OF MOTION ADOPTED

IN THE COMMITTEE ON THE

BUDGET

∑ Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, pursuant to paragraph 2 of rule XXVI of

the Standing Rules of the Senate, I

submit for printing in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD a motion adopted in the

Committee on the Budget on May 6,

1995, governing consideration of amendments during deliberations on the fiscal year 1996 budget resolution.

The motion follows:

PAY-AS-YOU-GO MOTION MAKING OUT OF

ORDER AMENDMENTS THAT ARE NOT DEFICIT

NEUTRAL

Motion that, during deliberations on the

fiscal year 1996 budget resolution, it not be

in order for the committee to consider any

perfecting amendment to the Chairman’s

Mark that is not deficit neutral in each year

as measured against that Mark or any complete substitute amendment that fails to

achieve and sustain balance by fiscal year

2002 under a Unified budget; provided that

the President Clinton’s fiscal year 1996 budget shall be in order as a complete substitute.

APPOINTMENTS BY THE VICE

∑

fPRESIDENT

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The

Chair, on behalf of the Vice President,

pursuant to 22 U.S.C. 276h–276k, as

amended, appoints the Senator from

California [Mrs. FEINSTEIN] as a member of the Senate delegation to the

Mexico-United States Interparliamentary Group during the first

session of the 104th Congress, to be

held in Tucson, AZ, May 12–14, 1995.

The Chair, on behalf of the Vice

President, pursuant to 22 U.S.C. 276d–

276g, as amended, appoints the Senator

from Hawaii [Mr. AKAKA] as a member

of the Senate delegation to the CanadaUnited States Interparliamentary

Group during the first session of the

104th Congress, to be held in Huntsville, ON, Canada, May 18–22, 1995.

ADDITIONAL COSPONSORS—S. 768

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask

funanimous consent that the Senator

from Louisiana [Mr. BREAUX], and the

Senator from Oregon [Mr. PACKWOOD],

be added as original cosponsors to S.

768, the Endangered Species Act Reform Amendments of 1995, which I introduced earlier today.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without

objection, it is so ordered.

SEQUENTIAL REFERRALS—S. 776

AND H.R. 1139

fMr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask

unanimous consent that if and when

the Senate’s Commerce Committee reports S. 776, a bill to authorize the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act,

introduced by Senators CHAFEE and

KERRY, it be sequentially referred to

the Senate Committee on Environment

and Public Works for a period not to

exceed 20 session days of the Senate;