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before reaching their second birthday, and overall,
most die before they are 5 years of age.
(8) HIV threatens to reverse the child survival
and developmental gains of past decades.
(9) Research and practice have shown conclu-
sively that timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy
to infants or young children with HIV/AIDS can pre-
serve or restore their immune functions, promote nor-
mal growth and development, and prolong life.
(10) There is clear evidence in resource-rich
countries that antiretroviral treatment in children is
very effective. For example, many children who were
infected through mother-to-child transmission in the
United States are living with HIV as young adults.
(11) Few programs specifically target the treat-
ment of children with HIV/AIDS in resource-poor
countries due to significant challenges in diagnosing
and treating infants and young children with HIV.
Such challenges include difficulty in diagnosing HIV
in infants less than 18 months of age, lack of appro-
priate and affordable pediatric HIV/AIDS medicines,
and lack of trained health care providers.
(12) Children are not small adults and treating
them as such can seriously jeopardize their health.
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(13) Children should not be forgotten in the fight
against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that this resolution assumes that—
(1)(A) assistance should be provided to support
the expansion of programs to prevent mother-to-child
transmission of HIV as an integral component of a
comprehensive approach to fighting HIV/AIDS;
(B) to facilitate the expansion described in sub-
paragraph (A)—
(i) more resources are needed for infrastruc-
ture improvements and education and training
of health care workers; and
(ii) better linkages between mother-to-child
transmission and broader care and treatment
programs should be created for women, children,
and families who are in need of access to ex-
panded services;
(2) assistance should be provided to support the
care and treatment of children with HIV/AIDS, in-
cluding the development and purchase of high-quality,
Food and Drug Administration-approved pediatric
formulations of antiretroviral drugs and other HIV/
AIDS medicines, including fixed-dose combinations,
pediatric-specific training to doctors and other health-
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care personnel, and the purchase of pediatric-appro-
priate technologies;
(3) antiretroviral drugs intended for pediatric
use should include age-appropriate dosing informa-
tion;
(4) health care sites in resource-poor countries
need better diagnostic capacity and appropriate sup-
plies to provide care and treatment services for chil-
dren, and additional training is required to ensure
that health care providers can administer specialized
care services for children; and
(5) pediatric care and treatment should be inte-
grated into the existing health care framework so chil-
dren and families can be treated simultaneously.
SEC. 515. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE ACQUISI-
TION OF THE NEXT GENERATION DESTROYER
(DDX).
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate makes the following find-
ings:
(1) The Quadrennial Defense Review to be con-
ducted in 2005 has not been completed.
(2) The national security of the United States is
best served by a competitive industrial base consisting
of at least two shipyards capable of constructing
major surface combatants.
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(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that—
(1) it is ill-advised for the Department of De-
fense to pursue a winner-take-all strategy for the ac-
quisition of destroyers under the next generation de-
stroyer (DDX) program; and
(2) the amounts identified in this resolution as-
sume that the Department of Defense will not acquire
any destroyer under the next generation destroyer
program through a winner-take-all strategy.
(c) WINNER-TAKE-ALL STRATEGY DEFINED.—In this
section, the term ‘‘winner-take-all strategy’’, with respect to
the acquisition of destroyers under the next generation de-
stroyer program, means the acquisition (including design
and construction) of such destroyers through a single ship-
yard.
SEC. 516. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON REDUCING THE TAX
ON SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS.
It is the sense of the Senate that the tax cuts assumed
in this resolution include repeal of the 1993 law that sub-
jects 85 percent of certain Social Security benefits to the
income tax, provided that the revenue loss to the Medicare
Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is fully replaced so that
seniors’ access to health care is not adversely affected. If
the inclusion of these proposals would otherwise cause the
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cost of the tax cuts to exceed the level authorized in the reso-
lution, any excess should be fully offset by closing corporate
tax loopholes.
SEC. 517. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE CRIME VICTIMS
FUND.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds the following:
(1) The Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (‘‘VOCA’’)
was enacted to provide Federal financial support for
services to victims of all types of crime, primarily
through grants to state crime victim compensation
and victim assistance programs.
(2) VOCA created the Crime Victims Fund (‘‘the
Fund’’) as a separate account into which are depos-
ited monies collected from persons convicted of Fed-
eral criminal offenses, including criminal fines, for-
feitures and special assessments. There are no general
taxpayer generated revenues deposited into the Fund.
(3) Each fiscal year, the Fund is used to
support—
(A) Children’s Justice Act grants to States
to improve the investigation and prosecution of
child abuse cases;
(B) victim witness coordinators in United
States Attorney’s Offices;
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(C) victim assistance specialists in Federal
Bureau of Investigation field offices;
(D) discretionary grants by the Office for
Victims of Crime to provide training and tech-
nical assistance and services to victims of Fed-
eral crimes;
(E) formula grants to States to supplement
State crime victim compensation programs,
which reimburse more than 150,000 violent
crime victims annually for out-of-pocket ex-
penses, including medical expenses, mental
health counseling, lost wages, loss of support and
funeral costs;
(F) formula grants to States for financial
assistance to upwards of 4,400 programs pro-
viding direct victim assistance services to nearly
4,000,000 victims of all types of crimes annu-
ally, with priority for programs serving victims
of domestic violence, sexual assault and child
abuse, and previously underserved victims of vio-
lent crime; and
(G) the Antiterrorism Emergency Reserve,
to assist victims of domestic and international
terrorism.
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(4) Just 4 months ago, a strong bipartisan, bi-
cameral majority in Congress affirmed its support for
the Crime Victims Fund and increased its commit-
ment to crime victims in the Justice for All Act of
2004 (Public Law 108–405), which establishes Fed-
eral crime victims rights and authorized 2 new
VOCA-funded victim programs.
(5) Before fiscal year 2000, all amounts depos-
ited into the Crime Victims Fund in each fiscal year
were made available for authorized programs in the
subsequent fiscal year.
(6) Beginning in fiscal year 2000, Congress re-
sponded to large fluctuations of deposits into the
Fund by delaying obligations from the Fund above
certain amounts, as follows:
(A) For fiscal year 2000, $500,000,000.
(B) For fiscal year 2001, $537,500,000.
(C) For fiscal year 2002, $550,000,000.
(D) For fiscal year 2003, $600,000,000.
(E) For fiscal year 2004, $625,000,000.
(F) For fiscal year 2005, $625,000,000.
(7) In the conference report on an omnibus
spending bill for fiscal year 2000 (Public Law 106–
113), Congress explained that the reason for delaying
annual Fund obligations was ‘‘to protect against wide
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fluctuations in receipts into the Fund, and to ensure
that a stable level of funding will remain available for
these programs in future years’’.
(8) VOCA mandates that ‘‘. . . all sums depos-
ited in the Fund in any fiscal year that are not made
available for obligation by Congress in the subsequent
fiscal year shall remain in the Fund for obligation in
future fiscal years, without fiscal year limitation’’.
(9) For fiscal year 2006, the President is recom-
mending ‘‘rescission’’ of $1,267,000,000 from amounts
in the Fund.
(10) The rescission proposed by the President
would result in no funds being available to support
crime victim services at the start of fiscal year 2007.
Further, such rescission would make the Fund vulner-
able to fluctuations in receipts into the Fund, and
would not ensure that a stable level of funding will
remain available for vital programs in future years.
(11) Retention of all amounts deposited into the
Fund for the immediate and future use of crime vic-
tim services as authorized by VOCA is supported by
many major national victim service organizations,
including—
(A) Justice Solutions, NPO;
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(B) National Organization for Victim As-
sistance;
(C) National Alliance to End Sexual Vio-
lence;
(D) National Children’s Alliance;
(E) National Association of VOCA Assist-
ance Administrators;
(F) National Association of Crime Victim
Compensation Boards;
(G) Mothers Against Drunk Driving;
(H) National Center for Victims of Crime;
(I) National Organization for Parents of
Murdered Children;
(J) National Coalition Against Domestic
Violence;
(K) Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape;
and
(L) National Network to End Domestic Vio-
lence.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the funding levels in this resolution assume that
all amounts that have been and will be deposited into the
Crime Victims Fund, including amounts deposited in fiscal
year 2006 and thereafter, shall remain in the Fund for use
as authorized under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984.
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SEC. 518. SENSE OF THE SENATE SUPPORTING FUNDING
FOR HIDTAS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds the following:
(1) The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
(HIDTA) program encompasses 28 strategic regions,
355 task forces, 53 intelligence centers, 4,428 Federal
personnel, and 8,459 State and local personnel.
(2) The purposes of the HIDTA program are to
reduce drug trafficking and drug production in des-
ignated areas in the United States by—
(A) facilitating cooperation among Federal,
State, and local law enforcement agencies to
share information and implement coordinated
enforcement activities;
(B) enhancing intelligence sharing among
Federal, State, and local law enforcement agen-
cies;
(C) providing reliable intelligence to law
enforcement agencies needed to design effective
enforcement strategies and operations; and
(D) supporting coordinated law enforcement
strategies which maximize use of available re-
sources to reduce the supply of drugs in HIDTA
designated areas.
(3) In 2004, HIDTA efforts resulted in dis-
rupting or dismantling over 509 international, 711
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HCON 95 EAS
multi-State, and 1,110 local drug trafficking organi-
zations.
(4) In 2004, HIDTA instructors trained 21,893
students in cutting-edge practices to limit drug traf-
ficking and manufacturing within their areas.
(5) The HIDTAs are the only drug enforcement
coalitions that include equal partnership between
Federal, State, and local law enforcement leaders exe-
cuting a regional approach to achieving regional
goals while pursuing a national mission.
(6) The proposed budget of $100,000,000 for the
HIDTA program is inadequate to effectively main-
tain all of the operations currently being supported.
(7) The proposed budget of $100,000,000 for the
HIDTA program would undermine the viability of
this program and the efforts of law enforcement
around the country to combat illegal drugs, particu-
larly methamphetamine.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that—
(1) the spending level of budget function 750
(Administration of Justice) is assumed to include
$227,000,000 for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Areas; and
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(2) unless new legislation is enacted, it is as-
sumed that the HIDTA program will remain with the
Office of National Drug Control Policy, where Con-
gress last authorized it to reside.
SEC. 519. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE NEED
FOR A COMPREHENSIVE, COORDINATED, AND
INTEGRATED NATIONAL OCEAN POLICY.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate makes the following find-
ings:
(1) The United States Commission on Ocean
Policy and the Pew Ocean Commission have each
completed and published independent findings on the
state of the United States oceans, coasts, and Great
Lakes.
(2) The findings made by the Commissions in-
clude the following:
(A) The United States oceans, coasts, and
Great Lakes are a vital component of the econ-
omy of the United States.
(B) The resources and ecosystems associated
with the United States oceans, coasts, and Great
Lakes are in trouble.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the President and the Congress should—
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(1) expeditiously consider the recommendations
of the United States Commission on Ocean Policy
during the 109th Congress; and
(2) enact a comprehensive, coordinated, and in-
tegrated national ocean policy that will ensure the
long-term economic and ecological health of the
United States oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes.
SEC. 520. UNITED STATES RESPONSE TO GLOBAL HIV/AIDS,
TUBERCULOSIS, AND MALARIA.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The HIV/AIDS pandemic has reached stag-
gering proportions. At the end of 2004, an estimated
40,000,000 people were infected with HIV or living
with AIDS. HIV/AIDS is estimated to kill 3,000,000
men, women and children each year. Each year, there
are estimated to be 5,000,000 new HIV infections.
(2) The United States was the first, and remains
the largest, contributor to the Global Fund.
(3) The Presidential Administration of George
W. Bush (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Adminis-
tration’’) has supported language in the Global HIV/
AIDS authorization bill that links United States con-
tributions to the Global Fund to the contributions of
other donors, permitting the United States to provide
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HCON 95 EAS
33 percent of all donations, which would match con-
tributions on a one-to-two basis.
(4) Congress has provided one-third of all dona-
tions to the Global Fund every year of the Fund’s ex-
istence.
(5) For fiscal year 2006, the Global Fund esti-
mates it will renew $2,400,000,000 worth of effective
programs that are already operating on the ground,
and the Administration and Fund Board have said
that renewals of existing grants should receive pri-
ority funding.
(6) The Global Fund is an important component
of United States efforts to combat AIDS, tuberculosis
and malaria, and supports approximately 300
projects in 130 countries.
(7) For fiscal year 2006, the President has re-
quested $300,000,000 for the United States contribu-
tion to the Global Fund.
(8) Through a mid-year review process, Congress
and the Administration will assess contributions to
date and anticipated contributions to the Global
Fund, and ensure that United States contributions, at
year-end, are at the appropriate one-to-two ratio.
(9) Congress and the Administration will mon-
itor contributions to the Global Fund to ensure that
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United States contributions do not exceed one-third of
the Global Fund’s revenues.
(10) In order to cover one-third of renewals dur-
ing fiscal year 2006, and to maintain the one-to-two
funding match, the United States will need to con-
tribute an additional $500,000,000 above the Presi-
dent’s request for the Global Fund for fiscal year 2006
to keep good programs funded at a level of
$800,000,000.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the assumptions underlying this budget resolution
assume that none of the offsets needed to provide
$800,000,000 for the Global Fund will come from inter-
national humanitarian assistance programs.
SEC. 521. OFFSET FOR INCREASES IN FUNDING FOR THE
COPS 
METHAMPHETAMINE 
ENFORCEMENT
AND CLEAN-UP PROGRAM.
It is the sense of the Senate that this resolution as-
sumes that any increases in funding for the COPS Meth-
amphetamine Enforcement Clean-Up Program should be
offset by increased revenues to be derived from closing cor-
porate tax loopholes.
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SEC. 522. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING FOREIGN-
OWNED DEBT.
It is the sense of the Senate that the Secretary of the
Treasury and the Comptroller General should each conduct
a study to examine the economic impact of United States
publicly-held debt that is held by foreign governments, insti-
tutions, and individuals. The study should provide an anal-
ysis of the following:
(1) The amount of foreign-owned debt dating
back to 1980, broken down by foreign governments,
foreign institutions, and foreign private investors,
and expressed in nominal terms and as a percentage
of the total amount of publicly-held debt in each year.
(2) The economic impact that the increased for-
eign ownership of United States publicly-held debt
has had on the ability of the United States to main-
tain a stable dollar policy.
(3) The impact that foreign ownership of United
States publicly-held debt has had, or could have, on
United States trade policy.
SEC. 523. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING TAX RELIEF
TO ENCOURAGE CHARITABLE GIVING.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) the CARE Act, which represents a part of the
President’s faith-based initiative, will spur charitable
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giving and assist faith-based and community organi-
zations that serve the needy;
(2) more than 1,600 small and large organiza-
tions from around the Nation have endorsed the
CARE Act, and in the 108th Congress the CARE Act
had bipartisan support and was sponsored by 23 Sen-
ators;
(3) although the CARE Act passed the Senate on
April 9, 2003, by a vote of 95 to 5, and the House
of Representatives passed companion legislation on
September 17, 2003, by a vote of 408 to 13, a con-
ference committee on the CARE Act was never formed
and a final version was not passed in the 108th Con-
gress; and
(4) charities around the Nation continue to
struggle, and the passage of the incentives for chari-
table giving contained in the CARE Act would pro-
vide significant dollars in private and public sector
assistance to those in need.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that a relevant portion of amounts in this budget resolu-
tion providing for tax relief should be used—
(1) to provide the 86,000,000 Americans who do
not itemize deductions an opportunity to deduct char-
itable contributions;
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(2) to provide incentives for individuals to give
tax free contributions from individual retirement ac-
counts for charitable purposes;
(3) to provide incentives for an estimated
$2,000,000,000 in food donations from farmers, res-
taurants, and corporations to help the needy, an
equivalent of 878,000,000 meals for hungry Ameri-
cans over 10 years;
(4) to provide at least 300,000 low-income, work-
ing Americans the opportunity to build assets through
individual development accounts or IDAs, which can
be used to purchase a home, expand educational op-
portunity, or to start a small business; and
(5) to provide incentives for corporate charitable
contributions.
SEC. 524. SENSE OF SENATE REGARDING WATER INFRA-
STRUCTURE.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) payments to States from the Federal Water
Pollution Control State Revolving Fund under title
VI of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33
U.S.C. 1381 et seq.) are essential to protect public
health, fisheries, wildlife, and watersheds, and to en-
sure opportunities for public recreation and economic
development;
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(2) despite important progress in protecting and
enhancing water quality since the enactment of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251
et seq.) in 1972, serious water pollution problems per-
sist throughout the United States;
(3) the report of the Environmental Protection
Agency dated September 30, 2002, and relating to
clean water and drinking water infrastructure gap
analysis found that there will be a $535,000,000,000
gap between current spending and projected needs for
water and wastewater infrastructure over the next 20
years if additional investments are not made;
(4) in November 2002, the Congressional Budget
Office estimated the annual investment in clean water
infrastructure needs to be at least $13,000,000,000 for
capital construction and $20,300,000,000 for oper-
ation and maintenance; and
(5) the Federal Government is a vital partner
with State and local governments and must continue
to share in the burden of maintaining and improving
the water infrastructure of the United States.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that payments to States from the Federal Water Pollu-
tion Control State Revolving Fund under title VI of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1381 et
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seq.) should be increased to $1,350,000,000 for fiscal year
2006 to assist States and local communities in meeting
water quality standards and restoring the health and safety
of the water of the United States.
SEC. 525. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING FUNDING OF
ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS OF SOCIAL SECU-
RITY ADMINISTRATION.
It is the sense of the Senate that Congress should ap-
prove the full amount of the President’s request for the ad-
ministrative costs of the Social Security Administration for
fiscal year 2006, including funds for the implementation
of the low-income prescription drug subsidy under part D
of title XVIII of the Social Security Act (as added by the
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Moderniza-
tion Act of 2003).
SEC. 526. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING COMPARA-
TIVE EFFECTIVENESS STUDIES.
It is the Sense of the Senate that—
(1) the overall discretionary levels set in this res-
olution assume $75,000,000 in new budget authority
in fiscal year 2006 and new outlays that flow from
this budget authority in fiscal year 2006 and subse-
quent years, to fund research and ongoing systematic
reviews, consistent with efforts currently undertaken
by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality
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designed to improve scientific evidence related to the
comparative effectiveness and safety of prescription
drugs and other treatments and to disseminate the
findings from such research to health care practi-
tioners, consumers, and health care purchasers; and
(2) knowledge gaps identified through such ef-
forts be addressed in accordance with the authorizing
legislation and with oversight from the committees of
subject matter jurisdiction.
SEC. 527. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE AD-
VANCED TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM.
It is the sense of the Senate that the Senate Committee
on Appropriations should make every effort to provide fund-
ing for the Advanced Technology Program in fiscal year
2006.
SEC. 528. SENSE OF THE SENATE WITH RESPECT TO PEN-
SION REFORM.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds the following:
(1) The rules for calculating the funded status of
pension plans and for determining calculations, pre-
miums, and other issues should ensure strong funding
of such plans in both good and bad economic times.
(2) The expiration of the interest rate provisions
of the Pension Funding Equity Act of 2004 at the end
of 2005 and the need to address the deficit at the Pen-
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sion Benefit Guaranty Corporation (referred to in
this section as the ‘‘PBGC’’) demand enactment of
pension legislation this year.
(3) Thirty-four million active and retired work-
ers are relying on their defined benefit plans to pro-
vide retirement security, and a failure by Congress to
reform the defined benefit system will place at risk the
pensions of millions of Americans.
(4) Stabilization of the defined benefit pension
system and the PBGC may require significant and
structural changes in the Employee Retirement and
Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986, which must be undertaken in a
single comprehensive set of reforms.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the Senate conferees shall insist, on the Senate posi-
tion expressed in this resolution with respect to PBGC pre-
miums.
Attest:
Secretary.