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(2) Congress enact a long-term reauthorization of
the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program begin-
ning with the authorization of $750,000,000 in fiscal
year 2004 to reimburse State and county governments
for the burdens undocumented criminal aliens have
placed on the local criminal justice system.
SEC. 314. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING PROGRAMS
OF THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) the Corps of Engineers provides quality, re-
sponsive engineering services to the United States, in-
cluding planning, designing, building, and operating
invaluable water resources and civil works projects;
(2) the ports of the United States are a vital
component of the economy of the United States, play-
ing a critical role in international trade and com-
merce and in maintaining the energy supply of the
United States;
(3) interruption of port operations would have a
devastating effect on the United States;
(4) the navigation program of the Corps enables
2,400,000,000 tons of commerce to move on navigable
waterways;
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(5) the Department of Transportation estimates
that those cargo movements have created jobs for
13,000,000 people;
(6) flood damage reduction structures provided
and maintained by the Corps save taxpayers
$21,000,000,000 in damages every year, in addition
to numerous human lives;
(7) the Corps designs and manages the construc-
tion of military facilities for the Army and Air Force
while providing support to the Department of Defense
and other Federal agencies;
(8) the Civil Works program of the Corps adds
significant value to the economy of the United States,
including recreation and ecosystem restoration;
(9) through contracting methods, the civil works
program employs thousands of private sector contract
employees, as well as Federal employees, in all aspects
of construction, science, engineering, architecture,
management, planning, design, operations, and
maintenance; and
(10) the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates
that $1,000,000,000 expended for the Civil Works pro-
gram generates approximately 40,000 jobs in support
of construction operation and maintenance activities
in the United States.
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(b) BUDGETARY ASSUMPTIONS.—It is the sense of the
Senate that—
(1) to perform vital functions described in sub-
section (a), the Corps of Engineers requires additional
funding; and
(2) the budgetary totals in this resolution assume
that the level of funding provided for programs of the
Corps described in subsection (a) will not be reduced
below current baseline spending levels established for
the programs.
SEC. 315. RADIO INTEROPERABILITY FOR FIRST RESPOND-
ERS.
(a) STUDY.—It is the sense of the Senate that the At-
torney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Home-
land Security, should conduct a study of the need and cost
to make the radio systems used by fire departments and
emergency medical services agencies interoperable with
those used by law enforcement to the extent that interoper-
ability will not interfere with law enforcement operations.
(b) GRANT PROGRAM.—It is the sense of the Senate
that 
Congress 
should 
authorize 
and 
appropriate
$20,000,000 to establish a grant program through which the
Attorney General would award grants to local governments
to assist fire departments and emergency medical services
agencies to establish radio interoperability.
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SEC. 316. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON CORPORATE TAX
HAVEN LOOPHOLES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that companies are
taking advantage of loopholes in the United States tax code
to direct taxable income to tax haven jurisdictions, some
of which have excessive bank secrecy laws and a poor record
of cooperation with United States civil and criminal tax
enforcement.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the Senate should act to stop companies from
avoiding paying their fair share of United States taxes
by—
(1) addressing the problem of corporations that
have renounced their United States citizenship (‘‘in-
verted’’) by relocating their headquarters to tax haven
jurisdictions while maintaining their primary offices
and production or service facilities in the United
States; and
(2) addressing the problem of Bermuda-based in-
surance companies that are using reinsurance agree-
ments with their subsidiaries to direct property and
casualty insurance premiums out of the United States
into Bermuda to reduce their United States taxes in
a way that places United States property and cas-
ualty insurance companies at a competitive disadvan-
tage.
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SEC. 317. SENSE OF SENATE ON PHASED-IN CONCURRENT
RECEIPT OF RETIRED PAY AND VETERANS’
DISABILITY COMPENSATION FOR VETERANS
WITH 
SERVICE-CONNECTED 
DISABILITIES
RATED AT 60 PERCENT OR HIGHER.
It is the sense of the Senate that the new budget author-
ity and outlays for fiscal years 2004 through 2013 for Na-
tional Defense (050) specified in section 103(1) are ade-
quate to provide, and should provide, for the phased-in of
concurrent receipt of retired pay and veterans’ disability
compensation by veterans with service-connected disabilities
rated 60 percent or higher as if section 1414 of title 10,
United States Code, were amended to read as follows:
‘‘§ 1414. Members eligible for retired pay who have
service-connected disabilities: payment of
retired pay and veterans’ disability com-
pensation for disabilities rated at 60 per-
cent or higher
‘‘(a) PAYMENT OF BOTH RETIRED PAY AND COM-
PENSATION.—A member or former member of the uniformed
services described in subsection (b) is entitled to be paid
retired pay, up to the amount determined for such member
or former member under subsection (d), in addition to any
entitlement to veterans’ disability compensation, without
regard to sections 5304 and 5305 of title 38.
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‘‘(b) COVERED MEMBERS.—A member or former mem-
ber described in this subsection is any member or former
member who is entitled to retired pay (other than as speci-
fied in subsection (c)) and who is also entitled to veterans’
disability compensation for a service-connected disability
rated at 60 percent or higher, as determined under laws
administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
‘‘(c) EXCEPTION.—Subsection (a) does not apply to a
member retired under chapter 61 of this title with less than
20 years of service otherwise creditable under section 1405
of this title at the time of the member’s retirement.
‘‘(d) MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF RETIRED PAY.—The max-
imum amount of retired pay to which a member or former
member is entitled under subsection (a) is as follows:
‘‘(1) For months beginning with January 2004
and ending with December 2004, the amount equal to
45 percent of the amount of retired pay to which the
member or former member would be entitled if the
member or former member were paid retired pay
without regard to sections 5304 and 5305 of title 38
for such months.
‘‘(2) For months beginning with January 2005
and ending with December 2005, the amount equal to
60 percent of the amount of retired pay to which the
member or former member would be entitled if the
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HCON 95 EAS
member or former member were paid retired pay
without regard to sections 5304 and 5305 of title 38
for such months.
‘‘(3) For months beginning with January 2006
and ending with December 2006, the amount equal to
80 percent of the amount of retired pay to which the
member or former member would be entitled if the
member or former member were paid retired pay
without regard to sections 5304 and 5305 of title 38
for such months.
‘‘(4) For months beginning after December 2006,
the amount equal to the full amount of retired pay to
which the member or former member would be entitled
if the member or former member were paid retired
pay without regard to sections 5304 and 5305 of title
38 for such months.
‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
‘‘(1) The term ‘retired pay’ includes retainer
pay, emergency officers’ retirement pay, and naval
pension.
‘‘(2) The term ‘service-connected’ has the mean-
ing given that term in section 101(16) of title 38.
‘‘(3) The term ‘veterans’ disability compensation’
has the meaning given the term ‘compensation’ in sec-
tion 101(12) of title 38.’’.
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(2) COORDINATION
WITH
SPECIAL
COMPENSA-
TION
AUTHORITY.—Section 1413 of such title is
amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) by inserting ‘‘, for months in 2002 and
2003,’’ after ‘‘Secretary concerned shall’’; and
(B) by striking the last sentence; and
(2) in subsection (b)—
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Sep-
tember 2004’’ and inserting ‘‘December 2003’’;
and
(B) by striking paragraph (3).
(3) ADDITIONAL
CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—
(A) Effective on December 31, 2003, section 1413a of
such title is repealed.
(B) Effective on the date of the enactment of this
Act, subsection (d) of section 641 of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (Public
Law 107–107; 115 Stat. 1150; 10 U.S.C. 1414 note)
is repealed.
(4) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—(A) Effective on
the date of the enactment of this Act, the table of sec-
tions at the beginning of chapter 71 of title 10,
United States Code, is amended by striking the item
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relating to section 1414 and inserting the following
new item:
‘‘1414. Members eligible for retired pay who have service-connected disabilities:
payment of retired pay and veterans’ disability compensation
for disabilities rated at 60 percent or higher.’’.
(B) Effective December 31, 2003, the table of sec-
tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended by
striking the item relating to section 1413a.
SEC. 318. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING NATIVE
AMERICAN HEALTH.
It is the sense of the Senate that Congress has recog-
nized the importance of Native American health. In 1997,
Congress enacted a program to spend $30,000,000 a year
on research and treatment on diabetes in the Native Amer-
ican 
community. 
This 
amount 
was 
increased 
to
$100,000,000 a year in 2000 and further increased to
$150,000,000 a year in 2002. This is a 500 percent increase
since 1997. This priority focuses on prevention and treat-
ment for a major disease in the Native American commu-
nity.
SEC. 319. RESERVE FUND TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECU-
RITY.
If legislation is reported by the Senate Committee on
Finance, or an amendment thereto is offered or a conference
report thereon is submitted that would extend the solvency
of the Social Security Trust Funds, the Chairman of the
Senate Committee on the Budget may revise the aggregates,
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HCON 95 EAS
functional totals, allocations, and other appropriate levels
and limits in this resolution by up to $396,000,000,000 in
budget authority and outlays for the total of fiscal years
2003 through 2013.
SEC. 320. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON PROVIDING TAX AND
OTHER INCENTIVES TO REVITALIZE RURAL
AMERICA.
It is the sense of the Senate that if tax relief measures
are passed in accordance with the assumptions in the budg-
et resolution in this session of Congress, such legislation
should include tax and other financial incentives, like those
included in the New Homestead Act (S. 602), to help rural
communities fight the economic decimation caused by
chronic out-migration by giving them the tools they need
to attract individuals to live and work, or to start and grow
a business, in such rural areas.
SEC. 321. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING HIGHER
EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) in our increasingly competitive global econ-
omy, the attainment of higher education is critical to
the economic success of an individual, as evidenced by
the fact that, in 1975, college graduates earned an av-
erage of 57 percent more than individuals who were
only high school graduates, as compared to the fact
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that, in 2001, college graduates earned an average of
84 percent more than high school graduates;
(2) over the past 20 years, the average cost of
college tuition has increased by over 250 percent and
is increasing—
(A) at a faster rate than any consumer
item, including health care; and
(B) at a rate that is more than twice as fast
as the rate of inflation;
(3) despite increases in grant amounts contained
in legislation recently enacted by Congress, the value
of the maximum Pell Grant has declined 15 percent
since 1975 in inflation-adjusted terms, forcing more
students to rely on student loans to finance the cost
of a higher education;
(4) from fiscal years 1990 to 2000, the demand
for student loans rose by 41 percent and the average
student loan amount increased by 48.2 percent; and
(5) according to the Department of Education,
there is approximately $150,000,000,000 in out-
standing student loan debt and students borrowed
more during the decade beginning in 1990 than dur-
ing all of the decades beginning in 1960, 1970, and
1980.
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(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that economic stimulus legislation enacted pursuant to
the instructions contained in this concurrent resolution on
the budget should include provisions to make higher edu-
cation affordable, including—
(1) a provision to make permanent the above-the-
line deduction for the higher education expenses of a
taxpayer and members of the taxpayer’s family and
to increase such deduction to $8,000 for taxable year
2003 and $12,000 for taxable year 2004 and there-
after; and
(2) a credit against tax of up to $1,500 for each
taxable year (indexed for inflation) for interest paid
during such taxable year on loans incurred for higher
education expenses—
(A) during the first 60 months such pay-
ments are required; and
(B) paid by individuals who are not de-
pendents.
SEC. 322. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING CHILDREN’S
GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) children’s hospitals provide excellent care for
children;
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HCON 95 EAS
(2) the importance of children’s hospitals extends
to the health care of all children throughout the
United States;
(3) making up only 1 percent of all hospitals,
independent children’s hospitals train almost 30 per-
cent of all pediatricians and 50 percent of all pedi-
atric specialists;
(4) children’s hospitals provide over 50 percent
of the hospital care in the United States for children
with serious illness, including needing cardiatric sur-
gery, children with cancer, and children with cerebral
palsy; and
(5) children’s hospitals are important centers for
pediatric research and the major pipeline for future
pediatric researchers.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that, for fiscal year 2004, children’s graduate medical
education should be funded at $305,000,000.
SEC. 323. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON FUNDING FOR CRIMI-
NAL JUSTICE.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) bipartisan efforts have led to success in the
fight against crime and improvements in the admin-
istration of justice;
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(2) Congress steadily increased funding for crime
identification technologies between 1994 and 2003;
and
(3) a strong commitment to improve crime iden-
tification technologies is still needed.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the funding levels in this resolution assume that
the programs authorized under the Crime Identification
Technology Act of 1998 to improve the justice system will
be fully funded at the levels authorized for each of the fiscal
years 2004 through 2007.
SEC. 324. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING FUNDING
FOR DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMS.
It is the sense of the Senate that the functional totals
in this resolution assume that up to $20,000,000 from funds
designated, but not obligated, for travel and administrative
expenses, from drug interdiction activities should be used
for service-oriented targeted grants for the utilization of
substances that block the craving for heroin and that are
newly approved for such use by the Food and Drug Admin-
istration.
SEC. 325. FUNDING FOR AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that:
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(1) Studies show that organized extracurricular
activities, such as after-school programs, reduce crime,
drug use, and teenage pregnancy.
(2) According to the FBI, youth are most at risk
for committing violent acts and being victims of vio-
lent crimes between 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.—after
school is out and before parents arrive home.
(3) There remains a great need for after-school
programs. The Census Bureau reported that at least
8 to 15 million children have no place to go after
school is out.
(4) Current funding for after-school programs
provide almost 1.4 million children across the country
a safe and enriching place to go after school instead
of being home alone.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the levels in this resolution assume that funding
for 21st Century Community Learning Centers is at least
enough to ensure the number of children participating in
afterschool programs does not decrease.
SEC. 326. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE $1,000 CHILD
CREDIT.
It is the sense of the Senate that extending the $1,000
child credit for 3 additional years (2011–2013) can be ac-
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commodated within the revenue totals and instructions of
this resolution.
SEC. 327. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING FUNDING
FOR DOMESTIC NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PRO-
GRAMS.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) domestic nutrition assistance programs ad-
ministered by the Secretary of Agriculture—
(A) have a long history of bipartisan sup-
port;
(B) have an accomplished record of pre-
venting health problems for children and pro-
moting the health, growth, and development of
children;
(C) provide United States agricultural pro-
ducers and food manufacturers with important
and substantial markets through which they can
obtain and sustain livelihoods; and
(D) are due to be reauthorized and im-
proved during the 108th Congress; and
(2) the budget proposed by the President for fis-
cal year 2004—
(A) maintains current levels of funding for
child nutrition;
†
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(B) extends and improves nutrition assist-
ance programs, including—
(i) the school breakfast program estab-
lished by section 4 of the Child Nutrition
Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773);
(ii) the school lunch program estab-
lished under the Richard B. Russell Na-
tional School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et
seq.); and
(iii) the child and adult care food pro-
gram established under the section 17 of the
Richard B. Russell National School Lunch
Act (42 U.S.C. 1766); and
(C) renews and fully funds the special sup-
plemental nutrition program for women, infants,
and children established by section 17 of the
Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786).
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Sen-
ate that the final budget conference agreement should not
take or propose any actions that reduce the level of funding
provided for domestic nutrition assistance programs ad-
ministered by the Secretary of Agriculture below current
baseline spending levels for the programs.
†
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SEC. 328. SENSE OF SENATE CONCERNING FREE TRADE
AGREEMENT WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM.
It is the sense of the Senate that the President should
negotiate a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom.
SEC. 329. RESERVE FUND FOR POSSIBLE MILITARY ACTION
AND RECONSTRUCTION IN IRAQ.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Upon the favorable reporting of leg-
islation by the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate
making discretionary appropriations in excess of the levels
assumed in this resolution for expenses for possible military
action and reconstruction in Iraq in fiscal years 2003
through 2013, the Committee on the Budget of the Senate
may, in consultation with the Chairman and Ranking
Member of the appropriate committee, revise the level of
total new budget authority and outlays, the functional to-
tals, allocations, discretionary spending limits, and levels
of deficits and debt in this resolution by up to
$100,000,000,000 in budget authority and outlays.
(b) APPLICATION.—Any adjustments of allocations
and aggregates made pursuant to this resolution shall—
(1) apply while that measure is under consider-
ation;
(2) take effect upon the enactment of that meas-
ure; and
(3) be published in the Congressional Record as
soon as practicable.