November 20, 2002 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S11703 since one Vietnam is enough for all of Amer- By the end of this year, that number Many Senators have played important ican history. will increase to 2.1 million individuals. roles in this legislation, but it could Senator, I hope this analysis has been of Those are the individuals at greatest not have been done without the con- some assistance to you. Please let me know if I can help in any other way. And please risk for falling through the social safe- tributions of our staff. Without the aid also accept my warm wishes and genuine ad- ty net we have provided for them. of these individuals, the work of this miration for your work on our behalf. This illustrates the critical need for institution would be impossible to ac- Yours sincerely, an extension of unemployment insur- complish. I would like to recognize the LARRY J. SABATO, ance that makes sense. hard work and dedication of those staff Director, U. VA. Center for Politics & When the national economy was members whose contributions to this University Professor of Politics. booming 2 years ago, California was legislation have been critical and with- Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I particularly blessed. California’s econ- out whom we would not have been able rise to address the fact that by the end omy grew at double-digit rates, and to pass this bill. of the year more than 2 million Ameri- California become the fifth-largest On the Democrat side of the aisle, I cans will have exhausted their unem- economy in the world. want to recognize the contributions of ployment insurance. Billions of dollars of investment Senator LIEBERMAN’S staff—especially There is no more pressing issue fac- flowed into our State, and thousands of his staff director, Joyce Rechtschaffen, ing our Nation’s workforce, and yet talented workers moved to California as well as Laurie Rubenstein, Mike Al- Congress has chosen to put partisan- to take advantages of opportunities in exander, Kiersten Coon, Holly Idelson, ship ahead of what nearly everyone Silicon Valley and other growth en- Kevin Landy, Larry Novey, and Susan agrees is smart policy. gines of the New Economy. Now that Propper. I would also like to acknowl- By passing widely divergent bills, the picture is dramatically different. edge the contributions of Sarah Walter House and the Senate have virtually A recent report by a group of econo- of Senator BREAUX’S staff, David Cul- ensured that on December 28 of this mists at UCLA predicted that Califor- ver of Senator BEN NELSON’S staff, and year thousands of workers will be in nia’s unemployment rate will rise to Alex Albert of Senator MILLER’S staff. the impossible position of trying to 6.5 percent next year, and that nonfarm On the Republican side, I would espe- feed, clothe, and house their families jobs in the San Francisco Bay area cially like to thank Richard Hertling, with no work and no benefits. contracted by an annual rate of 4.6 per- Senator THOMPSON’S Staff Director I strongly support the Emergency cent between April and June of this who, along with Rohit Kumar of my Unemployment Compensation Act of year. After dropping to a decade-long staff, was integral in the drafting of 2002, a bipartisan compromise bill low of 4.7 percent in December of 2000, the bill that we are sending to the which was introduced in the Senate in the unemployment rate is back up to President. I would also like to com- late September. 6.4 percent as of the end of October. pliment the rest of Senator This bill, introduced by Senators The number of Californians receiving THOMPSON’S staff—Libby Wood Jarvis, Wellstone, CLINTON, and KENNEDY, with unemployment benefits has increased Ellen Brown, Bill Outhier, Mason the support of 33 Senators, extends un- to 470,000 from 430,000 1 year ago. Alinger, Alison Bean, John Daggett, employment benefits nationwide for 13 During this period of great economic Johanna Hardy, Stephanie Henning, weeks, and provides 20 weeks of ex- hardship, we have a duty to give people Morgan Muchnick, Jayson Roehl, Jana tended benefits for California and other the chance to get back onto their feet. Sinclair, Elizabeth VanDersarl and high unemployment States. This is an obligation that we have met Allen Lomax—all of whom played an It provides crucial temporary assist- in the past, most recently when faced important role in crafting this legisla- ance to those who have been hardest with an economic downturn during the tion. Senator GRAMM’S Legislative Di- hit by the current economic downturn, first Bush administration. rector, Mike Solon, and David and provides them a chance to support The Senate voted in 1991 to extend Morgenstern of Senator CHAFEE’S staff themselves and their families while temporary unemployment insurance on also played very important roles in the they look for work. five separate occasions. Each time such process. Although the compromise bill passed extensions were approved by over- Finally, I would like to acknowledge by the Senate does not include the 20- whelming bipartisan majorities. the efforts of those individuals from week extension that is vital to States Therefore, I call on the House and the other body and from the White such as California, which suffer from a Senate leadership to ensure that an ex- House, all of whom dedicated signifi- higher unemployment rate than the tension of unemployment benefits for a cant time and effort to this bill. From national average, it provides a mean- full 13 weeks be the first item consid- the House of Representatives, the ef- ingful extension that could help Amer- ered during the 108th Congress. Al- forts of the House Select Committee ican families, especially during the though that will not prevent the expi- staff—in particular Hugh Halpern, Paul Christmas holiday. ration of benefits for many Americans, Morrell and especially Margaret Let me stress that this bill is the it will provide a fairly rapid restora- Peterlin—were absolutely essential to product of bipartisan compromise, and tion of benefits to those who will be drafting the compromise language. is supported by Senator NICKLES and cut off at the end of the year. From the White House, I would like other Republicans who have been vocal With that goal in mind, I have sent a to thank Ziad Ojakli, Christine on this issue. letter to Speaker HASTERT and Senator Ciconne, Heather Wingate of the Legis- At the moment, millions of Ameri- LOTT with the signatures of more than lative Affairs Office, Wendy Grubbs, cans have lost their job and are unable 40 of my colleagues in the Senate, ask- Michael Allen, Richard Falkenrath, to find another, despite their efforts to ing them to bring up an extension of Sally Canfield and especially Lucy reenter the labor force. The number of unemployment insurance immediately Clark from Governor Ridge’s Office of Americans unable to find employment upon reconvening next year. Homeland Security, Christine has increased from 5.7 million at the Let me be clear: by ducking this Burgeson from the Office of Manage- end of 2000 to more than 8.2 million issue we seem to be hoping that this ment and Budget, Brad Berenson from today. problem will disappear. the White House Counsel’s office, and Even more disturbing, due to contin- It will not, and if we do not address Joel Kaplan from Chief of Staff Andy ued economic weakness, the number of it now, we will not be living up to our Card’s office for their assistance in put- Americans who have been out of work obligation to the families of this Na- ting together this legislation. Without for over 6 months has almost doubled tion. their efforts and cooperation, this bill from 900,000 to 1.5 million in the past f could not have come to pass. year. These staff members have worked Between May and July of this year, RECOGNIZING STAFF INVOLVED IN diligently and largely in anonymity. approximately 900,000 workers ex- HOMELAND SECURITY Given all that they have done in serv- hausted the benefits made available Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, putting the ice to their country, I think it is appro- through the extension that was passed homeland security bill together has priate to recognize their work publicly, in March. been a difficult almost herculean task. so that the rest of the country knows,

VerDate 0ct 31 2002 02:32 Nov 22, 2002 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A20NO6.101 S20PT2 S11704 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 20, 2002 as we all know, how well we are served Fortunately for Missouri and for us, a difference and I will miss her very by our staff. she volunteered to serve, motivated by much. f a desire to further the work that Mel JEAN will enjoy spending time on her and she had done together to help the family farm in Rolla, Missouri, visiting TRIBUTE TO DEPARTING people of Missouri. with her children and grandchildren. SENATORS Talk about severe stress! Loss of her And I expect her to continue writing Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise to beloved husband, her high school books, giving speeches and advice. She pay tribute to our colleagues who are sweetheart, lifelong companion, loss of has much to say, and we would do well leaving the Senate. What many Ameri- her son, moving to a new home, chang- to hear and read her words. cans do not realize is that the Senate is ing jobs . . . all with people watching MAX CLELAND a place where many of us become closely, openly questioning her abili- I also wish to pay tribute to MAX friends. It is true that the 100 men and ties and wondering if she would suc- CLELAND, Georgia’s senior senator and women who serve in this wonderful ceed. a true American hero. body arrive here with different back- Senator CARNAHAN has demonstrated While his story is familiar to those of grounds, experiences, and perspectives. remarkable composure and grace while us fortunate enough to know him and We hold different philosophies and proving that she was indeed up to the have served with him, I encourage ideas, represent states with different challenges of the Senate. She had to Americans looking for inspiration to and at times competing interests and learn the intricacies of legislation and read his book Strong at the Broken needs, and we pursue different goals. policy quickly, and I am sure she would Places, which describes his experiences But we all share a lot in common by have been even more effective if given overcoming tremendous adversity and virtue of being here, and in the course the opportunity to serve longer. reveals his remarkable character. of working together on matters of na- But she succeeded by seeking com- He is a native Georgian who is proud tional importance, we develop respect monsense solutions to complex prob- of his state and has served it so well for and admiration for our colleagues, and lems and helping to forge compromises. so long, but MAX CLELAND personifies often genuine friendships are estab- She didn’t seek attention or credit for qualities that the people of Nevada and lished. And so it is with the remark- her accomplishments but worked hard all Americans appreciate: patriotism, able group of Senators who are com- and made a difference. courage, and fortitude. pleting their service as the 107th Con- Senator CARNAHAN’s accomplish- MAX CLELAND was awarded the gress draws to a close. ments include helping protect the jobs Bronze Star and a Silver Star for meri- JEAN CARNAHAN of more than 12,000 airline employees torious service in Vietnam. I want to speak first about JEAN during the merger negotiations be- During college he joined the Army CARNAHAN, who has accomplished tween TWA and American Airlines. She ROTC program and after graduation he many firsts in her lifetime, including also worked hard to help local school took a Second Lieutenant’s commis- being the first woman to represent Mis- districts hire teaching specialists and sion in the Army. MAX CLELAND volun- souri in the United States Senate. She deal with disruptive students. Her teered for duty in Vietnam in 1967 and was also the first person in her family Quality Classrooms provisions were in- the following year he was promoted to to graduate from college, in fact the cluded in the landmark education bill the rank of Captain. first to graduate from high school. we passed last year. Just one month prior to the end of Senator CARNAHAN has served the Senator CARNAHAN supported efforts his tour of duty, he was seriously people of Missouri so well over so many to bolster our national security and wounded in a grenade explosion. As a years, including her outstanding work win the war on terrorism. She was a result he lost both legs and his right during her time here in the Senate. We member of the first bipartisan congres- arm. rightfully identify her with Missouri, sional delegation to travel to Afghani- His body broken, he spent the next but actually she grew up in Wash- stan to visit the troops and meet with year and a half recovering from his in- ington, DC, attending Anacostia High regional leaders. juries in various Army and Veterans School and then George Washington And I am especially grateful for her Administration hospitals. Despite his University. strong opposition to the Administra- enormous sacrifice, he refused to let Her return to Washington 2 years ago tion’s plan to ship nuclear waste across his injuries break his spirit. And he did should have been a happy homecoming, the country to Yucca Mountain. Many not dwell on his own experiences but but instead followed a calamity. JEAN people thought this plan would harm rather sought to help others. CARNAHAN arrived in the Senate having only Nevada, but she understood that He described the difficulties veterans suffered a seemingly unbearable trag- storing nuclear waste in Nevada would were experiencing returning home from edy, the death of her husband Mel and require tens of thousands of shipments Vietnam in testimony before the her oldest son Randy in a plane crash. of highly dangerous substances across United States Senate Veterans Affairs She not only had little time to grieve highways and railroads in Missouri and Committee in 1969. but also was immediately thrust into almost every other state. And she The next year, he was elected to the the public arena. could not accept this risk of potential Georgia State Senate, thus beginning a Mel Carnahan had a distinguished 40- harm to the children and families and career in public service that has con- year career in Missouri politics serving environment of our great country. tinued for more than 30 years. As the as a judge, state representative, state So JEAN CARNAHAN deserves our ad- youngest member of the Georgia Sen- treasurer, lieutenant governor, and for miration, respect and gratitude for all ate at the age of 28, he wrote the state 8 years as a popular and respected gov- she has done. She has occupied Harry law making public facilities in the ernor and was a strong candidate for Truman’s seat in the United States state accessible to the disabled. the United States Senate at the time of Senate and worked at his old desk. MAX was hired to work for the Sen- his death. Missouri should be proud of how she ate Veterans Affairs Committee in 1975 Just days after the funerals for her has continued Harry Truman’s legacy and two years later, President Jimmy husband and son, she was asked if she and her husband’s legacy and been an Carter appointed him to head the U.S. would serve in the Senate in Mel’s advocate for the working families of Veterans Administration. He became place. It was a difficult decision, and Missouri. the youngest VA administrator in his- one she had to make amid shock and By a narrow margin she was unable tory and the first Vietnam veteran to sorrow. JEAN CARNAHAN was not a poli- to overcome a well-funded opponent head the agency. In this position, he tician, but she was her husband’s polit- whose campaign benefitted from the instituted the revolutionary ‘‘Vets ical partner and trusted adviser for popularity of the President this year. Center program’’ which for the first many years, starting soon after their She might have come up short in this time offered psychological counseling marriage. She card-catalogued the election, but she understands that a to combat veterans in order to heal names of every potential supporter and political defeat is not the most signifi- their emotional wounds as well as their donor during her husband’s career, cant loss one can suffer. physical wounds. There are now more wrote many of his speeches and wrote Her time here has been all too brief, than 200 Vets Centers across the coun- and delivered many of her own. but Senator JEAN CARNAHAN has made try offering support to combat and

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