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(d) CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING BENEFITS OF CARBON SEQUESTRATION PRACTICES.--
[Page: S3863] GPO's PDF
(1) IN GENERAL.--Under the carbon sequestration program the Chief of the Forest Service, in consultation with other members of the implementing panel, shall develop criteria for prioritizing, determining the acceptability of, and evaluating, the benefits of the carbon sequestration practices proposed in projects for the purpose of determining the acceptability of project proposals.
(2) CONTENT.--The criteria shall ensure that carbon sequestration investment credits under section 45E of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 are not allocated to projects the primary purpose of which is to grow timber for commercial harvest or to projects which replace native ecological systems with commercial timber plantations. Projects should be prioritized according to--
(A) native forest preservation, especially with respect to land which would otherwise cease to be native forest land,
(B) reforestation of former forest land where such land has not been forested for at least 10 years,
(C) biodiversity enhancement,
(D) the prevention of greenhouse gas emissions through the preservation of carbon storing plants and trees,
(E) soil erosion management,
(F) soil fertility restoration, and
(G) the duration of the project, including any project under which other entities are engaged to extend the duration of the project beyond the minimum carbon sequestration project term.
(e) GUIDELINES FOR QUANTIFYING BENEFITS.--
(1) IN GENERAL.--Under the carbon sequestration program, the Chief of the Forest Service, in consultation with other members of the implementing panel, shall institute guidelines for the development of methodologies for quantifying the amount of carbon sequestered by particular projects for the purposes of determining the acceptability of project proposals. These guidelines should set standards for project sponsors with regard to--
(A) methodologies for measuring the carbon sequestered,
(B) measures to assure the duration of projects sponsored,
(C) criteria that verifies that the carbon sequestered is additional to the sequestration which would have occurred without the sponsored project,
(D) reasonable criteria to evaluate the extent to which the project displaces activity that causes deforestation in another location, and
(E) the extent to which the project promotes sustainable development in a project area, particularly with regard to protecting the traditional land tenure of indigenous people.
(2) BASIS.--In developing the guidelines, the Chief of the Forest Service shall--
(A) consult with land grant universities and entities which specialize in carbon storage verification and measurement, and
(B) use information reported to the Secretary of Energy from projects carried out under the voluntary reporting program of the Energy Information Administration under section 1605 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 13385).
(f) VERIFICATION STANDARDS.--Under the carbon sequestration program, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in consultation with other members of the implementing panel and the National Science Foundation, shall establish verification standards for purposes of subsection (c)(2)(D).
(g) PROGRAM REPORTING.--The Administrator of the Energy Information Administration, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall develop forms to monitor carbon sequestration improvements made as a result of the program established under this section and the implementing panel shall use such forms to report to the Administrator on--
(1) carbon sequestration improvements made as a result of the program,
(2) carbon sequestration practices of project sponsors enrolled in the program, and
(3) compliance with the terms of the implementing panel's approval of projects.
(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.--There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out the program established under subsection (a).
SEC. 3. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK FINANCING.
An owner or operator of property that is located outside of the United States and that is used in a carbon sequestration project approved by the implementing panel under section 2 may enter into a contract for an extension of credit from the Export-Import Bank of the United States of up to 75 percent of the cost of carrying out the carbon sequestration practices specified in the carbon sequestration project proposal to the extent that the Export-Import Bank determines that the cost sharing is appropriate, in the public interest, and otherwise meets the requirements of the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945.
SEC. 4. EQUITY INVESTMENT INSURANCE.
An owner or operator of property that is located outside of the United States and that is used in a carbon sequestration project approved by the implementing panel under section 2 may enter into a contract for investment insurance issued by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation pursuant to section 234 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2194) if the Corporation determines that issuance of the insurance is consistent with the provisions of such section 234.
By Mr. LEVIN (for himself and Mr. JEFFORDS):
S. 770. A bill to amend part A of title IV of the Social security Act to allow up to 24 months of vocational educational training to be counted as a work activity under the temporary assistance to needy families program; to the Committee on Finance.
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by Senator JEFFORDS, Chairman of the Health, Education , Labor, and Pensions Committee in introducing legislation that seeks to add an important measure of flexibility to a provision of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, TANF , under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The legislation we are introducing increases from 12 to 24 months the limit on the amount of vocational education training that a state can count towards meeting its work participation rate.
Under the pre-1996 Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, recipients could participate in post-secondary vocational training or community college programs for up to 24 months. While I support the new law's emphasis on moving welfare recipients more quickly into jobs, I am troubled by the law's restriction on post-secondary education training, limiting it to 12 months. One year of vocational education is an approved work activity, the second year of post-secondary education study is not.
The limitation on post-secondary education training raises a number of concerns, not the least of which is whether individuals may be forced into low-paying, short-term employment that will lead them back onto public assistance because they are unable to support themselves or their families. According to recent studies, this is exactly what has happened in far too many cases. According to a March 13, 2001 report of the Congressional Research Service, which is based on research published in the 2000 Edition of the House Committee on Ways and Means Green Book, although the majority of recipients who have left the welfare rolls left because they became employed, most remained poor. The research also revealed that the average hourly wage for these former welfare recipients ranged from $5.50 to $8.80 per hour.
Study after study indicates that short-term training programs raise the income of workers only marginally, while completion of at least a two-year associate degree has the potential of breaking the cycle of poverty for welfare recipients. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median earnings of adults with an associate degree are 30 percent higher than adults who have not achieved such a degree.
A majority of the members of the Senate has previously cast their vote in favor of making 24 months of post-secondary education a permissible work activity under TANF The Levin-Jeffords amendment to the 1997 Reconciliation bill, permitting up to 24 months of post-secondary education , received 55 votes--falling five votes short of the required procedural vote of 60. The amendment had the support of the National Governors Association, NGA, and NGA's support continues with the legislation Senator JEFFORDS and I are introducing today. I would also like to make note of Senator WELLSTONE's efforts on this issue. He subsequently proposed several modifications to TANF , including raising the 12 month limit to 24 months, in an amendment to the 1998 Higher Education reauthorization bill. The amendment passed the Senate but was deleted during conference negotiations.
It is my hope that the Senate will again act favorably and expeditiously on this legislation and that the House will support this much-needed State flexibility. We must do what is necessary to achieve TANF's intended goal of getting families permanently off of welfare and onto self-sufficiency.
In closing, I would like to present to my colleagues some
examples of the earnings that can be made upon completion of two years of
training in a structured vocational or community college program. The following
are jobs that an individual could prepare for in a two-year community college
program, including the average starting salary for each nationwide.
Average
Starting Salary Nationwide
Dental Hygiene
$31,750
Physical Therapy Assistant
28,782
Computer Programing
28,000
Occupational Therapy Assistant
27,624
Respiratory Therapy
26,877
Computer Assisted Design
26,890
Drafting and Design
24,800
Electronic Technology
24,255
Culinary Arts
22,500
Early Childhood Development Assistant
18,000
Again, I urge my colleagues to act with haste. The modification embodied in this legislation can give the states the flexibility they need to help improve the economic status of families across America.
By Mr. WARNER (for himself and Mr. ALLEN):
S.J. Res. 13. A joint resolution conferring honorary citizenship of the United States on Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, also known as the Marquis de Lafayette; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that will make General Lafayette an honorary United States Citizen. This honor has been bestowed on four other individuals including Winston Churchill and Mother Teresa.
Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (1757-1834) was born in France and was a wealthy French youth blessed with every advantage offered by Europe's aristocracy. Although he was wealthy and among France's aristocracy, he risked his wealth and status to aid the Americans in their revolution against Great Britain.
At the age of 19, determined to dedicate himself to the cause of our liberty, he bought a ship and sailed to the American colonies to volunteer his services. In early summer of 1777, soon after his arrival, Congress voted him the rank and commission of Major General. Just two months later, Lafayette was wounded at the battle of Brandywine, forever endearing himself to the American soldiers.
Throughout the American Revolution, Lafayette acted as a liaison between France and the American colonies. He urged influential policy makers to have France make the decisive military, naval and financial commitment to the colonists. His tireless efforts, both as a liaison and a general, aided America in her time of need.
As a general, his military tactics lured British General Cornwallis and his army to Yorktown, Virginia. The American Army, led by General Washington, along with French forces led by Rochambeau, came south and trapped Cornwallis and his troops at Yorktown. As a result, the British were forced to surrender.
Lafayette's services to America extended beyond the battlefront. He worked diligently as an advisor, helping win concessions from Britain during the Treaty negotiations. At Versailles, when negotiating with the French government, our representatives Franklin and Jefferson found him invaluable. Moreover, his impartial friendship was extended to the first eight U.S. presidents.
Despite his commitment to our Country, America did not recognize his United States' citizenship in his time of need. While crossing the French border into the Netherlands to escape arrest from the Revolutionary French Government, the Austrians captured and arrested General Lafayette. Despite his claim that he was an American citizen being illegally detained, the Austrians disagreed. General Lafayette appealed to American ministers for help, but his calls for intervention were not answered. Lafayette clearly felt that he was an America citizen, and technically he may have been under the blanket naturalization granted all citizens of each state when the Constitution was ratified. The U.S. government, however, failed to acknowledge his claim, and he spent the next five years in prison.
Although General Lafayette was made an honorary citizen by Virginia and Maryland before the United States Constitution was ratified, the United States failed to recognize his citizenship while he was imprisoned. I feel that we must set the record straight and honor General Lafayette for his commitment to the United States by making him an honorary United States citizen. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the joint resolution was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
S. J. Res. 13
Whereas the United States has conferred honorary citizenship on four other occasions in more than 200 years of its independence, and honorary citizenship is and should remain an extraordinary honor not lightly conferred nor frequently granted;
Whereas Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, also known as the Marquis de Lafayette or General Lafayette, voluntarily put forth his own money and risked his life for the freedom of Americans;
Whereas the Marquis de Lafayette, by an Act of Congress, was voted to the rank of Major General;
Whereas, during the Revolutionary War, General Lafayette was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine, demonstrating bravery that forever endeared him to the American soldiers;
Whereas the Marquis de Lafayette secured the help of France to aid the United States' colonists against Great Britain;
Whereas the Marquis de Lafayette was conferred the honor of honorary citizenship by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Maryland;
Whereas the Marquis de Lafayette was the first foreign dignitary to address Congress, which honor was accorded him upon his return to the United States in 1824;
Whereas, upon his death, both the House of Representatives and the Senate draped their chambers in black as a demonstration of respect and gratitude for his contribution to the independence of the United States;
Whereas an American flag has flown over his grave in France since his death and has not been removed, even while France occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II; and
Whereas the Marquis de Lafayette gave aid to the United States in time need and is forever a symbol of freedom: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, also known as the Marquis de Lafayette, is proclaimed to be an honorary citizen of the United States of America.
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