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Mr. BINGAMAN. Of course, two-lane rural NHS roads are not unique to the large western states. Even in the East, where states are smaller, many NHS routes remain only two lanes. In Vermont, 78 percent of rural NHS roads are only two lanes, in New Hampshire it's 84 percent and 99 percent in Maine.
Mr. President, I do believe it is time Congress took action to improve the safety of cars and trucks on these important two-lanes roads. This year, I secured $1 million in federal funding to begin the upgrade of US64/87 between Clayton and Raton, which is part of the Ports-to-Plains High Priority Corridor on the National Highway System.
In addition, Senator ROBERTS and I have introduced legislation to designate US Highway 54 from El Paso, Texas, through New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma to Wichita, Kansas as the SPIRIT High Priority Corridor. Our bipartisan bill has three cosponsors. A high-priority corridor designation provides no additional federal funding , but helps focus attention on the need to upgrade the nation's major two-lanes routes. The sponsors of the bill have joined me
in urging the Environment and Public Works Committee to act promptly on our bill.
Mr. President, the purpose of the bill I am introducing today, the Rural Four-Lane Highway Safety and Development Act of 2002, is to provide direct federal funding to states to upgrade existing two-lane roads in rural areas to safe and efficient four-lane divided highways . The states would determine which two-lane roads they wanted to upgrade. To be eligible for funding , the highway must be on the National Highway System or a congressionally designated High Priority Corridor. In my bill, priority for funding is given to upgrading the most dangerous two-lane highways , routes most affected by increased traffic as a result of NAFTA, highways that have high levels of commercial traffic, and projects that will help stimulate regional economic growth. Total funding for six years is $1.8 billion from the highway trust fund.
Mr. President, I continue to believe strongly in the important role of highway infrastructure to economic development. Even in this age of the so-called ``new'' economy and high-speed digital communications, roads continue to link our communities together and to carry the commercial goods and products our citizens need. Safe and efficient highways are especially important to citizens in the rural parts of our country.
I recognize that the funding level in this bill is not large enough to upgrade all of the remaining two-lane routes on the NHS in the course of the next six years. Upgrading an existing two-lane road to a full four-lane divided highway can cost upward of one million dollars per mile.
Moreover, some of the existing two-lane roads probably don't have sufficient traffic to justify upgrading at this time. In addition, some two-lane NHS routes pass through scenic areas where it may not be appropriate to upgrade to four lanes. However, I do believe the funding in this bill will take us a long way toward ensuring the most critical projects are completed in the next six years.
Mr. President, next year Congress must take up the reauthorization of the comprehensive six-year transportation bill, TEA-21. I am introducing this bill today to help ensure that the issue of the safety of rural two-lane NHS routes will receive the attention it deserves in the debate on reauthorization. I look forward to working with the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator JEFFORDS, and Senator SMITH, the ranking member, as well as Senators REID and INHOFE of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, to find a way to ensure additional federal resources are in place to begin the work of upgrading existing two-lane NHS roads to safe, efficient four-lane divided highways .
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the bill be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Four-Lane Highway Safety and Development Act of 2002''.
SEC. 2. RURAL 4-LANE HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.--Title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 138 the following:``§139. Rural 4-lane highway development program
``(a) DEFINITIONS.--In this section:
``(1) 2-LANE HIGHWAY.--The term `2-lane highway' means a highway that has not more than 1 lane of traffic in each direction.
``(2) 4-LANE HIGHWAY.--The term `4-lane highway' means a highway that has 2 lanes of traffic in each direction.
``(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.--The Secretary shall establish and carry out a program to make allocations to States for projects, consisting of planning, design, environmental review, and construction, to expand eligible 2-lane highways in rural areas to 4-lane highways .
``(c) APPLICATIONS.--To be eligible to receive an allocation under this section, a State shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such form, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
``(d) ELIGIBLE HIGHWAYS .--The Secretary may make allocations under this section only for projects to expand 2-lane highways that are on--
``(1) the National Highway System; or
``(2) a high priority corridor identified under section 1105(c) of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (105 Stat. 2032).
``(e) PRIORITY IN SELECTION.--In making allocations under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to--
``(1) projects to improve highway safety on the most dangerous rural 2-lane highways on the National Highway System;
``(2) projects carried out on rural highways with respect to which the annual volume of commercial vehicle traffic--
``(A) has increased since the date of enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (107 Stat. 2057); or
``(B) is expected to increase after the date of enactment of this section;
``(3) projects carried out on rural highways with high levels of commercial truck traffic; and
``(4) projects on highway corridors that will help stimulate regional economic growth and development in rural areas.
``(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.--There is authorized to be appropriated from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) to carry out this section $300,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2009.''.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.--The analysis for chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 138 the following:
``139. Rural 4-lane highway development program.''.
By Ms. MIKULSKI (for herself, Mr. DASCHLE, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. SARBANES, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. TORRICELLI, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. CORZINE, and Mr. SCHUMER):
S. 2907. A bill to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 900 Brentwood Road, NE, in Washington, D.C., as the ``Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr. Processing and Distribution Center''; to the Committee on Governmental Affairs.
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill to rename the Brentwood Postal Facility after Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr., the two postal workers who died in last year's anthrax attack.
I have expressed my deepest condolences to the families of these two men, both residents of my State of Maryland. They were true public servants. They were patriots. They died in service to their country. I want to you to know that I will be standing sentry to make sure that we do not forget Joe Curseen and Tom Morris.
America must remember the sacrifices they made, the pain felt by their families, and everyone affected by the anthrax attacks. All of our Nation's postal workers deserve our attention and our gratitude for their bravery, steadfastness and dedication to duty. The lives of Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr. truly exemplify the best qualities of our Nation's postal workers.
Joseph Curseen was a native of Washington, DC and a long-time resident of Prince George's County, MD. Mr. Curseen began and ended each day at his job with a handshake and a smile for his colleagues. He enjoyed his job at the postal service so much that he never called in sick during his 15 years there.
He was also a leader in his community and in his church. As President of his neighborhood association, he and his wife of 16 years, Celestine, helped build a playground and a park for local children. He was also active in his local church and led a bible study group for his fellow postal workers. He will be missed by many.
Mr. Morris, who known as ``Moe'' by his friends at the Brentwood facility, was also a Washington, DC native and long-time resident of Maryland's Prince George's County. He was a veteran, serving over four years in the Air Force. He continued his public service with 23 years at the U.S. Postal Service.
His wife Mary says he was a quiet and deeply religious man who led by example. In her eulogy, she said that he was true to others and true to himself. Mr. Morris was a beloved husband, grandfather, father, and stepfather as well as president of his local bowling league. He will also be deeply missed.
By renaming Brentwood in their honor, America will pay tribute to their commitment to public service, their families and their communities.
At their funeral, these two dedicated public servants were awarded the Postmaster General's Medal of Freedom. Yesterday, Representatives Wynn, Norton and the rest of the Maryland delegation led the charge to pass a bill to rename the Brentwood facility for these two fallen heroes. Today, the Senate takes the next step to make sure that the Brentwood facility is renamed in honor of these fallen heroes.
On Friday, I will be going to New York to commemorate last year's terrorists attacks, to honor our public servants, our firemen, postal workers, port authority workers, EMTs, policemen, and all those who assisted in the rescues.
I want all postal workers to know that I am on their side. I will not forget how deeply they have suffered. I will continue to fight for them in Congress and make sure that their voice is heard.
It is our responsibility as United States Senators to ensure the right people are asking the right questions to protect all Americans from the risks of terrorism, and to ensure that all Americans who are victims of terrorist attacks are treated equally.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. JOSEPH CURSEEN, JR. AND THOMAS MORRIS, JR. PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION CENTER.
(a) REDESIGNATION.--The facility of the United States Postal Service located at 900 Brentwood Road, NE, in Washington, D.C., and known as the Brentwood Processing and Distribution Center, shall be known and designated as the ``Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr. Processing and Distribution Center''.
(b) REFERENCES.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr. Processing and Distribution Center.
By Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. KOHL, Mr. REID, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. TORRICELLI, and Mr. JEFFORDS):
S. 2908. A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to establish at least one Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team in each State, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Armed Services.
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, today, I am introducing the Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Act of 2002. This bill would require the Secretary of Defense to establish at least one Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, WMD-CST, in each State by September 30, 2003. The cost of establishing, training, equipping, and operating these new teams would be paid for from existing fiscal year 2003 resources, thus requiring no additional spending.
I am pleased to be joined in this effort by Senators LEAHY, LIEBERMAN, KOHL, REID of Nevada, SARBANES, TORRICELLI, and JEFFORDS.
WMD-CSTs are comprised of 22 full-time National Guard personnel who are specially trained and equipped to deploy and assess suspected nuclear, chemical, biological, or other threats
[Page: S8306] GPO's PDF
The emerging chemical, biological, and other threats of the 21st century present new challenges to our military and to local first responders. The WMD-CSTs play a vital role in assisting local first responders in investigating and combating these new threats. The September 11 terrorist attacks emphasize the need to have full-time WMD-CSTs in each State. As the events of that day so clearly and tragically demonstrated, local first responders are on the front lines of combating terrorism and responding to other large-scale incidents. As we rethink the security needs of our country, we should support the creation of an additional 23 full-time WMD-CSTs as soon as possible. Establishing these additional full-time teams will improve the overall capability of Wisconsin and the other 18 States with part-time teams to prepare for and respond to potential threats in the future.
According to the National Guard Bureau, WMD-CSTs performed 694 operational missions between September 11, 2001, and August 26, 2002. These missions fall into three categories: ``response,'' ``standby,'' and ``assist.''
Response missions occur when a team is deployed to sample a suspected or known hazardous substance. Since September 11, WMD-CSTs have deployed on 151 response missions, most of which were to investigate reports of suspicious white powder in the wake of the anthrax attacks of last fall. Other response missions included reports of the presence of unknown liquids or of suspicious pieces of mail.
There have been 74 standby missions during this same time frame. On these missions, WMD-CSTs deploy to provide expertise to a specific community for the visit of a dignitary such as the President or a Governor, or for a large-scale event. In the past year, WMD-CSTs have been on standby for events including the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Milwaukee, the 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Salt Lake City, the World Series, the Super Bowl, and Mardi Gras.
Assist missions give WMD-CST members the opportunity to use their technical expertise to assist or provide advice to local first responders or other organizations and to participate in conferences and other events that focus on how to respond to attacks. In the past year, CSTs have performed 469 assist missions in support of local, State, and Federal agencies including law enforcement, hospitals, health departments, state emergency management agencies, the American Red Cross, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the United States Navy.
As I noted earlier, a WMD-CST was deployed to be on standby during this year's baseball All-Star game, which took place in my home State. Because Wisconsin has only a part-time WMD-CST, the Minnesota team was deployed on a standby mission to Milwaukee for this event. The members of Wisconsin's part-time WMD-CST also participated in this deployment. According to the Wisconsin National Guard, if Wisconsin had a full-time team, deployment of the Minnesota team would not have been necessary.
In light of the tragic events of September 11, the presence of at least one WMD-CST in each State is all the more imperative. These terrorist attacks, and the subsequent mobilization of tens of thousands of National Guardsmen and Reservists, also underscore the need to provide adequate resources for and to ensure full-time manning of the National Guard. As we move to establish at least one 22-member WMD-CST in each State, I call on the Pentagon to allocate the necessary resources to ensure adequate National Guard personnel end-strengths to provide for full-time manning and for the additional personnel necessary for these new teams.
I am pleased that this bill is supported by the Wisconsin National Guard and by the National Guard Association of the United States.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team Act of 2002''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF AT LEAST ONE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION CIVIL SUPPORT TEAM IN EACH STATE.
(a) REQUIREMENT.--The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that there is established, by not later than September 30, 2003, at least one Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team in each State.
(b) DEFINITIONS.--In this section:
(1) The term ``Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team'' means a team that--
(A) provides support for emergency preparedness programs to prepare for or to respond to any emergency involving the use of a weapon of mass destruction (as defined in section 1403 of the Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996 (50 U.S.C. 2302)); and
(B) is composed of members of National Guard who are performing duties as members of the team under the authority of subsection (c) of section 12310 of title 10, United States Code, while serving on active duty as described in subsection (a) of such section or on full-time National Guard duty under section 502(f) of title 32, United States Code.
(2) The term ``State'' includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam.
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