I want to thank Senator Wyden and Senator Crapo for their cooperation in the establishment of the subcommittee.

We do believe we are good neighbors; we think we are good neighbors with Delaware and West Virginia.

Congress has both the power and the responsibility to enact policy changes that acknowledge the reality that good oral health is central to overall health and financial stability.

Everywhere we go, we have a shortage in the health-care fields.

the risk factors to our population and the cost factors to our population indicate that the Federal Government today is not carrying out its responsibility.

Your longstanding bipartisan support saves lives.

We estimated a $4-million savings per year to the Medicaid budget by expanding adult dental.

So, we generally learn that where people train, they are more likely to stay.

the payment of services for the treatment of oral diseases by Medicare and Medicaid will also improve oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) across the life spectrum for persons within this socioeconomic demographic.

Representing the State of Maryland, I am going to bring up the Chesapeake Bay.

I hope we will see the day that we can expand Medicare to include dental, and we were close, I thought, in the last Congress.

I just really want to underscore the importance of our community health centers in providing dental care.

I was going to rebut Senator Wicker's comments, but I think I will allow the Secretary to testify.

The Federal Government, as you acknowledge, has the responsibility under the Clean Air Act to make sure that we achieve what science tells us we can achieve in a cost effective manner.

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lujan). Without objection, it is so ordered. S. 316

I take this time to urge my colleagues to support S. 316. I congratulate and thank Senators Kaine and Young for their leadership on this issue. It will give us an opportunity to finally repeal the 1991 and the 2002 authorizations for the…

Enforcement is going to be critically important. In a traditional agreement, there is an enforcement mechanism that leads, ultimately, to significant economic sanctions if the provisions are not carried out.

What worries me now is, we are going down a path in which you are using these framework agreements, bypassing the formal relationship with Congress.

I want to underscore the concerns I have moving forward.

The SBA needs to be efficient and serve America's entrepreneurs. It does not need to be making risky bets on the taxpayer's dime.

Small businesses want tax fairness, and for them that means simplicity, easy to understand.

I think that technical assistance will be very important. We do have a resource problem, but we also have a management issue.

It is one of the best investments we can make--oral health. We get great returns.

I just really want to applaud the efforts that have been, at least in my state of Maryland we have gone from one Women's Business Center to four Women's Business Centers.

I really do believe that this needs to have congressional authorization.