throughout my career I have been a staunch advocate for fiscal responsibility, believing that as a government we should make every effort to pay our own way and not leave our debts to our children. That same principle of fiscal…

one of the many items that the Senate failed to address during this Congress is legislation that would allow the states to protect themselves from unwanted out-of-state garbage. Three separate bills were offered in the Senate on this issue…

I add my voice to that of my senior colleague in thanking our colleague from Oklahoma for the way he has worked on this particular problem. For a number of months, this seemed to be one of those intractable problems that was probably not…

I intend to vote against the energy and water appropriations conference report this afternoon. I support the vast majority of the bill, in fact, there are a number of projects I have worked for years to have included. But, once again, in…

the suspense regarding this particular vote is long over, but the date on the effect and implications of PNTR in China is really just beginning. My rationale for supporting PNTR differs in some respects from my colleagues, who have mostly…

I would like to focus this morning on our constitutional responsibility to confirm judges. Virginia is one of the five states covered by the Fourth Circuit for the U.S. Court of Appeals. Today, one third of the seats on the Fourth Circuit…

last month, the Finance Committee reported a bill by voice vote to provide treatment for low-income women identified as having breast or cervical cancer through a federal screening program. I rise today to urge the Senate to expeditiously…

I am supporting the fiscal year 2001 Defense Appropriations Act with a very mixed sense of frustrated resignation and expectant hope for the way we are resourcing our national defense. A major source of frustration this year is that we…

I rise to introduce a new legislative proposal to help level the playing field for small businesses that try to provide health insurance for their employees and make health insurance more affordable for all Americans. While our economy is…

I want to join my senior colleague today in introducing legislation that will establish a Federal commission to commemorate the founding of the English colony at Jamestown nearly 400 years ago. Jamestown, the first permanent English Colony…

A majority of this body has already gone on record saying that we will make certain we pass a prescription drug benefit for seniors before we pass all of these other tax cuts. We passed a major tax cut on Friday. We are proposing to pass…

I supported final passage of the Death Tax Elimination Act. I'm a cosponsor of similar legislation, and I've long believed that simply dying shouldn't be a taxable event. Death and taxes may be inevitable, but they don't have to be…

I have visited the Carver Neighborhood of Richmond in my state. This neighborhood is a low-income community that thanks to collaborative efforts among the community, city, and federal government, has seen a tremendous decrease in crime…

lest there be any confusion on the vote we are about to cast, it is my understanding that minors who seek a prescription drug from a school-based health clinic can do so only after receiving consent from a parent or guardian. Given that…

A majority of this body--myself included--just voted to table both the Landrieu and Jeffords amendments, each of which have the laudable goals of increasing funding for disadvantaged and special education students. The problem with both…

this past April when the Senate was debating its annual budget resolution, I offered an amendment which stated that if Congress was going to consider massive tax cuts this year, it must first pass legislation that modernizes Medicare…

2 weeks ago, at a health care forum I sponsored in Virginia, a doctor told me of a woman with breast cancer splitting her Tamoxofin pills with two other breast cancer patients, because the drug was so expensive that the other two couldn't…

I rise to support the Smith-Kennedy legislation. This legislation will simply strengthen existing hate crime laws by enhancing the Federal Government's ability to assist State and local prosecutions. It is a little bit like Project Exile…

As we approach the 56th Anniversary of D-Day, June 6th, 1944, we should pause to reflect on the valor and sacrifice of the men who died on the beaches of Normandy. In the vanguard of the force that landed on that June morning, was the…

the Navy's ship maintenance problem is large--and growing larger. Scheduled heavy maintenance for fifteen ships has already been canceled this fiscal year. Without the funds provided by this amendment, the Navy will either cancel or…

we may not have any more important debate this session than the one we are having now on the reauthorization of the major piece of federal legislation affecting K-12 education, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. I was pleased to…

I rise to offer a Senate resolution designating May each year as the Month for Children. Children are our nation's future, and it is important that we recognize the significant contributions that children make to their homes, schools and…

I'm pleased to introduce the Assistance in Development to Communities Act. This bill addressed the importance--and need--for community-based, economic development to assist areas in trade-related, economic transitions. Despite the…

I am pleased to support the substitute Budget Resolution introduced by Senator Lautenberg. Unlike the Republican Budget Resolution, Senator Lautenberg's Democratic alternative puts real teeth into priorities such as prescription drugs…