Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

August 9, 2007

West Virginia Circuit Clerks Conference Remarks

By Senator Jay Rockefeller

Introduction

Thank you, Justice Maynard, for that kind introduction. And thanks to all of you for the invitation to be here today.

I want you to know just how much I appreciate what our county elected officials are doing across West Virginia.

You are on the front lines. You know the problems people are facing, and you know what it’s going to take to fix them.

You’re professional. You’re proficient. And because of the unique, entrenched roles you play in your communities – I know how much you follow what’s going on in Washington.

You want to know about the issues that are affecting you, the people you serve, and your country.

That’s why I’d like to give you a quick update on some of the issues we just wrapped up in Congress before the August recess.

We made some remarkable progress on a lot of issues, including one that’s so important for our nation’s children.

Snapshot of what was accomplished before recess:

CHIP

The Senate passed a bipartisan bill that will maintain coverage for all 6.6 million low-income children currently in the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and provide health insurance to 3.2 million more.

This legislation not only guarantees that CHIP will include the nearly 40,000 kids in West Virginia who were enrolled last year -- but it also makes coverage available to millions more children nationwide, including 4,000 more in our state.

This is an incredibly important piece of legislation. CHIP combines the best of public and private health coverage to get medical care to American children in need. It gets kids in working families the doctor visits and medicines they need when they’re sick, and the checkups they need to stay well.

In 10 years, CHIP has reduced the number of low-income children living without health insurance by one-third; this bill will cover more than another third of all the uninsured children in America.

I think we can all agree that one child without health insurance is one child too many – and this bill goes a long way toward making sure all of our kids get the healthy start they deserve.

Ethics

The Senate also passed the most sweeping ethics and lobbying reforms in generations. The bill requires greater disclosure and transparency for lobbyist activities. It requires earmarks to be fully disclosed for the first time ever. And it tightens gift limits for Members of Congress and their staffs to ensure those given the public trust uphold it.

The American people asked us in November to change the way business is done in Washington, and we heard that call – by passing this bill to ensure the ethical transgressions we all saw last year shouldn’t happen again.

Student Loan Forgiveness

We also included a provision in the Higher Education Access Act that establishes a student loan forgiveness program for those who spend 10 years in a public service job.

This is an initiative I’ve supported for a long time, because I believe that too often, college graduates who devote their careers to social work and public service are at a disadvantage and left to pay back high student loans with low salaries. We need to be encouraging these people to do their jobs, not making it harder on them.

Wounded Warriors

The Senate also passed the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act of 2007. This important legislation addresses many of the problems soldiers face when transitioning from the active duty to veteran’s health care system.

The last thing our soldiers need when returning home is a cumbersome paperwork process. We’re determined to fix it, and this legislation will go a long way toward giving our wounded soldiers the support they’ve earned and deserve.

FISA

Last week, I also proposed a short-term fix to FISA (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) – with the expectation that the Senate will take up a longer-term modernization this fall.

My proposal would have given our intelligence community the tools they need to fight terrorism, and to improve the collection of foreign intelligence – all while protecting Americans’ civil liberties.

Instead, the Senate passed a bill that undermines the FISA Court and concedes unprecedented authority to the Attorney General.

It does contain the six-month sunset that we insisted upon, and that gives us an immediate opportunity and responsibility to come back and strike the right balance.

Iraq

While Foreign Surveillance is one component of the War on Terror, I’m told that you’re also interested in hearing my views on Iraq.

Our country remains at great risk, and I’m very frustrated by the course the Administration has pursued.

Instead of finishing the job in Afghanistan, our resources were diverted to Iraq – which did not pose a great threat to the United States. As a result, the war in Iraq has made us less safe, and I’ve believed for a long time that we need to change course.

The U.S. military cannot solve the political and societal problems in that country. And an open-ended commitment only means more loss of life for American soldiers.

I believe we need to immediately begin to draw down our military involvement in Iraq’s civil war, keep fighting the limited Al Qaeda elements that are there, and address the critical U.S. interests in the region primarily through diplomacy.

The good news is that there is real momentum, and a growing, widespread consensus that change in Iraq is needed. The President is expected to provide Congress with a progress report in September, and I’m hopeful that this could be a real turning point and an opportunity to change course.

Many of us in Congress will continue fighting for what the vast majority of the American people know we need: changing the mission in Iraq, bringing our troops home responsibly, and refocusing our resources on Al Qaeda and the real threat it poses.

As you can see, we reached some key agreements before we recessed – but there’s still so much to be done. We need to be doing even more in health care, more for our veterans – and more to end this critically mismanaged war.

I know these are all issues that you hear about, think about and worry about everyday.

And so do I.

I thank you again for the invitation to be here today, and for the tremendous job you’re doing across West Virginia. The rest of government couldn’t operate without the crucial work you do in your communities.

I wish you the best for the remainder of your conference.

Thank you.

Issues

Press Room: Press Releases

West Virginia Circuit Clerks Conference Remarks

By Senator Jay Rockefeller