Numbers & Notables 519 Hoosiers toured the U.S. Capitol Building with members of Senator Lugar’s staff. Announced Lugar staff and volunteers from the Greater Indianapolis Branch of the NAACP will interview local veterans for the Veterans History Project at the Tillman H. Harpole American Legion Post 249 on November 11, 2005, from 10:00 am-2:00 pm American Legion Post 249 is located at 2523 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street in Indianapolis. Announced firefighter assistance grants from the Department of Homeland Security for 3 Hoosier communities. Hosted a briefing on October 13 for congressional staff on the future of the U.S. automotive industry in an era of historically high oil and gasoline prices. Announced grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for 18 Hoosier communities. Announced that the U.S. Department of Labor awarded Ivy Tech with a $2.6 million grant from the President’s Community Based Job Training Initiative. Wrote a letter to Ford Motor Company’s Chairman of the Board and CEO, William Clay Ford, Jr., supporting the company’s decision to increase the production of hybrid and flexible fuel vehicles. ??DID YOU KNOW?? Senator Lugar was honored by his alma mater, Denison University, with the newly established Class of 1954 Richard G. Lugar Professorship in Public Policy. Senator Lugar, an economics major at Denison, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and valedictorian of his class. He was co-president of his class with Charlene Smeltzer, now his wife of 49 years. |
As always, it is great to have an opportunity to share my activities with you. October brought multiple Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings including an open hearing with Secretary Rice on Iraq. This was the 30th full committee hearing held by the Foreign Relations Committee since January 2003 as part of our ongoing oversight of U.S. policy towards Iraq. In the midst of Senate duties in Washington, it was a special highlight to dedicate the new Decatur Intermediate Learning Center and the Richard G. Lugar Educational Complex. The new education complex is located across the road from our Lugar family farm in Decatur Township. My father, Marvin, graduated from Decatur Township schools and my grandfather, Webster, coached Marvin on the Valley Mills High School basketball team. Please keep closely in touch and please keep sharing your important insights with me. Sincerely,
Lugar announces
renewable fuel advancements for Indiana Senator Dick Lugar’s office was notified that eight Indiana gas stations will receive grants to establish new E-85 fueling locations. E-85 is motor fuel with 85 percent ethanol content and 15 percent gasoline. The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition recently awarded $1,000 grants to:
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program made these funds available within the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Report. Indiana currently has five public E-85 refueling stations supported by the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. “With high oil prices, ethanol, biodiesel and fuels produced from biomass become increasingly important. Hoosiers growing the feedstocks for these fuels will add to our nation’s security while helping our communities prosper,” Lugar said. Lugar was also recently notified that USDA Rural Development awarded $100,000 to Indiana Ethanol, LLC, $100,000 to Indiana Renewable Fuels and $50,000 to Indiana Uplands Grape Growers Cooperative, Inc. The grants were part of over $14.6 million in USDA Rural Development grant assistance under the Value Added Producer Grant Program. Indiana received two of the 32 energy related grants awarded nationally to assess the feasibility of marketing ethanol and bio-diesel or other types of renewable energy.
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Decatur Township Educational Complex Named for Lugar As guest speaker at the reserved-seat Celebration Luncheon at the school’s cafeteria, Lugar launched the Richard G. Lugar Grant. This special grant will be awarded each year to classes in Decatur Township for the pursuit of education in the areas of government, political science or foreign relations. The new educational complex is located across the road from Lugar’s 604-acre farm. Lugar’s father, Marvin, graduated from Decatur Township schools and his grandfather, Webster, coached Marvin on the Valley Mills High School basketball team. Learn more about Senator Lugar's farm and about farming walnut trees.
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Lugar
Announces Medicare Prescription Drug Sessions
Beginning in 2006, all 880,545 Medicare beneficiaries living in Indiana will be eligible for prescription drug coverage through a Medicare-approved plan. In exchange for an average monthly premium of about $32, individuals who are now paying the full retail price for prescription drugs will be able to cut their drug costs roughly in half. Low-income individuals will receive additional protections. The prescription plan is voluntary. Many Medicare beneficiaries already have prescription coverage equal to or better than the coverage offered under the new prescription drug program. These individuals will be allowed to retain their current policies without change. However, Medicare beneficiaries with limited or no prescription coverage currently will have the opportunity to choose from a variety of plans to determine what best meets their needs. Medicare beneficiaries in Indiana who choose a stand-alone plan can get coverage for as little as $12.30 a month. Many plans in Indiana will also offer coverage with reduced or no deductible. Other plans will offer coverage that goes beyond Medicare’s coverage limits. Personalized information is available at the Medicare website: http://www.Medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). The Indiana Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) is also available to provide guidance at 1-800-452-4800. In addition, Lugar’s office is working with AARP Indiana educate Hoosiers about this legislation. Information sessions on the new Medicare prescription drug program will be held:
Registration is not required to attend these sessions. For questions please contact Bill Gibson in Senator Lugar’s Indianapolis office at 317-226-5555. Senator Launches PSA Campaign on Medicare Prescription Drug Program On October 11, Senator Lugar launched a Public Service Announcement campaign to educate Hoosiers on the Medicare prescription drug plan and encourage them to sign-up by the deadline to avoid paying a penalty. Lugar has teamed with Nancy Griffin of AARP Indiana in three of four 30-second PSAs encouraging Indiana’s 800,000-plus Medicare participants to enroll in an appropriate plan between November 15, 2005 and May 15, 2006. Anyone who enrolls by December 31, 2005, will have coverage effective January 1, 2006. People who enroll after May 15, 2006, will have a 1 percent per month premium penalty for each month they delay enrollment. “Hopefully, TV and radio stations statewide will incorporate these PSAs into their schedule rotation,” Lugar said. “It is important that Hoosiers know to enroll in one of Medicare’s prescription drug programs between November 15, 2005 and May 15, 2006 to avoid paying a penalty.” The four PSAs explain that different options exist in signing up for the prescription drug benefit program and that participants with questions should call 1-800-MEDICARE. |
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Sec. Rice Testifies Before Foreign Relations Committee
"We are engaged in a difficult
mission in Iraq, and the President and Congress
must be clear with the American people about the
stakes involved and the difficulties yet to come.
Almost 2,000 heroic Americans have died in Iraq
during the past two and a half years. During the
insurgency, thousands of Iraqi Muslims have been
killed by other Muslims. Each day, the Iraqi people
are living with the fear caused by these tragic
and senseless acts of violence, but they continue
to show their resilience." "This past weekend, millions of Iraqis voted to pass a Constitution. The apparent success of the vote was a welcome development, although it does not solve the fundamental political problem of ethnic and sectarian fragmentation. The Constitution and Iraqi attitudes toward it reflect the divisions within society. The Kurds and the Shiites who have dominated the drafting of the Constitution have opted for a weak central government structure that maximizes their autonomy in the regions where they predominate. Meanwhile, most Sunnis reject such an arrangement as leaving them with few resources and little power. These perceived inequities fuel the insurgency by Sunni rejectionists and threaten civil conflict that could mean the permanent division of Iraq." "It has become common in discussions of Iraq to say that without security little can be achieved politically or economically. But it is also important to understand that there is no purely military solution in Iraq. Success depends on establishing a political process that gives all the major ethnic groups a stake in the government. For the next two months, until the December elections, the task before the Coalition is convincing the Sunni minority to participate in the process despite their distrust of the Constitution. To this end we must also prevail on the Shiites and Kurds to be flexible, even though they already have much of what they want in the current Constitution." "As we pursue these issues, we should recognize that most Americans are focused on an exit strategy in Iraq. Even if withdrawal timelines are deemed unwise because they might provide a strategic advantage to the insurgency, the American people need to more fully understand the basis upon which our troops are likely to come home. That is part of the reason why this Committee has spent a great deal of time examining the training of Iraqi forces and the progress of the Iraqi political process -- two elements that can lead to short-term improvements in Iraq and a drawdown of American troops." "The American people also need realistic and clear assessments of our progress in Iraq, even when the indicators are sobering. Beyond Iraq, they need more information about how the outcome in Iraq relates to U.S. national security and the broader war on terrorism. They also need to see an all-out diplomatic effort aimed at addressing regional issues, including maintaining the momentum of the Arab-Israeli peace process." |
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Lugar
Awarded First Annual Charles T. Manatt Democracy
Award
Senator Lugar was awarded the first annual Charles T. Manatt Democracy Award on October 19 for his long history of bipartisan work to promote the development of democratic institutions in the world and dedication to free and fair elections. Named after the former chairman of the National Democratic Committee, the award was presented by IFES, which was established as the International Foundation for Election Systems in 1987. Lugar shared the first Manatt Democracy Award with Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado, who has been a leading advocate of democratic reform in the Dominican Republic and throughout Latin America. At the height of the Cold War,
Lugar was part of a group of bipartisan political
leaders who convinced President Ronald Reagan that
the United States should oppose both communist dictatorships
as well as anti-communist authoritarian regimes.
Lugar led a delegation appointed by President Reagan
to observe the 1986 Philippine elections that led
to ouster of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. |
On
October 8, Senator Lugar made remarks and cut
the ceremonial ribbon at the dedication of the
Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township’s
new Decatur Intermediate Learning Center and the
Richard G. Lugar Educational Complex located at
5650 Mann Road, Indianapolis, Indiana.
On
October 19, Lugar presided over the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee hearing on Iraq policy with
testimony from Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice. This was the 30th full hearing on Iraq held
by Lugar’s committee since January 2003,
in addition to numerous other hearings that have
partially touched on the subject of Iraq. Below
are excerpts from his opening statement at the
hearing:
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Lugar Announces
Senate Passage of Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Bill On October 25, Senator Lugar announced Senate passage of H.R. 1409, the Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005, which was the companion bill to S. 350 introduced in February of this year by Lugar and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA). “Every 14 seconds another child is orphaned by AIDS,” Lugar (R-IN) said. “This crisis has profound implications for political stability, development and human welfare that extend far beyond the region. Turning the tide requires a coordinated, comprehensive and swift response.” “This bill improves our ability to provide assistance to orphans and vulnerable children in developing countries, who otherwise stand to lose generations of educated and trained professionals who can contribute meaningfully to their countries’ development,” Lugar added. An estimated 110 million orphans live in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic is rapidly expanding that population. Currently, an estimated 14 million children have been orphaned by AIDS, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. This number is projected to soar to more than 25 million by 2010. The Assistance for Orphans Act requires the U.S. to develop a comprehensive strategy for providing assistance to orphans and vulnerable children and authorizes the President to support community-based organizations that provide for their basic care. It supports school lunch programs, improved school enrollment by eliminating school fees and protects inheritance rights of orphans and widows with children. Lugar also co-authored bipartisan legislation which was introduced in the Senate to accelerate the development of vaccines for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other infectious diseases. Lugar's bill would require the United States to develop a comprehensive strategy to accelerate research and development in vaccines that increases public-private sector partnerships. The bill would require the United States government to commit to purchasing vaccines for these diseases once they are developed through "advance market commitments" and create a tax credit for companies that invest in research and development for vaccines for these diseases. Lugar has a long history of prioritizing the challenges faced by Africa and the consequences of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. He led the effort to secure passage of the Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986 and was the Senate originator of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Under his chairmanship, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has examined many subjects related to HIV/AIDS, including the intersection of AIDS and hunger, the AIDS orphan crisis, the impact of the disease on women and girls in the developing world, and the implementation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS relief (PEPFAR). YouthAIDS and Africare have recognized Lugar for his leadership in responding to the international HIV/AIDS pandemic by. Lugar Continues To Support Legislation to Boost Low Income Heating Assistance During the month of October, Senator Lugar repeatedly supported emergency funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Unfortunately, amendments offered to the Department of Defense Appropriations bill, the Transportation/Treasury Appropriations bill and Labor-HHS Appropriations bill to increase funding were all defeated. The amendments attempted to fund LIHEAP at the $5.1 billion level authorized for FY06 in the Energy Policy Act passed by Congress and signed by the President this summer. LIHEAP has distributed $199 million in Indiana from FY2002 to FY2005. Supporters of the increased funding cite the impact of Hurricane Katrina on energy prices as the rationale for emergency spending. The expected increase in heating costs this winter would have a significant impact on the low- and fixed-income individuals who qualify for LIHEAP, and state LIHEAP programs are expecting a major increase in applications. Lugar has long been a supporter of LIHEAP and recently joined 40 Senators in sending a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee requesting that emergency LIHEAP funds be added to the proposed supplemental appropriations bill to address the impact of Hurricane Katrina. “Additional funding is critical to avoid a looming, but preventable, crisis for millions of additional Americans caused by the soaring cost and diminishing affordability of home heating fuel as winter approaches…The effects of Hurricane Katrina are being felt by Americans outside of the Gulf Region as gasoline, heating oil and natural gas prices rise in the wake of this disaster. Indeed, there is an imminent emergency confronting millions of low-income Americans unable to afford the cost of rising energy prices,” the letter said. In addition to supporting immediate assistance, Lugar has advocated a diversified national energy policy to reduce U.S. vulnerability to interruptions in the energy markets and improve its long-term energy situation. In 1999 during a time of relatively low gasoline prices, he co-authored “The New Petroleum” in Foreign Affairs with former CIA Director James Woolsey. This essay outlined the challenges the U.S. would face in an increasingly energy dependent world if reliable, domestically produced forms of fuel were not developed. More information on LIHEAP in Indiana is available
at: http://www.state.in.us/fssa/families/housing/eas.html.
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