Sep 06 2006

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made the following statement on release of the new Army Field Manual and President Bush’s proposal for military tribunals. On Army Field Manual: “I’m extremely pleased with the Army Field Manual. In my opinion it is a model for the international community when it comes to detaining and interrogating unlawful enemy combatants. It’s clear the Bush Administration listened to and responded to the input from the Congress, military officials and legal scholars. The revised Army Field Manual exceeded my expectations. I appreciate and applaud the Administration for their work on this issue.” On Military Tribunals: “The next challenge we face is the establishment of military commissions to try terror suspects. We need to ensure the commissions can withstand judicial scrutiny, hold terrorists accountable for their actions, and make the American people proud of our justice system. “It is imperative Congress and the President work together to authorize military commissions and allow trials to move forward. I hope we can complete this by the end of September as it is in our national interest to conduct these trials without further delay. It is also important the military commissions comply with the Supreme Court’s Hamdan decision and be modeled, where applicable, after the military court martial system. There will need to be some modifications made as the needs of the commission are different from a court martial. “I believe what differences we may have between the current Bush Administration proposal and the Senate Armed Services Committee draft proposal can be overcome and that agreement will soon be reached. I look forward to being part of that process and am pleased with the working relationship I have formed with the Administration on this issue. “I do not think we can afford to again cut legal corners that will result in federal court rejection of our work product. I’m hopeful that spirit will prevail among all the parties. If we approach commissions with the same attitude we had on the Army Field Manual, we will have a successful outcome. “One area of contention we must address is how classified information can be used in a military commission. “I strongly support the government’s ability to withhold classified information vital to our national security from accused terrorists. The military justice system already has legal procedures in place dealing with the admissibility of classified information. Military lawyers have experience in protecting classified information and our national security. We can and should use their advice and experience on how to deal with classified information in creating the commission system. The Senate proposal contains important national security safeguards to protect classified information and relies on the advice and counsel of JAGs from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. “I believe it would be a mistake to allow the jury to see classified evidence the accused never sees. After many consultations with military legal officers (JAGs) in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, I do not believe it is necessary to have a trial where the accused cannot see the evidence against them. I fear that creating such a procedure would not be well-received by the courts. The military legal officers (JAGs) serving in uniform have also expressed concern that this could establish a precedent that could be used against our own troops. I share this concern.” #####

Sep 06 2006

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint today announced Sandhills Medical Foundation in Jefferson will receive a $400,000 Ryan White CARE Act grant to implement an HIV/AIDS oral health initiative. The funds will be used to provide oral health care to persons living with HIV or AIDS in underserved areas where oral health services are inadequate or do not exist. Sandhills Medical Foundation is one of fifteen sites selected nationwide to implement a demonstration project using novel approaches to provide care. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ####

Sep 05 2006

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint today announced the South Carolina Office of Rural Health will receive a $98,368 grant to provide technical assistance to rural medical facilities. All qualified EMS and rural medical facilities will be eligible to apply for assistance, but special focus will be given to the 104 Rural Health Clinics located in medically underserved communities. Technical assistance workshops will focus on: billing, coding, and practice management; coding training and certification for rural physician and EMS personnel; human resources training; and loans to rural health care providers for renovation, expansion, acquisition, or equipment purchase. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ####

Sep 05 2006

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint today announced the Georgetown County United Way will receive a $2,650,870 grant to support early childhood reading. The funds will be used by United Way of Georgetown County along with coalition partners First Steps of Georgetown and Williamsburg Counties, Little Smurfs Child Care Center, and the Georgetown and Williamsburg School Districts to implement the Building Literacy Opportunities for Coastal Kindergartens (BLOCK) program. BLOCK helps provide enhanced learning opportunities for students in rural, poverty-stricken areas of coastal South Carolina. The program seeks to improve students’ oral language, alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and print awareness skills. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. ####

Aug 31 2006

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint today announced community health centers in Little River and Ridgeland will receive Community Health Center grants totaling more than $370,000. Community Health Center grants are designed to promote the development and operation of community-based primary health care service systems in medically underserved areas. The grants will allow both centers to expand services to their surrounding communities. Little River Little River Medical Center will receive a $270,907 grant. Ridgeland Beaufort-Jasper Comprehensive Health Services will receive a $102,248 grant. The grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ####

Aug 31 2006

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint today announced the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) will receive two grants for nearly $1 million to improve future capacity to conduct DNA tests and to help reduce the backlog of DNA analysis cases. SLED will receive a $666,200 grant to improve DNA-testing infrastructure and analysis capacity at government-owned labs to prevent future DNA backlogs. In addition, SLED will receive a $332,766 grant to analyze backlogged forensic DNA casework in government-owned labs and private vendors. Both grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice. ####

Aug 30 2006

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint today announced nearly $300,000 in Drug-Free Community (DFC) Grants for Columbia, Lancaster, and Sumter. The DFC Program provides grants to community organizations that serve as catalysts for citizen participation in local drug prevention efforts. Columbia Richland One Community Coalition will receive a $99,997 grant. Lancaster Lancaster County Prevention Coalition will receive a $98,021 grant. Sumter Sumter Citizens Coalition will receive a $99,985 grant. The grants are awarded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. ####

Aug 30 2006

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint today announced more than $500,000 for emergency response initiatives in Beaufort and Kershaw schools. Beaufort County School District will receive a $294,771 grant and Kershaw County School District will receive $211,460. Emergency Response and Crisis Management Grants provide funds to local education agencies to improve and strengthen emergency response plans in all four areas of crisis response: prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. ####

Aug 28 2006

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint today announced the South Carolina Department of Public Safety will receive a $616,000 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention grant to improve our state’s juvenile justice system. The funds may be used for a variety of programs and activities including: planning and administration, compliance monitoring, juvenile justice issues for American Indian tribes, substance abuse prevention, crime prevention, gang involvement prevention, identification of at risk youth, treatment programs, and aftercare. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice. ####

Aug 28 2006

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham today announced Orangeburg County will receive a $54,409 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. The funds will be used to purchase security cameras to monitor the Orangeburg County Courthouse. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice. ####