Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act

Mr. President, today I am reintroducing the Military Voting Protection Act--a bipartisan bill to support our troops and protect their right to vote. In every Federal election in recent memory, American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have encountered substantial roadblocks in the voting process, especially those who are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a national disgrace.

Our military service members put their lives on the line to protect the rights and freedoms of all Americans. In return, it is our responsibility to do everything we can to support them. The nature of the Global War on Terror and the high tempo of U.S. military operations--including our surge into Afghanistan--will necessitate overseas service by our troops for the foreseeable future. It is imperative that we put in place a system to ensure that American service members serving abroad can participate in the democratic process even as they simultaneously fight to defend our democracy, its institutions, and the American way of life. Surely, these brave men and women have earned at least that much through their blood, sweat, and tears.

Yet the country they defend has repeatedly denied our troops one of our most sacred rights--the right to vote. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, in studying the 2006 election, found that only 47.6 percent of the military voters who requested absentee ballots were actually successful in casting those ballots. That means that less than half of those troops who wanted to vote were able to do so,

which is appalling. Overall participation rates among military and overseas voters in the November 2006 election were also extremely low. Looking at the big picture, there were roughly 6 million eligible military and overseas U.S. voters at that time, but only 16.5 percent of them were able to request an absentee ballot for the election. According to a 2006 DoD Inspector General report, only 59 percent of surveyed service members even knew where to obtain voting information on their installation, and only 40 percent had actually received assistance from their designated Voting Assistance Officer. Though the official data from the 2008 election is not yet available, the preliminary evidence indicates that our military voters faced the same array of problems in trying to cast their ballots as in previous elections.

Our troops report many procedural hurdles when trying to participate in federal, state, and local elections. States have inadequate processes and unreasonable timelines in place for transmitting blank absentee ballots to our troops, and the methods available to these service members for returning completed ballots to local election officials are both slow and antiquated. Moreover, there are a myriad of absentee voting rules and regulations that are extremely confusing and vary widely with each state. The process is clearly broken, and there is no excuse for not stepping up to challenge the status quo and streamline the process. We ask so much of our troops, and in return we have given them a voting system that is perplexing, frustrating, slow, and often dysfunctional. They deserve better.

The bill I introduce today can help address some of these procedural hurdles. The Military Voting Protection, MVP, Act will give our troops a louder and clearer voice at the polls by ensuring their absentee ballots are delivered back home in time to be counted and do not get lost on the way. It will reduce delays in the absentee voting process by requiring the Department of Defense to take a more active role in the process. The MVP Act will require the DoD to be responsible for collecting completed absentee ballots from overseas troops and then express-shipping them back to the U.S. in time to be counted, allowing troops to track their ballots while they are in transit and confirm their delivery after they arrive at local election offices.

I am pleased that Senators Wyden and Inhofe have joined me in this effort; it is a testament to their unwavering support for the members of our Armed Forces.

We should pass this bipartisan bill quickly so that elections officials have time to prepare for the 2010 election cycle. Meaningful reform will not come overnight, but now is the time to take up the cause of military voters. There are 18 months until the next election, which is enough time to implement significant improvements. If we fail, further disenfranchisement of military voters will likely result. We must avoid a repeat of 2004, 2006, and 2008.

This bill does not solve all the problems with our current military voting system, but it is an important first step. The Americans who answer the call to serve are a national treasure, and I remain in awe of their selfless sacrifice and commitment to the defense of freedom. In what is now the 8th year of the Global War on Terror, they continue to voluntarily step forward to defend our Nation and our freedom--often requiring immeasurable personal sacrifice by them and their loved ones. The members of this next ``greatest generation'' deserve nothing less than the same constitutional rights and individual liberties that they safeguard for their fellow citizens back home. It is the responsibility of Congress to ensure that they get them.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Carper in introducing a bill that would provide reasonable job protections for our Nation's volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel who save thousands of lives across this country every year.

This bill is a matter of simple fairness. It recognizes that volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel not only serve their own towns and offer mutual assistance to other communities on a day-to-day basis, but also that they are a key component in State and Federal plans for responding to catastrophic natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

Across the Nation, our emergency planning relies on the ready availability of these brave first responders. Indeed, volunteers are absolutely critical to mounting a response to disasters, both large and small. My home State of Maine, for example, has slightly more than 10,000 firefighters in 492 departments. Because Maine is a mostly rural State, fully 88 percent of those firefighters are volunteers.

Yet, even if they are called up in a major disaster or a Presidentially declared emergency under the Stafford Act, these volunteers have no official protection for their jobs while they are answering the call to duty.

We should protect volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel who put their lives on the line.

The current lack of job protection is troubling. If large numbers of volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel were terminated or demoted after being called away to a disaster or a series of disasters, recruitment and retention of volunteers could be devastated.

The Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act would correct the injustice and mitigate the danger in a measured and responsible way. It would protect the volunteer first responders against termination or demotion by employers if they are called upon to respond to a Presidentially declared emergency or a major disaster for up to 14 work days.

Most employers are strong supporters of our volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel, and this bill imposes no unreasonable burdens on employers. They are not obligated to pay the volunteers during their absence, and they are entitled to receive official documentation that an absent employee was in fact summoned to and served in a disaster response.

Finally, I would note that the bill would facilitate the work of emergency managers. Having this job protection in force would allow them to make operational and contingency plans with greater confidence, knowing that volunteer responders would not be forced to withdraw in short order for fear of losing their jobs.

By extending some peace of mind to these brave men and women, we can strengthen the protection and lifesaving response that they provide to many millions of Americans. I believe this bill merits the support of every Senator, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor.

Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Carper in introducing a bill that would provide reasonable job protections for our Nation's volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel who save thousands of lives across this country every year.

This bill is a matter of simple fairness. It recognizes that volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel not only serve their own towns and offer mutual assistance to other communities on a day-to-day basis, but also that they are a key component in State and Federal plans for responding to catastrophic natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

Across the Nation, our emergency planning relies on the ready availability of these brave first responders. Indeed, volunteers are absolutely critical to mounting a response to disasters, both large and small. My home State of Maine, for example, has slightly more than 10,000 firefighters in 492 departments. Because Maine is a mostly rural State, fully 88 percent of those firefighters are volunteers.

Yet, even if they are called up in a major disaster or a Presidentially declared emergency under the Stafford Act, these volunteers have no official protection for their jobs while they are answering the call to duty.

We should protect volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel who put their lives on the line.

The current lack of job protection is troubling. If large numbers of volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel were terminated or demoted after being called away to a disaster or a series of disasters, recruitment and retention of volunteers could be devastated.

The Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act would correct the injustice and mitigate the danger in a measured and responsible way. It would protect the volunteer first responders against termination or demotion by employers if they are called upon to respond to a Presidentially declared emergency or a major disaster for up to 14 work days.

Most employers are strong supporters of our volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel, and this bill imposes no unreasonable burdens on employers. They are not obligated to pay the volunteers during their absence, and they are entitled to receive official documentation that an absent employee was in fact summoned to and served in a disaster response.

Finally, I would note that the bill would facilitate the work of emergency managers. Having this job protection in force would allow them to make operational and contingency plans with greater confidence, knowing that volunteer responders would not be forced to withdraw in short order for fear of losing their jobs.

By extending some peace of mind to these brave men and women, we can strengthen the protection and lifesaving response that they provide to many millions of Americans. I believe this bill merits the support of every Senator, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor.

Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that upon disposition of the nomination of Justice Sotomayor and the Senate resuming legislative session, the Senate then proceed to consideration of Calendar No. 146, H.R. 3435; that the bill be considered under the following limitations; that each amendment be debated for a period of 30 minutes, equally divided and controlled in the usual form; that if there is a sequence of votes, then prior to each vote there be 2 minutes of debate, equally divided and controlled in the usual form; that after the first vote in a sequence, the remaining votes be limited to 10 minutes each: Harkin amendment regarding income limits, the Kyl amendment regarding status report substitute, the Gregg amendment regarding the budget resolution, the Vitter amendment regarding termination of TARP, the Coburn amendment regarding donations, the Thune amendment regarding government ownership plan, and the Isakson amendment regarding home purchases; that once the agreement is entered, the amendments be filed at the desk and printed in the Record; further, that upon disposition of the listed amendments, the bill be read a third time, the Senate proceed to vote on passage of the bill; provided further that on Tuesday, September 8, at 5:30 p.m., the Senate proceed to the motion to reconsider the vote by which cloture was not invoked on the Dorgan amendment No. 1347 to S. 1025, the Travel Promotion Act, and that the motion to proceed be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be agreed to; and the Senate then vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Dorgan amendment; that if cloture is invoked on the amendment, then postcloture time be considered to have begun running at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, September 8.

Mr. President, on the final paragraph of my consent agreement, where I said that the Senate proceed to the motion to reconsider the vote by which cloture was not invoked on the Dorgan amendment No. 1347 to S. 1025, it should be S. 1023.

And Mr. President, the record should be very clear that the vote we take Monday night on the Travel Promotion Act is only on cloture. The 30 hours would still run and we would have to have final passage on the bill whenever the 30 hours runs out or whenever there is an agreement that we can vote on it.

So Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that after the 30 hours is up, at the end of postcloture time, the amendment be agreed to, and the bill be read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.