A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Engineers Week, and for other purposes.

Now I wish to speak about another great Federal employee.

Across the country, Americans are receiving their W-2 forms and taking stock of their finances in advance of April's tax filing deadline. For families, the ritual of filing income taxes repeats itself each year, and, admittedly, it isn't very much fun.

Taxes have been an emotional and thorny subject in American history ever since colonial patriots rallied around the cry of ``No Taxation Without Representation.'' Indeed, though federal tax rates for personal income are low compared to most other developed countries, complaining about paying taxes remains one of our national pastimes.

This is understandable. It is linked to the strong national attitude in our country that taxpayers' money should never go to waste. When Americans grumble about taxes, I believe it is not because they oppose them in general; rather, it is because they want to make sure that their money is spent wisely, fairly, and without unnecessary waste.

One of the chief complaints about taxes in years past was that filing was a time-consuming and confusing process. Many can remember those days sitting in front of a pile of forms and receipts, punching away at a calculator, pencil in hand, and a 1040-form covered in eraser marks.

Thankfully, because of this week's honoree, most Americans--more than 95 million filers--avoided this headache last year by filing their taxes electronically.

Terrence Lutes was awarded the 2005 Service to America Medal for Citizen Services for leading the development of the Internal Revenue Service's e-File program.

Terry, who spent nearly 30 years working at the IRS, served as associate chief information officer for IT Services before retiring five years ago.

E-File not only makes it easy for taxpayers to file online and receive a refund in as little as ten days; it also cuts processing costs by 90 percent compared to paper filing. This benefits the taxpayers two-fold. They save time and energy individually and reduce the amount of their own money spent collecting their taxes.

Terry, who holds degrees from Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Colorado, first became involved with electronic filing in 1996. As the head of the IRS's Electronic Tax Administration, he became the government's evangelist for online tax filing. E-File had been available for years, but it was costly for the IRS to operate and difficult for taxpayers to navigate.

While redesigning the e-File system, Terry and his team focused on creating innovative public-private partnerships to reduce--and eventually eliminate--the direct cost to the taxpayer of filing online. He oversaw a workforce of over 6,500 employees, and carefully managed a budget of $1.5 billion. Terry cultivated relationships with software companies and tax-preparation businesses, and the results paid off.

In 2005, when Terry retired after a long and distinguished career in public service, more than half of all tax returns were filed online for the first time. Today, this number continues to rise. For most Americans, what used to be a stressful experience is now fast, simple, and less expensive.

Thanks to Terry, the way Americans pay their taxes is forever changed.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., one of the great Supreme Court justices of the early twentieth century, once said that ``taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.'' I am glad to know that great Federal employees such as Terrence Lutes at the IRS continue to work hard every day ensuring that our tax collection system is as efficient and responsive as possible.

When I go online to file my own tax return this year, I will be thinking of these outstanding public servants at the IRS and all who work in the Federal government.

I thank the Chair.

(The remarks of Mr. Kaufman, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Lieberman pertaining to the submission of S. Res. 415 are printed in today's Record under ``Morning Business.'')

(The remarks of Mr. Kaufman pertaining to the submission of S. Res. 417 are located in today's Record under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

Mr. President, I rise today to support the goals and ideals of National Engineers Week, which will be celebrated next week from February 14 to February 20.

As the only serving Senator who has worked as an engineer, I am proud to sponsor resolution acknowledging the essential role engineers play and the important work they do.

I would also like to thank Senators Collins, Bingaman, and Gillibrand for joining me in introducing this resolution.

Just as importantly, I would like to acknowledge the leadership of Congressman Lipinski of Illinois, who for many years has been introducing this resolution in the House of Representatives. I know he plans to do the same again this year when our local weather will permit it.

Launched in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, National Engineers Week began as a way to call attention to the immense contributions engineers make to society.

It is also a time to emphasize the importance of learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

skills--something I have spoken about many times on this floor.

Since its inception, the support for National Engineers Week has grown significantly.

This year, nearly 100 professional societies, major corporations, and government agencies are working together with the National Engineers Week Foundation to bring attention to this important program.

If we hope to encourage more young people to pursue engineering--to help us tackle issues of health, safety, and energy--it is absolutely critical that we teach them what engineering is all about.

National Engineers Week brings 50,000 engineering volunteers into classrooms to teach students that engineering can be fun, that engineers make a difference, and that anyone can become an engineer.

It is especially important that we get this message out to girls, women, and many minorities who are underrepresented in engineering careers. We will all benefit from greater diversity in STEM fields.

I believe that encouraging a new generation of engineers is vital to continuing our economic recovery.

Engineers have always been our country's problem solvers and it is fitting that we celebrate National Engineers Week in conjunction with the birthday of President George Washington--one of our Nation's first engineers.

I wish to thank my colleagues for joining with me in supporting this important week.

I ask unanimous consent that the Commerce Committee be discharged from consideration of S. Res. 417 and we now move to that matter.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, there be no intervening action or debate, and any statements relating to this matter be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, first, let me identify and agree with the remarks of both the Senators concerning Iran and consider myself as part of that program.

I believe it is already the order, but in the event it is not, I ask unanimous

consent that I be recognized for up to 25 minutes as in morning business.