Taxpayer Protection Act of 2014

Earlier today a vote was taken in the Senate that, to this Senator, marked about the lowest point that I think this Senate has descended in my 30 years here. I don't say that lightly. I was in Congress during the impeachment process trial for President Clinton. I thought that was a low, but it didn't compare to what happened today.

The vote on Debo Adegbile to be Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice sent a strong message. This is the message we sent today and, young people, listen up.

If you are a young White person working for a law firm and have a chance to defend someone who has done something wrong--even a heinous crime--my advice from what happened today is you should feel free to go ahead and do your job as a lawyer. Who knows? You might wind up as the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court one day.

However, if you are a young Black person working on civil rights issues at the NAACP legal defense fund and you--under your obligations as an attorney--are called upon to handle an appeal for someone who committed a heinous crime, the message sent today is you're putting your career on the line.

If you fulfill your duty as a lawyer, you will be denied by the Senate from being an assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice. We have a double standard, a terrible double standard.

While in private practice, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court defended a mass murderer in Florida who committed eight murders. He is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Did we hear one peep from the Republican side? I didn't hear anyone on this Senate floor at that time raising it as any issue at all for his qualifications to be a judge on the appeals court or to be the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and rightfully so. It should have never been an issue. He was fulfilling his legal obligations and his moral duty as a lawyer.

Debo Adegbile, working as an attorney for the NAACP legal defense fund, did nothing different. He was only asked to work on an appeal. And because of that, and only because of that, he was excoriated on the Senate floor and denied his opportunity to be an Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.

Did anyone raise an issue of his qualifications? No. He is eminently qualified. But person after person spoke about the heinous murder that took place in Philadelphia, the murder of a police officer by a young Black man who had bragged about it--a heinous crime, a horrible crime. Debo Adegbile didn't defend him at trial. He only filed appeals aimed at protecting the defendant's civil rights and the civil rights of all Americans.

I listened to the Senator from Pennsylvania this morning. He had a big poster with a picture of the police officer and his wife on their wedding day. He was talking about how horrible a crime this was, how the murderer had bragged about it, and all that is terrible.

But it had nothing to do with Debo Adegbile. The Senator from Pennsylvania said it is why Mr. Adegbile should not be approved to be an assistant attorney general, because he worked as a lawyer on a defendant's appeal.

What about the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? He defended a person who killed eight people. I don't see my friends on the Republican side of the aisle clamoring to institute an impeachment process. Maybe they did not know that John Roberts defended a mass murderer. But now that they do, are they going to try to impeach the Chief Justice because he fulfilled his legal obligation to defend a murderer?

I hope you see the ridiculousness of that argument and how unfair it was for Debo Adegbile to be denied--not on the basis of any qualifications but because he was fulfilling his duty as a lawyer. I have not heard one person say he is unqualified or he has done something that would disqualify him. No. He did what he was supposed to do within his legal profession--and he was denied.

Shame. Shame on this Senate. Shame on every Senator who claims to be a lawyer, who went to law school, raised their hand and was sworn into the bar. Shame on every lawyer who voted against Mr. Adegbile because he worked on an appeal.

If somebody had some question about his qualifications or felt that Mr. Adegbile is totally unqualified, that is a different story. I challenge anyone to come forward with anything remotely connected to his qualifications that would show him to be unqualified.

I wish to read--and I will close shortly--a quote from James Silkenat, the president of the American Bar Association. Listen up, lawyers.

He said:

A fundamental tenet of our justice system and our

Constitution is that anyone who faces loss of liberty has a

right to legal counsel. Lawyers have an ethical obligation to

uphold that principle and provide zealous representation to

people who otherwise would stand alone against the power and

resources of the government--even to those accused or

convicted of terrible crimes.

Continuing:

I was alarmed to learn that there is some opposition to Mr.

Adegbile's nomination based solely on his efforts to protect

the fundamental rights of an unpopular client while working

at the legal defense fund. His work, like the work of ABA

members who provide thousands of hours of pro bono legal

services every year, is consistent with the finest tradition

of this country's legal profession and should be commended,

not condemned.

Shameful. It was a shameful vote today, a rush to judgment based upon emotion.

I will not name any names, but I had one Senator say: My head tells me he should be confirmed, but my guts, my emotion, say no.

We make our decisions based on that around here? God help us. Maybe we ought to all go back and think about ``To Kill a Mockingbird.'' Read the book, watch the movie, and know what it is to stand against the powers of government and defend someone who is unpopular.

Mr. Adegbile wasn't even the defense attorney. He only worked on an appeal relating directly to legal issues particularly important to the civil rights community.

Shame on the Fraternal Order of Police. Shame on them. I have been one of their strong supporters for my 30 years, but shame on them for doing this. Shame on them. They mounted a campaign against Mr. Adegbile just on that one thing. Shame on all of us here, especially the lawyers--especially the lawyers. It was a rush to judgment and a shameful episode in the history of the Senate.

I know Senator Reid filed a motion to reconsider. I hope he will, and I hope people will pray on this and think back, especially the lawyers who are in the Senate. Think about it. Think about the ethical obligation, the ethical obligation to do what he did--and he did nothing wrong. Hopefully Mr. Adegbile, on a motion to reconsider, will have the votes to take his position as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Justice Department.

It is a shameful day for the Senate.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about a bill I am introducing with the Senior Senator from Idaho, that will help improve the long term health and abundance of United States' fish populations. Our bill takes a comprehensive approach to stopping the single greatest threat declining fish populations, by stemming the decline of healthy aquatic ecosystem habitats that are critical to all fish species.

Improving the quality of fish habitat provides benefits beyond improving the health and abundance of fish populations. Healthier aquatic ecosystems means healthier habitats for waterfowl and other wildlife as well as safer recreational waters for Americans to swim, boat and fish in.

North America is home to nearly 700 native fish species. This abundance of fish species is one of many natural treasures we must work to protect and maintain. Much like other precious natural resources in this country our wild fish populations face unfortunate anthropogenic threats. Forty percent of our native fish populations are in decline. This is due in large part to the impairment of more than half of our nation's waters including the waters of my state's, and the mid- Atlantic region's greatest treasure, the Chesapeake Bay. Deliberate and targeted action is needed to stem the loss of our precious fish resources by ensuring that these important aquatic habitats are better preserved.

State, federal and private efforts to address this challenge of improving and protecting critical fish habitat are underway in many states and in local communities. However, too many of these efforts are uncoordinated with one another which is leading to fragmented and less effective results than if these efforts carried out in a more networked and comprehensive fashion.

Under the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act, Federal Government agencies will work in careful coordination with state and local governments, as well as stakeholder organizations and industries like conservation groups, fisherman, and companies in the outdoor recreation industry to collaboratively execute the scientifically most effective fish and aquatic habitat conservation projects possible.

Our legislation leverages funds from Federal and State natural resource agencies and private funds to build regional partnerships focused on improving critical aquatic habitats across the country. Targeting these financial resources, through government and private partnership, towards projects in regional watersheds that will make the greatest improvements to the health of aquatic habitats will improve the health and abundance of native fish populations, improve the quality of life for surrounding communities, and improve recreational opportunities which is a boost to our national and local economies. The goal of this effort is to foster landscape scale starting at the local level through multi-state aquatic habitat improvement projects. The goal is also to engage stakeholders like commercial fisherman, anglers, outfitters and other angling and sportsmen industries to participate in this effort to make lasting improvements to the health and sustainability of our fisheries resources.

The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act authorizes $7.2 million annually for fish habitat restoration and protection projects that are supported by regional Fish Habitat Partnerships the bill also establishes. Based on the successful North American Wetlands Conservation Act model, the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act establishes a multi-stakeholder National Fish Habitat Board to recommend projects to the Secretary of Interior for funding. Regional Fish Habitat Partnerships are responsible for implementing habitat protection and restoration projects in the watersheds that will enhance fish habitats and fish populations.

The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act applies a proven and effective model for habitat conservation to protect and restore declining quality fish habitat. Our legislation ensures collaboration between expert stakeholders and state and regional fisheries resource managers to ensure the effectiveness of the work that is done.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this important legislation.

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

Mr. President, I was very interested in listening to both my colleagues, Tom Harkin, who I thought was very passionate about the need to understand that when people do pro bono work, as Justice Roberts did, or they work for an organization, as our nominee did making the case a jury was perhaps tainted, that that not be used against them. I think he was passionate. I think Senator Collins makes a good point. I do wish to say she is totally right. The IRS should never, ever be used politically. We have gone through that in our lifetime, and it is absolutely wrong. I agree. But I also wish to point out that any organization taking big tax deductions which cost people money, but they are political--whether they are on the left, the right or the center--have to stop what they are doing too. I think she points out it is a careful balance.

We also don't want Members of Congress to intimidate and harass the IRS. That is wrong and a very careful balance. I look forward to looking at her bill to see if this oversight commission is something free from politics. That, to me, is the key. IRS should never be used politically.

Mr. President, I thank my colleague from California for allowing me to precede her in speaking on the Senate floor this evening. I very much appreciate her courtesy.

(The remarks of Senator Collins pertaining to the introduction of S. 2081 are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')