Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, I rise today to speak on the nomination of Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education.

Public education is deeply personal for me. I am proud to have attended Michigan public schools, and I have three children who did so as well. I know firsthand the importance of a strong public education system. My father Herb was a proud teacher and taught English for 32 years in Rochester, MI, where I grew up.

My father was part of the ``greatest generation.'' He fought for our country in World War II and returned home to help build America's middle class. Our Nation owes these men and women a debt of gratitude for building a country where anyone who is willing to work hard and play by the rules can find opportunity.

But too many families today feel that the American dream remains just out of reach. It seems that they can hardly get by, much less get ahead. At a time of growing income inequality, public schools can and do provide a ladder of opportunity in communities across the Nation-- urban, rural, and suburban alike. Strong public schools are vital to our economy, our democracy, and to our Nation's global competitiveness.

I think we can all agree that a child's chance to succeed should not be dictated by his or her ZIP Code. While many crucial education decisions are made at the State and at the local levels, the Federal Government also has a role to play in providing the necessary educational tools and proper protections for all of our children to flourish.

We need a Secretary of Education who is dedicated to improving access to quality public education based on sound evidence and ensuring the proper implementation of Federal laws designed to protect and to help all of our children. That is why I am deeply troubled by President Trump's nomination

of Betsy DeVos of Michigan to serve as the Secretary of Education.

Mrs. DeVos, like so many recent graduates, is effectively applying for a job. And like any employer, the American people should look at her resume, her interview, and her past performance.

Mrs. DeVos's resume contains no experience in public education at any level--not as a teacher, not as an administrator, not as a student or a parent, not as a school board member, and not even as a borrower of public loans for college.

Her only experience in education is her work lobbying for the transfer of taxpayer money to private schools and the rapid expansion of charter schools without sufficient accountability to parents and to students.

So let's look at her interview. Her appearance before the Senate HELP Committee last week raised many more questions and did not provide answers. During her confirmation hearing, Mrs. DeVos showed herself to be unfamiliar with some basic educational concepts, like the debate over whether we should measure students' success by growth or proficiency. If Mrs. DeVos doesn't know how to measure success, how can she ever be expected to achieve success in our schools?

Mrs. DeVos also appeared to have never heard of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, one of the most important pieces of education and civil rights legislation in our country's history. This law has provided access to education for children with unique needs and supports their parents, who depend on the law that Mrs. DeVos will be in charge of enforcing, if confirmed. And it appeared as if this was the first time that she had ever heard of this law, just last week.

So finally, let's take a look at her past performance. I am particularly troubled by Mrs. DeVos's long-time advocacy to funnel Michigan taxpayer dollars to private and charter school systems that are not held accountable for their performance.

Let me be clear. Our education system is far from perfect, and I support effective, innovative educational reforms that lift up our children. But these reforms need to be driven by facts and not ideology.

Unfortunately, in my home State of Michigan, the charter school experiment has not lived up to the promises made. In fact, 65 percent of charter schools in Michigan fail--yes, fail--to significantly outperform traditional public schools in reading outcomes. In Detroit, 70 percent of charter schools are in the bottom quartile of Michigan's schools. These are certainly not the results that we would want to replicate at the national level.

Despite these outcomes, Mrs. DeVos stated during her confirmation hearing that she did not think that public charter schools should be held to the same standards as traditional public schools.

Well, that simply doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense that many charter schools accepting taxpayer money not only performed worse than traditional public schools in terms of academic success but also get to skirt laws that protect against discrimination and support disabled youth. We should hold all schools receiving Federal dollars to the same level of accountability.

I have reviewed her resume, her interview, and her track record, and I have no confidence that Mrs. DeVos will fully support our traditional public schools, our teachers, our parents, and, most importantly, our children, who only get one shot. They just get one shot to get an excellent K-12 education.

Her approach to education has failed the children of Michigan, and her confirmation process gives me no reason to think that she will bring a more successful approach to our Nation.

American children deserve the opportunity for a quality education no matter who they are and no matter where they live. I stand with the many educators and parents in Michigan and across the Nation when I say: Mrs. DeVos lacks the experience, qualifications, and the right vision to oversee our Nation's educational system. Simply put, our children deserve a whole lot better.

I cannot and will not support Betsy DeVos's nomination to serve as the Secretary of Education, and I hope my colleagues will join me in unity against her nomination.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today I rise to talk about a critically important position in the Trump administration Cabinet: The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is charged with making sure that all Americans are safeguarded from major environmental threats to human health, where they live, where they learn, and where they work.

Originally proposed by a Republican administration, the EPA's mission has been supported by Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike. Clean air to breathe and clean water to drink are basic human needs that we all must work to protect. Disagreements involving the EPA usually stem from how to best preserve our vital resources, and we certainly welcome those debates in the Senate.

Oftentimes, the role of the Environmental Protection Agency is to provide a check and balance to activities that pollute our air, dirty our waterways, and contaminate our land. This is why I am so troubled by the nomination of Scott Pruitt as EPA Administrator. Mr. Pruitt's track record on environmental issues as Oklahoma's attorney general is, in a word, dismal.

I am particularly concerned about the influence of the fossil fuel industry over Mr. Pruitt's decisions and actions. As Oklahoma's attorney general, he filed 148 lawsuits against the EPA to undermine their efforts. In 13 of those cases, companies that gave political donations to Mr. Pruitt also joined in that suit. As ranking member of the Science Subcommittee, I am worried that scientific data of the Environmental Protection Agency will be minimized, suppressed, or politicalized. Mr. Pruitt has tried to instill doubt in the strong consensus of global climate change scientists, claiming that the debate on fundamental scientific principles is far from settled.

If his confirmation goes through, I am concerned that the work of EPA scientists may be edited, twisted, or buried to protect special interests and prevent necessary action. Many Michiganders are rightfully afraid that Mr. Pruitt will not enforce our bedrock environmental laws like the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. We have seen him fight against these very laws from his current position.

All across the Nation, communities are dealing with contamination and environmental catastrophes. Rural and urban communities alike depend on the strength of these laws as well as EPA's resources and their expertise. For example, the people of Flint, MI, are still suffering through devastating effects of a catastrophic drinking water crisis. The Environmental Protection Agency is heavily involved to make sure the drinking water in Flint will be safe and the National Safe Drinking Water Act rules will be updated. I am very concerned that the EPA will ignore the lessons learned after the Flint water crisis under Administrator Pruitt, and Flint is not the only community facing a water quality crisis. For example, Monroe County--which gets its water from Lake Erie--has seen its drinking water affected because of toxins in western Lake Erie.

Algae blooms--a result of runoff pollution--have made their way into drinking water intakes. Harmful algal blooms are a problem that scientists say will only get worse as we see higher temperatures and more precipitation in the future.

In addition to providing safe drinking water, I am concerned that enforcement of clean air policies would be weakened. Keeping our air clean isn't just about climate change. It is about keeping pollutants out of the lungs of our children. People in places like Southwest Detroit and St. Clair County all too often suffer the harmful impacts from poor air quality. Detroit has some of the highest child asthma rates in the entire country. Children can't learn if they are too sick to be in school.

Mr. Pruitt has a record we can look at, and it is very extreme. He has attacked measures that reduced interstate smog pollution, including protections against arson and mercury. If Mr. Pruitt has sought to weaken these protections around the country that protect us from poisons like arsenic and mercury, I think we have to ask the question, If he is confirmed, will he be protecting American families or will he be protecting the bottom line of multinational corporations?

To those who welcome Mr. Pruitt's approach of attacking the EPA, I would say strengthening our economy and our environment are not mutually exclusive. In fact, each effort depends on the success of the other. We must protect our natural resources so future generations will be able to sustainably use them.

Businesses can only attract top talent and jobs to the United States if we have clean places to live and to work and if we have a healthy workforce. Sick days brought on by environmental toxins hurt small businesses, and environmental catastrophes can decimate a lifetime's worth of equity built up by homeowners.

Smart, effective protections can be good, not just for our physical health but for our economic health as well. Previous EPA nominees from both parties have understood these basic principles. What separates Mr. Pruitt from past EPA nominees is his contempt for the mission of the Environmental Protection Agency and his disregard for the science that provides the very foundation for the Agency's actions.

Just as I would not vote to confirm a fox to guard a henhouse, I will not vote to confirm Mr. Pruitt to safeguard our Nation's environment.

I urge my colleagues to join me to oppose Mr. Pruitt's nomination.

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. The chamber was founded in 1906 by a group of businessowners and entrepreneurs in Port Huron who volunteered their time and financial resources to the growth of the greater Port Huron- Marysville community.

Within its first year, the chamber had accomplished its goal of encouraging economic growth with the addition of new factories and the establishment of an industrial enterprise fund. Its work attracted new business from around Michigan, Illinois, and Kentucky. By the time the chamber was officially incorporated in 1917, it had grown to 905 members. This expansion allowed the chamber to begin to improve the well-being of the Port Huron community, a tradition that continues to this day.

Throughout its history, the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce has been more than just a way to connect businesses in the Port Huron area. It continually advocates for the community. Over the past few years, the chamber has led initiatives that have addressed housing shortages, advocated for improved conditions in our schools through finance reform and millage campaigns, and supported campaigns to improve our regional infrastructure. It has fought, time and time again, not just for better business, but for the prosperity of the entire Blue Water region.

Today the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce continues its great tradition of fostering economic prosperity and community improvement. The guiding force throughout the last century has been the chamber's five core values: integrity, relationships, freedom, excellence, and happiness. By adhering to these values, they have grown and continued to succeed. In 2007, the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce was awarded the Chamber of the Year Award from the Michigan Association of Chamber Professionals. It received this great honor again in 2010, for its continued and outstanding work in advocacy, education, and assistance programs to its community, a true testament to the membership and leadership. The growth we have seen in the Port Huron over the past few years has been remarkable, and the Blue Water Chamber has been a critical component of that success and progress.

I am pleased today to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing such an auspicious milestone for the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce. On its 100th anniversary, the chamber and its members have much to celebrate, and I wish them continuing success and prosperity in the years ahead.

Mr. President, how am I recorded?

Mr. President, on behalf of the people of Michigan--

--the over 800,000 who will be having their insurance repealed--I vote no.

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

Mr. President, today I rise to express my strong opposition to partisan attempts to engage in a fast-track process to take health insurance away from hundreds of thousands of individuals in my State and millions across our country. In Michigan alone, 887,000 people are in jeopardy of losing their health coverage if Republicans have their way and repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. Important protections for people with preexisting conditions will disappear. Not only will they lose them but so will their spouses and children.

We will be repealing reforms that have benefitted seniors and saved more than 5 million beneficiaries an average of over $1,000 in drug costs in 2015. Repealing the Affordable Care Act will significantly increase drug costs for those seniors and threaten long-term solvency for Medicare. Republicans are rushing a process that increases Medicare costs for seniors and weakens the program for future generations. Our Nation's seniors have worked hard their entire lives, and they deserve our best efforts to ensure they can depend on Medicare to help them enjoy a dignified and secure retirement.

Over 1 million seniors are enrolled in Medicare in Michigan, and they deserve a health care program that will cover the costs of prescription drugs and other health care services they need. Since 1965, Medicare has done a tremendous job of giving seniors the care they need, and we should be working to strengthen this successful program, not putting it at risk.

Let's be clear. Reforms in the ACA extend the solvency of Medicare by over a decade. Let me say that again. It extends the solvency of Medicare for over a decade.

Given these challenges, we have to ask: Why are we rushing to dismantle these reforms?

We are rushing a process that will ultimately hurt the Medicare Program, our Nation's seniors, and so many others.

Many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle suggest that we can simply keep or quickly reinstate the popular parts of this law, such as preventing discrimination based on preexisting conditions, allowing children to stay on their parents' coverage until they are 26, and helping seniors afford their prescriptions. I would pose this simple question to any of my colleagues advocating for repeal: What comes next? Show us your plan. Just show us your plan.

Former Governor Cuomo of New York famously said: ``You can campaign in poetry, but govern in prose.'' We are now facing a majority that campaigned on a bumper sticker and is trying to govern with an IOU. Enacting a repeal of the ACA that takes effect at some undetermined point in the future will create chaos in our insurance markets. Health care reform is not a stand-alone program that can be removed overnight without creating widespread ramifications for our economy.

Yesterday, I attended the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. As a Michigander, I am always thinking about cars. Let me suggest an analogy. Many Republicans in Congress talk about the ACA like it is some sort of after-market addition on a car--a flashy rear spoiler, perhaps, or new rims that can just be unbolted and removed. Well, the ACA is actually like the antilock brakes that keep a driver from getting into an accident in the first place and the airbags that deploy to protect everyone inside when the worst happens.

I agree that our health care system needs a tuneup, but we cannot start ripping out safety features without a plan to help keep us safe on the road. We need to fix the Affordable Care Act. We need to do more for small business owners who want to do right by their employees and provide them with quality, affordable health care coverage.

I have offered and supported several proposals to fix the Affordable Care Act, including measures to help our Nation's small businesses. I am ready to work with my colleagues across the aisle to improve this law. However, repealing the ACA without showing the American people their plan for replacement is quite simply irresponsible.

I understand Americans want to see positive changes to the Affordable Care Act, and I agree with them. We should be working together to enact bipartisan improvements through regular order, not fast-tracking repeal. The fact is that most Americans do not want to have this law repealed entirely. In the New York Times, a woman named Patricia Meadows from Macomb County, MI, who voted for President-Elect Trump, stated that she

hoped that President-Elect Trump would not repeal the Affordable Care Act. Ms. Meadows revealed that, because of the Affordable Care Act, her daughter was able to obtain insurance coverage for just $50 a month.

Another constituent from my State, Ben Irwin, revealed to CNN that the Affordable Care Act allowed him to take his dream job at a small firm that didn't provide health insurance. Because of the ACA, Ben was able to get private insurance at an affordable cost. Without the ACA, he would have been forced to work at a larger company just to have access to affordable health care.

Ben's story is not unique. I heard from countless entrepreneurs that the Affordable Care Act ended job lock and has enabled them to start their own businesses and pursue careers and dreams they otherwise would not be able to pursue.

I heard from a constituent in Saline, MI, who contacted my office to say that the ACA provided her with the coverage she needed to fight her son's aggressive cancer. This same woman later discovered during her first appointment, after gaining her own ACA coverage, that she, too, had cancer. The ACA gave her and her son the coverage they needed to fight their cancer without fear of being kicked off of their insurance plan.

I have also heard from a father in Traverse City, MI. He contacted my office to say that the expanded health coverage under the ACA literally saved his son's life. Before the ACA, his son only had access to emergency room care. His father often wondered: Why is it that I had to wait until my son tried to kill himself before I could get help? Now, due to the ACA, this father and his son have the health coverage they need to appropriately treat his son's mental illness.

These stories are just a fraction of the thousands upon thousands of stories my staff and I have heard about how the ACA has positively impacted people's lives.

I am asking my colleagues to just take a moment and think about the individuals they will be hurting. We are talking about mothers and fathers, children, seniors, and even our Nation's veterans.

As a former lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, I understand the tremendous sacrifice our men and women in uniform undertake to defend our freedom. I believe we have a duty to honor their service to the best of our ability, both during and after service.

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, hundreds of thousands of uninsured veterans have gained insurance coverage. Between 2013 and 2015, when key provisions of the Affordable Care Act were implemented, such as the Medicaid expansion and the private exchange, the number of uninsured veterans decreased by 42 percent. Uninsured rates for spouses of veterans and their dependents have decreased as well. These veterans represent a small fraction of the individuals this fast-track process will hurt.

I have proposed an amendment that will simply require Republicans to show us their plan for providing these veterans the health care benefits they deserve before they vote to repeal the ACA and take it away. Every American deserves to know what will happen to their health benefits before Republicans vote to take them away. Please, just show us your plan.

But our Nation's veterans, who have risked their lives and health to keep us safe, should have the right of knowing how Republicans will ensure that veterans who gained health care coverage following enactment of the ACA do not lose their coverage.

The damage of repealing the ACA stretches beyond affected individuals and families. It will disrupt hospitals and businesses and create tremendous economic uncertainty.

Hospitals in my State, especially rural facilities, are absolutely terrified about what the ACA repeal means for them and their ability to stay open and to serve patients in their community. Executives from two hospitals in the rural Upper Peninsula of Michigan have told my office about how coverage expansions under ACA have allowed many critical access hospitals in Michigan's rural communities to afford their operations for the first time ever. If the ACA is repealed, they tell me that these critical access hospitals will be forced to close-- forcing residents in rural communities to drive over 2 hours to seek hospital care.

A recent report by the Urban Institute predicts that if the ACA is repealed without replacement, uncompensated care costs sought from hospitals and doctors will reach $1.7 trillion over the next 10 years. This will bankrupt many of our Nation's hospitals, killing jobs, and severely limiting access for their patients. We can and must do better.

We owe the American people a better health care system and not a bigger deficit. Unfortunately, that is exactly what we are going to be getting under repeal. This budget resolution before us would increase annual deficits by upwards of $1 trillion. It will add more than $9 trillion to the Federal debt over 10 years, leaving our entire economy on shaky ground, while ripping health care from millions of Americans.

In their rush to repeal the ACA and fulfill years of campaign promises, I am concerned my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have not fully considered the far-reaching ramifications their actions might have. They have refused to slow this process down and fully think through the actions they are about to take.

A University of Michigan study published in the New England Journal of Medicine just last week found that Medicaid expansion in my State alone generates at least 30,000 jobs every year. In addition, a recent study by the nonpartisan and independent Commonwealth Fund found that the ACA repeal could lead to significant economic disruption and substantial job losses in every State, including over 100,000 private sector jobs in Michigan and 2.6 million jobs around our Nation.

By any and all means, the level of uncertainty repealing the ACA will create is bad business practice, and I assure my colleagues that it is very bad for business. We owe it to our constituents to do our homework, to govern with facts, and to be informed.

Republicans have refused to listen to health care experts who tell them that enacting a repeal of the ACA will cause insurance premiums to skyrocket. Republicans have refused to listen to economists when they tell them this will spike our national debt and lead to substantial job losses. Republicans have refused to listen when the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has told them that repealing the Affordable Care Act will cause millions of Americans to lose their health coverage. And Republicans have refused to listen when actuaries state that the ACA repeal will weaken Medicare and increase drug costs for seniors.

Republicans have refused to listen when Democrats have simply asked them to slow down, come to the table, and work in a bipartisan way to find solutions to make the health care system work even better. Instead, Republicans have opted to move full steam ahead with this process that will certainly make America sick again.

Why move forward with this fast-track process to repeal the Affordable Care Act? Why repeal all of the great things that Americans appreciate about the Affordable Care Act instead of just making it better?

Republicans are trying to take us backwards. They are moving ahead with a dangerous process that will hurt working-class Americans, hurt seniors, and hurt our Nation's most vulnerable, while providing a huge payout for wealthy Americans and special interests.

Republicans are voting to give billions in tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy and raising taxes on the rest of us.

The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates that the top 1 percent of earners would get an average tax cut of about $33,000 and individuals in the top one-tenth of 1 percent would get an average tax cut of about $197,000. If you are not in this group of American earners, then tough luck. This legislation will not help you.

We need to get serious, put politics aside, and do what is best for the American people. This fast track repeal of the Affordable Care Act is not the answer.

I stand ready and willing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make our Nation's health care system better. We cannot simply repeal this law and leave the American people with another empty

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

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss my amendment that was made pending by my friend and the ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Senator from Washington, Ms. Cantwell.

The amendment I have offered, amendment No. 55, is a simple, commonsense amendment. It requires the Environmental Protection Agency to complete a study on the potential environmental and health impact of byproducts from tar sands oil that would be transported across our country by the Keystone XL Pipeline.

One of these byproducts of tar sands oil is a black, powdery substance known as petroleum coke or petcoke. It is a residual from this tar sands oil and large amounts of it are produced in the refining process.

In fact, it is estimated basically for every barrel of oil we get from tar sands, one-third of the material is this dark substance called petcoke. If we are transporting an awful lot of oil through the Keystone Pipeline, it naturally follows that we are going to get massive amounts of this petcoke.

I have had an experience with this petcoke in my previous House district in the city of Detroit, where we had petcoke from the refining process of this tar sands oil being piled up along the Detroit River. We had a pile there that was at some times several stories high, a city block long. It was stored along the river in an uncontained fashion. It was blowing into people's homes, it was blowing into businesses, and it was also draining into the Great Lakes watershed.

It caused all sorts of problems. I had complaints from constituents who talked about this substance going into their homes. I had businesses talking about--for example, restaurants in the area--their wait staff getting respiratory problems as a result of breathing this in.

In fact, we had a video to explain how problematic it can be. I had a video taken by a Canadian resident across the Detroit River that showed the petcoke piles. With some wind blowing, a massive black dust cloud was blowing off of these petcoke piles. In the distance you could see the Ambassador Bridge, which is the bridge that connects Canada to the United States. The dust was so thick and so black it obscured the bridge as it was blowing into the neighborhoods, into the river, and then into Canada.

It is a completely unacceptable situation, which is why I believe it is important as we move forward with this legislation that we have a couple of studies.

One, we need to understand what are those environmental and health risks associated with petcoke. It is clear this is particulate matter, and if it is not contained, it gets into people's lungs and creates a dust layer throughout communities.

It is very important as well in the study not only to study the environmental and health impacts, but what are the best practices to handle this material.

With the massive amount of tar sands oil that will come through the Keystone, we will also get massive amounts of petcoke, a substance that has been problematic not only in Detroit, but it has been problematic in the city of Chicago and other places across the country.

So I believe it is very important that we get these kinds of information as this project moves forward, and it is certainly my hope that we can assure that what happened in Detroit, what is happening in Chicago and other places across this country doesn't happen, that we understand what this substance is, and we understand what those best practices are to handle and to transport this material safely.

I urge my colleagues to support amendment No. 55.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, as Michiganders, Senator Stabenow and I know firsthand how important the Great Lakes are. The lakes are a vital natural resource and an economic engine for our State, region, and the entire country. Unfortunately, Michiganders also know firsthand the environmental dangers and risks when it comes to pipeline leaks.

We had the worst inland pipeline leak in our Nation's history near Kalamazoo, MI. Cleanup has taken over 4 years and has cost $1.2 billion. There is a 60-year-old pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron come together. I cannot even fathom what would happen if there were an accident that contaminated the Great Lakes. The results would be catastrophic not only for the Great Lakes but also the entire country.

That is why we need to act now and act quickly, and I urge my colleagues to support the Peters-Stabenow amendment.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and call up amendment No. 70, which is at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. President, this is a very commonsense amendment based on a simple premise. Before Congress intervenes to approve this new pipeline that is before us, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, PHMSA, the Federal agency which oversees pipeline safety, should certify that it has the resources required to carry out its duty.

Specifically, the amendment before the Senate requires PHMSA to confirm that it has the resources to oversee pipelines in the Great Lakes and provide recommendations for special conditions for pipelines in the Great Lakes just as it provided recommendations for special conditions for the Keystone XL Pipeline.

The people of Michigan know why it is so important that we ensure these pipelines are safe. We had a pipeline spill in Kalamazoo, MI, in 2010 that spilled over 800,000 gallons of tar sands into the Kalamazoo River. The cleanup has now taken over 4 years at a cost of over $1.2 billion. A pipeline accident in the Great Lakes, where we have some of these pipelines located now, would be absolutely catastrophic. We have to remind folks that the Great Lakes now provide drinking water to over 40 million people and support 1.5 million jobs. It would be a disaster not just for folks in the State of Michigan, but throughout the Great Lakes region and throughout the country, if there were a pipeline break. We know it firsthand from what happened in Kalamazoo, the most expensive pipeline break in the history of this country.

We have to ensure that the pipelines that operate in the Great Lakes, particularly in the Straits of Mackinac, which connect the Upper Peninsula with the Lower Peninsula, have the protections they need.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment to make sure we protect the Great Lakes, not just for today but for future generations.

I yield back.

I appreciate the Senator from California yielding for a question, as I am listening to this debate and hearing from my colleague, the Senator from Michigan, as to the importance of pipeline safety, as we are now debating a very comprehensive bill to give approval for one specific pipeline in this country, which I think is very much an unprecedented type of vote in the Senate.

My question is: Why do we not have an opportunity, or would the Senator not agree that we should have an opportunity, to offer amendments? I know I am new to the Senate, but I was informed this would be an open amendment process. My idea of an open amendment process means you can actually offer amendments. It means you can also actually debate amendments. That is an open process, particularly something as important as protecting our Great Lakes, this incredible, immense body of freshwater, one of the largest bodies of freshwater in the world. We have a pipeline that goes through there, above the lakebed, that could potentially be catastrophic if there is a break.

As Senator Stabenow mentioned, in Michigan we have already had the most expensive pipeline break in history--4 years of cleanup of Canadian tar sands oil, oil that sinks to the bottom of the river. It is more expensive to clean up--over $1.2 billion in cleanup. So you can imagine if we had a pipeline break in the middle of the Great Lakes. It would be catastrophic to this country, it would be catastrophic to the State of Michigan, but really catastrophic to the entire world. It is a risk we cannot take.

That is why we have authored a commonsense amendment that says we should ensure that there is adequate inspection, that PHMSA has the resources they need in order to inspect this, and if there are special requirements to protect the Great Lakes, as there were special requirements for Keystone, it should also be available to other pipelines, particularly in sensitive areas such as the Great Lakes.

That is why, in the spirit of an open amendment process, in the spirit of this great deliberative body, where people are allowed to debate the big issues affecting our world, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment so that I may call up my amendment No. 70.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of Brenda Lawrence, Mayor of the City of Southfield, who will be leaving office at the end of this year to represent Michigan's 14th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

Mayor Brenda L. Lawrence is a long-time resident of the City of Southfield. A product of Michigan's public school system, Mayor Lawrence is an alumna of Pershing High School and received her BA in Public Administration from Central Michigan University.

Ms. Lawrence was elected Mayor of the City of Southfield in November of 2001. She is the first African American and first woman Mayor of Southfield, a city with a population of over 78,000 residents, a budget of $143 million, and 833 employees. Mayor Lawrence is committed to diversity, fiscal responsibility, education, and keeping a clean and safe city.

Mayor Lawrence has been a community advocate for many years, both as an elected official and a private citizen. She has served on the Southfield City Council, where she was elected president in 1999. As a Councilwoman, Ms. Lawrence gained experience in managing a multi- million dollar budget and demonstrated fiscal responsibility. Ms. Lawrence has also served on the Southfield Public School Board of Education as President, Vice-President, and Secretary. Her love for community involvement has been evident through her previous service as a volunteer in various capacities on the Parent Youth Guidance Commission, Oakland County United Way Advisory Committee, and Oakland County AIDS Council.

Since becoming Mayor, Ms. Lawrence has initiated the following community programs: The Mayor's Walk community health program; Mayor's Roundtable--a citizen driven forum where residents can discuss one-on- one topics of concern; Southfield Reads!--a program designed to promote reading literacy in the City of Southfield; Annual Flower Day; City- wide Blood Drive; and Today's Woman--a cable show featuring respected women in and around Southfield. As a result of her initiative to create a more environmentally friendly community, Mayor Lawrence joined over 600 other Mayors in signing the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and with Council support has created the Southfield Green Committee.

Mayor Lawrence has received many honors for her leadership skills. She was recognized in October 2007 as one of Crain's ``2007 Most Influential Women.'' She is the recipient of the ``2004 Wand Award'' for breaking new frontiers for women and minorities, the Jewish War Veterans-State of Michigan ``Brotherhood Award,'' the Leadership Detroit ``Challenging the Process'' award, the ABWA Millennium Chapter ``Woman of the Year Award,'' the Detroit Historical Society's ``Enterprising Women'' award, Leadership Oakland's 2004 Distinguished Leadership & Future Leaders Award for Exemplary Leadership, and the ``Black Women Achiever Award.'' Mayor Lawrence

has also been named to the Women's Informal Network ``List of the Most Influential African American Women in Metropolitan Detroit'' and CORP Magazine's ``95 Most Influential Women in Michigan.''

Mayor Lawrence is a member of the Oakland County Chapter of the NAACP, a member of the Michigan Association of Mayor's Advisory Board, the U.S. Conference of Mayors Advisory Board, the American Heart Association's ``Go Red For Women,'' the Michigan Suburbs Alliance Executive Board, Women Officials Network Board of Directors, Birmingham YMCA Advisory Board, the Pepsi Community Advisory Board, MBN TV, Radio Advisory Board and the Board of Governors of the Renaissance/Skyline Club.

Mr. Speaker, as a former city councilman, I know first-hand how communities benefit from dedicated elected leaders. Brenda's years of dedicated service to the residents of Southfield is a testament to her character and I know that her experience will serve her well as a member of this legislative body. As I close, I can say with confidence that our community is a better place thanks to the ongoing, selfless service of people like Mayor and now Congresswoman-Elect Brenda Lawrence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a valued public servant to the people of Michigan, my dear friend, State Representative Vicki Barnett. After twenty years of service to the residents of the Greater Farmington area at both the local and state level, Vicki is preparing to embark upon new endeavors.

Prior to her embarking upon her journey of public service, Vicki worked as a financial planner, helping her clients realize their goals through making sound investments, a profession she has continued during her tenure as an elected official. Vicki is also a licensed accident, life and health insurance agent.

As a person who cares deeply for the well-being and vitality of her community, Vicki sought to make a difference in Farmington Hills, one of Oakland County's most populous and diverse cities, and was elected to the Farmington Hills City Council in 1995. She went on to serve as a Councilwoman for eight years before the voters of Farmington Hills elected her their mayor in 2003. While serving as mayor, Vicki worked to revitalize her community by creating a long-term economic master plan that focused on encouraging mixed-use developments and increasing commercial density--plans which put Farmington Hills at the forefront of these efforts. In recognition of her strong record of service and results, she was named the President of the Michigan Municipal League from 2006 to 2007 and was named one of Detroit's most influential women by Crain's Magazine in 2007.

Following her time in city government, Vicki went on to continue the legacy of another great Farmington Hills Mayor in Lansing and public servant, Aldo Vagnozzi, a man who also served as her mentor. I know it was a great honor for Vicki to be entrusted to succeed Aldo both as Mayor and later as Farmington and Farmington Hills' voice in Michigan's House of Representatives in Lansing. In that role, she has continued her exemplary commitment to public service, working across the aisle as an advocate for strengthening public schools, leveraging Michigan's resources to draw new industries to the state, and protecting communities' abilities to provide essential services to their residents. In recognition of her outstanding leadership, she was named the 2012 Legislator of the Year by the Police Officers Association of Michigan.

I have been so fortunate to have a partner at the state level like Vicki, who has been a strong voice and valuable resource for the people of Michigan. With experience that transcends multiple levels of government, her advice on the issues affecting the state of Michigan has been invaluable.

Mr. Speaker, as a public servant, I know that our local elected officials are dedicated to the communities they serve. Vicki has demonstrated this throughout her tenure of service to the people of the Greater Farmington area and Michigan. I know her passion and reason will be greatly missed by her colleagues in the Michigan Legislature, but as someone who cares deeply for her community, I know Vicki will continue to be involved in endeavors that seek to strengthen the City of Farmington Hills and other municipalities across Michigan. I wish her success in her new endeavors and look forward to continuing to work with her for the people of Michigan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Golden Opportunity Club, which was established as a venue for senior citizens in the Greater Pontiac community to connect and learn. Founded with the philosophy that increasing age does not need to impact an individual's quality of life, the Golden Opportunity Club is a community organization that directly engages senior citizens in the City of Pontiac to support a wide variety of activities that keeps them both mentally and physically active.

Founded in October 1964, the Golden Opportunity Club first met at the Lakeside Homes Center in Pontiac with ten original members in attendance. Its supervisor, Mrs. Johnson, immediately recognized the club's unique potential and engaged in efforts to expand its reach within the community. After much debate, she came up with the club's signature name under the presidency of Mrs. Annie Thompson. Two locations and thirteen presidents later, the thriving Golden Opportunity Club is now comprised of 400 members.

To carry out its mission, the club arranges activities and events for all people aged fifty-six and up. Club members participate in recreational gatherings including: trips, picnics and parties. In addition, the club offers its members a forum to use their compassion and desire to others by participating in charitable events to support their community. The Golden Opportunity Club also reaches out to ill, hospitalized and homebound members by providing financial and emotional support to them and their families.

Under the leadership of its current president, Carolyn Price, the Golden Opportunity Club has continued to stay focused on its mission of engaging seniors in activities that encourage civic activism and promote an active lifestyle. Recently, the Golden Opportunity Club has allied with Community Network Services and other organizations to ensure that their charitable contributions are benefiting the community. The funds that the Golden Opportunity Club raises through its events are used to make a significant impact on the residents of Pontiac. Specifically, the Golden Opportunity Club uses some of these funds to award annual scholarships to graduating high school seniors, as well as an annual contribution to the God U-C Youth Group, which is committed to inspiring and enriching the lives of youth in Pontiac. In conjunction with annual donations, the Golden Opportunity Club is committed to improving Pontiac as it continues to grow and develop. This past year it made significant contributions to Coats for Kids, and the WHRC Elementary School when its roof caved in.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the remarkable impact the Golden Opportunity Club has made over the last 50 years on the lives of senior citizens in the City of Pontiac. As more and more members of the Baby Boomer generation become seniors, the health and happiness of senior citizens will become increasingly important to sustain robust communities. The Golden Opportunity Club is vital to this work in the Pontiac community. I congratulate the Golden Opportunity Club on its many achievements and wish its members continued success in fulfilling their mission and encouraging the spirit and vitality of Pontiac's seniors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the first responders of the Hamtramck Fire Department (HFD) as the community celebrates the department's centennial anniversary. This historic milestone in HFD's history is a testament to the thirty-one brave men of the department and their predecessors, who have made the safety of their community their livelihood.

First responders are a critical part of communities across our nation--dedicated individuals who are putting themselves in harm's way to ensure the safety of our communities. For the HFD, the roots of this deep commitment to its community extend all the way back to 1857, before Hamtramck was even incorporated as a village. It was then that the Hamtramck Spouters first organized and formed the Spouters Company Number Eleven. Forged with a mission of protecting the citizens of Hamtramck and their property, it formally became the Hamtramck Fire Department in 1914, and has diligently dedicated itself to fulfilling its mission.

Like all first responders, the HFD provides support and protection to the residents of its community in their moments of greatest need. This support and protection includes: responding to fire emergencies, preventing fires, mitigating hazardous situations, investigating fire emergencies for potential arson and providing emergency medical services--in 2011, the HFD responded to over 3,000 emergencies.

As the HFD has grown, it has continued to obtain and incorporate new technology, equipment and training, to strengthen its ability to protect the community. All of these resources, along with those of neighboring fire departments in Detroit and Highland Park, were put to the test on August 6, 1984, when the HFD responded to a five-alarm industrial fire. The HFD and the other responding departments were instrumental in containing this fire and preventing its spread to neighboring residences and properties. It serves as a poignant example of the important role of first responders in protecting the safety of our communities.

For the firefighters of the HFD, their commitment and dedication to their community are principles which motivate their actions, both in their first responders' duties and in the other endeavors they lead to strengthen Hamtramck. These efforts include: raising funds to support breast cancer research, leading community clean-up days and providing the support necessary for Hamtramck to hold Independence Day festivities for its residents.

Mr. Speaker, our first responders deserve our admiration, our respect and our unending gratitude for the incredible responsibility they shoulder on a daily basis. They provide the security and protection that help bind our communities together, both in their official duties and their volunteer endeavors, which are often focused on supporting the members of our communities that are most in-need. It is my honor to congratulate and thank Fire Chief Paul Wilk, the firefighters of the Hamtramck Fire Department and their families who support them, for the incredible impact they have made and continue to make on their community. The centennial of the HFD is a significant milestone in its history and I wish all of its firefighters and their families continued success and safety in their endeavor to protect the residents of Hamtramck.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my dear friend, Oakland County Commissioner Mattie McKinney Hatchett, as she prepares to step down from the commission at the end of her term.

When her tenure ends in December, Commissioner Hatchett will have completed more than a decade of service to the people of Pontiac as their elected representative to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners and will end the most recent chapter in her more than five decades of public service to the City of Pontiac. In 1963, Commissioner Hatchett began serving her community as an employee and volunteer in the Pontiac Public School District. As an education professional, Commissioner Hatchett has been involved in Pontiac Public Schools for more than fifty years and currently serves as a Trustee on the Pontiac Board of Education. During her time in Pontiac Public Schools she has held a variety of positions from teacher to elementary school principal, and several high-ranking administrative roles.

Through Commissioner Hatchett's many public service endeavors in the Pontiac community, she has become a leader, mentor and passionate advocate for her constituents, friends, and neighbors. Her extensive work in the community includes service as the Chairperson of the Pontiac General Hospital Building Authority, an Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency Counselor for Youth Corp., Deputy Mayor of the City of Pontiac, and as a member of the Golden Opportunity Club. She has also been a member of many national organizations like the National Congress of Black Women and the National Baptist Congress.

In her most recent role as Oakland County Commissioner, Commissioner Hatchett has continued to be a staunch advocate for the Pontiac community. She has worked tirelessly to ensure that the voices of her constituents are heard and has been involved in finding solutions to the issues affecting them. She has been an active member of the National Association of Counties and, in 2011, was named the first African-American Woman to serve as President of the Michigan Association of Counties.

As an elected representative, I have been honored to serve the residents of Pontiac in my time as a Michigan State Senator and Member of Congress, and I have been so fortunate to have Commissioner Hatchett as a local leader with whom I have been able to work to address many issues affecting our constituents. Commissioner Hatchett's leadership has earned her countless awards and recognition from local community organizations--she has been honored as the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Woman of the Year, a 2014 Wonder Woman Award recipient and the 2013 IMAGE AWARD recipients from Northern Oakland County NAACP. In recognition of the profound impact Commissioner Hatchett has made on the Pontiac community, in 2008, First Lady Michelle Obama acknowledged her as the ``Mother of Pontiac''.

Mr. Speaker, the people of Pontiac have been so fortunate to have a passionate advocate and leader as their voice to Oakland County for the last twelve years. Commissioner Mattie McKinney Hatchett's commitment to public service and decades of engagement with Pontiac residents to find solutions for the issues affecting their city and Oakland County are an example of the important work done by our locally elected officials. I know Commissioner Hatchett's voice on the Oakland County Commission will be greatly missed by her peers and by her constituents and wish her well as she begins a new chapter in her service to the people of Pontiac.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Reverend Doctor James C. Perkins on his election as the new President of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.

Beginning his service as an ordained minister in 1974, Dr. Perkins has served as pastor of Greater Christ Baptist Church for the last thirty years. Under his leadership the congregation of Greater Christ Baptist has grown deeper in its fellowship and in it is outreach to the Greater Detroit community.

As a strong believer that faith requires a person to care about both their spiritual well-being and the well-being of their community, Dr. Perkins has led his congregation in the creation of ministries that have been making a difference in the Greater Detroit region. Among the many projects these ministries have supported are the Fellowship Nonprofit Housing Corporation, which serves the community as a force for economic development and the Benjamin E. Mays Male Academy which opened in 1993 and operated for 17 years with the mission of providing access to education for young males in the Greater Detroit community. As a result of these efforts, the Providence Place complex, which provides housing to fifty low and middle income families, hundreds of young men have seen their quality of life improve. In addition to these accomplishments, Greater Christ Baptist runs a food pantry that provides vital food products to families in need, a political awareness ministry that fosters community interest in civic participation and the Progressive Matrons ministry that supports homeless women.

Realizing that his role as a spiritual leader is one that intersects with other community interests, Dr. Perkins also serves on the boards of a number of community organizations. These organizations include: the Michigan Progressive Baptist Convention where he served as president, the Detroit Baptist Pastors Council, the Detroit Chapter of the NAACP, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., and the Steering Committee of the Detroit Jobs Alliance. For his work he has been recognized with many awards, including: the Gandhi King Ikeda Award from Morehouse College, the Pastor of the Year Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Charles Andrew Hill Award from the Michigan Progressive Baptist Convention.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Perkins' elevation to the presidency of the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) is a recognition of the profound impact his leadership has made on the Greater Detroit community, and the inspiration that leadership has instilled in his congregation and other members of the PNBC. I congratulate him on achieving this important milestone in his service to the congregation of Greater Christ Baptist Church, the PNBC and the Greater Detroit community. I know he will continue to be a strong leader and staunch

advocate for his congregation and the Southeast Michigan community, and wish him continued success in his future endeavors to strengthen the Greater Detroit region.