Floor Statements

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 341, S. 2237.

Mr. President, the next hour will be divided between the Republicans and Democrats. The Republicans will control the first half and the majority will control the final half.

It was last night, but just barely, when we finally worked out some agreement on a piece of legislation we are dealing with. The House posted that last night just before midnight to meet their rules. It includes the transportation conference and flood insurance and student loans in one package. I say to all of my Senators that we are going to finish this before we leave. I hope we can do it today. We certainly can if the will is there. Otherwise, if it takes tomorrow or whenever, we have to finish the bill. I know everyone has a lot of work to do, but we have to finish this legislation. The student loan program expires at the end of the month. The highway program has to be completed by the end of the month. The work that has been done has been hard.

I met with the Democratic chairs yesterday at noon. I explained to everyone that we were trying to work our way through this. These are veteran legislators, the chairmen of all of the committees here in the Senate. We talked a lot about compromise being what legislation is all about. Legislation is the art of compromise, consensus building, but when it comes right down to doing that, it is hard for Senators to give up what they want. But this is a bill that affects almost 3 million people. That is just the transportation part of it--the flood part, 7 million people, and the student loan, 7 million people. So everyone had to give a little bit or we could not have gotten this done.

I am terribly disappointed on a part of what did not get done. I have always been a big fan of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. I do not have a better friend in the world than Ken Salazar. This is something he wanted so very much, but we could not get it done. So there is a lot of disappointment in many different areas.

But this is legislation at its best. I say that purposefully. It is hard to get these pieces of legislation done, but we got it done. And as I said, we are going to work through the process. With the Senate being such that it is, people can hold measures up, but they cannot hold them up forever. So we are going to work through this. It is for the betterment of our country if we complete this legislation as quickly as possible.

Measure Placed on the Calendar--S. 3342

Mr. President, S. 3342 is at the desk and due for its second reading.

Mr. President, I would object to any further proceedings with respect to this matter at this time.

Mr. President, there is a lot going on in Washington today. I so admire the Supreme Court's ability to keep everything quiet. I mean, it is really incredible that we are going to have two major decisions this week--one dealing with immigration, one dealing with health care--and there has not been a single word that has come out of the Supreme Court. I am so impressed. That is the way it has always been, and I hope it stays that way.

Today the Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of the landmark health reform that made affordable, quality care a right for every American. Millions of Americans are already seeing the benefits of this law--I repeat, millions of Americans. The Democrats are very proud that we stood for the right of every man, woman, and child to lifesaving medical care instead of standing for insurance companies that worry more about making money than making people better.

The Supreme Court's decision, being a lawyer myself--I know the Presiding Officer was the chief legal officer for the State of New Mexico, the attorney general--when you are in the area of law and are a lawyer, whatever the Court does, you accept that. That is our form of government. We are a nation of laws, not a nation of men. So whatever the Court does, we will work through that. If they uphold it, that is great. If they do not uphold it, whatever it is, we stand ready, willing, and able to work to make sure Americans have the ability to get health care when they are sick.

I look forward to the opinion coming out in the next half hour or so, and we will see what that holds. I know that will cause a lot of interest here in the Senate, but we cannot take our eyes off what we have to do today; that is, figure a way forward on these other matters with which we have to deal--flood insurance, student loans, and the big Transportation bill.

Reservation of Leader Time

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

Mr. President, I am happy, I am pleased to see the Supreme Court put the rule of law ahead of partisanship and ruled that the affordable care act is constitutional.

This is a long opinion. We know when we come back here after the elections there may be some work we need to do to improve the law, and we will do it together. But today millions of Americans are already seeing the benefits of the law we passed. Seniors are saving money on their prescriptions and checkups, children can no longer be denied insurance because they have a preexisting condition--protection that will soon extend to every American. No longer will American families be a car accident or heart attack away from bankruptcy.

Every Thursday I have a ``Welcome to Washington.'' Today we had a group of people from Nevada who have or have relatives who have cystic fibrosis.

It has been so hard for these young people to get insurance. It is not going to be that way anymore. No longer will Americans live in fear of losing their health insurance because they lose a job. No longer will tens of millions of Americans rely on emergency room care or go without care entirely because they have no insurance at all. Soon, virtually every man, woman, and child in America will have access to health insurance they can afford and the vital care they need.

Passing the Affordable Care Act was the single greatest step in generations toward ensuring access to affordable, quality health care for every person in America, regardless of where they live or how much money they make.

Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress continue to target the rights and benefits guaranteed under this law. They would like to give the power of life and death back to the insurance companies. Our Supreme Court has spoken. This matter is settled.

No one thinks this law is perfect. The Presiding Officer doesn't and neither do I. Democrats have proven we are willing to work with Republicans to improve whatever problems exist in this law or, in fact, any other law.

Millions of Americans are struggling to find work today, and we know that. Our first priority must be to improve the economy. It is time for Republicans to stop refighting yesterday's battles. Now that this matter is settled, let's move on to other issues such as jobs.

I note the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I want to spend a few minutes and bring everybody up to date. We have had wonderful cooperation in the last several weeks. We have gotten a lot done. Our passing the three bills that are left to do--student loans, flood insurance, and the highway bill--would be a significant accomplishment. We are going to do it; it is only a question of when.

A lot of the committees and the chairs and ranking members worked late last night. I talked to CBO today. They didn't get the information that they started scoring until 4 a.m. They are moving forward and doing their best. As with all agreements, things come up, and at this point everything appears to be just right. The committees of jurisdiction have indicated they have worked through all these matters. They have completed the drafting of a revised version of the conference report. We expect this to be filed momentarily--it could have already been filed.

But what we have done many times is we have voted on what the House has filed before they passed it. We have done that many times. It is standard procedure. Right now we don't have the consent from all Senators to do that, but that could be forthcoming. I will report back to the Senate within the next hour, after I find out whether we can finish this work tonight or whether we have to come back tomorrow.

Everyone stay tuned. At this point, I can't express enough appreciation to everyone--Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate. As I laid out to my chairmen at the lunch I had yesterday, this has been truly an example of what legislation is all about--compromise. Compromise really sounds good. Legislation is the art of compromise-- until you are faced, as a Senator, with something you may not get because of the overall good of the bill. Sometimes we have to understand that we have to give things up for the betterment of this country. We cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. So everyone understands that to this point.

As I have indicated, we will know within the next hour, and I will report back as to whether we can finish tonight or come back tomorrow.

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

Mr. President, I am sorry it has taken so long. There are a lot of things to do around here. The conference report has been filed. As I said earlier today, I appreciate very much the work of everyone, including our very hard-working staffs on both sides of the Capitol. But there is no need for us to wait anymore. We are not going to finish this tonight. We are going to have to come back tomorrow.

I have talked to a number of people, and I wanted to make sure before anything was announced that the papers had been filed. They have been. We have a number of issues we are trying to work through procedurally. We are not going to be able to do that tonight. I am not passing blame on anyone, because we all have a lot to do tomorrow, a lot of things that we are going to put on hold. This is a very big work period for us the next 10 days. I think it is appropriate to say we will be back at 10 o'clock in the morning to finish this legislation and do it as quickly as we can. We do not know what time the House is going to vote on this tomorrow, but we may have to wait now until they pass it. That is one of the pieces we are working on. We have done our very best to try to complete everything tonight, but we are not going to be able to do that.

I am disappointed. I heard that from many people, how disappointed they are that we could not move further

down the road. But that is the way it is.

I would be happy to yield.

Yes. If I thought it would help to come in earlier, I would do that. But it would only be----

We likely cannot do anything until the House votes on the bill tomorrow. We are trying to work through that. I have to say, the House has been extremely cooperative in everything we have done the last few days. I see on the floor my friend, the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. She knows how hard this has been and how cooperative the Republicans have been. No one has been more so than the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Jim Inhofe. I will always admire Jim Inhofe for the manner in which he approached this important piece of legislation. We pass out accolades on this floor, about everyone, how hard they work, but we would not be able to get this bill done except for Jim Inhofe. Fact.

So I am disappointed we cannot do this tonight. As the chairman of the Judiciary Committee just said, we would stay here tonight on our side until the wee hours of the morning, because we have some things to do. I was scheduled to be in Lake Tahoe tomorrow, but I can't be there. Other people have certainly more important trips than that. But it is one of the issues we have to face with these jobs we have, which are a tremendous privilege, but sometimes we do not have the ability, as a Governor does or the President does, a member of the Court does, to say: This is the schedule. There are 100 different leaders here, each thinking they have the best way of solving the problems of the world, and it takes a while sometimes to work through their opinions.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes.

I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to S. Res. 514.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Friday, June 29; that following the prayer and the pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date; that the morning hour be deemed to have expired and the time for two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that the majority leader may be recognized, and that Senators be permitted to speak up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, the transportation conference report was filed in the House just moments ago. We hope to get a chance to move forward on this very early in the morning. There could be a couple of votes. We could get through it very quickly.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand adjourned under the previous order.

Madam President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 341, S. 2237.

Madam President, the next hour will be equally divided, with the majority controlling the first half and Republicans controlling the final half. We will continue to debate flood insurance. I hope we can reach an agreement to complete action on this bill. We also need to consider the transportation and the student loan extensions before the end of this week.

There are a lot of things going on on Capitol Hill today. We have been in touch with the Speaker's office. Our staffs have been meeting. When we come to these kinds of bills, the Finance Committee is extremely important. And Senator Baucus and I have had many meetings with him and conversations with him. The Senator is key to getting everything done. He is needed on the highway bill, he is needed on the flood insurance bill, and he is needed in student loans. He realizes that and has a tremendous obligation and burden to bear, but he always comes through. He has a good relationship with his counterpart in the House, David Camp.

I am cautiously optimistic we can end this week tomorrow even, with a little bit of luck, but we may not be able to. We have to see what happens in the next 24 hours, which will be key.

Immigration Reform

Monday's U.S. Supreme Court decision striking most of the unconstitutional Arizona immigration law reaffirms something most of us already knew: the onus is on Congress to repair our broken system. No one denies that the system is broken. But in the 40 hours since the Supreme Court's ruling, Republicans have engaged in revisionist history to explain why it has taken so long to fix it.

Here are the facts. When Democrats brought a comprehensive immigration reform bill to the floor in 2007, Republicans filibustered the legislation. This legislation was led by Senator McCain and Senator Kennedy, among others. The Republicans filibustered this legislation even though Republican President Bush supported it. They twice filibustered the DREAM Act, which would allow children brought to the United States by their parents to go to college, serve in the military, and work toward citizenship.

Democrats have done everything that is humanly possible to pass comprehensive immigration reform. We have been trying to do it for years. Two Congresses ago, we spent more time on immigration on the floor than any other issue, and we were spending that time because we were being slow-walked by the Republicans.

The Republicans are divided on this issue; we are not. Ninety percent of Democrats support comprehensive immigration reform and, of course, the DREAM Act. Everytime Democrats offer to work together on comprehensive immigration reform, even bringing to the floor bipartisan ideas originally proposed by Republicans, the other side finds an excuse not to support the change.

On the floor today is the senior Senator from Illinois, the assistant majority leader. He was one of the pushers of the DREAM Act. He had with him two Republican Senators who were pushing just as hard, but those two Senators have disappeared in supporting the legislation. Yet Republicans blame Democrats for inaction. Well, they cannot have it both ways--they cannot blame Democrats for not passing a bipartisan immigration bill when they are the ones who blocked the bill.

Moving forward, Congress has two things in its favor. Thanks to President Obama's decisive action, the specter of deportation no longer hangs over the heads of 800,000 young men and women brought to the country as children. And the Supreme Court offered yet another affirmation that a long-term fix for a broken immigration system must come from Congress and not from the States.

Now is not the time for Republicans to continue this harangue that they have had: It is not our fault. It is time for them to work with us for a reasonable solution, one that continues to secure our borders, punishes unscrupulous employers who exploit immigrants and undercut American wages, improves our dysfunctional legal immigration system, and finally requires the 11 million people who are undocumented to register with the government, pay fines, taxes, learn English, and then they do not go to the front of the line, they go to the back of the line. They do this in order to change their status. If my Republican colleagues truly care about changing the status quo, they should step forward now and work with Democrats, not criticize from the sidelines. Unfortunately, Republicans who once favored a permanent solution for America's broken immigration system are deserting efforts to find common ground.

The only decisive Republican voice on this issue today seems to be from Mitt Romney, who has called the unconstitutional Arizona law the ``model for the Nation.'' That is what he said. He has also promised to veto the DREAM Act. He said that, I didn't. Democrats believe that the kind of institutionalized racism in the Arizona law is hardly the ``model for reform'' in a country that stands for liberty and justice for all. We believe upstanding young people who have never known any home but the United States of America should be able to go to college, fight for their country, and contribute to society, not face deportation. But at least we know where Mitt Romney stands on those issues, even if we disagree with him. He is for vetoing the DREAM Act, and he believes the Arizona law is the ``model'' for our country. That is really too bad.

As long as Republicans remain unwilling to vote for comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform, we will remain at an impasse. I want my Republican colleagues to know this: As soon as they are willing to join us to craft a commonsense legislative solution that is tough, fair, and practical, we are ready to join them.

Reservation of Leader Time

Mr. President, today I rise with my colleague Senator Heller to introduce the Las Vegas Valley Public Lands and Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Act of 2012. This legislation will designate the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument in southern Nevada, expand the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, set aside lands for the expansion of Nevada institutions of higher education, and make thousands of acres available for private development and job creation in the Las Vegas valley.

I am proud to lead the introduction of this important bill, which has been years in the making. The hallmark component of this legislation is the establishment of the Tule Springs Fossil Bed National Monument. The proposed monument is supported by the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, Clark County, the Governor of Nevada, the State of Nevada's Division of State Parks, the National Parks Conservation Association, Protectors of Tule Springs, and thousands of Nevadans.

By designating the Tule Springs area a national monument managed by the National Park Service, we will conserve, protect and enhance this unique and nationally important resource. Nevadans, tourists, scientists, and school children will visit the monument to enjoy its scientific, educational, scenic and recreational values for decades to come.

The proposed monument is located in the northern part of the Las Vegas Valley, bounded by the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, the Red Rock National Conservation Area, and the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area. The Tule Springs area is recognized as having the largest assemblage of Ice Age fossils in the Southwest.

Over 400 paleontological sites have been discovered, providing a record of human activity dating back 11,000 years ago. Scientists have uncovered fossils of the giant Columbian mammoth, ground sloths the size of small cars, the American lion, and camelops. These great prehistoric mammals called North Las Vegas home for thousands of years.

Efforts to protect the paleontological treasures contained within the Las Vegas Wash began early last century. In 1933, the first fossil expedition in Tule Springs unearthed prehistoric bones that became known as ``Tule the Baby Mammoth.'' In 1962, scientists conducted the famous ``big dig,'' employing radiocarbon dating for the first time in the United States, which in turn dated Ice Age fossils from 23,800 to 28,000 years old. Despite this significant concentration of important fossil resources in the proposed monument, only a fraction of the area has been studied. Many more prehistoric treasures will be found in the decades to come.

The proposed Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is the product of many years of work. Recognizing the threats to the area from off-road vehicles, vandalism, and dumping, a coalition of environmentalists, tribes, academics, and retired Park Service employees formed in the mid-2000s to seek federal protection for Tule Springs.

The Protectors of Tule Springs collected over 10,000 signatures, and local and national conservation groups launched a campaign to garner public support for adding the site to the National Parks System. In 2010, a Park Service reconnaissance report commissioned at the request of members of the Nevada congressional delegation found the site suitable for inclusion in the Park System.

The monument will also benefit the local economy. Proponents of the monument estimate that it will generate tens of millions of dollars for the regional economy within the early years of operation, bringing tourists and researchers from around the world to visit this one-of-a- kind place to explore fascinating natural history.

The stakeholder agreement to establish the proposed monument includes making a modest amount of public lands available for private development in the Las Vegas Valley, and the designation of two 640 acre job creation zones for the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas for master planned commercial development.

Furthermore, the legislation makes land available for the future expansion of campuses within the Nevada System of Higher Education, while increasing the size of the Red Rock National Conservation Area. It conveys land to Clark County for flood control for the

future Ivanpah Valley Airport, it expands the Metro Police Training Facility by 80 acres to enhance public safety and the facility's security, and allows the U.S. Forest Service to remedy mistaken trespass situations in the Spring Mountains area. Finally, it conveys 1,200 acres to Clark County to establish an off-highway vehicle recreation park, and designates public lands surrounding the park as an off-highway vehicle recreation area to help keep riders off of sensitive lands and habitat.

The Las Vegas Valley Lands and Fossil Beds National Monument Act is an ambitious piece of legislation, built on years of stakeholder input. It provides for balanced development and job creation within the Las Vegas Valley, while protecting vital natural and scientific resources that should be made more accessible for the public's enjoyment and education.

By making long-term and forward-looking improvements to public land management and stewardship in the Las Vegas Valley, I believe we have crafted a bill that will serve the best interests of Nevadans.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to move this important legislation through the legislative process.

Mr. President, today I rise with my colleague Senator Heller to introduce the Las Vegas Valley Public Lands and Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Act of 2012. This legislation will designate the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument in southern Nevada, expand the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, set aside lands for the expansion of Nevada institutions of higher education, and make thousands of acres available for private development and job creation in the Las Vegas valley.

I am proud to lead the introduction of this important bill, which has been years in the making. The hallmark component of this legislation is the establishment of the Tule Springs Fossil Bed National Monument. The proposed monument is supported by the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, Clark County, the Governor of Nevada, the State of Nevada's Division of State Parks, the National Parks Conservation Association, Protectors of Tule Springs, and thousands of Nevadans.

By designating the Tule Springs area a national monument managed by the National Park Service, we will conserve, protect and enhance this unique and nationally important resource. Nevadans, tourists, scientists, and school children will visit the monument to enjoy its scientific, educational, scenic and recreational values for decades to come.

The proposed monument is located in the northern part of the Las Vegas Valley, bounded by the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, the Red Rock National Conservation Area, and the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area. The Tule Springs area is recognized as having the largest assemblage of Ice Age fossils in the Southwest.

Over 400 paleontological sites have been discovered, providing a record of human activity dating back 11,000 years ago. Scientists have uncovered fossils of the giant Columbian mammoth, ground sloths the size of small cars, the American lion, and camelops. These great prehistoric mammals called North Las Vegas home for thousands of years.

Efforts to protect the paleontological treasures contained within the Las Vegas Wash began early last century. In 1933, the first fossil expedition in Tule Springs unearthed prehistoric bones that became known as ``Tule the Baby Mammoth.'' In 1962, scientists conducted the famous ``big dig,'' employing radiocarbon dating for the first time in the United States, which in turn dated Ice Age fossils from 23,800 to 28,000 years old. Despite this significant concentration of important fossil resources in the proposed monument, only a fraction of the area has been studied. Many more prehistoric treasures will be found in the decades to come.

The proposed Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is the product of many years of work. Recognizing the threats to the area from off-road vehicles, vandalism, and dumping, a coalition of environmentalists, tribes, academics, and retired Park Service employees formed in the mid-2000s to seek federal protection for Tule Springs.

The Protectors of Tule Springs collected over 10,000 signatures, and local and national conservation groups launched a campaign to garner public support for adding the site to the National Parks System. In 2010, a Park Service reconnaissance report commissioned at the request of members of the Nevada congressional delegation found the site suitable for inclusion in the Park System.

The monument will also benefit the local economy. Proponents of the monument estimate that it will generate tens of millions of dollars for the regional economy within the early years of operation, bringing tourists and researchers from around the world to visit this one-of-a- kind place to explore fascinating natural history.

The stakeholder agreement to establish the proposed monument includes making a modest amount of public lands available for private development in the Las Vegas Valley, and the designation of two 640 acre job creation zones for the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas for master planned commercial development.

Furthermore, the legislation makes land available for the future expansion of campuses within the Nevada System of Higher Education, while increasing the size of the Red Rock National Conservation Area. It conveys land to Clark County for flood control for the

future Ivanpah Valley Airport, it expands the Metro Police Training Facility by 80 acres to enhance public safety and the facility's security, and allows the U.S. Forest Service to remedy mistaken trespass situations in the Spring Mountains area. Finally, it conveys 1,200 acres to Clark County to establish an off-highway vehicle recreation park, and designates public lands surrounding the park as an off-highway vehicle recreation area to help keep riders off of sensitive lands and habitat.

The Las Vegas Valley Lands and Fossil Beds National Monument Act is an ambitious piece of legislation, built on years of stakeholder input. It provides for balanced development and job creation within the Las Vegas Valley, while protecting vital natural and scientific resources that should be made more accessible for the public's enjoyment and education.

By making long-term and forward-looking improvements to public land management and stewardship in the Las Vegas Valley, I believe we have crafted a bill that will serve the best interests of Nevadans.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to move this important legislation through the legislative process.

Mr. President, we are currently considering the motion to concur in the House message to accompany the FDA bill postcloture. We hope to work something out on that so that we can move to it early evening.

The first hour of debate this morning will be equally divided and controlled, with the Republicans controlling the first half and the majority controlling the final half.

At 11:30 the Senate will proceed to executive session to consider the nomination of Robin Rosenbaum to be a district judge for the Southern District of Florida.

At noon there will be a rollcall vote on confirmation of the Rosenbaum nomination.

The Senate will recess today from 12:30 to 2:15, as we normally do on Tuesdays, for our weekly caucus meetings.

At 2:15 there will be 6 hours 15 minutes remaining on the motion to concur in the House message with respect to the FDA bill. We hope that a significant amount of time can be yielded back and that we can complete action on the bill today.

There is an all-Senators briefing at 5 o'clock. We are going to continue--that time will run. We are not going to recess during that period of time. That will be in the classified room down in the Visitor Center.

We have accomplished a lot. Everyone knows how grateful I am to Senators Stabenow and Roberts for working their way and our way through that very difficult farm bill.

We are watching very closely the great work of Senator Boxer, Senator Inhofe, the Finance Committee, the Commerce Committee, and the Banking Committee on helping us work through the highway bill. There is a possibility that we can get that bill done. I think the chances today are better than 50-50 that we can get a bill done, but we are still looking at Speaker Boehner to help us get that over the finish line. So we will see what happens on that.

As I have indicated, the FDA bill--we will complete that tonight. That is a very important accomplishment for us.

We have the student loan issue, and we are working on that. We hope to get that done soon. I think there is a general feeling that we have worked out a compromise on that that is acceptable, with the help of Senator Baucus, Senator Harkin, and others. Jack Reed, of course, has led the charge on that for some time.

I have talked about the highway bill. We need to get that done.

The remaining issue is flood insurance, and we are doing fine on flood insurance, except I was told last night that one of the Republican Senators wants to offer an amendment--listen to this one-- wants to offer an amendment on when life begins. I have been very patient in working with my Republican colleagues and allowing relevant amendments on issues, and sometimes we even do nonrelevant amendments but, really, on flood insurance, are we going to have to start dealing as we did with the highway bill for weeks and weeks with contraception? Now we have another person who wants to deal with when life begins.

I don't understand what this is all about, but I want everyone to know that this flood insurance bill is extremely important. The big pushers of

this bill are Republican Senators, veteran Republican Senators, and they better work on their side of the aisle because I am not going to put up with that on the flood insurance bill.

I can be condemned by outside sources. My friends can say: Let him have a vote on it. There will not be a vote on that on flood insurance. We will either do flood insurance with amendments that deal with flood insurance or we will not do it. We will have an extension. After all of the work that has been put into this bill, this is ridiculous, that somebody says: I am not going to let this bill go forward unless I have a vote on when life begins. I am not going to do that, and I think I speak for the majority of Senators.

Now, if the Republicans will not stand up to the person who is going to do that, I am not going to. I have tried my best to deal with these issues that have nothing to do with a piece of legislation, but with the end of the month staring us in the face we have too many important things we have to do. Student loans will be doubled if we do not get that done. Flood insurance will disappear if we do not get it done. The highway program will disappear if we do not get it done. The FDA bill-- it will create all kinds of problems, if we do not get that done.

I think this is outlandish. It somebody feels really moved upon to talk about when life begins, have them come and give a speech.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 341,

Mr. President, I made a commitment to proceed to a 5-year flood insurance bill following the farm bill. We have done that. It is the right thing to do. It is an extremely important piece of legislation. So I have lived up to that commitment. I had hoped the broad support we have for this extremely important bill would allow us to reach an agreement and finish the bill in a relatively short period of time.

As everyone knows, the senior Senator from Arkansas has had some issues with the bill. I have suggested that he have a vote. From talking to my Republican friends, they do not have a problem with that, giving him a vote. Unfortunately, as happens around here more often than I would like, we have not been able to reach agreement because a small group of Republicans is stopping us from doing this.

So my options are really very limited at this stage. I can file cloture and put at risk our ability to complete action on student loans and the Transportation bill. That is what it would do because if I file cloture, we will have to have a cloture vote on this on Thursday. And I would have to file cloture twice because there is the bill and there is the substitute, which everybody agreed was the right thing to do to move forward on the substitute. That is two votes, so at least 60 hours. The flood bill is a very important piece of legislation. It is not something we have to complete the day after tomorrow, but it is something we have to complete a month from now. So do I file cloture and put at risk these important pieces of legislation, meaning the Transportation bill, the student loans--put everything at risk--or I can give supporters of this bill time to try to come to an agreement on limiting the number of amendments.

I really believe the right thing to do is to give the people who want this bill passed, Democrats and Republicans, people who support this extremely important piece of legislation, a day or two to figure out if they can get something done. I hope they can. I honestly do. So I am not filing cloture on this bill as I had really actually contemplated. I hope my Republican friends will work with us to get this bill done.

This is a bill that deals with flood insurance. I have spoken to a number of Republican Senators, including Senator Vitter, who is the person who has spoken out on this more than anyone else, and he acknowledges that there may be a few relevant amendments that we should have on this bill. I do not care. That is fine with me. Let's set up a list of amendments and finish this bill. So I hope we can get that done. I really do. We should not get in a legislative morass on a bill that is extremely important for the country no matter what part of the country you live in. The dry deserts of Nevada, this is an important piece of legislation; the wetlands of Florida and Louisiana, very important piece of legislation. So I hope we can get this done.

Let me just say another word or two. I am very pleased to say that we are close to an agreement to prevent student loan rates from doubling for 7 million young men and women. That would happen at the end of the week. So I appreciate the leadership of President Obama. He has pushed forward on this for a long time. He has given many public statements in this regard. He has been talking to students around the country. He was in New Hampshire yesterday talking to students. They waited in the rain to hear him talk. He has been working with leaders in Congress to ensure that students will not pay the extra $1,000 to get a degree.

I would remind my colleagues, the Republicans, including the Speaker, my friend, were willing to give up on this issue a few weeks ago. We are not willing to give up on this issue. I am glad my Republican colleagues have agreed we should not give up on this issue. We do not want to let the rates double. Leader Cantor even said Republicans were done legislating. Remember that? But with the President's leadership and our persistence and the help of my valiant Republican friends, we are going to be able, with a little bit of good luck, to protect 7 million students. I hope that is, in fact, the case.

I appreciate the diligent work of the chairman of our committee, Senator Harkin. Senator Jack Reed has worked very hard on this, as have other Senators. I am leaving a few out, but I am certainly not doing that intentionally.

I hope everyone understands the legislative issues we have to work to toward the end of this week. I hope we can get it done. I hope we do not get trapped in one of these Senate procedural bogs where we are going to have to be here Friday, Saturday. You know, I hope we do not have to do that. There is no reason to. We can get all of our work done, but we do need a little bit of cooperation.

Mr. President, this resolution, S. Res. 506, on behalf of myself and the distinguished Republican leader, Mr. McConnell, concerns a request for representation in a pro se civil action pending in Indiana small claims court. In this action, the plaintiff seeks damages from a former Member of the Indiana House of Representatives arising out of plaintiff's efforts to obtain Social Security benefits. Plaintiff has issued trial subpoenas to former Senator Evan Bayh and an unnamed employee of his former Senate office for testimony arising out of their Senate duties.

This resolution would authorize the Senate Legal Counsel to represent Senator Bayh and employees of his former Senate office in this case to seek to quash the subpoenas on the ground that the Senator and his former staff lack personal knowledge of the relevant events and other legal bases. The resolution would also authorize the former constituent services director for Senator Bayh to submit a declaration in support of the motion to quash attesting that she has no knowledge of anyone in the former Senator's office who has any information relevant to this case.

Mr. President, we are now considering the motion to proceed to the flood insurance bill postcloture. We will begin consideration of that bill today. At 5:30, there will be a cloture vote on the motion to concur in the House message with respect to S. 3187, which is the Food and Drug Administration bill. This is an extremely important bill. Work has been completed on that. We should be OK tonight and have that as something we look to as having accomplished this week.

We also need to complete work on student loans, flood insurance, and transportation this week. We have lots to do and a very short time to do it.