Floor Statements

Madam President, today in the Senate, there will be a period of morning business for 1 hour. Senators will be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each. The majority will control the first 30 minutes and the Republicans will control the final 30 minutes. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 4851, the Extension Act. We will recess from 12:30 until 2:15 p.m. today for our caucus luncheons. By a previous unanimous consent agreement, at 2:15 p.m. all postcloture time will be yielded back and the Senate will adopt the motion to proceed. The bill will then be open to amendments, and Senators should expect rollcall votes this afternoon.

Madam President, I am told that S. 3194 is at the desk and due for a second reading.

Madam President, I object to any further proceedings with respect to this bill at this time.

Madam President, things were very hectic when the health care legislation passed. At the end of that work period, I acknowledged the contribution of several staff members to helping Congress pass health care reform--the most significant domestic policy legislation in a long time. There were so many valuable players on this team that it was inevitable, in the haste of things, that perhaps I would forget someone who was very important. I did that extemporaneously and tried to go over all my staff, but I had many things running through my mind, and I inadvertently left off one of the key players on my staff who worked so hard; that is, a man by the name of Bruce King, who worked so actively on health care, especially as it related to reconciliation. More importantly, he is a good person, a fine human being, and the American public is fortunate that people as talented and as selfless as he have chosen public service.

Bruce came to my office after, among other things, serving in a senior role for two distinguished Senators from New Jersey--Senators Lautenberg and Corzine. He did that for more than a decade. He also served as staff director for the Senate Budget Committee. He graduated from Tulane University and Stanford School of Law and attended the prestigious London School of Economics, so his academic background is really sensational. He was one of the first people I hired when I became Democratic leader, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I made for the people of Nevada and the country. He is very easy to work with, very bright, and very helpful all of the time.

He has staffed me so well on so many issues in the last 6 years. He did an especially exceptional job on the reconciliation bill we put together to make improvements on the Senate-passed health care bill. Reconciliation is perhaps the most complicated process the Senate undertakes, and thanks to Bruce and the staff of the Senate Budget Committee, we produced a reconciliation bill that both helped millions of Americans and remained consistent with arcane and complex Senate rules.

I wish to publicly acknowledge Bruce and thank him for all he has done on health care and countless other issues for the people of Nevada and the people of America.

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

Mr. President, there will be no more votes today.

I ask unanimous consent that on April 14, tomorrow, following morning business, the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 4851, with the time until 12 noon equally divided and controlled between the leaders or their designees; that during this time, it be in order for the Republican leader or his designee to make a relevant Budget Act point of order against the pending Baucus amendment No. 3721, to be modified as specified below; that after the point of order is made, Senator Baucus or his designee be recognized to move to waive the applicable point of order; that the vote on the motion to waive the budget point of order occur at 12 noon; that no intervening motions or amendments be in order during this period of debate; further, that it be in order to modify the Baucus amendment with provisions which cover the extension of small business programs.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate convene as a Court of Impeachment to process the answer of Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr.

Mr. President, I ask that the Secretary of the Senate communicate to the House of Representatives an attested copy of the answer of G. Thomas Porteous, Jr., Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, to the articles of impeachment.

I further ask that the answer be referred to the Impeachment Trial Committee on the Articles Against Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr., established by the Senate on March 17, 2010; and that the answer of the respondent, G. Thomas Porteous, Jr., to the Articles of Impeachment exhibited against him by the House of Representatives be printed for the use of the Senate sitting in the trial of said impeachment.

Mr. President, today, the Senate convened at 2 p.m. and will be in a period of morning business until 3 p.m., with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees.

At 3 p.m., the Senate will resume the motion to proceed to H.R. 4851. The Republican leader will control the time between 5 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. and the majority leader will control the time from 5:15 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

At 5:30 p.m., the Senate will proceed to a rollcall vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 4851. That will be the first vote of the day.

At 3:30 p.m., we will interrupt debate for a moment of silence to honor the coal miners killed in last week's explosion at Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we proceed to morning business as previously outlined and that Senators be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 3:30 p.m., the Senate observe a moment of silence in solidarity with the people of West Virginia regarding the mining accident.

Mr. President, I wish to extend my personal condolences to those who suffered the two tragedies while we were back home--one here in America and one halfway around the world.

The mining tragedy in West Virginia hit home for me. It brought back a lot of memories. When I was less than 1 week old, my dad was working in a mine in a place called Chloride, AZ, which was just over the Colorado River from Searchlight. He and another man were sinking a shaft, and in those days you didn't have all the protections you have today. They had drilled some holes--seven to be exact--and always, when the holes are lit, both miners

don't stay there. They leave and one remains to light the hole. So Carl Myers, who was working with my dad, went to the next level, as a matter of fact, and waited until the holes were lit, and then my dad would come up and meet him and the holes would go off.

What happened was that one of the pieces of fuse was defective, and it set off one of the holes prematurely. It blew my dad's light out and blew one of the soles off his shoe. He was hurt and in a state of shock. What the miners did in those days, in a shaft, is they would have a sinking ladder about 10 feet long and they would take it up before the holes went off and then they would climb out on that ladder. My dad, even though he was hurt, knew he had to get out of that mine because he knew there were six other holes burning. They were covered with muck. He had to get out of there, so he put the ladder down and tried to climb out, but it kept falling over. His mind wasn't working well and he couldn't understand why that was, but the blast had blown one of the legs off the ladder, so it kept tipping over.

The man that was on the next level, knowing how many holes had been drilled and knowing only one had gone off and that there were six more to go, in spite of that, came down and helped carry my dad, who was much bigger than he was, out of that mine. He got a medal for heroism, and the incident was written up by the great journalist Lowell Thomas.

I can remember as a boy my mother still picking rocks out of my dad's back as a result of that blast. In a book I wrote about Searchlight, I talk about a number of the deaths in the mines at Searchlight. My dad worked quite a bit at Blossom, and the dad of one of my friends I grew up with was killed in that mine. My dad carried him out of that hole. So I have some knowledge about how people feel when these mining accidents occur.

As I said, this tragedy brought back a lot of memories, and I extend my condolences to all the people of West Virginia, through Governor Manchin, Senator Byrd, and Senator Rockefeller. I sympathize with the people of West Virginia for their loss.

I also extend my condolences to the people of Poland. That plane carried 96 souls--parents, husbands, wives, and friends. It carried that nation's President, its First Lady, its Deputy Foreign Minister, lawmakers, their military chief of staff, and so many other military and civilian leaders. The tragic loss is unthinkable, and America grieves alongside our friends in Poland, especially when you understand where they were going and why they were going there--20,000 Poles had been killed by the Russians even before war on Germany was declared by us.

Mr. President, I wish to welcome back my colleagues. I know each of us cherishes the time we get to spend at home and the face-to- face conversations we have with our neighbors and constituents.

Prior to beginning my remarks, because he is in the Chamber, I wish to extend my appreciation to our Chaplain, Admiral Black. He has been so concerned about my family as a result of the accident that occurred in the Presiding Officer's State. He has communicated with my wife personally, he has prayed for her personally and publicly and in different groups, and it just indicates what a family we are in the Senate. I personally appreciate the thoughts and more than one personal conversation with Chaplain Black about Landra.

Mr. President, last December, just minutes before the Senate passed the health care reform bill that President Obama signed into law last month, my friend, the Republican leader, predicted we would get an earful when we got home, and he was right. Everywhere I went in Nevada, from the two big cities of Reno and Las Vegas, to Elko and Carson City and my hometown of Searchlight, Nevadans, young and old--people, in general--came up to me and said: Thank you--numerous people, without any exaggeration.

One mother told me how grateful she was she could finally cover her child's health care. Her child has juvenile diabetes. Parents such as she told me how grateful they were that they would be able to keep their kids on their insurance until they are 26 years old. Out-of-work Nevadans--and there is more than one I would like to acknowledge-- explained to me how grateful they were that finally they will be able to afford their own health care while they try to find a full-time job.

Seniors, individually and in groups, told me how grateful they are now that they will not have to worry about whether they are going to have to split a pill or take a pill because the doughnut hole has been filled. Everyone--every senior citizen in America, every Social Security recipient--understands what the doughnut hole was and isn't anymore.

Many small businesses told me that because of the tax cuts this Congress passed and our President signed into law because of the health care bill this year, they will be able to afford health insurance for the first time in their lives for their employees--24,000 of those small businesses in Nevada.

These people haven't been fooled by the opposition's strategy of myths and misinformation. They aren't frightened by the campaign of fear and false cries of socialism.

I know I am not the only one who got an earful of thanks from constituents whose lives are changing for the better because of this historic reform. I also heard one other thing everywhere I went: This law should not be repealed.

A week ago this Sunday, I returned from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas, and the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune had a story, which I will paraphrase, but basically it said that those people in Utah are no longer talking about repealing the bill; they are talking about trying to improve the bill.

It is hard for people to talk about repealing this bill which gives such immediate benefits to the American people. It is difficult to try to have someone say I would like this bill repealed because I do not agree with the $1.3 trillion by which this legislation is going to reduce the debt of this country in the second 10 years--$142 billion in the first 10 years.

I explained to people at home, if you have a fight in a ring, you have a referee, a referee there to be as fair as they can to make sure it is a fair fight. In this health care debate, we had such an entity in the ring with us as we battled, Democrats and Republicans. It was set up many years ago, this referee; it was called the Congressional Budget Office. It is not run by Republicans or Democrats. It is there to be fair. It is their determination this legislation over the first 10 years would save $142 billion, the second 10 years would reduce the debt by a further $1.3 trillion.

People all over America, and Nevadans, now have more control than ever over their health, more protection from insurance companies, and more opportunity than ever before to have a healthy life.

As it relates to the economy, Nevadans know that health reform is economic reform. It will save families money in the short run and save our country money in the long run. But they also know we have to do more. We have to make more investments today to help our economy run better tomorrow. One of the best ways to do that is by creating green jobs, and that has worked so well, jobs right here at home that can never be outsourced, jobs that strengthen our Nation's economic, environmental and national safety and security.

Boulder City is a city in Nevada. It was built because of the Boulder Dam, now Hoover Dam. It is a great and beautiful little city. It is the only city in Nevada that has a growth ordinance. But they have also been very farsighted. I extend my appreciation to Mayor Tobler and all the city council. They have set up a zone where they are creating green jobs, and lots of green jobs. I went there. It is between Railroad Pass and Searchlight and part of it is Boulder City. It was amazing what we saw there. For acre after acre, workers, men and women in their hard hats and their orange vests, were placing 1 million solar panels in place--1 million in the desert to produce enough electricity for about 45,000 homes. It is

the largest plant of its type in the world. There may be one in Spain that may be a tiny bit bigger, but let's assume it is not. It is a huge plant. We have this going on all over Nevada as a result of the economic recovery package and tax incentives we give people to build green energy--clean energy jobs. That vast array in the middle of the desert, dotted by countless hard hats worn by people working very hard, was truly an impressive sight.

This afternoon at 5:30 we are going on to something extremely important, especially for people who have been struggling in America. We need to continue supporting projects such as, of course, the solar plant in Boulder City and continue moving toward a clean energy economy. They demand critical long-term investments and we have a long way to go. But there are additional things we can do right now this afternoon at 5:30 to help millions of hard-working Nevadans and Americans struggling to find work. These are not deadbeats; these are not bums; these are people who are out of work and have been out of work for a long time and have struggled to find a job. If we pass this emergency extension of unemployment and health benefits, we can give those unemployed families the help they need to put food on the table or go to the doctor.

Some on the other side flatly refuse to do so. To them it doesn't matter that these people lost their jobs through no fault of their own or that they are desperate to find a new full-time job and that this is an emergency, not only for our families but for our country. Many of those who oppose this extension voted to give tax breaks to rich chief executive officers who shipped American jobs overseas. Now that their constituents are trying to find jobs of their own, I hope they will consider giving them at least the short-term help they need and need critically. If Republicans continue blocking unemployment assistance, 1 million Americans will lose that lifeline by the end of this month.

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

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

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

I now ask unanimous consent that on Tuesday, April 13, following a period of morning business, the Senate resume postcloture debate on the motion to proceed to H.R. 4851; that at 2:15 p.m., all postcloture time be yielded back, the motion to proceed be agreed to, and the Senate proceed to consideration of H.R. 4851.

I would say I have had a number of conversations with the majority leader and Senator Coburn and I think we have a way to move forward tomorrow afternoon.

Madam President, I was talking to the distinguished Senator from Ohio and we were saying, he and I, how much Lula Davis knows. She even recognized I made a mistake. I don't do it very often. I was referring to the Republican leader, not the majority leader. I would like the Record to reflect that.

Madam President, I rise today to call attention to the importance of quality early childhood education programs throughout our country that promote and support the growth and development of our Nation's youngest citizens.

Research has shown that the quality of early relationships and experiences contributes to school success, overall health, and future workforce productivity. During a young child's life, there are 700 new neural connections formed every second, thus creating the foundation for learning and more complex brain development. In fact, more than 85 percent of the foundation for communication: critical thinking, problem solving and team work, is developed by age 5--before children enter kindergarten.

To reach their full potential, these connections need to be nurtured with positive and developmentally appropriate cognitive and social- emotional stimuli. Quality prekindergarten programs reduce placement in special education, lower the risk of grade retention, and decrease incidences of juvenile crime. Improving the success rate of high school graduation and adult earning potential is critical for our Nation's children. The implementation of quality early childhood education programs results in both social and economic benefits for the child into adulthood, as well as for the community and the Nation as a whole. Even conservative estimates yield a benefit/cost ratio of 2.36 and a significant long term increase in the gross national product.

Quality early childhood programs require the commitment and dedication of a professional early childhood education work force. Today, I recognize not only the importance of quality early childhood education programs throughout our country but also the professionals who have dedicated their careers to ensuring the highest levels of achievement in early learning for our Nation's children, thus creating lifelong benefits for the child, family, community, and country.