Floor Statements

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period for the transaction of morning business until 3 o'clock this afternoon, with Senators permitted to speak for up 10 minutes each.

Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 3082, the bill I just talked about, Military Construction. Senators are encouraged to come to the floor to offer their amendments to this legislation.

At 4:30 p.m. today, the Senate will turn to executive session to consider the nomination of Andre Davis to be U.S. circuit judge for the Fourth Circuit, with the time until 5:30 p.m. equally divided and controlled between Senator Leahy and Senator Sessions or their designees. At 5:30 p.m. today, the Senate will proceed to a rollcall vote on confirmation of the nomination. We are also working on an agreement to work on other nominations, in fact, one following the 5:30 p.m. vote. We hope that can be worked out. Senators will be notified if and when any agreement is reached.

I will use some leader time here to explain to everyone where we are.

At 10 o'clock in the morning when we come into session, there will be a moment of silence in honor of the soldiers and the civilians who were killed at Fort Hood.

I am working now with the Republicans to see if we can come up with an agreement to finish Military Construction. I would like to finish it tomorrow. It appears that it may not be doable, but we are going to have votes tomorrow unless we can work something out to complete the legislation on Monday.

If we can complete the legislation on Monday, the Military Construction legislation, part of the agreement has to be something with Judge Hamilton. Here is a man who has waited since April. We have agreed to give the Republicans all the time they want--if they want 30 hours to talk about him beforehand or 5 hours before and after--but we can't work out anything that satisfies them. So it appears we can only do cloture, which is such a shame. But that is fine. We are going to have to work something out as an agreement; otherwise, we will have to have some votes tomorrow. I know we have on this side a couple of Senators who, if there are no votes, would go down to Texas. We have Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is the manager of the bill, who will not be here, but there are other people on the subcommittee who could do the bill. I hope we can work something out, but, as we have learned during this Congress, it is very difficult to work things out.

We are going to have votes Monday, a week from today, in the morning. Everyone should understand that. Monday, a week from today, we will have votes in the morning. We have to do that. The next week is Thanksgiving. We are going to get on health care the week we come back before Thanksgiving. We are going to at least give it our utmost to get on that bill.

We have a number of things that are very important. We have to do the highway bill. The day after tomorrow is Veterans Day. We have a number of veterans bills the Republicans have held up. They are bills dealing with homeless veterans, among other things. They are important pieces of legislation. Four or five of them are being held up. We put those together under rule XIV, and we are going to have a vote on them in the future. It is a shame that on Veterans Day we are not legislating for the veterans, but we have been held up doing lots of things.

I hope we can work something out with the Republicans so we can complete the Military Construction bill, if not tomorrow, then on Monday, but we are not going--this isn't going to go over for many hours. I have asked to work something out. I hope we don't have to file cloture on this bill.

I will tell everyone, I quite doubt that I am going to file cloture on Military Construction. If the Republicans don't want us to do that bill, then we will just do it some other time. It is Military Construction, an extremely important piece of legislation. In years past, we have done that bill in an hour. I can remember when Dianne Feinstein and Kay Bailey Hutchison were managing that bill and we did that bill in an hour. Over the years--Senator Leahy is on the floor, a longtime member of the Appropriations Committee--this was not something to send political messages on. It was a bill to do something to help our military, to build new bases, new recreation facilities, to renovate and repair facilities around the world.

So we have the situation here where it doesn't matter what we bring up, the Republicans stall it for time. That is why Senator Stabenow has been here with her charts indicating the--I think we are up to 87 now, or something like that--things they have held up in this Congress.

So I hope we can work something out so we don't have to have votes tomorrow, but I don't need the permission of the Republicans to have votes tomorrow. We can have votes on amendments that are offered by Democrats.

We are going to have a moment of silence. Everyone recognizes the tragedy of the event, and we want to be as positive as possible.

I hope we can work something out. I have two Democrats who have indicated they want to go, both freshman Senators, which doesn't matter--they have a right to go just as do senior Members of the Senate--and three Republicans have indicated they would like to go. I hope that is possible. They can go, I won't stop them from going, but we may have votes.

I will be happy to yield.

I say to my friend, the distinguished Senator from Vermont, I didn't see the chairman on the floor. Everything my friend from Vermont said about the Senator from Hawaii is true, and then multiply it by 10. Here is a man who has lived the military--a Medal of Honor winner, an amputee. There is not a more bipartisan person in the whole body than Senator Inouye from Hawaii.

In short, everyone here understand: Monday, a week from tomorrow, no matter what happens tomorrow, we are going to have votes in the morning. We have just a short week until Thanksgiving and we have a lot to do, including health care.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I wish today to honor Clair Earl for his service to the people of Nevada. Very few people enjoy the privilege of servicing their community in both their professional and personal pursuits. Yet Mr. Earl has labored diligently for over 40 years as a dentist and as an ecclesiastical leader in Reno.

Clair was born in Overton, NV, and raised on a farm in Moapa Valley. Clair graduated from the University of Nevada--Reno, where he was the student body president his senior year, and did graduate studies at Brigham Young University. Mr. Earl also has degrees from Portland State University and the University of Oregon Dental School.

Professionally Clair Earl has practiced as a dentist in Reno since 1964. Over his 45 years of work he has gained a reputation as not only an excellent businessman, but also as a caring health professional to his community. He has spent these many years providing his patients with a high degree of service which has not gone unnoticed.

Clair Earl has a strong love for his family. His wife is the former Mildred Meyer, and they were married in Logan, UT. They have 11 children and 50 grandchildren. All seven sons are Eagle Scouts. Eight of the children and seven of the spouses have served missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Earl should be proud of the job that he did as a parent raising these future leaders of the country.

Earl's values as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the solid foundation for his life and family. Clair has been a force for much good among the LDS community in northern Nevada. He has served as a bishop, a counselor in the Reno Nevada Stake, and also as the church director of public affairs for northern Nevada. Currently, Clair Earl is serving as the president of the Reno Nevada Stake. This is a calling of great magnitude, considering that President Earl leads over 4,000 members of the church and does so without any pay or reimbursement for time. This great act of service is a tribute to the man that President Earl is and the strength of his convictions to bless the lives of others. Clair Earl is to be released from this calling on November 15, 2009, after serving 9 years in this capacity.

Brigham Young, prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and former Governor of Utah, once said, ``We want men to rule the nation who care more for and love better the nation's welfare than gold and silver, fame or popularity.'' I feel confident that Clair Earl fits Young's definition of men who truly service this great Nation. I wish him all the best as he continues his service to the people of northern Nevada.

Madam President, today I wish before the Senate to honor Robert Larsen Bray. Although he is not a resident of my home State of Nevada, his lifetime of service has been exemplary and is worthy of our attention. On October 30, 2009, Bob officially retired from his position as chief information officer for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. This retirement marks the end of a career in public service that has been nothing short of monumental.

Bob was blessed to come from a wonderful family. Like me, Bob was born the son of a hard-working man who went to great lengths to provide for his family. Vern Bray, Bob's father, worked as a blast furnace operator, a gold miner, and also as a builder on the Hoover Dam, which is one of Nevada's prized possessions. Bob's mother, Myrl, instilled in her children a desire to learn and gain education. Three of her children went on to become outstanding educators, two of which did so in Nevada. My friend and Bob's oldest brother, Lawrence, was a longtime teacher in Las Vegas.

Together with his wife and best friend, Maryann, Bob has raised a great family of his own. Over their 43 years of marriage they have raised nine children five girls and four boys. Their seven married children have provided the Brays with 20 grandchildren. Although it was difficult at times to provide and care for such a large family, the Brays fostered in their children an ardent work ethic and firm resolve to help their fellow man. I have witnessed firsthand the good they have bestowed upon their children, as my legislative correspondence manager, Vaughn Bray, is their eighth child.

Much like his father, Bob has worked hard his whole life. At a young age he learned to keep working until the job was finished, an unpleasant notion when faced with the task of picking beets or cleaning irrigation ditches. As a man, Bob worked full-time at night for the defense contractor Hercules in order to pay for his education at the University of Utah. Later, Bob would attain a master's in public administration at Texas Tech University in much the same way.

In order to provide for his family, Bob's work took him from Utah to Texas to New York to New Mexico and, finally, back to Texas. He has worked in some form of government for over 25 years. Most notably, he served as the director of planning at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, and more recently as chief information officer for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville, TX.

Throughout his life Bob has been a dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a 19-year-old, he served as a missionary in Canada under the direction of the current president of the LDS Church, Thomas S. Monson. He has gone on to serve in the church as a branch president, bishop, Stake president, and mission president in Nashville, TN. In these years of retirement that are soon to follow, Bob and Maryann are eager to continue to serve in any capacity possible. Bob has stated that if he has his way, the Brays will serve 10 more missions.

Although Bob had many duties at the home, office, and church, he still found time to serve his community. He and his wife labored as PTA presidents while their children were in elementary school. Bob has worked as a leader in the Boy Scouts, as a board member of the Lubbock, TX, Civic Center, and as a volunteer during Hurricane Rita. Politically, he has been involved on the local level of the Democratic Party, and even worked on the campaign of former Texas Congressman Kent Hance, the only politician ever to defeat former President George W. Bush in an election.

As his career comes to an end, it is safe to say that Robert Bray will not resign himself to a life of golf and afternoon naps. Old habits cannot be broken, and Bob Bray is a worker. I have no doubt that he will continue to labor diligently to improve his community and to make life a little better for

those around him. I wish him all the best in his retirement, and sincerely hope that the next generation of Americans contains a few Bob Brays.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent, on behalf of Senator Dodd, that CPT Lindsay George, a fellow in his office, be granted the privilege of the floor for the consideration of H.R. 3082.

Madam President, we have worked all day to try to come up with some agreement with the Republicans to move forward on the Military Construction bill. We are hopeful tomorrow that we can do that. Today we have been unsuccessful. We have been unsuccessful, of course, in getting an agreement to move forward on the package of bills dealing with veterans. We will continue to work on a finite list of amendments remaining to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.

In view of the memorial service in Texas, there will be no rollcall votes tomorrow. We have tried to be more definite. I have had a number of Senators who have said they would go if there were no votes. I could not earlier today give them any indication that there would be no votes, but I think at this stage, with the memorial service in Texas taking place and a number of Senators wanting to go, we will have no votes tomorrow. There was some consideration that we would do it after they get back, but we have Veterans Day the next day, so we are going to have no votes until next Monday, a week from today. We will continue to work on the health care legislation and other things that are going to make that week prior to Thanksgiving extremely eventful.

The regular caucus lunch will be held tomorrow, the Democratic lunch at the usual location. President Clinton will be at that lunch to talk to us about health care and certainly he is someone who knows a lot about health care. The Democratic Members are encouraged to attend the caucus luncheon tomorrow. As we know, it starts at 12:30.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 530, the nomination of David Gompert, to be Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence; that the nomination be confirmed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that no further motions be in order; that any statements relating to the nomination be printed in the Record; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following postal naming bills en bloc: Calendar Nos. 198 through 207: H.R. 955, H.R. 1516, H.R. 1713, H.R. 2004, H.R. 2215, H.R. 2760, H.R. 2972, H.R. 3119, H.R. 3386, and H.R. 3547.

Mr. President, I will make a brief comment. I had the good fortune of serving with Wes Watkins, a Member of the House of Representatives from Oklahoma. It is a very good thing that there is going to be a building named after him.

Finally, Rex Lee was my neighbor when I first came back to Congress. His son and my boy Josh were best friends. They still are. Rex Lee was one of America's all-time great legal minds. He argued numerous cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He was stricken as a young man with an incurable type of cancer and died at a much too early age. He was first dean of the BYU Law School and then president of BYU. His No. 1 qualification was his legal mind, which was outstanding, and he had such a wonderful family. I think that is wonderful that there is going to be a building named after Rex Lee in Provo, UT. He deserves that.

I ask unanimous consent that the bills be read the third time and passed en bloc; that the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc; and that any statements related to these bills be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 196, S. 1825.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Lieberman amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time, passed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 312.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a Dodd amendment to the resolution be agreed to; that the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that a Dodd amendment to the preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; that the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; and that any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 346.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, November 10; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and there be a moment of silence to honor the victims of the attack at Fort Hood, TX, that occurred on November 5; that following the moment of silence, the Senate proceed to a period of morning business for 1 hour, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the second half; that following morning business, the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 3082, and I would hope people would be ready to offer amendments tomorrow; and finally, I ask that the Senate recess from 12:30 until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus luncheons to meet.

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

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill. I encourage Senators to come to the floor today and offer amendments.

Also, we will probably come in around 1 o'clock or 2 o'clock Monday and that will be an opportunity to offer amendments. It is very important to finish this bill before Veterans Day. I think that would send a good message to the veterans of our country. Senators are, therefore, encouraged to come to the floor and offer amendments.

There will be no rollcall votes today. There will be rollcall votes Monday starting at 5:30. The first vote on Monday will be on Andre Davis to be a circuit judge for the Fourth Circuit. We hope to have other votes that evening, based on the amendments that are filed.

It is my understanding the distinguished Senator from New Mexico, Mr. Udall, is going to be here to offer an amendment today. The manager is here, the chairman, Senator Johnson of South Dakota. We are open for business. It is very important people understand that they have the opportunity to offer amendments, if, in fact, they have any.

In years past, we have finished this appropriations bill in a matter of a couple hours. This year, it has been a little tough to get through appropriations bills. We need to get through the bill. We have a lot to do before this year ends.

I express my appreciation to Senator Johnson for his usual fine work. He is an outstanding Senator and has done a good job of managing this bill through the committee process to get where we are today.

Mr. President, I rise today to call the attention of the Senate to National Family Caregivers Month, sponsored by the National Family Caregivers Association. Every day more and more American families are put in the tough situation of taking care of their elderly loved ones. Caregivers are our friends, family, and neighbors who have become an instrumental part of providing the necessary care that their families need and deserve. Eighty percentof all homecare services today are provided by family caregivers, and I am proud to support them this month during National Caregivers Month. I have always been a strong supporter of family caregivers and have worked hard to make sure they get the resources and funding that they deserve.

It has been my privilege to do all I can here on the federal level to help in this endeavor. Recently, the Washoe County Senior Services Respite Care Program needed resources to provide nonmedical respite care for those suffering from dementia, Alzheimer's, and a host of other terrible diseases. I secured the necessary funding in the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010. When this act passes, it will allot $95,000 to aid our seniors who are afflicted. And I am pleased that I was able to get bipartisan support for the passage of the Lifespan Respite Care Act. This act authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award matching grants to eligible state agencies that are in desperate need for funding to help families.

As our fight for quality and affordable health care continues, I will make sure that our family caregivers get the support and resources that they need to continue this difficult task. We will do all we can during National Family Caregivers Month to give these dedicated family members the recognition they deserve.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ``An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.'' I firmly believe that the National Family Caregivers Association characterizes this ideal. I wish this organization all the best as it works to raise awareness during National Family Caregivers Month.