Floor Statements

I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Byrd), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy), and the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller) are necessarily absent.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Shaheen.) Without objection, it is so ordered.

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

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 186 submitted earlier today.

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

Madam President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that the injunction of secrecy be removed from the following treaty transmitted to the Senate on June 16, 2009, by the President of the United States:

Protocol Amending the Tax Convention with New Zealand, Treaty Document 111-3.

I further ask that the treaty be considered as having been read the first time; it be referred, with accompanying papers, to the Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed; and that the President's message be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until tomorrow, Wednesday, June 17, at 9:30 a.m.; 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 period of morning business for up to 1 hour, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the Republicans controlling the first half and the majority controlling the second half, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Further, I ask that following morning business, the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1023, the Travel Promotion Act of 2009, and that the time during any adjournment or period of morning business count postcloture.

If we are required to use the full 30 hours of postcloture debate time, the Senate would proceed to the bill at approximately 6:15 tomorrow evening. As I have stated previously, we expect to turn to the consideration of the supplemental conference report when it becomes available.

If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Thereupon, the Senate, at 6:02 p.m., adjourned until Wednesday, June 17, 2009, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period for the transaction of morning business for Senators to speak for up to 10 minutes each. There will be no rollcall votes today. Tomorrow Senators should expect a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the Travel Promotion Act. That will be prior to our weekly caucus luncheons.

This week, we are going to do the best we can to complete the Travel Promotion Act and the supplemental bill. We should be able to do that and, hopefully, get some nominations done. Next week, we have other things we need to do, including the Homeland Security appropriations bill. I spoke with the Republican leader on a number of occasions on that issue. To get to it next week, we need a consent agreement because the House will not act on it until probably Wednesday of next week or something like that. It does not give us enough time, and we need to start earlier. We will work on that and see what we can come up with.

We have announced before that the 5 weeks after we get back from the Fourth of July recess will be very busy with a lot of work. The HELP Committee and the Finance Committee are going to have their bills reported out of their committees before we leave a week from Friday so we can start working on the health care legislation in the Senate.

The next work period will be very heavy, although we have--I cannot complain--we have been able to complete a tremendous amount of legislation. I was told over the weekend the work we have been able to do to this point is as much as any President has ever accomplished and Congress has accomplished with the President during the first 5 months of a legislative session but for the first time of Roosevelt.

We passed some major legislation. We should all feel good about that. But there is so much more to do. We have to roll up our sleeves and work even harder with health care and energy not far down the road.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the majority leader be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions from Monday, June 15 to Wednesday, June 18.

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16; 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 period of morning business for 1 hour 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 final half, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each; finally, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus luncheons.

Under a previous order, following morning business tomorrow, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1023, the Travel Promotion Act of 2009. There will be up to 1 hour for debate prior to a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the bill. Senators should expect the cloture vote to begin as early as 11:45 a.m. tomorrow.

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

Madam President, following the remarks of the leaders, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 2 p.m. and Senators will be allowed to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. The first hour is equally divided between the two leaders or their designees, with the Republicans controlling the first half and the majority controlling the next half.

Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 1256, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The time until 2:30 will be equally divided and controlled between Senators Dodd and Enzi or their designees, from 2 to 2:30. At 2:30, we will vote on passage of the bill.