Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Chair lay before the Senate a message from the House of Representatives with respect to H.R. 3230.

The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate a message from the House, as follows:

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate insist on its amendment, agree to the request for a conference with the House, and authorize the Chair to appoint conferees with a ratio of eight Democrats and six Republicans, with all of the above occurring with no intervening action or debate.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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 that the Senate now proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators allowed to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor and recognize the career of Chuck Loveless, director of Federal Government Affairs for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFSCME. For 21 years, Mr. Loveless has labored tirelessly to protect the rights of workers. I have had the pleasure of working with Mr. Loveless as he represented AFSCME in the Nation's capital on a wide variety of issues affecting State and local government and health care employees.

Mr. Loveless has a long list of accomplishments over the span of his career. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and an M.A. degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a past chairman of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans' Public Employees Committee and of its Government Liaison Committee. He is a member of the International Foundation's Government Liaison Committee and Health Care Expert Panel. Mr. Loveless is a former chair of Americans for Tax Fairness and of Americans United for Change, and he continues to serve on the latter's board. He is also a member of the board of Citizens for Tax Justice.

On behalf of the Senate, I commend Chuck Loveless on a lifetime of public service, and I wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 352, S. 1237.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee- reported substitute amendment be considered, the Murkowski amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to, the substitute amendment, as amended, be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I understand that S. 2491 is at the desk, and I now ask, through the direction of the Chair, for its first reading.

Mr. President, I ask for its second reading but object to my own request.

Mr. President, this bill is long overdue. I appreciate very much the work done by the author of this legislation, the senior Senator from Arkansas, Mr. Pryor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 19; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following any leader remarks, the Senate be in a period of morning business for 1 hour with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, 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 final half; that following morning business, the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 4660, the CJS, T-HUD, and Agriculture appropriations bill, and all but 2 hours of postcloture debate time be considered expired.

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

I move to proceed to Calendar No. 428, the appropriations matter we have been working on.

Following my remarks, we will be in morning business until 11:00 this morning. At 11:00 a.m. we will have four rollcall votes to confirm three district court judges and the Assistant Attorney General. The time until 11:00 will be equally divided and controlled by the leaders or their designees.

Measures Placed on the Calendar--H.R. 4453, H.R. 4457

Mr. President, there are two bills at the desk due for their second reading.

Mr. President, I would object to any further proceedings with respect to these bills, en bloc.

Mr. President, today we are going to begin work on three very important appropriations bills. The leader of these bills, of course, will be the chairman of the overall committee, Senator Mikulski. Working with her will be other committee chairs--on the transportation subcommittee Senator Patty Murray, who is extremely well versed on matters here on the floor, and on agriculture, the Senator from Arkansas Mr. Pryor. We hope we can move forward on these bills immediately. There is no reason we cannot. It is something we should be doing to fund our government. Senator Mikulski is going to be leading this, as I indicated, along with the senior Senator from Alabama Mr. Shelby. These bills will provide our government with the resources it needs to serve the American people. The manner in which we handle these very important issues will largely dictate how the appropriations are managed in the coming weeks and months. We need to keep our government operating.

I look forward to a cooperative amendment process and participation from all Senators. If we are successful in passing the bills in a timely manner, we can move to other essential legislation, including the much needed surface transportation bill.

Reservation of Leader Time

Mr. President, will the Chair announce the business of the day.

Mr. President, the distinguished senior Senator from Iowa is here to speak on one of the nominations. I am sure that if the Republican leader does come, he would yield to the Republican leader.

I yield back all time.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.