Floor Statements

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 each.

Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of Domestic Violence Month. During the month of October, I urge my fellow colleagues and Americans to join me in committing to end violence in our homes. It is my hope that we can stand together this month and show abusers that we will not tolerate their actions.

We must never forget that domestic violence is a wide spread ailment with devastating implications. Domestic violence affects not only the victims of abuse, but their families and communities as well. The consequences of domestic abuse do not end with the violence. Victims lucky enough to escape their abusers are sometimes left with no home, no money, and no means to support themselves. And most unfortunately, children are often caught in middle of this tragedy. With as many as three million women experiencing abuse a year, it is clear we must do more to prevent these crimes and help those who are victims.

That is why I would like to recognize several organizations that have done extraordinary work to protect the victims of domestic violence in Nevada. For almost 20 years, the Shade Tree has provided shelter to abused women, and their families. Now, Shade Tree has taken on another aspect of domestic violence. On October 9, 2007, Shade Tree opened Noah's Animal House, a shelter for the animals of battered women. Shade Tree realized that animal abuse occurs in 85 percent of homes from which battered women arrive. Of those, 20 percent refuse to leave their abusers without their pets. Shade Tree's commitment to ending domestic violence knows no boundaries, and I know its impact on countless lives will continue.

The Safe Nest is another important organization that has made tremendous strides in ending domestic violence in Nevada. Safe Nest recognizes the importance of addressing all sides of domestic violence and helps with a range of services from court advocacy to crisis intervention. Safe Nest also serves Nevada by sheltering victims and educating the public. On October 19, Safe Nest will hold its annual Domestic Violence Awareness Month luncheon. On this day, I hope that Nevada and our Nation will recognize Safe Nest's years of success and hard work.

Finally, I would like to recognize the S.A.F.E--Stop Abuse in the Family Environment--House for their work. S.A.F.E. House is a community based organization that provides counseling, advocacy, and intervention for victims of domestic abuse. In addition, S.A.F.E. House collaborates with organizations across Nevada to search for ways to end domestic violence. For example, on October 25, S.A.F.E. House and the state chapter of National Organization for Women will team up to bring awareness to domestic violence. I am pleased to commend S.A.F.E. House for motivating hundreds of Nevadans to take action in their community.

It is also important to recognize thousands of other organizations in Nevada and our Nation that have committed time, labor, and financial resources to help victims of domestic abuse. Please join me in commending the dedicated efforts of those individuals who work each day to stop aggression in our homes. With their example in mind, I hope that Congress can reflect and take action during this important month. I urge all Americans to participate in Domestic Violence Month activities and pledge to make this issue their own.

Mr. President, October 15 is the fifth annual National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, NLAAD. I rise in observance of this important day to increase our understanding of the Latino community's struggle with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As we draw attention to the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS crisis on the Nation's Latino population, let us recognize the resulting call to action as well.

When America first observed the annual National Latino AIDS Awareness Day in 2003, we took stock of the dismaying statistics on HIV/AIDS among Latinos. Even though they comprise 14 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for 19 percent of the new HIV infections estimated to occur in the country each year. Over 71,000 Latinos were thought to be living with AIDS, constituting one-fifth of all AIDS patients in America. Of those, teens and women were among the Latino population subgroups considered especially hard hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

These troubling disparities persist today. Latinos continue to be overrepresented among HIV/AIDS patients, the greater barriers they face in accessing care have not gone away, and too many remain in the dark about the importance of prevention. While advances in medical technology have improved the outcome for HIV/AIDS patients in general, these benefits are also not reaching Latinos on par with the rest of the population. Underlying

all these statistics is the sobering message that HIV/AIDS still devastates real people and real families across the Latino community. It is a message with special significance for me as the senior Senator from Nevada, where 18 percent of the newly diagnosed are Latinos.

We must be mindful of other statistics that provide context. According to the U.S. Census, individuals of Latino or Hispanic origin numbered over 44 million in 2005. They are also the fastest growing minority group in the Nation. In Nevada alone, the Hispanic population has soared by 40 percent from 2000 to 2005.

All these factors highlight the need to reverse the course of the epidemic among Latinos, if we are to make headway against HIV/AIDS in America. Fortunately, the disparities and challenges facing the Latino community also point to the steps we can take. From teaching health care providers to deliver culturally competent care to funding vital programs like the Ryan White CARE Act, these steps are critical to winning the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Educating and engaging the public remains a cornerstone of our efforts. In southern Nevada, for example, nonprofit organizations are partnering with public health officials to provide HIV testing and information to the public in observance of National Latino AIDS Awareness Day. Similar events are expected to take place across the Nation.

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day is a time not just to spread the word about HIV/AIDS issues specific to the Latino community. It is also a day of hope, an opportunity to reflect on the milestones we have reached and to reaffirm the goals and ideals of this day. So, in looking toward the future, let us all renew our commitment to ending the HIV/AIDS crisis--among Latinos and all Americans everywhere.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m., Tuesday, October 16; that on Tuesday, following the prayer and the pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed to have expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that there then be a period of morning business for 60 minutes, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, and the time be equally divided and controlled between the majority and minority, with the Republicans controlling the first half and the majority controlling the final portion; that at the close of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 3093; that on Tuesday, the Senate stand in recess from 12:30 to 2:15 in order to accommodate the respective party conference meetings.

Mr. President, I see no one wishing to speak further today; therefore, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand adjourned under the previous order.

When I went to law school, I can only remember one woman in my law school class. I went to George Washington. It was a large class. Women didn't go to law school much in those days. A few years later, I took the bar. It was a small group of men studying for the bar in Nevada. There may have been a couple women, but that was it. When I came to the Senate, Mikulski was the woman. She still is. Since that time, we have had the good fortune of having a significant number of women elected to the Senate. Fortunately, most of them are on this side of the aisle. The Senate is a much better place because of women being here. The legal profession is a better profession now because of women being in it. Because as much as we joke about it, men and women are different. They think differently. I can testify to that as a result of having served in the Senate with a meager number of women and now with a significant number. The Senate would only be better if there were more women.

I extend my appreciation to Patty Murray, a woman of great stature, somebody who has persevered on an issue that when she started it, she was alone. She stood up during our battles we had here in recent years on asbestos liability, with her eyes pointed toward one thing this country should do, and that is not allow the importation of asbestos. That now has happened.

Barbara Boxer, a kind, thoughtful person she is, with a heart as big as anybody's heart in the Senate. I knew from the very beginning this was something she wanted to do as chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. It has been done.

Johnny Isakson is a conservative Republican from the State of Georgia. But he is a person who is mindful of the need to work together and get things done. I so admire his ability to work across party lines. As tenacious and hard working as these two women I have mentioned are, it couldn't have been done without Senator Isakson. This is a very important day.

I can remember so clearly Bruce Vento. Two examples, then I won't take any more time of Chairman Mikulski. I was a brand new House member, walking across Independence Avenue. He said: You should have a national park in Nevada. Because of him,

we got a national park in Nevada. The Great Basin National Park is in Nevada. Bruce Vento pointed me in the right direction and that is what we did. The most significant legislation I have ever offered has been something in Nevada we call a negotiated settlement which involved two endangered species, two Indian tribes, 100-year water war between the States of California and Nevada. Wetlands had dried up from 100,000 acres to probably 1,000 putrid areas. It involved irrigation districts, the cities of Reno and Sparks.

Bruce Vento was on the floor in 1993, and by unanimous consent in the House worked his magic. It was late in the session, and it was the next to the last thing that passed that session. As happens over there late at night when they are trying to get things done, there was a lot of confusion going on, but he got it done.

This is a wonderful day for the American people. We will get this through the House and this will be signed by the President. I feel so happy that this is done for so many different reasons.

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, first, I want those in the White House and Secretary Kempthorne's office who are watching to know I have done my best to clear a man by the name of R. Lyle Laverty, whom Secretary Kempthorne badly needs, he says, and I believe that. But I have been unable to do that. We have a Member on our side with whom I have worked all afternoon. We thought we had it done once, and it did not work out. I am confident, though, it will work out as soon as we get back.

So I hope Secretary Kempthorne recognizes we will do what we can on the Monday or Tuesday we get back to see if we can clear this. It had not been cleared on the Republican side, but I am sure that is not standing in the way. I think standing in the way is one of my Senators. We are doing our best.

Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, NDEAM. Designated by Congress, this month is observed every October to increase the public's understanding of issues involving individuals with disabilities and their role in America's workforce. It is a time for us to reflect on past gains and goals for the future as well.

Seventeen years ago, I commended the passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, to help ensure the rights of people with disabilities throughout various sectors of society. Together with other Federal laws like the Vocational Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the ADA has been key to the progress made toward the full inclusion of people with disabilities in daily life. We see reasons to cheer today, as more people with disabilities succeed in school, enter the workforce, and participate in their communities.

More remains to be done, however. When Nevadans with disabilities share their experiences with me, I hear many of the same struggles and challenges in their stories. Employment is an issue especially foremost on their minds, as it is for any person who wants to pursue the American dream. And like all Americans, individuals with disabilities deserve a fair shot to achieve as much success as their abilities and determination will allow.

I am heartened that this sense is spreading throughout the general public, beyond those of us who see the positive contributions that Americans with disabilities make as employees and coworkers every day. Much of the increase in awareness is due to local organizations, such as Nevada JobConnect, Opportunity Village, the Southern Nevada Center for Independent Living, SNCIL, and the Northern Nevada Center for Independent Living. This year for example, SNCIL is partnering with the City of Las Vegas to sponsor the 16th Annual Disability Awareness Day on October 20. Similar events are expected to be held across the country in observance of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

While improving awareness is critical, especially for dispelling false stereotypes about people with disabilities, it isn't enough. Disparities on a wide range of economic and social dimensions point to significant barriers that remain for people with disabilities who want a good job to give them not just an income, but also dignity and independence. From listening to my constituents in Nevada, I also know that the incentives between employment, health care benefits, and eligibility for government-sponsored programs can interact in very problematic ways.

I supported the passage of new laws to address these issues, such as the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act to give people with disabilities greater access to Medicaid or Medicare coverage when they go to work. I was also pleased when Congress passed the Family Opportunity Act to allow more children with disabilities to enroll in Medicaid, thereby alleviating an unfair pressure on their parents to forgo better jobs just to keep their family health coverage. Looking ahead to the future, I will continue working to make sure that people with disabilities can access the health care they need, especially as they seek to move to economic self-sufficiency. We should not lose sight of other key priorities as well, including opening more doors to education and expanding employment opportunities for those able to work.

As we observe National Disability Employment Awareness Month this year, let us reaffirm the importance of its ideals and goals. From employers to policymakers, family members to people with disabilities themselves, all Americans can join in the effort to ensure that individuals with disabilities make the most of their potential--in the workplace and in all areas of society.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations: Executive Calendar Nos. 303, 304, 310 through 331, and the nominations reported earlier today by the Judiciary Committee: Thomas P. O'Brien, of California, to be U.S. attorney, and Edward Meacham Yarbrough, of Tennessee, to be U.S. attorney; that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then return to legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that H.R. 1585, the Department of Defense authorization legislation, be printed as passed by the Senate on October 1, 2007.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate report No. 110-188 be star printed with the changes at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate committees may file reports on legislative and executive calendar business on Tuesday, October 9, from 12 noon to 3 p.m., notwithstanding a recess or adjournment of the Senate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the upcoming recess or adjournment of the Senate, the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore, and the majority and minority leaders be authorized to make appointments to commissions, committees, boards, conferences, or interparliamentary conferences authorized by law, by concurrent action of the two Houses, or by order of the Senate.