Floor Statements

Madam President, as we all know, our country faces tremendous fiscal challenges. We expect our President, our leaders, and those of us in Congress to engage in a meaningful and honest discussion about debt, deficits, and the direction of our Nation. Unfortunately, I think what Americans--certainly Kansans--are hearing from the White House and from some prominent Democrats is a relentless focus on political gimmicks to solve our problems.

An example of one of those is the so-called corporate jet loophole. We are focused on that instead of a serious plan to address the looming sequestration cuts that threaten to harm our economy. The President's fixation on corporate jets stands in direct contrast with his supposed desire to help the aviation industry and create jobs. Ending the accelerated depreciation schedule for general aviation aircraft will send hundreds if not thousands of hard-working Kansans straight to the unemployment line. My State is blessed with a significant number of people who work in the aviation industry.

This rhetoric is dangerous. It is certainly hypocritical. The 5-year depreciation schedule has been law for nearly a quarter of a century, and it was not created for the benefit of the ``rich'' or ``wealthy'' but was created for the benefit of the 1.2 million Americans who make a living building and servicing these airplanes. Accelerated depreciation helps spur manufacturing and creates jobs.

I am disappointed that the President continues his endless campaign to score political points rather than to work toward a real solution to solve our Nation's fiscal challenges. When 23 million Americans are looking for work, our government's first priority should be to create an environment where business can grow and hire additional workers. Increasing taxes on corporate jets and other general aviation aircraft sales will only further stifle economic recovery and result in additional job losses.

According to our Joint Committee on Taxation, closing the ``loophole,''

would only generate $3 billion in revenue over the next 10 years, less than the government borrows on a single day. Kansans in particular, along with the rest of rural America, would be negatively impacted by any change in the depreciation schedules for noncommercial aircraft. Farmers use general aviation aircraft to dust their crops, and rural small business owners rely on these planes to connect their businesses with the rest of the world. It makes no sense for a commercial jumbo jet liner to be depreciated on the same schedule as a farmer's air tractor.

This distinction between general and commercial aircraft is neither a loophole nor unique, as the 5-year depreciation schedule is applicable to many other depreciable transportation assets, such as cars and trucks. If the President wants Congress to review the depreciation periods associated with certain assets, then why single out one specific industry instead of taking a comprehensive approach? Because attacking corporate jets is apparently a nice political sound bite. But political sound bites don't solve our problems.

Because of the expiration of the Bush tax cuts on January 1 of this year, President Obama received $600 billion in tax hikes to help fund his vision for government expansion. Yet less than 2 months later he is back on the campaign stump asking American taxpayers for more.

While the amount of revenue our government currently brings in is near historical averages, spending remains well above those historical norms and is projected to escalate dramatically in the years ahead. It is long past time to address the real problem with meaningful spending reductions, and every moment spent talking about corporate jet loopholes is a wasted moment.

Americans expect leadership from their elected officials here in Washington, DC. If we fail to take action now and leave it for a future President and a future Congress to solve, we will reduce the opportunities of the next generation to experience the country we know and love, and we will diminish the chance that every American has the chance to pursue the American dream.

Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, another sad occasion in Kansas. A week ago this past Sunday, the Wichita community was struck by the tragic news that Randy and Suzy Storms were killed in a fatal car accident in east Wichita. Randy and Suzy were traveling home from visiting a friend at a local hospital when Randy experienced a health problem while driving, which led to a devastating accident.

Randy and Suzy were very well known and very well loved in the Wichita community for more than 30 years. Their care and compassion for those in difficult circumstances shaped how they lived their lives. Randy had a special gift for connecting with those who were struggling, perhaps because he knew how difficult life could be. As a teenager, Randy suffered a spinal injury which forced him to live as a quadriplegic. Resolved to make his faith in Jesus the core of his identity and not his physical disability, Randy chose to invest his life in caring for others.

Shortly after high school, Randy began to serve on the staff of Young Life, a Christian organization that mentors and works with young people. His position at Young Life was a springboard to reaching a wider Wichita community. Over the years, Randy became a counselor and friend to countless pastors, community leaders, young adults, and everyone else who was in need of a friend.

Jen Shively, who served with Randy for 27 years, remembered that he

``loved people well,'' and that ``loving others was effortless for him.''

Nan Chastain met Randy while attending Young Life and she remembers Randy as ``the definition of faithfulness.'' She said, ``He was always there for anyone whenever they needed him.'' In short, Randy Storms valued every life.

His wife Suzy was also known for her great love and her care for others. On any given day, you could find Suzy helping young women and teen mothers in need of encouragement and a listening ear.

Sean Spencer, a long-time friend of the Storms, knew Suzy to be a person of great strength and grace. Together, the couple invested in the lives of many married couples, both young and old, who were facing the trials of life together. Randy and Suzy found joy in serving together and encouraging others.

The Wichita community came to know the Storms as the folks who would show up to your kids' sporting events, high school graduations, and baptisms to celebrate what means the most in life--people. The Storms were also known as the folks who would faithfully show up at the darkest hour to lend a helping hand or to offer comfort to those facing serious difficulties.

Randy and Suzy Storms lived out the biblical teaching to love your neighbor as yourself, and they touched the lives of countless Kansans. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to their two children Nick and Natalie and their two grandchildren Jack and Lucy. Randy and Suzy were two very special people who will be greatly missed by so very many.

This tragedy is a somber reminder that every day is a gift and we are not promised a tomorrow. May we learn from the Storms that what truly matters in life is the people around us, and may their example spur us to love one another more deeply.

I ask my colleagues as well as all Kansans to remember the Storms family in their thoughts and prayers in the days ahead.

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Kansas.

There is no K State alumni, no individual from our home State who bleeds the color purple more fervently than the senior Senator from Kansas. It is an honor to join him here today to recognize the significant accomplishments on the 150th anniversary of the first land grant university college in the Nation.

Senator Roberts comes to the Kansas State University through his family--his father as well as his son.

I have become acquainted with Kansas State University as a citizen of our State in which we see each and every day the benefits that accrue to the citizens of our State because of the academic research, the education, the extension of education across our State that benefits each and every citizen. So it is with great pleasure that we honor the accomplishments today of this university. It has had tremendous leadership.

In my early days in Congress, President Wefald in many ways created a great opportunity for Kansas State University to excel, to become something different than it had been, to move forward into the future. Now, under the leadership of president Kirk Schulz, his leadership only accelerates the opportunity for Kansas State University to provide new and beneficial services, education, and benefits to the people of our State, to our country, and to students around the globe.

Kansas State University is known for its agricultural background, for its support for that significant industry in our State--farmers and ranchers look to Kansas State University for education and for technical support, and we know of their importance in that No. 1 industry in our State--but, as Senator Roberts said, engineering and aerospace; now a campus at Salina, KS, dealing with aviation and avionics, with UAVs moving into the future; a campus in Johnson County, the suburbs of Kansas City, in which additional research in bioscience is being accelerated. So in each and every circumstance, Kansas State University contributes to the economy and well-being of our State and our country.

As a parent, I know Kansas State University. Both our daughters attended Kansas State University, and one remains a student there. I remember the first day I wandered with my 17-, 18-year-old daughter onto campus for a campus tour, and at the end of the day--I will admit we had visited other universities as well, but at the end of the day Kelsey said: Dad, there is no place more welcoming, no place more like home, no place where I feel like a part of a family more than Kansas State University.

That is something I think K State exhibits so well and causes Kansas to be so proud of the Wildcat tradition, which is a sense of family; that we are in it together and people are friends. It is a very comfortable and enjoyable learning environment for students, and we have seen it in our family.

Our youngest daughter followed her older sister to Kansas State University and is now a beginning student at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Another area in which Kansas State University is highly regarded is the study of animal science. K State in Manhattan, KS, is the western border of the animal science corridor, the eastern border being that place that all Kansans, regardless of alma mater, despise-- the University of Missouri. So from west to east, the animal science corridor is bounded by the research scientists and educators and the schools that increase the likelihood that Americans are going to have nutrition, be well fed, and have a safe and abundant food supply.

It is an honor to be here to pay tribute to the many leaders at Kansas State University, those who have come before and those who will follow President Wefald and President Schulz to make sure Kansas State University remains that place of higher education and learning in our State but also to make certain Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS, is always that place called home where students from across our State and around the globe feel as though they have found family and a place to learn to improve their lives and to make certain they contribute to the betterment of our world.

It is an honor to be here with one of the most distinguished alumni of Kansas State University, my colleague and friend Senator Roberts, to wish Kansas State University many more years of success in providing education to our students and moving our State forward in ways that will benefit not only this generation but those that follow us.

So congratulations, Kansas State University, and happy 150th birthday.

Mr. President, I yield back to the Senator from Kansas.

If the Senator would yield.

Mr. President, Senator Roberts raises something that I wish to make clear, which is that Kansas State University has been so kind and so beneficial to our two daughters. While they found it to be home and like family, they have excelled and learned, advanced their lives both personally and professionally in ways that are so important to us as parents. We have nothing but commendation to offer to Kansas State University for the kindness and opportunities they have created for our own daughters as they pursue their goals in life.

So it is a very personal opportunity for me to express this gratitude to Kansas State University for making it so good for the things a mom and dad care so much about. For our two daughters Kelsey and Alex, K State is an important component of their lives, and we are so appreciative of the role that university has played in educating our children.

I yield back to the Senator from Kansas.

Mr. President, I thank the Senator for yielding, and I appreciate being recognized.

It is true that our State places a high priority on education-- certainly K-12 but also universities, including public, private, community colleges, technical colleges, and today we honor one of those universities in this milestone in its history, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS, on its 150th anniversary.

Benjamin Franklin said, ``Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.'' Through learning, students' lives have been changed for the better for more than a century at Emporia State University. This is a historic occasion, their 150th anniversary, and I wish to recognize the significant impact Emporia State has had on our State and on our Nation.

In 1863 Emporia State was founded as a school for training teachers. Back then it was known as Kansas Normal School, and in its first year the President and only teacher, Lyman Kellogg, taught 18 students on the second floor of the district schoolhouse. At the university's first commencement on June 28, 1867, President Kellogg presented diplomas to its two graduates, Mary Jane Watson and Ellen Plumb.

In the years that followed, Emporia State was faced with many challenges, including tornadoes, fires, and a lack of funding, but the university survived and continued each and every year to change the lives of the students.

Today 6,500 students from 45 States and 55 countries are enrolled at Emporia State University. Consistently ranked as a tier 1 regional university by U.S. News and World Report, ESU offers students a wide range of academic programs to choose from and the opportunity to participate in more than 130 student organizations.

Emporia State also remains fully committed to its original mission of training teachers through a nationally acclaimed teacher education program. If a person has somebody who made a difference in their life, nobody ever says: It was my Senator. It is not mom and dad. It is a teacher.

Educating teachers is a noble calling. In fact, the Teachers College holds the International Reading Association Award and Certificate of Distinction for the Reading Preparation of Elementary and Secondary Teachers--one of only five programs honored internationally in 2009. In a national study of teacher education programs, Emporia State was named one of only four postsecondary institutions in the Nation to be identified as an exemplary model teacher education program.

I congratulate Emporia State for their success in equipping our Nation's educators. As we know, the work of a teacher impacts the lives of every American now and in the future.

Given Emporia State's long history and dedication to training teachers, the university, as one might expect, now hosts the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Each year five of the Nation's most outstanding educators are recognized and honored for the jobs they do. By recognizing the difference one teacher can make, the National Teachers Hall of Fame works to promote education and inspire a new generation of teachers.

Whether ESU students pursue a career in education or another field, many students who continue their studies will return to ESU for graduate work. Among the Kansas Regents universities, ESU students earn the highest percentage of graduate degrees. On average, one-third of the degrees earned annually are graduate degrees. So whether students leave Emporia with an undergraduate or graduate degree, they are well prepared in the field they have chosen.

Students today are involved in community service, and Emporia State exemplifies that. Students at Emporia State spend much time giving back to the local communities. Students have cared for the elderly, provided food to the hungry, and built homes for the homeless. They have also spent their free time mentoring young students through a program called YouthFriends. Currently, about 50 Emporia State students are involved in volunteer work once a weak with children.

One of the teachers at a local elementary school said this about that program:

It is great for children to have a young adult role model

to look up to. I have two kids in my class who have

YouthFriends, and they both have benefited greatly. Their

attitudes about school and life have changed for the better.

What a great way to make a difference in the development of lifelong compassion for others.

The alumni of Emporia State University now number more than 75,000 from 50 States and 80 countries, and they are all proud to be called Emporia State Hornets. Alumni from Emporia State have gone on to accomplish great things. Among the many distinguished alumni are Minnie Grinstead, who was the first woman elected to the Kansas State Legislature in 1918, and Robert Mott, a World War II veteran who later helped create National Public Radio.

For the past 150 years, Emporia State has been changing lives. One alumni said this about the impact on her life:

I was told by a high school guidance counselor that I would

never make it in college. ESU gave me an opportunity to

``try.'' Not only did I earn a bachelor's degree, I earned a

masters, and Ph.D. Thank you ESU, you changed my life in a

positive way!

On this historic anniversary, it is with great pleasure that I join my colleague from Kansas in submitting a resolution to congratulate the students, faculty, alumni, and the new president of Emporia State University for 150 years of excellence in higher education. May the next 150 years be even brighter than the last.

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

Mr. President, all of us in our lives from time to time hear of the passing, the death of someone we know. Sometimes it is family, often friends, or perhaps someone we are only vaguely acquainted with. This past week, we learned of the death of a Kansas City resident, Adele Hall. Her passing so personally saddens me because Adele Hall was a person with such optimism and so engaged in improving the lives of others.

Kansas City, in fact, lost one of their greatest champions when Adele Hall passed away. Adele was a longtime resident of Kansas City and was well known and well loved, highly respected for her acts of service and kindness to others. When she wasn't serving on a board of a nonprofit, she was raising funds for a worthy cause or volunteering with children. My guess is that she probably was doing all of those things at once.

Adele, I am sure, had the financial resources to live a life different than in service to others, but she chose to commit her life to making sure others had the chance for the success that she had.

She grew up in Lincoln, NE, and she was--I read today, in her honor, that she was an avid Nebraska fan.

In Nebraska, Adele learned the importance of giving back by watching her own parents volunteer, especially with the Salvation Army. As a young woman, she developed a love for children and later became involved in so many organizations that cared for their health and education and well-being. Adele never lost faith in the potential of a young person's life. One of her greatest passions was working with children at Children's Mercy Hospital. Adele served as chairman of the board there and together with the help of professional golfer Tom Watson, she established the Children's Mercy Golf Classic, which over a quarter of a century has raised more than $10 million for Children's Mercy. Adele also used her expertise to bless children nationwide through her work as a member of National Commission for Children.

Those boards and that service was important to her, but it was always the personal touch, not just serving on a board and making decisions about a hospital or the children it cared for, but personally caring for the children in the hospital.

Her actions were guided by a belief in the value of each and every individual. She lived out that Biblical teaching ``love your neighbor as yourself,'' through her service as the first woman president of the United Way of Greater

Kansas City. Adele always looked for the best in others and worked to bring people together. Her efforts were always at bringing a diverse group of opinionated people together in a way that would solve a problem.

She was an inspiration for other women, and she cofounded the Central Exchange and the Women's Public Service Network in Kansas City to help women embrace their careers and develop skills to pursue leadership positions.

She also served as the board chairman of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and actively participated on boards of the Pembroke Hill School, Salvation Army, Starlight Theatre, and the American Red Cross. To recognize Adele's years of service to the Kansas City community, she was named Kansas Citian of the Year--the first woman to hold that title.

In an era when we sometimes wonder what difference one person can make, Adele proved that one person is all it takes to touch the lives of others. I have always believed that what we do here in the Nation's Capital is important, but the reality is we change the world one soul, one person at a time. And Adele Hall lived that life and made that difference each and every day.

By investing her time, talents, and treasure in the community where she lived, she made a difference one life at a time. Her involvement in her community and her selflessness serve as an inspiration, a role model to every American.

Adele was loved. I never met a person who did not love and respect Adele Hall, and everyone who knew her loved and admired her and saw her as a special person. No doubt, especially she was loved by her family. She was known by a saying, ``Leave the dishes in the sink and play with your kids,'' and her family benefited from that kind of philosophy, her wholehearted dedication to each of them.

She was married to her husband Don for nearly 60 years and was a devoted wife and a loving mother to their three children. I ask the Senate to join me today in extending our heartfelt sympathies to her husband Don, her sons Donald and David, her daughter Margaret, and her nine grandchildren. She was loved by them dearly, and she will be greatly missed.

Adele once said that voluntarism is a ``belief in love,'' and her love will be forever remembered by the lives she changed for the better. If your value in life is whether you made a difference while you were here, Adele Hall lived that life and contributed so greatly to others. God bless her for her life and let her be a role model for all of us.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. President, in my home State of Kansas, there are hundreds of small communities that line the highways and county roads that stretch across the prairie part of the country. In many of these towns, the populations are shrinking, but they are still called home by thousands of Kansans.

I grew up in one of those small communities out in western Kansas, a place where folks know their neighbors and they try to take care of them. Much of what I know about people, about human nature, is what I learned by growing up in a small town where we all knew each other. I worked at the local hardware store, swimming pool, the drugstore, and I had a paper route and got to meet almost everybody in my hometown.

In these small communities across America, the people work hard, they come together to find commonsense solutions, and they solve problems. They try to make a difference in the lives of their families and the community. They also strive to provide a better future for their kids so that every child has the opportunity to grow up, pursue the American dream, and reach their goals.

For rural communities to survive and prosper, citizens have to work together to create their own opportunities for success. What happens here in Washington, DC, has a huge consequence on the future of rural communities in my State. The reality is that those communities that are going to have a bright future are those that decide on their own to work together within that community to make certain that is the case.

An example of a community that rallied together in this way to make good things happen and to make the community better for the future is the community of Stafford, population 1,042. I would like to recognize the efforts by this community, the Stafford residents, with the Building Better Communities Award. They made the effort to preserve their town for another generation.

Rural communities across our State have been hit hard by the economic

downturn over the last few years. Many towns have encountered the closing of businesses, Main Street looks a lot less appealing, there is a shortage of health care services, and a younger generation is leaving home in search for employment. In light of these challenges, the community leaders of Stafford are taking steps to cure that town's future.

We have a chain of retail stores across our State called Duckwalls. Two years ago they announced that they were closing 20 of their stores across Kansas, and the residents of Stafford were left to drive more than 20 miles to do their routine shopping. What happens in a community like Stafford? The community leaders gathered and they raised the funds to open and operate a new store, a general store on Main Street called Stafford Mercantile.

One of the things that makes this shop unique is it is owned by the community and it features a lot of Stafford's history, including a 1928 soda fountain and the marble-topped counter. In fact, one local resident, Judy Mayes, brought her mother to that store to have ice cream from the same fountain used at their wedding reception in 1934. The new shop brings back fond memories of the past but also now brings a future for younger folks in Stafford to enjoy a store, a mercantile, and a soda fountain. The mercantile has made it possible, once again, for residents to see what can happen when they work together and now they can shop at home.

Another challenge Stafford faced was the likelihood its local hospital would have to close its doors, after more than 50 years of serving that community, due to the pressures of declining population, Medicare reimbursement rates, and the difficult financial circumstances most hospitals across Kansas now face. Access to health care services and hospitals is vital to the survival of a community. If you can't access health care in communities across my State, it is one more circumstance that creates the likelihood senior citizens will reluctantly move away to someplace where there is a doctor and a hospital, and young families will not take the risk of raising their families without access to that health care. But with more than $\1/2\ million in debt, it seemed like, other than closing the hospital, there was no option for Stafford. But rather than throwing in the towel and giving up, the hospital got new leadership, they sought help from the folks in the county, and they worked hard to make ends meet so the hospital doors could remain open and continue that long tradition of serving the residents of Stafford County.

Many rural communities often struggle to add younger generations of residents to their workforce, given the lack of job opportunities. The superintendent of the local school district, Mary Jo Taylor, recognized this challenge in her community, and she decided to do something about it. With the support of the leadership of the community, the citizens, the business community of the town, and the support of local teacher Natalie Clark, the Stafford Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Center was created at Stafford High School in 2003.

The goal of this center is to equip high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with the training needed to become successful entrepreneurs. Who better to start a business in their hometown than a young person who grew up there and who is now educated and trained and has a desire for entrepreneurship? More likely that person than probably anyone else. By learning what it takes to develop and manage a small business, young people gain those valuable skills that open doors for a wide range of future employment opportunities and, most important, the opportunity to create a business at home.

As part of that learning experience, local store owners hire those students and give them hands-on experience in managing their own business. Those skills are important as those students leave high school and will help enable them to create those jobs the community of Stafford so desperately needs.

These are only a few examples of how the community of Stafford worked together to revitalize their community and pave the way for its future. Carolyn Dunn, the Stafford County Economic Development Director, summed it up this way when she said: ``Stafford is proving that when communities look within themselves for growth, they do have the capability to forge a stronger, more positive future.''

The community of Stafford is a success story. It is a role model. It demonstrates how teamwork and creative thinking and how caring about the future of your community can make a positive difference for that community and for all of rural America. I am proud to recognize the efforts of Stafford with what we have called the Building Better Communities Award. Today, in the Senate, I offer my congratulations and gratitude for the kind of leadership and effort among all residents of the community to see that Stafford is a good place to live today and, perhaps even more important, a great place to live tomorrow.

I yield the floor, and 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 have only been a Member of the Senate for 2 years, but in that short period of time at least seven other countries have taken actions that we have not taken to better support and attract entrepreneurs to their countries' economies. The map beside me shows those countries: the United Kingdom, Russia, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Chile, and Canada. Those countries have changed their rules, regulations, passed laws, changed their policies to make their country more friendly to startup businesses and to entrepreneurship.

I wish to focus on and visit with my colleagues about what is happening in one of those countries--our neighbor to the north, Canada--and explain why it is in the interests of our own country to act quickly to retain highly skilled and entrepreneurial immigrants.

In 2002, Canada announced plans to create a new visa to attract foreign entrepreneurs to their country. Canada is developing a plan to admit foreign entrepreneurs who have received capital from venture funds to start businesses in Canada and to admit them to Canada within weeks. A spokesman for the Canadian immigration agency was quoted in September as saying: ``Canada seeks young, ambitious innovative immigrants who will contribute to Canada's job growth and further drive our economy.''

But Canada is not just changing its laws to attract entrepreneurs; it is advertising and trying to lure talent there. The ad we are now showing--this is a full-page ad that appeared in a publication called Fast Company. It is an American magazine dedicated to startups, to technology and innovation. The advertisement for Ontario highlights R&D incentives and innovative and dynamic business environment

and the top talent needed to grow new businesses.

We in Congress and in the administration need to take note of this. Other countries, including our friends to the north, are aggressively courting entrepreneurs and talented individuals and they are luring them from here; they are trying to get them from the United States. Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said: ``We need to proactively target a new type of immigrant entrepreneur who has the potential to build innovative companies that can compete on a global scale and create jobs for Canadians.''

While we work in the United States to continue educating our children with the skills for a 21st century economy and training the next generation of great American entrepreneurs, we also need to be welcoming to those who want to create a business in the United States and employ Americans now. With respect to Canada, America is the country of entrepreneurs, a place where those with good ideas who are willing to work hard can come and make something for themselves.

There is a global battle for entrepreneurial talent and the United States is falling behind. A story I heard while visiting California, the Silicon Valley, last year, illustrates this point pretty well. A large company that just a few years ago was a small startup told me they had plans to hire 68 highly skilled immigrants but could not get a visa for them to work in the United States. Rather than letting this talent go, the company hired them but hired them at their location in Canada. It is certainly troubling that 68 jobs went outside the United States. They were lost in our country because the United States does not have a visa program that works. What troubles me even more is that some of those 68 people hired in Canada will go on to start a business that may result in significant job creation in Canada. Those jobs that could have been in the United States are now in another country and those individuals who may start a company are no longer in the United States but are now in Canada. When we lose entrepreneurs and highly skilled immigrants, we lose the jobs they create.

The good news is there are steps we can take to attract and retain foreign entrepreneurs and highly skilled immigrants. In a bipartisan effort, Senator Warner, Senator Coons, Senator Rubio, and I introduced Startup Act 2.0 last year. Senators Blunt and Scott Brown of Massachusetts joined as cosponsors, and an identical bill was introduced in the House of Representatives with an even number of Republican and Democratic supporters. Again, this year, I am working with those colleagues to reintroduce a bill very similar to that in very short order.

Startup Act 2.0 makes changes to the Federal regulatory process to lessen government burdens on job creators, modifies the Tax Code to encourage investment in new businesses and capital formation, seeks to accelerate the commercialization of university research that can lead to new ventures and, most importantly, provides new opportunities for highly educated and entrepreneurial immigrants to stay in the United States where their talent and new ideas can fuel economic growth and, most importantly, create jobs for Americans.

Startup Act 2.0 creates an entrepreneurial visa for foreign-born entrepreneurs currently in the United States--legally in the United States. Those with good ideas, with capital, and the willingness to hire Americans would be able to stay in the United States and grow their businesses. In many instances, foreign-born entrepreneurs, here legally, have an idea and want to begin a company that will employ Americans but are told their visa does not allow them to remain in the United States.

Take the story of Asaf Darash. Asaf was born in Israel and came to the United States in 2007 after being awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study at the University of California. After completing his doctoral thesis, he founded a software company called Regpack. Asaf raised $1.5 million in financing for the company and hired more than a dozen Americans. His company has the potential to grow quickly and to further create additional jobs. But Asaf, the founder of this dynamic company, is no longer in the United States. My staff contacted him this morning and he said that because of the difficulty in obtaining a visa and the amount of time and effort it was taking, he decided it was easier to move to Israel and take the core of the company, including its jobs, with him. As Regpack grows, new jobs are going to be created in Israel--jobs that could have been in the United States if we had a visa dedicated to foreign entrepreneurs such as Asaf.

Sadly, his story is far from uncommon. Immigrants legally living in the United States who have a good idea and want to start a business have few options available to them. With very few ways to stay, these entrepreneurs, just like Asaf, are forced to move and take their businesses with them and take the jobs they have created and will create to other countries.

I wish to make certain America is the best place for entrepreneurs who want to build America and hire Americans. Passing Startup Act 2.0 will help make this happen.

Entrepreneurial immigrants have long contributed to the strength of our country by starting companies and creating jobs. Of the current Fortune 500 companies, more than 40 percent were founded by first- or second-generation Americans. Today, 1 in every 10 Americans employed at a privately owned U.S. company works at an immigrant-owned firm.

In our mobile world, entrepreneurs have a choice as to where they start a business. For decades, there was no better place than the land of opportunity--the United States of America. But things are changing. Other countries are aggressively seeking the best and brightest, those with entrepreneurial talent, as a way to grow their economy.

I believe most--in fact, I would say at least 80 percent--of my colleagues in Congress agree with the visa provisions in Startup Act 2.0. They understand that retaining highly skilled entrepreneurial immigrants will lead to economic growth and new jobs for Americans. Unfortunately, there is an approach in Congress that has been here for the last several years that says if we can't do everything, we will not do anything. I urge my colleagues let's pass what we can agree on now and keep working to find common ground on issues that still divide us.

Canada and other countries are creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs, for startup companies, but the United States is still the home of the American dream. We need to pass Startup 2.0 so individuals can pursue their ambitions in America.

Millions of our citizens remain out of work. Our economy is barely growing. One would think, common sense would suggest we would work hard together to deal with the issues we have agreement on that would help jump-start the economy.

Let's do that. Let's jump-start the American economy through entrepreneurship and allow those with talents and skills we need to pursue the American dream in the United States of America and thereby strengthen our economy.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, let me take a moment to welcome you to the Senate. I look forward to working with you and welcome you, coming from the House of Representatives to the Senate.

Over the Christmas holidays most of our Nation was focused on what Congress would do to avoid the so-called

fiscal cliff. What was largely missing from that conversation was how to address the much greater and more damaging problem, our growing national debt.

I am not exactly sure what the definition of fiscal cliff was. I think it had different meanings to different people. We dealt with a portion of the fiscal cliff, a slight delay in sequestration, and the consequences of the so-called Bush tax cuts expiring on December 31, but the serious problem is our national debt. Last year's budget shortfall reached $1.1 trillion; the fourth straight year of trillion- dollar deficit spending.

This out-of-control government spending has increased our national debt to a record $16 trillion, which is more than the entire U.S. economy produced in goods and services for the entire year of 2012.

Last week Secretary Geithner let Congress know it will reach its borrowing limit as soon as mid-February. President Obama will request that Congress raise the debt ceiling once again. This is the fifth time that President Obama has requested the debt limit be raised to allow the Federal Government to borrow and spend more money.

What is the point of even having a debt limit if Congress simply extends the Treasury's borrowing capacity each time the limit is reached? While some may say it is irresponsible not to raise the debt limit, our Nation finds itself at a point of such indebtedness that it is equally as irresponsible to extend the debt ceiling without significant reductions in Federal spending.

I voted against an increase to the debt limit 2 years ago and intend to vote against another increase unless we substantially change the way government does business by reducing Federal spending.

In addition to it being alleged that it is irresponsible not to raise the debt ceiling, sometimes it is suggested it is not compassionate to not spend money. Where is the compassion in spending money we don't have that is being borrowed and will have to be repaid by future generations of Americans--our kids and grandkids?

Our country is facing enormous fiscal challenges that, if left unchecked, will have a disastrous impact on the future of our Nation. The simple truth is that government is spending more than it is taking in, and this pattern must not, and in fact cannot, continue.

During the last 2 years alone the government has spent more than $7.3 trillion and increased the Nation's debt by more than $3.2 trillion. We didn't get into this situation overnight. It has been years in the making. Our staggering national debt and deficits are the responsibility of many Congresses and Presidents from both political parties who have allowed us to live well beyond our means for far too long. Americans deserve leadership in Washington to confront these fiscal challenges and fight for the future of our Nation. However, to date, our President and our Congress--this Congress--has failed to provide that leadership.

We learned from the New Year's Eve fiscal cliff negotiations that our work to tackle our debt must begin now. It cannot wait until the eleventh hour when the deadline is near and the consequences are preventable. We have all heard the saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. Why should we expect our fiscal situation to change if we keep doing the same thing: raising the debt limit so we can borrow more money and spend more money?

We know what needs to be done. It will just take the political courage to do it. Rather than wait for another last-minute deal that gets rushed through with little input from the American people, it is time we have an open and honest debate.

I think Americans are ready for leadership that involves tough decisions. The President must come to the table with Congress and put courage and common sense before politics, and that means getting serious about our government's finances.

One of the best ways to rein in spending is to set a budget and live by it. No country, business, or family can operate responsibly without a budget. Crafting a budget is one of the basic responsibilities of Congress, but this Senate has not passed a budget in more than 1,300 days.

When a Kansas family meets the max on their credit card, they don't just call the credit card company and ask them to raise their credit limit so they can keep on spending. No. They cut back on spending and change their budget. Washington needs to do the same.

I hope the stories the Senate is going to address a budget are true, and I hope that means the Budget Committee will meet and--in regular order--deal with a budget. I am a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. I hope we have the opportunity to do appropriations bills which matter and follow that budget.

We must take serious action to address this fiscal cliff--the real one--of $48 trillion in unfunded obligations. These programs, which represent promises made by the Federal Government to Americans, must be kept. It is not about undoing Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid, it is about making certain they are available, fiscally sound, and that another generation of Americans can receive the benefits.

Another solution, besides the budget, in getting our spending back under control is to consider and adopt many of the bipartisan recommendations put forth by the President's own Deficit Reduction Commission. The cochairs of that Commission have warned that if we fail to take swift and serious action, the United States faces the most predictable economic crisis in history. Yet the President and Senate leadership has ignored these recommendations and continues to spend borrowed money without regard for the consequences.

The President's solution is to raise revenues to balance the budget, but those tax increases--if he got all he asked for--would only cover our spending for a few weeks. The budget the President proposed during the 4 years he has been President raises taxes. Every budget that the President has proposed in the 4 years he has been in office has raised taxes. One would think maybe that means the deficit is going down. But, unfortunately, the budgets proposed by President Obama would raise taxes, raise spending, and increase debt. To me, that suggests increasing taxes is never the solution that results in less spending and less deficits but just increased taxes and more spending.

History shows us that every time money is raised in Washington, DC, more money is spent by Washington, DC. The revenues we need to balance our books are not increases in taxes but revenues coming from a strong and growing economy. To turn our economy around and put people back to work, Congress and the administration should be implementing policies that encourage job creation; rein in burdensome government regulations; replace our convoluted Tax Code with one that is fair, simple, and certain; open foreign markets to American-manufactured goods and agricultural products; and develop a comprehensive energy policy. We are not immune from the laws of economics which face every Nation.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that government spending on health care, entitlements, Social Security, and interest on the national debt will consume 100 percent of the total revenues generated by the Federal Government by the year 2025. That means the money the government spends on national defense, transportation, veterans' health care, and other government programs will have to be borrowed and will drive us even further into debt.

The CBO issued a report last June which warned that unless we work to reduce our debt, we will face the increased probability of a sudden fiscal crisis that would cause investors to lose confidence in the government's ability to manage its budget, and the government would thereby lose its ability to borrow at these affordable rates.

I do not want to experience the day when our creditors decide we are no longer creditworthy and America has to suffer the same consequences as the countries that have ignored their debt crisis. We need to look no further than the current situation of many countries in Europe to see what high levels of national debt will do to a country's economic health.

Last week one of the major credit rating agencies, Fitch, warned that

America risks losing its AAA credit rating if Congress and the President fail to agree to a ``credible medium-term deficit reduction plan.'' Fitch's warning is yet another reason we need to work together to put our country on a sustainable path for the future. We need to heed this warning and take steps now to prevent another credit downgrade.

The American people expect the President and Members of Congress to confront our Nation's challenges and not push them off to some future date. They also want their concerns and voices heard. The last-minute deals, the negotiations by a handful of people are very disturbing to me and to many Americans.

Today I am pleased to share a new opportunity which gives Kansans a voice in the debate on how to reduce spending through a new Web site called Fight for our Future. Kansans can access that site from my home page and learn more about the government's true fiscal condition. Not only can they share their thoughts on why we should cut spending, but they can also vote for a debt reduction proposal they think will be most effective. They will be able to add their name to a message that will be sent to the President and congressional leaders to urge us to put politics aside and work to save our country's future.

The debate over government spending is often seen as one that is philosophical or simply partisan bickering. All my life I heard Republicans and Democrats argue about spending, deficits, and taxes. They think that is what goes on in Washington, DC. This time it is different. Our failure to act will have dramatic consequences to the daily lives of Americans. This is about whether an American can find a job, afford to make payments on their homes and cars, and whether their kids will have a bright future.

The debt limit crisis we are facing now did not have to be a crisis. We knew the day would come when we would have to deal with the consequences of living beyond our means. Let's work together to solve this tremendous challenge.

I note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I would like to thank the Senator from Maryland for allowing me the opportunity to speak during this discussion of the supplemental appropriations bill. Also, it is my first opportunity to publicly congratulate the Senator from Maryland on her achievement of becoming the chairman of the committee I am a member of, and I look forward to working with her on an ongoing basis over the next 2 years as we work our way through appropriations bills. I look forward to seeing that we do right and well and that we appropriately take care of the taxpayers' dollars.

While the supplemental is important--and I am anxious that we move forward and vote on the amendments and its final passage--I would like to take this moment to speak, here on December 28, on the reason we are back in Washington, DC--the so-called looming fiscal cliff. It is unusual for the Senate to be in session at this point in time, just a few days after Christmas and a few days before the New Year. I believe it has not been since 1970 that the Senate has cast votes during this period of time.

Our country faces a significant financial challenge, and I hope the House, the Senate, and the President are up to the task. I want to reach an agreement. I want to avoid finding out the consequences of no agreement. We have heard the predictions of the Congressional Budget Office that suggest that the U.S. economy will be driven back into a recession should we go over the cliff. There is a projection of increasing unemployment rates, a reduction in real GDP, and the amount of debt held by the public will increase. I do not want our economy, the American people, the taxpayers, the business men and women of our country to suffer the risks of inaction by Congress and the President.

But while meetings are ongoing now at the White House--and I hope there is some semblance of progress that we learn about shortly--it does seem to me that we are at this final hour with a lack of any significant progress to deal with the fiscal cliff issue. We need leadership. We need the President's leadership. We need leadership by Republicans and Democrats, and we need the House and Senate.

While I say I want an agreement, I am also willing to appreciate the fact that I will not get everything I might want in an agreement. The consequences of our failure seem to me to be so significant that we ought to find common ground.

Now, I understand we might reach an agreement that deals with a portion of the so-called fiscal cliff. I want to point out that we are only really talking these days about the tax consequences of the fiscal cliff. I don't know exactly how the phrase ``fiscal cliff'' came into existence. I don't know where those words came from. I don't know exactly what they mean. I think they probably mean different things to different people.

It seems to me the fiscal cliff we face is based upon sequestration. This plan that was put in place by the Budget Control Act would reduce spending by $1.2 trillion in both defense and nondefense as well as the debt ceiling, which our Treasury Secretary says needs to be addressed. The peak will be reached, the balance necessary to be raised, on December 31. We might want to include the doc fix, which is the Medicare set of payments we make on a short-term basis to keep physicians seeing Medicare patients. Certainly, the deficit and debt our country faces are a part of that fiscal cliff.

It seems to me that we are only dealing with the issue of taxes. I want to avoid taxes being raised on any American. I may not have that opportunity, but we ought to do everything we can to make certain the Tax Code is unchanged in regard to those who are currently paying taxes. For more than 10 years, we have had a tax code that treated taxpayers a certain way, and in my view, any tax increase is damaging to the economy. Having said that, that I might not get everything I want, there are consequences of not dealing with this issue that may be beneficial even though a tax increase on anyone would be detrimental. So there is this opportunity for give-and-take to make certain that if there is a tax increase on anyone, there is a corresponding benefit that overcomes the damage to the economy in regard to this issue.

We need to understand that while we are talking about taxes, we are talking about a tax increase that will affect everyday Kansans and everyday Americans. The research I have seen indicates that a teacher in my State making $43,000 a year, in the absence of us dealing with this issue, his or her taxes would go up $3,000 a year, which is about $250 a month. That does not include the end of the temporary payroll tax holiday, the new ObamaCare tax increases, or the alternative minimum tax, which affects taxpayers at income levels of more than $33,750.

So I am hoping we can deal with the tax issue, but I don't want us to forget there are other significant issues our country faces. Almost none of the conversation coming from the White House or the discussions over the last few days, weeks, and months have dealt with the deficit, which is so compelling.

As I drove down the roads from one side of the State to the other for Christmas, with one side of our family in western Kansas and the other side of our family in eastern Kansas, I was thinking less about Christmas at that moment and more about what to do if we have a short- term so-called kick-the-can-down-the-road--a 60-day or 30-day extension.

It seems that we owe Americans something much greater than just delaying the consequences of our inaction to date. We desperately need to deal with the big issues. We have no choice but to move forward with just the small items that are before us today, but we especially need to deal with the deficit and debt problems our country faces. We cannot afford to kick the can down the road.

I read a letter from a constituent of mine who wrote to me back during the debt ceiling debate. I think what she said is still important for us today. This is a letter from Gina Reynolds from Shawnee, KS. She says that she believes America is the greatest country on Earth. She says:

I believe we have the greatest country on Earth, but our

inability to compromise and stop acting like spoiled children

saddens me.

The Founding Fathers were able to compromise and write a

document that has stood the test of time for 235 years. Can

we not now do the same? Please do the right thing for the

American people, the ones . . . hurt by this self-produced

impasse.

I want the impasse to come to an end. I want us to reach an agreement. I want us to deal with the Tax Code that changes on January 1. But I do not want us to avoid the opportunity to deal with the most significant problem and challenge our country faces--the fiscal challenge of our deficit and debt.

I yield the floor .

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

I ask unanimous consent I may speak on the Senate floor as in morning business.

Mr. President, the Senate, of which I am a new Member, was at one time called the world's greatest deliberative body. Its rules have remained largely unchanged since the origin of the Senate. This Chamber's distinguishing attribute has undoubtedly been its right of unlimited debate and its greatest protections are the rules put in place to defend that right of debate.

I am worried about the talk now of destroying any Senator's ability to filibuster, to delay consideration of a bill, because it is a fundamental right of all Senators to express their opposition to legislation even when that Senator stands alone--when you are the only one who opposes that legislation. This is an important right, protecting a Senator's right to object and a Senator's right to represent his or her own constituency.

Something tells me the desire to curb this unlimited debate of the Senate doesn't really come from a failure of the Senate's rules but, rather, a desire by some to see that an agenda can be pushed through by ignoring that minority right, by overriding the objections of an individual Senator on behalf of his or her constituents.

The rules of the Senate should not be targeted for change until we look at what the problems are in the way we conduct our business currently. For so long--again, I have only been here 2 years, but for the 2 years I have been here, it seems to me that often the majority has obstructed the ideal of unlimited debate and put undue stress on the rules of our Chamber. The practice of the majority party has prevented me and my colleagues from contributing to the legislative process in several ways. Rather than encourage debate and compromise by welcoming amendments, often, as we say here, ``the tree has been filled,'' or, in the way we would say it in Kansas, we fill up the opportunity for amendments with certain amendments that then preclude other amendments being considered, that being the amendments of the rest of us.

In addition to that, the majority leader has filed cloture more than 100 times on the very day the measure was first raised on the Senate floor, which basically ends debate on that day.

We get compromise whenever everyone, the majority and minority, have the opportunity to present their points of view. Then we sit down and try to figure out the difference, how we can make things work among ourselves. We have seen rule XIV used to bypass committee work nearly 70 times in the last 6 years.

I am honored to serve on a long list of committees in the Senate and I attend many committee meetings and we hold hearings. We listen to our constituents, we listen to the experts, and we try to reach a conclusion as to what is best in a piece of legislation. When that process is bypassed, we lose that opportunity to gain from that insight.

In so many instances the committee process is bypassed. I am a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, with the example of our inability to have appropriations bills and no budget. I am a member of the Banking Committee on which we have lots of hearings but very few markups. I think it undermines the ability for each of us to do our jobs on behalf of America.

I think we have been forced away from what is most valuable here-- discussions. Not that any of us gets our own way. That is not the nature of this place. It is not the nature of America. But we each have our own voice, and by being able to express ourselves we have the opportunity to flesh out the best ideas and ultimately to require people to come together and reach an agreement--that word that sometimes is not said often enough--compromise.

I recognize this as a Member of the Senate representing the State of Kansas. I consider my State often in the

minority. We are very rural. The issues we care about are different than those of places in the rest of the country. I represent a small population and many of my colleagues represent large urban areas with large populations. In the absence of rules protecting me as a Senator representing a minority, I think my ability to represent that minority is diminished. I recognize that I do not always have the right answer to every question. I have great respect for everyone's opinion. I was never ordained by God to have all the answers to every problem, but I think we find answers by having respect and listening to others, and to sort out what we think is the best of our ideas and the best of other ideas to see that good things happen on behalf of America.

We need to make certain that Republicans and Democrats have the opportunity to defend their opinions and then come together. We need to make certain the legislative process works in the committee and we need to make certain that we are not precluded from standing here, day after day, in opposition to legislation that we believe is bad for America. It is the Senate that has the opportunity to keep bad things from happening.

Again, I worry that as a result of the lack of function of the Senate over the last years that we are going to make dramatic changes in the rules that change the nature of this body, who we are and what we can accomplish, what our purpose is.

We need to work together, no doubt about it, but the idea of changing the rules, in my view, diminishes the need to do so. Our constituents expect us to represent them and their best interests and that means that we have the right--the necessity--of participating in the legislative process. I owe that to Kansas. I owe them nothing less. Without the right to use the filibuster to stop consideration of a bill until all ideas, all issues are heard, we risk the loss of that dissenting voice for a minority--no matter what party may be in power.

Previous Members of the Senate have understood the importance of protecting the minority's rights and have spoken out in defense of unlimited debate as it exists in the Senate today. I worry that the Senate is becoming a different place. As I studied history, there was always the voice of the institution, the Senator who had been here for a long time. There was the collective wisdom that, yes, we are in the minority now--or we are in the majority now--but that someday it will be the reverse, and we want the rules to apply no matter what the position. It seems to me that in the past, Members of the Senate would speak out--whether a Democrat or Republican--for the institution of the Senate and what it means to the American people and the Constitution of the United States.

The late Senator Byrd once said this about the design of the Senate:

The Senate was intended to be a forum for open and free

debate and for the protection of political minorities. As

long as the Senate retains the power to amend and the power

of unlimited debate, the liberties of the people will remain

secure.

When then-Senator Joe Biden was a part of this Chamber, he once said in defense of the filibuster:

At its core, the filibuster is not about stopping a nominee

or a bill, it is about compromise and moderation.

In 2005, when Republicans controlled the Senate and President Obama was a Senator, he said:

If the majority chooses to end the filibuster--if they

choose to change the rules and put an end to democratic

debate--then fighting and bitterness and the gridlock will

only get worse.

I think this statement applies today. I am tired of the fighting, bitterness, and gridlock. The American people do not want to see even more partisan bickering in Washington, DC. They want us to work together and solve our Nation's problems. They want us to get things done.

Preserving the rules of the Senate is not a partisan issue, but it is about protecting the nature of the Senate and the rights of the minority. Without the ability to compromise or debate on the floor of the Senate, I fear the greatest deliberative body will be drastically changed for the worse.

The original design of the Senate enables each Senator to be equal to one another no matter the party label, and each has the right to protect using the filibuster. If we choose to silence the Senators in the minority now for the sake of political expediency and lower the number of votes needed for a bill to pass without dissent, then we risk changing the very nature of the Senate.

I see this as a former Member of the House of Representatives. I am accustomed--after 14 years--to having these words spoken: I yield to the gentleman from Kansas 60 seconds.

The Senate is different from the House. We are entitled to more than 60 seconds of being able to speak in support or in opposition to issues before the Senate. If that filibuster were to be destroyed, and if the last protection of the rights of the minority were to be disregarded, then the Senate would become substantially no different from the House. It would be marked by limited debate where the majority runs against the basic nature of the Senate rules based largely upon population.

When the Republicans were in control of the Senate in 2005, Senator Reid, our majority leader, said:

The threat to change the Senate rules is a raw abuse of

power and will destroy the very checks and balances our

Founding Fathers put in place to prevent absolute power by

any one branch of government.

It is my belief that the Senate still exists today in the form that the Framers intended and that we must put a stop to this raw abuse of power. The Senate represents the embodiment of freedom of speech, and we should encourage the full exercise of our hard-won freedoms and unlimited debate. This tradition stands as a testament to the sacrifices of generations of early Americans and Americans throughout the history of our country. This freedom is one that will certainly be fought for in this Congress and the next.

I yield the floor and note 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 to address the Senate as in morning business.

Mr. President, there are certainly so many serious issues that we face in this country, and so many tragedies have occurred. I was on the floor earlier this week paying tribute to the lost lives in Connecticut and the two police officers killed in the line of duty in Topeka, KS, this week and the death of our colleague--certainly serious issues that we face--and now awaiting the House to pass legislation in regard to the fiscal cliff.

This is perhaps a lighter subject. I want to pay tribute to something that is such a great tradition in our State of Kansas and really across the country. Football is something that is important to communities across my State. On Friday nights, in the fall of each year, thousands of Americans gather at their local high school football fields to cheer on their favorite teams. This tradition has stood strong for decades on the Kansas prairie, but it is especially true in a little town not too far from my hometown, in the town of Smith Center.

There are few if any high school football fans in our State who are unaware of Smith Center's reputation. Coach Roger Barta and his Redmen football team have won more than 320 games and 8 State championships--5 of them in a row. They are even known here in Washington, DC.

A few years ago, when they were on their 79-game winning streak, people would come to me and ask me if I had ever heard of Smith Center, KS. And I would say: Certainly. Yes. What is the story? And they had read on the sports page that Smith Center had scored 74 points on another team in the first quarter. It turned out to be my hometown of Plainville. Mr. President, 74 points in the first quarter--this is an amazing team.

Under the leadership of Coach Barta, the Redmen football team has set State and national records. That 79-game winning streak is a remarkable achievement, and it caught the attention of the New York Times. In fact, a New York Times sportswriter, Joe Drape, moved his family from New York City to Smith Center, KS, and lived there for an entire school year to chronicle the team's achievements and to write about the community. He tells their story in his best-selling book called ``Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen.''

There are many reasons for this team's success that would, in fact, bring a New York Times reporter to this small town, but I think the community of Smith Center would agree with me that perhaps the greatest reason behind their success is their head coach--Coach Roger Barta. The coach's 323 victories place him among the top 5 coaches on the alltime Kansas football coaching wins list, and in 2007 he was named the Gatorade National Coach of the Year. But this season, after 35 years of coaching, Coach Barta announced he is ready to hang up his whistle and retire.

I have had the opportunity to participate in several pregame coin flips with Coach Barta and his team over a number of seasons, including their 2009 State title game. Each time, I watched a very talented and sportsmanlike football team and a very spirited set of fans from Smith Center and across the region. Yet all the success this team has enjoyed on the field is not what makes them so remarkable. The truly exceptional work being done on the plains of Kansas is the development of character in the boys of the Smith Center football team. It is the respect the athletes learn to have for their teammates and opponents on the field. It is the integrity the boys are expected to have both on and off the field. And it is the hard-working spirit they take with them when they graduate.

As a member of the Redmen football team, the athletes are not expected to just excel on the field but in the classroom and the community as well. From school plays to school concerts, the Redmen do more than simply play football. And Coach Barta serves more than just to coach football--he serves as a role model and mentor for young men and the community.

I remember a story in the book that says when one of the team members violates a team rule--young fourth grade students in Smith Center, KS, have a player card, and that football team member who violates a rule has to go to the fourth grade member and explain his error in violation of the team rule and apologize to the fourth grader.

Coach Barta's wife had this to say about her husband's commitment to the Redmen:

Roger likes everything about football, but what he loves

most are the practices, the camaraderie, and watching the

boys learn a little more. He lets them know how much he wants

them to succeed.

In the book about the Redmen, the writer Joe Drape extols the virtues we in America hold so dear. Humility, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment are all characteristics that are exemplified by the Redmen and their fans.

But perhaps Coach Barta's greatest legacy as he leaves the coaching field in Smith Center is within the Smith Center city limits: former Redmen who left town for college or work but eventually returned home.

Broch Hutchison, one of the Coach Barta's former players, is now an assistant coach, and he had this to say about working alongside Coach Barta:

We've all had opportunities, but this is where we've

learned to love one another and work hard and build a

community. If we can have an impact on a kid's life like

Coach Barta, we want to do it in our hometown.

This attitude exemplifies the teaching, coaching, and parenting philosophy of rural America. Our populations are dwindling and our communities are aging, but our commitment to raising responsible children and preparing them to be successful in life is something that will never leave us. I am thankful that Coach Barta and his staff understand this, and I am proud to come from a part of the country that remains committed to that way of life.

Coach Barta summed it up best when he said this about his coaching philosophy:

What we do real well around here is raise kids. . . . None

of this is really about football. What we're doing is sending

kids into life who know that every day means something.

Congratulations to Coach Barta for his outstanding achievements over the last three decades. But most importantly, thank you, coach, for your investment in the lives of young men of Smith Center. Their lives are forever changed because of you.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to address the Senate as in morning business.

Mr. President, we all know it has been a difficult and tragic couple of days for America. We were so deeply saddened to hear the news from Newtown, CT, on Friday. As a parent,

nothing in life is more important than the protection of our children. The death of a child--there is no recovery from. My heart goes out to all the families who lost loved ones in this unspeakable tragedy.

Last night we learned of the death of our colleague Senator Inouye.

I want to mention today that just this past Sunday, over the weekend, grief struck the capital city of Kansas, my home State. Corporal David Gogian and Officer Jeff Atherly were fatally shot Sunday in Topeka while on duty. These public servants were investigating drug activities that were allegedly occurring inside a vehicle outside a neighborhood grocery store. As they approached the vehicle and ordered the occupants to get out, a gunman took the lives of both officers. When we lose someone in a community in Kansas, it is not just a name to us, it is somebody we see at our kids' activities at school, somebody we go to church with, somebody we know and care about. These two individuals are that to their friends and family in Topeka and across our State.

David had been part of the Topeka Police Department for 21 years. He spent 13 years as a reserve officer and 8 years as a full-time officer. His service did not begin as a police officer; he had previously served his country in the Kansas National Guard and just recently retired. Police Chief Ronald Miller described David as someone who spent his life in service to his country and to the city of Topeka. David's service to his community was clearly a model to others, including his son Brandon, who followed in his dad's footsteps and serves the Topeka community as a police officer.

The second officer, Jeff, was just 29 years old and had joined the police department last year. Chief Miller said that Jeff was just getting started in his career, and he had his entire life ahead of him.

Jeff grew up in the small community of Carbondale, which is just south of Topeka, and graduated from Washington University in 2009 with a degree in law enforcement. After graduation, Jeff--like his parents Steve and Susan, who are both educators--decided to dedicate his life to public service.

Jeff was known by his friends for his smile, his great sense of humor, and his kind heart. He leaves behind his 3-year-old son Logan.

These two men honorably served their community by faithfully carrying out the duties of a law enforcement officer. Rather than shirk from danger, police officers pledge to face danger with courage, and that is exactly what these two men did.

Inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial here in Washington, DC, are these words:

It is not how these officers died that made them heroes, it

is how they lived.

Today we remember the lives of David and Jeff and their service to the Topeka community. We express our gratitude for their dedication to their community and their country. We remember their families and their loved ones.

I ask that all Kansans--in fact, all Americans--join in remembering David's and Jeff's families in their thoughts and prayers this week. May God comfort them in their time of grief and be a source of strength for them. May He also protect all those who continue to serve us today.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to address the Senate as in morning business.

Mr. President, in communities across our country, millions of Americans, unfortunately, find themselves placed in danger by the very people who are supposed to love, care, and protect them. Domestic violence brings hopelessness, depression, and fear into the lives of those who fall victim to it.

I rise this evening on behalf of our victims--they are our neighbors, family members, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers--as well as those people who are so careful in their desire to serve those who are subjected to domestic violence, to say that now--now--is the time for us to send to the President for his signature a bipartisan, commonsense Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill. We got caught in a lot of partisan bickering, and we failed to do that earlier this year. I would like to rectify that course.

Each year more than 2 million women in the United States fall victim to domestic violence. In Kansas, my home State, an estimated 1 in 10 adult women is domestically abused each year. Studies have shown that more than 3 million children witness domestic violence every year.

All of these victims depend upon services and care provided by VAWA grants and funding recipients who benefit from those grants. On a single day last year shelters and organizations in Kansas that are funded in part by this legislation served more than 1,000 victims, and similar organizations around the country serve more than 67,000 victims each day.

A few weeks back I visited one such organization, Kansas SAFEHOME. It is a tremendous organization that serves the greater Kansas City area. I have always believed we change the world one person at a time. What I saw in my visit to SAFEHOME was exactly that: making the difference in a person's life each and every day, one person at a time.

SAFEHOME provides more than a shelter for those needing a place to live to escape from abuse. They provide advocacy and counseling, an in- house attorney, and assistance in finding a job. The agency also provides education in the community to prevent abuse and further abuse. We often think it does not exist, and yet this organization is making clear that the prevalence of domestic violence is known and combated.

Each year SAFEHOME helps thousands of women and children reestablish their lives without violence. The employees and volunteers there are making that difference that is so important in the lives of so many.

After my visit to SAFEHOME, a Kansan posted a question on my Facebook wall. Mr. Bachman asked if I came away from my SAFEHOME visit with ``any honest sense of how current political game playing [in Washington] and proposed legislation compromises not only the work [SAFEHOME] does, but also aggravates the conditions that breed and sustain violence and hostility against women.'' The question was do we know what our failures in Washington, DC, actually cause in the lives of folks across my State and around the country.

The point this constituent makes is right on. Despite the important and honorable work these organizations are performing, they are faced with uncertainty regarding the level of funding and the support they will receive. We have gambled with the well-being of countless victims of domestic violence, and we have left these organizations in limbo and unable to provide the maximum amount of care possible.

None of us here--Republicans or Democrats--can in good conscience let this continue. The election is over, the results are in, and I am hoping the days of extreme partisanship that plagued the 112th Congress are now behind us. We must begin to unite as a Congress, and history is clear proof that we can unite over the Violence Against Women Act.

The passage of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 and its two reauthorizations--one in 2000 and one in 2005--has been the result of and demonstrates that we can have successful bipartisan, bicameral efforts. In order for us to move forward on combating domestic violence and caring for its

victims, we must set aside the divisive rhetoric that surrounded this debate. Of course, both sides--all of us--want to end discrimination and agree that shelters and similar grant recipients should provide services to everybody who needs them.

For anyone to suggest otherwise is not only disingenuous, but, more importantly, it is a waste of time. The millions of victims who depend on the services funded by VAWA deserve better from us; the American people we are here to serve deserve better from their representatives.

It is past time for the House and Senate and for the Democrats and Republicans to come together and approach this reauthorization as a reauthorization. It is not a major piece of legislation to overhaul the law as it exists but to reauthorize the programs that are currently in existence. We need to do so with a sense of urgency, of dedication to the cause, and a willingness to compromise.

If we do this, I am confident we can sort out the differences with respect to this bill and get it signed during this lameduck period. I stand ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of this building to accomplish exactly that. The American people, the victims of domestic violence, and the shelters and support organizations that care for those victims of violence deserve that.

Mr. President, I yield back the remainder of my time.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.