Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate former West Virginia Gov. Gaston Caperton on 30 years of outstanding leadership as the president of the College Board.

It is my privilege to honor Governor Caperton, a native of Charleston, WV, for his leadership in the field of education. Governor Caperton's own childhood experience instilled in him the importance of education at a very young age. As a child who struggled with dyslexia, he was able to overcome the hurdles he faced in the classroom and truly achieve educational excellence. He earned his bachelor's degree in business from the University of North Carolina and has taught at prestigious institutions, including Harvard and Columbia University. He also holds 10 honorary doctoral degrees.

Governor Caperton returned to the great State of West Virginia and served as Governor from 1989 to 1997. During his two terms in office, Governor Caperton made education a top priority and improved the lives of thousands of West Virginia students. He supported an $800 million school renovation program that directly benefited two-thirds of West Virginia's public school students, facilitating classroom upgrades and additional renovations in all of our schools. Governor Caperton has been recognized nationally for working to upgrade our State's classroom technology to keep West Virginia students competitive in an increasingly global economy. In addition, he helped raise teacher salaries from 49th place to 31st place in the Nation.

Governor Caperton's leadership in education left a lasting legacy in our State, and I am so proud of the work he did for West Virginia schools and all of our students.

In 1999 Gaston Caperton was appointed the eighth president of the College Board. Over the past 13 years Governor Caperton has done such important work to make higher education available to a greater number of students, especially those from underserved areas, and that is truly something of which to be proud. No matter their background, we need to do all we can to help our students achieve a higher level of education if we are going to create the jobs and train the workforce that makes America the greatest Nation in the world.

Since 1999 the College Board has reached a total of 23,000 high schools and 3,800 colleges and has served 7 million students and parents. The organization continues to provide college preparatory materials and has dramatically changed college entrance exams. In addition, the College Board has enabled students' enrollment in advanced placement courses, and Governor Caperton is responsible for more than tripling the number of students from low-income backgrounds taking AP courses.

Governor Caperton has continued to be a champion for students as he supports financial aid policies and programs, while advocating for tuition equity. From his tenure as Governor, to his work at Harvard and Columbia Universities, to his 13 years of leadership at the College Board, providing equal opportunities in the classroom has been the driving force behind Gaston Caperton's career. I am proud to honor this outstanding West Virginian and recognize his achievements in the field of education. I am also extremely proud to call him my friend, as do most all West Virginians.

Prescription Drug Abuse

Mr. President, I also rise today to express my deep concern and my disappointment that the special interest groups who have a vested financial interest have derailed a strong effort to fight prescription drug abuse. It is an epidemic that is devastating communities all across this Nation. They got their victory--but not at my expense. The people who will pay the price are the young boys and girls in communities all across this Nation who are seeing their families and their schools and their neighborhoods wrecked by abuse and addiction.

What my amendment would do is simply this: It would require patients to get a new prescription to get their pills refilled. What we have right now in trying to schedule hydrocodone from a schedule III to a schedule II is the ease of availability and the prescriptions that are being refilled without any visits to their doctors. It is of an epidemic proportion. The pills would have to be stored and transported more securely, and traffickers would be subject to increased fines and penalties.

I am not trying to put anyone out of business. In fighting for this amendment, I asked anyone and everyone who was opposed to come to see me, and if we could find a way to work together, we would do that. We tried to accommodate the groups who were worried about additional administrative costs, such as new security requirements for storing hydrocodone, or additional paperwork that would come as a result of rescheduling. But at the end of the day these groups seemed more concerned with their business plans and the ability to sell more pills than the responsibility we all have to protect the future of this country and the future of the generation we are counting on to lead and defend this country.

Since the moment the Senate adopted my hydrocodone rescheduling amendment, lobbyists have been turning out in droves to fight this effort to limit people's ability to get pills too easily and abuse them. Yesterday these lobbyists got a victory when the House of Representatives passed a compromise version of the FDA bill that does not contain my amendment, and I assume the Senate will do the same.

Just a few weeks ago it was a different story. I was so proud when the Senate unanimously adopted this amendment because this is a problem that affects every single Member in every single State. I don't know of a person in this country who doesn't have somebody in their immediate family, extended family, or a close friend who has not been affected by the abuse of prescription drugs. Where I come from, that is an epidemic. It is an epidemic we all have and we all are facing. In fact, prescription drug abuse is responsible for about 75 percent of drug- related deaths in the United States and 90 percent in my State of West Virginia. According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, and it is claiming the lives of thousands of Americans every day.

I understand that limiting access to hydrocodone pills doesn't necessarily fit into the model of selling more product, but I also understand this: We have a responsibility to this Nation and, most importantly, to the next generation to win the war on drugs.

I have been a businessperson all of my life. I understand that in business one has to have a good business plan to be successful. One should also have the ability to alter that plan when necessary, while still being successful. I assure my colleagues that this is one of those necessary times. The health of our country and the public good are at stake.

I am hearing on a daily basis from people and businesses--small, medium-sized, and large--that are having a hard time finding qualified workers--qualified workers who can pass a drug test.

We have folks who cannot get the type of education they need to be part of the workforce of the 21st century because they are drug impaired.

I have been in Washington a short time compared to some of my colleagues, but I have been here long enough to know the pressures Members face around here when special interest groups get entrenched-- it is no different in the Presiding Officer's beautiful State of Delaware and my State of West Virginia--and it does not look like my amendment will go into this bill. But I can assure you, it will not go away and neither will the problem of drug abuse. I am determined to see this thing through. This measure will pass. It might not be this year, it might not be next year, but I assure you it will pass.

Until we do something, there are going to be families who are separated and torn apart because of drug abuse and little kids who come to me and the Chair and plead for help because their daddy is addicted or their mother is hooked on drugs or they have had a brother or a sister or a friend who has overdosed or died.

I do not pretend this amendment will solve the entire problem of prescription drug abuse. But when every law enforcement agency--listen, every law enforcement agency in America, every

one of them to a T, which we rely on to fight the war on drugs--has supported this amendment openly and spoken out loudly and clearly that it would help them tremendously, I do not know how we can ignore this problem much longer.

The fact is we must act. I can assure you that working together, as we do, we will find a way to move forward with this vital piece of legislation.

I promise the Presiding Officer this: I will continue to fight this war on drugs with him, and I urge all my colleagues to do the same. This is a war we cannot afford to lose.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today to speak in favor of the congressional resolution of disapproval that Senator Inhofe has filed under the Congressional Review Act to stop the EPA from implementing one of the most expensive rules in recent memory. I thank my colleague, Senator Inhofe, for introducing this important resolution to send a message to the EPA.

I would like to say a few words about the little State of West Virginia that does the heavy lifting that helps this entire Nation. We mine the coal, we make the steel, we have done just about everything we possibly can. We probably have more people serving in the military, percentage-wise, than any other State. We have given our all for this great country, and we will continue to do the heavy lifting. But what we have to do is make sure the EPA, make sure this government is working with us, not against us. The Government's role is to be a partner, not an adversary but an ally. We are asking the government to work with businesses, not against them. Their actions will put thousands of hard-working Americans out of a job in the worst economy in generations.

Do not raise electricity rates on the consumers who can barely afford their monthly bills today as it is. It is mostly our seniors and people struggling with their families trying to make a living. The economic reality is that the environment and economy have to work hand in hand. It has to be in balance.

From the day I arrived at the Senate, I have been determined to stop the EPA's job-killing agenda, and this resolution of disapproval takes an important step to rein in this out-of-control agency. In the State of West Virginia, like most States, we do our rules and regulations through a legislative process. People have to vote. We do not give bureaucratic agencies the right to set policy. The people have given us that responsibility and right as elected

leaders to set the policy. That is what we are asking. We have this agency stepping way beyond its boundaries, further than our Founding Fathers ever intended, that is putting an absolute burden on the backs of every American.

Along with a handful of other rules on the verge of being implemented or already in place, the Utility MACT rule would cost the economy over $275 billion over the next 25 years, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. The Utility MACT could cost 1.3 million jobs over the next two decades, according to the National Economic Research Association.

On the issue of Utility MACT, I have heard from thousands of West Virginians in the past several weeks. In fact, just yesterday I had 45 of my constituents from Boone County, WV, get on a bus, 756 miles, drive all day to get here to be able to speak to some of us, and drive last night to go back home. That is how committed and dedicated most of them are. They had either worked in the mines or were working in some aspect of mining.

People think mining is just coal mining and coal mining only. It is not. The energy business is basically--if people work in a battery factory or a machine shop, if they work in any type of ancillary jobs, the ripple effect to their economy is unbelievable. If they work in a powerplant--these people were scared to death because all they hear every day is they are going to lose their jobs because the government is going to shut them down and work against them.

About three-fourths of the miners in that room had already been laid off. They are fighting for their jobs. They brought their families and children with them. They wanted to make sure we could put the faces of real people on what is happening.

Our coal miners are the salt of the Earth. They work so hard to provide energy for our country and provide for their families. They do not want a handout. All they want is a work permit. That is all they have asked for. Now is not the time to pull the rug out from under them and make them worry about how they will pay their bills and feed their family.

I believe this country needs to strike a balance, and I have said that before. Our lives are about balance. Every day people get up in the morning they look for a balance in their lives. They look for a balance in how they can run their business, how they can make a living. That is what we need to find in this body today. The EPA has truly gone too far.

We have heard so many different testimonies about that. That is why I will be casting my vote in favor of this resolution by Senator Inhofe to disapprove of the new rules, and I urge all my colleagues to do the same. I truly believe energy is an issue where we can bring thoughtful members of both parties together to work out solutions.

Let me point out an important example. In the time I served, I learned that many of my colleagues know of West Virginia only as a coal State. They have no idea what we do and how we do it. This past weekend I wanted to make sure they understood that not only do we do coal, we do wind, we do hydro, we do natural gas with the Marcellus shale-- a tremendous find--we do biomass, we do everything we can, and we think every State should be held accountable and responsible to try to be energy independent and do it in the most environmentally friendly way.

This weekend I invited leaders of the Energy Committee, Senators Wyden and Murkowski, a Democrat and a Republican, to spend a weekend with me to tour our State to see how West Virginia's all-in policy for energy works. One of them will likely be the next chair of Energy and Natural Resources, but I assure you both of them will work as a team trying to find policy that works for this country. You will hear both of them say one size doesn't fit all. We need everything. We need a comprehensive energy plan for this country--which brings me to our recent visit to West Virginia.

They saw how we are using an ``all-of-the-above'' approach. In the eastern part of our State we stopped at Mount Storm. They saw a 265- megawatt wind farm. They saw a 1,600-megawatt coal-fired plant with the most modern technology that cleans the air up to 95 percent. They saw it all. When the wind is not blowing, basically they saw there was no power generated--especially in the hot summer or the cold winter.

Basically what we are saying is we are doing everything we possibly can. We will continue. In short, we saw a little bit of everything that can be done if we work together. I think it should be a bipartisan effort to find a solution. We cannot keep fighting each other, and agencies cannot keep controlling what we are not legislating. If it has not been legislated, it should not be put into law until we are able to evaluate it.

I appreciate what is being done today, the bipartisan effort we are talking about. We have our differences, but we can come together.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I call up amendment No. 2345.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Madam President, I do not believe there is opposition to this amendment. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan, commonsense amendment that will address a very urgent need in this country: helping our children develop healthy eating habits at a very young age.

I wish to thank my cosponsor, Senator Kelly Ayotte from New Hampshire, for working with me on this amendment. All this does is require the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture to develop, implement, and promote national dietary guidelines for pregnant women and for children up to 2. It is the only segment we have not done. If you are 2 years of age or older, we do it. We try to tell you how to stay healthy, what you should eat, what you should feed your child. This basically fills in the gap for woman from when they become pregnant until 2 years of age.

I urge support of this amendment.

Mr. President, first of all, I want to thank the good Senator from Oklahoma, Mr. Inhofe, for his leadership on this very important piece of legislation. I am proud to be part of that with him and the leadership he has shown for us fellow pilots and, basically, the only connection we have in some rural parts of not only West Virginia but all of over the country, our private aviation. We hope to keep that alive and well. I know it is the same in the Presiding Officer's State. We appreciate all of the support and Senator Inhofe's leadership.

Hydrocodone Abuse

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about a very important issue that I believe will truly help each and every one of us, every Senator and every Congressman from all 50 States, accomplish something meaningful when it comes to fighting the prescription drug abuse epidemic that is plaguing communities all over this great Nation.

I have not talked to a person in my State who has not been affected by a person in their immediate family or extended family with prescription drug abuse. It is something that is of epidemic proportions that we have to fight and work together on.

Less than a month ago, I was so proud when the Senate came together to unanimously support an amendment I offered with Senators Mark Kirk, Kirsten Gillibrand, Chuck Schumer, and Jay Rockefeller that would make it far more difficult to abuse addictive pain medication by reclassifying drugs containing hydrocodone as schedule II substances.

Let me explain what this means in practical terms. Moving hydrocodone to a schedule II drug means that patients would need an original prescription to get their pills refilled. Pills would be stored and transported more securely, and traffickers would be subject to increased fines and penalties.

As we speak, negotiations are ongoing between the House and the Senate on a compromise version of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. The Senate version contains my amendment and the House version does not. So we are fighting as hard as we can to make sure this amendment is included in the final bill.

Last month I stood on the Senate floor and shared stories that I heard in communities across West Virginia about why this amendment is so urgently needed. Prescription drug abuse is responsible for about 75 percent of the drug-related deaths in the United States and 90 percent in my home State of West Virginia.

According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States. It is claiming the lives of thousands of Americans every year. But no statistic can illustrate the scope of this problem like hearing the pleas of children who are begging their leaders to do something to get drugs out of their communities--children such as those I met in Wyoming County, West Virginia, last October where more than 120 people have died from drug overdose in 7 years, including 41 last year and 12 already this year.

Since that proud moment when the Senate unanimously passed my hydrocodone rescheduling amendment, it has come under fire--you can imagine--from groups that seem to think trying to limit the number of hydrocodone pills making their way into our communities, and oftentimes into the wrong hands, is a bad idea because it affects their bottom lines.

I recognize this amendment does not fit into the business model of selling as many pills as possible. I understand that. But with that being said, I believe we have a responsibility to this great Nation, and especially to the youth of America. This will affect us for generations to come. To win this war on prescription drugs it needs to happen now.

Hydrocodone is one of the most abused substances we have and the most addictive. I do not think I have talked to a person who does not recognize that each and every State is experiencing these horrible problems with this prescription drug abuse. The facts will bear this out.

According to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control in November, the death toll from overdoses of prescription painkillers has more than tripled in the last decade. The findings show that more than 40 people die every day from overdoses involving narcotic pain relievers such as hydrocodone, methadone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone.

These prescription painkillers are responsible for more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined. Yet still we are hearing from some folks who just do not believe that rescheduling hydrocodone is a good idea. I have said to those groups: Let's work together on a compromise that can address your legitimate concerns. If anyone has a concern with this amendment, just come to me and we will sit down with you and try to work through it in a most reasonable manner.

We have already offered a number of compromises to different groups in an effort to get this bill passed and signed into law. I want to clarify some of these concerns.

We have heard from some with concerns that making hydrocodone a schedule II drug will mean that patients with legitimate needs for those medications would face increased hurdles to obtaining them and that those patients would have to visit the doctor more often.

To them, I would say the following: Look at what the DEA did in 2007 to reduce burdens facing patients when it came to refills. They finalized a new rule allowing doctors to provide individual patients with a 90-day supply of any schedule II medication by issuing three separate prescriptions: one for an immediate supply and two additional prescriptions that cannot be filled until a certain specified date.

If they receive a 90-day supply, patients would only need to visit their doctor four times per year. If they have a chronic ailment, I would think those patients would want that type of evaluation anyway. That makes all the sense in the world to me, and I know to a lot of Americans.

If a practitioner is prescribing medication as part of a usual course of professional practice and for legitimate medical reasons, there is no numerical limitation on the quantity they can prescribe. Federal law does not limit physicians to providing only a 30-day supply of medication. The amount prescribed and length of treatment is within each doctor's discretion.

We have also heard from those who are worried that pharmacies could face increased operating costs caused by new storage requirements as well as increased paperwork. But there is no difference in Federal storage requirements between schedule III and schedule II drugs. Federal law requires that all controlled substances be stored and securely locked in substantially constructed cabinets.

As for more paperwork, pharmacies are already doing paperwork on their current schedule II drug orders. All this amendment would require is including an additional line on the existing form that specifies how many hydrocodone combination pills they are ordering.

The bottom line is, we have to recognize this is a very addictive drug. As a schedule III drug, hydrocodone is very available to people who might not use it for the right purposes but for elicit purposes. All we are saying is give us a chance to protect some of the most vulnerable people we have, especially our young people who are addicted to these prescription drugs.

Look at all of the people who support this amendment, the folks who are out there on the front lines trying to keep our society safe and fight the war on drugs so that we can all be in a better society and more protected. We have groups such as the Fraternal Order of Police, the National District Attorney's Association, the National Narcotics Officers' Association, the National Troopers Coalition, the National American Society of Addiction Medicine, the National Association of Drug and Alcohol Interventionists, the West Virginia Medical Professionals Health Program, the Drug Free America Foundation, Inc., the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse, and the Prevention Partnership.

These people are on the front lines. They are saying this amendment is needed. This will help them immensely fight this war on drugs. Those are the people who are out there helping us every day in society.

We are willing to sit down and work with people if they have legitimate concerns. But if the concern is that this amendment interrupts their business plan, I hope they would rise above their business plan and be an American first. What we are trying to do is good for this country. It is good for each one of our States. I know it would be good for the State of West Virginia and the Presiding Officers's State of Vermont for generations to come.

We will be working hard and we will be protecting them for the quality of life as Americans. I am not trying to put anyone out of business. I am a businessperson myself. I appreciate the hard work of businesses all across this country and the risks they take and the dedication they have. But when we have a problem, we have to fix it. We have a problem. This amendment is not going to solve all of our problems, we recognize that. It is not going to eliminate prescription drug abuse once and for all. But it does give us one more tool to fight the drug abuse problem we have in this country.

To get this passed, it is going to take the voices of the public--not just the voices in this Chamber or across the Capitol but the voices of the public, the voices of people who have seen what it has done to our families, to our children, and our communities. We need their voices saying: We cannot stand by and watch this happen any longer; voices such as those from Oceana Middle School in Wyoming County in the State of West Virginia who participated in a letter-writing campaign to their elected leaders asking for help with a drug epidemic.

One of them wrote this to me:

My town, Oceana, has an issue about drugs. I write this

letter to you because I hope you can do something about it.

In 2006, my godmother died of an overdose. She was the only

person I could talk to. Drugs make people act in bad ways,

and if something doesn't happen about them, then our town

will be in worse shape.

Mr. President, I have been there many times. As a young person in college, my roommate was from Oceana. It was one of the most beautiful cities I had ever seen 40 years ago, but you would not recognize it with what has happened. These are young middle-school children crying out for help. They are afraid to go out in the streets.

This is happening all over America. These students want a better life for their parents, their siblings, their friends, and for their communities. Also, they want a better life for themselves. They are willing to fight, and we should be willing to fight for them. That is our job and what we were sent here to do.

I yield the floor.

I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

Mr. President, I rise to recognize a very special event taking place tomorrow in our Nation's Capital: West Virginia's first ever Always Free Honor Flight, a free trip for our veterans to see the monuments built for their service and sacrifice.

I have always said West Virginia is one of the most patriotic States in this great Nation, and we are so proud of the number of veterans and Active-Duty members who have served our country with honor and distinction. The 31 veterans who are traveling to the Capitol tomorrow embody our State's history and contributions to the freedom of this Nation: 12 of them served in World War II, 3 in the Korean war, and 16 in Vietnam.

I wish to tell my colleagues a little bit about this very special group. These heroes engaged in combat across the globe, fighting in the Aleutian Islands, England, Normandy, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the South Pacific, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Some served here at home, servicing aircraft with ammunition. Some served in historic events such as the Battle of the Bulge, the liberation of the Philippines, and the front in Japan. They took on different roles, serving as infantrymen, door gunners, ammunition soldiers, combat fighters, tactical fighters, and medics. One brave World War II veteran received the Legion of Honor Chevalier Award from the French Embassy.

These veterans come from all parts of our great State--from Welch to Beckley, to Huntington, to Princeton, to Bluefield, to Lester, and all the places in between.

I especially wish to point out one special person. His name is Gene Cecil Pennington of Princeton, WV, and he will be joining us tomorrow also. He is the youngest West Virginia veteran of World War II, and that is because he lied about his age to join the Navy in the 1940s and first saw combat--think of this--first saw combat at the age of 16. He is 83 now, and we are so proud he will be visiting with us.

In addition to the veterans visiting us, a number of volunteer escorts will also be accompanying them. Seven of these escorts will be representing their deceased fathers who served in various wars throughout the years. Three of our World War II veterans are accompanied by their sons who themselves are veterans of the Vietnam war. Service is truly a family tradition in our State and in this Nation.

Our veterans have a full day's journey ahead of them tomorrow. They will leave Princeton, WV, at 2:15 in the morning, traveling here by bus. They will return to West Virginia after touring our beautiful Capitol Building, the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the Iwo Jima Memorial. These monuments to service and sacrifice have important meaning to everyone in this country, but I know our veterans will find special meaning tomorrow when they tour these sites.

This is the first time for many of these veterans to see these monuments, which is why I am very grateful for the hard work of the West Virginians who made this trip possible by bringing the Honor Flight Network to our State--the Denver Foundation and Little Buddy Radio located in Princeton, WV. These nonprofits were founded by Bob Denver--also known as Gilligan from ``Gilligan's Island''--and his wife Dreama, a West Virginia native. Their love of West Virginia, their vision, and their dedication to service have truly been a gift to our great State.

The Honor Flight Network is an idea that started with Earl Morse, a physician assistant and retired Air Force captain who wanted to honor the veterans he had cared for over 27 years. Earl found that many of his patients couldn't afford to see the monuments built to honor their service, so he took it upon himself to make that happen.

Earl was also a private pilot, and he offered a free flight to a World War II veteran who was also his patient. One free trip led to another, and with the help of more volunteers, Earl's efforts grew into the Honor Flight Network. The first flight took place in May of 2005, and by the end of that year, Honor Flight had taken 137 World War II veterans to visit their memorial. The Honor Flight Network has expanded to cities and States around the country, and in 2011, the network transported 18,055 veterans to see their memorials--at no cost to those veterans.

In West Virginia, we are lucky to have had the operations manager at Little Buddy Radio in Princeton, WV, Charlie Thomas, introduce the Honor Flight to our State. Tomorrow, Charlie will be representing his deceased father, Clifford Richardson, who served in the Navy during World War II.

I would also like to take a moment to thank the Vice President of the Always Free Honor Flight, Dreama Denver, who is the widow of ``Gilligan''--Bob Denver. She is representing her deceased father, Glen E. Peery, who served in the Army during the Korean War.

I would like to thank Pam Coulbourne, who has been instrumental in planning West Virginia's first Honor Flight. She is representing her father Francis Fluharty, an Air Force aerial photographer on a B 24 Liberator during World War II.

Thanks to Charlie, Dreama, Bob Denver, Pam, and the hard work of so many others, 31 veterans will be traveling to Washington tomorrow on this very special journey. I commend them for their dedication and for giving West Virginia just one more way to say thank you to our veterans for their service and sacrifice.

I have always said we owe our men and women who have served more than a debt of gratitude. Showing our appreciation is something we should do each and every day. But tomorrow is a special day where we can pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our great Nation. I am so pleased I am able to greet some of our most courageous West Virginia veterans who are all heroes. I ask the Senate to join me in honoring these 31 veterans and welcome them and their close friends and family to Washington, DC, tomorrow.

Thank you. I yield the floor and I note the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I wish to say to the chairman that I appreciate his hard work on this bill, a very important piece of legislation.

I would like to address an issue that touches all of us: Democrats and Republicans, rich and poor, young and old, West Virginians and New Yorkers.

As you know, the prescription drug epidemic is destroying communities across this nation, wreaking havoc on our education system, devastating our workforce and our economy, and tearing our families apart.

Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, and it is claiming the lives of thousands of Americans every year. According to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control in November, the death toll from overdoses of prescription painkillers has more than tripled in the past decade. More than 40 people die every day--every single day--from overdoses involving narcotic pain relievers. These prescription painkillers kill more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined.

It's especially tough in my home state of West Virginia, which has the highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the country. Nearly 90 percent of those deaths are linked to prescription drug abuse.

For months now, I have been going out and listening to the stories of so many people in my State--law enforcement, business owners, school teachers, pastors, and especially the children who ask for help getting their parents off the stuff. So I worked with all of them to offer an amendment to this bill that would make it harder for anyone to abuse prescription drugs. That bipartisan amendment was submitted on behalf of the countless West Virginians and Americans whose lives have been cut short by drug abuse and the families who are picking up the pieces, and it is on their behalf that I thank my colleagues in the Senate for passing it unanimously.

Last night I was so moved and encouraged to see the Members of the U.S. Senate come together across party lines and unanimously approve that measure, to take a serious step to fight this prescription drug epidemic. I strongly urge our friends in the House to do the same, and the President to sign this important bill.

This measure is not the work of just one person, however. I would like to thank the cosponsors of this bill, who all believe so strongly in it: Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and, of course, Senator Jay Rockefeller of my home State of West Virginia.

I also thank Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and Congressman Nick Rahall for their tireless work on this issue, along with Congressman Vern Buchanan of Florida, who is doing excellent work to end pill mills. As we all know, last night's vote gives this amendment a solid step forward, but there is much work remaining to give our communities the right tools to fight this epidemic.

That's because all too often, we all hear stories like this one, which the Ohio County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition in my State shared with me.

A young boy was injured and was prescribed prescription

pain killers containing hydrocodone. After the injury he

began using the opiates with the other teens in school. They

began by taking pills and eventually by graduation, snorting

the pills on a daily basis. One day he was convinced by a

friend to try IV use. He was married and was able to hold

down a job until he began using IV. His wife was addicted to

pain killers and their child was born addicted to drugs. He

wanted more than anything to be a hard-working father and

husband. He wanted to live and to amend his past behaviors.

He completed treatment but eventually began using pain

killers again. This man in his mid-twenties overdosed and

died.

Think about it. This young man was snorting pills by high school graduation and dead in his mid-20s. Unfortunately, that story is more common than we would all like to believe.

A 2012 study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 8 percent of high school seniors had admitted to abusing Vicodin in the past year. The Centers for Disease Control has found that about 12 million Americans have reported non-medical use of prescription painkillers in the past year.

Unlike many illegal drugs, prescription drugs are not produced in basement labs or smuggled across the border--they are found in our own medicine cabinets and are often prescribed for medically necessary reasons. And that makes it much easier for people to become addicted or abuse these medications.

In 2010 alone, pharmacies dispensed the equivalent of 42 tons of pure hydrocodone--that is enough to give every man, woman and child in the United States 24 Vicodin pills.

The fact is, that number is just too high. People are getting these pills because it is just too easy.

That is why this amendment would make it harder to get addictive prescription drugs, by moving them to a more restrictive category in our official drug classification system.

Practically, this means that patients would need an original prescription for refills and pills would have to be stored more securely.

Let me me close by sharing a few more personal stories about this problem--stories that show on a human level the urgency we need to put a stop to prescription drug abuse and why I am committed to this fight.

This is a problem that hits very close to home in my office. A member of my staff, a very bright young girl from Wyoming County who is doing very good work has lost three friends to drug abuse, all in their 20s. Theirs were lives full of promise, but they were tragically cut short by drug abuse.

In the past 7 years, more than 120 people have died from drug overdoses in Wyoming County alone, including 41 in 2011 and 12 just this year.

I visited Wyoming County in October to speak with a group of students at Oceana Middle School who are working very hard to take on the drug abuse crisis in their community.

These students were part of a letter writing campaign, organized by the faith-based group ``One Voice,'' which works to help addicts and their families. I want to share with you a few excerpts from some of these letters:

``My town, Oceana, has an issue about drugs. I write this

letter to you because I hope that you can do something about

it. In 2006, my godmother died of an overdose. She was the

only person I could talk to. Drugs make people act in bad

ways and if something doesn't happen about them then our town

will be in worse shape.

I will give just one more example:

I am 13 years old and I am a student at Oceana Middle

School. I have witnessed drug deals, prostitution and

homeless people in our town. I have medicine I take for ADHD

and here recently some of my meds were stolen. I will

graduate high school in 7 years. If nothing is done about

these issues it'll be worse in the future.

I visited with these students in person. They want a better life for their parents, their siblings, their friends, their communities--and themselves. They are willing to fight, and they are asking for our help.

The amendment that passed last night with unanimous bipartisan support is a good step toward reaching their dream, and I offer my heartfelt thanks to my colleagues on behalf of all the people in West Virginia who have been affected by prescription drug abuse. And I urge my colleagues in the House to support this measure and the President to sign it--for the good of all the 12-year-old girls who are asking us to help get their daddies off this stuff.

I would like to say to both chairmen on both sides of the aisle, thank you for legislation that is much needed. Thank you for an amendment agreed upon, voted on unanimously, and accepted last night. This will go a long way to fight drug abuse in America and save countless children's lives. I thank both Senators so much.

Mr. President, before I speak today about the bill before us, I want to commemorate the life of a dear friend and a true West Virginian, Bill Stewart.

Bill was taken from us 2 days ago at the age of 59, but he left behind a lifetime of memories and love for our State.

Bill Stewart was a proud West Virginian in every sense of the word, and he was the best cheerleader this State ever had. Whether it was playing ball at Fairmont State--where I first met him--or coaching West Virginia University to a Fiesta Bowl win--where he took an underdog team to a thrilling victory--you never had to worry about Bill's enthusiasm; he had enough for all of us. In fact, you were either a friend of Bill Stewart's or he hadn't met you yet.

Bill was raised in New Martinsville and was a West Virginian through- and- through. Countless young men thrived under his coaching, but he was also truly dedicated to his family--his wife Karen and his son Blaine. I hope Karen and Blaine know just how much Bill meant to the people of our State, how much we loved him and how much we all will miss him.

My wife Gayle and I will keep Bill's entire family in our thoughts and prayers.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendments, so I may call up my amendment No. 2151, as modified, with the changes at the desk.

Mr. President, I wish to give a brief explanation of the amendment and hope it will be accepted. Basically, what we are doing is changing the hydrocodone combination drugs to be schedule II drugs rather than schedule III drugs. That makes it much harder for people to have access to this drug that has been wreaking havoc throughout our States and throughout the country.

I would appreciate adoption of this amendment.

Mr. President, if I may say this: Senator Kirk, as you know, has worked very closely with me on this matter, and we have many other Senators--Gillibrand, Schumer, Rockefeller--so many people who are having this problem in their States. This is one way for us to fight this abuse.

I have said this: If we do nothing else--if we go to some of these communities that have been ravaged, and we speak to these young children, they will come up to us and say: Please help me to help my daddy or my mommy get off of this addiction. It will tear your heart out.

This gives us a chance--one more tool with which we can fight the drug abuse that is going on with prescription drugs. I appreciate its consideration and would ask unanimous consent that it be adopted, if we can do that.

I thank the Senator.

OK.

Absolutely.

Madam President, I rise today with the surest conviction that this body--united as a group of Democrats and Republicans--can and will vote to ensure the women and children of this country are free from domestic abuse. I believe that opposing the bill before us would defy every ounce of common sense I have in my body.

I am a proud sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act, as are most of my colleagues in this body, because it is unfathomable that any individual could oppose efforts to ensure women and children are free from violence.

The bill we are currently considering would reauthorize several essential grant programs that have made a tremendous difference in my State of West Virginia and across this Nation. Here is what I have heard from the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence Team Coordinators Sue Julian and Tonia Thomas:

The Violence Against Women Act is the most critical piece

of federal legislation affecting the safety of survivors of

domestic violence and their children in every county of West

Virginia. [The law] supports cost-effective responses to the

pervasive and insidious crimes of domestic violence. VAWA

funds innovative, successful programs that are at the core of

our nation's response to domestic violence, sexual assault,

dating violence and stalking. Action taken at the

congressional level to end violence against women,

children, and men echoes through the hills and hollows of

the most remote communities in this state. Without VAWA,

the collaborative efforts of law enforcement, prosecution,

victim advocates, and judicial personnel would be

fragmented, compartmentalized, and at worse

counterproductive to each other. VAWA saves lives, changes

communities, offers safety and creates channels of hope.

We know since it first passed in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act has reduced domestic violence by more than 50 percent through the critical programs it funds. Still, violence against women and children is a terrifying reality in this country.

Let me share with you some startling statistics that illustrate the scope of the problem.

According to the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services--our State's sexual assault coalition--one in six women in West Virginia will be a victim of attempted or completed rape.

According to the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, on any given day, licensed domestic violence programs in West Virginia provide services to nearly 600 women, children, and men.

Every 7 minutes a call is made to a domestic violence hotline in West Virginia. One-third of homicides in West Virginia are related to domestic violence. More than two-thirds of women murdered in West Virginia are killed by a member of their family or their household.

In 2010, there were 11,174 investigations into domestic violence allegations in West Virginia, which required 272,450 hours of law enforcement involvement. This legislation is a fight on behalf of the women whose stories are contained in those numbers but whose lives are invaluable and more important than any statistic could ever hope to portray. No one can better speak to the importance of the Violence Against Women Act than the groups whose work each and every day is improved because of the programs supported by the law.

Growing up in a small community, as I did in Farmington, WV, in a loving family, violence against women and children was unfathomable. I would not even have thought it. The most beautiful people in my life were my mother, my grandmother, my sister, my aunts, and my cousins. They were the most beautiful people I could have hoped to grow up with. My grandmother--we call her Mama Kay--had been the glue to our family and kept it together, and she really kept the community together. She was a symbol of strength to whom others would turn for a place to stay or a hot meal in times of trouble.

We celebrated and admired the women who raised us and those around us. We thanked them and loved them and showed them appreciation and respect. So it is incomprehensible to me how anybody could make a decision to inflict physical pain on a woman or a child or even a man. Truly, life is tough enough without involving violence.

Once again, for each and every Member of the Senate who will cast a vote on this bill, the question comes down to this: What is it that we truly value? What are our priorities?

Ensuring that women and children have adequate protection against violence just makes common sense. To the people of West Virginia, I know this is the highest of priorities. Of course, these atrocities are not unique to my State. Nationally, domestic violence accounts for 22 percent of the violent crimes experienced by women and 3 percent of the violent crimes against men.

Approximately 37 percent of the women seeking injury-related treatment in hospital emergency rooms were there because of injuries inflicted by a current or former spouse or partner. In tough economic times--like those we are experiencing now--women are more likely to become a victim of domestic violence.

According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, domestic violence is more than three times as likely to occur when couples are experiencing high levels of financial strain as when they are experiencing low levels of financial strain. Women whose male partners experienced two or more periods of unemployment over a 5-year study were almost three times as likely to be victims of intimate violence as were women whose partners had stable jobs.

Seventy-three percent of shelters attributed the rise in abuse to ``financial issues.'' ``Stress'' and ``job loss'' were also frequently cited as causing the increase of victims seeking shelter. It goes on and on.

All we are asking for is to make this a nonpartisan issue--come together as Americans, as Senators, not worrying about political differences. This is one bill that brings us all together for a common cause--a most decent cause--and something that is needed in America.

I urge the support of all of my colleagues. Please support this. Let's come back together as Americans.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise to speak about the importance of teaching our young people to embrace their right--and responsibility-- to participate in our democratic election process and to highlight a West Virginia high school that has an outstanding record for going the extra mile to encourage their students to register and vote.

As Americans, there is no greater freedom or responsibility than our right to vote. Our country was born because brave men and women fought tirelessly and endured countless hardships to win their voting rights. In fact, even young people had to fight for this right. It was West Virginia's own Senator Jennings Randolph, who was elected to serve with our beloved Robert C. Byrd, who relentlessly advocated for the 26th amendment to the Constitution so Americans could vote starting at age 18. In 1971, the measure finally passed. What few people know is he worked on that for over 20 years.

Senator Randolph believed, as I do, that every vote counts, and as important, I believe every voter has the right and responsibility to take an active

role in our electoral process. I tell young people all the time they cannot just sit on the sidelines and watch life happen; they have to get in the game and get active. Voting not only gives us the opportunity to have our voices heard but also to have a real impact on setting the priorities for America's future.

As secretary of state from 2000 to 2004, in which position I was proud to serve in my great State of West Virginia, I made it a priority to educate young people all over West Virginia on the electoral process and to encourage them to get involved. At that time very few people knew that if someone was 17 years of age and would turn 18 years of age before the general election, they could still vote in a primary at 17. So we educated them and we went around to every school. To make the goal a reality, we established a program called Sharing History and Reaching Every Student, or the acronym SHARES, a program which was tremendously successful. I am proud to say, during my tenure, we registered 42,000 high school students to vote. Eleven years after the SHARES Program began, it is my privilege to stand on the Senate floor and recognize a school that is truly committed to carrying on this tradition and passing it down to each senior class and generation that has come after them. I am so pleased they have joined me in the gallery today.

Every year for the past 11 years, the staff members at Fayette County's Meadow Bridge High School have registered 100 percent of their senior class. Think about that, 100 percent. It is truly an incredible accomplishment. I am unaware of any other school in our great State or in the entire Nation that has registered every student in their senior class for 11 years. This school and this year the class gathered together in the school's cafeteria so they could register at the same time. This is not only a testament to the tradition established at Meadow Bridge High School but also to the students and their commitment to their community and their civic responsibility.

I congratulate the Meadow Bridge High School students, their faculty and staff, under the leadership of their principal Al Martine, for their commitment to our democracy. I also challenge every high school, not just in West Virginia but in New York and every other State, to follow their example--an unbelievable example. We must work together to engage our young people in national issues and encourage them to participate in the democratic process by getting our young adults involved. They are not children anymore. The world is growing up so fast around them, and we are preparing them to be active and passionate leaders for the future. They cannot stand on the sidelines and we as Americans cannot afford to let them stand on the sidelines. We need them in the game now. They can forge the future.

This is not a Democratic or Republican or Independent issue but one all Americans can and should embrace for the future of our great Nation. We see so many divides in this great Capitol of ours with so many of our colleagues. Everyone comes here for the right reason. The right reason truly is sitting in the gallery today and back home, the children and young adults who are going to make the difference and lead the next generation.

I, for one, do not intend to turn over to this generation the keys to a country in worse shape than when we received them. I do not want to be the first person in our country's history to say we did not do a better job than the previous generation. We are going to work hard. But the unbelievable commitment they made, the knowledge they have about the importance of voting, shows me this next generation will take us to a new level. I am proud that West Virginians all over our State, but most importantly Meadow Bridge High School, are leading that example. I thank them and appreciate the effort they made in setting the example for all.

I yield the floor and notice the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, on behalf of my cosponsors, Senator Rockefeller, Senator Mikulski, and Senator Merkley, I call up amendment No. 2079.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. President and all of my colleagues here, this amendment is the only one that will give us a chance to save, truly, the American Postal Service. It is the only one. It is a 2-year prohibition against closing any of our post offices and postal services.

A lot of good things have been done and a lot of amendments have been made already that nibble around the edges. This is the only amendment that basically says: For a 2-year period, you have to sit down and restructure this. Now, $200 million is what they are talking about. I can go in many different directions with this, but that is 1 day in Afghanistan.

This is what the little State of West Virginia will lose: 150 post offices.

They are saying: Well, we have a 1-year moratorium. We can restructure this and show where the savings should be.

I have a lot of different ideas on where the savings can be, but I can tell you right now that we can start with former Postmaster General Potter, who earned $501,000. That is more than the President of the United States. There are a lot of savings at the top end of this. But we could save these.

If you take these lifelines away--and this is all that people have. They get their medicine and they get everything they do and depend on their lifelines with these post offices. They have nothing else. Their towns have just about gone away except for that connection. And I am asking basically for my colleagues to consider keeping these lifelines. Let us work and give us the 2-year period we need.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, first I thank my colleague, Senator Kent Conrad from North Dakota. To say he is going to be missed is an understatement as he goes back to the private sector with his beautiful wife and family. But his steadfast commitment to this country to put our financial house back in order is the direction we should be going. We should have the courage to do that. I believe we will with his leadership because he has laid out a plan that is more reasonable. There has been more bipartisan support for a longer period of time, and it has grown. It is the only plan since I have been here, less than 2 years, that has maintained that bipartisan support because of the leadership of Senator Kent Conrad. On behalf of the grateful State of West Virginia and the people of America and my colleagues here in the Senate, we thank Senator Conrad. We thank him for his leadership.

Postal Service Reform

Mr. President, I rise today to share with you the deep concerns that I am hearing from my constituents all across the great State of West Virginia, who are worried about what will happen to their rural communities if their local post offices are forced to shut their doors. In our State, we know that the Postal Service is at the very core of what makes this country great, and what connects us all. In fact, the Postal Service is America. That is why we are willing to come together across party lines to fight hard to preserve the essential services the Postal Service provides.

We also know that serving rural communities is not always profitable and private companies will not come in to fill the gap if the Postal Service leaves. As Americans, we need our rural communities to stay in touch with this great Nation. I am fighting, along with the members of our delegation, to put a stop to these proposed closures.

These concerns for the future of the Postal Service are bringing all West Virginians--Democrats and Republicans alike--together for protests, rallies, and letter-writing campaigns.

In communities where people were told their post offices down the road might be closed, I am hearing people's fears of unacceptable consequences: seniors who wouldn't be able to get their medicines delivered, problems receiving important checks and other financial services, and, just as importantly, the loss of the ability to stay connected to the community and to the country as a whole.

This note comes from Mr. George Jones in Nebo, WV, which is in Clay County. He writes:

Few people in this area have access to the Internet. They

still rely on the post offices to keep them connected to the

world. And our people still use the post office. It just

makes no sense to cut services to the people who still use

them.

They need them as well.

In communities where the post office has already closed, I have heard about what it means to the town and its residents.

This note comes from Delores Wilson in Norton, WV, which is in Randolph County:

Our Post Office was closed last November. We now have

cluster boxes which are out there in the weather, and our

residents are scared to have their prescription drugs mailed

to their home or these boxes. Our community has been severely

affected. We used to see each other while getting our mail.

Our postmaster would let us know when children were born and

neighbors passed away. We collected funds at the post office

to help our neighbors when they fell on hard times or were in

need. Now we don't have this central location to do that

because our small community no longer has its post office.

I have always said that we as a people and a country need to pick our priorities based on our values. In West Virginia, keeping the Postal Service intact is one of the things our people truly care about. That is why I have raised very serious concerns about this bill which does nothing to keep the 3,700 post offices open, and they are currently on the list for potential closure, including 150 of these proposed closures in West Virginia.

Today I wish to encourage all of my colleagues to vote for an amendment I have offered that would prohibit any postal facility from being closed for 2 years while the Postal Service figures out better ways, working with the Postal Service unions, to get its financial house in order. I have offered this amendment because, as I have heard from my constituents, we simply cannot afford to let these facilities close in the communities that need them most. In our rural towns-- places such as Norton and Nebo, WV--the Postal Service is about much more than a place to send and receive mail. Our postal facilities are the centerpieces of our communities. They are places where people gather and share important information. They are a symbol of the importance of our small towns to the people whose families have always been there. They are our little place on the map.

This note came from Deanna Halstead from Boone County, where the Uneeda Post Office could soon be closed. She writes:

We have had a post office in this area since 1902. In fact,

the story goes that the citizens petitioned for a post office

and were asked what to name it back in 1902. A gentleman saw

a can of Nabisco's Uneeda Biscuits, and that is how the post

office and town got their name. It would be a shame to lose

that history, and it would be hard for our elderly and

disabled citizens to travel farther for these services.

Fifteen miles does not sound like much to people in

Washington, but when you rely on public transportation or a

neighbor to take you, it becomes a big burden.

I myself grew up in the small town of Farmington, WV, a community of just a few hundred people. I speak from experience when I say the post offices in these rural communities serve as a critical lifeline.

Even now, as an elected representative, I receive dozens, sometimes hundreds of letters a day from my constituents, many of whom don't have access to the Internet and can only reach me by writing me a letter. That is what is so unique about our post offices. They are a vital link for West Virginians and many others throughout the country, and for them it is so important that their mail service remain uncompromised.

We all know the U.S. Postal Service is in dire straits. The combination of the recent recession, the increased use of e-mail and text messages, and the cost of retiree health benefits has put the Postal Service on a path to financial ruin. In order to remain solvent, the U.S. Postal Service must cut costs by $20 billion by 2015.

Anyone who has heard me speak before knows I share a deep commitment to fiscal responsibility, and we just heard our dear friend, Senator Kent Conrad, lay it out for us. I truly believe this Nation's out-of- control finances are the biggest threat we face. I am not alone. At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing a year ago, the then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ADM Mike Mullen, was asked his opinion on the greatest threat to our national security. Coming from the Defense Department and the person in charge, Admiral Mullen--I would have thought he would have said something about all the turmoil around the world, the wars that are going on, the unease and unrest that could contribute to more wars. I thought he would tell us about some rising military power we should be concerned about or another uprising of a violent attack on this country or a terrorist group wishing to do us harm. But what he said was very simple, and it was a defining moment for me as a Senator when he said that our national debt is the greatest threat this Nation is concerned about, it is the greatest threat this Nation faces. It was a sobering moment. So believe me when I say I truly believe we all have to set our priorities based on our values and learn very quickly to live within our means. That is right. There is a right way and a wrong way to go about this.

The bill we have before us proposes to close 3,700 rural post offices--I am sure including some in the Presiding Officer's own State--for a total savings of $200 million--a figure that is less than 1 percent of the Postal Service's $20 billion and is roughly equivalent--listen to this figure--to the amount we spend in 1 day in the Afghanistan war. We spend that amount in 1 day fighting in Afghanistan, which I think everyone knows I am totally opposed to. Yet we are going to close 3,700 post offices for that 1-day savings for a war in Afghanistan. While achieving very little in terms of the Postal Service's bottom line, this proposal would have an enormous impact on people all over the United States of America, including the people in West Virginia who would lose up to 150 of their post offices. This bill would also lower delivery standards by allowing the Postal Service to go to 5-day service and eliminating door delivery. It would add to our national deficit. In short, I am not sure what exactly we are hoping to accomplish with this piece of legislation.

Already in West Virginia we know for certain that three of our mail- processing facilities will be closing, one in Clarksburg, one in Parkersburg, and one in Petersburg. We still don't know the fate of our facility in Bluefield. The impact those closures will have on the Postal Service's bottom line is minimal, but the impact to those communities is widely felt and deep.

Rather than making drastic cuts on the front lines, the Postal Service needs to consider a different approach to getting its financial house in order. I truly believe we can save the Postal Service without making cuts to the services our communities rely on and the lifeline that they are, and they are needed, and without adding to our enormous deficit. We can work together on a way to keep our postal facilities open, expand services that raise revenue, eliminate enormous bonuses for executives, and sustain 6-day-a-week delivery service.

My colleagues and I have suggested many commonsense ideas that could help solve the problem. For one, current law caps pay for Postal Service executives at $199,700--the rate of pay for most Cabinet-level Secretaries--but provisions in the law allow for bonuses and other compensation to increase total take-home pay for these executives to $276,840. That figure is 20 percent higher than the salary of the Vice President of the United States. In addition, the Congressional Research Service has noted that ``postal executives may be eligible for deferred annual incentive bonuses that exceed existing caps, the payment of which can be deferred until after he or she leaves the postal service.'' As an example, according to CRS, former Postmaster General John Potter earned $501,384 in total compensation in fiscal year 2010. I think most Americans would be shocked to know Postal Service executives can earn larger salaries in the form of bonuses and deferred compensation than Cabinet-level Secretaries. These excesses must be eliminated.

We know from an August 2011 report by the Postal Service inspector general that the Postal Service maintains 67 million square feet of excess interior space and that getting rid of this unneeded real estate could net $3.4 billion over 10 years. I think this is a revenue raiser that deserves some serious consideration, and I believe most of my colleagues would think the same.

I would also ask, during a time when finances are tight, why did the Postal Service spend advertising dollars sponsoring the U.S. Tour de France team and is now sponsoring a NASCAR racing team? I love NASCAR racing, but I am not sure they can afford to be sponsoring a team.

There are a variety of ways for the Postal Service to get its financial house in order without closing their doors in the communities that rely on them most.

Back in April my office coordinated regional open meetings in the communities where post offices are on a list for potential closure. Along with representatives from the U.S. Postal Service, my staff was on hand at these meetings in McDowell, Raleigh, Wood, and Randolph Counties to give local residents the opportunity to share their creative proposals and commonsense ideas to help preserve post offices in their communities. We got the message loudly and clearly: West Virginians do not want to see their post offices closed. They are the lifeblood of the community.

We continue to hear from hundreds of West Virginians in letters, phone calls, and petitions, folks such as Rebecca from Raleigh County, where the Clear Creek Post Office is facing closure. Her community has had a post office for 140 years--140 years. Tell me anything that is more American than that. Here is her letter:

We are an isolated area. The roads are curvy and our

citizens are elderly. If this post office closes, it will

mean 20 miles round trip to the nearest post office.

It is rare to see a community--hundreds of communities, really--come together around a single issue such as this one. But we are seeing hundreds of people rush to the defense of an institution that has built this Nation and connected this Nation into what we are today. West Virginians do not want to see that disappear, and neither do I. That is why I will fight, along with my colleagues, to find a solution that forces the Postal Service to get its financial house in order, which I believe can be done, without balancing its books on the backs of our rural communities and the people who depend on that lifeline most--our citizens.

Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during

the session of the Senate on April 19, 2012, at 9:30 a.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 19, 2012, at 10 a.m., to hold a hearing entitled, ``Syria: U.S. Policy Options.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 19, 2012, in room SD 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 2:15 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``S. 1684, the Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2011.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Time Takes Its Toll: Delays in OSHA's Standard-Setting Process and the Impact on Worker Safety'' on April 19, 2012, at 10 a.m., in room 430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on April 19, 2012, at 10 a.m., in SD 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct an executive business meeting.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Seapower of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on April 19, 2012, at 9:30 a.m.

Madam President, today I wish to congratulate Stephanie Dawn Thacker, a native of Hamlin, WV, on her confirmation to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

It is my privilege and my honor to speak on her behalf, and I am so proud she was confirmed. I would like to thank my colleague Senator Jay Rockefeller for nominating such a qualified jurist.

Stephanie Thacker's impressive background and extensive list of accomplishments in both the public and private sectors make her an exceptional judge for the 4th Circuit. She is renowned in our State for her mastery of the law and of the courtroom, and I have no doubt that she will make a highly successful Federal judge.

Ms. Thacker has dedicated much of her career to fighting some of the worst offenses in our society. As a trial attorney, Deputy Chief of Litigation, and Principal Deputy Chief, she spent several years prosecuting cases on Child Exploitation and Obscenity at the Department of Justice. Her outstanding work and leadership earned her a number of honors at the Department of Justice, including four ``Meritorious'' Awards and two ``Special Achievement'' awards.

Her impressive performance in prosecuting the case of United States v. Dwight York earned her the Attorney General's ``Distinguished Service'' award, one of the Department's highest honors. She was also a recipient of the Assistant Attorney General's award for ``Special Initiative'' and ``Outstanding Victim and Witness Service.''

Prior to her service at the Department of Justice, Ms. Thacker worked with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, where she prosecuted a wide variety of criminal cases, including money laundering and fraud. While at the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ms. Thacker participated on the trial team prosecuting United States v. Bailey, the first case ever brought under the Violence Against Women Act.

Since 2006, Ms. Thacker has been a partner at the law firm of Guthrie & Thomas in Charleston, West Virginia. There, she has concentrated on cases involving product liability, environmental and toxic torts, complex commercial defense, and criminal defense.

Ms. Thacker was a model student in both her undergraduate and legal studies. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Marshall University, and her J.D., Order of the Coif, from West Virginia University College of Law. While at West Virginia University she was a recipient of the Robert L. Griffin Memorial Scholarship and Editor of West Virginia Law Review's Coal Issue. She has also recently been named ``Outstanding Female Attorney'' by WVU Law's Women's Caucus.

Ms. Thacker's wide-ranging expertise in civil and criminal matters, her impressive track record in the courtroom as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney, and her outstanding academic accomplishments will make her a first-rate addition to the 4th Circuit. I am proud to call her a fellow West Virginian and I am pleased that she has finally been confirmed.

Mr. President, I rise today first of all to thank the senior Senator, my friend Senator Rockefeller, for nominating such a qualified jurist upon the passing of our dear friend, Judge Blane Michael.

Stephanie Dawn Thacker is a native of Hamlin, WV. We are awaiting her confirmation this afternoon with a vote which I know will be in the affirmative. It is my privilege and my honor to speak on her behalf also.

Stephanie Thacker's impressive background and extensive list of accomplishments in both the public and private sectors make her an exceptional judge for the 4th Circuit. She is renowned in our state for her mastery of the law and of the courtroom, and I have no doubt that she will make a highly successful federal judge.

Ms. Thacker has dedicated much of her career to fighting some of the worst offenses in our society. As a trial attorney, Deputy Chief of Litigation, and Principal Deputy Chief, she spent several years prosecuting cases, as you have heard, on Child Exploitation and Obscenity at the Department of Justice. Her outstanding work and leadership earned her a number of honors at the Department of Justice, including four ``Meritorious'' Awards and two ``Special Achievement'' awards.

Her impressive performance in prosecuting the case of United States v. Dwight York earned her the Attorney General's ``Distinguished Service'' award, one of the Department's highest honors. She was also a recipient of the Assistant Attorney General's awards for ``Special Initiative'' and ``Outstanding Victim and Witness Service.''

Prior to her service at the Department of Justice, Ms. Thacker worked with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, where she prosecuted a wide variety of criminal cases, including money laundering and fraud. While at the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ms. Thacker participated on the trial team prosecuting United States v. Bailey, the first case ever brought under the Violence Against Women Act.

Since 2006, Ms. Thacker has been a partner at the law firm of Guthrie & Thomas in Charleston, West Virginia. There, she has concentrated on cases involving product liability, environmental and toxic torts, complex commercial defense, and criminal defense.

Ms. Thacker was a model student in both her undergraduate and legal studies. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Marshall University, and her J.D., Order of the Coif, from West Virginia University College of Law. While at West Virginia University she was a recipient of the Robert L. Griffin Memorial Scholarship and Editor of West Virginia Law Review's Coal Issue. She has also recently been named ``Outstanding Female Attorney'' by WVU Law's Women's Caucus.

Ms. Thacker's wide-ranging expertise in civil and criminal matters, her impressive track record in the courtroom as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney, and her outstanding academic accomplishments will make her a first-rate addition to the 4th Circuit. I am proud to call her a fellow West Virginian and I am pleased that she will finally be confirmed.

the buffett rule

Mr. President, I had the enormous privilege to spend the

last 2 weeks traveling around my great State to hear from the people of West Virginia.

It is always so refreshing to get a dose of commonsense from people who are working hard every day to balance their family budget, put food on the table and give their kids a better life.

And I can tell you that the people of West Virginia are so frustrated and losing confidence in this government, especially when it comes to our broken tax system.

Whether it was in Beckley, Ravenswood or Wheeling, I heard the same thing from the people of my great State.

We just don't understand why hardworking, middle income people are paying a much higher tax rate than some of the wealthiest people in this country. Take our coal miners, who go to the mine every single day to make a living for themselves, for their families, but who are paying a higher tax rate than some people making a million dollars a year. Where I come from, that's not fair. Where I come from, that doesn't make any sense.

Where I come from, that means our system needs to be fixed--in a real, responsible and fiscally sound way that reduces our debt.

Now, let me be clear: I am not begrudging anyone who's worked hard, who has taken a risk or who has done well. But we have to have a solid country under us to achieve those goals. And we need to put fairness back in the tax system to get this country on solid ground again. And if we want a fair system, that means that there should not be privileges that allow the very wealthy to pay a lower rate than hardworking, middle class Americans.

Right now, the average person does not have those opportunities or privileges. But when people believe the American Dream is in reach, they will all pull harder.

Today I rise to speak about my support for the Buffett Rule, which would take a small step toward fixing this unfair system and paying down this country's nearly $16 trillion debt.

A lot of people here believe that this bill will fail because of politics on a mostly party line vote. That is a shame because the only line we should vote is the American line.

For a year-and-a-half, I have been coming to the Senate floor to urge my colleagues to put party and politics aside and vote for the good of the next generation, whether it is a Democratic idea or a Republican idea.

But even though this vote on the Buffett Rule might fail today on party lines, we cannot give up--we have to find a way to come together for the next generation.

I have said before that the Buffett Rule alone does not address the full scope of the problem. All it does is nibble around the edges of our broken tax code. We still have too many corporations that can take advantage of too many loopholes, credits and exemptions. We are pushing $16 trillion dollars in debt and we are still spending more than a trillion dollars more than we take in every year. That does not make sense.

We have to fix the whole thing so that we can start reducing our deficit, paying down our debt and putting our fiscal house back in order for the next generation.

To do that, we have a plan with bipartisan support--the Bowles- Simpson framework, which would reduce loopholes, exemptions and credits across the board, lower tax rates and get everyone to pay their fair share. Just as importantly, it would cut spending and start paying down our debt.

I can't tell you how important that is to the people of West Virginia, the taxpayers in every single income bracket who don't trust the government to spend their tax dollars wisely.

Just like all Americans have the responsibility to pay their fair share, Washington has the responsibility to show the people of this country--no matter how much money they make--that we are using their tax dollars wisely and effectively--just as we did in West Virginia.

That is why I believe we must--and I will continue to fight--to cut back on our spending. We have to eliminate the $125 billion dollars that we spent in waste, fraud and abuse last year alone. And most importantly, we have to pay down the nearly $16 trillion dollar debt hole that has been dug for the next generation.

The Buffett Rule would take a small step to show the American people that we are trying to correct those problems and--most importantly--put some basic fairness back into our tax system.

Even though this vote might fail, in West Virginia we will continue to work hard. We will continue to pay our taxes. And we will continue to fight to make sure that when our coal miners send in their taxes, that people who bring in a million dollars a year aren't getting away with paying less.

The future of this country depends on those of us here in Washington working together to restore confidence in this great nation because when people believe that everyone is paying their fair share, they are all willing to pull their load a little harder. And if people start believing in this country again, there's no stopping us.

I yield the floor.