Floor Statements

Mr. President, I would like to announce that the Committee on Indian Affairs will meet on Thursday, March 13, 2014, in room SD-628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 10 a.m., to conduct an oversight hearing to receive testimony on ``Tribal Transportation: Pathways to Infrastructure and Economic Development in Indian Country.''

Those wishing additional information may contact the Indian Affairs Committee at (202) 224-2251.

Mr. President, I would like to announce that the Committee on Indian Affairs will meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, February 26, 2014, in room SD-628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct an oversight hearing to receive testimony on ``Early Childhood Development and Education in Indian Country: Building a Foundation for Academic Success.''

Those wishing additional information may contact the Indian Affairs Committee at (202) 224-2251.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor Bear Paw Development Corporation of Northern Montana, which celebrates its 45th anniversary this month. Bear Paw Development is a proven leader in providing economic and community development solutions to challenges faced by northern Montana's small businesses and local and tribal governments. On behalf of all Montanans, I commend Bear Paw Development for its 45 years of outstanding work to build economic momentum and institutional support to ensure a brighter future for our State.

Bear Paw Development Corporation, one of the oldest federally recognized economic development districts in the Nation, provides information, technical support and hands-on assistance for northern Montana, helping business owners and local leaders take hold of their potential and build on their success. The dedicated employees of Bear Paw Development assist our communities in every aspect of planning and development, from providing business loans and small business counseling to facilitating investment in critical infrastructure projects.

As a farmer, I have a special appreciation for their work in value- added agriculture. Bear Paw serves as one of four centers in the Montana Food and Agriculture Development Center Network, working with farmers to create greater market access so that Montana agricultural products can compete on a global scale.

Working with local governments, Bear Paw coordinates millions of dollars of investment every year into infrastructure. Through the construction of drinking water systems, wastewater systems, bridges, and other community infrastructure projects, Bear Paw's work is vital to the residents, communities and businesses of northern Montana.

Since the creation of Bear Paw Development's revolving loan fund, they have assisted hundreds of small businesses with their financing needs to either start a new business or expand an existing one. In total, through more than 330 individual loans, Bear Paw Development has disbursed $21.7 million to businesses in northern Montana, helping to create or retain a total of over 1,240 jobs.

Over the next 45 years, I fully expect Bear Paw Development to continue its historic and significant success in the areas of business growth, alternative energy, workforce development, community improvement, and of course, agriculture. Its continued commitment to the economic growth and diversification of northern Montana will continue to be a shining example of the role economic development districts can play throughout our country.

Madam President, I wish to very quickly thank the Senator from California for her remarks before I get into my prepared remarks.

We have just come through the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Unemployment is still at 7 percent. We need to get it lower. The bottom line is there are still some folks out there who need some help, and as the economy continues to improve--we are not where we need to be yet--we ought to give those folks the help they need to get back on their feet, to give them the hope they need to reenter the workforce and become valuable parts of our economy again.

Tribute to Senator Max Baucus

Madam President, there is a beautiful small town in the farthest corner of northwest Montana. The town is called Libby, and it sits in the heart of the Kootenai Valley, surrounded by majestic snow-capped mountains. It is a beautiful place. But despite Libby's postcard-worthy views, the town has a troubled history.

Starting in 1919, mining companies began pulling vermiculite from the mountains outside of town. Vermiculite was used to bake, to build soil in gardens, and to insulate buildings. It was not long before the families of Libby began to pay the price for keeping their fellow Americans warm.

Mining vermiculite exposed Libby's miners and residents to asbestos dust. That asbestos got into their homes, their schools, and-- eventually--their lungs. Over the decades, hundreds of folks in Libby died from asbestos exposure, and thousands more continue to suffer today.

When the W.R. Grace company bought the mines in 1963, the company denied that asbestos caused the illnesses plaguing the town's residents. Instead of sounding the alarm, they kept quiet while building corporate profits on the backs of Libby's suffering families and workers.

Word about Libby's fate finally made it to national news in 1999. The plight of Libby's families caught the attention of one man in particular, Montana's senior Senator Max Baucus.

Max soon began his crusade to get the EPA and the Department of Health and Human Services to take action. Despite Max bringing countless government officials to northwest Montana to see what asbestos had done to the men, women, and children of Libby, it took 10 years for the government to declare this region a public health emergency, the first of its kind. Thanks to Max, Libby today is home to a state-of-the-art medical clinic that screens and treats residents for asbestosis.

Thanks to Max, the Affordable Care Act extended Medicare coverage to everyone in the emergency zone. Thanks to Max, funds are flowing into Libby to remove asbestos from homes, schools, and playgrounds. Due to Max's hard work and the determination of the people of Libby, the town is slowly putting the sordid legacy of W.R. Grace in its rearview mirror. Max's hard work for the people of Libby is the Max Baucus that Montanans have come to know.

But Max's work for the people of Montana started many years before he

led the fight to help the people of Libby. In the early 1970s when Max started in public service, he traveled to Butte to meet a fellow by the name of Harp Cote. Harp knew the lay of the land in Butte, but he did not know Max. Max did not know Butte. Harp was instantly impressed with Max's willingness to work or, as Harp said it, Max's ``fire in the belly.'' Max asked Harp to introduce him to Butte's leaders and voters. Unlike other candidates, Max did not want Harp to lobby the folks of Butte on his behalf. Instead, Max went door to door himself to win their support.

That kind of work ethic, where you put your own shoe leather into the fight, is the reason for Max's many achievements in Congress, achievements that include saving Social Security from privatization, leading the charge to modernize the Clean Air Act, passing six farm bills and three highway bills to strengthen Montana's and America's economy.

Folks in Washington do not always recognize Max's hard work. In a town where too many people race for the nearest TV cameras, Max's preference for hard work does not always do him any favors. That is practically a mortal sin around here. But not for Max. Max has represented Montana in Congress since 1975.

His long record of service proves that Montanans do not want a showman. They do not want someone who yells across the aisle. They want someone who will reach across that aisle and find a way to say yes even when saying no is easier to do. It is like the folks in Libby. Montana wants someone who will work hard for them, who will get results and fight to improve our quality of life. Montanans have a soul mate in Max Baucus.

I first met Max in 1998 at an economic development meeting in Havre, MT. Max is famous for his economic development summits in Butte. So it was no surprise that we first crossed paths when Max was working to improve Montana's economy. At that point in his career Max's record was already impressive.

In 1972, as Director of Montana's constitutional convention, Max helped pass one of the most progressive state constitutions to date, enshrining protections for clean air, for clean water, and for the right to a quality education into law. He then walked the entire length of our State to introduce himself to Montanans and win a seat in Congress, meeting more men and women along the way like Harp Cote.

As Max gained experience in the Senate, he became Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Soon thereafter, well into his 50s, Max hiked 820 miles, from one corner of our State to the other, to earn the support of Montanans during his 1996 reelection. So Max, in your new role as Ambassador, take my advice and do not try to walk from one end of China to the other.

Max next rose to become Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. As chairman, Max did not have the luxury of not getting the job done. The Finance Committee has been home to some of our Nation's hardest-working Senators and greatest examples of bipartisanship because failing to support critical programs like Social Security and Medicare is simply not an option.

On the Finance Committee, you cannot sit back and throw stones. You have to roll up your sleeves, you have to find common ground, and you have to get the job done. That is what Max did. He passed legislation to reduce Americans' tax burdens, improve children's health, and, most recently, to reform our Nation's broken health care system.

Max's penchant for hard work and thoughtful, independent-minded leadership stems from another great Montanan that he and I both admire, former Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield. Max met Mike as a teenager, and for many Montanans of today, myself included, Max connects us to Mike's legacy as a champion for the greater good, as the champion for putting service and sacrifice well before self, and a champion for Montana.

Montana's leaders always put Montana first, and Max is no exception. Just as Montana has shaped Max, Max has shaped Montana. Max's dedication to our public lands is legendary. Montana is known as the Treasure State because of our incredible natural resources and unrivaled public spaces. From Yellowstone to Glacier, Montana is a place like no other. Throughout his career, Max has set out to preserve our treasured lands for future generations to enjoy. In 2008, the same year he won reelection and became the first person to win all 56 counties in Montana, Max helped set aside 320,000 acres of prime hunting and fishing lands across our State.

This land, which will forever be open to the public, is part of Max's brainchild called the Montana Legacy Project. Max's love of our outdoors extends to those who share his love. In March of 2000, he came to the Senate floor to remember a young Montanan, Sean-Michael Miles, who had tragically died in a car accident just over a year before.

Max dedicated a scholarship in Sean's name. Max repeated Sean's words:

I know this land may pay a price for being beautiful, as

change advances, carrying with it the prospect of loss. It is

a land I desperately love. It is a part of me. It hurts so

much to care so much. Yet as a westerner, I am invited to

breathe it all in deeply each day.

Max, Sean would be proud of your hard work to preserve our treasured places. I pledge to carry on your efforts so Montanans can continue to cherish our special places and pass our traditions down to our kids and our grandkids.

But it is not a stretch to say that I would not be here if it were not for Max Baucus. Max has brought world leaders to Butte for his economic development summit. He brought camera crews onto construction sites and small businesses as part of his famous Montana workdays. He operated forklifts in warehouses, made bread in Montana's bakeries, and dug ditches--all to get a better feel for hard-working Montanans each and every day.

He fought for Montana farmers and ranchers who feed our Nation. But he also helped bring a dry-land farmer from Big Sandy, MT, to the Senate. Max, I cannot tell you how much you have meant to me as a friend, as a partner, as a mentor. I have lost track of how many meetings and rallies we have attended together across our State. But I do know that at each one you have had my back.

So when I arrived in the Senate in 2007, it was because of you that a guy with seven fingers and a flat-top haircut quickly figured how to get from his office to the Senate floor. It is because of you that I had a model for working across the aisle to pass thoughtful, responsible legislation. It is because of you that I always know that I have a friend to turn to when I need advice; that is, because along with your tremendous staff, you have always put Montana first. You have built the Montana Democratic Party into a beacon of common sense, freedom, and opportunity in the West. Our party is stronger because of you and your dedication to our State.

After retiring from the Senate in 1976, Mike Mansfield became the Ambassador to Japan. Now you are posed to continue following in Senator Mansfield's footsteps as Ambassador to China. I know that you will continue to serve Montana, even as you serve our Nation's interests overseas. I wish you the best. While you are gone, I will keep up your fight for Montana, particular the Montanans who need someone to fight for them. Montanans like Les Skramstad. Les was a long-time Libby resident. For years, he saw politicians come to Libby with a promise to help. That help never arrived.

When Max came to Libby, Les told him he would be watching. Les passed away in 2007 before Libby began getting its help. But Max keeps Les's photo close because in Montana a promise to help is a promise to keep. That is the Montana way. That is the Max Baucus way.

Max, it has been an honor to serve with you. It is an honor to call you friend. The Senate will be a lesser body without you. I wish you God's speed and good luck. This is an incredibly important job. I know you are more than up to that task. Thank you for your service to this Senate and to Montana and to this country.

I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life and legacy of Arthur ``Art'' Ortenberg, an apparel manufacturer and conservationist, who passed away yesterday in New York City.

Art and his late wife, designer Liz Claiborne, founded Liz Claiborne in 1976. After incredible early success, the company went public and soon appeared on the Fortune 500 list of America's biggest industrial firms.

Fourteen years after the creation of Liz Claiborne, Art and Liz retired from day-to-day management of their fashion company and chose to start a foundation dedicated to conservation. The Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation supports projects in the United States, Europe, and Central and South America, but their main focus is on Africa. To this day, the foundation continues to support efforts to save the jaguar, the tiger, and the African elephant.

Art also had a particular passion for the American West, spending much of his time over the past 25 years on his ranch in Condon, MT. Art and Liz provided assistance to the Seeley Lake Elementary School, helped Pyramid Lumber in Seeley Lake convert to a more efficient mill operation, and supported public radio, Humanities Montana, the Canyon Creek Fire Department, the Helena Public Library, and the Montana Wildlife Federation.

As we bid farewell to Art, we recognize that he was a true pioneer for the fashion industry and a leader in the conservation community.

My thoughts and prayers are with Art's partner, Cathy Horyn; his son, Neil; daughter, Nancy; stepson, Alexander Schultz; and all of his family and many friends.

Mr. President, I rise to speak on the importance of passing this farm bill that is in front of us, but I not only speak as a Senator, I also speak as a farmer, someone who is involved in production agriculture. When I am not wearing a suit and casting votes or traveling around the State finding out what is on the minds of Montanans, I am farming. From planting to harvesting, to accessing seed, to hauling food to the market, I know firsthand the life in production agriculture.

I know that whether you are a farmer or rancher or forester, it can be very tough because there is a lot of uncertainty--uncertainty I witnessed firsthand last summer when I visited the fields of Montana's Gallatin Valley, a valley that was devastated by a hailstorm literally hours before harvest was to begin, or the uncertainty caused by the blizzard that cost South Dakota thousands of cattle this last fall.

Farmers and ranchers understand and accept that uncertainty is a fact of life because we deal with weather; they know it is part of what comes with being in production agriculture, but what they cannot accept and what they should not accept is a Federal Government that takes 6 years in drafting a 5-year farm bill. We do not need that kind of uncertainty. That is why we need to pass the farm bill we have today.

When I talk to my fellow producers in Montana and around the country, they tell me the lack of a long-term farm bill is preventing them from making critical business decisions. Without a long-term farm bill, farmers do not know what crop insurance is going to look like. They do not know what to expect from future farm loans. It is hard to plan ahead or expand operations. You cannot even do the simple business planning without that farm bill.

Many of us in the Senate got our start in business and know the importance of a predictable business environment. Farming and agriculture is no different. You need certainty to grow and to prosper. The fact is the lack of a long-term farm bill is hurting economies from Montana to Maine. Folks need and are demanding a responsible long-term farm bill. I think it is time for the Senate to do the right thing; that is, pass the 5-year farm bill.

But I am not encouraging folks to vote for this bill just for the sake of certainty. They should also vote for it because I think it strengthens the hands of farmers, ranchers, American families who depend on them. Livestock owners will see many benefits from this farm bill. This 5-year plan makes livestock disaster assistance programs permanent and retroactive, helping those South Dakota ranchers whom I spoke of a minute ago to recoup their October losses as well as Montana ranchers who lost cattle to drought back in 2012.

All in all, livestock owners will be better able to manage risks, improve production, and meet the new challenges because of this bill. When it comes to farmers, this bill removes the term limits on USDA- guaranteed farm loans so farmers can continue to access credit at banks in rural communities.

It also provides more support for farmers and ranchers just getting their start in agriculture. In rural America we need more young producers willing to get up and work hard, keep small family farms and ranches going. This bill is a positive step for beginning farmers and ranchers.

Conserving land is another critical issue across this country, particularly rural America. Farmers and ranchers are the true stewards of the land. This bill continues that proud American tradition. By improving portions of the Conservation Reserve Program--or Sodbuster-- this farm bill supports our outdoor economy by working with farmers and ranchers to preserve more native prairie for wildlife habitat.

That is good news for the hunters and anglers of this country. Montana is no exception. It is good news for folks who sell rifles and waders and the guides who show our hunters and anglers where to fish and where to hunt. All in all, this great outdoor economy adds up to $6 billion in the State of Montana alone.

This bill also includes an extension of PILT payments to rural communities that cannot generate enough revenue from lands that are controlled by the Federal Government. This is a big deal in rural America. It continues strong country-of-origin labeling so consumers know where their meat was born, raised, and processed, giving them the option to buy U.S.-made meat if they so choose.

The big multinational meat-packing firms may not like it, but for American ranchers it is critically important, as it is for consumers. Why? Because Americans know we produce the finest beef in the world. This 5-year farm bill takes all of these positive steps while saving taxpayers $23 billion by making tough choices in the nutrition assistance program and changing how we apply farm subsidies.

Chairman Stabenow and Ranking Member Cochran have written a commonsense bill that is supported across our agricultural community. I wish to thank them for that. In an era when too many folks look for reasons to vote no instead of yes, it takes strong and determined leaders to bring a responsible, bipartisan bill such as this to the floor. That is why--because I am in production agriculture especially-- the work that Chairman Stabenow and Ranking Member Cochran did for the American farmers and ranchers needs to be commended.

That commitment is going to keep America's rural economy strong. The Senators from Michigan and Mississippi are the reason this bill is finally at the finish line. Thanks to them, we are on the verge of approving a bipartisan bill that will strengthen production agriculture and support families, farmers, and ranchers across this country.

My wife and I took over our family's farm in north central Montana in 1978.

We had land and we had a strong work ethic, but we had little else. So with some hard work and a few good decisions and weather that cooperated, our farm is doing pretty well right now. Our story can be repeated across rural America. But production agriculture will only be strong if it has the certainty that comes with a commonsense, long-term farm bill. That is what is in front of us, a bill that lets farmers and ranchers know how to plan ahead, how to make their books balance, a bill that lets the distributors allocate resources and make sound business decisions, and a bill that takes responsible steps to strengthen programs that are working and ending others that are not.

Let's not leave farmers and ranchers and all Americans who depend on them high and dry again. With strong support for production agriculture, with strong support for a nutrition program, and with a bill that saves taxpayers significant dollars, it is time to vote yes and send this farm bill to the President's desk.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, we have been here before. Fifteen years ago, Gramm-Leach-Bliley offered what the good Senator from Oklahoma is offering, and it is why NARAB has never been successful.

What this does is it empowers our State regulators, and that is why they support this bill. Notice you haven't heard a lot from States about taking away their rights here because it does not. It empowers them, it brings more competition in the marketplace, and it helps consumers. This is good.

I kick it over to my cosponsor and the good Senator from Nebraska.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that at the conclusion of my speech, Senator Reed of Rhode Island be the next Democratic speaker.

I come to the floor to speak against the Coburn amendment.

I know the good Senator from Oklahoma hasn't brought up this amendment yet, but this is the time I have available to speak about it. If he doesn't bring it up, God bless him, but if he does bring it up, hopefully these comments will be able to impact some of the Members of this body.

Before I talk about the Coburn amendment, I thank Senators Menendez, Landrieu, and Isakson for including legislation that is very important to Senator Johanns and me in this important flood insurance bill.

Title II of the underlying bill is actually the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act or, as I refer to it, NARAB. NARAB is legislation Senator Johanns and I introduced last year. It creates a nonprofit association to provide one-stop licensing for insurance agents and brokers operating outside of their home States, while also fully preserving the authority of the State insurance regulators to supervise these markets.

Currently, an insurance agent or broker seeking to operate in multiple States must meet different State-specific licensing requirements for each State and seek approval for each State's jurisdiction. This process can be time-consuming, costly, redundant, and sometimes contradictory--without providing any greater consumer protection. That is a big disincentive for agents and brokers who try to grow their business.

This is not a new issue for the insurance industry. Congress recognized the need to reform the insurance licensing system 15 years ago in 1999 when it incorporated the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers subtitle into the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Unfortunately, during consideration of the act, Congress did not provide for the immediate establishment of NARAB. Instead, it included provisions to simply encourage State reciprocity for licensing. As a result, Gramm-Leach-Bliley wasn't able to achieve the level of reciprocity and uniformity Congress had hoped for, and these efforts became something of a dead end. That is why we are considering this important legislation today.

Title II would provide insurance agents and brokers with the option of becoming a member of NARAB, provided that they meet the professional standards set by the association and undergo a criminal background check.

NARAB will streamline the licensing process for agents and brokers, enabling them to be licensed once under a single high national licensing standard rather than follow different State standards. This will save time, and it will save money. The association will set rigorous professional and consumer protection standards, including the requirement that all association members undergo criminal background checks, and, for the first time, continuing education standards for nonresident producers. In addition to setting rigorous professional standards, the association will let agents and brokers renew their licenses all at once and fully preserve the ability of regulators to protect consumers, supervise and discipline agents and brokers.

Currently, on average, insurance agents sell their products in eight States, with many of them serving even more. A one-stop licensing compliance mechanism will benefit all agents and brokers but particularly the smaller agents and brokers who must spend time and money dealing with different standards in different States. A one-stop shop for insurance licensing will help smaller players compete against their larger competitors. More opportunity is good for small businesses, and more competition is good for consumers. However, the amendment I referred to in my opening that may be offered by the good Senator from Oklahoma would render NARAB meaningless by giving States the ability to ignore NARAB's cross-State licensing abilities.

The concept of NARAB was first developed when Congress passed Gramm- Leach-Bliley in 1999, but, again, the measure wasn't able to achieve the measure of uniformity and reciprocity it hoped for. Title II represents decades of efforts and will finally achieve the goals laid out in Gramm-Leach-Bliley in a way that ensures that regulators can continue to protect consumers.

I appreciate and understand the concerns of my friend from Oklahoma, and I share his interest in making sure we preserve States rights, but I also want to make clear that we tried to provide an opt-out for States when Gramm-Leach-Bliley was implemented 14 years ago. With all due respect, it simply did not work. That is why we are debating this bill today.

I would like to take a minute and talk about how this legislation protects States rights. Every State would retain all authority to license its resident agents and brokers. The association would be required to notify States when agents and brokers apply for membership, letting States notify NARAB of any reason membership should not be granted for a producer.

Additionally, because the association would be in communication with all State insurance regulators, this notification measure will prevent bad actors with violations in one State from simply moving to another State because their record would now follow them.

States will also have significant control over NARAB. The nonprofit association would be governed by a board of directors dominated by State insurance regulators and chaired by a State insurance regulator.

The amendment of the Senator from Oklahoma also implies this legislation somehow imposes unfunded mandates on States or compels States to take some action, and this simply isn't the case.

The legislation also ensures States remain responsible for the oversight

and day-to-day regulation of the insurance marketplace. States will maintain exclusive control over the regulation and marketplace activities, consumer protection requirements, unfair trade practices, and other important areas.

Under this bill, we preserve the longstanding authority of States to supervise insurance producers. Any agent or broker who obtains the authority to operate in a jurisdiction through NARAB is still subject to the full regulatory authority of that State and must comply with all marketplace requirements.

Under our proposal we ensure States will continue to receive insurance licensing fees, which will be collected by NARAB and remitted to the States.

This legislation is strongly supported by the National Association of State Insurance Commissioners, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers, the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, and the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. Its purpose is thwarted if the amendment of the good Senator from Oklahoma is adopted.

If NARAB cannot offer producers the ability to fulfill their licensing obligations in all jurisdictions, then NARAB offers very little value for those agents and brokers who would otherwise participate and would create uncertainty about whether individual States might opt out in the future.

So I urge my colleagues, if the good Senator from Oklahoma decides to bring up his amendment, to oppose that amendment.

With that, Madam President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I wish to talk about the omnibus for a brief time before Senator Leahy has some remarks to be made.

First of all, I thank the chair and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee and their staffs for their hard work to draft a sensible funding bill that I think meets the needs of the American people, a bill that helps us move past the stalemate and disagreements of the past few years and does what the American people sent us to do; that is, roll up our sleeves, work together, work hard, and govern.

Recently, folks have put politics and partisanship ahead of our constituents and our responsibilities, and the results have not been pretty. But thanks to Chairman Mikulski and Ranking Member Shelby and their counterparts in the House of Representatives, we now have a responsible bipartisan bill we can work with, one that invests in our future to strengthen our economy but that makes tough choices so we can continue to get our fiscal house in order.

Approving this bill helps avoid another round of devastating sequester cuts, avoid a government shutdown, and avoid some of the bitterness that is dragging down economic growth.

In Montana, our seniors, children, women, and civilian members of the military--to name a few--felt the sequester cuts head on. Kids could not go to Head Start. The elderly could not get meals, women faced cuts to reproductive health programs, Defense Department employees were forced to stay home, and our military was dangerously close to being hollowed out.

This bill makes smart choices to continue to reduce our deficit, while investing in core national priorities--those being education, health care, infrastructure, research and development, and defense.

At the same time, it continues our fiscally responsible approach to governing by reducing or eliminating funding for dozens of programs that had been left on autopilot after 2 years of continuing resolutions, and it repeals the recently enacted reduction in the annual cost-of-living adjustments for disabled military retirees and for survivors of military retirees.

This particular change is very important for folks who have been medically retired and for survivors, the folks who are more likely to be on a fixed income, and it was done without any fanfare and without any grandstanding. Senator Mikulski and Senator Shelby figured out how to fix it.

Let's be clear. This is one step in a two-step process. We have more work to do to address the military pension issue to make sure it works for the men and women of the military who have made great sacrifices on our behalf.

I also thank Chairman Reed and Senator Murkowski for putting forward a smart Interior bill. By ending sequestration, we are able to make some real progress in Indian Country and in protecting some of America's most unique landscapes.

The Interior bill increases funding for the Indian Health Service, which is necessary, it increases funding for Indian education and for promoting good stewardship of our public lands.

This Interior bill is critically important to States such as Montana. It will improve the quality of life for folks on our seven reservations. It will create more tourism and recreational opportunities throughout Montana. I am concerned, however, by the absence of one measure. It is a measure approved by the Senate Appropriations and Rules Committees. It is bipartisan. It saves money. It brings more transparency and accountability to a town that needs more of both. More than one-third of the Senate is a cosponsor.

This act is called the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act. Right

now, candidates for the Senate do not have to electronically file their campaign finance reports with the Federal Elections Commission. Now they can voluntarily e-file. Maybe the Presiding Officer did. But many of our colleagues do not.

Instead, all a Senate candidate has to do is take a big stack of documents, drop them at the office door of the Secretary of the Senate, and head back to the campaign trail. Then what happens? The Secretary of the Senate then sends the documents to the FEC which spends time and money hiring contractors to put those reports on line where they can be viewed by the public. This costs taxpayers nearly $500,000 and God knows how many staff hours each year to make this information available. But the biggest cost is to the American people, particularly to our voters, who have the right to know who is funding the campaigns of their elected officials. It is not as if I am proposing a new idea. Candidates for the House of Representatives must electronically file their financial reports. Presidential candidates e-file. Yet the Senate is stuck in the dark ages. In an era of smart phones and cars that drive themselves and combines that harvest fields using GPS, today the Senate is dropping stacks of paper at officials' doorsteps.

I proudly voluntarily e-file my campaign finance reports. I know many of our colleagues do as well. But that is not enough. Ironically, we do not know why my bill to improve transparency and save money did not make it into the funding bill. I am told it was blocked by the House of Representatives. A few folks over at the House are pointing fingers back over here. That is finger-pointing instead of accountability, politics instead of governance. We can do better.

Here in the Congress, we consistently demand transparency from Federal agencies. That is the right thing to do. But we need to also look in the mirror. We are not doing what we demand of others. But Americans are demanding this funding bill as well. It is a step forward to responsible government. It makes tough choices to getting our fiscal house in order while investing in the future.

This Omnibus is a good bill. It puts our country on more solid footing. It delivers more certainty to small businesses so we can count on them to grow and create jobs. Our constituents sent us here to find common ground. This kind of responsible bill is why we are here. So, once again, I thank the chairwoman and the ranking member for their hard work in bringing this bill to the floor. I look forward to seeing its final passage.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that privileges of the floor be granted to Laura Markstein, a member of my staff.

Mr. President, I rise to share in this important discussion and would also like to associate myself with the comments of the senior Senator from Washington and my colleague from Montana. The Student Assistance Foundation is a strong employer in Montana, representing nearly 200 jobs, and I am pleased to know it is the chair of the Budget Committee's intent that the use of not-for-profit servicers continues. I am also pleased that not-for-profit servicers, such as the Student Assistance Foundation, will be permitted to compete in the future for additional accounts.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor Robert DePoe III on recently becoming the new president of Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, MT. Robert was born in Polson, MT and was 2-years-old when Salish Kootenai College was founded in 1977. Robert spent his entire childhood on the Flathead Reservation in Montana's Mission Valley, graduating from high school in Ronan in 1993.

After attending North Idaho College, Robert returned home and worked at a local mill before going on a church mission that led him to Southern Utah University. At Southern Utah, Robert earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice before becoming a social worker with the Paiute Tribe of Utah. At 27, Robert became education director and served as an advisor and chairman of the Coalition of Minorities to the Utah State Board of Education. From there, Robert's ascent continued, and he went on to earn his master's degree in professional communication.

Now, at 38, Robert is returning home again to lead Salish Kootenai College. Robert will take over a job recently vacated by Luana Ross. Prior to Luana, the position was held exclusively by the founding president of over 30 years, Joe McDonald. Joe is a legend in higher education. Under his leadership, Salish Kootenai College became one of the premier tribal colleges in the Nation.

During Joe's 38-year tenure, Salish Kootenai transformed from a campus extension for a local community college to educating over 1,000 Native students. While Robert has big shoes to fill, I know he is ready for the challenge. And he has a capable faculty and eager students to make his task a little easier.

I wish good luck to Robert and to Salish Kootenai College as they continue to honor the heritage of the Salish and Kootenai while preparing our future leaders of Montana.

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

Mr. President, I rise today in support of protecting our Nation's outdoor traditions, including opening access to our public lands, preserving some of the greatest places to hunt and fish and recreate, and encouraging economic development and job creation in our great outdoors.

Last fall I called upon Congress to pass my bipartisan Sportsmen's Act. As the chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, I made it my goal to do something significant, something historic for this country's hunters and anglers. We came very close to passing my bill twice, but politics got in the way both times. A commonsense and widely supported measure failed to get across the finish line because some folks around here put self-interests before the interests of their constituents. I am optimistic that this time will be different and that we can work together to get this bill across the finish line.

Senator Hagan is leading the charge on behalf of our sports men and women, and I know she is ready to work with all of our colleagues to find a path forward. My friend from North Carolina is the new chairman of the sportsmen's caucus. Hailing from a State with a rich hunting tradition, she knows the importance of protecting America's outdoor heritage. Representing a State that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian Mountains, she knows it is critical to preserve our wide range of treasured lands.

Senator Hagan's legislation combines more than 15 bills that will increase access for recreational hunting and fishing, that support land and species conservation, and that protect our hunting and fishing rights. Most importantly, they take ideas from both sides of the political aisle, ideas with support from all corners of the conservation and outdoors community.

When I was the chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, sports men and women would constantly tell me about the importance of access to our public lands. Right now there are 34 million acres of public land that sports men and women cannot access. That is why this bill requires that 1.5 percent of the annual funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund be set aside to increase public land access, ensuring sports men and women access to some of the best places to hunt and fish in the country.

Senator Hagan's bill will reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. This voluntary initiative provides matching grants to landowners who set aside critical habitat for migratory birds, such as ducks. Over the past 20 years volunteers across America have completed more than 2,000 conservation projects and protected more than 26 million acres of habitat under this successful initiative. The North American Wetlands Conservation Act is a smart investment in both our lands and our wildlife, and it needs to be reauthorized.

Senator Hagan's bill and mine are not identical, but most of the provisions are the same, and the bill is a product of the same spirit of cooperation that drove my bill.

Now, just as happened last year, some folks around Washington will ask why this legislation is important. After all, we need to be working together to create jobs and put this country on solid financial footing. But outdoor recreation is a job creator and an economic driver throughout this country, and Montana is no exception. In my State, one in three Montanans hunts big game and more than 50 percent fish. Nationwide, outdoor recreation contributed nearly $650 billion in direct spending to the economy in 2012. Hunting and fishing is not just recreation; it is a critical part of our economy. In Montana, hunting and fishing brings in more than $1 billion a year to our economy-- nearly as much as our State's cattle industry.

Strengthening our economy, creating jobs, preserving our outdoor traditions and our treasured places--these all sound like no-doubt- about-it ideas, but last year the Sportsman's Act ran into trouble right here in this Senate. Opposition to my bill didn't come from concerns about measures in the bill itself; instead, it was blocked by Members of Congress taking out frustrations with how other votes went that day. My bill was simply caught in the crossfire. Sports men and women across the country who have been waiting for a bill such as this for a generation

watched in disbelief as my bill fell victim to politics. They won't stand for it again.

This is a bill with widespread support that preserves our outdoor economy and secures our outdoor heritage for our kids and our grandkids. There is nothing controversial about it.

Thanks to the leadership of Senator Hagan, my colleagues have another chance to get it right. When Senator Hagan's sportsmen's bill comes to the floor, whether here or in committee, I urge my colleagues to support it. Approve it as a vote for bipartisanship. Approve it as a vote for common sense over political victory. Approve it as a vote for America's 90 million sports men and women. Approve it as a vote to create jobs.

With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I wish to honor Cory Allen Klumb, a veteran of the U.S. Army and the Army National Guard. Cory, on behalf of all Montanans and all Americans, I stand to say thank you for your service to this Nation. It is my honor to share the story of Cory's service, because no veteran's story should ever go unrecognized. Cory was born in Wisconsin in 1965. He joined the Army in January of 1986 and reached the rank of sergeant when he was discharged in May of 1989. After a few years, Cory decided to use the veterans' education benefits he earned to attend Montana State University, a State he had only visited once before.

In 1999, Cory got a job with the Montana Highway Patrol and decided to enlist in the Montana Army National Guard--10 years to the day after he was discharged from active duty. Cory was a member of the 143rd Military Police Detachment out of Belgrade. In 2003, his unit was deployed to Iraq to assist with Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On April 13, 2004, Cory's convoy was traveling from Baghdad National Airport to their station when they were struck by an improvised explosive devise, or I-E-D. Fortunately, no lives were lost in that explosion, but Cory experienced permanent hearing damage. Two months later, the 143rd MP detachment returned to Montana. Cory left the National Guard in 2006 at the rank of staff sergeant.

Today, he is a police sergeant in Bozeman, where he lives with his wife Kelly and his daughter Piper.

Earlier this month, in the presence of Cory's family, it was my honor to present him with his Purple Heart Medal.

This decoration--and the decorations that Cory has already received-- are

small tokens, but they are powerful symbols of true heroism, sacrifice and dedication to service. This medal is presented on behalf of a grateful nation.

I thank my colleague from Oregon and the Senator from Alaska.

For many years my Republican colleagues have railed against government. We find ourselves in an interesting time right now where government is shut down. We are on the verge of not expanding our debt limit, putting the full faith and credit of this country at risk. Some of the folks on the other side of the aisle ran their campaign last year about shutting down the government. They got their wish. They have steered us into an unnecessary, very costly shutdown.

Yet during the shutdown we found and we have learned every day, often, underappreciated functions of the government. Beyond the headlines there are countless stories of the functioning of government which is not doing its

job because of the shutdown that is hurting American families. There are a number of them in Montana.

We read in the news about children with cancer. We have an NIH laboratory, Rocky Mountain Lab, in Hamilton. It is closed. It is one of eight Biosafety 4 labs in the United States. They do critical research on SARS, ebola virus, staph infections. It is not happening.

Mr. President, 98 percent of the National Science Foundation is shuttered--no new scientific research grants. Four of the five Nobel- prize winning scientists are furloughed.

National parks are closed, disappointing tourists and impacting struggling communities around those parks. Closing fishing access sites that support local businesses--fly stores, river guides, fly fishing instructors, and just improved quality of life--does not allow people into many of the best fishing spots in this country.

Head Start Programs are struggling, depending on when you got your grant. In the small town of Box Elder, 10 miles from my hometown, they are on the cusp of laying off 20 percent of their teachers. Why? Because they can't get their Indian Impact Aid. Since that office is mostly furloughed at this point in time, it is very difficult to get them any help.

We have heard about the devastating floods in Colorado, the blizzards in South Dakota. We do not have a farm bill, but these folks are doubly impacted. Because the Farm Service Agency offices are shuttered, there is no help for livestock producers who have literally lost thousands of head of cattle.

When it comes to getting a cosignature on an FSA loan check, it is impossible to do because the FSA office is closed.

Our military members are getting paid, but the ROTC students all over America who rely on the government to help pay for their rent--that is not happening right now.

The Senator from Oregon talked about VA disability claims put on hold. The backlog is growing. It was shrinking.

The IT system for a smooth transition between the DOD to VA, the electronic medical records, is on hold. By the way, that is critically important to get our backlog to a reasonable number.

Home loans, education assistance, transportation office, workforce training--all put on hold. Domestic abuse shelters, Meals on Wheels, flu monitors at the CDC, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, National Transportation Safety Board--all furloughed except for the essential staff who are working without pay.

Along that line, I want to say thank you to the folks at the rostrum who put in 3 pretty tough weeks. In the last week and a half-plus, almost 2 weeks, they haven't been paid. They are here on a Sunday afternoon, much like the police officers who responded to a tragic and scary situation last week were running toward the problem, who were on duty but were not getting a paycheck.

The House's political appeasement approach has been an attempt to open the most popular and most noticed agencies, picking winners and losers in a system instead of working together.

Then we have the debt ceiling, a situation where there is a Republican-driven government shutdown to bring us close, too close for comfort, to defaulting on our national debt. Some folks out there will say it is no big deal. I can tell you if you are in business you know it is a big deal. Some folks say you can prioritize your payments, but the fact is that without increasing that debt limit, prioritizing the payments will not fix the problem.

We have folks all across this country, business people, working families, who are losing confidence in the United States. I just met a group of World War II vets who got off a plane about 2 hours ago in Washington, DC. A number of them talked to me about how we need to get our act together here. They fought for this country, but we are not fighting for them, and we need to.

The Montana Chamber of Commerce, bankers across this country, Macy's, business leaders--all have said don't be playing with this fire. In fact, a friend of mine by the name of Tony James, who is president of Blackstone Group, wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

Using the debt ceiling to settle domestic squabbles is

playing Russian roulette with a loaded gun. And worse, by

continuing on the present course, we are playing a deadly

game with a gun held by some of this nation's biggest rivals.

I couldn't agree more. We need to reopen this government. We need to pay this Nation's bills. And we need to put this country back in the leadership role in this world.

Senator Begich, the Senator from Alaska, talked a little bit about park shutdowns. I was curious to know, with Denali National Park, which is a big deal--I assume the Senator is in the same place as we are with Glacier and Yellowstone. It is closed for business?

The Senator is correct. There are so many folks out there who claim to be probusiness folks and that they know what is going on in the business community. This whole debate that revolves around the debt ceiling is about as antibusiness as we can have.

The fact is that if we don't increase the debt ceiling--and the Senator from Oregon and the Senator from Alaska have already pointed it out--interest rates not only go up for our national debt, they go up for everybody. The economy decreases and shrinks, and as a result we have less revenue coming in. Everybody knows that if we are going to address our national debt, we have to have a vibrant economy to address it.

We came through a period of time where we had a Vice President who said debt doesn't matter, we got into two wars, two major tax cuts, a Medicare Part-D plan, and the worst recession--some would call a depression--since the 1930s, where the tax revenue dropped like a rock and the safety net programs to keep people afloat--which cost money-- were decreased.

Now we have a situation with the debt that we need to deal with. The worst thing we can do is play around with the debt ceiling so our economy tanks again, and then we will see not only the interest rate go up on the debt but the debt go through the roof one more time. It does not make any sense from all the different perspectives. When people lose confidence--whether it is people within this country or outside this country who buy our debt--that means the rate we pay is going up.

Absolutely. It could have such a negative impact on the GDP that we could have a negative fourth quarter if this crazy talk keeps going.

That is correct.

That is exactly correct. I think everybody on the floor right now--and there are a lot of other folks--would love to sit down and figure out ways to get the debt and deficit under control. As Tony James said, you don't do it by holding a loaded gun.

And I might add it could not happen at a worse time. We have seen the economy rebound, and it

is starting to head in the right direction. We have an opportunity to have more growth. We have an opportunity to get some manufacturing back in this country. We have an opportunity to really help rebuild this economy. Because of the actions of Congress, particularly folks over in the House, we have seen the stock market--God help us today. I think it opens right now.

I can't help but think that these folks are back there shaking their heads and saying: We have no confidence in what Congress is doing.

It is the same in Montana as it is in Oregon and Alaska. Particularly startup businesses and entrepreneurs who have a great idea are holding back because they don't want to get into a situation where they start investing money and interest rates go through the roof and they are not able to fulfill the dream they have which would also create jobs and grow more economy.

We are getting very close to October 17. The longer we play with this, there will be a point in time where the damage that will be done will take a very long time to rebuild. I think now is the time--in fact, hopefully tomorrow--to get a commonsense agreement on the Senate floor to open the government and deal with the debt limit in a way that makes sense for this country and makes sense for the world because it will not only have an impact here, but it will have an impact around the world.

We are seeing businesses in our States that are not investing right now. They are holding off at this point. They were starting to invest. So it is very unfortunate. We are playing with fire, and we should not be doing that. We should be working to build the economy, not to try to contract it.