Floor Statements

Mr. President, Maria Harrison reported for her first day of work with the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday, June 18, 1973. On January 3, 2015, she will retire from the U.S. Department of Transportation after 41 years and 6 months of service to our country as a Federal employee. Except for 10 months at the Small Business Administration, she spent her career in the transportation field:

Federal Aviation Administration, 6/18/1973 to 07/30/1977; Small Business Administration, 07/31/1977 to 05/20/1978; Department of Transportation/OST, 05/21/

1978 to 04/03/1982; Department of Transportation/MARAD, 04/04/1982 to 12/24/1983; Department of Transportation/FAA, 12/25/1983 to 06/04/1988; Department of Transportation/FRA, 6/05/1988 to 11/03/2001; and Department of Transportation/OST, 11/04/2001 to Present.

Ms. Harrison currently works in the Office of Governmental Affairs at U.S. DOT, where she has been of assistance to my office and constituents numerous of times. I am sure that every office in the U.S. Senate benefited directly from her good works. As much as her colleagues at U.S. DOT will miss her, she has earned the right to spend more time with her friends and family, especially her granddaughter whose pictures adorn the desk of her office. She has earned the deepest of gratitude from those of us in the U.S. Senate. Above all else, she has earned the thanks of the country she has so unselfishly served for over 41 years. Thank you Ms. Harrison.

Madam President, it is with great honor and gratitude that I rise to reflect on the last 6 years, which have been some of the most rewarding and transformative of my life, and to thank the people who have been by my side as we worked to make our great State and this great country even better.

First and foremost, I wish to thank the people of North Carolina for allowing me to serve them in the Senate. Six years ago you sent me to Washington to fight for the priorities that make our State great, and I have put North Carolina first every single day. I have

been honored to stand up for our teachers, our students, to fight for our seniors, to help create a business climate that promotes job growth, to build an economy that works for everyone, and to make sure we keep our promises to our servicemembers and to our veterans.

I am extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish, and I am forever humbled and grateful for the opportunity to serve.

I also wish to thank my family; my husband Chip, who is my rock, and my three children, Jeanette, Tilden, and Carrie, and my two great sons- in-law, Will and Martin.

These past 6 years have been extremely full of exciting milestones for the Hagan family. Since my term began, my two daughters have both gotten married and they both had babies. I have a 1-year-old grandson Harrison and a 1-week-old granddaughter Christine. So when I said earlier that these past 6 years have been transformative, I wasn't kidding.

I also wish to thank my dad Joe Ruthven, who is one of my most trusted advisers and a constant source of inspiration for me, as is his wife Judy, my stepmom, for all of her love and support.

I wish to thank the Capitol Police here in Washington. I don't think we recognize these people enough for the incredible work they do to keep us safe.

And, of course, I wish to thank my unbelievably hard-working staff whom I consider to be a part of the official Hagan family. These folks are topnotch. Their commitment to our State and the people we serve is unmatched. They are passionate and compassionate, and I am so grateful to have had them by my side over these last 6 years. I ask unanimous consent that a list of their names be printed in the Record.

My staff knew how important it was to me that my office be as open and as accessible as possible to the people of North Carolina, and my team worked every single day to help us reach that goal. Over the last 6 years, we held a townhall in every 100 counties across North Carolina. In DC, we have held a Carolina Coffee every Wednesday and we welcomed thousands of North Carolinians to come visit us. We have also resolved more than 36,000 constituent cases for the people of North Carolina, from helping veterans access their benefits with the VA to helping families struggling with high mortgage rates to be able to stay in their homes, to helping small businesses cut through the bureaucratic redtape.

While my North Carolina staff was there for the folks in our State day in and day out, my DC team was helping me fight for North Carolinians in Washington.

North Carolina is proud to be the most military-friendly State in the Nation. As a member of a military family, it is important to me to work every single day to keep our State the most military-friendly State. My husband is a Vietnam veteran. My dad and my brother served in the Navy. My father-in-law was a major general in the Marine Corps. I have two nephews on active duty. One is an F-15 fighter pilot and the other one is a Navy Seal. So when I say one of my top priorities was ensuring Federal policies worked for our veterans in active-duty military, they are not just words, it is truly a personal obligation.

That is why nearly 6 years ago, when Jerry Ensminger, a retired marine, shared with me the story of his daughter Janey, my heart broke for him. Janey died of leukemia at the age of 9 because of contaminated water on the base at Camp Lejeune. He dedicated his life to seeking justice for his daughter and other Camp Lejeune victims. I found it absolutely unconscionable that the Federal Government had denied this man, who served our country, the answers he needed after all he had been through. I wanted to do whatever I could to help, and it was one of the greatest honors of my life to work alongside my North Carolina colleague Senator Burr to pass the Janey Ensminger Act, to help Jerry and the servicemembers and families affected by water contamination at Camp Lejeune and to give them the answers and the health care they deserved.

It was also important to me that all Americans remembered and understood the sacrifices made by our military and their families. During my time in the Senate, I had the opportunity to speak on this very floor about some of the brave servicemembers from North Carolina, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice, and many of whom lost their lives while trying to make the world a better place and safer for the rest of us. I had the opportunity to speak with many of their families and their stories were both moving and heartbreaking.

I spoke with Terry Marquez, whose son Justin died from small-arms fire wounds he received while on foot patrol in the Wardak Province in Afghanistan just 1 month after he arrived in theater. He was only 25 years old when he died.

According to Justin's mom Terry, as Justin grew up in the Army, he was like a fine wine, he just kept getting better with age. He believed in protecting others. He believed in making the world a better place. He believed in standing up so that others might not have to. Justin embodied the selflessness and courage that defines the men and women of our armed services.

Shortly after sharing Justin's story on the Senate floor, I invited his mother to be my guest at the State of the Union Address. Her presence reminded not just me but so many of the Senators that she met that night--and she knew them all--how important it is that we uphold our promises to the men and women who put their lives on the line for each and every one of us. It has been an honor to help be one of those voices for our servicemembers, veterans, and their families in Washington.

As one of 20 women in the Senate, I have also enjoyed being a voice for women and children. As women Senators, we bring a unique perspective to the policymaking dialog. We understand the issues facing women and families because we have been there. Some of us are moms and some are grandmoms. We know what it is like to balance that family checkbook and simultaneously run the business and a carpool, and to want the best possible future not only for our children but for all the children throughout the United States.

More important than that, the women of the Senate know how to bridge the partisan divide to get the job done. Together we passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill I cosponsored as a U.S. Senator. We kept student loan rates from doubling. We pushed for initiatives such as my newborn screening bill to ensure that every child has a healthy start in life. I am proud of the work we have done together to support our families and to

set this country on a path to a brighter future.

But the fact is we need a lot more of that in Washington. If we are going to address the biggest challenges facing our country, we have to break through the political gridlock and confront these issues together--head on, united; not as Republicans and Democrats, but working together on behalf of the American people. We need to work together to tackle the rising cost of college that is putting higher education out of reach for too many students and then burdening them with unsustainable debt. We need to reform our education system to ensure that every child has the tools and the technology we have to have today and that we have to understand and be an expert in that technology in order to be successful in this competitive environment.

The economy is improving, but wages are stagnant. We must find ways to ensure that Americans working full time are not living in poverty.

We need to help middle-class families get ahead and ensure that working women are receiving the support they need, whether it is fair pay, affordable childcare, or time to care for new babies or seriously ill family members. There is so much work to be done. It is my hope these issues can be addressed in the 114th Congress, but doing so is going to take cooperation from all 100 Members of this body.

The men and women I have worked with during my time are some of the most dedicated, passionate people I have ever met. And there are so many, I am only going to name a few.

Barbara Mikulski was my first mentor, the dean of the women. She waltzed me down the aisle to get sworn in. She is one of the greatest advocates for women and for families. And I know that Patty Murray, the mom in tennis shoes, is a dynamite negotiator. Mark Warner, one of my 2008 classmates, is a leader in seeking bipartisan solutions. Susan Collins is a great friend and a proven consensus builder. Chuck Schumer is a trusted adviser who embodies what it means to be a fighter.

There are so many to name, and I love them all. But I know the Members of the Senate can make progress on these issues that matter so long as we put politics aside and work together.

One of my guiding principles is ``to whom much is given, much is expected.'' Six years ago, North Carolinians gave me an opportunity to be a voice in Washington, and I have put North Carolinians first every single day. I urge my colleagues to do the same--to remember who they are fighting for, not who they are fighting against, to see past the deed, to see past the d or the r, to work together in a bipartisan fashion as I have tried to do to move this country forward.

Working with all of my colleagues and serving North Carolina in the U.S. Senate is a huge honor.

God bless you all, and God bless the U.S. Senate. Thank you.

I yield the floor.

(Applause, Senators rising.)

Madam President, I was necessarily absent from the Senate on July 31, 2014.

I missed rollcall votes in relation to the motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to S. 2648, the motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to H.R. 3230, adoption of the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 3230, the motion to recede from the Senate amendment to H.R. 5021, and the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Jill Pryor, of Georgia, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit.

Had I been present, I would have voted against the motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to S. 2648. I would have voted in favor of the motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to H.R. 3230, adoption of the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 3230, the motion to recede from the Senate amendment to H.R. 5021, and the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Jill Pryor, of Georgia, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit.

Madam President, I wish to honor the service of a great North Carolinian, Gerry Cohen, who will retire in August as special counsel to the North Carolina General Assembly. For nearly 40 years, Gerry Cohen has served the general assembly with incredible knowledge, distinction and commitment.

Gerry was first hired as a general assembly staff attorney in 1977 and later became the director of the bill drafting division before taking on his final role as special counsel.

I had the pleasure to work with Gerry firsthand during my time as a State senator from 1999 to 2009. I found Gerry's extensive knowledge, legendary memory and professionalism invaluable and truly unmatched.

Gerry will retire leaving a lasting mark on the institution he served over a long and illustrious career. His professionalism and grasp of the issues have endeared him to Republicans and Democrats alike and earns him the title of ``statesmen.'' He will be truly missed and impossible to replace.

Gerry earned a degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and later attended the UNC School of Law. As a second-year law student, he served on the Chapel Hill Town Council before beginning his work for the North Carolina General Assembly. Gerry also served on the board of the Raleigh Transit Authority between 2009 and 2013.

North Carolina General Assembly members, both past and present, will sorely miss an institutional giant with an incredible grasp of the issues facing our State. Gerry and his wife intend to travel and enjoy time with family and friends in the next phase of their lives and will fortunately not have to travel far to enjoy our State's picturesque mountains or beautiful coastline.

I wish Gerry and his family well and thank him for his incredible service on behalf of North Carolina.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor U.S. Forest Service Officer Jason Crisp.

On March 12, 2014, Officer Crisp and his K-9 partner Maros lost their lives during a manhunt for an individual suspected of murdering his parents earlier that day.

Officer Crisp lived in Marion, NC, located in the western part of the State. After graduating from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in 2005, he became an officer for the Forest Service. He had previously served as a deputy sheriff in the McDowell County Sheriff's Office.

Officef Crisp's tragic death is a reminder of the countless men and women in law enforcement that put their safety at risk to protect our communities every day.

In honor of Officer Crisp's bravery, and his service to North Carolina and to the Forest Service, I am pleased the Senate will approve H.R. 4360, a bill to designate a Ranger Station within the Grandfather Ranger District in North Carolina, the ``Jason Crisp Forest Service Building.''

The new Jason Crisp Building will serve as a lasting tribute to the ultimate sacrifice Officer Crisp made in service to our country.

Officer Crisp leaves behind his wife, Amanda, his two sons Garret and Logan, as well as his parents, a sister, and two brothers. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that if cloture is invoked on either the Bay or LaFleur nomination the confirmation vote or votes occur at 3:15 p.m. with all other provisions of the previous order remaining in effect.

Mr. President, I rise in support of the Protect Women's Health From Corporate Interference Act, to stand up for what I thought was a commonly shared value--that a woman's health care decisions are between her and her doctor, not her and her boss. I thought that was well-established, straightforward--simple, even.

But it turns out that the majority of the Supreme Court thought differently when it came to certain kinds of health care decisions: whether a woman would have access to contraceptives without copays as guaranteed by Federal law. As we all know now, 2 weeks ago the Supreme Court held in Hobby Lobby that an employer's personal beliefs can trump some of the most private and significant health care decisions a woman makes.

So let me be very clear on where I stand: What kind of birth control a female employee uses is not her boss's business.

I have heard some of the supporters of the Supreme Court decision argue that ruling is a narrow ruling, and that it only applies to closely held family businesses. That doesn't tell the whole story because just 3 days after this ruling in Hobby Lobby the Court said that a nonprofit religious college didn't have to comply with a contraceptive coverage requirement even though it had already had an accommodation that allowed it to avoid paying for such coverage itself.

The majority even pointed to this accommodation in the Hobby Lobby ruling as an example of a less restrictive alternative that could be open to for-profit businesses. A few days later that same accommodation wasn't good enough.

In her dissent Justice Sotomayor wrote:

Those who are bound by our decisions usually believe that

they can take us at our word. Not so today.

In other words, in less than a week the Supreme Court's conservative majority went from issuing a supposedly narrow ruling to potentially broadening it to encompass a new class of institutions. The impact of the ruling in Hobby Lobby will most definitely not be limited to those closely held businesses, as some say. I have heard others argue, in essence: Don't worry. The ruling doesn't expressly ban access to contraceptives. It just shifts the additional cost of the coverage back to the women.

But those who say erecting a barrier of cost between a woman and birth control will give her the same access she had before the decision don't understand what women have to go through to get covered and don't understand the many reasons why women use birth control. Since the coverage requirement went into effect last year, the number of women who got their birth

control without a copay jumped from 14 percent to 56 percent. That means some serious costs were avoided for many women.

The average annual savings for women last year was $269. In total, women in the United States saved $483 million on contraceptives, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Among those women were 917,000 in North Carolina alone who were eligible for preventive services without additional copays. Many of these women sought and used birth control medications for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with planning pregnancy. In fact, oral contraceptives are a key treatment for at least three major medical conditions that affect women. Polycystic ovary syndrome affects 5 to 10 percent of women of reproductive age, and if left untreated can lead to the development of ovarian cysts or infertility. In addition, 11 percent of women are affected by endometriosis in their lifetime, and 40,000 women each year are diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Many women are at risk of developing ovarian cancer--one of the most deadly cancers in the United States-- and women with ovarian cancer also can receive treatment via birth control. And yes, one of the best known ways to reduce the risk of these conditions is birth control.

Employers who make their female employees pay out of pocket for contraceptives aren't just imposing their personal beliefs, they are also making it more difficult for women to access important lifesaving medical treatment.

Mr. President, I would like to ask for another 45 seconds.

That is why I believe it is so important to debate and to pass the Protect Women's Health From Corporate Interference Act. This bill would fix the Hobby Lobby decision by making it illegal for any company to deny their workers specific health benefits, including birth control, that would be required to be covered. It would make clear that bosses cannot discriminate against their female workers and would ensure equal treatment under the law for tens of thousands of workers for which coverage hangs in the balance. It would preserve and codify the existing accommodation for our nonprofit religious employees.

It is troubling to me that in 2014 we are even debating women's access to contraception. Nearly all women--99 percent--will use it at some point in their lives, and they should have access to safe, effective birth control if they choose to use it--plain and simple.

This bill would ensure that those decisions about an employee's health can stay between the woman and her doctor, not between the woman and her boss. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Thank you, Mr. President, and I yield the floor.

Mr. President, in a few minutes the Senate will vote on whether to invoke cloture on the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014-- legislation I have introduced with my friend and colleague from Alaska, Senator Lisa Murkowski.

At a time when Washington is stuck in political gridlock, I am proud to have partnered with Senator Murkowski to develop this sportsmen's package that is cosponsored by 46 of the Senators here in this Chamber--almost half of this body--19 Democrats, 26 Republicans, and 1 Independent.

We actually put politics aside to get behind a bill that benefits tens of millions of hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts across our country--a bill that protects our outdoor traditions for future generations and ensures the outdoor recreation economy can continue to support jobs and local communities in our States nationwide.

This kind of widespread bipartisan support has been virtually unheard of in these days. And not surprisingly, the list of organizations that support the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act is equally long and diverse. More than 40 organizations that span the ideological spectrum have actually endorsed this bill.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that six letters and statements of support that I have received on the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act be printed in the Record.

I also want to share some excerpts from these letters and statements.

This one is from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act ``is simply the most important package of measures for the benefit of sportsmen in a generation. This package of pro-sportsmen legislation will promote, protect, and preserve our cherished outdoor activities of hunting and the shooting sports.''

The CEOs of the National Wildlife Federation, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Izaak Walton League of America, and Trout Unlimited, in one letter, wrote: The Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 ``includes valuable provisions to conserve fish and wildlife habitat and expand public access for hunters and anglers. We know that time on the floor of the Senate is extremely limited and precious, but we believe that this bill is worthy of expedited floor consideration. It is a rare and splendid occurrence that such a large and diverse coalition of hunting, shooting, angling and other conservation organizations are so united behind a bill.''

Then a letter from Jeff Crane, who is president of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. Senator Murkowski and I both have worked very closely with Jeff Crane, who is president of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. In his letter he said:

We thank Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus Co-Chair Senator

Hagan and CSC member Senator Murkowski for introducing this

bipartisan package of legislation that includes provisions

vital to protecting our hunting and angling traditions in the

U.S., which the CSC and organizations within the sportsmen's

community have been working on for years.

From the Wilderness Society, in their letter:

On behalf of our 500,000 members and supporters, I am

writing to express our support for the Bipartisan Sportsmen's

Act of 2014. We believe that hunting and fishing are

important uses of our public lands, and this legislation

would advance several vital programs which would both

safeguard sportsmen's access to world class hunting and

angling opportunities while simultaneously supporting many

programs that protect the high quality fish and wildlife

habitat upon which sportsmen rely.

That was from the Wilderness Society.

The women of Safari Club International wrote to Senator Murkowski and me. This letter was dated in April.

We are delighted to learn you are working together to

introduce bipartisan pro-hunting and pro-conservation

legislation. Your ongoing effort to introduce bipartisan

legislation is a monumental step in breaking the deadlock

that hunters have felt in previous legislative efforts.

The CEO of Ducks Unlimited said:

More than 140 million Americans participate in outdoor

recreation activities, including hunting and fishing. DU

appreciates the bipartisan effort of this bill in bringing to

light the economic impact and importance of sports men and

women to the United States. We are also grateful for its

inclusion of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act,

which is an ideal model for successful private-public

partnerships.

I agree. We have an opportunity today to take action on a bill that advances critical priorities for a wide range of sportsmen and conservation groups across the country, bringing those two groups together.

I am proud of the package Senator Murkowski and I crafted and put together. I also recognize that Members on both sides of the aisle have ideas on how to strengthen this bill.

It was always my hope we could take up, debate, and vote on sportsmen-related amendments to the bill, including amendments on some gun issues that are important to sports men and women in my State and across the country. I am disappointed we were not able to reach an agreement to do so.

However, we should not let partisan politics get in the way of passing a good bill that already has strong bipartisan support. It is fiscally responsible, and it is endorsed by more than 40 groups and stakeholders across the United States--6 of whom I have just made statements about from letters we have received.

So here is what I am going to ask all of my colleagues to do today: If you support this bill, vote for this bill. Outdoor recreation activities are a way of life in States across the country. Just as importantly, they are the lifeblood of many of our local communities. These activities actually contribute $145 billion to our economy every year, and they support over 6 million jobs in this country. This is big business--and especially at a time when we are looking at jobs and the economic recovery.

So at a time when we are desperately trying to help the job market and get our economy back on track, I urge my colleagues to please put politics aside and vote to move forward with this balanced bipartisan bill that boosts our economy, protects our outdoor traditions, and preserves the special places in this country where we hunt, where we fish, where we enjoy the outdoors, and to do this for our future generations.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 10, 2013, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 10, 2013, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Preserving American's Transit and Highways Act.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 10, 2014, at 10 a.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 10, 2014, at 9:30 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct an executive business meeting.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 10, 2014, at 2:30 p.m.

Madam President, it is with great pride that I rise to speak about the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014.

Before proceeding, I wish to thank Senator Murkowski for being a true partner in developing and building support for the sportsmen's package. I am proud to say that by working together, the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act is cosponsored by 18 Democrats, 26 Republicans, and 1 Independent. It is endorsed by a very diverse group of more than 40 different stakeholders.

When I became cochair of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus in early 2013, I was committed to advancing bipartisan legislation that would benefit our hunters, our anglers, and our outdoor recreation enthusiasts in North Carolina and around the country. Taken together, I believe the 12 bills included in this bipartisan act accomplish that objective and do so in a fiscally responsible manner. This package does not add a dime to our deficit. It actually raises $5 million over the next 10 years for deficit reduction.

Outdoor recreation activities are part of the fabric of North Carolina. From the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the West to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in the East, North Carolinians are passionate about the outdoors--me included. Hunting, fishing, and hiking are a way of life, and many of these traditions have been handed down through my own family.

According to a recent report, 1.4 million sports men and women call my State home, and that is nearly 20 percent of the State's entire population. In 2011 a total of 1.6 million people hunted or fished in North Carolina. To put that in perspective, that is roughly the same amount of people who live in the Raleigh and Durham metropolitan areas.

Nationwide, over 37 million people participate in these activities. That is the equivalent of the population of the State of California. While many of these men and women live in our rural areas, they are just as likely to hail from some of our much more urban areas.

To ensure that future generations have an opportunity to enjoy our great outdoors as we do today, this act, the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014, reauthorizes several landmark conservation programs. For example, the package includes legislation to reauthorize NAWCA, which is our North American Wetlands Conservation Act. This voluntary initiative provides matching grants to organizations, States and local governments, and to private landowners to restore wetlands that are critical to our migratory birds. These partnerships actually generate $3 in non-Federal contributions for every dollar of Federal NAWCA funds, and they have actually preserved more than 27 million acres of habitat over the last two decades.

The benefits of this program to outdoor recreation enthusiasts nationwide cannot be overstated. The abundance of migratory birds, fish, and mammals supported by these wetlands translates into multibillion-dollar activities for hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing. In North Carolina, NAWCA has advanced numerous projects to improve waterfowl habitats and to enable the acquisition of thousands of acres of land used for increasing public opportunities for activities of hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-associated recreation.

Here is a photo of the Cape Fear Arch region. As part of the Southeastern North Carolina Wetlands Initiative, the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited, the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission, and the Nature Conservancy received a $1 million NAWCA grant to protect wetlands and associated uplands in this Cape Fear Arch region. The Federal grant then is matched by close to $3 million in non-Federal funding.

The Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act also includes legislation sponsored by Senators Heinrich and Heller that reauthorizes the FLTFA, which is the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act, which enables the Bureau of Land Management to sell public land to private owners, counties, and others for ranching, community development, and other projects. This ``land-for-land'' approach has created jobs and generated funding for the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service to help those entities acquire critical inholdings of land from willing sellers. This takes place in 11 Western States as well as Alaska.

Our sportsmen's package also contains Senator Wicker's bipartisan bill that will enable hunters in all States to purchase duck stamps electronically. Currently, eight States are now participating in a private program that enables the issuance of e-duck stamps. Since that program began, hunters in those eight States have actually purchased 3.5 million electronic duck stamps.

I can personally vouch for the benefits of enabling hunters in all States to actually purchase duck stamps online. There have been occasions when members of my own family were unable to take a visitor hunting because we couldn't find a physical stamp. Let me give an example. Our son-in-law came to visit last year. My husband had planned to take him duck hunting. Unfortunately, three different places my husband visited were out of duck stamps. So now when my husband buys his duck stamps for the season, he purchases two or three extra just in case a family member or a visitor decides to go hunting with him.

Enabling all hunters to purchase these duck stamps online will not cost taxpayers any money, and it will help preserve additional wildlife habitat across the country because a portion of the proceeds of duck stamps goes to protecting the habitat.

Another bipartisan bill in this package reauthorizes the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, NFWF. This poster actually shows the number of different habitats that are included in the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. For example, in Florida right now there are 658 different preserves and projects.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is a nonprofit that preserves and restores native wildlife species and habitats. Since its inception, NFWF has awarded over 11,600 grants to more than 4,000 different organizations nationwide. Funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation consistently generates $3 in non-Federal funds for every $1 in Federal funds.

One priority that NFWF is currently working on is designed to introduce America's youth to careers in conservation. In addition to employing youth, NFWF is also exploring ways to expand conservation employment opportunities for our Nation's veterans.

Our package also includes regulatory reforms and enhancements that will benefit sports men and women across the country. Another example is bipartisan legislation that was introduced by Senator Mark Udall of Colorado. His bill is included, and it will enable States to allocate a greater portion of the Federal Pittman-Robertson funding to create and maintain shooting ranges on public lands. There is currently a shortage of public shooting ranges across the country. In North Carolina, a principal impediment to target range development is the initial cost of acquiring the land and then constructing the facility. By reducing the non-Federal match requirement from 25 percent currently to 10 percent and then allowing the States to access funds over a greater period of time, this legislation will enable the States to move forward with new public ranges.

The Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act will also help improve access for hunting and fishing and wildlife viewing on public lands. Right now nearly half of all the hunters conduct a portion of their hunting activity on public lands, and a lack of access to these public lands is cited as a primary reason people stop participating in these traditional activities; they just can't get

there. The Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act would require that at least 1.5 percent, or $10 million, of annual Land and Water Conservation Fund money be used to improve access to our public lands.

The State of North Carolina is home to four national forests that comprise 1.25 million acres. Our outdoor recreation enthusiasts regularly have problems with actually getting access to this gorgeous place depicted here, which is the Pisgah National Forest. I probably spend more time backpacking in this forest than any other one. This legislation will help dedicate funding to expanding the access here and on public lands across the country.

Outdoor recreation activities are not only engrained in North Carolinians' way of life, they are also huge economic drivers in my State and in States across the country. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has found that hunting, fishing, and wildlife-related recreation activities contribute $3.3 billion annually to North Carolina's economy. Nationwide, the same report found that 90 million Americans participate in this wildlife-related recreation, resulting in close to $145 billion in annual spending. That is shown on this chart, the actual economic impact for wildlife-related recreation. In 2011 sports men and women spent a total of about $34 billion on hunting, which is depicted on the chart, $41 billion on fishing, and $56 billion on wildlife watching. The biggest amount of money spent while enjoying the outdoors is on wildlife watching. An extra $14 billion is spent on other activities.

According to the Outdoor Industry Association, all of these activities support over 192,000 jobs just in North Carolina and a total of 6.1 million across the country. So this really does have a huge economic impact across our Nation.

I often say I don't care if an idea is a Democratic idea or a Republican idea, only that it is a good idea, and I will put work behind that. I believe this bill embodies that spirit.

The Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 is a balanced, bipartisan plan that is endorsed by more than 40 stakeholders, from Ducks Unlimited to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and it is fiscally responsible. I urge my colleagues to approve this legislation for the benefit of our economy and the more than 90 million sports men and women across the country.

Thank you, Madam President. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, in a few minutes the Senate will vote on whether to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014, a bill I introduced earlier this year with my friend and colleague from Alaska, Senator Murkowski.

I am proud that by working alongside our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, we have crafted a package of 12 provisions that have broad bipartisan support. I will be back on the floor at a later time to give a much more thorough, open, and indepth presentation on our bill, but I wish to take a couple of minutes to highlight a couple of the key provisions.

One is to ensure that future generations do have an opportunity to enjoy our great outdoors as we do today. The Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act reauthorizes several landmark conservation programs, including the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Our bill also includes regulatory reforms and enhancements that will benefit sportsmen and women across our country. For example, States will be able to allocate a greater portion of the Federal Pittman- Robertson funding to create and maintain shooting ranges on public land. This is important because we are currently facing a shortage of public shooting ranges across the country.

We will also enable hunters to purchase an electronic duck stamp. I can personally vouch for the benefits of this provision. Our son-in-law came to visit one year. My husband planned to take him duck hunting toward the end of the season. Unfortunately, three different places had sold out of duck stamps. When my husband buys his duck stamp for the season, he actually purchases extra ones, just in case family or friends come to visit during duck season. Senator Wicker's electronic duck stamp provision will allow my husband and other hunters to purchase duck stamps online--this is 2014--instead of traveling from post office to post office in search of a duck stamp.

The Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act will also help improve access for hunting and fishing on public lands and will require 1.5 percent, or $10 million, of annual Land and Water Conservation Fund money to be used to improve the access on our public lands.

It is important to note that we accomplish all of this without adding anything to the deficit. In fact, this act actually reduces the deficit by $5 million over the next 10 years.

I believe we have assembled a strong bill that is going to benefit the anglers, the outdoor recreation enthusiasts, and the hunters in North Carolina and nationwide. I am proud to say this bipartisan act has 45 cosponsors--18 Democrats, 26 Republicans, and one Independent. We have cosponsors of all ideological backgrounds from every region of the country.

The list of organizations supporting our bill is also long and diverse. Over 40 organizations have endorsed the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act, ranging from the National Shooting Sports Foundation to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, to Ducks Unlimited.

Outdoor recreation activities are part of the fabric of so many States, including North Carolina. From the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the west to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in the east, North Carolinians are passionate about the outdoors. Hunting, fishing, and hiking are a way of life, and many of these traditions have been handed down through my own family.

I am glad the Senate will debate the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act. In putting our bill together, Senator Murkowski and I tried to pull the best ideas from Members of both of our parties. However, I do recognize that Members on both sides of the aisle have ideas for how to strengthen this bill. It is my hope we can take up, debate, and vote on sportsmen's-related amendments this week. I encourage my colleagues who have amendments to file them and come to the floor to discuss them.

In closing, this Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 is a balanced bipartisan plan that is endorsed by 40 stakeholders, and it is fiscally responsible. I urge my colleagues to vote to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill so we can start debating steps we can take to benefit the more than 90 million sportsmen and women across the country.

Thank you. I yield the floor.

Madam President, I wish to honor the service of a great Marine infantryman, Maj. Myle Hammond. Major Hammond will be retiring from the Marine Corps after more than 20 years of dedicated service to our country. On this occasion, I believe it is fitting to recognize his contribution to the Marine Corps, the Senate, and the Nation.

Major Hammond's career included three combat tours in Iraq, a tour with the Ceremonial Honor Guard at Marine Barracks, Washington, 3 years in the Marine Corps Senate Liaison Office, and 1 year working as a congressional fellow in my office. A marine's marine, Myle's distinguished service in combat and in garrison is emblematic of the caliber of his character.

I was proud to welcome Myle into my office, and he exceeded every expectation. His indepth knowledge of the Marine Corps and the legislative process made him an invaluable member of my staff. At the conclusion of his fellowship, Myle moved on to be the deputy director of the Marine Senate Liaison. His quick wit and strategic thinking were vital in guiding the Marine Corps senior leadership through the Senate. His efforts were instrumental in ensuring the completion of the MV-22B acquisition program, executing a responsible drawdown of the Marine Corps, and recognizing the contributions of the first African-American marines through the award of the Congressional Gold Medal in tribute to the Montford Point Marines.

A decorated combat veteran and proud father, Myle is a model American to us all. As Myle hangs up his uniform, he will remain in Virginia with his wife Rani and their two young children, Mason and Sydney. Although his absence will be felt in the Marine Corps and in Congress, I trust that his contributions in the private sector will equal those of his public service.

I share the sentiments of many Senators in my gratitude and appreciation to Major Hammond for his outstanding leadership and his unwavering dedication to the Marine Corps and the country. I wish Myle and his family all the best upon his retirement.

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize a friend of education, a passionate champion for job creation and innovation, and a truly outstanding leader from North Carolina.

Dr. Tony Zeiss has served as the president of Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC, since 1992. CPCC is an institution familiar to many of my colleagues in this body. In January 2012, during his State of the Union Address, the President held up the partnership between CPCC and Siemens Energy as a model of customized training for workforce development. Central Piedmont Community College was also selected as the 2002 Community College of the Year by the National Alliance of Business.

The community college's success is due, in large part, to Dr. Zeiss's leadership and commitment to fostering innovation in workforce and career development.

Dr. Zeiss is a native of Indiana and a proud alumnus of Indiana State University, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees. He received his doctorate degree in community college administration from Nova Southeastern University.

Dr. Zeiss is passionate about his adopted home State of North Carolina and the importance of making a difference in his community. He has served on several local, regional, and national boards. He is the past chair of the board of the American Association of Community Colleges, past board chair for the League for Innovation, and was the Association of Community College Trustees' National Chief Executive Officer of the year for 2004-2005.

While it is evident he is deeply engaged in his community, the true sources of strength for Dr. Zeiss are his wife Beth, his two sons, his daughter-in-law, and his two grandchildren.

One of the first opportunities Dr. Zeiss sought out when he arrived in North Carolina was participation in Leadership North Carolina, a nonprofit organization that engages current and emerging leaders from across the State through ongoing networking and service opportunities. In 1995, Dr. Zeiss graduated from Leadership North Carolina as an alumnus of Class I. In 2005, the LNC board of directors recognized his contributions to the State by presenting him with the L. Richardson Preyer Alumni Award, presented annually to an LNC alumnus whose demonstrated leadership has made a significant improvement in the quality of life, economic well-being, and/or sense of community in our State.

Elected as chair of Leadership North Carolina in 2012, Dr. Zeiss has brought his considerable leadership experience and passion as an alumnus to strengthen the organization during his 2-year tenure. His work has positioned the program for sustainability for years to come and strengthened its reputation among leaders in business, government, education, and the nonprofit sector. The measure of a good leader is the legacy he or she leaves behind. Dr. Tony Zeiss leaves North Carolina with 950 informed and engaged leaders and has challenged them to leverage their influence for the benefit of our State and Nation.

On June 30 of this year, Dr. Tony Zeiss will complete his tenure as chair of the Leadership North Carolina board of directors. We need strong, effective, visionary leaders now more than ever. Dr. Zeiss's service to Leadership North Carolina has been focused on promoting the LNC program and soliciting financial support for its sustainability and growth, all while engaging, challenging, and informing future leaders. I join the board of directors of Leadership North Carolina in recognizing Dr. Zeiss for his leadership, vision, and determination.

As a fellow parent and grandparent, I am grateful for the example Dr. Zeiss has set for young people and the opportunities he has provided through the gifts of education and leadership. He is the embodiment of our State's motto, Esse Quam Videri, to be rather than to seem, and I ask all my colleagues to join me in thanking Dr. Tony Zeiss for his service to North Carolina.

Mr. President, I rise to join with my colleagues in addressing an issue that affects women and families across America every day; that is, wage discrimination. Over 50 years have passed since the Equal Pay Act was signed into law to require that men and women earn equal pay for equal work. Yet the wage gap between men and women remains persistently wide.

Tomorrow, April 8, is Equal Pay Day, the day that women's earnings finally catch up to what men earned during the previous calendar year. Women across our country have had to work more than 3 months into this year to match what their male colleagues made in 2013. It is time to end gender discrimination in pay.

That is why I am proud to again stand on the Senate floor as a cosponsor and strong supporter of the Paycheck Fairness Act. This important bill would close loopholes in our existing equal pay laws and ensure that gender-based pay discrimination cannot happen in the first place.

Some still question why we need this legislation. The numbers make it pretty clear. More than 50 years after the Equal Pay Act was passed women in America still earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. In North Carolina it is a little better but still far from equal. Women earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men doing the same work. To be sure, we have seen remarkable progress among women in North Carolina over the last 20 years.

Women have higher levels of education than men of the same age, and the share of employed women in my State who work in managerial and professional occupations has increased from 26 to 40 percent. While increased education has improved women's pay, it has not reduced the pay gap. Men are earning more money than women across all major sectors of the economy and at every educational level.

In fact, women in North Carolina who have some college education or an associates degree still earn less on average than men who have only received a high school diploma. In 2014, that is simply unacceptable.

I will never forget a constituent whom I met at an event back home in North Carolina. A woman had her young son with her. They both had T- shirts on that had a number on the front. The mother's shirt said ``94.'' The son's shirt said ``50.'' If earnings continue at the slow pace at which they are growing now, those numbers, the 94 and the 50, signify the ages those two individuals will be when pay equality is finally achieved.

Sadly, at the rate we are progressing, most of us in the Senate will not live to see that day. We cannot afford to wait another few decades for this change. This wage gap has real consequences, not just for women but for their families too. In North Carolina alone, women head over 500,000 households. Women and families' economic security is put at risk when they are paid less than men for performing the same job.

In North Carolina women who are employed full time lose approximately $9.8 billion each year due to the wage gap. Once again, just in North Carolina, these women, employed full time, lose approximately $9.8 billion. That is real money. That is money that could be spent on a downpayment or a mortgage for a home, put away for their child's college savings or invested in a secure retirement.

Also in North Carolina there are 108,000 households with incomes below the poverty line headed by women. Closing the wage gap would help put food on the table for them, gas in their

car, and pay basic necessities such as rent and utilities. In fact, closing the wage gap would allow a working woman in North Carolina to afford 63 more weeks of food, 6 more months of mortgage and utility payments, 10 more months of rent or 2,200 additional gallons of gas by changing that wage gap.

Addressing those disparities is critical to promoting the well-being of local economies across North Carolina and nationwide. When women thrive at work, their families and communities prosper as well. Later this week I will be voting for equal pay and to end wage discrimination. I am hopeful that partisan gamesmanship does not get in the way of a bipartisan issue that Democrats and Republicans, women and men across the country, overwhelmingly support. Congress needs to come together and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act because we need a stronger equal pay law to prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who discuss salary information with their coworkers. We need a stronger equal pay law to empower women to better negotiate their salaries and wages. We need a stronger equal pay law to provide businesses, especially small ones, assistance with equal pay practices.

On this eve of the anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, we need to close the loophole that allows pay discrimination to happen in the first place. The Paycheck Fairness Act would do just that by helping women successfully fight for the equal pay they have earned. In today's tough economic landscape, equal pay is about more than just principle, it is about ensuring an economically sound future for all of our families.

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

Madam President, I wish to speak today in support of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014.

First, I applaud the hard work of my colleagues on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee--Chairman Tom Harkin and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander.

I also commend Senator Barbara Mikulski, my predecessor as chairman of the Subcommittee on Children and Families, and Senator Richard Burr for their commitment to improving the lives of children and their families as the sponsors of this important legislation.

We can all agree that supporting our children should be a priority of the utmost importance, and I am proud of the bipartisan work done by my colleagues toward that end.

The childcare and development block grant is an invaluable program that provides assistance to low-income working families. In North Carolina 78,000 children are served every month by CCDBG funding. These children and families deserve high quality childcare so that parents, like the ones I hear from in my State every day, can go to work with the knowledge that their children are safe and receiving high quality care.

Last year, I visited Elm Street Day Care Center in Greensboro, NC, where I saw the importance of childcare, and development block grant funding firsthand. I saw how this program is helping working families in North Carolina and noted ways we could update this law to make it to work better and more efficiently.

I am pleased this bill takes a significant step toward providing more information to parents about their children's care and encourages States to follow North Carolina's lead and increase the quality of childcare centers.

Currently, States must spend at least 4 percent of their Federal childcare funds on improving the quality of childcare--including providing professional development for childcare providers, licensing and monitoring childcare facilities, and providing consumer education, so that parents have the information they need to make informed choices.

This reauthorization raises the minimum amount to be spent on quality improvements to 10 percent by 2020. As a result, we can help to ensure that children in all 50 States are receiving quality care by passing this legislation.

I am also particularly pleased to support this bill because it includes key provisions of the Child Care Infant Mortality Prevention Act, which I introduced with Senators Dianne Feinstein and Susan Collins in September.

These provisions will allow for the use of Federal funds to train childcare providers in sleep practices, first aid, and CPR for infants.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics, safe sleep practices can reduce by one-half the annual number of cases of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome--a tragedy that touches approximately 100 families in North Carolina each year.

Roughly 20 percent of all cases of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome occur in child care settings, and--with this provision--we can provide child care providers with the resources they need to prevent these unnecessary tragedies.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act.