Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my remarks.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, it is so interesting to always come to the floor and speak on topics that are important to Tennesseans and I think also to Americans. As I begin my remarks, I want to kind of build the context for this and take us back to a time I know the Presiding Officer recalls, and so do I. It was the sixties. I was a child who was growing up. I remember it as a decade where bold statements and brash behavior and activists from each side of the aisle set the standard for what we today look at and say is a modern-day political protest. What we saw in this decade was once-sleepy college campuses became the scenes of widespread unrest. Tensions were high and conditions were perfect for what else but a Supreme Court battle.

In September 1969, a group of students attending Central Connecticut State University decided they wanted to organize a local chapter of the organization Students for Democratic Society. The university president rejected the application, claiming that the SDS philosophy was ``antithetical to the school's policies'' and could be a disruptive influence on campus.

Now, I am sure he thought he had a good point. The national SDS organization was known for its fiery protests,

and its now-notorious acts of civil disobedience. They made it their business to make authority figures nervous. Nervousness, however, is not an exception to the First Amendment. The students knew that, so the lawsuits started flying. The students' case finally made it to the Supreme Court, which held that ``the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States applies in full force on the campuses of public colleges and universities.'' That case, Healy v. James, was a win for free speech. Although precedent continues to trend in the right direction, the First Amendment is in danger on the American college campus. From so-called free speech zones to severely restricted speech codes, campus officials are doing their best to ensure that students are protected from anything that may challenge their preexisting notions of right and wrong.

Instead of creating a safe environment, these policies have backfired, creating an atmosphere of fear and violence toward opposing viewpoints.

Just this past April, protesters at the University of Texas at Austin used smoke bombs to shut down a pro-life speaker at a Young Conservatives of Texas event.

In 2017, the editorial staff at Wellesley College's student newspaper threatened hostility toward anyone whose beliefs--their beliefs; not just their words but their beliefs--did not fit into the acceptable liberal mold.

That same year, Middlebury College campus--their left behaved so disgracefully that one progressive columnist begged the students at his alma mater to find a way to protest views they disagree with without shutting down speech entirely.

In the face of such hostility toward free and open debate, I ask this body, what have we done, and what can be done to turn back the tide?

Today, on the eve of National Higher Education Day, I am introducing the Campus Free Speech Resolution of 2019. It is a first step in restoring sanity to free speech for American college students. This resolution first and foremost recognizes that free speech zones and restrictive speech codes contradict the guarantees of the First Amendment. It recognizes that universities should protect the free and open exchange of ideas and that freedom of speech is worth protecting in a world increasingly hostile to democracy.

Through this resolution, I encourage the Secretary of Education to promote policies that encourage intellectual curiosity, viewpoint diversity, and debate. Last but not least, I encourage the Attorney General to defend and protect the First Amendment.

Standing by as universities surrender to activists who value their own comfort over the free exchange of ideas isn't just a mistake; it is a moral inversion.

We have a duty to make sure younger generations understand that protecting the First Amendment means protecting one another in the public square--even if we want more than anything to shut down what we are hearing. I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend your right to say it.

Above all, we have a duty to help them understand that an America where curiosity is replaced by suspicion, where debate is replaced by intimidation, and where speech is replaced by silence is no America at all.

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Maine for her leadership in today's activity as we commemorate the Senate's action in passing the 19th Amendment and sending that to the States for ratification.

It is amazing to think that it was 100 years ago today--today--that women in this country still did not have the right to vote. When we think about Nashville, TN, today, we are thinking about country music, bachelorette parties, pro-sports; in the summer of 1920, Nashville, TN, was the focus of individuals on both sides of the debate over women's suffrage because that summer was the final push to get the 19th Amendment ratified so that women would forever have the right to vote. Suffragists from all across the country looked to Tennessee in that last-ditch effort to pass an amendment before the 1920 Presidential elections.

As it all came together and as everybody was coming into Nashville-- you had the red roses on one side and the yellow roses on the other side--the battle was heating up. The Tennessee House of Representatives had been called back into a special session so that they could debate this issue: Would women receive the right to vote? Would Tennessee agree to vote for ratification of the 19th Amendment?

The pro and anti suffragists flooded that city. Those who opposed enfranchisement, wearing those red roses, went to extreme lengths to prevent a vote. At one point, legislators actually fled the State to prevent a quorum.

They left the State so they would not have to say where they stood on the issue of women having the right to vote. But let me tell you, against those Tennessee women, against suffragists from across the country, all wearing their yellow roses, those legislators never stood a chance.

You have all heard of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but let me introduce you to a few more of those fierce female fighters from the summer of 1920. There was Anne Dallas Dudley from Nashville, who was really quite an organizer; Abby Crawford Milton; Sue Shelton White from West Tennessee; and, as has been mentioned, Ida B. Wells, who was from Memphis. They are all Tennesseans who fought tirelessly on behalf of suffrage and brought the State's house of representatives to that fateful vote on August 18, 1920.

The Senator from Maine talked a moment earlier about a young legislator, the youngest member of the House of Representatives in the State of Tennessee. His name was Harry T. Burn. Harry was from Niota, TN. He was a freshman house of representatives member. He switched his vote from nay to yea, broke a tie, and made history. As the Senator from Maine said, he did it because of a letter written to him by his mother, who reminded him that he should be a good boy and help Ms. Catt--Carrie Chapman Catt--put the ``rat'' in ``ratification.'' He did, and so it was official: Tennessee had become the 36th and final State needed for ratification of the 19th Amendment.

That journey from Seneca Falls, NY, to Nashville, TN, was hard- fought. Sometimes we don't think about how long it took. It was a 72- year journey--72 years--from the Seneca Falls Convention to that final vote in Nashville, TN.

Think about this: The women who started this push for women's suffrage were not alive to see it become the law of the land and become a constitutionally guaranteed right. And the women who voted in that 1920 Presidential election, many--most of them were not even alive when the fight began. But the women who started the fight did it because they knew that women receiving the right to vote was a worthy fight. Today, we owe them so much gratitude for the work they did 100 years ago today in pushing this through the U.S. Senate.

My colleague, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, has joined me in working to pass the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act. We are doing that here in the Senate, and in the House, two of our colleagues--Representative Elise Stefanik from New York and Brenda Lawrence--have introduced a companion bill.

The legislation authorizes the Treasury to mint silver coins honoring the work of women suffrage activists. The coins will be issued in 2020, which also marks the centennial anniversary of the passage, the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Proceeds from sales of the coin will support the important work of the Smithsonian Institution's American Women's History Initiative.

It is my hope that because of this, more young women will look to history for guidance and feel very proud of what they learn about the women suffragists, that the little girl who is following her mom into the voting booth will begin to understand and appreciate why so many women are standing in line at the polls to cast their vote, and that women who want to change things in their community or their State or their country will stop waiting for someone else to take the lead and will realize they are empowered to do this because of actions that were taken over 100 years ago.

In 1916, famed suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt stood before the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and she declared:

The time has come to shout aloud in every city, village,

and hamlet, and in tones so clear and jubilant that they will

reverberate from every mountain peak and echo from shore to

shore: The Woman's Hour has struck.

Indeed, the woman's hour did strike and shout, these ladies did.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, as in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 1235 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Barrasso amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, yesterday, Tennesseans were really filled with a bittersweet pride as President Trump awarded posthumously the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor to a heroic Tennessean, Sergeant Verdell Smith.

His watch with the Memphis Police Department ended on June 4, 2016. On that day, an armed gunman stole a car and led Memphis police on a chase into the downtown area. Officer Smith responded to the call and worked quickly to clear the pedestrians from an intersection directly in the path of a speeding car. Then the unthinkable happened. Before the police were able to apprehend him, the gunman crashed through a barrier and fatally struck Officer Smith.

Valor is a word that is defined as ``great personal bravery.'' Valor, you don't hear it a lot, but valor is that great personal bravery in the face of danger, and I think there is no better way to describe the actions of Officer Smith.

I honor him on behalf of all Tennesseans for his service in the U.S. Navy, for his 18 years with the Memphis Police Department, and for his final act of heroism.

Madam President, as I reflected on Sergeant Smith's story, I began to think about Memorial Day and the ways we honor the valor of every soldier who has made that ultimate sacrifice. One of the first official Memorial Day observances was in 1868, and it was just over the Potomac River in Arlington National Cemetery. If you have not been there to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, I encourage you to do that.

In 1868, individuals gathered to honor those who had lost their life in the Civil War, and they gathered to decorate the graves of the fallen, both the Union and Confederate soldiers. This set a precedent for what would become a national day of unity. Think about that, a national day of unity, of mourning, and of remembrance. As the years went by, Americans took greater steps to memorialize the fallen and those who have exercised valor and have chosen to make that ultimate sacrifice.

After World War I, observances were expanded to honor those who fell in all American wars. Finally, it was in 1971 that Congress declared Memorial Day to be a national holiday. Since then, each year, at the end of May, cities across the Nation have lowered their flags to half- staff as a silent reminder of the cost of the freedom.

Just like Sergeant Smith, the fallen warriors we honor this Memorial Day made a choice to serve this Nation. They knew it wouldn't be easy. They knew it would be dangerous or even deadly, but they knew that it would be worth it because it would be a step in preserving freedom and freedom's cause. It is this choice--and the choice to serve bravely and selflessly on behalf of a grateful nation--that we remember, as we debated crucial legislation supporting our Armed Forces.

Memorial Day marks the conclusion of Military Appreciation Month, which has provided each of us an opportunity to unite and reflect upon the heroic courage of all the members of our Armed Forces. We thank them continually for the service they provided and the sacrifices that they and their families make on behalf of this Nation and freedom.

Yesterday, members of the Armed Services Committee--of which Madam President and I are each a member of this committee--completed our first steps in ensuring that this year's National Defense Authorization Act fully funds the resources our military needs to defend against the threats that we face on land, by sea, in air, and of course in the cyber realm. Our proposed $750 billion national defense budget will more than support this goal and includes a much-needed and well- deserved pay increase for our military men and women.

The NDAA, as it is called in an acronym that we hear around here so regularly, is just one piece of our greater promise to care for soldiers on and off the battlefield. As Members of Congress, we have a duty to keep the promise to those who bravely defend the safety and the security of the American people. Also, we have a responsibility to those whose brokenhearted vigil we join this Memorial Day weekend.

Just as valor lived in the hearts of the fallen, so does their sacrifice endure in the life of every person blessed to call this great country home.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I think many of our colleagues here in the Chamber know that Senator Alexander and I host a breakfast on Tuesday Mornings called Tennessee Tuesday. This week at the breakfast, one of our Tennesseans said: I have seen so many men and women in law enforcement uniforms in DC. What is going on? Is this normal?

It gave me the opportunity to say: Actually, this is National Police Week, and this is a week we set aside to honor those men and women who are in law enforcement.

There are tens of thousands of police officers and sheriffs and highway patrolmen across our country. My hope is that each of us will stop this week when we see them and say ``thank you'' to them for the service they provide our communities, because when it comes to fighting so many of the issues that affect our communities on a day-to-day basis--the issues we face because of drugs and drug trafficking, human trafficking, gangs--it is our local law enforcement that is on those frontlines, and we say ``thank you'' to them.

This year in Tennessee, three officers have lost their lives. During this week, we remember them and express our gratitude to their families for their service and their sacrifice. We lost Trooper Matthew Elias Gatti from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, who died on Monday, May 6, 2019; Sergeant Steve Hinkle from the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, who died on Tuesday, February 26, 2019; and Police Officer Nicholas Scott Galinger from the Chattanooga Police Department, who died on Sunday, February 24, 2019. As I talk to our sheriffs and police chiefs and patrol captains, I know there are many more who have been injured, and we remember them.

We also say ``thank you so much'' to the families of these men and women who have chosen--you know, they really are called. This is their calling to public service, and we thank them for answering that call and that they choose to serve in our communities to keep us safe so that we know our communities are a place where we can rear our families, where we can enjoy camaraderie with family members, with friends, with our churches.

I will tell you, as I was thinking about this week, I thought, there are so many moms and grandmoms who I think are pretty much like me. Many times I will say I am a ``security mom.'' I want to make certain that my children and my grandchildren are safe, that our children are safe when they go to sporting events and when they go to school. We say a prayer when they get behind the wheel of a car. We are so grateful that there are law enforcement officers who are there at public events to keep them safe, who watch out if they are going to be speeding on the road and provide the security that is so essential to our way of life.

I have the opportunity as one of these security moms, if you will, to serve on our Senate Judiciary Committee. Just last week, Chairman Graham brought forward three bills that we approved. These are things that are going to help law enforcement officers and their families-- providing mental health support for law enforcement and their families, which is vitally important, and, of course, lifesaving bulletproof vests, which are now essential, and ensuring that our first responders get the benefits they have earned by standing for that duty. When they get ready to retire, those benefits are going to be there.

This week, I have joined Senator Cornyn on his Back the Blue Act, and I thank him for his leadership. I think many of us who stand in this Chamber know that we stand to back that ``thin blue line''--that line is the difference between order and chaos in our communities. This bill is going to create new penalties for killing or assaulting law enforcement officers and will protect officers from lawsuits when they intervene to stop a violent crime. It is a commonsense provision, and I am pleased to be in support of this bill.

As we talk about law enforcement and security and having safe communities, we also need to remember our Customs and Border Patrol agents and officers who are on the southern border. When you talk about being a security mom, of course you are going to talk about economic security, healthcare security, job security, and national security, but border security is a part of that. It is a way that we work to keep our communities safe.

We all know there is a humanitarian crisis on the southern border. Much of it is fueled by cartels that are big business. They deal in drug trafficking and human trafficking. It is our first responders who address this in our communities and on our city streets. The issues and the lack of security at that border have created an environment where now, at this point, every State is a border State and every town is a border town because those problems that come across the southern border with the human trafficking, with the drug trafficking, with the gangs-- all of this ends up on the streets in your community.

We are working on legislation that we hope is going to help with this situation. It will target traffickers of unaccompanied minors in the care of Health and Human Services. One of the things that has not happened and needs to happen is that Health and Human Services and Homeland Security need to be able to share all of the information they have on individuals who are bringing these unaccompanied children, individuals who say ``I am a next of kin,'' individuals who say ``I am here, and this child is coming to me.'' We want to make certain they are in the country legally. We want to make certain they have a relationship with these children so that we are protecting and looking out for the security of these children and making certain they are not being trafficked.

As we talk about our children, some of the trafficking--of course, much of the trafficking takes place in the virtual space. It takes place online. It seems impossible, but that is what happens with the human trafficking and the sex trafficking. The adverse impact that this has on young girls and women is horrifying.

Because of my work to prohibit these traffickers from working online, we are pushing forward with privacy legislation. You and I do not want our children to be followed online. That is what is happening, and it is why we need to make certain that moms have the tools they need--that parents have the tools they need--to guard the privacy of their families online.

I recently introduced the BROWSER Act. This is legislation I introduced while I was in the House of Representatives. It is one of the first bipartisan privacy bills we have had. The BROWSER Act will require you to give your consent if you are going to opt in and allow someone to share your information, to have access to your sensitive information.

In this Nation, we have a history of respecting informed consent, and that is what we are saying--that individuals need to give their consent to a company before that company looks at their private information or, worse yet, data mines or, worse yet, shares that information about those individuals with third parties--people they do not know, people they have never seen, people they never will see. Then that tech company--guess what--sells ads. It is paid with your information.

The BROWSER Act also prohibits companies from denying their services to users who refuse to waive their privacy rights. You have a right to privacy, and these companies should not deny you their services because you

say: You cannot share my information. You cannot share my sensitive information. I am not going to opt-in to allow you to do that, big tech company. I am also going to opt-out on non-sensitive data. I am not going to allow you to do that. I do not want my children followed, and I do not want you to be following me. I do not want you to sell my information. I do not want my spam to run crazy with ads and information I do not want.

Individuals deserve their privacy. Americans deserve to know they are protected and have that privacy in the online universe. They deserve to know they are not going to be followed and they are not going to be tracked.

While we are talking about technology, I'd like to bring attention to the global race for 5G, or fifth-generation wireless technology. You are hearing a good bit about this. It doesn't matter if it is in our commercial sector or in our military sector; we are at the forefront of this debate to make certain that we win this race on 5G--that China does not get a foothold, that Huawei does not penetrate our delivery systems--and to make certain that we win this race just like we did the race to 4G, which brought forward a lot of the technologies we all use and take for granted, like those devices we hold in our hands on which we receive our emails, make our phone calls, send text messages, pull up maps, get to a favorite site on which we want to make a purchase, and log on to social media accounts. This is all from a handheld device, and it is what 4G brought us. Well, 5G is going to be as revolutionary as going from analog to digital, and we are going to stay on top of this to make certain we win this race.

Because of this, we have a couple more pieces of legislation that I am going to discuss on the floor at a later date. We have the SECURE 5G and BEYOND Act. Senator Cornyn has the lead on that. I have the SUPPLY CHAIN Act, which will be focused on security in the virtual space and make certain that we will be rooting out these threats that may come to our supply chain and affect our private sector or our governmental sector.

We know it is imperative that, yes, we win the race in 5G but that we protect our networks and that we secure them so the American public knows that its information is not being exploited.

As a mom who values and puts a priority on keeping children and grandchildren safe, it is an honor for me to come to this floor to salute the men and women of law enforcement and to talk about what we need to do every single day from this Chamber to protect our Nation's security and to protect our citizens.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I wanted to spend just a few minutes today speaking with my colleagues and also with Tennesseans about an issue that we hear so very much about every single day. The issue continues to persist. It is our border, and we all know--and, indeed, you read in news count after news count--that yes, indeed, there is a crisis at our border.

Just a few months ago, we had some of our friends who are in the other Chamber who kept saying: Oh, this is manufactured; oh, there is nothing to it.

But as we hear from law enforcement professionals, as we hear from ICE, from DHS, and from the Border Patrol, we have a crisis. Our border is strained to the breaking point.

The real humanitarian crisis at the border is escalating. There are people who are being brought in through Central America, through Mexico, and they are stranded in the desert without food and without water. During the summer, sometimes you have temperatures above 100 degrees.

Our border is at a breaking point, and it is, indeed, time for this body to do something about it and to support these Agencies that are on the frontline dealing with this crisis every single day.

What we know from our hearing that we held yesterday at the Senate Judiciary Committee is that ICE is facing mounting challenges when it comes to expediting the deportations that need to take place. Abuse and exploitation of the asylum process overburdens our court system as illegal immigrants flood our borders claiming persecution.

Our country historically welcomes people who are fleeing political persecution, but there have to be tighter rules on these asylum seekers. The percentage of those who have valid asylum claims is actually relatively low compared to the number who are applying for these protections. I will tell you that I welcome President Trump's moves to raise the standards.

Last week, the President directed the Department of Homeland Security to enact several new asylum changes. As part of these new policies, the President imposed a new deadline for the immigration courts to meet. He directed that cases in immigration courts be settled within 180 days of those being filed.

Tennesseans want to see government accountability. They want to see it across every Agency. Certainly, when it comes to immigration policy, they want this accountability. They know that with a 6-month deadline, it is exactly the kind of accountability that is needed.

Here is the problem that ICE is facing when it comes to meeting that 180-day standard. Right now, as of yesterday at our hearing, they had more than 800,000 cases that were pending. Think about that. Your court system has 800,000 cases that are pending. There are exactly 400 immigration judges that are there to hear these 800,000 cases. Do the math on that. Think about how many cases that would be.

It is a 2-year wait at this point to get the case heard. So ICE needs additional judges. That means they need additional officers, and that means they need additional funding in order to meet the load.

I asked Director Asher how long it would take them to ramp up in order to be able to hear these 800,000 cases. She said: months, maybe a year, maybe a little bit longer. It depends on when they get the authorization to expand the court system. It depends on when they get the funding for it.

All of this time, what continues to happen? Cases continue to be piled onto that backlog. If we took action today, and if we approved their ability to expand their capacity to have more judges, to have more agents, to have more officers, and to have more resources, it would be a year by the time we worked through this process. It might be as many as 1.5 million cases that they are working on.

This is one of the reasons that it is imperative that we close some of the loopholes that are being used in the asylum process and work through closing these loopholes to help secure this border. It is something that would be of assistance to those who are trying to meet the need that is there from people crushing our border, putting that foot on American soil, and claiming asylum and persecution.

Another thing we talked about in yesterday's hearing is trafficking. We all know that cartels are big business. Cartels deal in trafficking drugs. They deal in trafficking human beings, which is disgusting, and they look at human beings to move them for labor trafficking, for sex trafficking, and for gangs. They look at that as part of their business.

I know Senator Cruz talked about his EL CHAPO Act, which would allow those seized assets from these drug lords to be used to help pay to secure that border, because stopping this trafficking is something that is an imperative. It really is true that until we secure this southern border every town is, in essence, a border town and every State is a border State because illegal immigration no longer is a problem that is confined to those States that are on the border. We see this all across our country, and it is heartbreaking--you talk about the trafficking of human beings, the sex trafficking, and the effect that has on girls, when you talk about the drug trafficking and the heartbreaking effects that has on families in every single one of our communities. Opioids, fentanyl, heroin--we all see it.

God bless our local law enforcement. Next week we are going to honor our

law enforcement, but God bless them for the work they do in our communities. Here is a good example. Just this past January, our Customs and Border Patrol seized the largest amount of fentanyl in the agency's history ever--largest amount. They seized nearly 254 pounds of fentanyl from a Mexican national trying to enter the United States. It was enough to kill more than 115 million people. That is the volume that 1 person was bringing over--enough fentanyl to kill 115 million people. This is why we have to make certain we secure that border.

As I mentioned, the trafficking of human beings is taking place. Another of the problems is that many adult sponsors who are seeking custody of children are here illegally themselves. The traffickers have adults grab a child; they are coming to the border. The child is then transferred to someone else in the country, and that individual is here illegally. It is difficult to find out how that child is connected to the adult they are taken to. Sometimes it could be a labor gang. Sometimes it could be a prostitution ring. We don't know. I commend the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, which are taking steps to close a big loophole here. Last April, the two agencies entered into an agreement to ensure that relatives of these children are not above the law. Under the agreement, DHS and HHS promised to share information about these adult sponsors so that ICE can run criminal and immigration background checks on them. This agreement is a powerful tool in the fight to stop trafficking of migrant children. So long as law enforcement can keep running these criminal background checks on these sponsors, we can hold more adults accountable and keep these children safe.

Finally, I want to touch on the wall because Border Patrol Chief Provost told me during the hearing yesterday that the wall was working. The San Diego sector has 14 miles of the new double fencing that has been approved by Congress. It is the first of the sections of the new wall. Previously, some of the old walls were 6 feet high, and they were made out of landing mats, and they were not successful in deterring illegal entry. The new walls are 30 feet high, and they stand on steel bollards. The barrier is making it tougher for illegal immigrants to sneak across, and it is helping our agents. Our agents have told us repeatedly--not for the last few months or the last couple of years but, get this, for 20 years--for 20 years, they have said we need three things: We need a barrier; we need better technology; and we need more agents and officers on the ground.

These men and women deserve our best efforts, and we should be giving them what they need. Our immigration system is full of legal loopholes and physical vulnerabilities. I applaud the President's new asylum changes, and I urge each of my colleagues to support law enforcement's needs. They are consistent in asking for these three things--barriers, technology, and agents. This is what they need in order to help keep our Nation safe.

So as we consider how much we value our safe communities, how much we want our communities to be safe and happy and prosperous, I encourage each of us to think about these agents who are working to protect that southern border, to deal with human trafficking, to deal with sex trafficking, and to keep illegal drugs off our streets.

Thank you.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleagues and celebrate National Small Business Week. I love this poster that they have prepared today because Tennessee is right at the heart of this.

For over five decades, National Small Business Week has been an opportunity to recognize the tremendous contribution of small businesses and entrepreneurs to the American economy.

We know and we hear it said so often that there is nothing small about small business because of the economic impact it has. I tell you, the statistics really do bear that out.

According to the most recent report from the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy for my home State of Tennessee, there are over 603,000 small businesses located in our State. Now, 99.4 percent of all the businesses in our State are small businesses. That speaks to the health and vitality of our economy.

Collectively, these small businesses employ over 1.1 million people, and that accounts for 42.3 percent of the entire workforce in the State. So small business has an enormous footprint in the State of Tennessee.

Now, we have heard a lot about the booming economy in recent weeks, and as we celebrate Mother's Day this week--and I do hope it is a happy Mother's Day for everyone. We know

this economy that is booming, that is growing, with record-low unemployment numbers, with economic vitality, wage growth that we have not seen--we know this is an economy that makes the lives of millions of working women and those families' lives better, and we celebrate what this economy is doing for the Nation as a whole.

Specific to Tennessee, as we celebrate Mother's Day, we celebrate these women-owned businesses. What we do know from the research that is out is that Tennessee is the fifth best State in the country for female-owned small businesses and that they are seeing dynamic growth in both revenue and employment.

Now, the economic gains that have come about because of the tax cuts and the regulatory reforms that have been enacted by President Trump, voted on, pushed through by congressional Republicans, have changed the economic landscape of millions of Americans.

Since tax reform was signed into law, 3.2 million new jobs were created, 90 percent of the taxpayers have received a bigger paycheck, and jobless claims are at the lowest they have been in 50 years.

Here is the connective tissue between these encouraging stats and what I hear back in Tennessee. Because the economy is strong, now is a great time to grow or to expand or to start a new business. Entrepreneurs feel confident so they are betting on themselves and making decisions that they need to make in order to succeed: They are hiring that new employee, adding a new store or a new location, and daring to turn their dreams into a reality.

Small businesses are the key driver of our turbocharged economy, and we will continue to do all we can to help them thrive.

I will tell you also, as a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, that I want to thank those entrepreneurs who are veterans, who are stepping up at record rates in our State and are starting their small businesses.

Some of these deal with services that are needed and products that are needed by our military post or used by our National Guard. These veterans make great small business owners, and they also make great employees. The skills they learn defending our Nation while they are in uniform are uniquely well suited to succeed in business: the discipline, the focus, the resilience, the ability to plan, to adapt, to work collaboratively with others in order to get a job done.

Indeed, for themselves and their families, they are getting the job done. These are the hallmarks of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, but they are also the qualities of successful entrepreneurs. We are thrilled they choose to call Tennessee home.

The importance of the American small business is gauged not only by facts and figures. The true value of our small businesses comes not just from their contribution to the American economy but also their contribution to another American Dream fulfilled.

Entrepreneurship is the embodiment of the American dream. It is about men and women pursuing their passions. They work hard, save their money, make a plan, and put that plan into action. Oftentimes, they struggle, sometimes they will end up failing, but they pick themselves up, preserve their right to move forward, push forward, and they never stop trying. Our economy and our Nation are stronger and better for their efforts.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I just have to say a couple of words about the economy. Since my colleague from Ohio was speaking of the economy, I will say this: Showing respect for workers and for work means that you show respect by realizing that the best way to stimulate the economy is with a job. That is something we have seen this administration and, I will say, a Republican-led Senate, and, previously, a Republican-led House do--generate tax reform, which is giving us economic growth that we have not seen in years. Economic growth of 3.2 percent is what our GDP numbers were last Friday--3.2 percent. We haven't had that in a decade.

How do you respect people? You create opportunity. How do you show respect for workers? You open doors. That is what you realize. It is not the government that creates jobs. It is the men and women who build businesses, who grow businesses--the men and women who say: I have an American dream, and I want the opportunity to make that dream come true.

That is an element of respect, and this President and Republican leadership have delivered on that with every single opportunity we have had.

I disagree with the philosophical approach that my colleague from Ohio has expressed, and I would encourage all Senators to look at what is happening in their communities and look at the jobs growth. Tennesseans are so excited that there is a growing economy and that they have more money in their paychecks at the end of the month.

Mr. President, Senator Sullivan was mentioning his Teacher of the Year from Alaska. As I begin my remarks about some wonderful things that have happened with women and for women and by women in this country, I want to mention that I just left a visit with our Tennessee Teacher of the Year--Melissa Miller from Columbia--who teaches in nearby Franklin at the elementary school. We are thrilled for her and are honored to have her here in DC. I join in praising her for the great work that she does for children by encouraging them to learn how they best learn so that they can live their versions of the American dream.

Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1235, the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act. It was introduced by Senator Gillibrand and me.

It was 150 years ago this month that the National Woman Suffrage Association was founded by Susan B. Anthony and a group of very brave suffrage activists who fought for all American women to have the right to vote. This bipartisan measure honors the centennial and the legacy of the suffrage activists with a commemorative coin to be minted by the U.S. Treasury.

As we approach the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment next year--also called the ``Susan B. Anthony Amendment''-- Americans are rediscovering the history of women's suffrage and the movement and the stories of the women who led it to victory. These stories are a vast part of our Nation's history, but they are not often discussed, which is something that we are seeking to change. It would be a tragedy if the stories of these trailblazers were forgotten by future generations. It is our hope that by passing this important measure--and it is bipartisan--we will help to keep their memories alive.

We often take women's right to vote for granted, as if it were something that was an inevitable outcome in our history. In truth, winning the vote for women was anything but inevitable. It required 72 years--think about that, 72 years--of ceaseless agitation by generations of dedicated, fearless suffragists who fought against centuries of law and millennia of tradition.

I quote Susan B. Anthony: ``I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand.''

The women's suffrage movement began in July of 1848 with the first women's rights convention that was held in Seneca Falls, NY, which is Senator Gillibrand's home State. That fight concluded in August of 1920 in Nashville, TN, which is my home State.

Tennessee was the 36th and final State needed to ratify the 19th Amendment. So we did. In true Tennessee style on that hot August day in downtown Nashville, a 24-year-old freshman State representative named Harry Burn, from McMinn County, TN, changed his vote from no to yes, ensuring the amendment's adoption. Why did he change that vote, you may ask. Because his mother--Miss Febb, as she was known--wrote him a letter that reminded him to be a good boy and to vote for the amendment.

As we get ready to celebrate Mother's Day this month, the story of Harry Burn and Miss Febb is a great reminder of how important it is for each and every one of us to heed our mothers' advice. Mothers are always right.

Consider how remarkable it is that the 19th Amendment was not ratified until 132 years after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788--132 years. The 19th Amendment marked the single largest extension of voting rights in American history. Many of the women who led the movement did not live to see their mission accomplished, and many of the women who cast their first votes were not born when that movement began. As the first female Senator from Tennessee, I feel it is my duty to honor the life and the legacy of those brave suffragists.

I am so pleased to have worked with Senator Gillibrand on this truly bipartisan celebration of a milestone in our Nation's history. It is cause for further celebration that we are able to introduce this legislation in a Chamber where, for the first time in U.S. history, one-fourth of its Members are female. I am also delighted to report that our legislation has the support of all 25 female Senators.

As we approach the centennial, it is our hope that this commemoration will increase public awareness and appreciation for the history of the women's suffrage movement. Honoring women who exemplify patriotism is an excellent example of what Washington can achieve when both sides come together and remember the maxim that there is more that unites us than divides us.

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

Thank you, Mr. President. Today I rise to speak about the legislation I introduced to the Senate this week, S. 1116, the

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

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