Floor Statements

Madam President, I rise this afternoon to call on the Senate to move and pass H.R. 6540, which is the Defense Level Playing Field Act, a bill which was passed overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives yesterday.

This is a bill that is identical to a bipartisan provision I have introduced here in the Senate with Senators Brownback, Cantwell, and others from States that know the value of American aerospace. It is a bill that will require the Pentagon to take into account illegal subsidies to foreign companies in our country, and that will finally deliver an even playing field in our procurement process.

But above all, this is a jobs bill. It is about protecting skilled, family-wage jobs, manufacturing jobs, and engineering jobs--jobs with technical skills and expertise that are passed down from one generation to the next; jobs that not only support our families during a very difficult economic time but are also helping to keep our communities above water. These are jobs in communities in Kansas, in Connecticut, in California, and in my home State of Washington. They are jobs that support small businesses, they pay people's mortgages, and they create economic opportunity. These jobs right now are at risk. Why? Because of illegal subsidies that undercut our workers and create an uneven playing field for America's aerospace workers.

This is a commonsense, straightforward way to protect American aerospace jobs from unfairly subsidized European competition. It is a bill that specifically targets a major job-creating project--the Air Force's aerial refueling tanker contract--as a place where we can begin to restore fairness for our aerospace workers. This bill says that in awarding that critical tanker contract, the Pentagon must consider any unfair competitive advantage aerospace companies have, and there is no bigger unfair advantage right now in the world of international aerospace than launch aid.

As my colleagues may know, launch aid is direct funding that has been provided to the European aerospace company Airbus from the treasuries of European governments. It is what supports their factories and their workers and their airplanes. It is what allows them to price their airplanes far below those that are made here in the United States and still turn a profit. It is what allows them to literally role the dice and lose on a product and what separates them from American aerospace companies, such as Boeing, that bet the company on each new airplane line they produce. In short, it is what allows them to stack the decks against American workers.

In July of this year, the World Trade Organization handed down a ruling in a case that the United States brought against the European Union that finally called launch aid what it really is: a trade- distorting, job-killing, unfair advantage. That is what the WTO said. It is one of our Nation's most important trade cases to date. The WTO ruled very clearly that launch aid is illegal, it creates an uneven playing field, it has harmed American workers and companies, and it needs to end.

Specifically, the WTO found that European governments have provided Airbus with more than 15 billion Euros in launch aid, subsidizing every model of aircraft ever produced by Airbus in the last 40 years, including, by the way, the A330--the very model they are now putting forward in the tanker competition. The WTO ruled that France and Germany and Spain provided more than 1 billion Euros in infrastructure and infrastructure-related grants between 1989 and 2001, as well as another billion in share transfers and equity infusions into Airbus. They ruled that European governments provided over 1 billion in Euros in funding between 1986 and 2005 for research and development directed specifically to the development of Airbus aircraft. In fact, the Lexington Institute states that launch aid represents over $200 billion in today's dollars in total subsidies to Airbus.

Launch aid has very real consequences. It has created an uphill battle for our American workers and American aerospace as a whole. Because of launch aid, our workers are now not only competing against rival companies, they are competing against the treasuries of European governments. At the end of the day, that has

meant lost jobs at our American aerospace companies and suppliers and the communities that support them.

I have been speaking out against Europe's market-distorting actions for many years because I understand that these subsidies are not only illegal, they are deeply unfair and anticompetitive.

My home State of Washington is, of course, home to much of our country's aerospace industry, and I know our workers are the best in the world. On a level playing field, they can compete and win against absolutely anybody. But, unfortunately, Airbus and the European Union have refused to allow fair competition. Instead, they use their aerospace industry as a government-funded jobs program, and they use billions in illegal launch aid to fund it.

So let me be clear about one thing. The objective of this bill that was passed overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives yesterday is not to limit competition; it is to make sure everyone can compete on a level playing field. Airbus has made it clear they will go to any lengths to hurt our country's aerospace industry. We need to make it clear we will take every action to stop them because this is not only about the future of aerospace; it is about jobs right now that will help our economy recover. In fact, as we look at ways to stimulate job growth and keep American companies innovating and growing, we shouldn't look any further than this bill.

This bill is a commonsense policy. It makes sure U.S. Government policy translates to Pentagon policy because the fact is that the U.S. Government, through our Trade Representative, has taken the position that Airbus subsidies are illegal and unfair. Yet, on the other hand, the U.S. Department of Defense is ignoring that position as we look to purchase a new tanker fleet, and that does not make any sense--not for our country, not for our military, and certainly not for our workers. The WTO made a fair decision. Airbus subsidies are illegal and anticompetitive. Now the Department of Defense needs to take that ruling into account.

When I go home and talk to our aerospace workers in Washington State, I want to be able to tell them we have evened the stakes. I want them to know their government is not looking the other way as policies continue to undercut their jobs and their opportunities. I want them to know that while they are working to secure our country by producing the best airplane in the world, their government is doing everything it can to make sure fair opportunities are there that will keep them on the job.

It is time to take these job-killing subsidies into account. It is the right thing to do for our workers, for our economy, and the future of our airspace industry.

Madam President, I would just ask what the order is at this point.

The unanimous consent agreement was that the Senator from Texas would proceed after I had yielded the floor, which I had not yielded.

Madam President, I believe there was an agreement that the Senator from Texas follow my remarks.

Madam President, then I ask unanimous consent for an additional minute.

Madam President, we are asking for a level playing field with a bill that passed the House. This is a discussion we have had many times. It says that illegal subsidies from any company should be taken into account on a deal in front of the Pentagon.

I will stand anytime and fight for fairness and competition. I am sorry this has been objected to, because it meant our country would have a fair competition.

I yield the floor.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today--and before I speak, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Boxer of California be the next Democratic Senator speaking after I conclude and Senator Hutchison has concluded on the Republican side.

Following the Republican speaker.

That is correct. The Senator is correct. I am merely asking for----

Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. President, I come to the floor this afternoon to speak and join in the effort to repeal don't ask, don't tell.

This policy has failed in its intended goals. It has done a tremendous disservice to the men and women who want nothing more than to defend our country, and it is time for this policy to go. I want to begin this afternoon by talking about a true hero from my home State of Washington named Margaret Witt.

She joined the Air Force in 1987 and served honorably for 18 years as a flight nurse--rising to the rank of major. She was described in reviews and by her peers as being an exemplary officer, an effective leader, and a skilled and caring nurse.

But in 2004 her superiors discovered she was a lesbian and, acting under don't ask, don't tell policy they suspended and ultimately discharged her. Margaret lost the job she had given her life to, and our country lost a talented and committed flight nurse.

She did not give up. She went to court. She called witnesses. She made her case. In September of this year, U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton ruled that she must be reinstated. Judge Leighton said the government gave no compelling reason for dismissing Major Witt, and that the application of don't ask, don't tell was not shown to further the government's interest in promoting military readiness.

That was the right decision, and it was amazing news for Major Witt. She is now working with disabled veterans in Spokane, WA, but she says she is excited to get back in the air and back to helping the troops who need her.

Major Witt is a true hero. Her commitment to our country should be recognized and honored. But she should never have been put in this position. She has the skills, the experience, and the commitment to do her job. The fact that she is a lesbian does not change that one bit.

There are so many reasons to repeal don't ask, don't tell and to do it now. This policy destroys lives. We have all heard stories like Margaret's. There are thousands like it, and for every one we hear there are so many more who suffer silently, whose lives and livelihoods are devastated--not because of something they did but because of who they are: men and women who are kicked out of the military or who are forced to lie to everyone they work with, who go to sleep petrified they will be found out about and discharged, and who wake up dreading another day of mandated deceit and dishonesty.

It is wrong. It needs to end.

Don't ask, don't tell is depriving our armed services of talented men and women at a time when we need our best on the front lines defending America. We are fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we cannot afford to lose critical assets simply because they are gay.

Finally, we also know that repealing don't ask, don't tell will not have an adverse impact on the military. We have heard from military leaders who support this repeal. The Pentagon recently came out with their report that showed that repealing this policy would not inhibit their ability to carry out the missions they are charged with.

In fact, that report said 70 percent of servicemembers believe repeal would have little to no effect on their units.

Repealing don't ask, don't tell is the right thing to do. It is right for our country. It is right for our military. It is right for Major Witt and thousands like her. It is right for people like Rebekah. She is a young woman from Spokane in my home State. She wrote me a letter a couple of months ago and told me she is a senior at Eastern Washington University, and her dream for years has been to join the U.S. Army. She wrote to me and said:

I believe the military is an honorable calling. One of

self-sacrifice and dedication--and I would be proud to call

myself a soldier.

But there was a problem. Rebekah told me the very sense of honor that called her to serve her country was preventing her from acting on her dream because she told me she is a lesbian. She is very proud of who she is. As long as the official policy of the United States Army is to ask her to bury that pride, to tell her to keep secret a large part of who she is, and to ask her to live what would essentially be a lie, she simply will not be able to serve our country.

Rebekah told me that nothing would make her happier than to be able to graduate this coming spring and start her journey standing up for our Nation. She does not want to feel that she should be ashamed of who she is, and she should not have to.

We need to repeal don't ask, don't tell so young women like Rebekah will not stop dreaming of growing up to serve our country, and so that every man and woman in our Armed Forces can serve their country openly and with pride. We have heard the stories of the lives this policy has ruined. We have heard from top-ranking military officials that it simply does not work. We have heard from servicemembers that they, too, want it to change. Today, this afternoon, with this historic vote, this country will move a step forward in being proud of every man and woman who serves their country.

For far too long, men and women with courage and commitment to serve our Nation have been asked to hide the truth about who they are. It is shameful. It is a bad policy. Today, it will end.

I look forward to the vote this afternoon and the courage of this Senate to stand up and do the right thing today.

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

Mr. President, I move to lay that motion upon the table.

The motion to lay upon the table was agreed to.

Will the Senator yield for a question?

Mr. President, I ask the Senator to yield for a question.

Mr. President, I would ask the leader through the Chair, is he aware that the bill that is before us, that apparently we do not have enough votes for now, has gone through a very long committee process? The transportation and housing bill that I worked with my Republican colleague on, I did not agree with all of his requests, but I gave him a lot in this bill, as we worked our way through it and passed it out of subcommittee, passed it out of the full committee, a committee of which the minority leader is a member.

All of the bills that are involved in this omnibus bill--every one of them--went through a long, long process of committee hearings, subcommittee markups and passage, and full committee markups and passage.

The changes to this bill that have come to the floor have come as a result not of a change in policy, but because we all were told that in order to get an omnibus passed, we had to reduce the amount of that bill that passed out of committee--each of those bills a significant amount--to meet the McCaskill-Sessions level. So we went back and cut a significant amount out of each one of our bills. The result is the omnibus bill before us.

So the 2,000 pages that we are referring to have worked their way through a process. I would ask the leader if he knows this. And the difference is, we had to cut money to meet the level of Sessions- McCaskill. That is what we have before us. And that is what we are being told, after a year's worth of work, that somehow we do not have the capability of knowing what is in the bill. Is the leader aware of that?

Right.

Mr. President, I wish to join in a colloquy with my ranking member, Senator Bond, to correct clerical errors to project and attribution tables in the transportation, housing, and urban development title to the Omnibus Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2011.

Senator Casey should be added for attribution to the Economic Development Initiative project for the city of Wilkes-Barre, PA.

The project under the Bus and Bus Facilities Account for Longview Transit Vehicle Replacements, Clark County, WA, should read Longview Transit Vehicle Replacements, Cowlitz County, WA.

The project under Surface Transportation Improvements Bench Boulevard Improvements, Helena, MT, should read Bench Boulevard Improvements, Billings, MT, where the project construction will be taking place.

The project under Surface Transportation Improvements for the Maritime Fire and Safety Administration, WA, should read Maritime Fire and Safety Association, WA.

Senator Boxer should not be listed for attribution to the Marin- Sonoma Narrows, CA, project under the Surface Transportation Investments account, and she should be listed for attribution for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, SMART, CA project under the Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grant account.

The project under the Surface Transportation Improvement Account listed as SR 522 Corridor Improvements should read SR 522 Corridor Signal Improvements, 61st and 181st Street, WA.

Additionally, Senator Franken should be added as a requester of the Economic Development Initiative project for the Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, MN, Renovation of Homes for the Disabled.

I have confirmed with my staff that these projects have been properly disclosed and have been certified to be free of any pecuniary interest.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, one of the many values that makes America so great is that no matter where we start off from in life, we believe that we all deserve to have a shot at the American dream.

We all deserve an opportunity to work hard, support our families, and give back to the Nation that has been there for us all of our lives.

This is an American value I cherish. It is one I feel very strongly we ought to maintain and strengthen. And it's why I stand here today to talk about the DREAM Act, which would help us do exactly that.

This bill is about giving those that know no other country but the United States an opportunity.

An opportunity to give back as a successful member of society, an opportunity to serve in the military and to risk their lives to defend the values we hold dear, an opportunity to reach a legal status that allows them to come out of the shadows, and an opportunity to reap the benefits of the fact that they have worked hard and played by the rules.

The DREAM Act would allow a select group of undocumented students a path to become permanent residents if they came to this country as children, are long-term U.S. residents, have good moral character, and attend college for at least 2 years or enlist in the military.

Under this bill, tens of thousands of well-qualified potential recruits would become eligible for military service for the first time.

These are young people who love our country and are eager to serve in the Armed Forces during a time of war.

It would also make qualified students eligible for temporary legal immigration status upon high school graduation which would lead to permanent residency if they attend college.

And most importantly--it would tell young people--who have studied, who have worked multiple jobs, who have often overcome poverty and hurdles that few other young people face--that the American dream is alive and well.

This is about our values as a Nation.

But it is also about real communities. And real people in my home State of Washington and across the country.

I recently heard from a student named Jessica who is a senior at Washington State University.

Jessica shared how she is on the verge of completing her degree and would like nothing more than to continue on to get her master's degree in education so she could give back to her community.

But like so many young people who would benefit from passage of this bill, for Jessica this is simply not a reality.

Because we cannot move this bill, Jessica's dream of helping to improve our education system has been dashed.

Jessica writes that while the rest of her classmates attend career fairs and interviews she battles with the nightmare of having to do menial labor for the rest of her life or returning to a country she has never known.

She ended her letter about the chance this bill would provide her by saying the following:

The DREAM Act is the only hope that I have to be a

productive citizen in the future.

I am amazingly thankful for the opportunities that this

country has offered me and my family and the only thing that

I want to do is to give back.

I would like to be given the opportunity and privilege to

be able to obtain the American Dream which is entitled to the

citizens of this beautiful country.

Please don't continue to close the doors on exemplary

individuals.

We want to become a part of this nation and continue to

live on the values and principles written in the Constitution

because this is the only way we know.

The only way that can happen--the only way any of these young people can get that shot--is if we pass this bill.

Jessica is just one of the young people whose life this affects--but I have received hundreds of stories just like hers.

And this issue touches so many more across the country.

This bill is a first step towards fixing an immigration system that is clearly broken with real solutions that will help real people.

And for me, this isn't just about immigration, it is about what type of country we want to be.

America has long been a beacon of hope for people across the world.

And I believe that to keep that beacon bright we need to make sure young people are given a shot at the American dream.

The dream that was there for me, that is there for my children and grandchild, and that is there for millions of others across this great country.

So once again, I am calling on Senate Republicans to end their long efforts to block this legislation.

Let's pass this bill today. Let's allow young people who have lived nearly their entire lives here to help boost our economy, help enrich our schools, and help defend our country.

Let's get back to common sense.

And let's keep working toward comprehensive immigration reform that helps our economy, affords the opportunities we have offered to generations of immigrants, maintains those great American values that I hold so dear, and improves our security.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 3987, introduced earlier today.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I came to the floor this afternoon to speak on behalf of thousands of families in my home State of Washington who stand to lose everything they have because a few Republican Senators continue to put politics ahead of policy. Men and women in my State from Seattle to Spokane, who lost their jobs through no fault of their own, get up every single day; they scour the want ads; they send out their resumes and desperately try to find work in an economy that continues to struggle. These workers do not want to be where they are. They would like nothing more than to be back on the job doing what many of them have been doing for years--working hard and adding value to their companies and contributing to their communities and providing for their families.

But while they struggle to find work, many of them depend on the unemployment insurance programs we put in place to keep their heads above water. This support has allowed these families to put food on the table, to stay in their homes, and to pay for their children's health care. These programs are not extravagant. But for a lot of our workers today, they made all the difference.

Workers such as a woman named Judy Curtis, who lives in Mill Creek, WA, wrote to my office urging us to do everything we could to reauthorize this program. She is a single mom who worked hard her whole life to support herself and her developmentally disabled son Sean. She told me she has been laid off twice since this downturn began and has been looking for a new job every day but without any luck.

Her unemployment insurance is going to be cut off on January 15 unless we reauthorize it. She does not know how she and her son are going to make it if that happens. So it is because of stories like hers that I am so disappointed we are once again throwing families into a state of uncertainty and turmoil by allowing these emergency unemployment programs to expire today. It does not make any sense.

Our economy still has a long way to go on the road to recovery. There are five job seekers for every open position today. The unemployment rate stands at 9.6 percent, and Senate Republicans think now is a good time to cut families off from the support on which they depend? We cannot allow this to happen. We cannot sit on the sidelines while more families are pushed into bankruptcy and lose their health care and their homes are foreclosed on. We cannot stand by and watch as our working families who have already been pushed to the brink by this financial crisis--that they did not create by the way--are now shoved to the edge through no fault of their own. It is wrong and it does not make sense. It does not make sense to pull billions of dollars out of our economy. It does not make sense to remove purchasing power from so many families. And it does not make sense to lose the multiplier effect of these funds that keep millions of workers on the job. It certainly does not make any sense to do this right before the holidays.

I have to say, I find it very interesting that some of the Senators who oppose extending this support for middle-class families are the very same ones who have no problem extending

the Bush tax cuts for the richest Americans that will cost us almost $1 trillion. They talk about helping the economy. But economists across the board agree that unemployment insurance programs are one of the best ways to provide a much needed boost. So for those Republicans it is not about the deficit, it is not about what is best for the economy, it is certainly not about good policy, it is about politics, plain and simple.

I am going to keep fighting to maintain these emergency unemployment compensation benefits through next year for Judy Curtis's family, for thousands of families like hers across Washington State, and for millions in America. These programs were not meant to continue indefinitely. But until our economy gets back on track, it would be devastating to cut those families off from this critical lifeline now.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I have been working very hard over the last several months to extend the critical sales tax deduction for families and small businesses in my home State of Washington and in a number of other States in this country. I know how important this is to middle-class families in my State, and I have heard from so many of them about how important it is that this deduction be extended.

But every time we brought forward a bill that would help these families, Republicans have banded together to block it. They would stand here on the floor and say they objected to the way we paid for this deduction or they did not like some of the other tax cut extensions we included in the bill. They gave different reasons each time, but they refused to come to the table with real solutions for this serious issue facing middle-class families.

I have been urging Senate Republicans to change their minds, and finally, on Monday night, Senate Republicans came forward with a proposal. Their bill came at the 11th hour, and it stripped away all of the other tax credits that would have helped families, clean energy companies, and small businesses.

Senator Baucus was here and he objected to it because he wanted to focus on a tax cut extension bill we had been working on for many months that already had the support of a majority of the Senate. But extending the sales tax deduction is too important for families in my home State of Washington to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

So over the last several days, I have talked to a number of my colleagues about this. I made sure they understood that this issue is about more than the political back-and-forth in DC; it is about real people in my home State of Washington. It is about removing a bias in the Tax Code that is fundamentally unfair to our families. It is about putting more money into their pockets at a time when they can use all the help they can get.

So I am here to say that after many conversations with my colleagues on the Democratic side, they have agreed to set aside their objections and allow the sales tax deduction extension to pass this evening because, frankly, this issue shouldn't be controversial, and the livelihoods of middle-class families shouldn't be used as a political football in election year games.

So in just a minute I will ask unanimous consent to pass a bill that pulls the sales tax exemption out of the legislation we had it in before, which will allow it to stand alone tonight. It is what Republicans offered us on Monday night, with one small compromise. It is very close to the version the Republicans offered. I can't imagine they are going to object to it this evening, but rather than a permanent extension that I and many others would prefer, what I will offer is to extend the sales tax exemption alone for 1 year, which will offer greater stability and confidence for middle-class families in these tough times. I believe this is a reasonable compromise, and I believe it can and ought to pass tonight.

I was proud to work with my colleagues to put politics aside and advance this proposal that will help people and solve problems. It is very narrowly drafted for just the State sales tax deduction. I know it is important to my State and to many, and I hope the Republicans will allow this to go forward tonight.

So I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 3617, that all after the enacting clause be stricken, and the text of S. 35, as amended, with the amendment at the desk, be inserted, and that the amendment be agreed to.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the measure be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, while the Senator from South Dakota is here, I wish to make sure he understood what I offered tonight. It is what the Republicans offered to us on Monday night, which is the simple extension of just the sales tax deduction, which I know affects his State as well as mine, for 1 year. So I want him to understand that is all I have asked to do tonight, to just extend the sales tax deduction which I know is important to his State and to mine, and I would again ask the Senator from South Dakota if he would allow us to move forward with just that deduction this evening.

Mr. President, I would again ask the Senator from South Dakota if we could just extend not the rest of the package but just the sales tax deduction, as your side offered to us on Monday night.

Mr. President, I just have to say I am really confused by this because what we have offered is simply what the Republicans agreed to--offered Monday night, and I have come back to offer it again. It is perplexing to me on an issue that is so important to my State, and to several other States, that we can't now, a few days later, do this. So I am not sure we are not just having games about this. It is extremely important to people in my State, and I am deeply disconcerted that the Republicans have not agreed to allow us to just pass the State sales tax deduction for 1 year.

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

Mr. President, today I wish to congratulate a hard-working

Washingtonian, Mr. Shannon McDaniel, on his well-deserved retirement on October 29, 2010, after 30 years of dedicated service to Washington State agriculture.

As the manager of the South Columbia Basin Irrigation District, Mr. McDaniel has overseen the provision of water to 4,000 landowners and farm operators on 230,000 acres of farm and ranch lands in eastern Washington. Through his leadership and extensive knowledge of irrigated agriculture, Mr. McDaniel has brought certainty to many farmers in the South Columbia Basin Irrigation District by closely and responsibly managing important water delivery infrastructure.

Mr. McDaniel has assisted me and my colleagues in Congress with the drafting and passage of legislation important to Washington State farmers. He worked closely with both the State and Federal Government to foster strong working relationships with organizations such as the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bonneville Power Administration, as well as with numerous water resource and industry associations to ensure the highest quality of service to farmers and ranchers. Shannon also served as an invaluable resource to the Grand Coulee Project Hydroelectric Authority, the Columbia Basin Development League and the Columbia Basin Project.

The abundance of awards and honors that Mr. McDaniel has received demonstrate his hard work and commitment to Washington State. He has received many prestigious awards including, the National Water Resources Association President's Award, the Washington State Water Resources Association Water Resources Leadership Award and the Bonneville Power Administration's Administrator's Excellence Award for Exceptional Public Service.

On behalf of all Washingtonians, I commend Shannon for his many years of dedicated service to our State. His knowledge, experience, and commitment to dependable irrigation will be sorely missed. I congratulate Shannon and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Mr. President, I congratulate Child Care Resources of King County for 20 years of service to the community. This organization is a leader in King County and occupies a critical role for children and families within the community. Through promoting equity for all children, establishing community stability, and helping children prepare for school, Child Care Resources of King County has impacted and helped shape the lives of many Washingtonians.

As a former preschool teacher, on the first day of class it was easy to identify which students had participated in high-quality child care before entering my classroom. We know that children who participate in high-quality care are better prepared for school and more likely to lead a successful life. Child Care Resources of King County has worked tirelessly for 20 years to ensure children in King County have access to high-quality care and enter school well prepared. Additionally, they work to incorporate culturally relevant care that reflects a child's culture and language which builds positive self identity and improves school readiness.

I believe strongly in the Child Care Resources of King County and their mission. Congratulations to them on a job well done and I wish them twenty more years of continued success.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I congratulate Child Care Resources of King County for 20 years of service to the community. This organization is a leader in King County and occupies a critical role for children and families within the community. Through promoting equity for all children, establishing community stability, and helping children prepare for school, Child Care Resources of King County has impacted and helped shape the lives of many Washingtonians.

As a former preschool teacher, on the first day of class it was easy to identify which students had participated in high-quality child care before entering my classroom. We know that children who participate in high-quality care are better prepared for school and more likely to lead a successful life. Child Care Resources of King County has worked tirelessly for 20 years to ensure children in King County have access to high-quality care and enter school well prepared. Additionally, they work to incorporate culturally relevant care that reflects a child's culture and language which builds positive self identity and improves school readiness.

I believe strongly in the Child Care Resources of King County and their mission. Congratulations to them on a job well done and I wish them twenty more years of continued success.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.