Floor Statements

Mr. President, I was unable to cast a vote yesterday on the motion to proceed to executive session for the consideration of treaty 112-7, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I spent most of the day in Connecticut, touring the State with FEMA's Acting Administrator to assess damage from Hurricane Sandy and Federal aid for the State. I also joined Attorney General Holder, Governor Malloy, and others in New Haven to roll out a new statewide initiative to combat violence in our urban communities. Had I been present, I would have voted for the motion to proceed.

Mr. President, I am honored to follow my distinguished colleague from Alabama, as well as a number of my other colleagues who I think have disproved, at least for this afternoon, one of the remarks made by the Senator from Illinois, which is that the cable viewers who subscribe to C-SPAN may not be getting their money's worth. I think the very spirited remarks made by my colleague from Alabama, even as I disagree with them, are a very well-stated point of view that deserves to be considered.

I am honored also to follow the majority leader and the Senator from Illinois and the Senator from Virginia in the remarks they made about the need to change the filibuster rules, and I wish to associate myself strongly with them. From the very first days I have been a Member of this body, I have strongly believed the filibuster needs to be ended or at least greatly modified so as to permit the business of this great Chamber to go forward. I believe the new Members who have come here have heard that message loud and clear from the American people and that they will vote--a majority of them--to change those rules. Because all of us know, having been home for a while, the American people believe strongly that we need to do better, we need to do more, we need to address the problems of this country through majority rule, not by 60-vote rule but majority rule, at least at the beginning of the process, as the majority leader has suggested, not by violating the rules but by following the rules to change and improve those rules. So I will vote to support the majority leader's proposals in that regard.

One of the measures that has been stymied, as the Senator from Illinois very eloquently said, is the DREAM Act. I have been a strong supporter and thank him for his leadership on the DREAM Act over many years. A number of times I have come to the floor to share stories, specific personal stories about those DREAMers whose lives would be changed and who would so greatly enhance the life of this Nation if the DREAM Act were passed. I am here again to share the story of another DREAMer from Connecticut and to urge my colleagues to act on this measure.

Of course, this measure should be part of comprehensive immigration reform. I have believed since I arrived 2 years ago that immigration reform ought to be a priority. I am gratified and grateful that the President seems now to be moving in that direction and that many in this body share that view. In fact, I asked to be assigned to the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration so I could be a part of this debate, and I hope I will join leaders in this effort, such as Senator Schumer and Senator Menendez, in proposals to repair a broken system. Clearly, our immigration system is in dire need of reform, comprehensive reform that will include the DREAM Act.

I have met and I have seen and experienced firsthand the stories of these DREAMers that make the case so compellingly for the DREAM Act to enable them to earn their citizenship and continue contributing to the greatest Nation in the history of the world, America.

As we return from Thanksgiving, having expressed our gratitude for our families, for our communities, for our country, what better time to address this measure for people who appreciate, maybe more than most of us, the importance and value of citizenship.

For more than a decade, Senator Durbin has championed this measure, and I am honored to work with him in this effort. As attorney general, I advocated it at the State level. But, obviously, only the Federal Government can change the laws relating to citizenship.

The DREAM Act would give young, undocumented immigrants, brought to this country as infants or young children, through no choice of their own, a chance to earn their citizenship through education or military service. The young people who would benefit from the DREAM Act identify as Americans. This Nation is the only one they have ever known. English is often the only language they know. Their friends here are the only friends they have. It would give them a clear path to immigration status, as well as citizenship.

The DREAM Act would give these young people a chance to earn citizenship but only if they meet several requirements. First, they must have come here as children. They have to demonstrate good moral character. They have to have graduated from high school. They must have completed 2 years of college or military service. Then, having met those requirements, they can apply for legal permanent residency and pursue a path to citizenship.

The DREAM Act would enable thousands of young people in Connecticut-- about 2 million across the country--to leave the shadows, to leave the shadows of fear, of deportation from their homes and their communities, a fear that haunts them and forces them to put their careers and their education on hold, to the detriment of them and our Nation because they have so much to contribute and to give back to their communities and our country.

They are well educated and ambitious, and they could enhance and expand our society, our economy, our democracy if they are given the chance to fulfill their potential. All they want, all they ask is the opportunity to stay in this country and to earn citizenship in the place they call home, proudly.

Two million immigrants nationwide would benefit from this act. Mr. President, 11,000 to 20,000 DREAMers are living in Connecticut, and one of them is Solanlly Canas.

She was born in Colombia and she is here with us in this photograph. She was brought to America when she was 12 years old, living now in East Haven where she has attended school. She is in her senior year of high school where she has thrived as a member of the Honor Society, the Executive Board of the Student Council, and president of the Interact Club, the National Honor Society.

She has dreams and goals for the future. She is proud of being a great student contributing to the life of her school, and she hopes to study psychology some day. She wants to go to college. But her life is in danger of being on hold because of her undocumented status. On June 15 of this year, Solanlly encountered the great hope that maybe all of her hard work would be worth it, because on that date, the Obama administration announced a new policy that deferred action for childhood arrivals that gave her a temporary reprieve for relief from deportation. It extended for 2 years that relief. She would qualify, because those who

have been in this country, continuously residing here for 5 years, brought here as children, not convicted of a felony or significant misdemeanor, currently in school or graduating from high school or honorably discharged as a veteran, all would be eligible to apply.

But eligibility is all they receive. All they would gain if granted this status is a temporary reprieve, forcing them again to risk, at the end of that reprieve, the potential for deportation and aggravating the possible fear by their having to declare their undocumented status. Her fate, far from being unusual, I have shown to be common to a number of individuals whom I have specifically mentioned on the floor.

Miller Gomes, for example--I am going to have his picture be shown here--brought to this country from Brazil at 5 years old. He attended Bridgeport public schools and Fairfield University where he graduated summa cum laude, and then the University of California-Berkeley where he is now enrolled in a Ph.D. program, a Ph.D. program in chemistry. What does this country need if not more scientists? We say so every day on this floor. Here is a scientist who could contribute greatly, now in fear of deportation simply because he was brought here at 5 years old and he is undocumented to this day.

Zuly Molina, who came here from Mexico, brought here at 6 years old. By the way, she had to walk across desert-like, barren country for 15 days. She was then put in the trunk of a car--6 years old. Living in New Britain. She was so fearful of her status that she declined to go to college in Connecticut. Instead she went to Massachusetts at Bay Path College where right now she is pursuing a master's in occupational therapy, a health care worker. At a time when we on this floor talk about the need for health care skilled training, we have here someone who could provide exactly that kind of contribution.

Finally, I have talked about Yusmerith Caguao, brought here from Venezuela when she was 11 years old. She went to Norwalk schools, and graduated from Norwalk Community College. She worked her way through Norwalk Community College as a waitress, as a babysitter, as an employee at a pet store. Now she is at Western Connecticut State University pursuing a combined degree in finance and accounting.

For these DREAMers, a path to citizenship, beginning with legal status, is essential to their peace of mind but also to their continuing to accomplish academically and professionally what is their great potential, to give to their country the promise and fulfillment of that potential that this country so dearly needs. We have the opportunity to provide them with a pathway to citizenship. Hopefully it would be part of comprehensive reform. But even as a stand-alone measure it merits approval. And as the Senator from Illinois said so well, it was blocked by the requirement for a 60-vote threshold. A majority voted in favor of it during this Congress. I ask my colleagues to give it the 60-vote threshold that it needs to pass for the sake of these DREAMers and for the sake of our country.

(The remarks of Mr. Blumenthal pertaining to the introduction of S. 3636 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')

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

Mr. President, as consumers shop for the holidays, more and more consumers are buying, giving, and receiving gift cards.

By one estimate, Americans spent over $100 billion on gift cards in the 2011 holiday shopping season, and that nearly $2 billion of that value went unused.

Today I am introducing legislation to help substantially remedy that problem and to ensure that consumers receive the full value that is stored on their gift cards.

Whether it is a bankrupt company that refuses to honor a gift certificate, a gift card with hidden fees that slowly withers down to nothing, or a ``promotional'' gift card that expires in the virtual blink of an eye, consumers in Connecticut and across the nation are in danger of seeing the value of their gift cards disappear.

The Gift Card Consumer Protection Act will stop these abusive practices.

This bill uses as a model or blueprint the Connecticut law that I advocated and helped write while serving as Attorney General, but it adds to protections provided by that state law and others.

This new measure enhances and expands gift card safeguards, particularly when gift card sellers become legally insolvent and seek bankruptcy status.

It will add strong new protections for consumers when a company goes bankrupt. Under this bill, a company that files for bankruptcy must immediately

stop selling its gift cards and is required to honor existing gift cards until it goes out of business.

First, this bill will ban expiration dates and inactivity fees.

Connecticut gift card consumers have the benefit of clear and robust protections: their gift cards do not expire, and they do not carry any non-use or dormancy fees. These protections apply whether the gift card is purchased by a consumer or obtained as a rebate or bonus for the purchase of another product because in both situations, the consumer is relying on an expectation that the funds on the card will not expire and will not be depleted by fees.

As a U.S. Senator, I have often advocated for bringing Connecticut's strong consumer protection laws to the rest of the Nation, and that is what this bill does.

Under current Federal law, gift cards may expire after 5 years, and they be charged inactivity fees after 1 year. And loyalty, award, and promotional cards are not covered at all.

This bill would eliminate expiration dates and inactivity fees for gift cards, and it would include those protections for loyalty, award, and promotional gift cards.

This bill will give peace of mind and security to consumers when they purchase gift cards. They can shop with confidence, knowing that the money on their gift cards will not expire, will not diminish over time, and will not be refused if a company goes out of business.

I am grateful that many in the industry already follow these practices. Best Buy, for instance, doesn't charge fees on their gift cards and they do not expire. When you get a bonus card for a purchase, that card doesn't expire or carry fees, either. The same is true for Barnes and Noble, and others.

These practices should prevail uniformly for every company.

Unfortunately that is not the case. Some large companies assess inactivity fees after a year, others issue promotional gift cards that expire very quickly, sometimes as soon as forty days from the card's issuance.

The result is confusion and a lack of consumer confidence. ``Does this company's gift card have hidden fees? Does the money on this $20 bonus card last until I use it, or will it expire next month? This ad says I get a promotional gift card when I buy a new TV: does that mean it won't expire for five years, or will it expire in 30 days?''

The Gift Card Consumer Protection Act will address and dispel such doubt and confusion and make it clear that consumers who receive or buy gift cards whether by purchasing them directly or as part of a rebate or promotion need not worry about the cards expiring or being depleted by inactivity fees. It provides protections for gift card holders when a company files for bankruptcy protection.

The Gift Card Consumer Protection Act assures that consumers get their money's worth, no matter when they use the gift card.

I invite my colleagues to cosponsor the Gift Card Consumer Protection Act and ensure that gift card consumers do not see the value of their gift cards disappear due to unfair fees or expiration dates or a company bankruptcy.

Mr. President, as consumers shop for the holidays, more and more consumers are buying, giving, and receiving gift cards.

By one estimate, Americans spent over $100 billion on gift cards in the 2011 holiday shopping season, and that nearly $2 billion of that value went unused.

Today I am introducing legislation to help substantially remedy that problem and to ensure that consumers receive the full value that is stored on their gift cards.

Whether it is a bankrupt company that refuses to honor a gift certificate, a gift card with hidden fees that slowly withers down to nothing, or a ``promotional'' gift card that expires in the virtual blink of an eye, consumers in Connecticut and across the nation are in danger of seeing the value of their gift cards disappear.

The Gift Card Consumer Protection Act will stop these abusive practices.

This bill uses as a model or blueprint the Connecticut law that I advocated and helped write while serving as Attorney General, but it adds to protections provided by that state law and others.

This new measure enhances and expands gift card safeguards, particularly when gift card sellers become legally insolvent and seek bankruptcy status.

It will add strong new protections for consumers when a company goes bankrupt. Under this bill, a company that files for bankruptcy must immediately

stop selling its gift cards and is required to honor existing gift cards until it goes out of business.

First, this bill will ban expiration dates and inactivity fees.

Connecticut gift card consumers have the benefit of clear and robust protections: their gift cards do not expire, and they do not carry any non-use or dormancy fees. These protections apply whether the gift card is purchased by a consumer or obtained as a rebate or bonus for the purchase of another product because in both situations, the consumer is relying on an expectation that the funds on the card will not expire and will not be depleted by fees.

As a U.S. Senator, I have often advocated for bringing Connecticut's strong consumer protection laws to the rest of the Nation, and that is what this bill does.

Under current Federal law, gift cards may expire after 5 years, and they be charged inactivity fees after 1 year. And loyalty, award, and promotional cards are not covered at all.

This bill would eliminate expiration dates and inactivity fees for gift cards, and it would include those protections for loyalty, award, and promotional gift cards.

This bill will give peace of mind and security to consumers when they purchase gift cards. They can shop with confidence, knowing that the money on their gift cards will not expire, will not diminish over time, and will not be refused if a company goes out of business.

I am grateful that many in the industry already follow these practices. Best Buy, for instance, doesn't charge fees on their gift cards and they do not expire. When you get a bonus card for a purchase, that card doesn't expire or carry fees, either. The same is true for Barnes and Noble, and others.

These practices should prevail uniformly for every company.

Unfortunately that is not the case. Some large companies assess inactivity fees after a year, others issue promotional gift cards that expire very quickly, sometimes as soon as forty days from the card's issuance.

The result is confusion and a lack of consumer confidence. ``Does this company's gift card have hidden fees? Does the money on this $20 bonus card last until I use it, or will it expire next month? This ad says I get a promotional gift card when I buy a new TV: does that mean it won't expire for five years, or will it expire in 30 days?''

The Gift Card Consumer Protection Act will address and dispel such doubt and confusion and make it clear that consumers who receive or buy gift cards whether by purchasing them directly or as part of a rebate or promotion need not worry about the cards expiring or being depleted by inactivity fees. It provides protections for gift card holders when a company files for bankruptcy protection.

The Gift Card Consumer Protection Act assures that consumers get their money's worth, no matter when they use the gift card.

I invite my colleagues to cosponsor the Gift Card Consumer Protection Act and ensure that gift card consumers do not see the value of their gift cards disappear due to unfair fees or expiration dates or a company bankruptcy.

Mr. President, I am very honored to stand with my distinguished colleague from Illinois on this vitally important issue. I thank him for his leadership, and I am very proud to work with him on a problem that really shows dramatically that neglect and disregard by government regulators and enforcers can have real-life consequences.

The FDA has, very simply, failed to address this issue, and I believe it has failed even to respond to the alarms Senator Durbin and I have sounded on this issue.

Yesterday the New York Times featured an article reporting that the Food and Drug Administration received 13 adverse-event reports of fatalities following the consumption of 5-Hour Energy, which is a highly caffeinated energy shot. But this report is really only the latest of a series of reports that two popular energy drinks--Monster Energy and 5-Hour Energy--have been cited in deaths and injury. These drinks have been cited in reports of dozens of serious adverse

events such as heart attacks and convulsions. And these events are not the only concern that has been raised about energy drinks. I will cite a few.

A report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that the number of emergency room visits due to energy drinks increased tenfold between 2005 and 2009, from 1,128 to 13,114 visits.

More recently, a study of energy drinks by Consumer Reports found that some energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine--in some cases, twice as much as a cup of coffee.

The Consumer Reports study found that labels of many energy drinks completely failed to disclose how much caffeine is contained, and, even worse, 5 of the 16 drinks Consumer Reports studied contained more than 20 percent more caffeine than what was stated on the label.

These reports are profoundly and deeply troubling, and the FDA--the agency in charge of regulating the safety of these products--needs to determine whether energy drinks are safe and, if necessary, take action about their safety.

Senator Durbin and I have written two letters--one on September 11, the other on October 26 of this year--calling on the agency to take action addressing the rising public health concerns around energy drinks and to protect consumers. Have we heard anything back? Nothing. No response.

In today's letter, we reiterate our request for the FDA to investigate the interactions between caffeine and stimulants in energy drinks, to assess the health risks associated with caffeine consumption by children and adolescents, and to finalize and issue guidance that clearly distinguishes liquid dietary supplements from beverages. This issue is as profoundly and deeply important as the combination of caffeine and alcohol, which Attorneys General addressed during the time I held that job in the State of Connecticut. Alcohol makers, to their credit, did the right thing and addressed it on their own. Here, the industry has failed in that obligation. The FDA has not just an opportunity but an obligation to address this issue.

I also believe the FDA has failed to consider the shifting trends in caffeine consumption more generally and broadly that is shown by the energy drink industry, particularly shifting trends in consumption among adolescents. The industry has marketed relentlessly and repeatedly, which accounts for that dramatic statistic Senator Durbin cited that 30 to 50 percent of adolescents are known and reported to be using these drinks. Marketing and that trend have a clear connection. It is no accident that caffeine consumption and the consumption of these energy drinks is increasing.

But the FDA's determination of safe levels of caffeine seems to be based on what is safe for adult consumption, not adolescent. It does not consider consumption patterns among young people or take into account safe levels of caffeine consumption among children. And these energy drinks are marketed to young people, including children. As an example, although the FDA states that adults can safely consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that adolescents consume no more than 100 milligrams per day--less than what is contained in one dose of an energy drink. And Consumer Reports recommends that children consume no more than 45 to 85 milligrams per day, depending on their weight.

I wish to associate myself with the very persuasive and compelling remarks made by Senator Durbin today. Again, his leadership on this issue has been so valuable.

I would close by making this point. There is a lot of rhetoric that is purportedly based on principle and conviction that somehow government rules and consumer protections are a frivolous nuisance or a burden without a benefit or an unwarranted intrusion in the free market. The experience that was dramatically portrayed in the hearing of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee today offers a tragic lesson on how compounding pharmacies and the failure of government regulators to act dispositively and promptly led to injuries and deaths across the country.

My colleague Senator Alexander was present and very perceptively asked some of the most pointed questions this morning of the witnesses who came before us from the FDA and other government agencies, including the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy. That lesson this morning ought to sound an alarm for us here because the New England compounding pharmacy in that instance was a known risk to both Federal and State regulators--the FDA and the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy--and both failed to take effective action to protect the public.

The FDA in this instance has an obligation to protect the public and take action that will safeguard the health of our children and adolescents--the health of everyone--in light of the potential dangers posed by these energy drinks.

I close by again thanking my colleague from Illinois for being such a strong advocate of consumer interests and health in this area. I hope we will have a meeting soon, as we have requested, so that we can work together to make sure these products are labeled accurately and truthfully, marketed responsibly, and consumed safely.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I would like to make a brief statement regarding my vote to support the motion to proceed to S. 3525, the Sportsmen's Act of 2012. There are many worthy provisions in this bill that deserve our support. However, I remain concerned about the provision that would allow the importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before February 18, 1997. This provision would apply to trophies regardless of whether they were taken from an approved polar bear population. Prior to 1997, U.S. trophy hunters were only permitted to take bears and import trophies from approved populations; thus, only trophy hunters who killed polar bears from unapproved populations would benefit from this provision of the bill.

I find this very disturbing. This provision of the Sportsmen's Act undermines current wildlife protections, and further imperils an already threatened species by encouraging future killings for sport. For this reason, I am proud to cosponsor the amendment introduced by my two colleagues from Massachusetts to strike this provision. It would be my hope that the Senate would pass this important amendment.

Mr. President, I want to begin by thanking my colleague and friend from South Carolina who has so eloquently and powerfully stated the case for this resolution. But even before discussing resolution 41, I thank him and our colleagues who spoke today on the floor about the Rand Paul resolution.

I think this morning's debate--and I listened to it for all 3 hours, because I was presiding at the time--marked one of the finer moments of my brief time as a Member of the Senate. What I saw this morning was an articulate, thoughtful, and courageous statement against a resolution that would do grave harm to this Nation's national interests if it became law and if it bound the U.S. Government and cut off aid to these countries. I think the case stated was courageous because it very likely may prove unpopular with some elements of their own party--to put it very bluntly, the political reality here. But I think it was one of the finer moments of this body because it marked a point of clarity and a clear recognition for the need to come together as a nation when our national interests are threatened, when our national security is at stake, when the harm to this Nation requires acting together.

I am hoping this spirit of bipartisanship will also come together, as it has so far with 82 cosponsors, on the resolution we have sponsored, S.J. Res. 41. As Senator Graham has rightly observed, it began with the leadership of a handful of Senators. He was one of the key leaders, as were Senator Lieberman, Senator Ayotte, Senator Hoeven, Senator Casey, and Senator Menendez. I was proud to be among them. The spirit of bipartisanship and the strength of that spirit was really extraordinary.

Here is what we know. At a time of confusion and obfuscation, in many respects, where foreign policy is concerned, knowing with certainty some of the facts is very important. We all know from the International Atomic Energy Agency that as of November 2011, Iran had produced approximately 5,000 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 3.5 percent. We also know that this Iranian regime is the most active state sponsor of terrorism in the world, according to our Department of State. We know this regime has repeatedly expressed its desire to ``wipe Israel off the map.'' We know this regime has provided weapons training to Hamas, Hezbollah, and militias in Iraq who murder civilians and spread terror. We know it has already actively and consistently provided aid to the Assad regime in Syria in its brutal and unconscionable repression of its own people. The torture and murders that have occurred have been directly linked to Iran. We know the Iranian Government is attempting to develop nuclear weapons. If it does, it will lead to an arms race in that part of the world that will be as threatening as any other potential harm to this Nation. We know Iran would create access for terrorists to these nuclear weapons, making the Middle East a nuclear tinderbox. We cannot trust this regime. We know that fact beyond any potential doubt.

Iran's nuclear program is of extraordinarily grave concern not only to nations in that part of the world but to all nations everywhere that want peace. That is why an international coalition has come together, with the leadership of the United States of America. Iran cannot be permitted to continue its nuclear program to a point where it is capable of making a nuclear weapon.

Despite repeated calls for it to suspend or stop this program, we know with certainty that Iranian leaders show no signs of waiting or wanting to halt their program to build nuclear weapons. In fact, recent intelligence shows they are continuing to enrich uranium and develop nuclear facilities.

That is why we need S.J. Res. 41. There is no question that the administration, under President Obama, has repeatedly affirmed his commitment to such a policy. The President has made his position and the position of the United States absolutely clear. I am quoting President Obama:

Iran's leaders should understand that I do not have a

policy of containment; I have a policy to prevent Iran from

obtaining a nuclear weapon.

That is the message of S.J. Res. 41. That is the message we must convey as a nation together from all parties, all parts of the United States, and all interests, that time is limited. Time is limited to keep Iran from acquiring nuclear weapon capability.

This resolution calls for increased pressure on Iran to come into compliance with the U.S. security resolution. This resolution builds on the efforts of myself and others to call for successful P5+1 talks that would lead Iran to halt its nuclear program. This resolution says to the world that the United States and governments of other responsible nations have a vital, mutual interest in working together to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapon capability. Let's underscore the words and recognize their importance: nuclear weapons capability.

Many of us have written multiple times to President Obama outlaying a framework that would lead to successful negotiations. My hope is that the combination of strict international sanctions and international condemnation of a nuclear-armed Iran will convince that government to desist and cease its program of nuclear weapons capability building. It is not in our interest, it is not in the world's interest, and ultimately it is not in that regime's interest. If sanctions fail, we must be prepared to act.

This resolution expresses the resolution and the resoluteness of this body. I am hopeful that sanctions will work, but if the Government of Iran is unconvinced by this very compelling case, it must know that this issue is not a partisan one, it is not one on which we are divided. We stand together, we stand strong, and we are resolute and resilient. The United States and its allies will join together to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.

Again, I thank the Senator from South Carolina and all 82 of my colleagues who have joined as cosponsors. We began with a handful, but I think the compelling power and persuasiveness of the need for this resolution is carrying the day.

I yield to the Senator from South Carolina, my good friend and the leader of this effort.

Mr. President, today I rise to recognize three of our Nation's inspiring Paralympians, with Connecticut roots, who competed, along with 227 American teammates and more than 4,000 athletes from over 160 countries, in this year's Paralympic games in London. During these games, which took place from August 29 to September 9, the United States brought home 98 medals, including 31 gold medals. The exceptional drive, discipline, and dreams of these athletes are as extraordinary as the medals. Their personal stories of sacrifice and hard work, effort and energy, and aspirations turned into realities, despite setbacks and adversity, are truly remarkable.

In 1948 at Aylesbury, England's Stoke Mandeville Hospital, the idea of the Paralympics was formed, and so it is historically significant that England hosted this year's Paralympic games. Sir Ludwig Guttmann envisioned including disabled veterans in international sports competition, and in 1948 his dream was realized in the International Wheelchair Games. In 1960, Rome hosted the first official Paralympic games as we know them today. As we look back at this year's games--one of the largest Paralympics in historya--we celebrate this legacy. We are reminded of how important these games were for the rehabilitation of our disabled World War II veterans.

For Tara Profitt of Newington, CT, and member of the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Table Tennis Team, England as host country is personally significant. Ms. Profitt competed in the women's singles competition at the 1984 Paralympics hosted in Stoke Mandeville, England, but always hoped to have the opportunity to play alongside her college friend and fellow table tennis champion, Pamela Fontaine, in the women's team class. This year, in addition to participating individually in the women's single class events, Ms. Profitt and Ms. Fontaine were selected to represent the United States together in the women's team event, reuniting again on familiar territory. Ms. Profitt has credited Ms. Fontaine with inspiring her to become the athlete she is today, encouraging her to engage in sports again after the diving injury that she suffered as a teenager. They have worked hard to qualify over the past few years, traveling around the world to compete, and this year achieved the goal that they have held dearly for decades: to play together, celebrating their country and friendship on an international stage.

Representing the United States in track and field, three-time gold medalist Paul Nitz traveled from Bloomfield, CT, to participate in his third Paralympic games. This year, he was given the tremendous honor of serving as track captain for the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field team, inspiring both first-time and veteran athletes. Mr. Nitz has an accomplished athletic record: He won the Gold in the 100m event in 1992, 1996, and 2000 and broke the 100m world record during the 2012 Swiss Series. This year, I am proud to announce that he brought home the bronze in the 100m. Equally commendable, Mr. Nitz works in his community--as an employee of the Hartford Insurance Group--to positively change public perception regarding disability. In addition to his impressive athletic achievements, through his efforts at the Hartford, he has led great strides across the Nation in dispelling prejudice, misconception, and judgment.

I also applaud the Hartford Insurance Group for their commitment to the Paralympic games: Since 2003, it has been a founding partner of the U.S. Paralympics, an official division of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Five-time Paralympian Scott Danberg calls Stamford his hometown, and Connecticut has been proud to follow him throughout his impressive athletic career. Recently, as a well-known and regarded member of the U.S. Paralympic track and field team, he competed in the men's discus event, throwing his personal best for this season in London. And this year he was nominated by his fellow track and field members and then chosen by a vote by the U.S. paralympic team as our Nation's flag bearer during opening ceremonies. He adds this tremendous honor to his past accomplishments, including the bronze at the 2011 IPC World Championships, the gold at the 2010 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships in both discus and shot put, and the silver in javelin at the 1998 Paralympic games.

I hope that Connecticut's Paralympians can continue to promote international and national awareness and engagement and we can continue to come together as a nation, recognizing what unites us. Thank you for joining me in applauding our amazing American athletes and those around the world who have shown the athleticism, stamina, and national identity that transcends differences.

Madam President, I rise to protest an action by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, that punished my State of Connecticut and four other States for effectively protecting our citizens against unfair and abusive mortgage foreclosure practices.

I want to say right at the outset I am determined to fight this action along with my colleagues during the comment period that we have, to contest this very unwise, misguided, unacceptable decision. These agencies have just posted for 60-day comment a decision to increase Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's guarantee fee for Connecticut and four other States--New Jersey, New York, Illinois, and Florida.

Why? Because of the protections we have in place now against those abusive banking tactics that have so pervaded the mortgage foreclosure process and increased the length of time that it sometimes takes for foreclosure. And we have a mediation process that keeps people in their homes and enables settlements that actually save money. That is Connecticut's crime. That is the reason Connecticut and four other States and our homeowners will pay more in those guarantee fees.

Those fees, by the way, are imposed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in exchange for assuming the risk that a loan will default. These entities guarantee investors in mortgages and mortgage-backed securities, making it less expensive and easier for home purchasers to obtain financing.

The cost of the guaranteed fund is generally passed along to the borrower so homeowners will pay these increased fees. They will bear this burden, and it will be a burden not only on those homeowners, but eventually on the housing market, which is in all too slow and fragile a recovery. Also, our economy depends so vitally on the housing market.

I am proud of Connecticut. I am proud of every State like Connecticut that protects its homeowners from robo-signing or fraudulent affidavits. We believe in justice and due process. We believe in giving homeowners an opportunity to mediate with the banks because so often the banks fail to come to the table. In effect, they give homeowners the runaround. They often fail to even give them a person with whom to negotiate in good faith, and mediation forces them to come to the table.

In 80 percent of the cases where there is mediation, homeowners stay in their homes. That saves money for other homeowners in the neighborhood because their property values are maintained. It saves money for the homeowner who doesn't have to find a place to live and maybe even buy another house, and it saves money for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In fact, every time they avoid foreclosure, they save on average at least $11,000. That is the kind of savings they ought to relish, not reject. The foreclosure process around the country has rightly raised fears of abuses that Connecticut has sought to prevent. This kind of protection ought to be rewarded, not rejected.

The additional time it has taken for foreclosure because of these protections is a cost well worth the larger savings that are eventually realized. That is the reason I have determined that I will fight this new proposed guarantee fee, which increases significantly and substantially by 30 basis points for every homeowner who takes advantage of a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae loan. From the moment families take out a loan, they are faced with fees and charges that we ought to seek to minimize so we can expand and enlarge and continue the recovery in our housing market while preventing unnecessary and illegal foreclosures. I am determined to fight this fee.

I will enlist help from other colleagues who have already indicated their opposition, and I believe that together we will succeed in persuading Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that this increase in fee is misguided, unwise, and unacceptable.

I also want to speak separately and distinctly about the DREAM Act.

DREAM Act

Last week I came to the floor to talk about the importance of the DREAM Act and to share the story of a Connecticut DREAMer. I am here again with the story of a different DREAMer. This is another young person from Connecticut. Again, I urge my colleagues to take action on this critically important bill. Young people who are known as DREAMers are undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country at an early age. Some were infants. Through no fault of their own, the consequence is they are here without proper documentation. America is their home. They often know no other language. All of their life they have been here. They have no memories of the country of their origin, where they were born. Our unfair and impractical immigration system fails to give them a path to citizenship and to stay in this country, the country they know and love.

The DREAM Act would give these young immigrants a chance to earn their citizenship through education or military service. By earning their citizenship they can begin to give back to this country. In fact, they are individuals who will continue to contribute to this country and give back to it.

Again, I wish to recognize the distinguished leadership of my colleague Senator Durbin, who has been fighting tirelessly for the passage of the DREAM Act for over 10 years. At the State level I have fought for similar measures that would give rights, particularly in the area of education and tuition aid, to these DREAMers. We have succeeded in Connecticut in giving them the benefit of in-state tuition.

The immigrants who would benefit from the DREAM Act have already been helped by an order from the President that defers their deportation for 2 years. Although it defers their deportation, it does not permanently grant them any rights. In fact, if there is a change in administration, that order could be easily reversed. So the benefit is temporary and the need is for a more certain, stable, and secure solution so they can come out of the shadows, avoid being marginalized by our outdated immigration laws, gain the kind of scholarship aid they need, seek to serve our country on a more permanent basis, and benefit, but also discharge the obligations of citizenship in this country.

I want to talk today about Yusmerith Caguao. Yusmerith Caguao is a college student who grew up in Norwalk, CT. She was born in Venezuela. She came to this country when she was 11 years old. She was told by her mom that the reason for coming here was to learn English, and the idea of learning a new language in a new country was immensely exciting to her. Her family settled in Norwalk, and she began middle school a week or two after arriving in America. She remembers those early days of her life, but she also remembers the excitement and struggle. Arriving without any knowledge of English, she mastered this language. Her grades improved over time and she kept in mind why her parents had brought her to America. She was dedicated to that day when she would be successful, when she would have visions realized and dreams achieved that she could not accomplish in Venezuela.

She graduated from middle school with excellent grades. She was proud of what she had accomplished and learned, and soon after completing middle school, to her dismay, she became aware of her legal status in this country. Learning that she was undocumented affected her performance and her state of mind. By the time Yusmerith Caguao was in high school, she stopped trying to get perfect grades because she feared that colleges would not accept her anyway.

At this point Yusmerith says she became depressed and felt hopeless. She graduated high school. She had almost given up the idea of attending college, but she didn't lose hope. After she graduated from high school, she decided to continue her education in Norwalk Community College, a wonderful institution. I attended their graduation this year. It is a place that does wonders and provides immense opportunities for people regardless of their race

or background or documentation and citizenship. It did wonders for Yusmerith.

She worked at a lot of different jobs to pay for her education, from waitressing in restaurants to working at a pet store and babysitting. She continues to work to pay for her education.

Now having graduated from Norwalk Community College, Yusmerith went on to attend Western Connecticut State University. This picture is of her graduation, but we are hopeful she will have another graduation. She is currently pursuing a double major in accounting and finance at Western State University and expects to graduate in 2014. She hopes to be an accountant. She hopes to have a career where she can put her skills to work. She hopes to give back to this country. That hope deserves recognition and realization, and that is why I stand here asking this body to give Yusmerith and thousands of other young people in Connecticut, the DREAMers, that opportunity to have a secure and permanent status, a path to citizenship that they will earn through education or military service.

I am hopeful my colleagues, even in a time of tremendous partisanship, will see the importance of what Yusmerith and the DREAMers can do not only for themselves but what they can give to our Nation and us. With her skills, talent, and dedication, this Nation will be even greater. We are the greatest Nation in the history of the world, but even greater with the contributions of young people such as Yusmerith.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor a dedicated, inspiring--and one of our Nation's longest serving--emergency responders. Ross Ogden has quite literally given to the American Red Cross for his entire adult life.

Beginning his service in 1960 as one of the youngest members of the Greenwich chapter of the American Red Cross, Mr. Ogden served since his high school days with his local chapter, now known as Metro New York North. Throughout his academic tenure at Swarthmore College and then the University of Virginia, Mr. Ogden has helped and rescued fellow Americans confronting crisis, loss, and pain. He has administered aid during our most devastating national disasters, traveling around the country to join his family of Red Cross volunteers, ready to help at a moment's notice. In the wake of Los Angeles' deadly earthquake in 1994, on 9/11, and during Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Ogden risked danger to help others without hesitation. He is

now, most deservedly, the national chair for disaster services.

While giving on a national scale, Mr. Ogden maintains his regional allegiance to the Connecticut area, currently a member of the board of directors for the Red Cross' blood services in the metro north region. He is passionate about maintaining a plentiful blood supply for Americans in critical need, working as a blood volunteer for Greenwich's emergency blood coverage team.

Over the past years, Mr. Ogden has been formally recognized through two significant lifetime achievement awards, including the Clara Barton Award and the Harriman Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service, which is the most highly regarded, national recognition given by the Red Cross. Appropriately, Mr. Ogden received this high honor on the anniversary of his 50 years of service to the Red Cross. A mentor to young volunteers and passionate about inspiring citizens and communities to volunteer for the first time, he is unwaveringly committed to the future of the American Red Cross.

Mr. Ogden is a role model for all who give back. I welcome my colleagues in the Senate to join me in commending Mr. Ross Ogden for his tremendous personal service.

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize United Way of Connecticut as they celebrate their 125th anniversary and over a century of mobilizing local communities to achieve positive change.

Founded in 1887 by community leaders in Denver, CO, United Way Worldwide is now the world's largest privately supported nonprofit organization. This invaluable national network--rooted in our country's history but ever-attuned to the present--brings together a diverse collection of community stakeholders for a common purpose. Schools, government agencies, businesses, labor groups, the faith community, and many others have combined to promote academic achievement, financial stability, and healthy living. Connecticut is lucky to have 15 local United Way chapters serving communities all across the State. Remarkably, United Way of Connecticut has enhanced the quality of life for countless citizens. Almost everyone benefits from programs supported by United Way. Almost every community has critical organizations whose good work is supported by United Way.

Connecticut's United Way pioneered use of an informational database for citizens. While many States and major cities have developed an information hotline in the last few years, United Way of Connecticut had already created its ``2-1-1'' system in 1976. Connecticut's system quickly gained national recognition for its efficiency and effectiveness, and by the middle of the 1980s, it had become a model emulated by the rest of the country. In 2012 alone, this hotline was used over 550,000 times by constituents of all ages to find assistance on topics ranging from health and early childcare to crisis intervention and disaster response. This information is offered in a streamlined and user-friendly manner, and in this way, United Way and United Way of Connecticut help constituents help themselves. These excellent communication methods and this attention to accessibility at State and local levels have enabled the incredible influence of United Way throughout the Nation and world.

Sensitive to the rise of unemployment, United Way of Connecticut has also developed crucial resources that help constituents get back to work. After losing a job, many are unaware of the Federal, State, and local resources at their disposal. Thankfully, local United Way chapters can offer support, such as assistance with unemployment compensation, job training services, foreclosure prevention aid, and utility assistance programs. Every day, these United Way chapters are helping Connecticut citizens get back on their feet.

Additionally, despite challenging economic times and thanks to a robust partnership with local labor organizations, United Way has made significant contributions to alleviating hunger. Annually, on the second Saturday in May, the National Association of Letter Carriers and United Way of Connecticut team up with the Connecticut Food Bank for the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. In 2012, this invaluable initiative, which has become the world's largest 1-day food drive, collected over 70 million pounds of nonperishable food items.

When a citizen is struggling to comprehend a complex health insurance program, searching for answers about their child's development, or simply looking for a helping hand, they know that they can count on their local United Way. The Connecticut chapters have done extraordinary work in educating citizens, making accessible important community resources, and serving as a constant source of hope. I applaud the wonderful work of United Way in local communities over the last 125 years and look forward to supporting and celebrating their accomplishments in the years ahead.

Mr. President, today I proudly celebrate two of Connecticut's most outstanding teachers, who have been recognized as Connecticut Teachers of the Year. Kristen Record, physics teacher at Frank Scott Bunnell High School in Stratford, was awarded in 2011, and David Bosso, social studies teacher at Berlin High School, was honored in 2012.

Since 1952, the Connecticut Teacher of the Year program has highlighted educators who make significant impacts in Connecticut classrooms and schools. Sponsored yearly by the Connecticut State Department of Education, one teacher in each local district is nominated. These district educators of the year have the opportunity to exchange advice and strategies and partake in advisory committees, workshops, conferences, and forums, serving as changemakers for public education on a national level. A teacher from each State is selected yearly from this pool and considered for the title of National Teacher of the Year.

I applaud Ms. Record and Mr. Bosso for earning this very well deserved distinction. This yearly award highlights the vital importance of teachers in our States who can show our future leaders how to embrace accountability, self-assessment, and motivation for years to come. They demonstrate that the quest to learn does not end at school, inspire exceptional teaching, and encourage all members of a community to become involved as teachers, mentors, and coaches.

Kristen Record has been central to the Bunnell High School community for 12 years as a physics teacher, mentor to colleagues, and adviser on education policy. Community participation and lifelong learning are key principles of her successful teaching methodology. In addition to her daily responsibilities, Ms. Record is able to take a larger view of her classroom, developing updated curriculum and achievement assessments while ensuring that every student is learning effectively. She has worked with her school district and throughout the State to improve the physics curriculum, institute electronic grading methods, create digital databases, and develop more effective ways of evaluating teachers and forming professional standards. Additionally, she has volunteered as senior class adviser, supported fellow teachers as a TEAM mentor, and volunteered on the Stratford Education Association's executive board. Ms. Record is regarded as a leader throughout the State in roles to include science education consultant for the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund and the Connecticut Science Center and high school director for the Connecticut Science Teachers' Association, demonstrating that opportunities to bring about positive change as a teacher are vast and exciting. Last year, she was appointed by the Connecticut Commissioner of Education to the Legislative Task Force for Secondary School Reform. And, recognized nationally in 2009 with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, she serves as a model of engaged teaching around the country. Growing up in a family of teachers, Ms. Record has continued her legacy, sharing this wisdom and experience with our future leaders.

David Bosso earned degrees from Eastern Connecticut State University and the University of Hartford, and has

given back to the State as a social studies teacher at Berlin High School since 1998. Beloved by students, he has inspired proficiency in communication skills, analysis, and reading comprehension by comparing current events with historical patterns. Mr. Bosso has also advised student government and coached basketball. He is a national leader for social studies, serving on the board of directors of the Connecticut Council for the Social Studies, as cochair of the Northeast Regional Conference on the Social Studies in 2012, and a participant of this year's National Council for the Social Studies' annual national conference. He has been published in Connecticut History and is currently working towards a doctorate in education.

When named 2011 Connecticut Teacher of the Year, Ms. Record eloquently described her role and the important job of educators around the world, recognizing that ``tonight, we celebrate the fact that, as a teacher, you never truly know where your influence will end.'' Mr. Bosso similarly proclaimed the significant, multifaceted role of teachers, while speaking at the Connecticut Education Association's Representative Assembly this year, urging fellow teachers to ``never, never, again use the phrase, `I am just a teacher.' '' I invite my colleagues to join me in acknowledging Ms. Record and Mr. Bosso, and ask for their continued support of our concerned, courageous teachers.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor Douglas Hutton, recipient of the 2011 Milken Educator Award. He is the first teacher from Glastonbury High School to have ever received this prestigious award and the only educator from Connecticut to be awarded last year by the Milken Family Foundation.

Since 1985, the Milken Family Foundation--under the leadership of education visionary Lowell Milken and his family--has given thousands of Milken Educator Awards to top innovators of elementary and secondary education across the country. Whether teachers, principals, or specialists, these honorees are an exclusive group of experts who contribute every day to the critical debate on how we can make our Nation's schools better spaces for learning, growth, and the sparking of lifelong interests. One of the Milken Family Foundation's initiatives--through the Lowell Milken Center--is distinguishing ``unsung heroes that have changed the course of history.'' And so with the Milken Educator Award, we acknowledge our Nation's dedicated educators who are not usually spotlighted but conscientiously work to help turn ideas, thoughts, and questions into interests, passions, and projects.

Mr. Hutton has taught physics for 19 years, serving 17 of them at Glastonbury High School in Glastonbury, CT. He illuminates abstract concepts that are difficult to grasp, sharing his love of Stephen Hawkins, science, and math with his students. Through practical demonstrations, group projects, and experiments, he shows that problem- solving is challenging but rewarding. Mr. Hutton has said that teaching ``all comes down to seeing [the students'] eyes light up when they understand a new idea.''

Mr. Hutton did not apply for this award but was selected by a panel of education experts who, each year, seek out unsung teachers who demonstrate potential for and proven success in the classroom, engage in national discourse on academia, and convey an ``engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues, and the community.''

The Milken Family Foundation makes education a shared national agenda, connecting educators with other sectors of our society. The foundation's multifaceted and interdisciplinary approach brings business, government, and philanthropic leaders together in the quest for innovative, realistic, and well-tested teaching methodology. Through programs administered by the Milken Family Foundation's National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, NIET, such as the System for Teacher and Student Advancement and the NIET Best Practices Center, the Milken Educator Award regards our Nation's best early to mid-level teachers as policy figures who can contribute their practical knowledge on a national stage.

The Milken Family Foundation and especially Douglas Hutton, now a member of the Milken community, deserve thanks for restoring faith in our educational system. I invite my Senate colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Hutton, who has contributed to the lives of our young people in lasting, significant ways.

Mr. President, I rise in a tribute to Zev Wolfson, an extraordinary philanthropist and humanitarian whose great deeds are unknown to most people because he never sought to make them known. Throughout his remarkable career, Mr. Wolfson offered millions of people--of all ages all around the world--the opportunity to experience Jewish education and give back to their families, religion, and communities with dignity and pride. He dedicated his life to supporting and advocating for Jewish outreach projects, tirelessly devoted to the power and importance of faith for future generations.

Throughout his life, Mr. Wolfson constantly aided communities wherever Jewish education was endangered. He began as an advocate for the Jewish nation. Walking the halls of Congress, he vigorously and expertly supported programs and institutions in Israel, such as schools and other educational centers--many helping Jewish refugees and their children who had escaped from Arab countries. Committed to providing assistance on a global scale, he focused on a particular project and, once it was sustainable and self-sufficient, moved to the next one.

Mr. Wolfson donated millions of dollars to underprivileged areas of the United States and underserved areas of the world. He drew from the personal pain of exile to Siberia in wartime--where he carried his father's body to a place where he could have a proper Jewish funeral in the freezing tundra--and then served as a father figure to millions. He helped young people, students, and families to stay connected with the Jewish nation, in lands stretching from the former Soviet Union and Israel to France and the United States.

As deliberately and tirelessly as he advanced his good deeds, he consistently avoided public recognition for them. He gave without any expectation of praise or acclaim, and his anonymity was purposeful and persistent. His diverse and numerous initiatives--birthright programs in colleges around the country, vocational and religious education activities around the globe, and many other programs--made Mr. Wolfson one of his generation's most influential leaders, but he remained virtually unknown. Now, I invite my colleagues to join me in according Mr. Wolfson this measure of recognition for the millions of people whose lives he touched and enhanced.

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

Madam President, like many of my colleagues, I am very proud to support the Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012.

Very simply, this measure keeps faith with our veterans, offers them employment opportunities commensurate not only with what they have given to the country, what they have served and sacrificed to accomplish and give back, but also with their skills and talents and gifts that have been enhanced and enlarged by their military service. This measure addresses the chronic and persistent problem of unemployment among our young veterans. It is a searing indictment of our Nation that unemployment among these young veterans is many percentage points higher than the average population.

What is happening in this country is that a new generation is returning home--a new generation of veterans ready to work, wanting to serve in civilian life just as they had in the military. With the ending of the war in Iraq and the winding down of our presence in Afghanistan, 200,000 servicemembers are transitioning to the civilian workforce every year.

In July 2011 there were 232,000 post-9/11 era veterans unemployed. That is 12.4 percent as an unemployment rate. The August jobs report of this year shows that the most recent unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans is 10.9 percent, and for Connecticut it is just under 10 percent.

There are many more statistics that show unemployment rates for these young veterans--particularly for our enlisted men and women coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan--are higher, some would estimate double the average rate across the population. They are an indictment of our commitment and our obligation unfulfilled so far by the greatest Nation in the history of the world.

Too often in our history we have failed to keep faith, and we have left veterans behind. I have advocated measures in health care, counseling, training, and employment opportunities. But I want to focus on one measure in particular where all of us joined forces and reached a consensus as recently as last November.

The Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012 is a new measure that would provide opportunities in conservation and in other kinds of public service, firefighting, and police. But there is an existing measure whose very life is threatened because it will expire in 2012. This measure is the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, specifically the tax credits under those measures for hiring unemployed or disabled veterans. Those tax credits will expire at the end of this year unless they are renewed. That is the reason I am introducing legislation, along with cosponsors Senators Webb, Cantwell, Tom Udall, Heller, and Mikulski, that extends the VOW to Hire Heroes Act tax credit through the end of 2016.

This measure is important to be extended because it offers these veterans new opportunities, and promotes and incentivizes employers to put our veterans to work.

Hiring a veteran is not only the right thing to do to honor the men and women who have sacrificed, the men and women of our country, it also makes good business sense. Veterans are among our most highly skilled, capable, disciplined, reliable, and dedicated workers. Businesses ought to relish their services. Countless businesses big and small have already found that veterans are a tremendous asset to their workforce. This bill is important to build on the measures we have in place. Simply, it makes these veterans even more attractive.

Last month I visited the Arna Machine Company in Bristol, CT, and I talked with a young veteran whose name is Nick Saucier, a former Army sniper who served in Afghanistan and now works there as a machinist. Being a former Army sniper, Nick knows about precision and care, taking your time to be on target. He is now training to use computer-assisted manufacturing software with the same care and precision and discipline that he developed in his Army training as a sniper.

While I was at Arna, I talked to Stephen Shanahan, the president of the company, who is very proud and rightly proud of having 42 employees and growing in this tough economy. He is hiring and he said to me these tax credits have helped him fill positions with young qualified personnel who are veterans.

I have also worked with Congressman Chris Murphy to survey manufacturers about veteran hiring. This legislation is the result of those conversations and discussions, the data and the

feedback we received, as well as consultation with my friend Bud Bucha, who has helped me time and again address the challenges facing veterans.

These tax credits will expire, they will end unless we renew them. We owe it to our veterans, to our business community, to manufacturers and small businesses that want to do the right thing, to make sure they have this incentive. I have heard from employers and veterans firsthand that many of them were not aware of this tax credit, so I have proposed as part of this legislation increased measures to create awareness and spread the word about these tax incentives so that big companies with their tax attorneys, but also smaller companies that may not have the consultants and the accountants to do this kind of work, know of it and take advantage of it.

This measure also simplifies the process for veterans and small businesses to take advantage of the tax incentives. Currently, to be a ``qualified veteran,'' individuals must gain approval through a local employment agency, which can be unnecessarily time consuming and burdensome to them and to the potential employer. This bill offered today would modify the Work Opportunity Tax Credit process to allow individuals to be considered qualified veterans for tax purposes if they simply provide a DD 214, have an honorable discharge, and valid proof of unemployment.

This bill would also extend the amount of time employers have to take advantage of tax credits for hiring unemployed or disabled veterans, enhancing its use to countless small businesses as well as veterans. It would allow employers to take advantage of these tax credits for an additional 4 years, providing returning service men and women with a clear path to employment when they need it, and they will need it over these 4 years.

I am very honored that this bill has been endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, which have been championing employment opportunities for veterans.

I urge my colleagues to continue their support for veterans by supporting this legislation which will create more good jobs. We owe our veterans more good jobs. And it will grow our economy.

Let me say, finally, nearly three-quarters of a million veterans--to be more precise, 742,000 men and women--are eligible for the employer hiring tax credits. Let's do the right thing. Let's extend these tax credits. We adopted them overwhelmingly last November in the VOW to Hire Heroes Act. We have it in our power and it is our obligation to meet this challenge. For our veterans we should do no less.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.