Floor Statements

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) and the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Stabenow) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) and the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Stabenow) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

I will speak briefly because I put a statement in the Record, but I just want to say, Tom, that next to the State of Illinois, I spend more time campaigning in your State of Iowa than any other State. Obviously the Presidential caucus brought me over there, and I have come to know your home State of Iowa and to appreciate that even though there is an extraordinary Iowa-Illinois democratic organization, it is a tough State and there are elections that are hotly contested.

I recall that when I was running for the Senate in 1996, you called into our headquarters and spoke to my campaign manager, who said: How is it going, Senator Harkin?

And you said: I am besieged.

It was a tough campaign, but you survived it and many others. I think it is because of two things: No. 1 is your dogged determination, and No. 2 is your commitment to values that you have never given up on.

I think there is an authenticity to Tom Harkin that has saved him in tough years. People who disagreed with you respected you because you stood up for what you believed in. Some of the ideals you and I believe in may not be as fashionable politically as they once were. There was once a time when I worked for a man named Paul Douglas who called himself in the Senate ``a good liberal.'' You don't hear that word much anymore, do you? But the fact is, those of us who believe there are moments in our Nation's history and in the lives of ordinary people where the American family, through our government, needs to step in and help--and you have done it. You have done it so

many times. I won't repeat all that has been said, but whether you were fighting for working families, fighting for the poor, fighting for the disabled, fighting to make sure every family had peace of mind when it came to food safety--I am not sure that has been mentioned, but the Senator from Iowa worked on that, and I thank him for that leadership and inspiration.

Finally, let me say I have been happy to team up with you on this issue involving for-profit schools.

I will tell my colleagues that the Senator's hearings set a standard in terms of asking the right questions and hard questions of an industry that by and large exploits young people and their families, sinking these kids deep in debt at the expense of American taxpayers and doing it many times with the promise of nothing but a worthless diploma when it is all over.

I know, because I have tried, that the industry--the for-profit colleges have friends in high places in Washington, DC. I can promise you this: As long as I can do it physically, I will continue to wage this battle in your name and in your memory because of all your leadership in this area.

Thank you for being a friend. Thank you for being a neighbor. And thank you for really standing up for the right causes over the course of your public service.

Madam President, I want to express my appreciation to Chairman Levin and Ranking Member Inhofe for their work on the defense authorization bill being considered in the Senate this week. It is officially titled the Carl Levin and Howard P. `Buck' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015. It couldn't be more appropriate.

This will be the 54th year in a row that Congress has passed the Defense Authorization. It has never been an easy task. Senator Levin has had a great deal to do with that annual labor of love. He has served as the highest ranking Democratic member on the committee since January 1997, and he has served as its Chairman for eleven of the last 14 years. Every year, he has kept the needs of our service members and their families front and center.

It isn't an easy job. The Committee provides congressional oversight for more than half of all domestic discretionary spending . . . it analyzes every program line by line . . . and in this case worked with Members of both parties and both chambers to craft a consensus product. But the result is that our service members who are on the front lines will have what they need to protect our national security.

In that spirit, this bill sustains in responsible ways the active duty, National Guard, and reserve forces our nation relies on every day. Even in this tough fiscal environment, the bill authorizes a 1 percent pay raise for military personnel below the general officer level. It increases access to mental health care in a number of ways, including lifting the limits on inpatient mental health services, and requiring annual person-to-person mental health assessments. Finally, it reauthorizes the family support programs our military families so richly deserve.

The agreement also deals with a topic I have cared passionately about for many years: tobacco. This is a serious subject. Smoking rates among service members are 20 percent higher than the rest of America and the use of chewing tobacco is 450 percent higher. Tobacco-related medical treatment and lost work time costs the Pentagon $1.6 billion every. Yet, military stores have been selling tobacco products at steep discounts for years. On paper the discount is 5 percent. But an independent review found discounts as high as 25 percent because of lax enforcement and ill-defined community comparisons.

So I appreciate that this defense authorization carries a provision similar to one I authored earlier this year in the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to end this harmful subsidy. This is a commonsense reform that will protect the health of our Nation's troops. It will literally save lives. I look forward to continuing to work with the Department to tackle this culture of tobacco use head on.

This bill also contains several provisions to reform the way the military prevents and responds to sexual assault in the military. The Department's most recent report outlines how pervasive and insidious this problem continues to be. The prevalence of sexual assault has decreased slightly, and we see more victims coming forward. But it remains one of the most complex and damaging threats to our armed services today. More than 6 in 10 female service members continue to report that they have been retaliated against for reporting the perpetrators of these criminal acts.

Congress has instituted many reforms, including Special Victims Counsels. This year's defense bill contains several additional policy changes. But we must continue to hold the Department's leadership accountable for significant progress on this issue.

In addition to these national priorities, the Defense authorization bill includes several provisions that will strengthen military assets in Illinois. Rock Island Arsenal on the border of Illinois and Iowa is a remarkable place. For example, at the height of the Iraq war, the Arsenal was the single largest source of Humvee armor kits to protect our troops against IED blasts. Its factory is one of the few places in the country where our military, on short notice, can quite literally turn raw metal into critical equipment for our troops.

The Armed Services Committee has worked with me each year to ensure that the Arsenal can compete for workload and partner with the private sector. This year's bill builds on this history by updating the Civil War-era Arsenal Act to ensure that the Army manages arsenals with wartime needs in mind.

The bill also extends the joint pilot program in North Chicago at the Lovell Federal Health Care Facility. This is the first national effort to integrate health care across the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is the future of health care for service members and veterans. The Lovell Health Care Facility is working to advance integration of everything from electronic medical records to pharmacy programs.

Finally, the bill also authorizes $26 million for an Army Reserve Center in Arlington Heights, IL, and $19.5 million for Family Housing at Rock Island, IL.

Chairman Levin and Senator Inhofe have brought to the floor a thoughtful and balanced bill for our men and women in uniform, and I urge members to support this compromise.

I announce that the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Begich), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Udall) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Harkin) is necessarily absent.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 573, S. 2828.

I further ask unanimous consent that the committee- reported amendments be withdrawn; the Menendez-Corker substitute amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read a third time; and the Senate proceed to vote on passage of the bill, as amended.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3044 and S. 2785 and the Senate proceed to their immediate consideration en bloc.

I ask unanimous consent that the bills be read a third time and passed and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3329 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I further ask unanimous consent that the King substitute amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed; and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3468 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I further ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

The bill (H.R. 3468) was ordered to a third reading, was read the third time, and passed.

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

Madam President, first let me commend my colleague from North Carolina, Kay Hagan, who has been an extraordinary asset in the U.S. Senate. She has shown political bravery to the highest degree over and over again, taking what she knew were the right votes even when they were politically tough votes. I just listened to her farewell address and I couldn't agree with her more, that she put the people of North Carolina ahead of everything else in terms of her service in the U.S. Senate. It has been an honor to serve with her, to get to know her husband Chip and her family, and I wish her only the best for whatever her future undertakings may be.

Death in Custody Reporting Act

Madam President, on Tuesday I was pleased to chair an important hearing in the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights that took a look at the state of civil rights in America today.

We heard compelling testimony from our colleagues, including Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, Congressman Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, and Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota. We also heard from civil rights leaders Wade Henderson and Laura Murphy, and from Dr. Cedric Alexander of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

It was a powerful hearing. We talked about Michael Brown of Ferguson Missouri, Eric Garner of Staten Island, and the growing sentiment across our Nation that the criminal justice system needs to be improved.

In particular, we talked about challenges that our Nation faces when it comes to restoring the trust of the minority communities in our government. Every witness, every Senator at the hearing agreed. We need to do more--not just wring our hands but to hold hands together and find solutions.

One issue we discussed at the hearing was the need for law enforcement to be more transparent. We discussed important legislation--called the Death in Custody Reporting Act--that would mark a significant step forward when it comes to transparency. The Death in Custody Reporting Act would take the simple step of requiring States and Federal law enforcement agencies to report to the Department of Justice basic statistical information regarding deaths that occur in law enforcement custody. This would include information about the name of the deceased, when the death occurred, how it occurred, and which agency was involved. It would apply when a person is being arrested or detained by local, State, or Federal law enforcement and when a person is incarcerated. The bill also directs the Attorney General to study this information and provide recommendations on how these deaths can be reduced.

It seems like such a simple matter to require accurate information to be collected. In fact, Congress used to require that information, but it expired in 2006. As a result, we have not had accurate national statistics regarding deaths in incarceration and custody.

Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that it surveyed police departments about deaths that occurred in police custody between 2007 and 2012 and found that more than 550 deaths occurred during that time and were not included in national statistics.

As we engage in a national conversation about reforming police tactics, we need accurate data in order to make the right reforms. At our hearing, our witnesses from the civil rights and law enforcement community agreed it was time to start gathering this information.

I am pleased that last night at the end of the session, the Senate passed the Death in Custody Reporting Act by unanimous consent. It is an important step forward toward transparency, accountability, and restoring confidence.

Let me give credit where it is due. For years this legislation has been championed by my friend Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia. I commend him for his dedicated efforts. I also commend my colleague Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who has strongly advocated for this bill in the Senate, including in our hearing on Tuesday.

Let me also give thanks to Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and House Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers for their support of this legislation.

This is not a partisan bill. It passed the House last year by a voice vote. Now it has cleared the Senate and is on its way to the President. The passage of this legislation shows that we can work together across the aisle and make progress. Make no mistake--we have a lot of work to do to improve the state of civil rights in America. There are many more steps we must take to restore the confidence of all Americans in our criminal justice system. The passage of this legislation by Congress is an important step in the right direction.

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