Capitol Words a project of the Sunlight Foundation

Vol. 158WASHINGTON, MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012No. 9

The Honorable Richard Blumenthal led the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it ...

Mr. BLUMENTHAL thereupon assumed the chair as Acting President pro tempore.

The legislative clerk read the following letter:

The clerk will read the bills by title for the second time.

Mr. President, I, first of all, welcome everyone back after the long break we had. I hope it was restful and productive for everyone.

The clerk will please read a communication to the Senate from the President pro tempore (Mr. Inouye).

Mr. President, the Senate will be in morning business until 4 o'clock today, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each. Following that morning business, the Senate ...

The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the following prayer: Let us pray. Eternal Lord God, the source of wisdom and might, with renewed powers and refreshed spirits, we return ...

Mr. President, before my friend starts, the Republican leader and I deal with a lot of issues that come up in the Senate, and some of them are difficult. But ...

Mr. President, I will add, we do enjoy our sports discussions. Of course, I always have the ultimate trump, which is the University of Kentucky has won seven NCAA championships ...

Mr. President, let me start on a sort of sober note by saying we are all thinking of our colleague Mark Kirk. It is at moments such as these that ...

I wish to begin my remarks today by simply stating the obvious: The jobs crisis we are in continues for millions of Americans. Many millions more are worried about the ...

Under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I am very pleased today to rise in support of a man who has proven himself worthy to serve as a Federal judge on the U.S. district court.

The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

The clerk will call the roll.

Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote?

Mr. President, it is not a little bitty matter. These matters have gone to the Supreme Court. Electrocution was passed by legislatures and voters for one reason. They thought it ...

Few issues unite the United States Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO; the National Association of Manufacturers and the Teamsters; the cable industry and the broadcast industry. By targeting the ...

The clerk will call the roll.

Mr. President, John M. Gerrard is nominated to be United States District Judge for the District of Nebraska. Judge Gerrard received his B.S. degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1975 ...

Mr. President, I yield what time I have to the Senator from Nebraska.

I will. I appreciate my colleague's interest in this matter. I believe there is considerable time left on the other side. He can certainly have that on my time.

Mr. President, I yield back all time on our side.

The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

Mr. President, important questions have been raised about Judge Gerrard's willingness to follow established precedent in a reasoned way in death-penalty cases. Too often, the Senate has confirmed nominees who ...

I announce that the Senator from North Carolina (Mrs. Hagan), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg), the Senator from Connecticut (Mr. Lieberman), the Senator from Maryland (Ms. Mikulski), and ...

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Alabama for yielding the time. One thing I wish to say, to start out with, is that the Senator from Alabama and I ...

The assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of John M. Gerrard, of Nebraska, to be United States District Judge for the District of Nebraska.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Hatch), the Senator from North Dakota ...

The yeas and nays were ordered.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: [From the Wall Street Journal, Jan. 19, 2012]

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

All time has expired.

The Senator from Vermont.

The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.

Under the previous order, the Senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination, which the clerk will report.

The Senator from Oregon is recognized.

Mr. President, I think that is a reasonable request. Senator Moran and I, who have teamed up on Internet policy, wish to speak for a few minutes, if we could ...

Five or 10 minutes each. We will be brief.

I have no objection. May I have some suggestion about the time for each? Senators Wyden and Moran want to speak.

Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. President, Senator Durbin speaks for every Member of the Senate. Senator Kirk is such a decent, caring, and thoughtful man, and all of us enjoy working with him in ...

Under the previous order, the Senate will resume legislative session.

I ask unanimous consent that that be the order.

The Senator from Kansas.

The Senator from Texas.

Mr. President, I want to take a few minutes with Senator Moran tonight to reflect on the events of the last few days with respect to the Internet legislation. I ...

Mr. President, I wish to observe that tomorrow night the President of the United States will make his annual State of the Union Address to Congress. This signals, of course, ...

Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. President, we are about to pass unanimously the St. Croix bill. It is something we have been working on very hard--the two Senators from Minnesota, myself, Senator Franken, Senator ...

Mr. President, I rise today to honor Adrienne Powers, who recently retired as Head Interior Designer for the Architect of the Capitol at the end of last year.

Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the memory of a dedicated public servant, Officer Mary Ann Donahou of the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department. On the ...

Mr. President, today I wish to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, HVO, on the island of Hawaii on January 17, 1912. Currently situated ...

Mr. President, on March 16th, two of the Nation's great theatrical talents will be recognized when my friends Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner are added to the Palm Springs Walk ...

Mr. President, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Steven D. Garbarino of Owings Mills, MD, on the completion of a highly successful 27-year career as a civilian ...

Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life of Roger Kotter, a husband, father, community leader, businessman, and exemplary Idahoan.

The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying report; which was referred to the Committee on Finance: ...

At 2:03 p.m., a message from the House of Representatives, delivered by Mr. Novotny, one of its reading clerks, announced that the House has passed the following joint resolution, without ...

The Secretary of the Senate reported that on December 20, 2011, she had presented to the President of the United States the following enrolled bill: S. 278. An act to ...

As in executive session the Presiding Officer laid before the Senate messages from the President of the United States submitting sundry nominations which were referred to the appropriate committees. (The ...

The following communications were laid before the Senate, together with accompanying papers, reports, and documents, and were referred as indicated: EC-4401. A communication from the Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military ...

The following concurrent resolutions and Senate resolutions were read, and referred (or acted upon), as indicated: By Mrs. GILLIBRAND: S. Res. 352. A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate ...

S. 20 At the request of Mr. Hatch, the name of the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) was added as a cosponsor of S. 20, a bill to protect American ...

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

S. 2032. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 regarding proprietary institutions of higher education in order to protect students and taxpayers; to the Committee on Health, ...

S. 2033. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to end the costly derivatives blended rate loophole, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.

There being no objection, the text of the joint resolution was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

SENATE RESOLUTION 352--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE UNITED STATES SHOULD WORK WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF HAITI TO ADDRESS GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN Mrs. GILLIBRAND submitted ...

SA 1468. Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mr. Johnson of Wisconsin and Mr. Franken) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 1134, to authorize the ...

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental ...

Without objection, it is so ordered.

There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural ...

There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill which had been reported from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, with an amendment; as follows:

The legislative clerk read as follows:

The bill (S. 1134), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 96, which was received from the House and is at the desk; that ...

Without objection, it is so ordered.

The Chair announces the following appointments made pursuant to the unanimous consent agreement of December 17, 2011, by the President pro tempore and the majority leader during the adjournment of ...

Without objection, it is so ordered.

Executive nomination confirmed by the Senate January 23, 2012: THE JUDICIARY JOHN M. GERRARD, OF NEBRASKA, TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEBRASKA.

I thank my good friend from New Jersey for yielding and for hosting this Special Order about moral truth, that the right to life is a fundamental right, and frankly ...

I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding.

I want to thank my friend, Mrs. Blackburn, for her very eloquent comments, and thank her for her leadership.

I thank the gentlewoman.

I would like to now yield to the gentlewoman from Alabama, Congresswoman Martha Roby.

I thank the gentleman for his courage in standing on this issue of life. It's an important issue. And tonight, we will have the privilege of hearing from lawyers and ...

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I thank my good friend from New Jersey (Mr. Smith). Your courage on this issue will not go unnoticed.

Thank you, Ms. Buerkle.

I thank my good friend for her excellent statement.

In conclusion, tomorrow night, the President will call for a return to American values in his State of the Union message.

Thank you.

Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 5, 2011, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.

I thank my good friend. Again, a very, very powerful statement.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to thank him for his service and his fight on this particular issue. And it is a privilege to stand here today ...

Mr. Speaker, we often come to the podium to talk about a bill or piece of legislation. Today I have the great privilege to stand in support of protecting every ...

Thank you very much and thank you for reminding all of us that Planned Parenthood really is Child Abuse, Incorporated, 329,000, 332,000 the year before that of innocent children decimated, ...

Mr. Speaker, I recently read about a couple who found out there was a problem in their pregnancy, that their child had not developed all four sections of its heart. ...

I appreciate my colleague from Pennsylvania for joining us here this evening. If I could continue this conversation with you, I'm sure you've done what I have done on numerous ...

Thank you for leading this Special Order on natural gas and its benefits. And thanks for your leadership on the Marcellus Shale Caucus. With natural gas, everybody wins. I am ...

I do. Let me talk about, just out of fairness and equity, two young men, and this was actually published in the local paper. And they were doing a coverage ...

By unanimous consent, leave of absence was granted to: Mr. Culberson (at the request of Mr. Cantor) for today on account of illness. Mr. LaTourette (at the request of Mr. ...

Under clause 2 of rule XIV, executive communications were taken from the Speaker's table and referred as follows: 4630. A letter from the Director, Regulatory Management Division, Environmental Protection Agency, ...

Under clause 2 of rule XIII, reports of committees were delivered to the Clerk for printing and reference to the proper calendar, as follows: Mr. CAMP: Committee on Ways and ...

Pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the following statements are submitted regarding the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution ...

Under clause 7 of rule XII, sponsors were deleted from public bills and resolutions as follows: H.R. 3261: Mr. Scalise, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Griffin of Arkansas, and Mr. Ross of ...

The House met at noon and was called to order by the Speaker pro tempore (Ms. Foxx).

Vol. 158WASHINGTON, MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012No. 9

Madam Speaker, this weekend a movie opened in America that is really unlike any other movie. It is a significant movie because it is about a group of gentleman who ...

Madam Speaker, long ago, Jefferson warned: ``The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.'' The exceptions to that rule have been few and ...

The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.

Madam Speaker, I am deeply disappointed by President Obama's decision to deny TransCanada's application to build the Keystone XL pipeline. I know that many of my colleagues in the House, ...

Pursuant to clause 12(a) of rule I, the Chair declares the House in recess until 2 p.m. today.

Mr. Speaker, unemployment is still at an all-time high; and the high cost of energy is having a significant negative impact on my district's economy as well as on the ...

Mr. Speaker, here is the simple truth: the Obama administration is driven by a far left liberal ideology rather than the facts. This administration says it wants to put America ...

Madam Speaker, this morning we learned that Senator Mark Kirk suffered a stroke over the weekend. I know all of my colleagues here in the House join me in expressing ...

Madam Speaker, I rise today to welcome the tens of thousands of people traveling to Washington, D.C., to show their support for the cause of life and give a voice ...

(Mr. PALAZZO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

(Mr. YODER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

(Mr. GARDNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

(Mr. SHUSTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the Chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays ...

Pursuant to clause 12(a) of rule I, the Chair declares the House in recess until approximately 4 p.m. today.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

The question was taken.

There was no objection.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1141, the Rota Cultural and Natural Resources Study Act. The bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to determine whether it is ...

The text of the bill is as follows:

Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?

There was no objection.

The question was taken.

The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3117, as amended.

With that, Madam Speaker, we have no further speakers, and I also yield back the balance of my time.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

Pursuant to clause 12(a) of rule I, the Chair declares the House in recess until approximately 6:30 p.m. today.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor of H.R. 3261.

The recess having expired, the House was called to order by the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Poe of Texas) at 6 o'clock and 31 minutes p.m.

The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 373, nays 1, not voting 59, as follows:

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 5, I was unavoidably, detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 5, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.

There was no objection.

The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

There was no objection.

Mr. Speaker, due to a clerical error, I ask that the name of the gentleman from Michigan, Justin Amash, be removed as a cosponsor from H.R. 3609.

There was no objection.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor of H.R. 3261.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 3261.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor of H.R. 3261.

(Mr. FLEISCHMANN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. Speaker, under rule XXII, clause 7(c), I hereby announce my intention to offer a motion to instruct on H.R. 3630, the conference report to extend payroll tax, unemployment insurance, ...

Mr. Speaker, I'm so grateful that as we prepare to receive the President tomorrow night for his State of the Union Address that we're going to be joined by our ...

(Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, as a family physician for more than 30 years, I've had the privilege of delivering hundreds of babies. I have witnessed the miracle of life itself firsthand, and ...

Mr. Speaker, I was listening to Rush Limbaugh today, as I quite frequently do, and they had a Democrat truck driver, African American Democrat truck driver, come on and he ...

(Ms. FOXX asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

(Mr. BURTON of Indiana asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

(Mr. BARTON of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, today we recognize the Roe v. Wade decision and its aftermath. In 1982, my wife and I had the opportunity to work to start what became the seventh ...

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening in recognition of the over 55 million American lives lost to abortion since the passage of Roe v. Wade 39 years ago.

(Mr. BROUN of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and pleasure that I rise today to recognize the exceptional service and leadership of Charles L. Bar III on his retirement from a ...

Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor to recognize The Town of Collins Fire Department on the occasion of their 120th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor and acknowledge the extraordinary life and decidedly courageous outlook of Rachel Collett upon her graduation from Livonia Churchill High School.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to mark the loss of a titan of education in Los Angeles, Shirley Levine, who passed away on January 9, 2012. The entire Los Angeles community ...

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 2, Adoption of H.J. Res. 98, relating to the disapproval of the President's exercise of authority to increase the debt limit, I was unavoidably detained ...

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of the quarter of a million Haitians who lost their lives during the devastating earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010. As we ...

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to rise today to recognize Mr. Donald Schneider, a pioneer who transformed the transportation industry as we know it. I am pleased to have ...

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise to recognize the Carroll Senior High School Dragon cross country boys and girls teams for winning their respective 2011 Texas ...

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was

Mr. Speaker, the natural gas industry is very important to my constituents in West Virginia. Given the exciting opportunities that my state has as a result of the Marcellus Shale, ...

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, I rise today to recognize the life of Northwest Florida's beloved Larry Butler. Northwest Florida and the world of music and ...

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Coach Jeffrey R. Stabile, the former head coach of Bayonne High School's Girls Basketball team, who taught in the district for over ...

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Commuter Protection Act, of which I am proud to be an original cosponsor. This bipartisan, responsible legislation brings oversight of ...

Mr. Speaker, ``Texas fight, Texas fight and it's goodbye to A&M.'' The words of the Texas fight song rang loud for the last time this year at the annual duel ...

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the newly invested chief of the Suffolk County Police Department, James C. Burke. A dedicated law enforcement officer, Chief Burke has ...

Mr. Speaker, in a loss we are only just beginning to feel, Connie Coker stepped down as Rockland County Legislator at the end of 2011. To me she typified the ...

Title IV of Senate Resolution 4, agreed to by the Senate on February 4, 1977, calls for establishment of a system for a computerized schedule of all meetings and hearings ...