[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 129 (Thursday, July 31, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S7897]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            VOTE EXPLANATION

 Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I rise today because I am proud 
to see the Senate pass two strong, bipartisan bills that will provide 
much needed relief to families across the country; the College 
Opportunities and Affordability Act of 2008 and the Consumer Product 
Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
  Congress first passed the Higher Education Act more than 40 years 
ago, guided by the principle that no qualified student should be denied 
the opportunity to attend college because of the cost. Today, the cost 
of college has more than tripled. Tuition at 4-year public colleges in 
Minnesota has increased 100 percent in just the past 10 years.
  I believe that investing in higher education pays extraordinary 
dividends, I am proud to provide real help for students and their 
families to make college more affordable. By passing this legislation 
we continue our fight to gain stronger Federal support for higher 
education opportunities--because our future success as a State and a 
nation depends on making sure that quality education is accessible and 
affordable.
  I am also so happy to see Congress pass comprehensive product safety 
legislation. Inspired by the story of Jarnell Brown--a 4-year-old boy 
in Minnesota who died after ingesting a charm that was 99 percent 
lead--I have worked for the past year on authoring and promoting the 
lead provision of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. 
In the past year and a half, over 13 million toys have been recalled 
because they contained harmful lead, and I am proud to say that this 
bill finally gets that substance out of children's toys.
  As one of the conferees of this legislation, I signed the final 
conference report that was sent to the floor today, and I have been a 
strong supporter of this legislation since the beginning. This 
legislation is the most sweeping consumer product safety reform in 
decades, and I am glad that we have finally voted this evening to 
protect our children and protect our public.
  On August 1, 2007, the Minneapolis I-35W bridge spanning the 
Mississippi River collapsed. The 1-year anniversary of this tragedy 
will be recognized across my State tomorrow. I am traveling home to 
honor the victims and their families, and to recognize our heroic first 
responders. By returning to Minnesota, I will not be in Washington, DC, 
to vote on the adoption of either the College Opportunities and 
Affordability Act of 2008 or the Consumer Product Safety Improvement 
Act of 2008 conference reports. Had I not returned to Minnesota, I 
would have voted in favor of both of these important pieces of 
legislation.

                          ____________________