[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 21, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3962-S3964]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REVITALIZATION ACT OF 2011

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
resume consideration of S. 782, which the clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 782) to amend the Public Works and Economic 
     Development Act of 1965 to reauthorize that Act, and for 
     other purposes.

  Pending:

       DeMint amendment No. 394, to repeal the Dodd-Frank Wall 
     Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
       Paul amendment No. 414, to implement the President's 
     request to increase the statutory limit on the public debt.
       Cardin amendment No. 407, to require the FHA to equitably 
     treat home buyers who have repaid in full their FHA-insured 
     mortgages.
       Merkley/Snowe amendment No. 428, to establish clear 
     regulatory standards for mortgage servicers.
       Kohl amendment No. 389, to amend the Sherman Act to make 
     oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal.
       Hutchison amendment No. 423, to delay the implementation of 
     the health reform law in the United States until there is 
     final resolution in pending lawsuits.
       Portman amendment No. 417, to provide for the inclusion of 
     independent regulatory agencies in the application of the 
     Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.).
       Portman amendment No. 418, to amend the Unfunded Mandates 
     Reform Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) to strengthen the 
     economic impact analyses for major rules, require agencies to 
     analyze the effect of major rules on jobs, and require 
     adoption of the least burdensome regulatory means.
       McCain amendment No. 412, to repeal the wage rate 
     requirements commonly known as the Davis-Bacon Act.
       Merkley amendment No. 440, to require the Secretary of 
     Energy to establish an Energy Efficiency Loan Program under 
     which the Secretary shall make funds available to States to 
     support financial assistance provided by qualified financing 
     entities for making qualified energy efficiency or renewable 
     efficiency improvements.
       Coburn modified amendment No. 436, to repeal the Volumetric 
     Ethanol Excise Tax Credit.
       Brown (MA)/Snowe amendment No. 405, to repeal the 
     imposition of withholding on certain payments made to vendors 
     by government entities.
       Inhofe amendment No. 430, to reduce amounts authorized to 
     be appropriated.
       Inhofe amendment No. 438, to provide for the establishment 
     of a committee to assess the effects of certain Federal 
     regulatory mandates.
       Merkley amendment No. 427, to make a technical correction 
     to the HUBZone designation process.
       McCain amendment No. 441 (to Coburn modified amendment No. 
     436), to prohibit the use of Federal funds to construct 
     ethanol blender pumps or ethanol storage facilities.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 10 
minutes of debate only equally divided between the two leaders or their 
designees.
  Who yields time?
  The Senator from Wyoming.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, I yield back Republican time.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, the one thing that all Members of 
Congress agree we need more of is jobs.
  Illinois recently published its most recent statewide unemployment 
numbers and there is no question that the numbers are disappointing. 
Following 15 straight months of declining unemployment, unemployment 
rates rose for the first time to 8.9 percent. The only way to decrease 
the unemployment rate is to ensure robust job growth in all parts of 
the country. And while Members from different parties often disagree on 
how to help create jobs, the Economic Development Administration, EDA, 
reauthorization before us today is a great example of bipartisan 
legislation that can help.
  On May 1, 1961, President Kennedy signed into law a bill creating the 
precursor of the Economic Development Agency, the Area Redevelopment 
Administration, ARA. The ARA was championed by another Illinois Senator 
and the man who gave me my start as an intern in this building, Senator 
Paul Douglas.
  ARA provided assistance to distressed areas through loans and grants 
for public facilities; technology and market information; and research 
grants in order to spur economic growth. Sound familiar? Paul Douglas 
believed then, as I believe now, there is a proper role for government 
to play in assisting distressed communities and regions.
  Now for 50 years, the ARA and then the EDA have helped communities 
identify the best strategies for creating economic growth and 
leveraging private investment to help create jobs. EDA remains focused 
on assisting distressed communities and communities recovering from 
disasters.
  And it has been very effective. Every Federal dollar invested in EDA 
projects attracts $7 additional dollars in private investments in these 
distressed communities. And even in the midst of this last recession 
and sparse private investments, EDA-funded public/private projects 
created an estimated 161,500 jobs in the last 2\1/2\ years.
  In Illinois in 2009 and 2010 alone, EDA funded 52 projects that 
resulted in nearly $70 million in new investments in the State. But 
beyond just the numbers, I want to give you some real life examples of 
EDA's impact in Illinois communities
  Under the 2010 EDA Community Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, the 
city of Galesburg and Knox County identified themselves as 
significantly impacted by trade. EDA funded a project that allowed for 
the creation of the Entrepreneurs Innovate & Go Global Initiative to 
help develop entrepreneurs at every level. The grantees are putting 
together workshops and training that focuses on entrepreneurship, 
innovation and globalization. EDA assistance also includes technical

[[Page S3963]]

assistance in commercialization that will ultimately help small 
businesses and new entrepreneurs streamline business plans and create 
new jobs.
  Under the Recovery Act, EDA helped fund the creation of a micro 
revolving loan fund for Accion Chicago, a spinoff of an international 
nonprofit organization dedicated to microfinance. ACCION is using the 
project funds to expand its existing microlending activities in Cook 
County and to promote entrepreneurship by providing loan capital and 
financial literacy counseling to clients who don't have access to 
traditional bank credit. The $1,200,000 revolving loan fund is 
projected to make 120 loans in the initial round of lending--creating 
or saving about 400 jobs.
  After terrible flooding in 2008 and the subsequent disaster 
declaration, EDA was able to award $677,000 in disaster supplemental 
funding to the city of Princeton. The city of Princeton used these 
funds to build infrastructure for a 137-acre industrial site, including 
rehabilitation of existing roadway, construction of new roadway, water-
main, sewer lines, and city-owned electric and fiber optic cable. This 
project not only will improve the long-term economic options for the 
community, but is expected to create 500 jobs and induce $50,000,000 in 
private investment in the region.
  The bill on the floor right now would reauthorize EDA to continue 
making these necessary investments for an additional 5 years. And it 
would also improve flexibility and efficiency at the agency. For 
example, the bill would allow EDA to do more in the most distressed 
communities by increasing the cap on the Federal share of projects in 
areas that have very high unemployment rates and very low per capita 
income. And it would allow communities using EDA's revolving loan fund 
to more easily shift those dollars to the economic development project 
with the greatest potential to help the region.
  When Senator Douglas led the effort to create ADA he faced opposition 
from none other than Senator Goldwater. Senator Goldwater argued that 
distressed regions are, and I quote, ``perfectly normal to the economic 
cycle of American enterprise, and not in need of government 
intervention.''
  While history has proven he is wrong, at least this is a debatable 
argument. At least he was grappling with policy issues actually being 
considered. The reality is, if Congress wants to help create jobs and 
bring down the unemployment rate, we need to be able to pass simple 
pieces of legislation that will help create jobs with little to no 
costs. Instead for the second time in 2 months, we find a jobs bills 
fillibustered by amendment.
  If we can't find a way to work together on bills like EDA 
reauthorization or SBIR/STTR reauthorization, the American public is 
justified in believing that we will do nothing to help create jobs. And 
to borrow a quote from Paul Douglas during his work on ADA, ``The lives 
of too many human beings are at stake to sit by and do nothing . . .''
  I urge my colleagues to support the legislation and move quickly to 
final passage.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
  Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, we have spent many days talking about 
the importance of the bill before us which would reauthorize the 
Economic Development Administration. The EDA is a proven success. I 
think it is instructive that no one on the other side is speaking out 
against it. It is amazing to me they do not speak out against it, but I 
have a feeling we may not get this cloture vote. I hope I am wrong.
  As I look at ways for us to be bipartisan, there are a couple of 
areas where I think we can come together. One would certainly be 
deficit reduction. We Democrats know how to do it. We did it under Bill 
Clinton, and we are the only party in 50 years to pass a budget that 
actually brought us to a surplus. We can do that with our friends on 
the other side, and I am glad there are talks going on.
  The other area is job creation and job preservation. The other side 
says they want to do it with us. This is a golden opportunity for them 
to join with us. We have seen--and Leader Reid knows this because he 
has selected various jobs bills to bring to the Senate floor. It was 
not by chance this bill came. He wanted committee chairmen to say which 
bills had bipartisan support in their committees. We voted this bill 
out nearly unanimously. We had one objection in a time when things are 
pretty contentious. Why is it? I will tell you why it is.
  One of the best ways to tell you is to quote Senator John Cornyn, who 
said a $2 million EDA grant for a water tower in Texas will ``pave the 
way for creation of new jobs and business opportunities.'' That says it 
all.
  We have 27 Republicans who went on the record saying the EDA was a 
good job creation bill. We know that historically $1 of EDA investment 
attracts $7 in private sector investment. So while this is a $500 
billion bill, if you see that it is $7 for each $1, it is into the 
millions in terms of the job creation that will follow. As a matter of 
fact, we know the jobs created will be between about 250,000 and 1 
million over the life of the bill. One million jobs. All we need is a 
cloture vote.
  This EDA started in 1965, and it has been supported by Democrats and 
Republicans. I gave you an example of Senator Cornyn and what he said. 
These are just some of the people who are supporting us: the Conference 
of Mayors, the Public Works Association--it goes on into all of our 
States--the University Economic Development Association--why do they 
support it? They know this particular program is a spark plug. Put in 
$1 and attract $7 of private sector investment. People get to work 
again.
  I am just hopeful that we do not see this bill die today. This is a 
moment in time we can show that we mean what we say. Senator Crapo said 
the EDA business grant will help ``keep Idaho firms on the cutting 
edge.''
  Senator Lugar said EDA funding is ``essential in our efforts to 
improve the quality of life and the standard of living for Hoosier 
families.''
  It goes on. Senator Collins has some beautiful statements. Twenty-
seven of our colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, have always 
supported this legislation. The last time it was signed into law was by 
George W. Bush, yes, and it passed this Senate unanimously. If this 
bill goes down because our friends on the other side keep wanting to 
offer--they have offered tens of amendments. It is up to about 100 
amendments: one about the prairie chicken, another one about a lizard--
all fine but do not belong on this bill. This bill is about jobs.
  I hope our friends will vote with their hearts and will look back on 
their press releases. I certainly think if they did that, they would 
cast an ``aye'' vote, and we would pass this bill and do something for 
jobs in this Nation.
  Thank you very much.
  I yield back my time, and I ask for the yeas and nays.


                             Cloture Motion

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII of the Standing Rules of 
the Senate, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture 
motion, which the clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

                             Cloture Motion

       We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the 
     provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, 
     hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to 
     proceed to Calendar No. 38, S. 782, a bill to amend the 
     Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to 
     reauthorize that act, and for other purposes.
         Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer, Kent Conrad, John F. Kerry, 
           Sheldon Whitehouse, Amy Klobuchar, Benjamin L. Cardin, 
           Jeff Bingaman, Jeff Merkley, Patty Murray, Robert 
           Menendez, Jeanne Shaheen, Bernard Sanders, Frank R. 
           Lautenberg, Jack Reed, Richard J. Durbin, Daniel K. 
           Akaka.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum 
call has been waived.
  The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on S. 782, 
a bill to amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 
to reauthorize that act, and for other purposes, shall be brought to a 
close?
  The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 49, nays 51, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 94 Leg.]

                                YEAS--49

     Akaka
     Baucus
     Begich
     Bennet
     Bingaman
     Blumenthal

[[Page S3964]]


     Boxer
     Brown (OH)
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Conrad
     Coons
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Inouye
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Manchin
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murray
     Nelson (FL)
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Warner
     Webb
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--51

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Barrasso
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Brown (MA)
     Burr
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Collins
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     DeMint
     Enzi
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson (WI)
     Kirk
     Klobuchar
     Kyl
     Lee
     Lugar
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Nelson (NE)
     Paul
     Portman
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rubio
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Snowe
     Thune
     Toomey
     Vitter
     Wicker
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Casey). On this vote, the yeas are 49, the 
nays are 51. Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn not 
having voted in the affirmative, the motion is rejected.
  The majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. REID. If we could have the attention of the Senate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate will come to order.

                          ____________________