[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 1, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S250-S254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         STOP TRADING ON CONGRESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE ACT--Continued

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                          Black History Month

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, as we start Black History Month, I rise to 
discuss a national hero I have spoken about many times on the Senate 
floor. With this year's Black History Month focused on African-American 
women, it is all the more appropriate for me to talk about Maryland's 
Harriet Ross Tubman and her dedication to justice, equality, and 
service to this country.
  In my career, I have spoken on the Senate floor, at events in 
Maryland, in meetings with constituents, and with my colleagues about 
Harriet Tubman's legacy. While I hope each opportunity I have taken to 
discuss the life of this remarkable woman helps raise the

[[Page S251]]

awareness about her importance to the history of our great Nation, my 
ultimate goal is to properly commemorate her life and her work by 
establishing the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National 
Historical Park on the eastern shore of Maryland, and, in working with 
my colleagues from New York, to establish the Harriet Tubman National 
Historical Park in Auburn, NY.
  A year ago this week, I reintroduced the Harriet Tubman National 
Historical Park and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National 
Historical Park Act with Senators Schumer, Mikulski, and Gillibrand as 
original cosponsors. I am happy to say since that time the Senate 
Energy and Natural Resources Committees held a positive hearing on the 
bill, the Energy Committee favorably reported the bill, and it has been 
placed on the Senate calendar. I thank my colleagues on the committee 
for their support, particularly Chairman Bingaman and Ranking Member 
Murkowski, and the chairman of the National Park Subcommittee, Senator 
Udall of Colorado.
  The establishment of the Harriet Tubman Historical Park has been 
years in the making and is long overdue. The mission of the National 
Park Service has evolved over time, from preserving our natural wonders 
across the United States for recreational purposes to commemorating 
unique places of significance to historical events and extraordinary 
Americans who have shaped our Nation.
  The woman who is known to us as Harriet Tubman was born in 
approximately 1822 in Dorchester County, MD, and given the name 
Araminta--Minty--Ross. She spent nearly 30 years of her life in slavery 
on Maryland's eastern shore. She worked on a number of different 
plantations on Maryland's eastern shore, and as a teenager she was 
trained to be a seamstress. As an adult, she took the first name 
Harriet, and when she was 25 years old she married John Tubman.
  In her late twenties, Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in 1849. 
She fled in the dead of night, navigating the maze of tidal streams and 
wetlands that to this day comprise the eastern shore's landscape. She 
did this alone, exercising incredible courage and strength.
  Not satisfied with attaining her own freedom, she returned repeatedly 
for more than 10 years to the places of her enslavement in Dorchester 
and Caroline Counties, where under the most adverse conditions she led 
away many family members and other slaves to freedom in the 
Northeastern United States.
  She helped develop a complex network of safe houses and recruited 
abolitionist sympathizers residing along secret routes connecting the 
southern slave States and the northern free States. No one knows 
exactly how many people she led to freedom or the number of trips 
between the North and South she led, but the legend of her work was an 
inspiration to the multitude of slaves seeking freedom and to 
abolitionists fighting to end slavery.
  Tubman became known as ``the Moses of her people'' by African 
Americans and White abolitionists alike. She is the most famous and the 
most important conductor of the network of resistance known as the 
Underground Railroad.
  During the Civil War, Tubman served the Union forces as a spy, a 
scout, and a nurse. She served in Virginia, Florida, and South 
Carolina. She is credited with leading slaves from those slave States 
to freedom during those years as well.
  Following the Civil War and the emancipation of all Black slaves, 
Tubman settled in Auburn, NY. There she was active in the women's 
suffrage movement and established one of the first incorporated 
African-American homes for the aged to care for the elderly. In 1903, 
she bequeathed the Tubman Home to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion 
Church in Auburn where it stands to this day. Harriet Tubman died in 
Auburn in 1913, and she is buried in Fort Hill Cemetery.
  Fortunately, many of the structures and landmarks in New York remain 
intact and in relatively good condition. Only recently has the Park 
Service begun establishing units dedicated to the lives of African 
Americans. Places such as the Booker T. Washington National Monument on 
the campus of Tuskegee University in Alabama, the George Washington 
Carver National Monument in Missouri, the Buffalo Soldiers at Guadalupe 
Mountains National Park, the National Historical Trail commemorating 
the march for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, AL, and, most 
recently, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on The National Mall.
  These are all important monuments and places of historical 
significance that help tell the story of the African-American 
experience.
  As the National Park Service continues its important work to 
recognize and preserve African-American history by providing greater 
public access and information about the places and people that have 
shaped the African-American experience, there are very few units 
dedicated to the lives of African-American women, and there is no 
national historical park commemorating African-American women.
  I cannot think of a more fitting hero than Harriet Tubman to be the 
first African-American woman to be memorialized with a national 
historical park that tells her story and her fight against institutions 
of slavery and the work on the Underground Railroad. I hope my 
colleagues will support my effort to honor Harriet Tubman and support 
the passage of my bill to authorize the creation of the Tubman National 
Historical Parks in New York and Maryland.
  Let me just point out that the landscapes in which she lived still 
exist today, and that will be an incredible part of the national park 
that can tell the story, particularly to young people, about the 
courage of this extraordinary woman. A number of structures exist in 
Auburn, NY, which complement her life as the conductor of the 
Underground Railroad, as well as her later life in helping to advance 
the rights of all people.
  This is an incredible opportunity for us to honor her with this 
national park and to help future generations understand the history of 
America and the courage of this extraordinary leader and hero of our 
Nation, Harriet Tubman.
  Mr. President, these parks will hopefully pave the way for the Park 
Service to develop more National Historical Park commemorating the 
lives of many other important African-American women in our history.
  The vision for the Tubman National Historical Parks is to preserve 
the places significant to the life of Harriet Tubman and tell her story 
through interpretative activities and continue to discover aspects of 
her life and the experience of passage along the Underground Railroad 
through archaeological research and discovery.
  The buildings and structures in Maryland have mostly disappeared. 
Slaves were forced to live in primitive buildings even though many 
slaves were skilled tradesmen who constructed the substantial homes of 
their owners. Not surprisingly, few of the structures associated with 
the early years of Tubman's life still stand.
  As I mentioned, the landscapes of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, 
however, remain similar to the time Tubman lived there. Farm fields and 
forests dot the lowland landscape, which is also notable for the 
extensive network of tidal rivers and wetlands that Tubman, and the 
people she guided to freedom, would have traveled under the cover of 
night.
  In particular, a number of properties--including the homestead of Ben 
Ross, her father, Stewart's Canal, where he worked, the Brodess Farm, 
where she worked as a slave, and others are within the master plan 
boundaries of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.
  Similarly, Poplar Neck, the plantation from which she escaped to 
freedom, is still largely intact in Caroline County. The properties in 
Talbot County, immediately across the Choptank River from the 
plantation, are currently protected by various conservation easements.
  Were she alive today, Tubman would recognize much of the landscape 
that she knew intimately as she secretly led black men, women and 
children to freedom.
  There has never been any doubt that Tubman led an extraordinary life. 
Her contributions to American history are surpassed by few. Determining 
the most appropriate way to recognize that life and her contributions, 
however, has been exceedingly difficult.

[[Page S252]]

  The National Park Service determined that designating a Historical 
Park that would include two geographically separate units would be an 
appropriate tribute to the life of this extraordinary American.
  The New York unit would include the tightly clustered Tubman 
buildings in the town of Auburn. The Maryland portion would include 
large sections of landscapes that are representive of Tubman's time and 
are historically relevant.
  Harriet Tubman was a true American patriot. She was someone for whom 
liberty and freedom were not just concepts but values she fought 
tirelessly for. She lived those principles and achieved freedom with 
hundreds of others. In doing so, she has earned the Nation's respect 
and honor.
  Harriet Tubman is one of many great Americans who we honor and 
celebrate every February during Black History Month.
  In schools across the country, American History curriculums teach our 
children about Tubman's courage, conviction, her fight for freedom and 
her contributions to the greatness of our Nation during a contentious 
time in U.S. history. Now it is time to add to Tubman's legacy by 
preserving and commemorating the places representative of her 
extraordinary life.
  Every year, millions of school children, as well as millions of 
adults, visit our National Historical Parks and gain experiences and 
knowledge about our Nation's history that simply cannot be found in 
history books or on Wikipedia.
  Our Nation's strength and character comes from the actions of the 
Americans who came before us and the significant events that shaped our 
Nation.
  The National Park Service is engaged in the important work of 
preserving where American history has taken place and providing a 
tangible experience for all people to learn from.
  It is one thing to learn about Harriet Tubman from a book, it is a 
completely different and fulfilling experience to explore, to see, to 
listen, and to feel the places where she worked as a slave, where she 
escaped from, and where she lived her days as a free American.
  The National Park Service is uniquely suited to honoring and 
preserving these places of historical significance, and I urge my 
colleagues to join me in preserving and growing the legacy of Harriet 
Tubman by establishing the Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks in 
her honor.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Rhode Island.


                     Remembering J. Joseph Garrahy

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to join with my colleague and 
friend from Rhode Island to pay tribute to former Rhode Island Governor 
J. Joseph Garrahy, who passed away last week at the age of 81.
  Joe Garrahy loved Rhode Island, and in turn the people of Rhode 
Island loved Joe Garrahy. His intelligence, his instinct, and his 
integrity led our State with compassion and courage. He believed in the 
people of Rhode Island and in the virtue of public service.
  More than three decades after he left public office, Joe Garrahy 
remains one of our most respected and beloved leaders. A man of the 
people, the Governor of Rhode Island, Joe Garrahy, is a Rhode Island 
icon who will be held in high esteem for generations to come. Rhode 
Islanders lost a friend. We all lost a good friend.
  John Joseph Garrahy was born in humble circumstances in Providence, 
Rhode Island, on November 26, 1930, the son of Irish immigrants. He 
graduated from La Salle Academy in Providence and attended the 
University of Buffalo and the University of Rhode Island.
  The Governor began his political career in 1962 when he was elected 
to represent Smith Hill in the Rhode Island General Assembly. He served 
as Rhode Island's Lieutenant Governor from 1969 to 1976, and then was 
elected Governor and served from 1977 to 1985.
  After his retirement from public life, Governor Garrahy was a 
business consultant who championed new economic development projects 
and helped existing businesses that have always been the backbone of 
our economy in Rhode Island. He never stopped looking for and finding 
new ways to promote his beloved State of Rhode Island.
  As Governor, Joe Garrahy had vision, initiative, and an incredibly 
strong work ethic. He possessed the unique ability to bring people 
together to address their needs at the most basic level, while at the 
same time tackling the most pressing public policy issues of his time. 
He was also particularly gifted in bringing together opposing sides and 
would often invite diverse interests into the room to discuss issues 
and matters of conflict. Because of his integrity, his decency, and his 
sincerity, he was more than an honest broker; he was someone people 
trusted.
  His leadership and his example led Rhode Island with special 
distinction. He brought people together because they innately trusted 
this kind and wise gentleman. They knew he always had the interests of 
the State at heart, not his personal ambition, not his personal 
progress, but the welfare of the people of Rhode Island. His list of 
achievements is long. His many good works have made a lasting 
impression on our State. He believed government could and must do all 
it can to improve the lives of its citizens.
  He was elected Governor after the Navy decided to close Quonset 
Point--which was a premier naval air station in Rhode Island, a major 
employer and a major source of economic activity--and reduced its 
presence in Newport. This was a shock to the economy of Rhode Island. 
In spite of double-digit unemployment and the challenging economy that 
was worsened by this departure, he set a new course to redirect 
resources and make government work for the people.
  He fought for the rights of the disabled and led in the 
deinstitutionalization of the mentally disabled citizens of Rhode 
Island. He closed the Ladd School, which was our residential center, 
and he literally ended the practice of warehousing the disabled at the 
Institute of Mental Health. He reformed Rhode Island's prison system, 
which was plagued with unrest and violence, transforming it to a 
national model.
  Following the energy crisis in the 1970s, the Governor provided 
resources to a much needed energy office to look for innovative ways to 
deal with a problem that still challenges the State and the Nation. He 
also forged creative partnerships with neighboring States throughout 
the Northeast and with leaders in Canada.
  Governor Garrahy was a man of great passion, great decency, and he 
had a special affection for the elderly and the children of Rhode 
Island. Under his tenure he created the Department of Elderly Affairs 
and Children, Youth and Families, he said, to focus the attention of 
the State and make the delivery of services to these seniors and 
children more efficient and more effective. That was Joe Garrahy--
thinking not about himself but, in particular, thinking about the most 
vulnerable people in our society.
  He was always a great cheerleader for Rhode Island. He led the way 
for the Rhode Island Heritage Commission to flourish and to publicize 
and popularize our State's unique contributions to American history and 
its rich cultural heritage--a rich ethnic heritage which he was awfully 
proud of. He was always a staunch supporter of our tourism industry.
  He also had a profound respect and regard for the environment and 
worked diligently to clean up pollution in Narragansett Bay and 
preserve our open spaces. He helped establish the Narragansett Bay 
Commission, which is one of the leading agencies in the State that 
treats our waste products and makes sure they are not discarded 
untreated into the bay. In fact, his efforts--with foresight years 
ago--paved the way for one of the largest projects ever completed in 
the State of Rhode Island, which now prevents sewage from flowing into 
our bay unabated. But this was just one of the extraordinary 
commitments he made to our environment.
  He was always looking to bring businesses to Rhode Island--high-tech 
businesses, along with businesses that would provide people the chance 
for employment, the chance to own a home, and the chance to provide for 
a better life for their children. He worked to revitalize, 
particularly, the downtown Providence area through his work with the 
Capital Center Commission, which did landmark work in literally 
reshaping the face of Providence, making it one of the most attractive 
and most compelling cities in our country.

[[Page S253]]

  Throughout his administration, he always worked for public 
transportation facilities, and everything that would complement our 
economic growth. He did it with great passion, great diligence and, 
again and again and again, extraordinary decency.
  In his final days in office he launched The Greenhouse Compact, which 
was a bold economic revitalization plan. He proposed to create 60,000 
high-paying jobs and lay the foundation to combat the dying 
manufacturing industries of the State of Rhode Island at that time. And 
although the compact was not approved by the voters--there were 
concerns about how it would be paid for--many of its proposals have 
come to fruition; a tribute again to his foresight, to his vision, to 
his courageous leadership, and to his confidence, that bringing these 
issues to the people would eventually lead to their adoption. And they 
have.
  Joe Garrahy was the person you wanted leading you in difficult times, 
and there was no more difficult time than in 1978, when the great 
blizzard descended upon Rhode Island. Literally, Rhode Island was 
paralyzed. You couldn't move. People were without communication, 
without electricity. But there was one constant beacon of hope and 
stability and strength, and that was Governor Joe Garrahy. He was the 
voice who quelled the anxiety--the fear, frankly--that this natural 
disaster would overwhelm us. In time of great turmoil, he was there. He 
assured us that help was on the way. And in what has become a famous 
historic relic in the State of Rhode Island, he did it all wearing the 
same plaid shirt, it seemed. That plaid shirt was a symbol of him: 
Nothing fancy; someone you could trust; someone you could depend upon; 
someone who rolled up his sleeves to get the job done for the people of 
Rhode Island to literally, in some cases, save people in a very 
demanding natural disaster through his leadership. He was, as I say 
again and again, one of the most decent individuals I have ever met. He 
was so kind to me, so understanding, so tolerant. And I am not alone.
  I recall something that was said about another great American, 
Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was in his final position; the cortege was 
going down Pennsylvania Avenue. There was an individual by the side of 
the road who was weeping, literally. A reporter went up to him and 
said, Well, you must have known the President; you are so upset. And he 
said, No, no; I didn't know him, never met him. But he knew me.
  Joe Garrahy knew the people of Rhode Island. He was a man of innate 
decency and goodness. He believed that every situation had some merit, 
a silver lining, something he could do to bring forth good out of bad, 
progress out of adversity. He was a man of deep faith, who worked hard, 
and remained optimistic and compassionate in every moment. He was a 
noble public servant. That word is used often, but no more accurately 
than with respect to Joe Garrahy, a man of nobility--a nobility born 
not of privilege or wealth but of character, conscience, and concern.
  He had an extraordinary winning personality. He was one of those 
people you wanted to bump into because he made you feel better. His 
warm, embracing personality, his humor, his friendliness, his caring, 
his sincerity, all those things transmitted this sense of knowing you 
and caring for you--which was unique and will never, I think, in my 
mind, be replicated by any of us in Rhode Island.
  Whenever you were with the Governor, you always felt a little bit 
better about where you were, about the future, and about the world. He 
was fond of people, and that fondness was repaid by a deep sense of 
gratitude for what he has done and profound respect for a wonderful 
man.
  But above all this, he loved his family the most. He was a devoted 
husband, father and, as he was described by his grandchildren, their 
Poppy.
  We remember him now, and we also remember his family because they 
have lost a great man. But he did so much for all of us to make us 
bigger and better that we can withstand this great loss.
  I want to join with my fellow Rhode Islanders in offering my 
heartfelt sympathy to his wonderful wife Margherite and his wonderful 
family, Colleen and Michael Mahoney, their children Ryan and Michaela; 
John and Barbara Cottam Garrahy, their daughters Katherine and 
Elizabeth; Maribeth and Robert Hardman and their son Wesley; Sheila and 
Gregory Mitchell and their children, CJ, Todd, and Chad; and Seana and 
Michael Edwards and their children Drew, Brayden, and Ellie Rose.
  We will miss him. But his legacy and his personal example of kindness 
and good will continue to sustain and inspire us. Today, we celebrate 
his life, and in the days and weeks and years to come we will remember 
him fondly as one of Rhode Island's greatest Governors. We are all the 
better for having Joe Garrahy in our Biggest Little State.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cardin). The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I rise today to join my senior 
colleague, Senator Reed, in tribute to the memory of a great public 
servant and a great friend, Jay Joseph Garrahy, former Governor of 
Rhode Island, who passed away last week at the age of 81.
  At his funeral services this week, he was remembered by an enormous 
crowd for his warmth, for his kindness, and for his steady leadership 
of our State.
  Joe Garrahy was born in Providence, RI to a blue-collar, Irish 
immigrant family. He worked his way through Catholic school, and he 
served in the Air National Guard and in the Air Force during the Korean 
war. He came back home from the war and went to work as a beer salesman 
for our Narragansett Brewery. He was what they fittingly called a 
Narragansett Goodwill Man. And, as Senator Reed has explained, Joe 
Garrahy brought good will wherever he went.
  He turned to politics and to public service with the 1960 
Presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy. Joe followed his path 
himself, ultimately, with election to the Rhode Island Senate, and then 
he was elected statewide as Lieutenant Governor, and then served two 
terms as Rhode Island's Governor--serving as Chief of State in the very 
statehouse where his mother had once cleaned floors. It was a beautiful 
American success story for him to rise to lead the statehouse that his 
mother had cleaned.
  The story was told at his funeral that when he was Lieutenant 
Governor and she was still cleaning the statehouse, he said: Mom, don't 
you want to find something else to do now that I am here as Lieutenant 
Governor? She turned to him and said: Joe, I got here first.
  In his public life, Joe Garrahy always made the effort to be what he 
once described as ``probably one of the easiest guys in the State of 
Rhode Island to get along with.'' He sure was. I don't think anyone who 
has worked with him over the years would disagree with that. Joe was 
certainly always very kind and supportive to me as I embarked on my 
fledgling career in public service.
  But Governor Garrahy's service to our State stands as a guidepost for 
today's political leaders. He saw Rhode Island through the difficult 
economic recession of the early 1980s. He was a staunch defender of 
Narragansett Bay, our environmental jewel, and of Rhode Island's open 
spaces; his efforts to attract high-tech industries to Rhode Island and 
to advance our economy; his work on behalf of children and senior 
citizens and those with disabilities all continues to inspire us.
  Of course, all Rhode Islanders who are old enough remember the 
blizzard of 1978, which buried parts of our State under 3 feet of snow 
and brought our roads and businesses to a shuddering halt. People spent 
days in factories, in movie theaters, in department stores where they 
were snowed in. I still recall the scene of cars up and down 95 covered 
in snow, abandoned, the road closed. Rhode Islanders are filled with 
stories of where they were and what they did during the great blizzard 
of 1978 and how they struggled to get home to their loved ones.
  Through all of that, Governor Garrahy marshaled resources from the 
Federal Government and from neighboring States and got Rhode Island 
back on its feet. In his frequent televised messages to Rhode Islanders 
during the crisis, his plaid flannel shirt became a trademark of his 
accessible, hard-working, easygoing style.

[[Page S254]]

  Governor Garrahy's righthand man throughout his political career was 
Bill Dugan, his chief of staff. As fate would have it, we are also 
mourning the loss of Bill, who passed away the day before we lost the 
Governor. It was often said that Governor Garrahy didn't know how to 
say no. He was too nice for that. Well, that job often fell to Bill 
Dugan.
  Joe and Bill were lifelong friends, graduated in the same class at La 
Salle Academy, went into politics together, and made a memorable 
political team in Rhode Island history. Last Thursday, Joe Garrahy and 
his dear companion and political associate Bill Dugan were together one 
last time.
  Bill's sons are friends of mine, David and Richard. At Bill's funeral 
I spoke to Richard, and I remarked on how extraordinary it was that 
this exceptional Rhode Island friendship and political alliance should 
end with these two men dying in the same week within virtually hours of 
each other.
  Richard looked back at me and he said: Sheldon, you don't know the 
half of it. It was during my father's wake at Boyle's Funeral Home that 
the Governor was brought home from Florida, where he had been 
vacationing, by the State police to Rhode Island. And that night, the 
two old companions rested one last time, side by side, on Smith Hill at 
Boyle's Funeral Home.
  On behalf of my wife Sandra and my family, I extend to the Garrahy 
family our deepest condolences. To Joe's loving wife Margherite, to 
their children Colleen, John, Maribeth, Sheila, Seana, and their 11 
grandchildren and the entire Garrahy family, we have you in our hearts.
  Joe Garrahy often spoke about the great joy his children and his 11 
grandchildren gave him, especially in the years after his retirement. 
Our thoughts and prayers are with them all today.
  I am very pleased to have this opportunity to join with Senator Reed 
and with so many Rhode Islanders who are still remembering, thinking 
of, praying for, and giving homage to Governor Garrahy. We will never 
forget his ready smile, his easy friendship, his distinguished service, 
his ability to remember every name, and his long and very loving 
marriage.
  I join Senator Reed in saluting his legendary service to our State.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Reed). The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. BROWN of Massachusetts. Mr. President, I know folks are riveted 
to their televisions. I wanted to give them an update as to where we 
are on the STOCK Act.
  First of all, there have been a lot of good amendments back and 
forth. We have reviewed them. We worked obviously late into last night 
and have been working throughout today. We are gearing up for votes 
that hopefully will be forthcoming, if not today, then hopefully 
tomorrow.
  But I do appreciate the process, and I wanted to publicly thank 
Leader Reid for his willingness to allow us to work through this 
process because it is sensitive for some people and it is new territory 
for others. But I will say, being the first time and having the ability 
to come down and co-manage the floor with Senator Collins and work with 
Senator Lieberman and Senator Gillibrand, the process has been open and 
fair. We are trying now to eliminate some of the amendments that may 
not be relevant. We have had some folks step back and say, yes, take 
this off or take that off, and that is good. And we have been trying to 
combine other amendments to try to solidify where we want to go.
  But I did want to let folks know that we are working diligently with 
the staffs of all the concerned Members, and hopefully we will get some 
votes very shortly.
  Once again, I commend Leader Reid and his staff, the chairman and his 
staff, Senator Gillibrand, and Senator Collins, for everyone working 
together trying to make this happen. I appreciate that, and I want to 
make that reference for folks who are paying attention.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Whitehouse). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the call of the 
quorum be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennet). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I apologize to the Presiding Officer and 
staff and Senators, but we have not been able to reach an agreement yet 
on how to move forward on this simple bill. Remember, everybody loved 
the bill? We should have been able to finish it quickly. It has not 
worked out that way, but we are close. I hope in the morning we can do 
this and finish the bill tomorrow afternoon. That would be preferable. 
I hope we can do that.
  Everyone has worked in good faith and there are a number of 
amendments we will vote on, and if that is the case, we can finish this 
hopefully tomorrow, late in the afternoon or early evening. We are not 
there yet, but we are very close.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Begich). The Senator from Connecticut.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, while the majority leader is here, I 
wished to thank him for the work he and his staff have continued to do 
to enable us to get to a vote on this bill, which most everybody in the 
Senate supports, to make it clear that Members of Congress and our 
staffs are covered by anti-insider trading laws. Senator Gillibrand, 
Senator Collins, and Senator Brown have all been working to bring this 
to an end and give Members on both sides the opportunity to introduce 
amendments. Senator Reid has been showing great forbearance in not 
moving to file a cloture motion. In some sense, this is a test of 
whether we can all apply to ourselves a rule of reasonableness so that 
there can be a pretty open amendment process, but one that does not 
stop the Senate from getting something accomplished.

  I share the leader's optimism. There is only one obstacle now to 
having an agreement and, hopefully, we can begin voting tomorrow 
afternoon and get it done before we finish.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is Senator Gillibrand's fault we are in 
all of this trouble.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.
  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. I wish to commend the leader for his forbearance and 
patience in this very long and extended process. But we are making 
great efforts to come together to work in a bipartisan way to 
accomplish something good for the American people and to begin to 
restore faith and trust in this institution and in our government. So I 
thank our leader. We are so grateful for his patience. I also thank the 
chairman for his work in leading this legislation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, to Senator Lieberman, we did a lot more 
generalized work than the distinguished junior Senator from New York. 
She is an absolute expert in this area where we are dealing with 
corporate law, all the stuff we did with derivatives and all that, and 
I was certainly joking when I said she was the cause of trouble for 
this legislation. It was her idea. We appreciate her good work. Senator 
Lieberman and I have been through a number of battles together and this 
is one of the minor skirmishes.
  I note the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________