[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 144 (Tuesday, November 13, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6721-S6727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SPORTSMEN'S ACT OF 2012--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Arkansas.
Honoring Our Armed Forces
Sergeant Jason M. Swindle
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, at a time when we are seeing reports of
violence in areas all around the world, we must never forget that the
men and women of the U.S. military are out there fighting on our behalf
day in and day out so we can live in a safe environment here at home.
Our servicemembers are well aware of the risks they face as they serve
this Nation, and it is our duty to do all we can to honor those who
fight and pay the ultimate price for our freedoms.
Today I am here to pay my respects to SGT Jason M. Swindle, an
Arkansan who, at 24 years of age, laid down his life for our country
while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sergeant Swindle attended
Cabot High School in Cabot, AR, and joined the Army in 2005. He was
assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 64th Regiment, 3rd Infantry
Division at Fort Stewart, GA. He was serving his third combat
deployment. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple
Heart.
His family and friends describe him as being a fun-loving guy who was
very patriotic and very proud of the work he was doing in the Army.
In addition to being a soldier, Sergeant Swindle was also a husband
and a father. He leaves behind his wife Chelsey, who is currently
expecting their second child, and a 1-year-old son, Paxton.
Mr. President, it is people such as Jason Swindle who are the true
American heroes. I ask my colleagues to keep his wife, children, and
the rest of his family in their thoughts and prayers during this very
difficult time. I humbly offer my sincerest gratitude to Jason for his
selfless sacrifice in the service and defense of this great Nation.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Franken). The Senator from Kansas.
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, first I would like to add my condolences
and sympathy to the family in honor of Sergeant Swindle. I appreciate
what the Senator from Arkansas had to say, and I join all my colleagues
in recognizing the sacrifice of this soldier and many others who have
made such a tremendous sacrifice and have created opportunities for us
as Americans.
Global Entrepreneurship Week
Mr. President, we have just come through a divisive and expensive
campaign. Hopefully that divisiveness and that expense is a thing of
the past, and I come to the floor today--during Global Entrepreneurship
Week--to ask my colleagues to now work together to pursue policies that
are guaranteed to improve our economy. There have been too many
opportunities in the past year to pursue issues and policies that
divide us. Now we must come together around something that can unite
us--entrepreneurship, innovation, and startup businesses.
The story of America is really a story of entrepreneurs. Our history
is filled with examples of determined individuals who risked their
livelihoods to pursue ideas they believed could solve problems and
improve the quality of life of people around the world. These
entrepreneurs built the foundation of the American economy from its
earliest days, pushing forward innovative solutions to some of our most
complex problems.
They pursued success, and that success built the American economy and
the jobs it provides.
Entrepreneurs have continued to be the driving force in the U.S.
economic growth and expansion in recent times as well. Data from the
Kauffman Foundation shows that between 1980 and 2005, companies less
than 5 years old accounted for nearly all new jobs created in the
United States. Since 1977--the first year data was collected--new
businesses have created an average of 3 million jobs each year.
At a time when millions of Americans remain out of work and our
country is mired in debt, we need to do more to support the
entrepreneurs who create American jobs and hold the promise of our
growing economy.
Started in 2008 by the Kauffman Foundation, Global Entrepreneurship
Week is a worldwide celebration of entrepreneurs and like-minded
individuals. Since its founding, Global Entrepreneurship Week has grown
to include
[[Page S6722]]
129 countries with some 35,000 activities that engage millions of
people.
In the United States, more than 1,300 partners are planning events in
all 50 States this week. These events allow participants to interact
with entrepreneurs and share their passion for innovation and
creativity. In my home State of Kansas, 35 events are taking place this
week. Last Friday, November 9, I participated in one of these events at
the University of Kansas.
To kick off this week, the University of Kansas Schools of Business,
Engineering, and Journalism organized a half-day event to expose
students to entrepreneurship as a career path, introduce students to
startup companies in the region, and to learn the role of government in
enabling entrepreneurship, innovation, and company creation, as well as
the importance of our free market economy.
While most of us think first of Silicon Valley as a hotbed of
entrepreneurship in our country, entrepreneurs are found everywhere. In
Kansas, we have a rich tradition of entrepreneurship. It is a place
where innovators have felt free to pursue their ideas, start
businesses, and pursue dreams. This tradition includes many stories of
risk and reward--of entrepreneurs whose businesses succeeded when
others were betting against them.
Kansas's great entrepreneurs include Cleyson Brown, who founded Brown
Telephone Company--now the Sprint Corporation--in the town of Abilene,
KS; Walter Chrysler, of Chrysler Corporation, who began his career as a
machinist in Ellis, KS; Clyde Cessna, who left the booming automobile
industry to explore the exciting field of aviation. He founded Cessna
Aircraft Corporation in Wichita in 1927; and, Dan and Frank Carney, who
borrowed $600 from their mother to open their first Pizza Hut in
Wichita in 1958.
With persistence and hard work, these entrepreneurs and their
businesses created thousands of jobs and grew into some of the world's
most successful companies. Now a new generation of Kansas entrepreneurs
is continuing that tradition.
In Atwood, KS, SureFire Ag Systems has built products that specialize
in the control and application of fertilizer, seed, and chemicals.
These products have been delivered to customers in 42 of our States and
internationally as well.
In Leewood, KS, a company called Instin reimagined how students and
teachers managed homework assignments by using mobile apps. Their app,
myHomework, has been downloaded over 100,000 times in the Google Play
Store alone.
In Olathe, KS, Lantern Software is connecting homegrown businesses to
new markets through high-value, real-time, location-based deals
delivered to mobile devices.
In today's high-tech economy, the future of Internet-based
applications such as these is limitless, which is why Kansas
entrepreneurs are excited about Google's decision to make Kansas home
to a new fiber project.
Google Fiber is equipping Kansas entrepreneurs for innovation that
few places in the United States have. With Google Fiber, Kansans now
have an opportunity to innovate on Google's ultra high-speed network,
which is 100 times faster than typical high-speed Internet.
Kansas City, which has set the goal of becoming America's Most
Entrepreneurial City, is building what they call the Digital Sandbox,
in partnership with many Kansas businesses. The goal of the Digital
Sandbox is to significantly accelerate the development of information
technology startups in Kansas City, where IT is already a major
economic engine.
These developments are empowering the next generation of Kansas
entrepreneurs with new tools to innovate and build successful
businesses.
Today's entrepreneurs may use different technology to develop
products and reach potential markets than their predecessors, but the
work ethic and passion to do something new remains the same.
This week, I encourage my colleagues to explore the impact of
entrepreneurs in their communities and to engage with startup companies
working to make the lives of Americans better.
I met with entrepreneurs in Kansas and across the country during the
last 18 months. The passion and creativity of these entrepreneurs has
encouraged me. One refreshing observation is that these entrepreneurs,
while competitive, want to see their fellow entrepreneurs succeed. They
are also building new tools that empower others to make their
businesses better.
But in conversation after conversation, I have also learned there are
common challenges these entrepreneurs face--some of which can be solved
by Congress if we follow the entrepreneur's example of seizing an
opportunity, rolling up our sleeves, and working together.
Entrepreneurs in America are finding it increasingly difficult to
start a business and to grow that business. Consider the following:
In 2010, there were approximately 394,000 new businesses started in
the United States. This, unfortunately, is the lowest number of new
businesses since 1977. While these new businesses created more than 2.3
million jobs, that number is well below the historical average and
represents the third fewest number of jobs created by new businesses in
more than 30 years. At the same time, at least seven other countries
during this Congress have approved legislation to welcome and better
support entrepreneurs while America has done nothing.
To help more entrepreneurs start a business and to help those new
businesses grow more quickly, I introduced Startup Act 2.0 with my
colleagues Senator Warner, Senator Coons, and Senator Rubio. Startup
Act 2.0 addresses critical needs facing entrepreneurs today. The
legislation provides new opportunities for highly educated and
entrepreneurial immigrants to stay in the United States where their
talent can fuel economic growth and create jobs for Americans. By
making new visas available for foreign students who graduate with an
advanced degree in a STEM field from an American university, Startup
Act 2.0 will provide a much needed way for fast-growing startups and
businesses in America to get the talent they need to continue to grow
and to create jobs. This is a critical and growing challenge.
The Partnership for a New American Economy projects that the United
States will face a shortfall of more than 223,000 workers with advanced
degrees in STEM areas by 2018. If the current trend holds, there will
only be 550,000 American workers with the needed skills--far short of
the projected demand. Without these workers, American businesses will
be at a distinct disadvantage and unable to grow in our country.
Startup Act 2.0 also makes changes to the Tax Code that will help
startups grow and create jobs. By exempting capital gains taxes on
investments held in startups for 5 years or more, the bill would unlock
$7.5 billion in new investment in startup. The legislation will also
help universities bring good ideas to market by redirecting current
grant dollars to support innovative university initiatives to
accelerate commercialization.
Finally, Startup Act 2.0 will make changes to the Federal regulatory
process so the costs of new regulations do not outweigh the benefits
and will encourage State and local policies that make starting
businesses easier in their States.
As our economy continues to struggle, Congress is left with two
options: We can remain in gridlock, maintain the status quo, continue
to leave Americans under- and unemployed, and spend away our future or
we can work together to support the American entrepreneur and
businessperson.
This week, during Global Entrepreneurship Week, I urge my colleagues
to join in the latter--in coming together behind commonsense
legislation such as the Startup Act 2.0 to unleash the power of
entrepreneurship in America. The result will be more new businesses,
more new jobs, innovation that allows the United States to aggressively
compete in a global economy, and the empowerment of every American to
pursue the American dream.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Coons). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
[[Page S6723]]
Superstorm Sandy
Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, we have come back here from a few
turbulent weeks, and not the least of which is the continuation of
President Obama with his work and his responsibilities. For most of us,
I would say, that was a very positive thing. But something else
happened during these very difficult weeks, and that was in my home
State of New Jersey and the east coast. We were hit by storms never,
never before seen in our State and maybe never ever to be seen in our
country in terms of the volume of destruction.
My home State of New Jersey is known for a number of things: being
the home of innovators, such as Thomas Edison; the place where
Alexander Hamilton--at my birthplace, Paterson, NJ--helped start the
industrial revolution; and it is also known as a State with a beautiful
seashore, recreation areas. Unfortunately, the wrath of Superstorm
Sandy 2 weeks ago destroyed so much of our shore. Its storm surge
wrecked boats, homes, and even took trains--whole trains--off the
tracks. Its winds reached 89 miles an hour, uprooting trees across our
State, destroying everything in its path, and leaving millions--2\1/2\
million--without electricity and staying in the dark.
The force of this storm is so hard to describe in words, so I point
out a picture here of one of our beachside communities, showing what
was left of a house. The destruction was so total. And it was not just
the possessions that were lost, it was the memorabilia, it was the
pictures, it was the precious moments that were identified with
trinkets or mementos. It was a terrible period. I am here to say that
we are going to stand with those who have lost so much, and we are
going to help them recover and rebuild their lives.
Superstorm Sandy was one of the most powerful storms in American
history, and it was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, with wild
winds that stretched more than 1,100 miles. We are aware of at least
119 Americans who lost their lives as a result of this storm, including
33 in my home State of New Jersey.
The human toll of this storm defies description. Roughly 8 million
homes lost power during this storm, including more than 2\1/2\ million
in my home State. Food rotted in refrigerators, water treatment plants
closed down, and when temperatures dropped, thousands were left cold
and hungry and forced into hotels and temporary shelters. Many families
slept in their cars to get out of the bad weather. They had no choice.
When people finally returned home, many found nothing there. Imagine
seeing the home you worked for your whole life--the place you raised
your children and created so many memories--gone.
If we look at this picture, we see a depiction of despair, as it was
portrayed by this person who obviously stood in front of a destroyed
home--nothing but timbers and concrete, everything else gone.
We saw devastation across our State, not just at the seashore. I went
to Hoboken--one of our most attractive communities in northern New
Jersey--in the days after the storm. Half of that city was underwater,
and the National Guard had to rescue those who were trapped in their
homes without heat or supplies.
We also saw train stations that were flooded and inoperable. Water
levels reached more than 6 feet. Can you imagine a room that seated
people waiting for their trains 6 feet high in water?
New Jerseyans depend on our public transportation and rail systems.
Commuters in our State take nearly 1 million trips per day, including
going back and forth to New York and into Pennsylvania. And the entire
country depends on the goods that come into our ports and go out by
rail.
Our transportation system was torn apart. Tunnels were flooded,
critical equipment was ruined, and rail lines were warped or buried by
debris.
Here in this picture we see an example of what took place. This is of
a rail line, New Jersey Transit.
Each one of our 21 counties in New Jersey was declared a major
disaster, but the seashore communities were hit especially hard. The
boardwalk is the defining image of the New Jersey shore. Many of us
remember walking on that boardwalk in wonderment of the attractions.
The boardwalk has been a constant in the lives of those who live there
or visit the shore. But for communities such as Belmar, Seaside
Heights, Atlantic City, and others, much of that boardwalk no longer
exists--just the pillars where the boardwalk used to be, as we see it
shown here in this picture. It was a magnificent boardwalk that had
people in wagons that were pushed along, and you would view the sea and
the attractions on the other side. It was painful to see the
destruction of the part of the boardwalk in Atlantic City firsthand
that day.
I joined President Obama in his visit to the area. For many people in
my State, the boardwalk is not just a source of pride, it is a source
of critical income to our State. In 2008, tourism brought in $38
billion and supported more than 300,000 jobs in the State of New
Jersey. Families came from all over the country to walk the boardwalk
in Atlantic City or take a fishing boat out of one of our ports, Port
Pleasant or one of the others, or ride the roller coaster at a pier in
Seaside Heights.
This is what Sandy did to that roller coaster. Look. This is almost
impossible to conceive that this roller coaster sits in the water. It
is a terrible end to a lot of thoughts and pleasant memories. People in
New Jersey have lost their homes, their belongings, and their jobs.
Much of that public infrastructure has also been destroyed. But we are
tough people in New Jersey. We will fight our way back from this storm.
I saw that spirit in emergency shelters in our State. Families whose
lives were upended by the storm were welcomed into a safe, warm place
by strangers, given a hot meal, and had camaraderie during these very
difficult moments. Nurses and EMTs evacuated babies from hospitals.
They were carrying these children out so they would not be overwhelmed
by flooding. Firefighters went from house to house saving lives as the
water rose.
Gas station owners who had lost power pumped gasoline by hand so
people could run their generators and keep their families warm. At one
point, the lines were hours long waiting to get gas. One of the people
from my office got up at 4:30 in the morning to go to a gas station and
wound up 4 hours later before he could get gas. It was a terrible
period.
We saw the worst of Mother Nature in this storm, but we also saw the
best of the American people. One thing was established, that there is a
place in government, in our country, for government service when it is
needed. We cannot simply say: We will turn it over to the private
sector and let them take care of what FEMA does. FEMA was critical in
salvaging whatever we could have saved there. There is no doubt in my
mind that there is an understanding now that did not exist before. We
saw the fiber and the character of our people in these terrible
moments. It was wonderful. This is a town not on the seashore. This is
one of the communities in New Jersey where a lot of people commute to
or work in the various industries around. This is where they had to go
in order to save themselves from a worse situation than that which
already existed.
People reached out to save people. It was under the supervision of
FEMA and our emergency facility organizations. We have a lot of
important businesses to address before the end of this Congress. But
our agenda must include helping to rebuild and restore the communities
destroyed by Sandy. We are going to need a lot of money, a lot of
money. We cannot turn our backs on them. We cannot turn our backs. I
know the Presiding Officer had similar situations in his State of
Delaware. The destruction was all over. We had no ability to stop what
was going on. We face serious fiscal challenges in our country, but
nothing is more important than keeping our communities, our families,
and our economy safe. We in New Jersey have been there for our fellow
Americans from other States who suffered disasters. I am reminded that
New Jersey was the first State to sign the Bill of Rights. It started
the road to freedom that exists in New Jersey. Now we ask all Americans
to join us in rebuilding and recovering from this terrible storm. I am
sure it will get even the most disbelieving people in our community to
see that it might
[[Page S6724]]
have been a good idea to fund FEMA and the other agencies that do so
much.
I went to Alaska when the Exxon Valdez was floundering and saw our
people, brave people, on islands stretched around Alaska, our people
who were on the shore wiping off the ducks and the seals and all that.
It says: America is not an accounting firm. America is a democracy with
a heart and a soul. That is what we have to keep in mind as we
deliberate what we have in the future.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, before the Senator from New
Jersey leaves the floor, I just wish to say this Senator's heart goes
out to the Senator and his people. We take hurricanes more as a part of
our lifestyle in Florida. But when we combine a hurricane in the
Northeast at this time of year, during the full Moon, at high tide, in
one of the most densely populated coastal areas of the United States,
then we definitely have a problem.
This Senator wants to help Senator Lautenberg with what is going to
be necessary for the additional funding of FEMA and so forth. I want
the Senator to think about an idea that we implemented in Florida, to
create, in effect, a reinsurance fund against this kind of catastrophe.
We call it the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.
This was done when I was the elected insurance commissioner--prior to
me, and then I had to implement it in the aftermath of the monster
hurricane in the 1990s, Hurricane Andrew. I have talked to our
colleagues in the Senate about a national catastrophic fund. People in
other parts of the country do not think hurricanes are their problem.
But what they do not realize is that their taxpayers are picking up the
load. Whereas, if we reinsured against this kind of tragedy in a
catastrophic fund that would be paid in over time, a little bit from
each of the policyholders, then there would not be--there would be this
fund that would become a cushion for such a disaster that the
Northeastern United States is experiencing at this time and of which we
have so often experienced on the gulf coast and the Atlantic coast in
the Southeastern United States.
I just wanted to throw that idea out there for the Senator as he
speaks so movingly and so eloquently about the suffering of his people.
One can just imagine what are going to be the expenses of all the
infrastructure that is going to have to be replaced.
Mr. LAUTENBERG. If I may respond, I wish to say the Senator from
Florida presents a very good idea because we now know that to deal with
catastrophes which are inevitable, we live in nature. We live in places
where volcanoes can destroy an economy, earthquakes. We had the Katrina
catastrophe in the Southern States. It is about time, would the Senator
agree with me, that we looked at what it is that is creating the
frequency and the ferocity of those storms. They are accelerated almost
in geometric terms.
This is a good reminder, hey, get off the stick and on the job. I
commend the Senator from Florida for his splendid victory. We knew the
Senator was coming home, we just wanted to make sure he had a nice
reception.
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Thanks to the Senator for his big heart, his
big heart toward his people.
Voter Suppression
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I wish to make a few comments
before the chairman of the Judiciary Committee addresses the Senate. I
am very happy he is here because he knows about what I am going to talk
about, which were the attempts at suppressing the vote in the State of
Florida, done a year and a half ago by the State legislature and the
Governor. They did a number of things to try to suppress the vote.
The first thing they did was to make it much more difficult to
register people to vote. The League of Women Voters has been
registering people for 72 years in Florida. They stopped because of the
onerous provisions of up to a $1,000 fine that would be upon their
members if they did not turn it in within 48 hours. That was thrown out
in court as unconstitutional. But it was a year and a half later, with
all those registrations not having been done.
But then what they did, they constricted the number of early voting
places, constricted the number of early voting days, constricted the
number of early voting hours. What do you think was the result? It is
what we have seen on TV--the long lines.
I wish to read a passage from the Miami Herald of November 6:
When the polls officially closed at 7 p.m., hundreds of
people were still waiting to cast ballots in precincts around
South Florida in an election that was marked by long lines
and the occasional snafu. Even after the networks called the
race for President Obama, people in South Florida remained in
line. From Hialeah to Country Walk and to Brickell, people
waited as long as 7 hours to vote. In Broward County, voting
at some precincts came to a halt when the ballots ran out.
This is the result of the voter suppression by lessening the number
of early voting days. When this Senator asked the Governor, because of
the long lines during early voting, to extend early voting on the
Sunday before the Tuesday election, since it shut off on Saturday,
there were long lines then in early voting, the Governor would not do
it. We see the result. The Miami Herald continues:
At the South Kendall Community Church, 1,000 people were in
line at closing time, and at least 200 still remained three
hours later.
That is a determination to vote, and the people do not want their
right to cast their ballot taken away. Yet this was the result of voter
suppression laws not only in my State but in other States as well. I
wish to thank the chairman of the Judiciary Committee because he and
his subcommittee, headed by Senator Durbin, came to Tampa to take
testimony.
A professor from the University of Florida gave his study and pointed
out who used--in the experience of Florida for a decade, who used the
Sunday early voting? It was two demographic groups, African Americans
and Hispanics. They cut out the Sunday of early voting before the
Tuesday election.
Yet with the constricted times and with others being forced to
shoehorn in between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on election day, we see the
result. As the Miami Herald said, some people waited 7 hours to vote.
They were determined that the Governor and the legislature of Florida
were not going to take away their right to cast that ballot. And we see
again, we had again a close Presidential election in Florida. The
President won by 74,000 votes. What if a number of people--such as the
lady who waited and waited and she had babysitter problems and after 3
hours she left--what if that had happened to a lot of people?
Well, maybe that was the design of some people in constricting the
laws in an America of 2012. We went through this in the civil rights
era. The right to vote--as the Senator, our chairman, can tell us, has
been said over and over by the courts--it is absolutely essential in a
democracy that we have the right to cast our ballot. That is what Dr.
King said as well.
Mr. LEAHY. Does the distinguished Senator yield?
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Of course I will.
Mr. LEAHY. I join my colleagues in welcoming him back to this body,
in which he has served with distinction from his very first day here as
he did in the other body.
It tears my heart apart to hear of this kind of suppression. In
Vermont, we have pride in our ability to vote. We have Town Meeting
Day. I think we had 65 or 70 percent turnout this time. We expect
people to be able to vote.
The distinguished Senator has referred to the civil rights era. Do
we, in this great country--a signal of democracy to so much of the
world--want to go back there? I am sure the distinguished Senator has
had, as I have had, the honor of being an observer of elections in
other countries where, finally, a country that has overcome a
dictatorship or overcome a civil war, they finally can vote, and the
people are lining up and saying: Thank God we have a chance to vote and
it is open for the first time. They would say: You Americans would
never have to experience this. I don't want to go to these countries
that we ask to come into the fold of democracy and ask them to have
free and open voting and have them--those that do not want free and
open voting--say: What about what you have done in your country?
[[Page S6725]]
This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. This is an American
issue. We fought a revolution. We fought world wars. We worked to make
this country of over 300 million people great because everybody's voice
is supposed to be heard. I think it is shameful and I think it is
illegal. Those who try to stop it, they should be exposed. They should
be punished. I don't care if the person voting is a Republican or
Democrat or Independent. They should have the right to vote. If we lose
that right, we lose our soul as Americans. I thank the distinguished
Senator for bringing this up.
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Amen to those comments. I would conclude by
saying we ought to be making it easier to vote, not harder to vote.
Then, when we get down to conducting an election, we definitely need to
do something about the Citizens United Supreme Court 5-to-4 decision,
and we can, statutorily. We almost did, lacking one vote breaking the
filibuster 3 years ago because it would require the disclosure of those
corporations giving the money. If the public knew who was giving the
money, then they would be very reluctant. Whereas under the guise, the
mask of secrecy, they can give money and try to influence the outcome
of an election--as they tried this year.
It has gone out of control, and I know the chairman is going to be at
the point of the spear on trying to pass the DISCLOSE Act.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.
The Farm Bill
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I think the distinguished senior Senator
from Florida has done the Senate and the country a service in what he
has said.
We each represent our own States. We have matters of interest in our
States, but also so many times they are national interests. During this
past recess, I was in just about every part of Vermont. I was stopped
time and time again by Vermont farmers who asked me why Congress left
town without passing a farm bill. They knew we had passed it in the
Senate, but why hadn't we finished?
Similar to my fellow Vermonters, I have been frustrated by the
refusal of the leadership of the House of Representatives to consider
the legislation sent to them by the Senate to extend the farm bill. In
fact, they blocked consideration of a bipartisan farm bill, one that
mirrors the legislation passed in their own body by the House
Agriculture Committee.
I have been here nearly 38 years. I have served on the Senate
Agriculture Committee all that time. I have never seen a case where the
House Agriculture Committee--whether it is led by Democrats or by
Republicans--passed a bipartisan farm bill only to see it blocked from
a final vote by its own leadership.
The Senate has done its work, but as a result of the House's
inaction, for the first time that anybody can remember in either body,
the farm bill has expired. This is dangerous for dairy farmers in
Vermont and for farmers across the country.
This delay threatens our rural communities. We all have rural
communities in our States. The farmers not only need but also deserve
the certainty that a 5-year farm bill provides. We pass farm bills in
5-year segments so that farmers, who have to plan way in the future,
know how to plan. We can't say: Wait a minute, put your farming on hold
while we try to get our act together. Don't milk those cows for a few
months while we try to figure out what we are going to do. Don't plant
or don't harvest that crop while we are trying to figure out what we
are going to do.
It doesn't work that way. The farmers already confront enough
uncertainty running their businesses. When we let farm programs expire
without enacting a new farm bill, it needlessly compounds that
uncertainty and it is irresponsible. Decisions must by made today to
determine what is going to be planted next spring. But now they have to
make that decision with uncertainty about what may be in the farm bill.
The essential nutrition programs in the farm bill provide healthy
food for vulnerable populations, such as children and pregnant and
nursing women. Vermonters, like tens of millions of people across the
country, depend upon these programs where they are struggling to put
enough food on their table during these very tough economic times.
Some of these program benefits will continue. But it is such a
tenuous position. How does a State plan? How does a community plan? We
need the House leadership to allow the farm bill to proceed so we can
move this country forward, giving farmers the certainty and vulnerable
citizens the security they deserve.
The Senate farm bill is a good, bipartisan bill. But more than that,
it is a deficit reduction bill. It has $23 billion in cost savings as
well as crucial policy reforms for dairy farmers facing the challenges
of the 21st century. It also maintains a safety net for millions of
hungry Americans.
The wealthiest, most powerful Nation on Earth has people going
hungry. In a nation that spends billions of dollars on fad diet
programs or billions of dollars to dispose of waste food, we should not
have hungry people. Not in this country.
I also point out the farm bill has always been bipartisan. I remember
the hard work, mutual respect, and spirit of cooperation that Senator
Dick Lugar and I shared. We worked together as Agriculture Committee
chairman and ranking member. We put American farmers and families first
and politics last. My good friend from Indiana and I were able to
accomplish amazing things together. Obviously, we had some differences
of opinion as Members of different regions and different parties do.
But we knew we had to work together. We did, and America benefited from
that. Certainly our farmers did too.
The need to work together is as true today as it was then. It is
going to take real leadership in the House and Senate to pass a farm
bill. We have seen that leadership and bipartisanship in the Senate.
Having served as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee for 8
years, I can say without any doubt that Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow has
been one of the finest chairs we have had of that committee. I have
watched how hard she has worked and how hard Ranking Member Pat Roberts
has worked. He brought his tremendous experience and knowledge through
his time as chairman of the House agriculture Committee. In fact, in
the debate over the Senate farm bill--and I commend Senator Stabenow on
this--seated around that table we had several people who had previously
been chairman or ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee or
the House Agriculture Committee, both Republicans and Democrats. In
fact, even one Senator who had been Secretary of Agriculture. We all
said: We can play games, we can talk, we can posture, we can sloganeer
or we can sit down like grownups and put together a real farm bill.
It took a nanosecond to decide we can be grownups and put together a
real farm bill. Republicans and Democrats sat down. We wrote a deficit-
reducing, meaningful farm bill, and it passed in a Senate which is
often deadlocked. It passed 64-35. It passed overwhelmingly--from all
parts of the country and across the political spectrum.
Senator Johanns, former Secretary of Agriculture during the Bush
administration, sat around that table and helped us write it. That
shows how bipartisan the approach to reauthorizing the farm bill was in
the Senate. We did not let political labels get in the way of what was
best for the country.
The elections are over. We know who has won or lost. We hope our
friends in the other body, in the House of Representatives, will set
aside their obstructionism and pass this bill. I am pleased by the fact
that our State's Congressman, Peter Welch, is a member of that
committee. He has been urging both Republicans and Democrats to pass
the bill, and I agree with him because it is a bill that directly
affects every farm family's budget. It helps farmers decide which crops
to plant, where to sell, how much to borrow. It allows farmers to make
their decisions--which are hard enough to make without this delay--with
some kind of certainty.
The farm bill affects Vermonters and Americans across the country
where there is food insecurity and uncertainty in these difficult
times. One of the things people lose sight of is that the farm bill is
also a disaster relief
[[Page S6726]]
bill. We need the new farm bill to help farmers in the Garden State and
across the entire Nation to recover from the nonstop floods of 2012. We
need it to help those across the Nation who are stuck on the other side
of the weather spectrum, with drought.
That is all in this bill. Because we know, as much as we wish there
would never be floods, as much as we wish there would never be
droughts, they occur. We have written that into this bill. Why in
heaven's name would anybody, from any part of the country--and we are
all vulnerable at one time or another--want to hold it up?
The fact is things are going to get worse very quickly if we begin
the new year without a farm bill. Outdated parity price systems will
multiply the price of milk on store shelves. It will destroy household
pocketbooks and the milk market nationally.
Let me reiterate that. Certainly in my State this is very important.
If we don't pass the bill, we will have outdated parity price systems
that will multiply the price of milk on the store shelves and will
destroy household pocketbooks and the milk market nationally. Ask
anybody who lives paycheck to paycheck what that would be like.
So I urge the leadership in the House of Representatives to allow
open debate on the Senate-passed farm bill. They don't have to have a
bill that is word for word what we passed here in the Senate, but I
point out that the Senate bill saves billions of dollars, it does have
a dairy program, and it does speak to disaster, drought, and flood
relief. We need it now. Let us stand with our dairy farmers in Vermont,
our eggplant growers in New Jersey, and our hungry families across the
country. Let's set the political gamesmanship aside, help America's
farmers, families, and rural communities that all rely on the farm
bill. The people in these communities, the farmers in these
communities, do not care whether there is a Democrat or Republican's
name on the bill. All they know is they want a good farm bill that
allows them to stay in farming.
Farming is hard enough as it is. None of us has to do the farming. We
ought to stand up and help--that we can do.
Mr. LEAHY. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Whitehouse).
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise today to urge support on the motion
to proceed to my bipartisan Sportsmen's Act. Outdoor traditions are a
deep and important part of our heritage in Montana and across our
Nation.
Two years ago, when I became chair of the Congressional Sportsmen's
Caucus, I made it my goal to do something significant, something
historic, something responsible that will help this country's hunters
and anglers.
Mr. President, this week we have that opportunity. This Sportsmen's
Act is the biggest package of sportsmen's bills in a generation. It
combines nearly 20 different bills, all important to those who know we
must never take our outdoors for granted.
These bills increase access for recreational hunting and fishing.
They support land and species conservation, and they protect our
hunting and fishing rights. Most importantly, they take ideas from both
sides of the political aisle. This bill isn't about Democrats and it
isn't about Republicans or Independents. This bill is about Americans
and the great outdoors we all share as a nation. This bipartisan bill
is supported by nearly 50 different conservation wildlife groups
ranging from the Nature Conservancy, the National Wildlife Federation,
to the NRA. It earned their endorsement because it includes responsible
provisions that are important to sportsmen and women across America.
In my role as the chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus,
outdoorsmen and women constantly tell me about the importance of access
to public lands. What good does it do to protect land for hunting,
fishing, and hiking if folks are unable to get to it? Right now there
are some 35 million acres of public land that sportsmen can't access.
That is why this bill requires 1.5 percent of annual funding from the
Land and Water Conservation Fund that is set aside to increase public
access to public lands, ensuring sportsmen access to some of the best
places to hunt and fish in the country.
Right now, the Congress delegates all power to determine land and
water conservation priorities to the executive branch. We can add or
subtract money from the President's budget request, but Congress cannot
determine how that money gets spent. This provision ensures that this
administration and the next one must authorize, must prioritize access
to public lands.
My bill also reauthorizes the North American Wetlands Conservation
Act. This voluntary initiative provides matching grants to landowners
who set aside critical habitat for migratory birds such as ducks. Over
the past 20 years, volunteers across America have completed more than
2,000 conservation projects. They protected more than 26 million acres
of habitat under this successful initiative. The North American
Wetlands Conservation Act is a smart investment in both our lands and
our wildlife, and it needs to be reauthorized.
This widely supported bill also reauthorizes the Secretary of the
Interior to reevaluate the price of duck stamps to keep up with
inflation. Revenue from duck stamps has been used to purchase and
release more than 6 million acres of wetlands, preserving a viable
waterfowl population. It funds new shooting ranges while encouraging
Federal land agencies to cooperate with State and local authorities to
maintain existing ranges. This is a responsible bill. It takes into
account the needs of the entire sportsmen's community.
Why is this important? It is important because hunting and fishing
and hiking is a way of life in places such as Montana.
One in three Montanans hunt big game and more than half of us fish.
An outdoor recreation economy across this country contributes some $646
billion in direct spending to this U.S. economy. Fishing and hunting is
not just recreation, it is a critical part of our economy. In Montana,
hunting and fishing alone brings $1 billion a year to our economy,
nearly as much as the State's cattle industry. It drives and sustains
jobs. With hunting season in full swing and thousands of Montanans
headed out to hunt in Montana's back country over Thanksgiving weekend,
this bill is as timely as ever.
The Sportsmen's Act of 2012 is balanced, it is bipartisan, and it is
widely supported. It is also fiscally responsible. The bill has no
cost. Before the Senate went out of session, we voted to move forward
with this bill by a vote of 84 to 7--84 to 7. It was a resounding
approval to conserve some of our most productive habitat to pass on our
hunting and fishing tradition to future generations and to entrust them
with the land and water we share.
Now it is time to get this bill across the finish line, to approve a
bill with widespread support that preserves our outdoor economy and
secures our outdoor heritage for our kids and our grandkids.
We need to take some good Democratic ideas and some good Republican
ideas and pass them. We need to do something for the more than 90
million sportsmen and sportswomen in this country and for our economy.
The time is now. I urge all Members to support this bill.
I yield the floor and 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. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Under the previous order, all time has expired.
The question is on agreeing to the motion to proceed to S. 3525.
Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to
be a sufficient second. There is a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
[[Page S6727]]
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Begich) and
the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Reed) are necessarily absent.
I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from
Rhode Island (Mr. Reed) would vote ``nay.''
Mr. KYL. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Illinois (Mr. Kirk).
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennet). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 92, nays 5, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 201 Leg.]
YEAS--92
Akaka
Alexander
Ayotte
Barrasso
Baucus
Bennet
Bingaman
Blumenthal
Blunt
Boozman
Brown (MA)
Brown (OH)
Burr
Cantwell
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Chambliss
Coats
Cochran
Collins
Conrad
Coons
Corker
Cornyn
Crapo
Durbin
Enzi
Feinstein
Franken
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hagan
Harkin
Hatch
Heller
Hoeven
Hutchison
Inhofe
Inouye
Isakson
Johanns
Johnson (WI)
Johnson (SD)
Kerry
Klobuchar
Kohl
Kyl
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Leahy
Lee
Levin
Lieberman
Lugar
Manchin
McCain
McCaskill
McConnell
Menendez
Merkley
Mikulski
Moran
Murkowski
Murray
Nelson (NE)
Nelson (FL)
Portman
Pryor
Reid
Risch
Roberts
Rockefeller
Rubio
Sanders
Schumer
Shaheen
Shelby
Snowe
Stabenow
Tester
Thune
Toomey
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Vitter
Warner
Webb
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
NAYS--5
Boxer
Coburn
DeMint
Paul
Sessions
NOT VOTING--3
Begich
Kirk
Reed
The motion was agreed to.
Vote Explanation
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for this
vote due to a flight delay caused by mechanical problems. Had I been
present, I would have voted no.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
____________________