[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 79 (Thursday, June 6, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3977-S3978]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       MOTION TO PROCEED--S. 953

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be 2 
minutes of debate equally divided.
  Who yields time? The Senator from North Carolina.
  Mr. BURR. Mr. President, in 1992 the Congress created the Direct Loan 
Program. When this program was originated, the loans to students were 
at variable rates. Let me say to my colleagues this morning, Congress 
now sets the rates. We changed that in 2006.
  The bill you will talk about now--let me just pose this to you: If 
you believe it is appropriate for Congress to pick winners and losers, 
then support this bill. If you believe it is appropriate for Congress 
to subsidize 40 percent of the student loan population and overcharge 
the other 60 percent of the student loan population, then vote for this 
bill. If you believe that is not the congressional role and that we 
need a long-term, permanent, transparent, predictable solution, then 
vote against this bill and let's sit down between now and July 1 and 
write a bipartisan approach that solves this problem once and for all.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today the Senate will have a cloture vote 
on the motion to proceed to S. 953, the Student Loan Affordability Act, 
continuing a disturbing pattern when it comes to the consideration and 
processing of legislation under the jurisdiction of the Senate Finance 
Committee, of which I am the ranking member.
  This legislation contains revenue-raising measures that should be 
considered in the Finance Committee before coming to the floor. Yet, 
once again, the Senate Democratic leadership has opted to bypass the 
committee by way of Senate rule XIV.
  If the majority leader succeeds in proceeding to S. 953, I plan to 
offer a motion to commit the bill to the Finance Committee.
  There is bipartisan support for reforming tax incentives for 
education. If the opportunity arises, my motion could be crafted in 
such a way to focus the Finance Committee's efforts on reforming these 
incentives in short order. Millions of American families and students 
would be well-served by such reforms.
  In any event, any legislation addressing these incentives should be 
considered through regular order, which means full and fair 
consideration in the Senate Finance Committee. I intend to work to make 
sure that takes place.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, On July 1, the interest rates will double 
for the most vulnerable students in our society. Access to college, 
which is fundamental to our growth, our prosperity, and individual 
advancement will be compromised for 7 million low-and moderate income 
students in this country.
  Republicans have a long-term proposal, but they do not have a long-
term solution because it is not just about interest rates, it is about 
college costs. It is about refinancing the huge amount of debt that 
families have today--not just families but students--debt they may 
never be able to pay off. First, we need the time to work on a long-
term solution; but, second, we need to reassure vulnerable individuals 
and families that their rates will not double. Student debt today is 
the second largest debt for American households. We cannot let it go 
any further. Their proposal not only will not solve the problem because 
it doesn't deal with all aspects, but it will increase student debt for 
borrowers with financial need on July 1.
  Instead, I urge passage of our proposal, the Student Loan 
Affordability Act.


                             Cloture Motion

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, pursuant to rule 
XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, 
which the clerk will report.
  The bill 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. 74, S. 953, a bill to amend the 
     Higher Education Act of 1965 to

[[Page S3978]]

     extend the reduced interest rate for undergraduate Federal 
     Direct Stafford Loans, to modify required distribution rules 
     for pensions plans, to limit earnings stripping by 
     expatriated entities, to provide for modifications related to 
     the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, and for other purposes.
         Harry Reid, Jack Reed, Tom Harkin, Richard J. Durbin, 
           Patty Murray, Benjamin L. Cardin, Al Franken, Amy 
           Klobuchar, Jeff Merkley, Jon Tester, Sherrod Brown, 
           Barbara A. Mikulski, Robert P. Casey, Jr., Elizabeth 
           Warren, Charles E. Schumer, Sheldon Whitehouse, Barbara 
           Boxer.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the quorum call has been 
waived.
  The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the 
motion to proceed to S. 953, a bill to amend the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 to extend the reduced interest rate for undergraduate Federal 
direct Stafford loans, to modify required distribution rules for 
pension plans, to limit earnings stripping by expatriated entities, to 
provide for modifications related to the Oil Spill Liability Trust 
Fund, 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 assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Missouri (Mrs. 
McCaskill) is necessarily absent.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Indiana (Mr. Coats).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Hirono). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 51, nays 46, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 143 Leg.]

                                YEAS--51

     Baldwin
     Baucus
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Boxer
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Coons
     Cowan
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Hirono
     Johnson (SD)
     Kaine
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Levin
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--46

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Barrasso
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Chambliss
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Collins
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Enzi
     Fischer
     Flake
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (WI)
     King
     Kirk
     Lee
     Manchin
     McCain
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Paul
     Portman
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rubio
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Thune
     Toomey
     Vitter
     Wicker

                             NOT VOTING--2

     Coats
     McCaskill
       
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote the yeas are 51, the nays are 46. 
Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn having not voted in 
the affirmative, the motion is rejected.

                          ____________________