[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 147 (Thursday, December 4, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S6330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             CLOTURE MOTION

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2 
minutes of debate prior to a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on 
the Baran nomination.
  The Senator from California.
  Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I know we have a lot to talk about. This 
will be very quick.
  I want to point out that is an opening at the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, which is such an important agency because they work on the 
safety of powerplants, many of which are aging. We voted for Mr. Baran 
for a short-term seat. He had extensive hearings, 88 questions asked in 
writing. I feel very strongly that he is very suited for this position. 
He worked for the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House and worked 
in a very bipartisan fashion.
  In any case, I think this is a very important position and a very 
qualified individual, and I urge an ``aye'' vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate?
  If not, all time is yielded back.
  Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending 
cloture motion, which the clerk will state.
  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 nomination of 
     Jeffery Martin Baran, of Virginia, to be a Member of the 
     Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
         Harry Reid, Patrick J. Leahy, Patty Murray, Tom Udall, 
           Brian Schatz, Charles E. Schumer, Barbara Boxer, 
           Benjamin L. Cardin, Richard Blumenthal, Jeff Merkley, 
           Al Franken, Robert P. Casey, Jr., Martin Heinrich, 
           Elizabeth Warren, Richard J. Durbin, Christopher 
           Murphy, Bernard Sanders.

  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 the 
nomination of Jeffery Martin Baran, of Virginia, to be a Member of the 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, shall be brought to a close?
  The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Louisiana (Ms. 
Landrieu), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller), and the 
Senator from Colorado (Mr. Udall) are necessarily absent.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. 
Cochran), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), and the Senator from 
Kansas (Mr. Moran).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 53, nays 40, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 313 Ex.]

                                YEAS--53

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

                                NAYS--40

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

                             NOT VOTING--7

     Coburn
     Cochran
     Cruz
     Landrieu
     Moran
     Rockefeller
     Udall (CO)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 53, the nays are 
40.
  The motion is agreed to.

                          ____________________