[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 109 (Friday, June 12, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2949-S2956]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

                  TAXPAYER FIRST ACT OF 2019--Resumed

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 1957, which the clerk will 
report. The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 1957) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 
     1986 to modernize and improve the Internal Revenue Service, 
     and for other purposes.

  Pending:

       McConnell (for Gardner) amendment No. 1617, in the nature 
     of a substitute.
       McConnell amendment No. 1626 (to amendment No. 1617), to 
     change the enactment date.
       McConnell amendment No. 1627 (to amendment No. 1626), of a 
     perfecting nature.
       McConnell amendment No. 1628 (to the language proposed to 
     be stricken by amendment No. 1617), to change the enactment 
     date.
       McConnell amendment No. 1629 (to amendment No. 1628), of a 
     perfecting nature.
       McConnell motion to commit the bill to the Committee on 
     Energy and Natural Resources, with instructions, McConnell 
     amendment No. 1630, to change the enactment date.
       McConnell amendment No. 1631 (to (the instructions) 
     amendment No. 1630), of a perfecting nature.
       McConnell amendment No. 1632 (to amendment No. 1631), of a 
     perfecting nature.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Loeffler). The Senator from Colorado is 
recognized.
  Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, thank you for your willingness to 
preside over the Chamber at this late hour, at least in the Nation's 
capital, midnight, here, or 10 o'clock in the great States of Colorado 
and Montana.
  My colleague and one of the lead sponsors of this legislation has 
been doing a lot of work this past week on the Great American Outdoors 
Act to make sure that we can get this across the finish line. The truly 
bipartisan spirit of this bill has been remarkable. I think that is 
kind of what I wanted to start off with my comments tonight, is really 
the coast-to-coast nature of this legislation, the Great American 
Outdoors Act, because so many people

[[Page S2950]]

have put in not just a couple of weeks of work or a couple of months of 
work or a couple of years of work but decades of work on the 
legislation that we have before us.
  The Great American Outdoors Act combines two pieces of legislation: 
the crown jewel of our conservation programs across the Nation, the 
Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the Restore Our Parks Act. The 
Restore Our Parks Act focuses on the catching up with the maintenance 
backlog in our national park systems.
  About 70 percent of the funding, $1.9 billion a year, will go towards 
our national parks. Additional dollars will go towards the Bureau of 
Land Management, the Bureau of Land Management now headquartered in the 
great State of Colorado. A portion will go to the U.S. Forest Service. 
A portion will go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a portion 
will go to the Bureau of Indian Education.
  The Land and Water Conservation Fund, of course, goes toward the 
efforts to protect some of the greatest spaces in our Nation. I wanted 
to thank the people who have been working on this--and we have more 
work to do, to be clear--Senator Manchin, Senator Heinrich, Senator 
Cantwell, Senator King, Senator Warner, Senators Portman and Alexander, 
and Senator Daines, all have been working very diligently to make sure 
that we can pass this. I am sure I missed a few people, as we have 
talked about them tonight and will be talking about this over the next 
several days.
  The Land and Water Conservation Fund has benefited every State in the 
country. There are a few things that have been said on the floor today 
that I thought I would clear up and address because they need to be. I 
am going to show a chart here that talks about the States that will 
receive the benefit under the Great American Outdoors Act and the 
States that do not benefit from the Great American Outdoors Act.
  The States that do not benefit from the Great American Outdoors Act 
are highlighted in orange, and the States that benefit from the Great 
American Outdoors Act are highlighted in green. As you can see from 
this map, there are no orange States. This is an entire country--
Alaska, Hawaii--48 States that have benefited from the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund, who will benefit from the Restore Our Parks Act.
  All 50 States across the country have already benefited from these 
programs. The March 9 letter begins: ``The Land and Water Conservation 
Fund has been our nation's most successful conservation and recreation 
program for 55 years, now permanently reauthorized by Congress after a 
nationwide advocacy effort.''
  That was a bill that came forward in the John D. Dingell conservation 
bill, the public land bill we passed last Congress. It passed this 
Chamber 92 to 8, another extremely bipartisan provision.
  The Land and Water Conservation Fund isn't just about the coast. It 
is not just about the interior. It is about all of our States. Half the 
money goes to the East; half the money goes to the West. It is 
distributed across the Nation. It is not a Federal land grab. I think 
it is important that some people want to talk about this being a 
Federal land grab.
  Ninety-nine percent of the funding from the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund actually goes to inholdings within existing public 
lands, meaning if you have a place like Rocky Mountain National Park in 
Colorado--and there is a little bit of land somehow in the middle of 
that--Land and Water Conversation Fund--99 percent of the funds from 
that have been used to purchase those inholdings.
  You have a significant portion of the Land and Water Conservation 
Fund that is not managed by the Federal Government at all. It is 
actually handled by the States. It is an important thing. It is 
baseball fields, soccer fields, and other programs the States can 
handle. So a huge chunk of funding from the Land and Water Conservation 
Fund goes back to the States and out of the hands of the Federal 
Government.
  If you go to another letter we talked about before, the six previous 
Secretaries of the Interior sending a letter, June 3, 2020, talking 
about the privilege and responsibility of stewarding some of America's 
most scenic landscapes--incredible landscapes and natural and cultural 
treasures.

  It talked about how they are all cognizant of the critical role our 
public lands play in our lives, with places to recreate, recharge, and 
to seek solace in the midst of great uncertainty and also to create 
jobs. This was signed by both Republican and Democrat Secretaries of 
the Interior, most recently Secretary Zinke and Secretary Jewell and 
Ken Salazar from Colorado; Secretary Dirk Kempthorne; Secretary Gale 
Norton, another Coloradan; Secretary Bruce Babbitt, from Arizona, under 
President Clinton. This talks about the importance of the Great 
American Outdoors Act with how it will help ensure a better, brighter 
future for nature and for all of us.
  Speaking of sort of bright futures, some people have said on the 
floor that this legislation was crafted in secret. That couldn't be 
further from the truth. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has been 
around since 1965, 1964, in this Chamber. It was approved by the 
committee just a couple of months ago. The Restore Our Parks Act 
cleared the Energy and Natural Resources Committee just a couple of 
months ago. It was debated. There were amendments offered; they failed.
  We combined these two pieces that came out of committee, and we put 
them into the Great American Outdoors Act. That is what we are being 
asked to vote on tonight. Of course, the Secretary's letter talks about 
the dollars that will be going to our communities, the opportunities 
for more conservation. We talked about the letter here from the 
coalition.
  Let's talk about the jobs, too, though. It is important as we start 
voting tonight that we recognize that this is a jobs bill and an 
economic opportunity for our country. It is estimated that the Great 
American Outdoors Act will create over 100,000 jobs across the country. 
As we get our feet underneath us again, as we get back on our feet from 
the health pandemic, COVID-19 emergency, we have a chance to create new 
jobs and new students.
  Remember where these jobs are going to be created; they are going to 
be created around the country because Land and Water Conservation Fund 
is in nearly every county across the country. For every $1 million we 
spend on the Land and Water Conservation Fund, we support between 16 
and 30 jobs. The national parks supports over 100,000 jobs through the 
Great American Outdoors Act; the Land and Water Conservation Fund, 
every $ 1 million, between 16 and 30 jobs. Those communities that have 
been impacted because of job loss--maybe their tourism season ended 
earlier, maybe it started late, maybe a combination of both as we faced 
in Colorado--those communities that have 20 percent, 22 percent, 23 
percent unemployment are going to be able to gain significant 
economically across the country thanks to this legislation.
  We also have a letter here from the Archery Trade Association, the 
Association of Fish and Wildlife, the Boone and Crockett Club, 
California Waterfowl Association, Catch-A-Dream Foundation. You name 
it--Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation--from a March 11, 2020, letter 
in support of the Great American Outdoors Act.
  The jobs aspect of the Great American Outdoors Act, of course, is 
recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. On June 4, 2020, they sent 
a letter to Members of the U.S. Senate. ``The U.S. Chamber of Commerce 
strongly supports [S. 3422], the `Great American Outdoors Act,'--an 
important, bipartisan bill that would provide certainty for the Land 
and Water Conservation Fund [LWCF] and address the pressing maintenance 
and construction backlog on public lands.''
  It addresses long overdue infrastructure modernization challenges, 
international park system, and other Federal and agricultural lands. It 
would also permanently authorize the LWCF, providing an important tool 
for smart development of open spaces in communities across the Nation.
  Enactment of this bill would also provide much needed funding to 
support and sustain funding Bureau of Indian Education schools. By 
setting aside 5 percent of the funds created in this act, as much as 
$475 million could flow to Bureau of Indian Education schools over the 
next 5 years.

[[Page S2951]]

  API, the American Petroleum Institute, writes in support of the Great 
American Outdoors Act. They start with: ``Practical, safe, and 
responsible offshore energy development doesn't just create jobs and 
power our lives--it also funds America's largest federal conservation 
program.''
  Senators will soon vote on the Great American Outdoors Act, and they 
hope that we would support this legislation.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the 
Record letters from the Chamber of Commerce and API
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:
                                                     June 4, 2020.
       To the Members of the United States Senate: The U.S. 
     Chamber of Commerce strongly supports S. 3422, the ``Great 
     American Outdoors Act,'' an important, bipartisan bill that 
     would provide funding certainty for the Land and Water 
     Conservation Fund (LWCF) and address the pressing maintenance 
     and construction backlog on public lands. The Chamber will 
     consider including votes related to this legislation in our 
     ``How They Voted'' congressional scorecard.
       This bill would address long overdue infrastructure 
     modernization challenges in the national parks system and on 
     other federal and agricultural lands. It also would 
     permanently authorize the LWCF, which provides important 
     tools for smart development of open spaces in communities 
     across our nation.
       Local LWCF projects have the potential to put many 
     thousands of Americans back to work as the American economy 
     recovers from the pandemic. Such projects can also help 
     companies and communities promote open spaces, build 
     resilience, reduce risks from future disasters, and better 
     manage stormwater.
       Enactment of this bill would also provide much needed 
     funding to support and sustain Bureau of Indian Education 
     (BIE) schools. By setting aside 5% of the fund created in 
     this Act, as much as $475 million could flow to BIE schools 
     over the next five years.
       The Chamber opposes any poison pill amendments that would 
     undo the carefully balanced components of this legislation. 
     In particular, the Chamber opposes any efforts to establish 
     moratoria on energy production, which is not only crucial to 
     America's economic growth and energy security, but also 
     provides the underlying funding for the LWCF.
       We applaud the bipartisan leadership of Sens. Gardner, 
     Manchin and Daines, who crafted this legislation. The Chamber 
     urges passage of the Great American Outdoors Act.
           Sincerely,
     Jack Howard,
       Senior Vice President, Congressional and Public Affairs, 
     U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
                                  ____

                                                    June 10, 2020.
       Dear Jennifer: Practical, safe, and responsible offshore 
     energy development doesn't just create jobs and power our 
     lives--it also funds America's largest federal conservation 
     program. For decades, the natural gas and oil industry has 
     directly contributed to outdoor recreation and environmental 
     conservation, thanks to a long-standing law that would be 
     strengthened by legislation that is up for a vote in the U.S. 
     Senate.
       Senators will soon vote on S. 3422, the Great American 
     Outdoors Act, a bipartisan bill that would codify a permanent 
     funding stream for the Land and Water Conservation Fund 
     (LWCF) and address a considerable maintenance and 
     construction backlog on public lands.
       Since 1965, LWCF grants have provided more than $4.4 
     billion for over 40,000 projects, supporting resource 
     management, habitat restoration, and outdoor recreation such 
     as hiking, hunting, and fishing. Offshore natural gas and oil 
     royalties provide the primary source of funding for all LWCF 
     projects, from the Grand Canyon National Park to community 
     basketball courts.
       As summer starts and the coronavirus limits the nation's 
     ability to convene inside, outdoor activities are more 
     important than ever. Last month, API was happy to see the 
     Interior Department announce a $227 million LWCF distribution 
     to all 50 states, five U.S. territories, and the District of 
     Columbia for specified park and outdoor recreation and 
     conservation.
       But we won't stop there. Energy producers are proud to grow 
     the economy, create good-paying jobs, and invest in projects 
     that enhance America's natural beauty. Offshore energy 
     revenues are essential to conserving the LWCF itself.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Mike Sommers,
                                             President & CEO, API.

  Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, furthermore, to highlight the economic 
importance of this legislation, the outdoor recreation industry--these 
have some of the most notable names in outdoor recreation, which I 
think everybody would recognize: Polaris, Bass Pro, Cabela's--you name 
it--North Face, Patagonia. They are all on here, in support of the 
Great American Outdoors Act.

       The outdoor recreation industry is extremely encouraged by 
     recent announcements that the Senate plans to hold a vote on 
     the Great American Outdoors Act. As outdoor recreation 
     business leaders, we know investments and recreation access 
     and infrastructure are vital to the outdoor recreation 
     industry and economies across the country.

  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed 
in the Record.

       There being no objection, the material was ordered to be 
     printed in the Record, as follows:
       Dear Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer: The outdoor 
     recreation industry is extremely encouraged by recent 
     announcements that the Senate plans to hold a vote on the 
     Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) in June. As outdoor 
     recreation business leaders, we know investments in 
     recreation access and infrastructure are vital to the outdoor 
     recreation industry and economies across the country.
       Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the outdoor recreation 
     industry contributed $778 billion in economic output, 
     accounted for 2.2 percent of United States Gross Domestic 
     Product, supported 5.2 million jobs and was growing faster 
     than the economy as a whole in every indicator. 
     Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns 
     necessary to slow its progression, America's outdoor 
     recreation economy was hindered when we needed the outdoors 
     more than ever. Outdoor Recreation Roundtable's April survey 
     of the sector shows that 79 percent of outdoor businesses 
     have had to lay off or furlough employees, and 89 percent are 
     seeing decreased revenue. However, we know there is a bright 
     future for outdoor recreation ahead, as several sectors of 
     the industry are already experiencing rapidly increasing 
     demand.
       These outdoor businesses are the backbone of our industry 
     and range from specialty retailers, apparel, gear and vehicle 
     manufacturers, outfitters and guides to campground and marina 
     operators. They are often foundational to a community's 
     economy. With rising unemployment and Americans eager to 
     experience the outdoors, investment in our industry's core 
     infrastructure--public lands and waters--will allow our 
     businesses to get back to what we do best: stimulate local 
     economies, put people back to work, and allow Americans to 
     benefit from time spent outside.
       This is why we respectfully ask you to pass the Great 
     American Outdoors Act as soon as possible.
       GAOA will fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund 
     (LWCF) at $900 million annually, providing more recreation 
     access for communities across the country and fueling more 
     outdoor recreation economic activity. In a nutshell, if 
     Congress invests the intended amount of $900 million into 
     LWCF recreation access projects on local, state and federal 
     lands, it will create much-needed close-to-home recreation 
     opportunities while revitalizing the outdoor recreation 
     economy.
       Additionally, GAOA dedicates up to $9.5 billion over the 
     next five years to maintenance backlog projects that have 
     been devastating our public lands and waters. Investing in 
     these projects will improve outdoor recreation-related 
     facilities such as docks, restrooms, campgrounds, trails, 
     roads and more that have deteriorated significantly from 
     decades of underfunded maintenance. As business leaders, we 
     understand the need to make sure customers have good 
     experiences when they visit stores or facilities, it ensures 
     they come back again. Funding the maintenance backlog will 
     also ensure that adequate infrastructure for all types of 
     recreation on our public lands and waters exists so more 
     people who are seeking the benefits the outdoors has to offer 
     can get outside safely and grow our industry sustainably.
       Passing GAOA now would stimulate the outdoor recreation 
     industry made up of thousands of businesses that support 
     communities in all SO states, support rural economies, create 
     jobs to carry out essential work, and provide opportunities 
     for millions of Americans to recreate on our public lands and 
     waters for generations to come. We know this vital 
     legislation is slated for a vote in the coming weeks and we 
     urge you to move as quickly as possible to get this 
     legislation across the finish line. Your support of GAOA is a 
     vote for American jobs and health, community resiliency and 
     the outdoor recreation economy. Thank you for your 
     leadership.
           Sincerely,
       Airstream, Inc., Alta Planning + Design, Inc., Arc'teryx 
     Equipment Inc., Arete Structures, LLC, Bass Pro Shops, Bell 
     Helmets, Blackburn Design, Blue Springs Marine, Boat Owners 
     Association of the United States, Boat Owners Warehouse, 
     Boats Incorporated, Brunswick Corporation, Cabela's, 
     CamelBak, Camperland of Oklahoma, Chaparral Boats, Inc., CHM 
     Government Services, Chris-Craft, Clark Marine.
       Cleveland Boat Center, Correct Craft, Creative Pultrusions, 
     Crestview RV, Dee Zee, Inc., Delaware North Parks and 
     Resorts, Eagle Claw Fishing Tackle, FERA, Forest River, Inc., 
     Forever Resorts, Formula Boats, Fort Sumter Tours, Freedom 
     Boat Club, Galati Yacht Sales, Giro Sport Design, Glacier 
     Guides & Montana Raft, Grand Design RV, Guest Services, Inc., 
     Hagadone Marine Group, Handout Gloves.

[[Page S2952]]

       Head USA, Hellwig Products Company Inc., Hemlock Hill RV 
     Sales, Hipcamp, Hornblower Cruises and Events, Indian Lake 
     Marina, Inc, Indmar Products, K2 Sports, Kampgrounds of 
     America, Inc., Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., Lakeview 
     Marine, Inc., LKQ Corporation, Magic Tilt Trailers, Malibu 
     Boats, Inc., Marina Holdings, Marine Center of Indiana, 
     Maverick Boat Group, Inc. Mount Dora Boating Center, N3 
     Boatworks, Nantahala Outdoor Center.
       National Outdoor Leadership School, Newmar Corporation, 
     Patagonia, Petzl America, Plano Synergy, Polaris, Inc., Port 
     Harbor Marine, Priority RV Network, Pure Fishing, Quality 
     Bicycle Products, Rapala USA, Reed's Marine, Inc., Regulator 
     Marine, Inc.. REI, Rendezvous River Sports, Rhino Marking & 
     Protection Systems, Santa Barbara Adventure Company, Seirus 
     Innovative Accessories, Inc., Shimano North America Fishing, 
     Simms Fishing.
       Skyjacker Suspensions, Smoker Craft, Spiritline Cruises, 
     SRAM LLC, St. Croix Rods, Sun RV Resorts, Suzuki Motor of 
     America, Inc., The North Face, Tiara Yachts & Tiara Sport, 
     Trek Bikes, Turn 14 Distribution Inc., VF Corporation, Vista 
     Outdoor, Volvo Penta of the Americas, WARN Industries, 
     Westrec Marinas, WET River Trips, Wildwater River Guides, 
     Winnebago Industries, Xanterra Travel Collection, Yamaha 
     Rightwaters, Yogi Bear's Jellystone Parks, Zebco Brands.

  Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, REI--a place that Secretary Jewell 
knows very well--REI Co-op writes in support of the Great American 
Outdoors Act, talking about the impressive process that this bill came 
together with, the bipartisan nature of this legislation.
  My colleague, Senator Heinrich, from New Mexico, is on the floor. I 
can't thank him enough for the work we have done together and for 
making sure that we can get to these votes, as we approach very late 
hours in Washington.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the 
Record a letter from REI Co-op, dated June 9, 2020
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                     June 9, 2020.
       Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer: 
     On behalf of REI Co-op, I want to express our strong support 
     for the Great American Outdoors Act. This bipartisan 
     legislation represents a historic opportunity to reduce the 
     chronic maintenance backlogs that have been diminishing our 
     federal lands and waters. The bill also will make permanent 
     Congress's financial support for the Land and Water 
     Conservation Fund, ending decades of erratic support.
       As you know, our public lands and waters are places for 
     recreation, connecting to others and even healing. This is 
     true for Americans across the country, irrespective of 
     geography, and has proven especially true over the last 
     several months during the COVID-19 pandemic. The connection 
     between outdoor recreation and public health may have never 
     been so evident as it is today. I strongly believe that these 
     trends are part of a broader shift in our society and will 
     remain in place well beyond the end of the pandemic, so long 
     as we put healthy investment into this portion of our public 
     infrastructure.
       It's also important to note how much the outdoor recreation 
     economy has suffered during this economic downturn, in 
     particular those small, main street businesses that rely on 
     the public lands to be open and accessible. Most in our 
     industry have not yet been deemed ``essential businesses'' 
     and, therefore, have faced significant financial pressures as 
     store hours are cut and guided trips, cancelled. As of last 
     fall, the U.S. Commerce Department had found the outdoor 
     recreation economy to account for 2.2.% of GDP and 5.2 
     million jobs. The recreation sector is not nearly so robust 
     today. It will benefit greatly--both near and long term--from 
     investments that better conserve our public lands and waters, 
     and provide access to more outdoor recreation opportunities.
       Equally impressive is the process by which this bill has 
     come together. Not long after last year's passage of the 
     landmark John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and 
     Recreation Act, Republicans and Democrats in your chamber 
     came together to advance concepts that previously seemed 
     impossible to move through Congress. Now, another historic 
     opportunity for bipartisanship is on the docket. In an era 
     when divisive politics and disagreement regularly frustrate 
     the legislative process, Congress's commitment to the 
     outdoors demonstrates our capacity to find common ground.
       As you continue to work through the important legislative 
     agenda that is before the Senate, I urge you to pass the 
     Great American Outdoors Act and look forward to this vital 
     legislation becoming law.
           Sincerely,
                                                        Eric Artz,
                                       President & CEO, REI Co-op.

  Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, this is about national treasures, the 
great American outdoors. It is about national treasures. It is about 
protecting these incredible places that our own biologists--not just 
the people of Colorado or New Mexico or the great State of Georgia--
owned by all of us.
  It is about some of the most scenic and majestic landscapes, unique 
ecosystems that they create. But it is also about a national treasure 
and the American people. That national treasure has been hit pretty 
hard over the last several months, with pandemics, conflict in our 
society, and racial injustice. It is this national treasure, the 
American people, that this legislation is focused on, the national 
treasure that will help create jobs and opportunity and empower 
people's lives, get their communities back on track, and maybe--just 
maybe--provide a little bit of respite to somebody who is seeking that 
opportunity to get outside, to get away, to find time to think.
  As Enos Mills said, to make them a little bit more reflective and 
kind during difficult times. We have a long ways to go in this 
legislation. We will have more debates later tonight and a vote later 
tonight. I hope my colleagues will support me in this legislation. It 
is tremendously bipartisan in nature. It has significant support of the 
American people. It benefits our country from sea to shining sea.
  We are going to have some votes next week, on Monday, as well, and 
perhaps Tuesday, maybe even more. But one thing this bill is not is a 
surprise. This bill is a collection of debates and arguments and 
passion and advocacy for decades. I think the argument has been won. We 
want to protect our country's most treasured places. Now, we just have 
to win the debate and make sure we can do that with the bill tonight.
  I encourage my colleagues to vote yes tonight and through the 
remaining votes that we have either today or next week to move on to 
passage of this legislation and the good it can do. I thank the 
President and I thank my colleagues.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. HEINRICH. Madam President, I rise today with my colleagues from 
Colorado and Montana to talk about the incredible coalition that has 
come together to support the Great American Outdoors Act and why we 
have been able to build a group of folks ranging far beyond this body 
who have come together from very disparate parts of the political 
spectrum and very disparate parts of our incredible geographic country 
to support this piece of legislation.
  I think part of what has made this legislation so timely is what we 
have all been through in the last 3 months. Many of us were cooped up 
in our homes for weeks at a time, and it really drove home for all of 
us how incredibly important the time that we get to spend outside is. I 
know some of my colleagues, particularly from the West, have been very 
articulate about that.
  I had a chance to travel around my State at a time when many people 
were still cooped up in their homes. Our State Governor was very 
thoughtful about the rules to make sure that even as people sought to 
socially distance themselves for weeks at a time, they were able to get 
access to their local parks, able to get access to open space, able to 
get access to our national forests and BLM lands--anyplace, basically, 
where people could come together without coming together. There is no 
place like the great outdoors to do that.
  I would just ask my colleagues--I start with my colleague from 
Colorado--if he would care to share some stories about the importance 
that we all learned about what we already have--and in many cases have 
because of the Land and Water Conservation Fund--in our own backyards 
and how important that was in the course of the greatest illness, the 
greatest pandemic of our generation's time.
  I yield my time to the Senator from Colorado.
  Mr. GARDNER. I thank the Senator from New Mexico for his work on this 
legislation and the opportunity to continue to work together on the 
Great American Outdoors Act. We adjusted to the Zoom conference 
meetings and the Skypes and the FaceTimes. We all figured out our best 
way to do that.
  Millions of Americans were still at work each and every day at the 
gas station, at the grocery store, the clerks and the people stocking 
shelves and providing restaurant work across the country.

[[Page S2953]]

  There is a lot of stress, and this is a tense time for this country. 
You can see it and hear it and still feel that strain on the American 
people. That sort of relief valve we have as a country is our system of 
parks and recreation opportunities.
  It is about jobs. It is about the dollars they spend in communities, 
the gateway communities, when they go to a place like Rocky Mountain 
National Park. Yet it is also about that opportunity for people to get 
away and to find that time to think, that time to be themselves, to 
focus, to get into an area where they can exercise, recreate, and enjoy 
the environment and the resources around them.
  I make a joke; I don't know if anyone else laughs at it. I talk about 
the last several months being spent in the great indoors. It is time 
for the great outdoors. I think that is what we talked about.
  As a kid growing up, we had these road trips. We didn't fly very 
often, at least. It was expensive. You would drive and drive great 
distances. You would drive to the Grand Canyon National Park if you 
could or certainly drive up to Rocky Mountain National Park with the 
family.
  Maybe the great American road trip is going to come back as people 
adjust to what we have to do to protect ourselves from the pandemic, as 
economic concerns grow in this country. This provides an opportunity 
for all of it.
  Mr. HEINRICH. Senator, if you would yield for a moment.
  To the Senator from Montana, I notice a very similar dynamic emerging 
from Montana as it was from New Mexico of being very thoughtful about a 
response to the virus but also making sure that people could get out 
and just get that time for their physical well-being and their mental 
well-being even in the height of the pandemic. In doing that 
responsibly--and I think it certainly impressed upon everyone I talked 
to just how important these places have always been. Maybe sometimes we 
took them for granted, but I think the last 3 months have helped us not 
take the great American outdoors for granted.
  Mr. DAINES. I think that is exactly right, Senator Heinrich. It is 
one of these unique moments tonight in the Senate where this body is 
coming together.
  Here we are--as Senator Heinrich mentioned and Senator Gardner has 
mentioned--we may disagree on various issues, but we are coming 
together tonight at a time when the Nation needs to come together to 
move this very important legislation forward
  In Montana, we had cabin fever, as I am sure folks in New Mexico and 
Colorado had as well. There were too many times on Zoom and not enough 
time outside. It has been good to see, as we have been through a phased 
opening in our State, like other States, people are getting back 
outside again and back into our national parks.
  I think about being a kid growing up in Montana. My earliest memories 
were literally when Mom and Dad would load us up in a pickup. Those 
were the days when you laid down in the back of a pickup. Kids rode in 
the back of the pickup. Nobody was strapped in. I am not suggesting 
this become the normal practice, but back in the day, we just rode in 
the back of the pickup. Mom and Dad would take us up to Cooke City, MT. 
Sometimes we would do day hikes out of there. Sometimes there were 
overnights on our public lands.
  You don't realize how special that is when you are growing up until 
you realize not everybody around the country has that kind of direct 
accessibility to our public lands. That is why more and more Americans 
are actually coming out West and why they want to be closer to these 
amazing public lands that we are so grateful we have in places like New 
Mexico, Colorado, and Montana.
  We say in Montana that we get to work, but we also like to play. We 
work hard during the week, and I think we work hard so we can get out 
on the weekends, where there is hiking, fishing, hunting, and 
backpacking. This is our life.
  These are pictures I have taken with my phone. The picture right 
here--we have three Mini Australian Shepherds. These are two of them. 
Our older dog, Jessie, has a hard time getting down the trails and 
mountains now, but the younger ones still can.
  We think about our fondest memories spending time outside on our 
public lands. It is why we continue to preserve, protect, and expand 
that access to this incredible treasure we have in America.
  Mr. HEINRICH. I really think that our public lands are one of 
America's greatest democratic accomplishments. You think about the fact 
of how we became a nation. When you look at the history in Europe, 
people were locked out of the great lands of Europe. You look at all of 
the futile history that Europe had in wildlife and public lands. Lands 
and wildlife belonged to the King; they belonged to the Crown. If you 
were caught hunting on those lands, you could be put to death. You 
didn't have access to those lands later in European history unless you 
could pay for them.
  Our forefathers were very thoughtful about not wanting that to be the 
same approach in the United States of America and making sure that our 
wildlife was held in trust for all of us and that these lands would be 
held in trust for all of us.
  One of the greatest things about the Land and Water Conservation 
Fund, from my perspective, is that it really increased access to the 
national forests, parks, and other places that had already been 
created.
  I would be curious if my colleagues have stories about particular 
places that didn't have public access; that maybe for somebody just 
working in a small town, if there was an incredible mountain range or 
place you could hunt or fish or camp that was off limits, and because 
of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an easement or a trail or some 
other means of access was provided that opened it up to the working-
class families of their constituencies. We certainly have those stories 
in New Mexico.
  I would ask my colleagues if they have particular places in Colorado 
or Montana where that has been the case because of this incredibly 
important fund.
  Mr. DAINES. Senator Heinrich, the Land and Water Conservation Fund 
has been such an important tool for us to provide access to the type of 
situation you just described. We have about 1.5 million acres of 
Federal lands in Montana that are not accessible because they are 
landlocked. They are inholdings because of the complex nature of the 
checkerboard ownership infrastructure that we oftentimes see out West--
a section, 640 acres, a square mile. You have a State section, you have 
a Federal section, and you have a private land owner. This is working 
with willing landowners who want to work and find a way to consolidate 
some of these sections to provide better access to the public lands.
  We have had some great projects, like the Tenderfoot project, we call 
it, over by the Smith River, which is a treasure in Montana. It is kind 
of the Montana bucket list, to float the Smith. It is an amazing 
several overnights from one point to the next, an over 50-mile kind of 
float. I did that once, and I would love to do it again. We had the 
Falls Creek acquisition that is outside of Augusta. By being able to 
provide access through a few hundred acres or a couple thousand acres, 
it gets the public into tens of thousands of acres of some prime elk 
habitat.
  This is where we bring together some of these great wildlife 
conservations, like the Rocky Mountain elk conservation, that see these 
tools as critical to, one, help protect and expand elk habitat, but 
importantly, Montana is still one of those States where a mom or a dad, 
grandma or grandpa, aunt or uncle can take a son or a daughter, a niece 
or a nephew or a cousin down to Walmart and buy an elk tag or a deer 
tag over the counter and jump back in the pickup and go to our public 
lands within an hour, sometimes even a shorter time than that.
  That is something, as you mentioned, Senator Heinrich--
  Mr. HEINRICH. You are saying you don't have to hire a guide; you 
don't have to spend $10,000 on a private land tag? You can just buy an 
elk tag over the counter and go out and pursue elk on your public 
lands?
  Mr. DAINES. It is--every State has its own philosophy and ways they 
are going to manage wildlife, but in Montana, in many cases, it is an 
over-the-

[[Page S2954]]

counter tag. We have special draws. Antelope is still a draw. There are 
some places for elk and deer that are a draw, but in most cases, for 
elk and deer or a bear, you can go and buy that tag over the counter. 
That is very unique.
  As you mentioned, Senator Heinrich, it is so different from Europe. 
What sets our country apart--while Europe may have beautiful castles 
and chateaux and chefs and so forth, what we have are national parks 
and our public lands. As you mentioned, it is something our forefathers 
had the vision for. They went before us and set that aside. Had they 
not done that--you never get that back. Had that not been put in the 
hands of the public, we wouldn't have Yellowstone National Park or 
Glacier National Park. They are such beautiful places. They would have 
been subdivided. They would have been privately held, and the public 
couldn't enjoy these treasures. I am grateful for that legacy. We get 
to work on it here tonight, to continue to maintain it well and be 
better stewards of these public lands.
  Mr. HEINRICH. You mention Yellowstone. We have a place in northern 
New Mexico that many people refer to as New Mexico's Yellowstone, 
because, like Yellowstone, it is a high elevation caldera. It is a 
place where there was a supervolcano, and that supervolcano collapsed 
in on itself. When it did, it created what they call a reverse 
treeline, a series of very high elevation meadows connected to each 
other with a ring of mountains around them. Near the caldera there is a 
huge elk herd, hot springs, and wild trout.
  That place is called the Valles Caldera National Preserve today. It 
was actually first proposed as a national park, I think, in about 1916, 
if you can believe that.
  Almost to the month, 100 years later, we were able to make this a 
national preserve, which is like a National Park Service property that 
also allows for hunting and fishing. We did that because the family who 
had been a great steward of that land for decades had decided that they 
needed to sell it, but they wanted to see it preserved. What came to 
the rescue in that case was the Land and Water Conservation Fund, in 
one of the largest acquisitions of private land from a willing private 
seller--an enthusiastic private seller to the public trust.
  Today this is an 89,000-acre national preserve that anyone in the 
United States can visit. Once again, anyone with a hunting license can 
apply for an elk tag there, can go fishing there. It is just a 
remarkable, remarkable place.
  It would never have happened and this would be covered in vacation 
homes if it were not for that tool.
  Mr. GARDNER. In Colorado, I think I mentioned before, we have an area 
the size of Rocky Mountain National Park that is held by the public 
across the State of Colorado, but it is inaccessible. You can't get to 
it. The Land and Water Conservation Fund provides this opportunity to 
get to that, to access land.
  I heard my colleague Senator Daines talk about how a significant 
portion of the fishing access in Montana--he just talked about it--is 
through the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
  We have projects in the Rio Grande National Forest through portions 
of Colorado and into Texas, where the Lower Rio Grande Valley National 
Wildlife Refuge has benefited. I think it was Will Rogers who once said 
that the Rio Grande was the only river he ever saw that was in need of 
irrigation.
  I think if you look at the Land and Water Conservation Fund, that is 
something we can all benefit from.
  Of course, while we don't directly border Montana, we do border New 
Mexico. There was an article recently featured, I think, by the Nature 
Conservancy, about Colorado's newest State park. It is in southern 
Colorado, right outside a little town called Trinidad, and it will 
encompass a local landmark known as Fisher's Peak.
  Trinidad has a great and amazing history in the West, from mining to 
agriculture and the challenges that mining and agriculture have posed 
over the years, and forestry and other things. But what they are hoping 
for now is that this newest State park can provide an opportunity for 
economic revitalization of this rural town and area. It is actually 
going to border right up against New Mexico, and part of that special 
land goes into New Mexico. Maybe someday the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund will be able to benefit that project. In fact, I know 
they are working on it, and they have received it by now. It is an 
opportunity for us to save rural communities.
  This Land and Water Conservation Fund is not all out of Washington. 
It is coming through the States as well, and that is an opportunity for 
both of our areas to prosper, particularly our rural communities.
  Mr. HEINRICH. As my colleague from Montana said--let me back up just 
a moment. The folks in Raton are also very excited about what is going 
on at Fisher's Peak and looking at different possibilities for their 
community just over the divide from Trinidad.
  One of the places, as my colleague from Montana described them, is 
taking public lands that literally are held in trust for all of us, but 
some of them you just can't get to anymore, because of lands changing 
hands over the years, private land acquisitions and county road 
closures at times. Sometimes you can find yourself in these positions 
where something as large as 10,000 acres or 15,000 acres of public land 
can find itself cut off from any legal access to the public.
  In New Mexico, we actually had the country's only designated 
wilderness area where, simply, there was no legal public access. There 
was not a trail, not a road. There was no way to get there. In recent 
years, we were able to work with the Secretaries of the Interior, and 
using the Land and Water Conservation Fund, we were able to open up and 
expand that. Today people are able to hike, camp, and hunt. It has a 
little water in it, but I don't know anybody who has actually fished 
there. But it is a labyrinth of canyons and rim rock country similar to 
what most people would associate with Utah. I can tell you that the 
community in Las Vegas nearby and in other smaller communities are 
really just very excited about the opportunities for tourism and for 
access for sportsmen to a place that had been completely inaccessible.
  I see we have been joined by our colleague from West Virginia, whom I 
know has some really strong feelings about the potential of outdoor 
recreation in his State. I didn't realize how many--13,000 peaks in 
West Virginia--but I looked in his office today, and there is a whole 
mountain chain in West Virginia.
  To our colleague, Senator Manchin of West Virginia, do you want to 
join us and talk a little bit about the importance of outdoor 
recreation and what this legislation might mean in your State?
  Mr. MANCHIN. Thank you, Senator, and to all my colleagues, I want to 
thank you. I appreciate very much the job that has been done here. By 
working in a bipartisan spirit, every one of us benefits from this. 
This is a legacy piece of legislation that, hopefully, our children and 
generations to come will say that it was my grandfather, my father, my 
uncle, my aunt who was involved in giving me an opportunity to enjoy 
part of the America that maybe I may not have had. We have access to 
it.
  In West Virginia, when you get access to New River or the Gauley, it 
has been provided by LWCF money. The Park System that we have--and we 
have hundreds of thousands of visitors every year--is done because of 
the Restore Our Parks Act, and people are now able to come.
  Just about 4 or 5 months ago, I took my family, and we were in 
Hawaii. When Senators and Congress people go into Hawaii on a codel, we 
usually don't see what the visitors see down there. They don't take us 
to the visitors' center. This time I had gone as a normal visitor, and 
when I walked in, I was appalled at what I saw
  The maps were falling off the wall. The lights weren't working. It 
was atrocious.
  I had a meeting with the staff right there. I came back, and at that 
time, David Bernhardt, Rob Walls, and I started talking, and I said: 
Gentlemen, that is the birthplace, basically, defining who we are as a 
superpower and the hope of the world, and for our veterans to have to 
come and see that and say this is where it began, something had to be 
done. We started right then renovating and fixing it up, and I think we 
spent $10 million out of the contingency fund. So I know what it takes 
for

[[Page S2955]]

Senator Alexander, who has led this fight, and Senator Warner and 
others as well on Restore Our Parks.
  Teddy Roosevelt would be proud of Senator Alexander leading this 
charge and all of us working together. Putting these two bills together 
was a master stroke, I believe, and how we could come together. It has 
brought us all together. There is not one person I believe--we have a 
few of our friends that have some challenges, and we are going to help 
them through as soon as we get this bill passed. But in West Virginia, 
this means the world for us. It has benefited our State since 1965, and 
54 out of 55 counties have benefited by it. Now, I tell them that 
whatever you think we have been able to do and however happy you are 
with what has happened, we can do twice as much. We can do twice as 
much on a regular basis.
  I am proud to be a part of this. Senator Heinrich and I have worked 
tonight, and our staffs have worked closely, and Senator Daines and 
Gardner and everybody is working very close on this. It pulled us 
together, and I hope we can stay together and keep this spirit of 
bipartisanship in many pieces of legislation.
  So thank you. Thank you for letting me be involved, and thank you for 
what you have done.
  Mr. HEINRICH. I think what we have all learned is what a great team 
this has been and, obviously, it is a land fund--the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund. It means boat ramps and access and many other 
things. We will continue to work together to make sure that all of our 
States benefit from this program, not just a few, and I know my 
colleague from Montana wants to add a few more points to this 
conversation.
  Mr. DAINES. Thanks, Senator Heinrich.
  I am going to hand this over to the Senator from Ohio, as well as our 
Senator from Tennessee, where it is so important to the Restore Our 
Parks Act. I know we have a lot to talk about in our national parks.
  I want to add one point, Senator Heinrich, about what you mentioned 
around the economic benefits. Seventy percent of the fishing access 
that is in Montana has been funded by the Land and Water Conservation 
Fund--70 percent. As a kid growing up, I had a fly rod in my hand back 
in the early 1970s before fly fishing became very popular. My grandpa 
and my dad would take me out, not unlike in ``The River Runs Through 
It.''
  That is a classic movie. When Robert Redford and Brad Pitt came out 
to Montana and filmed this amazing movie, it was filmed on the Gallatin 
River, where I grew up fishing as a kid, in Bozeman. Little did we know 
what a movie like that and fishing access might do to spur our fly 
fishing industry in Montana. Now our outdoor recreation economy is $7 
billion in Montana. What started out as access for the public and 
primarily Montanans has turned into something that is an economic 
driver, as others want to share the amazing experiences we have in 
places like Montana, on our rivers and seeing a trout on a fly line. It 
is an important economic driver.
  Mr. HEINRICH. This has been a spontaneous colloquy, but I think the 
time has come for us to give back our time. But I want to thank my 
colleagues for their incredible support, and I think folks are going to 
take over the floor as we move in to the next phase here.
  Mr. DAINES. I want Senator Portman from Ohio to speak.
  Mr. HEINRICH. Senator Portman from Ohio.
  Mr. PORTMAN. Thank you, Senator Heinrich. Thanks to my colleagues for 
being here. This is an opportunity to do the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund expansion and provide fishing access through our 
States and local communities and the parks that they need and want, but 
it is also an opportunity to fix our parks, and this is desperately 
needed.
  Our national parks are in trouble, just as more and more people are 
returning to our parks for recreation and fishing and all the other 
access we have. There are 84 million acres of true treasures in 
America, thanks to Teddy Roosevelt and many others who followed in his 
footsteps. We preserved this land and protected our history, but there 
is a $12.5 billion maintenance backlog in our parks.
  As visitors go to our parks as they reopen this summer, they will 
find that the trail is closed or the toilet doesn't work or the lodge 
has a leak in the roof, and therefore they can't use it. When you get a 
leak in the roof and you get the mold in the walls and the floor, that 
is what is happening, and we haven't funded it.

  Part of the reason is it is so expensive. These are infrastructure 
expenditures that require significant funds. So part of what this 
legislation does is finally allow us to catch up here in the U.S. 
Congress. It is a debt unpaid. In other words, we should have been 
paying all over these many years to ensure this wouldn't happen but, 
unfortunately, for decades it has.
  So some of the funds we use here go directly into these parks and 
also to our Forest Service and wildlife refuges and our lands and our 
Native American lands. This is to simply stop the erosion, really, of 
the beauty of our parks and to eliminate this historic level of backlog 
of maintenance projects. So we appreciate the fact that tonight we have 
an opportunity to finally begin to change our approach and to switch 
gears.
  I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for helping 
us to get to this point. It has been through our committee twice, with 
lots of amendments that have been amended and debated, and lots of 
discussion. We now have an opportunity to make good on the promise we 
have made to our children and grandchildren that these parks will be 
preserved for future generations.
  My colleagues with whom I worked include Senator Warner, who came up 
with this idea saying some of funds coming from offshore oil and gas 
and other energy projects could be diverted to these national parks to 
provide adequate resources to do this. We will see him on the floor 
this evening, and possibly Senator Alexander, who has been at this as 
well and is a key player, and also Senator Angus King. The four of us 
stuck together through thick and thin. I hope tonight will be the thin 
part and we can get this done over the next several days so that we can 
indeed keep the promise that we have made that these national treasures 
can be preserved.
  Senator Alexander, do you have something you would like to say?
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam President, in the middle of the Great 
Depression, the people in Tennessee and North Carolina looked around 
and said: Why are all the national parks out West?
  So Tennessee contributed $2 million, and North Carolina contributed 
$2 million, and John D. Rockefeller Jr. said: I will give $5 million in 
honor of my mother if you can match it. The children of North Carolina 
and Tennessee in schools raised another million dollars in community 
efforts, and the Great Smokey Mountain National Park was created and 
given to the people of the United States.
  So the people of Tennessee and North Carolina gave that to the United 
States and, today, more than 12 million Americans visit it. There are a 
lot more people who visit it than live in Tennessee and North Carolina, 
and part of the deal was that there would be no entrance fee. The one 
thing that we wanted or our grandparents wanted at the time was that 
the American people be good stewards of what we gave to the American 
people.
  Today, thanks to the leadership of Senators Warner, Portman, King, 
Manchin, Heinrich, Daines, and Gardner on the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund, that has happened. I am proud to be a part of it. 
This is the most significant piece of conservation legislation in at 
least a half century, and it represents a recognition by the American 
people that we can be good stewards of what Ken Burns has called ``our 
greatest idea,'' our national parks and our remaining public lands.
  Mr. HEINRICH. When we pass this legislation, I think we are going to 
show them that we are going to be good stewards of the Great Smokey 
Mountain National Park, as well as parks across our country.
  I know that the Nation's newest national park is in New Mexico, and 
it is White Sands. Yet we have a set of restrooms that sit on top of a 
sinkhole and for far too long have needed repair. That is the kind of 
thing I think we will be able to repair all across our country.

[[Page S2956]]

  I don't see our colleague Senator King of Maine yet, but he 
oftentimes speaks to the fact that what Senator Alexander and Senator 
Portman describe in our deferred maintenance is truly debt. Deferred 
maintenance is debt, and we are going to take responsibility for that 
and really treat our parks the way they deserve and work to extend the 
Land and Water Conservation Fund at the same time.
  Mr. Chair, with that I think I will give back the rest of our time, 
and I want to thank all of my colleagues for joining me in the 
colloquy.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.
  Mr. CASSIDY. We have a few minutes left to go. I didn't realize the 
colloquy was going on. I would like to give an opposing viewpoint.
  In this legislation, we put parks over people. We spend billions of 
dollars taking care of parks and don't spend a dime taking care of 
those folks who live in those parishes and counties next to a 
coastline. It turns out that 42 percent of Americans live in a parish 
or county next to a coastline, and if you haven't noticed, we 
increasingly have flood events. We increasingly have spent billions of 
dollars rescuing people from floods, repairing their homes afterwards, 
and trying to make them whole.
  Now, we could have put legislation in this legislation that would 
allow those people's needs to be met, but we are putting parks before 
people, and that is a tragedy. We are going to spend billions on places 
where we go on vacation, but we will not spend a dime where we live--
where we live--where we raise our children, where we help other people 
make a living.
  In this--particularly since we know that sea levels are rising--we 
are going to increasingly have these events. We are, if you will, 
being--I don't know how to put it--blind to the reality that is before 
us.
  And someone mentioned outhouses on top of a sinkhole--what a tragedy. 
Do you know what really a tragedy is? When someone--no, when many 
people--when whole swaths of a city are flooded out--that is a tragedy.
  And we are out of time, but I will finish by this: I will feel a lot 
better about this Senate at the point in which we begin to put people 
over parks and spend at least something where people live as opposed to 
where people vacation--not to take any money away from the parks but to 
just put some money to where people live.
  I yield the floor.


                             Cloture Motion

  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Perdue). Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair 
lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will 
state.
  The legislative clerk read as follows

                             Cloture Motion

       We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the 
     provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, 
     do hereby move to bring to a close debate on amendment No. 
     1617 to Calendar Number 75, H.R. 1957, a bill to amend the 
     Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modernize and improve the 
     Internal Revenue Service, and for other purposes.
         Mitch McConnell, John Hoeven, John Thune, Cory Gardner, 
           Pat Roberts, Lindsey Graham, Susan M. Collins, John 
           Boozman, Kevin Cramer, Thom Tillis, Rob Portman, Roy 
           Blunt, Lamar Alexander, Todd Young, Steve Daines, 
           Shelley Moore Capito, David Perdue.

  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 
amendment No. 1617, offered by the Senator from Kentucky, Mr. 
McConnell, to H.R. 1957, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 to modernize and improve the Internal Revenue Service, and for 
other purposes, shall be brought to a close?
  The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Braun), 
the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Burr), the Senator from Texas (Mr. 
Cornyn), the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs. Hyde-Smith), the Senator 
from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), the Senator from Arizona (Ms. McSally), the 
Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Sasse), 
and the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Shelby).
  Mr. SCHUMER. I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), 
the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Jones), the Senator from Massachusetts 
(Mr, Markey), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the Senator 
from Arizona (Ms. Sinema), and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. 
Whitehouse) are necessarily absent.
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 65, nays 19, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 117 Leg.]

                                YEAS--65

     Alexander
     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Capito
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Collins
     Coons
     Cortez Masto
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Daines
     Duckworth
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Gardner
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Harris
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Kaine
     King
     Klobuchar
     Leahy
     Loeffler
     Manchin
     McConnell
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Murray
     Perdue
     Peters
     Portman
     Reed
     Roberts
     Rosen
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott (FL)
     Scott (SC)
     Shaheen
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Udall
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warren
     Wicker
     Wyden
     Young

                                NAYS--19

     Barrasso
     Cassidy
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Grassley
     Hawley
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Lankford
     Lee
     Murkowski
     Paul
     Risch
     Romney
     Rounds
     Sullivan
     Toomey

                             NOT VOTING--16

     Blackburn
     Braun
     Burr
     Cornyn
     Durbin
     Hyde-Smith
     Inhofe
     Jones
     Markey
     McSally
     Menendez
     Moran
     Sasse
     Shelby
     Sinema
     Whitehouse
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 65, and the nays 
are 19.
  Three-fifths of the Senators being duly chosen and sworn having voted 
in the affirmative, the motion is agreed to

                          ____________________