[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19161]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SENATE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  Mr. DOMENICI. Madam President, I rise today before we leave on this 
recess to tell the Senate and those interested in how we do the 
people's business, what a successful 6 months we have had in the 
Senate. I have been here a long time. I believe this first 6 months has 
been like a great marathon runner. We started off slow and crossed the 
finish line a winner.
  About 4 hours ago, we passed the first comprehensive Energy bill in 
about 14 years. We have been trying for 6 years, and now it is done. 
The Senate did that in a bipartisan way, and we worked with the House 
and got a great policy for our Nation.
  A few moments ago, we passed a comprehensive Transportation bill for 
all of our States and our people, and regardless of what is said about 
it, in meticulous detail it is a terrific jobs package and 
infrastructure building bill for America.
  In addition, I submit that we have also accomplished some things we 
never were able to do: we enacted a bankruptcy reform act. I know 
people wonder why that is important, but we will not talk about why. 
Let's just say credit is the lifeblood of our Nation. If something is 
wrong with the credit system, you have to fix it. We have been waiting 
around to fix the bankruptcy law, which is an integral part of the 
credit system, for at least 5 years. We passed the bill about three 
times in the Senate and, yes, in this particular 6 months, we did that. 
We sent it to the House and it is a law.
  The budget resolution, I did them for years--let's be honest, for 31 
years. This new Senator produced, under our leader's leadership, the 
fifth fastest budget resolution, and he got it in on time.
  The emergency supplemental was as big as many appropriations bills, 
gigantic--for Iraq, the tsunami, and we provided real help for the 
borders of our country. Five-hundred new Border Patrol people were in 
that bill, along with other things.
  We included, since then, in an Interior appropriations bill, which 
also passed, veterans funding of $1.5 billion.
  Let me go on with the list. After the emergency supplemental, we did 
six judges who had been filibustered for months upon months.
  We did CAFTA. That is the last of a long list of American free-trade 
agreements. This one, for a change, went our way. It was taking off 
tariffs that were imposed mostly on us, instead of the other way 
around.
  Now, 5 of the 12 appropriations bills have passed. All of the 
appropriations bills have been reported out of committee, except one. I 
didn't check the history, but I think that is close to a record.
  We confirmed the Secretaries of State, Justice and Homeland Security. 
We confirmed the Director of National Intelligence. That is the 
equivalent of another Cabinet seat.
  We also passed the Legislative Branch appropriations bill. We did, a 
while ago, a very important piece of legislation, gun liability reform. 
People wonder what that has to do with--as we say out in the country--
the price of eggs. I will tell you, it is important legislation, too. 
It conformed liability, as far as the liability of those who 
manufacture, which is growing out of proportion to our regular 
negligence laws, and put that under some kind of reasonable control as 
far as the liability of manufacturers, those who build firearms. If 
these gun manufacturers went out of business, we would have had to get 
guns produced overseas, and that would not have been good.
  The reason I did this kind of litany of successes is that it didn't 
just happen. It didn't fall down from the sky. It happened because we 
have real leadership. I believe it is because of our majority leader, 
Bill Frist, and Mitch McConnell, our whip. I give them extreme credit. 
I also say that much of this has been bipartisan--at least I can speak 
for myself. We would not have had an Energy bill without bipartisan 
leadership. Part of the year we didn't have it, let's be honest. We had 
the minority trying to move the other way on almost everything. I must 
say the new minority leader said he was going to try to move in a way 
to help get things done. I think this list, to some extent, indicates 
that is occurring.
  Before we leave, I think it is always good to remind ourselves of 
what we have done so we can take home a recollection, kind of a roadmap 
of accomplishments. I might have left something out because I just did 
this this afternoon. It took about 30 minutes, so it is no masterpiece, 
but I think it is pretty accurate.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee is recognized.

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