[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5349]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  MEASURE READ THE FIRST TIME--S. 761

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, S. 761, introduced earlier today by Senators 
Reid of Nevada, McConnell, and others, is at the desk. I ask for its 
first reading.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will read the title of the bill for 
the first time.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 761) to invest in innovation and education to 
     improve the competitiveness of the United States in the 
     global economy.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I will briefly comment on this action. It 
was a good occasion today. A press conference was held, led by myself 
and Senator McConnell, with a good bipartisan group of excellent 
Senators, regarding legislation that would improve America's 
competitiveness. It is important legislation. It has been worked on by 
a number of bipartisan Senators, including Senator Bingaman. The person 
who worked on it, from my perspective, more than anybody else is the 
distinguished Senator from Tennessee, Mr. Alexander, as did Senator 
Ensign and Senator Lieberman. It is totally bipartisan.
  I hope we can, on a bipartisan basis, move it out of here in the near 
future.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, if I might add something, this is a 
classic example of the Senate at its best. It is a significant 
bipartisan measure put together, as the majority leader indicated, with 
leadership on his side of the aisle and on our side by Senators 
Alexander, Domenici, and Stevens. This is a significant piece of 
legislation that we hope to be able to move in the very near future.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I object to the bill's second reading.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The bill will be read for the second time on the next legislative 
day.

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