[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 56-57]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              RULES REFORM

  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I rise today in support of reasonable 
efforts

[[Page 57]]

to reform the Senate Rules. The American people expect us to work 
together to find solutions to the problems of the day. Yet anyone 
watching this body can plainly see that a few Senate rules no longer 
work.
  I believe we should all be cautious and fair about respecting Senate 
tradition. But blindly adhering to tradition when the American people 
need us to take a fresh look helps no one. The rules have been changed 
before, when they needed to be.
  Anyone watching this place over the last 2 years will tell you that a 
few of the rules no longer serve us. They need to be reformed.
  We have seen consensus bills, supported by 80 or 90 Senators, get 
held up for many months because of a single Senator's secret 
objections.
  And we have moved well beyond the intended use of the filibuster for 
exceptional circumstances and to provide for extended debate. In fact, 
the filibuster has been so corrosive to this body that we rarely ever 
even have debate during filibusters. The average American turns on 
their TV and only sees endless live quorum calls.
  The American people are counting on us to get past the tired partisan 
bickering. This is not about Democrats and Republicans. It has to be 
about the American people, what is in their interests. Whether one 
Senator secretly holding up a nominee's career for a year is in their 
interests. Whether promoting filibusters that stifle, rather than 
promote debate, is in their interests. Whether we have to waste 
valuable Senate calendar days watching time run in silence, on bills 
everyone knows are going to pass, because the rules require it, is in 
the American people's interests.
  In my short time in the Senate, I have offered a number of reforms 
which would improve the ability of this body to function and help fix 
our broken politics.
  I introduced a rules reform proposal and have testified before our 
Rules Committee to explain it to colleagues on the Committee. My 
proposal would eliminate the filibuster on motions to proceed, that are 
used to stifle, rather than promote debate. I am all for extended 
debate, yet filibustering motions to even proceed to measures has the 
result of actually preventing the Senate from even addressing the 
important issues of the day.
  My resolution would also eliminate secret holds and place a time 
limit on all holds by individual Senators.
  And it would require filibustering Senators to actually show up and 
vote in order to continue to block legislation. As it is now, if you 
want to obstruct Senate business, you can just go home. How does this 
promote debate? My commonsense proposal only requires you to stand up 
and be counted if you want to filibuster a bill or a nomination.
  I don't have a monopoly on good ideas for reform. We have colleagues 
who have been here for many years with a lot to add to this discussion. 
And it is also healthy that so many new Members are introducing their 
own ideas. I am hopeful that we can achieve some consensus for the good 
of the country.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.

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