[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15450-15451]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  EXECUTIVE SESSION--MOTION TO PROCEED

  Mr. REID. I move to proceed to executive session for the purpose of 
the consideration of treaty document 112-7, the Convention on the 
Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
  I ask unanimous consent that prior to the clerk reporting the motion, 
Senator McCain be recognized, and when he finishes that I be 
recognized.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I think my colleagues and I who have been 
here for a while remember one of the more moving moments that we 
experienced in our service here, and that was the signing of the 
disabilities law on the White House lawn. Bipartisan members of the 
disabled community were there. The President of the United States, 
George Herbert Walker Bush, and so many others were there. One of the 
prime individuals who was largely responsible was our beloved leader at

[[Page 15451]]

that time, Bob Dole, a man who epitomized, in my view, how a disability 
can be overcome to go to the highest levels of American Government.
  I freely admit that I love Bob Dole. I listen to him. I appreciate 
his leadership. I think the majority leader would agree that we 
appreciated his bipartisanship during a great deal of his time.
  I hope my colleagues will, before deciding to vote, at least listen 
to the letter that was addressed to all of us by Senator Bob Dole which 
we received yesterday:

       As you may know, tomorrow the Senate will vote on the 
     Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CRPD. 
     Unfortunately, I am currently at Walter Reed and so cannot 
     call you personally, but wanted to connect with you via e-
     mail on this time sensitive matter and ask for your help. I 
     hope you will support this important treaty.
       The CRPD is the first international treaty to address 
     disability rights globally. It is an opportunity to advance 
     the great American tradition of supporting the rights and 
     inclusion of people with disabilities on a global basis. 
     Ratification of the CRPD will improve fiscal, technological, 
     and communication access outside the United States, thereby 
     helping to ensure that Americans--particularly many thousands 
     of disabled American veterans--have equal opportunities to 
     live, work, and travel abroad. It will also create a new 
     global market for accessibility goods.
       The CRPD is supported by a number of individuals and 
     groups, including 21 veterans groups, 26 faith-based 
     organizations, over 300 disability organizations, and the 
     Chamber of Commerce. Your vote would help to reaffirm the 
     goals of equality, access, and inclusion for Americans with 
     disabilities--both when those affected are in the United 
     States and outside of our country's borders.
       I would greatly appreciate your support of the CRPD.
       God bless America, Bob Dole.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Senator McCain is absolutely right. Those of us who served 
with Bob Dole revere Bob Dole. He is such a stalwart figure in the 
history of America. He has all the qualities of a leader that I admire 
and certainly wish I had. He has a great sense of humor. No one who has 
ever served in the Senate has ever had a better, quicker sense of humor 
than Bob Dole, and he used it to perfection.
  He called me a few days ago. He is at Walter Reed not for a checkup; 
he is there because he is infirm. He is sick. We should do this for 
many reasons, not the least of which is to recognize what a great 
leader Bob Dole is and has been for our country.
  I ask the clerk to report the motion.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Nevada [Mr. Reid] moves to proceed to 
     executive session to consider Treaty Document No. 112-7.

  Mr. REID. I ask for the yeas and nays on my motion.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to 
be a sufficient second. There is a sufficient second.
  The question is on agreeing to the motion. The clerk will call the 
roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Connecticut (Mr. 
Blumenthal) is necessarily absent.
  Mr. KYL. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Illinois (Mr. Kirk) and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Roberts).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Franken). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 61, nays 36, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 205 Leg.]

                                YEAS--61

     Akaka
     Ayotte
     Barrasso
     Baucus
     Begich
     Bennet
     Bingaman
     Boxer
     Brown (MA)
     Brown (OH)
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Collins
     Conrad
     Coons
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Inouye
     Johnson (SD)
     Kerry
     Klobuchar
     Kohl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lugar
     Manchin
     McCain
     McCaskill
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nelson (NE)
     Nelson (FL)
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Snowe
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Warner
     Webb
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--36

     Alexander
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     DeMint
     Enzi
     Graham
     Grassley
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (WI)
     Kyl
     Lee
     McConnell
     Moran
     Paul
     Portman
     Risch
     Rubio
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Thune
     Toomey
     Vitter
     Wicker

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Blumenthal
     Kirk
     Roberts
  The motion was agreed to.

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