[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14592-14593]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   BANK ON STUDENTS EMERGENCY LOAN REFINANCING ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 409, S. 
2432.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the motion.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 409, S. 2432, a bill to 
     amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for the 
     refinancing of certain Federal student loans, and for other 
     purposes.


                   Remembering Thomas Hale Boggs, Jr.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I was saddened to learn just a few minutes 
ago of the passing of--I know the President pro tempore's friend and a 
friend to so many people in Washington--Tommy Boggs.
  Tom Boggs was an institution in this city. I had the good fortune to 
hear about the Boggs family when I worked here as a policeman for a 
number of years and going to law school. Then for a short period I went 
to the post office, and it was there where his cousin Gabe worked. That 
is when I first started hearing about the Boggs family.
  During that period of time Hale Boggs was the House whip, and, of 
course, he and Congressman Begich were in Alaska. He was campaigning 
for Congressman Begich when the plane went down, and after many decades 
the plane has never been recovered.
  I also had the good fortune of serving with his mom in the House of 
Representatives. She was a sweet and very accomplished woman. She 
became the Ambassador to the Vatican. Then, of course, his sister Cokie 
Roberts is a famous journalist here.
  Without belaboring the point, I extend my sympathy to the entire 
family, and I want them to know that our country and Washington, DC, in 
particular, is a much better place because of Tommy Boggs' passing 
through here.


                                Schedule

  Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the Republican 
leader the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:30 
p.m. this afternoon, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 
minutes each.
  At 5:30 p.m. there will be three rollcall votes: cloture on S. 2199, 
the Paycheck Fairness Act and cloture on the Baran and Burns 
nominations to be members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
  The filing deadline for first-degree amendments to the Paycheck 
Fairness Act is 3 p.m., and the filing deadline for second-degree 
amendments is 4:30 p.m.


                         PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT

  Mr. President, all one needs to do is pick up any newspaper or watch 
a television show or listen to the radio and you will know that we have 
many miles to travel before women in America are treated fairly.
  Unfortunately, there are some in our Nation who don't see a problem. 
But when women continue to make less than men for performing the exact 
same work, it is clear we still have a problem. I see it, and the 
Senate Democrats see it. The Democrats in the Senate stand for women's 
equality because when women are empowered, we are all empowered.
  Today, the Senate will vote on one important aspect of the unfair 
treatment of American women. Senator Barbara Mikulski's Paycheck 
Fairness Act addresses the issue of gender-based discrimination.
  In America today more than 50 years after passage of the Equal Pay 
Act, women who are doing the exact same work as a man make 77 cents for 
every dollar that a man makes. This is not just a woman's issue, it is 
a family issue and it is an economic issue.
  For most Americans the answer is very simple. A woman who performs 
the same work as a man should be paid the same as that man. Women and 
men support equal pay for equal work regardless of gender because it is 
fair; that is, everyone except the Senate Republicans.
  Senate Republicans simply cannot accept that simple notion that they 
should be paid the same for doing the exact same work. Senate 
Republicans believe it is fair for men to be paid more than women for 
doing the exact same thing. It is hard to comprehend, but that is 
obviously what they believe. On three separate occasions over the last 
4 years, Senate Republicans have filibustered the Paycheck Fairness 
Act. They prevented a vote on this issue--this issue of basic fairness.
  Today is a new opportunity for Senate Republicans to do what is right 
for America's working women and families. The Paycheck Fairness Act 
would help close a wage disparity by empowering women to negotiate for 
equal pay.
  Shouldn't a woman be able to negotiate for equal pay?
  This bill would also give workers stronger tools to combat wage 
discrimination and bar retaliation against employees for discussing 
salary information. Shouldn't a woman be able to talk about wage 
disparity without fear of reprisal?
  One of the first things we passed in the Obama administration was the 
Lilly Ledbetter legislation, and that is one reason we are doing this 
today. Lilly Ledbetter worked for many years doing the same work as men 
in her position. She learned she was being paid a lot less, but the 
U.S. Supreme Court said: Too bad--you should have discovered this a lot 
earlier. If she had discovered it earlier, she would have been fired. 
This bill would give workers stronger tools to combat wage 
discrimination and bar retaliation against employees for discussing 
salary information. That is why we passed the Lilly Ledbetter 
legislation.
  I repeat: Shouldn't a woman be able to talk about wage disparity 
without fear of reprisal?
  This legislation would help secure adequate compensation for victims 
of gender-based pay discrimination. Shouldn't a woman be able to recoup 
wages that are illegally withheld? The answer, of course, is yes.

[[Page 14593]]

  These are commonsense proposals that are supported by the vast 
majority of Americans. Why is there even a debate on the issue of equal 
pay? It is because Senate Republicans continue to stifle debate on this 
issue. They are filibustering yet another piece of important 
legislation.
  Instead of doing what is right for working women and families and our 
economy, Republicans are saying: We will not even let the Senate vote 
on this issue.
  Republicans say there really is no issue and the pay gap between men 
and women is exaggerated, and if there is one, it is OK. Republicans 
say that there are already strong Federal laws that prevent gender-
based pay discrimination. I wish it were so. Some Republicans say--as 
one did here in the Senate last week--that equal pay for women is 
nothing more than a political show vote. But when all their excuses and 
explanations have been exhausted, their wives, their daughters, and 
their granddaughters are still making 77 cents for every dollar their 
male counterparts make for doing the exact same work--and that is not 
fair.
  If Republicans will not stand up for the women in their homes and 
communities and all across this Nation, we Senate Democrats will.
  American women deserve better. They deserve fair wages. They deserve 
a fair shot at providing for their families. American women deserve 
equality.


                       Reservation Of Leader Time

  Would the Chair announce the business of the day.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Walsh). Under the previous order, the 
leadership time is reserved.

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