[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15251-15252]
[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 assistant 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.


                                Schedule

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, following my remarks, the Senate will be in 
recess subject to the call of the Chair for the joint meeting with the 
President of Ukraine.
  When the Senate reconvenes, it will be in a period of morning 
business until 1 p.m., with the time equally divided and controlled 
between the two leaders or their designees. The Republicans will 
control the first half and the majority will control the final half.
  At 1 p.m. the Senate will proceed to the consideration of H.J. Res. 
124, the continuing resolution. There will be up to 4\1/2\ hours of 
debate prior to a series of rollcall votes followed by several voice 
votes on executive nominations. Senators should expect the votes to 
begin around 5 p.m.


                        Tribute to Jerry Linnell

  Mr. President, in ancient Greece the keeping of history was 
considered so important that Clio, daughter of Zeus, was believed 
responsible for recording all that occurred on Earth--everything.
  In the Senate we don't have Greek gods in charge of keeping our 
records, but we do rely on the superhuman efforts of a group of 
official reporters who transcribe every word we say. It is a hard, hard 
job. Official reporters have to accustom their ears to all sorts of 
accents from across our country, find ways to spell newly invented 
words, try to listen to what I don't say very loudly, and all the other 
issues they have to deal with, and they have to suffer through talking 
filibusters. In fact, they may be the only people who dislike 
filibusters more than I do.
  Today I recognize just one of those hard-working official reporters--
the chief reporter of debates of the Senate Jerry Linnell, who is 
retiring at the end of this month. For 32 years Jerry has been a staple 
here in the Senate, ensuring that the words of Senators past and 
present are correctly recorded for the American people. While he has 
been here, he has witnessed many events. He has seen five different 
Presidents occupy the White House, worked with eight different majority 
leaders, transcribed speeches on everything from the Berlin Wall to 
Senator Byrd's legendary lectures on the history of the Senate.
  I wish Jerry all the best in his well-deserved retirement. I have no 
doubt that he and his wife Jane will keep busy spending time with their 
7 children and 11 grandchildren. And, of course, Jerry will have his 
Washington Nationals to follow.
  It has been a pleasant respite for me to spend time with Jerry 
talking about baseball. He takes trips around the country that make me 
so envious--watching different teams in different stadiums. I think he 
has watched a baseball game in almost every Major League Baseball 
stadium in America, and I am very envious of that.
  The Senate is a better place because of Jerry's 32 years here. I, 
along with every other Member of this body, thank Jerry for his many 
years of service.


                         Continuing Resolution

  Mr. President, yesterday the House of Representatives passed a 
continuing resolution to keep our government from shutting down for the 
next 3 months. In addition to keeping the government operating, this 
measure includes provisions important to our national security, such as 
funding to combat ISIS--an evil organization--by training and equipping 
vetted Syrian opposition forces and aid to fight the spread of Ebola.
  It is not perfect; that is for sure. But no legislation is. In this 
era of radical ideologies and endless obstruction, the funding 
resolution before us is infinitely better than the alternatives--
another shutdown of our government.
  I think it speaks volumes that Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, the 
Republican leader, and I are supporting this legislation. That should 
say a lot to the American people. As every Senator knows, the funding 
bill we approve must first have passed the House of Representatives, 
and it did that. Breaking up the legislation the House sent us is not a 
viable option at this juncture. We need to complete our work on the 
House-passed resolution as soon as possible. We have an agreement in 
place to vote on this measure no later than 5:30 p.m. this evening. 
With the cooperation of Senators, we could vote even earlier today.
  There is one final unanimous consent request.


               Authorization To Appoint Escort Committee

  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the President of the 
Senate be authorized to appoint a committee on the part of the Senate 
to join with a like committee on the part of the House of 
Representatives to escort His Excellency Petro Poroshenko into the 
House Chamber for the joint meeting today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Walsh). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.


                   Recognition of the Minority Leader

  The Republican leader is recognized.


                        Tribute to Jerry Linnell

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, it frequently happens when we head into 
a recess that we have to say a reluctant farewell to some member of the 
Senate family. So before I yield the floor, I wish to say a word of 
thanks to Jerry Linnell, who has been a fixture here for more than 3 
decades as an official reporter of debates and for the past 15 years as 
a somewhat hidden fixture up on the fourth floor as the chief reporter.
  It is a tough job having to listen to the rest of us drone on every 
day, and

[[Page 15252]]

as chief reporter Jerry has had the unenviable task of reviewing every 
single word we have said.
  In his trademark suspenders, Jerry is a friendly and unmistakable 
presence up on the fourth floor, guiding his team through their daily 
rounds and maintaining a level of professionalism and integrity that 
has always been a key characteristic of the office.
  It is a proud group. Back in the 1930s Senator Huey Long is said to 
have donated his own personal Bible to the office so they would have a 
handy reference when he quoted from it. It quickly became a tradition 
for new reporters to sign it when they were hired and then once they 
left.
  In a sign of how dedicated these reporters are, only 35 names have 
been entered in the Bible over the past 80 years. So it is a very 
venerable fraternity, one that has its roots in article I of the 
Constitution. We thank Jerry for his many, many years of dedicated, 
honorable service.
  I know Jerry and his wife Jane look forward to spending more time 
with their many children and grandchildren. After listening to us for 
all those years, I think he deserves it.
  You have done your time. You have done it well. The entire Senate 
family thanks you. Jerry, all the best.
  I yield the floor.


                       Reservation of Leader Time

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the leadership time 
is reserved.


  Joint Meeting Of The Two Houses--Address By The President of Ukraine

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate stands in 
recess subject to the call of the Chair in order to attend a joint 
meeting of Congress.
  Thereupon, the Senate, at 9:39 a.m. recessed subject to the call of 
the Chair, and the Senate, preceded by the Deputy Sergeant at Arms, 
Mike Stenger, the Secretary of the Senate, Nancy Erickson, and the Vice 
President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., proceeded to the 
Hall of the House of Representatives to hear an address delivered by 
His Excellency Petro Poroshenko, President of Ukraine.
  (The address delivered by the President of Ukraine to the joint 
meeting of the two Houses of Congress is printed in the proceedings of 
the House of Representatives in today's Record.)
  Whereupon, at 11:11 a.m., the Senate, having returned to its Chamber, 
reassembled and was called to order by the Presiding Officer (Mr. 
Booker).

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