[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6304-6305]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. Portman, Ms. Baldwin, Mrs. Capito, 
        Mr. Young, and Ms. Hassan):
  S. 1004. A bill to amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical 
Education Act of 2006 to support innovative approaches to career and 
technical education and redesign the high school experience for 
students by providing students with equitable access to rigorous, 
engaging, and relevant real world education through partnerships with 
business and industry and higher education that prepare students to 
graduate from high school and enroll into postsecondary education 
without the need for remediation and with the ability to use knowledge 
to solve complex problems, think critically, communicate effectively, 
collaborate with others, and develop academic mindsets; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President. In today's increasingly competitive global 
market, it is more important than ever that students develop the right 
skills and knowledge to succeed in postsecondary education and enter 
the workforce. Our nation's future depends on providing students with 
an engaging experience that is relevant to the workforce and integrates 
partnerships with industry and higher education. Unfortunately, many 
high schools currently lack these opportunities, leaving students 
unprepared for 21st century careers. In fact, nearly 80 percent of 
college instructors and 60 percent of employers indicate that public 
high schools fall short in preparing students for postsecondary 
education.
  The cornerstone of high-quality career and technical education, CTE, 
is a strong focus on academics. The National Research Center for Career 
and Technical Education conducted a four-year longitudinal study in 
three states and found that students participating in CTE programs or 
career pathways outperformed their peers on the number of credits they 
earned in science, technology, engineering and math, STEM, and AP 
classes. These students also earned higher grade point averages in 
their CTE classes. Nonetheless, CTE is often overlooked in discussions 
on increasing relevancy and rigor in our nation's schools.
  That is why I am introducing with my colleagues, Senators Portman, 
Baldwin, Capito, and Young, the CTE Excellence and Equity Act. This 
bipartisan legislation supports funding for innovation in career and 
technical education to help redesign the high school experience for 
historically underserved students. The bill would support the 
integration of rigorous academics with CTE in courses. It would also 
authorize grants to partnerships among school districts, employers, and 
institutions of higher education in Virginia and other states that help 
students earn industry recognized credentials or credit toward a 
postsecondary degree or certificate. The bill also places an emphasis 
on understanding the relevance of coursework in the context of a future 
career by placing an emphasis on teaching workplace skills through job 
shadowing, internships, and apprenticeships. Preparing our students for 
the careers of tomorrow puts them in the pipeline for the good-paying 
jobs that are the future of our workforce.
  CTE programs are critical components to every student's education. I 
am pleased to be introducing this bipartisan legislation to strengthen 
CTE programs in high school so that students are better prepared for 
postsecondary studies and the workforce. I hope that my colleagues 
consider this legislation as we move to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins 
CTE Act.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Leahy, and Mr. 
        Hatch):
  S. 1010. A bill to amend title 17, United States Code, to provide 
additional responsibilities for the Register of Copyrights, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1010

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Register of Copyrights 
     Selection and Accountability Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. REGISTER OF COPYRIGHTS.

       (a) Amendments.--Section 701 of title 17, United States 
     Code, is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by striking ``(a) All administrative'' and inserting 
     the following:
       ``(a) Register and Director.--
       ``(1) In general.--All administrative'';
       (B) by striking ``director'' and inserting ``Director'';
       (C) by inserting after the first sentence the following: 
     ``The Register of Copyrights shall be a citizen of the United 
     States with a professional background and experience in 
     copyright law, shall be capable of identifying and 
     supervising a Chief Information Officer or other similar 
     official responsible for managing modern information 
     technology systems, and shall be appointed by the President 
     from the individuals recommended under paragraph (6), by and 
     with the advice and consent of the Senate.''; and
       (D) in the last sentence, by striking ``shall be 
     appointed'' and all that follows through ``and shall act'' 
     and inserting ``shall act'';
       (2) in subsection (b), by redesignating paragraphs (1) 
     through (5) as subparagraphs (A) through (E), respectively, 
     and adjusting the margins accordingly;
       (3) by redesignating subsection (b) as paragraph (2), and 
     adjusting the margins accordingly;
       (4) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated, by inserting 
     ``Duties.--'' before ``In addition'';
       (5) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
       ``(3) Oath.--The Register of Copyrights shall, before 
     taking office, take an oath to discharge faithfully the 
     duties of the Copyright Office described in paragraph (2).
       ``(4) Removal.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Register of Copyrights may be 
     removed from office by the President.
       ``(B) Notification.--The President shall provide 
     notification to both Houses of Congress of a removal under 
     subparagraph (A).
       ``(5) Term of office.--
       ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
     Register of Copyrights--
       ``(i) shall be appointed for a term of 10 years; and
       ``(ii) may serve until a successor is appointed, confirmed, 
     and taken the oath of office.
       ``(B) Limitation.--The Register of Copyrights may not 
     continue to serve after the date on which Congress adjourns 
     sine die after the date on which the 10-year period described 
     in subparagraph (A)(i) ends.
       ``(C) Reappointment.--An individual appointed to the 
     position of Register of Copyrights, by and with the advice 
     and consent of the Senate, may be reappointed to that 
     position in accordance with the requirements of this section.
       ``(6) Panel for register of copyrights recommendations.--
     There is established a panel to recommend a list of at least 
     3 individuals to the President for appointment as the 
     Register of Copyrights. The panel shall be composed of the 
     following:
       ``(A) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
       ``(B) The President pro tempore of the Senate.
       ``(C) The majority and minority leaders of the House of 
     Representatives and the Senate.
       ``(D) The Librarian of Congress.'';
       (6) by redesignating subsections (c) through (f) as 
     subsections (b) through (e), respectively;
       (7) in subsection (b), as so redesignated, by inserting 
     ``Seal.--'' before ``The Register'';
       (8) in subsection (c), as so redesignated, by inserting 
     ``Annual Report.--'' before ``The Register'';
       (9) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by inserting 
     ``Applicability of Title 5.--'' before ``Except as 
     provided''; and
       (10) in subsection (e), as so redesignated, by inserting 
     ``Compensation.--'' before ``The Register''.
       (b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) 
     shall apply with respect to any vacancy for the Register of 
     Copyrights after January 1, 2017. If a Register of Copyrights 
     is appointed during the period beginning on January 1, 2017 
     and ending on the day before the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, that Register shall meet the requirements of the 
     amendments made by this Act or shall be replaced in 
     accordance with such amendments.

     SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION.

       Nothing in this Act may be construed to impact the 
     mandatory deposit requirements in title 17, United States 
     Code.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Portman, Mr. Warner, 
        Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Coons):
  S. 1011. A bill to prevent the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard 
Corps

[[Page 6305]]

from using Mahan Air for material support for terrorist activities; to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1011

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Mahan Air and Terrorism 
     Prevention Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT ON AIRPORTS USED BY MAHAN AIR.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter through 
     2020, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation 
     with the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of State, 
     the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Director of National 
     Intelligence, shall submit to Congress a report that 
     includes--
       (1) a list of all airports at which aircraft owned or 
     controlled by Mahan Air have landed during the 2 years 
     preceding the submission of the report; and
       (2) for each such airport--
       (A) an assessment of whether aircraft owned or controlled 
     by Mahan Air continue to conduct operations at that airport;
       (B) an assessment of whether any of the landings of 
     aircraft owned or controlled by Mahan Air were necessitated 
     by an emergency situation;
       (C) a determination regarding whether additional security 
     measures should be imposed on flights to the United States 
     that originate from that airport; and
       (D) an explanation of the rationale for that determination.
       (b) Form of Report.--Each report required by subsection (a) 
     shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a 
     classified annex.
       (c) Publication of List.--The list required by subsection 
     (a)(1) shall be publicly and prominently posted on the 
     website of the Department of Homeland Security on the date on 
     which the report required by subsection (a) is submitted to 
     Congress.

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