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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 114 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 161 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015 No. 119 Senate The Senate met at 2 p.m. and was Republicans and Democrats continue ORDER OF BUSINESS called to order by the President pro to rally around a bipartisan, multiyear Mr. REID. Mr. President, I choose tempore (Mr. HATCH). highway measure that is fiscally re- not to speak today. So I would ask the f sponsible and will not raise taxes. Chair to announce the business of the The bill before us would streamline day. PRAYER regulations, advance research and in- The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- novation in transportation, modernize f fered the following prayer: infrastructure and transportation sys- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME Let us pray. tems, and inject new accountability The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Eternal God, incline Your ear and measures so Americans can get a bet- the previous order, the leadership time hear our prayer, for without Your pres- ter handle on how their tax money is is reserved. ence and power, our striving is in vain. actually being spent. Preserve us with Your loving provi- This multiyear bill also reverses the f trend of short-term temporary patches, dence, guiding us through each season HIRE MORE HEROES ACT OF 2015 of life’s sojourn. giving State and local Governments Lord, teach our lawmakers Your the certainty and the stability they The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under way, illuminating their path with the need to better plan road and bridge the previous order, the Senate will re- lamp and light of Your truth. Remind projects. On top of that, the bill would sume consideration of H.R. 22, which them that true greatness comes also provide State and local Govern- the clerk will report. through service, as they remember to ments with more flexible options for The senior assistant legislative clerk esteem others as better than them- stretching those transportation dol- read as follows: selves. lars. A bill (H.R. 22) to amend the Internal Rev- So this is a good bill for our country. You, O Lord, are a God full of com- enue Code of 1986 to exempt employees with Substantial numbers of Republicans passion. You are gracious, long-suf- health coverage under TRICARE or the Vet- and Democrats continue to support it. erans Administration from being taken into fering, and abundant in mercy and But time is running out to get this bill account for purposes of determining the em- truth. through Congress. We are up against a ployers to which the employer mandate ap- We praise Your matchless Name. deadline at the end of the week. Jobs plies under the Patient Protection and Af- Amen. are on the line. Important infrastruc- fordable Care Act. f ture projects are too. So we have to get Pending: PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE the job done—and we are. McConnell modified amendment No. 2266, We have had to navigate some espe- in the nature of a substitute. The President pro tempore led the cially difficult political terrain to get McConnell (for Kirk) amendment No. 2327 Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: this far already. It hasn’t always been (to amendment No. 2266), to reauthorize and I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the easy, but we are now nearing comple- reform the Export-Import Bank of the United States of America, and to the Repub- United States. tion of the Senate’s work on this bill. McConnell amendment No. 2328 (to amend- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, If the bipartisan coalition supporting indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. ment No. 2327), to repeal the Patient Protec- this fiscally responsible, multiyear bill tion and Affordable Care Act and the Health f continues to cooperate and work hard, Care and Education Reconciliation Act of RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY I know we can get there. 2010 entirely. LEADER I want to thank every colleague who McConnell amendment No. 2329 (to the lan- has worked so hard already on this bill, guage proposed to be stricken by amendment The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. particularly Chairman INHOFE and Sen- No. 2266), of a perfecting nature. JOHNSON). The majority leader is recog- ator BOXER, who have really done mag- McConnell amendment No. 2330 (to amend- nized. nificent work to get us to this point. ment No. 2329), to change the enactment date. f Let’s hope we can all get it across the finish line. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- THE HIGHWAY BILL ator from Illinois. f Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH ‘‘there is no such thing as a Republican RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY DISABILITIES ACT road or a Democrat road.’’ That is what LEADER Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, there Chairman INHOFE said a few days ago, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The are no ideas more central to America’s and he is absolutely right. No wonder Democratic leader is recognized. democracy and identity than liberty ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S5893 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:16 Jul 28, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A27JY6.000 S27JYPT1 emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with SENATE S5894 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 27, 2015 and equality. The Declaration of Inde- ADA,’’ who has passed on, and my Let me tell you about the late Bob pendence lists liberty among man- great friend from Chicago, Marca Greenberg, a legendary sportscaster at kind’s inalienable rights and states: Bristo, President and CEO of Access WBEZ radio in Chicago. For his loyal ‘‘All men are created equal.’’ But it Living. Chicago radio audience, Bob described wasn’t until 1870 that the 15th Amend- In 1977, Marca had a serious accident sporting events that they couldn’t see. ment to the Constitution was ratified, and broke her neck, leaving her para- But Bob’s story is unique because Bob extending the vote to African-Amer- lyzed from the chest down. She lost her couldn’t see them either. Bob Green- ican men, and women were not given job, her house, and her health insur- berg was blind. But that didn’t stop the right to vote in America until 1920, ance. A lot of people would have given him from achieving his dreams. when the 19th Amendment was ratified. up—but not Marca Bristo. She led an In the early 1980s, Hall of Fame bas- America’s democracy has indeed been army of people who could not see, hear, ketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar imperfect, but throughout our history, walk, and talk to mobilize and pass the was taking questions from reporters we have sought to address our imper- most comprehensive civil rights law after a hard game. He turned to Bob, fections. After all, the story of Amer- since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. who was holding a white cane and a ica is not the story of a perfect nation. Marca is a force of nature. Every day, microphone and he said: How did you It is the story of a nation in pursuit of Marca and her team are on the get here? a more perfect nation. frontlines helping people with disabil- It wasn’t hard, Bob said. He then ex- So it is sobering but not surprising ities. They help people such as Michael plained how he knew the exact number that it took us nearly to the end of the Grice. He uses a power wheelchair and of steps from his home to the Lake 20th century to expand and acknowl- has been involved with disability activ- Street ‘‘L,’’ how he felt for the right edge the rights of another group of ism for many years. He has a bright combination of coins to put in the Americans who suffered discrimination personality that draws many people to turnstile, and then how he knew the through history—people with disabil- him. exact number of steps to take along ities. He speaks with passion and compas- West Madison to Chicago Stadium. This Sunday we mark the 25th anni- sion. He calls himself a very active per- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar paused to take versary of one of the most important son. He was living on his own in an that in and finally said: Ask your ques- civil rights victories in our nation’s apartment in Hyde Park on the South tion, sir. history—the enactment of the Ameri- Side of Chicago until health complica- It was clear. Bob Greenberg worked cans with Disabilities Act. The Ameri- tions led him into a group home, where hard to get where he was. cans with Disabilities Act set forth he lived for more than a year. His There is no doubt that laws such as four great goals for people with disabil- health continued to deteriorate, and he the ADA helped Bob. I just wish we had ities: equal opportunity, full participa- moved into a nursing home. passed it sooner. Maybe Bob’s road to tion, independent living, and economic Michael and the group home staff achieving his dream could have been a self-sufficiency. But the fundamental planned for him to stay at the nursing little smoother. goal of the ADA is simple. In the words home for 6 to 8 weeks and then move of one activist, the ADA is about secur- back on his own. Those 6 to 8 weeks be- Let me close by noting this.