E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 112 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 158 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012 No. 95 Senate The Senate met at 10:30 a.m. and was Mr. UDALL of New Mexico thereupon RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY called to order by the Honorable TOM assumed the chair as Acting President LEADER UDALL, a Senator from the State of pro tempore. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- New Mexico. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- pore. The majority leader is recog- nized. PRAYER ator from Georgia is recognized. f The PRESIDING OFFICER. Today’s f opening prayer will be offered by Rev. FLOOD INSURANCE REFORM AND Ronald McCrary, Deputy Director of MODERNIZATION ACT—MOTION Chaplaincy Services at the Cobb Coun- WELCOMING THE GUEST TO PROCEED—Resumed ty Sheriff’s Office in Marietta, GA. CHAPLAIN Mr. REID. Mr. President, I now move The guest Chaplain offered the fol- Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, it is to proceed to Calendar No. 250, S. 1940. lowing prayer: The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Let us pray. my honor to introduce to the Senate Rev. Ron McCrary, who just gave the pore. The clerk will report the motion. Eternal Lord God, from whom we The legislative clerk read as follows: come and to whom we belong, may prayer on the floor of the Senate. He is here with Chaplain Black. Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 250, S. Your kingdom come. Use our law- 1940, a bill to amend the National Flood In- makers today to do Your divine will on Reverend McCrary is a great indi- surance Act of 1968, to restore the financial Earth, as it is in Heaven. Give them vidual from my home county, Cobb solvency of the flood insurance fund, and for Your wisdom so that justice rolls down County, GA. He is the chaplain to the other purposes. like water and righteousness like a Cobb County Board of Commissioners, SCHEDULE mighty stream. the fourth largest county in Georgia. Mr. REID. Mr. President, following This we pray, in the matchless Name He is chaplain of the Police Officers leader remarks, the time until 11 this of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Standards and Training facility in morning will be equally divided and f Georgia, which covers 40,000 law en- controlled. At 11 o’clock a.m., we will PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE forcement offices. He is a great preach- begin up to 10 rollcall votes. We will er, a great leader, and a great chaplain. complete the farm bill today in the The Honorable TOM UDALL led the He was recommended to me by Sheriff early afternoon. We also hope to have a Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: Neil Warren, the sheriff of Cobb Coun- cloture vote on the motion to proceed I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the ty, who because of his graciousness al- to the flood insurance bill today. United States of America, and to the Repub- lowed Ron to come and be with us WORKING TOGETHER lic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. today. Mr. President, we come here and la- ment all the bad things happening in f Ron is a father, a minister, and a great witness. He witnessed as an ath- the Senate. It is not out of order once APPOINTMENT OF ACTING lete through the Campus Crusade for in a while to talk about some of the PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE Christ and Athletes in Action. He wit- good things happening in the Senate. I The PRESIDING OFFICER. The nessed as a pastor by ministering think we should look at it as if, as dif- clerk will please read a communication churches. He witnessed to the commu- ficult as it has been to get things done, to the Senate from the President pro nity by delivering great sermons—one we are making progress. We had that tempore (Mr. INOUYE). of them about voting, in honor of postal bill, which was good work on be- The legislative clerk read the fol- Coretta Scott King, delivered in 2006 at half of the Senate. The highway bill lowing letter: the Turner Chapel in Marietta, where worked out extremely well. We have U.S. SENATE, he empowered everyone to honor this 5-year farm bill—very difficult, PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, Coretta Scott King’s life’s work by but it is now near passing, which is Washington, DC, June 21, 2012. making sure they participated in the good for the country. To the Senate: political system. We have to make sure before the end Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, of the month we finish our work on the of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby It is an honor and a privilege for me Flood Insurance Program, which is so appoint the Honorable TOM UDALL, a Senator to welcome and host Rev. Ron McCrary from the State of New Mexico, to perform extremely important to the country. of Cobb County, GA, and the Cobb With the construction picking up a lit- the duties of the Chair. County Sheriff’s Department. DANIEL K. INOUYE, tle bit everyplace, we have to make President pro tempore. I yield the floor. sure when a loan is to close it can be ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S4379 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 01:41 Jun 22, 2012 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A21JN6.000 S21JNPT1 tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with SENATE S4380 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 21, 2012 closed. Thousands of them each day I also want to thank my friend, the alive a little while longer. He thinks it cannot be closed unless we do a re- majority leader. He has a tough job benefits him politically for college stu- newal of the Flood Insurance Program. setting the agenda and deciding how to dents to believe somehow we are the I had a meeting with the Speaker on go about moving legislation. I think problem. Tuesday, with Senator BOXER, chair- the way we have handled the farm bill It is time to stop playing games. It is man of the committee, Chairman MICA, and other measures to which he has re- time for the President to act. her counterpart in the House, and Sen- ferred in recent months has been a very Mr. President, I yield the floor. ator INHOFE, and we are making important step in the right direction. RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME progress on the highway bill. I feel STUDENT LOAN RATES The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- good about that. Whether we get it Mr. President, 3 weeks ago today, Re- pore. Under the previous order, the done remains to be seen. But the publican leaders in the Senate joined leadership time is reserved. House, in an overwhelming vote yester- Republican leaders in the House in Under the previous order, the time day—totally bipartisan or they could calling on the President to resolve a until 11 a.m. will be equally divided not get the 384 votes—instructed the pending increase in student loan rates. and controlled between the two leaders conferees to come back with the bill by Drawing on some of the President’s or their designees. tomorrow. Contentious issues have own ideas, we proposed multiple good- The Senator from Colorado. been resolved, and I believe we have a faith solutions to this problem before Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Presi- shot at getting the highway bill done. it is too late. We have been waiting dent, good morning to you. Good morn- That would be good for the country and ever since for the President’s response. ing to my colleagues. good for the Senate. He has actually been missing in action. PTC FOR WIND ENERGY So I appreciate everyone working to- He has yet to offer a concrete solution. I am here again on the Senate floor gether. As the Republican leader and I So you can understand our surprise to urge all of my colleagues to vote for have talked, as difficult as it is to work upon learning this morning that the an extension of the production tax out agreements on the bills I have just President plans to call on Congress credit for wind energy, otherwise mentioned—including the farm bill—it later today to do something about stu- known as the PTC. is good for the Senate. dent loan rates. Today, as I have been doing, I will I appeared before a committee Mr. President, the Republican-led focus on an individual State. I am chaired by Senator CARPER, and there House of Representatives already going to look at the Commonwealth of as the ranking member was Senator passed a bill that would solve the prob- Pennsylvania and show all of us the COLLINS. They both indicated today be- lem. As I said, Republican leaders in promise it holds as a wind energy man- fore everybody that the spirit on the the Senate have been on record sup- ufacturing hub, as well as the negative Senate floor was good yesterday. porting multiple—multiple—good-faith effects that will occur if we do not ex- That is because everyone can feel we solutions to this problem for literally tend the production tax credit. are accomplishing something. Some of weeks. It is actually the Democratic- Pennsylvania has a strong blue-collar the votes were difficult, and some we led Senate that has failed to act, and background and an extraordinary num- all wish we had not taken because they the President who has failed to con- ber of highly skilled workers.