SENATE—Tuesday, November 8, 2011
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November 8, 2011 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 157, Pt. 12 16847 SENATE—Tuesday, November 8, 2011 The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was be in a period of morning business for The bill wouldn’t add a dime to the called to order by the Honorable 1 hour, with the majority controlling deficit, so there should be no objection JEANNE SHAHEEN, a Senator from the the first half and the Republicans con- there. It is paid for with a non- State of New Hampshire. trolling the final half. Following morn- controversial extension of an existing ing business, we will resume consider- fee on VA-backed mortgages. It is a PRAYER ation of the motion to proceed to H.R. version of the same bill for which The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- 674. At noon, the Senate will be in ex- House Republicans already voted. Re- fered the following prayer: ecutive session to consider the nomina- publicans have voted for tax credits for Let us pray. tion of Evan Wallach to be U.S. Circuit companies that hire out-of-work and Sovereign God and ultimate ruler of Judge for the Federal Circuit. At 12:15 disabled veterans in the past, so that this Nation, as our lawmakers remem- p.m., the Senate will vote on confirma- can’t be the holdup. We will pass this ber their accountability to You, use tion of the Wallach nomination. Fol- important legislation as an amendment them to protect the blessing of liberty. lowing that vote, the Senate will be in to a bill sent over from the House to Continue to provide encouragement recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for our repeal a 3 percent withholding provi- and support to the members of their weekly caucus meetings. We expect to sion from government contractors. Re- staffs, who help provide for the secu- begin consideration of H.R. 674 today. publicans have been chomping at the rity and well-being of the citizens of Senators will be notified when addi- bit to pass this measure, so the House this land. tional votes are scheduled. vehicle for VOW to Hire Heroes is not Lord, cover us all with Your protec- f the source of their radio silence, I am tion and providence, and may Your sure. gracious benediction give us peace this MEASURES PLACED ON THE There are no procedural or philo- day and evermore. Keep our thoughts CALENDAR—H.R. 2930 AND H.R. 2940 sophical hurdles to passing this bill. clear, our words wise, and our hearts Mr. REID. Madam President, there But don’t take my word for it, Madam pure. are two bills at the desk. They are both President. JEFF MILLER, the Repub- We pray in Your great Name. Amen. due for a second reading. lican chairman of the House Veterans’ f The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Affairs Committee, said this about this pore. The clerk will report the bills by bipartisan legislation yesterday: PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE title for the second time. Today, we are putting aside politics and The Honorable JEANNE SHAHEEN led The legislative clerk read as follows: putting America’s veterans first. This is how the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: A bill (H.R. 2930) to amend the securities the process should work. The VOW Act, which passed the House with overwhelming I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the laws to provide for registration exemptions bipartisan support, provides the framework United States of America, and to the Repub- for certain crowdfunded securities, and for for this legislation and gets to the root of lic for which it stands, one nation under God, other purposes. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. A bill (H.R. 2940) to direct the Securities many of the employment problems our vet- erans face. f and Exchange Commission to eliminate the prohibition against general solicitation as a With nearly a quarter of a million APPOINTMENT OF ACTING requirement for a certain exemption under Iraq and Afghanistan veterans unem- PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE Regulation D. ployed, this legislation can’t come a The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Mr. REID. Madam President, I object moment too soon. Yet Senate Repub- clerk will please read a communication to any further proceedings with respect licans remain curiously silent on this to the Senate from the President pro to these two bills. legislation. tempore (Mr. INOUYE). The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- It is inconceivable that my Repub- The legislative clerk read the fol- pore. Objection having been heard, the lican colleagues perceive this legisla- lowing letter: bills will be placed on the calendar tion to be unnecessary, but it also U.S. SENATE, under rule XIV. seemed unthinkable that Republicans PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, f would unanimously oppose legislation Washington, DC, November 8, 2011. to create hundreds of thousands of jobs To the Senate: VOW TO HIRE HEROES for teachers, firefighters, and construc- Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, LEGISLATION tion workers. of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby Mr. REID. Madam President, yester- Here is what is at stake. The number appoint the Honorable JEANNE SHAHEEN, a day my friend the Republican leader of unemployed post-9/11 veterans has Senator from the State of New Hampshire, gone up by 30,000 in the last year alone. to perform the duties of the Chair. ticked off a list of bills on which he be- DANIEL K. INOUYE, lieves Democrats and Republicans can Nearly 250,000 men and women who vol- President pro tempore. agree. I couldn’t help but notice that unteered to fight overseas for the flag Mrs. SHAHEEN thereupon assumed the VOW to Hire Heroes legislation and the privileges and freedoms it rep- the chair as Acting President pro tem- that would give tax cuts to companies resents can’t find a job here at home. pore. to hire out-of-work and disabled vet- That number will only grow as the two erans wasn’t on that list he ticked off. wars draw to a close. One in five young f The bill I just referred to, the VOW veterans—veterans under age 25—is un- RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY to Hire Heroes legislation, ought to be employed. On any given night, at least LEADER free of even a whiff of controversy. 75,000 veterans, including 2,500 in Ne- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- House Republicans already voted for vada, sleep on the streets. They are pore. The majority leader is recog- the major components of that bill—a homeless. We should all be able to nized. plan to give older veterans access to agree that even 1 night is too many for f job training so they can keep up with our Nation’s heroes to pass without a the rapidly changing workplace and to roof over their head. Young veterans SCHEDULE help young veterans transition from are more than twice as likely as their Mr. REID. Madam President, fol- Active-Duty service to the civilian peers to be homeless and four times as lowing leader remarks, the Senate will workplace. likely to live in poverty. During tough ● This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. VerDate Sep 11 2014 12:49 Mar 17, 2015 Jkt 099102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR11\S08NO1.000 S08NO1 rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD 16848 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 157, Pt. 12 November 8, 2011 economic times, when some young peo- calling for, just the kind of thing we disease actually in the pipeline but ple join the military for a way to es- should be doing a lot more of around that he can’t take it to the next level cape the cycle of poverty, this statistic here because there is a lot we can agree because of all the regulatory costs his is shocking and disheartening. on when it comes to jobs legislation, company is too small to afford right I call on the minority leader and the and that is where the focus should ac- now. We should be removing barriers rest of my Republican colleagues to tually be. for smaller companies such as his. break their silence. Where do they While the President has been out on Nearly 200 House Democrats agree with stand on the VOW to Hire Heroes Act? bus tours, Republicans in the House that, and so does President Obama. As I ask my Republican colleagues, do you have been debating and passing bipar- I said yesterday, this bill is about as believe we should lend a hand to those tisan legislation aimed at making it bipartisan as it gets. The only thing who defend our freedom? Of course. Or easier for businesses across the country standing in the way of passing it in the do you think this Nation’s responsi- to grow and to create jobs. Over the Senate is the Democrats who schedule bility to its veterans ends the day they past 2 weeks, I have highlighted some legislation around here, and the only take off that uniform? of their good work. reason they could have for blocking it Andrew Carnegie once said that the Yesterday, I mentioned in particular is that it steps on their campaign older he got, the less mind he paid to a bill the House passed just last week strategy. what men say. ‘‘I just watch what they called the Small Company Capital For- I think that is a mistake. I think the do,’’ he said.