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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 112 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 157 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 No. 131 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was U.S. SENATE, I had the good fortune to travel on a called to order by the Honorable PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, codel he led. It was a wonderful trip, KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, a Senator from Washington, DC, September 7, 2011. led by this great statesman. We went To the Senate: the State of New York. Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, into the Soviet Union—Mongolia—and of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby saw Lake Baikal and found that the PRAYER appoint the Honorable KIRSTEN E. GILLI- Soviets had not ruined this great Al- The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- BRAND, a Senator from the State of New pine glacier lake. There are only two in fered the following prayer: York, to perform the duties of the Chair. the world. One is in Nevada and Cali- Let us pray. DANIEL K. INOUYE, fornia—we share Lake Tahoe. But Lake President pro tempore. Lord God, You are holy and inhabit Baikal is one thing the Soviets didn’t the praises of Your people. We are Mrs. GILLIBRAND thereupon as- ruin. Anyway, it was a trip I will al- thankful that those who seek You will sumed the chair as Acting President ways remember, not only where we not lack any good thing. Help us to pro tempore. went but who led that trip. make You our source of hope, depend- f I will give a more complete state- ing on Your providence and trusting RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY ment at a later time regarding Mark Your mighty arms to save us. As our LEADER Hatfield, a man for whom I had great respect and admiration. He was really lawmakers seek to serve You by mak- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- a role model, in my mind, for what a ing choices that honor You, purify pore. The majority leader is recog- Senator should be. their intentions that they will say nized. what they believe and will act consist- We expect to be in consideration of ently with their speech. Keep them f the patent bill today. I hope the Repub- aware of how their words and deeds af- SCHEDULE licans will let us get on that. It is too fect the good fortune of the lives of Mr. REID. Madam President, fol- bad we had to move to proceed to it, those in need. lowing leader remarks, if any, there but we did. I hope we don’t have to use O God, You are our hiding place. And will be an hour of morning business, the full 30 hours, and I hope I don’t in these challenging days, we are de- with the majority controlling the first have to file cloture again. I hope there pending on You to protect this Nation half and the Republicans controlling are a couple of amendments and then from trouble. You are the one who puts the final half. Following morning busi- we can get rid of this bill as early as the songs of deliverance in our hearts. ness, the Senate will resume consider- possible. We pray in Your strong Name. Amen. ation of the motion to proceed to the We have a lot to do. We have so much America Invents Act. to do in this work period—the highway f The Senate will recess from 12:30 bill, the patent bill, FEMA, and trade until 2:15 for our weekly party con- issues. We need to complete all those PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ferences. At 2:30, there will be 30 min- matters before we leave here in just a The Honorable KIRSTEN E. GILLI- utes of tribute to the late Senator few weeks. We have to take a break be- BRAND led the Pledge of Allegiance, as Mark Hatfield of Oregon, and I would cause of the holidays coming up toward follows: indicate that if people are unable to the end of this month. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the come during that 30 minutes, I would f United States of America, and to the Repub- solicit their statements so that we can lic for which it stands, one nation under God, put them together, as we often do in MEASURE PLACED ON THE indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. these situations, so they are in that CALENDAR—H.J. Res. 66 nice little booklet people can look Mr. REID. Madam President, I under- f through at a later time. stand H.J. Res. 66 is at the desk and is I would say, Madam President, that I due for a second reading. APPOINTMENT OF ACTING had the good fortune of being able to PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- serve with Mark Hatfield—a treasure of pore. The clerk will read the joint reso- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The a man. We have had great leaders from lution by title for the second time. clerk will please read a communication Oregon, but certainly he was equal to The legislative clerk read as follows: to the Senate from the President pro any of them—a man of great character A joint resolution (H.J. Res. 66) approving tempore (Mr. INOUYE). who was not bound by party. He was the renewal of import restrictions contained The legislative clerk read the fol- bound by what he thought was best for in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act lowing letter: this country. of 2003. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S5347 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 23:39 Sep 07, 2011 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A07SE6.000 S07SEPT1 pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with SENATE S5348 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 7, 2011 Mr. REID. Madam President, I object We were forced to deal with that for we didn’t create many—last month, to any further proceedings with respect months. Then, when we finished that, about 20,000. to this joint resolution. we went to do something that happens Because of what is going on around The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- as a matter of fact around here. Not the country, with the Republicans’ aus- pore. Objection is heard. The joint res- that it is unimportant, but there is no terity programs, there are lots of gov- olution will be placed on the calendar reason for our country to default on ernment jobs being cut. Each of us, in accordance with rule XIV. the debts we have. Extending the debt from New York, Illinois, and Nevada, f ceiling doesn’t allow us to spend money has had local governments really being on more items, it simply allows us to cut to the bone—police and fire. These NEVADA TRAGEDY pay our debts. are the jobs that people need very Mr. REID. Madam President, yester- Take, for example, Ronald Reagan. much. day morning a man walked into a pan- Ronald Reagan is somebody whom Re- Madam President, I hope the Repub- cake house in Carson City, NV, our publicans idolize, and I have no prob- licans have gotten the stalling tactics capital, and proceeded to—with, I am lem with that. He was a good President out of their system and really will told, an AK–47—first shoot and kill and did some good things for our coun- work with us to create jobs. Hopefully, some poor woman outside the pancake try—lots of good things. I liked him the Senate is now moving forward with house, and he then walked inside and very much as a person and as a Presi- this patent bill, the America Invents started shooting with this automatic dent. He asked us 18 different times to Act. This bill will reform the Nation’s weapon and killed three National raise the debt ceiling, and we did it outdated patent system that has al- Guardsmen and another innocent per- every time—every time. But this time, most 1 million patents waiting to be son. We have a number of people who no thanks. The Republicans forced us looked at. Any one of those patents are in the hospital, and we hope no to spend months on raising the debt could be a new benefit—something that more die. We are still learning the de- ceiling. will create jobs and allow people who tails of this tragedy, but we do know They have also used unrelated have such great ingenuity in America five are dead. The shooter then killed amendments and procedural stall tac- to put their product on line. himself following this rampage he went tics to kill good pieces of legislation We are told that this reform of our on. that have always had the support of Nation’s outdated patent system will The National Guardsmen—as I under- Democrats and Republicans. Take, for allow us to create almost 300,000 jobs, stand, there were five of them there example, the Economic Development and it will clear up a 3-year backlog in having breakfast prior to their duties Administration. They blocked that, patent applications so inventors might when this madman walked in and something that has been going on for be able to invent the next iPod or iPad killed them. One of the five was a 35 years creating jobs.