Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 110 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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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 110 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 153 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2007 No. 58 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Monday, April 16, 2007, at 2 p.m. Senate WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2007 The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was Senate from the President pro tempore STEM CELL RESEARCH called to order by the Honorable BEN- (Mr. BYRD). ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2007 JAMIN L. CARDIN, a Senator from the The legislative clerk read the fol- State of Maryland. lowing letter: HOPE OFFERED THROUGH PRIN- U.S. SENATE, PRAYER PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, CIPLED AND ETHICAL STEM The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Washington, DC, April 11, 2007. CELL RESEARCH ACT fered the following prayer: To the Senate: The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Let us pray. Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, pore. Under the previous order, the God of all life, we seek You in a of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby Senate shall resume consideration of appoint the Honorable BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, world filled with challenges and prob- the following measures en bloc, which lems. Prepare the Members of this body a Senator from the State of Maryland, to perform the duties of the Chair. the clerk will report. for the rigors of solving life’s riddles The legislative clerk read as follows: today. Give them the wisdom to seek ROBERT C. BYRD, President pro tempore. A bill (S. 5) to amend the Public Health common opportunities, to accomplish Mr. CARDIN thereupon assumed the Service Act to provide for human embryonic Your divine will in our world. Make stem cell research. them instruments of Your love in the chair as Acting President pro tempore. A bill (S. 30) to intensify research to derive midst of hatred and strife. Teach them f human pluripotent stem cell lines. to spend and be spent for the good of RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- others. pore. Under the previous order, there is Lord, we intercede for them. Give The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- now 90 minutes of debate under the them the spiritual tools for strength of pore. Under the previous order, the control of the Senator from Iowa, Mr. thought, lightness of heart, sincerity of leadership time is reserved. HARKIN, or his designee; 45 minutes conviction, and clarity of purpose. f under the control of the Senator from Renew their commitment to You as Minnesota, Mr. COLEMAN, and the Sen- RECOGNITION OF THE their inspiration, their strength, their ator from Georgia, Mr. ISAKSON, and 45 REPUBLICAN LEADER courage, their guide, and their Lord. minutes under the control of the Sen- We pray in Your omniscient Name. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- ator from Kansas, Mr. BROWNBACK. Amen. pore. The Republican leader is recog- Who yields time? The Senator from f nized. Iowa. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE f Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, before I yield the floor to my colleague from The Honorable BENJAMIN L. CARDIN SCHEDULE Massachusetts, I just want to again led the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I bring people up to speed as to where we I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the am told the majority leader will be out are in this debate. We will debate the United States of America, and to the Repub- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, shortly. Let me just mention that the two bills again today, S. 5 and S. 30, all indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. vote is likely to be moved from 5:45 to day. We will have two votes later today 5:55, for the information of all Sen- at a time to be determined by the lead- f ators. We have a structured order for ers but I think right prior to 6 p.m, the APPOINTMENT OF ACTING debate for the balance of the morning first vote occurring on S. 5, an up-or- PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE and afternoon that has already been down vote without amendments, and The PRESIDING OFFICER. The agreed to. after that would be an up-or-down vote clerk will read a communication to the I yield the floor. on S. 30, without amendments. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S4319 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 21:49 Mar 13, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 E:\2007SENATE\S11AP7.REC S11AP7 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S4320 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 11, 2007 I intend to take some time this long and lonely battle against Alz- been in the Senate was on this issue, morning, after the Senator from Mas- heimer’s disease, a year can make the from Lauren Stanford, from Plymouth, sachusetts speaks, again to outline the memory of a beloved spouse or child a MA—15 years old. She wrote just after differences in the two bills, why S. 5 is little fainter, a little more distant. For watching the President of the United a preferable bill and why that should a patient battling against the tremors States speak on this issue when he set be the bill we pass and send to the of Parkinson’s disease, a year can up the regime on which we have all President for his signature and to point mean more and more life activities commented, which limits the great out that S. 5 is truly the compromise fade out of reach. possibilities we have talked about dur- bill. If overturning the administration’s ing the course of this debate. This is I want everyone to know that. There unwarranted restrictions on stem cell what she said: was some talk that S. 30 should be the research brings just one breakthrough, That night— compromise. Let me point out for clar- just one of the many that our best sci- Referring to the night the President ity that last year we passed the stem entists believe are possible, that break- talked— cell research bill. There was another through can mean all the difference in President Bush talked about protecting the bill offered on the floor at the same the world for the patients who benefit. innocent. I wondered then: what about me? I time called the Specter-Santorum bill. They cannot wait another year, or an- am truly innocent in this situation. I did That bill was supported by the Bush other day, for the help stem cell re- nothing to bring my diabetes on; there is administration. Both bills passed, but search can bring, and we should not nothing I can do to make it any better. All the Specter-Santorum bill never made wait in aiding them. We must take ac- I can do is hope for a research breakthrough it through the House, and therefore the tion here and now to end these unnec- and keep living the difficult, demanding life President was given the stem cell re- essary and harmful restrictions on life- of a child with diabetes until that break- through comes. How, I asked my parents, is search bill. He vetoed it. He exercised saving research. it more important to throw discarded em- the only veto of his administration to Continuing the administration’s re- bryos into the trash than it is to let them be veto the stem cell bill. strictions means the gap between what used to hopefully save my life—and to give In order to reach out a hand of com- scientists could do and what they are me back a life where I don’t have to accept promise to the White House, we then allowed to do grows even wider. a constant, almost insane level of hourly incorporated in our bill, S. 5, today, Continuing the restrictions means medical intervention as ‘‘normal’’? How the Specter-Santorum bill of last year, our Nation’s best scientists will go on could my nation do this to me? which is part of S. 5. So it seems to me having to waste precious time on That is the issue which Lauren Stan- we have gone halfway at least in reach- pointless redtape and bureaucratic ob- ford has put before the Senate. Hope- ing out to the White House to provide stacles, time that should be spent on fully she will get an overwhelming, bi- a compromise situation. Now the White the search for new cures. partisan answer this afternoon when House says they want to compromise Continuing the restrictions means the roll is called. further. They want something else. having to tell the patients who are I yield the remainder of my time.. You can keep this up until there is counting on the promise of stem cell Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I yield nothing left of the stem cell bill. research: Wait just a little longer, 20 minutes to the Senator from North I wish to make it very clear that we dream just a little less, hope just a lit- Dakota. How much time do we have re- have compromised. We have come half- tle more faintly. maining on our side? way. We incorporated the bill the The Senate must act, just as the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- President supported last year, so S. 5 House has already, to unlock the po- pore. Eighty minutes. really is the compromise measure we tential of stem cell research.