E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 113 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION

Vol. 160 WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2014 No. 152 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was Lord of life beneath the dome of the Your hope through them to our Nation called to order by the President pro universe, Your home, gather us who and world, providing them, O God, with tempore (Mr. LEAHY). seek Your face to the fold of Your em- Your wisdom to join their plans with f brace, for You are near. Your will. Give them a compassion PRAYER We see Your divine image in the peo- that will compel them to labor for the eradication of injustice. The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- ple around us. Help us to honor You by fered the following prayer: respecting them. Guide our lawmakers We pray in Your merciful Name. Let us pray. to seek great things for others. Radiate Amen.

NOTICE If the 113th Congress, 2nd Session, adjourns sine die on or before December 24, 2014, a final issue of the Congres- sional Record for the 113th Congress, 2nd Session, will be published on Wednesday, December 31, 2014, to permit Mem- bers to insert statements. All material for insertion must be signed by the Member and delivered to the respective offices of the Official Reporters of Debates (Room HT–59 or S–123 of the Capitol), Monday through Friday, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. through Tuesday, December 30. The final issue will be dated Wednesday, December 31, 2014, and will be delivered on Monday, January 5, 2015. None of the material printed in the final issue of the Congressional Record may contain subject matter, or relate to any event, that occurred after the sine die date. Senators’ statements should also be formatted according to the instructions at http://webster/secretary/conglrecord.pdf, and submitted electronically, either on a disk to accompany the signed statement, or by e-mail to the Official Reporters of Debates at ‘‘[email protected]’’. Members of the House of Representatives’ statements may also be submitted electronically by e-mail, to accompany the signed statement, and formatted according to the instructions for the Extensions of Remarks template at https://housenet.house.gov/legislative/research-and-reference/transcripts-and-records/electronic-congressional-record-inserts. The Official Reporters will transmit to GPO the template formatted electronic file only after receipt of, and authentication with, the hard copy, and signed manuscript. Deliver statements to the Official Reporters in Room HT–59. Members of Congress desiring to purchase reprints of material submitted for inclusion in the Congressional Record may do so by contacting the Office of Congressional Publishing Services, at the Government Printing Office, on 512–0224, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily. By order of the Joint Committee on Printing. CHARLES E. SCHUMER, Chairman.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY lican leader, the Senate will resume LEADER consideration of the motion to concur The President pro tempore led the in the House amendment to the Senate Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader is recognized. amendment to H.R. 3979, postcloture. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the f At noon today, the time will be con- United States of America, and to the Repub- trolled between Senators REID, 1 hour; lic for which it stands, one nation under God, SCHEDULE COBURN, 1 hour; MURKOWSKI, 30 min- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. REID. Mr. President, following utes; INHOFE, 30 minutes, or their des- my remarks and those of the Repub- ignees.

∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.

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VerDate Sep 11 2014 09:26 Dec 17, 2014 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD14\DEC 2014\S12DE4.REC S12DE4 rmajette on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE S6700 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 12, 2014 Upon the use or yielding back of that end this Congress knowing we put our apy, but it didn’t seem to get well, and time, at approximately 3 p.m., the Sen- country on a more secure financial they discovered he had a very rare ate will have rollcall votes in relation footing than when this Congress start- form of cancer—clear-cell sarcoma—in to the defense authorization bill and ed. We can then go home to our States, his left leg. So it is an understatement the Saperstein nomination. tell our constituents we passed legisla- to say it was a trying experience for (Mr. KING assumed the Chair.) tion that keeps America safe, makes MARK. He was faced with the prospect f college more affordable, spurs the of dying or losing his leg. MARK was buoyed in this difficult ex- DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL economy, and keeps our government operating. perience that he had by his family, his Mr. REID. Mr. President, as I have Talk about a CR for 3 months should friends, and the people of indicated, we are going to take up this scare everyone. So we are not there. praying for him. It was quite a spir- important government funding bill We are going to have a bill that funds itual experience for MARK and his fam- today. Senator MIKULSKI, the Chair of this government for the next fiscal ily. This experience deepened his com- the Appropriations Committee, has year. We can be satisfied that we left passion for those who suffer physically, performed an extraordinary service in our priorities better funded and more financially, and emotionally, and he negotiating this bill. And I think it is secure, and our government on a more has translated that into his public fair to give a nod to Senator SHELBY, of sound foundation than when this Con- service. course, who has been involved in this. gress began. In 1998, he was elected attorney gen- They get along extremely well and set eral of the State of Arkansas. In his f a good standard for everyone in the 2002 Senatorial election he bucked the Senate. TRIBUTE TO MARK PRYOR national trend to become the only The bill achieves many of our impor- Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am going Democrat to defeat a Republican in- tant priorities. It gives the Affordable to take just a minute, because time is cumbent. Bucking trends would quick- Care Act the secure financial footing it running out, to talk about a couple of ly become one of his hallmarks here on deserves, gives our military the tools it Senators. Capitol Hill. As a Senator, he has needs to combat ISIS, it addresses the I rise to honor Senator MARK PRYOR shown courage in voting according to rape kit backlog, helping police and of Arkansas upon his departure from his conscience. prosecutors prevent sexual assault, it this institution. I have been in the Sen- Key among his legislative accom- increases funding for students’ loans, ate 28 years, and there has been a plishments have been bills to extend ensures that the President’s Executive Pryor here for 22 of those years. I first tax benefits and improve medical serv- action in protecting families can move worked with MARK’s dad, . ices for men and women to make the forward, and it provides funding to David Pryor left this institution be- products that people buy, especially fight the Ebola epidemic. cause he had quite a significant heart children, safe. He has also been a There are lots of other things in it. I attack. What a fine Senator. I have strong advocate for honest and trans- have just hit a few of the highlights said before, and I will say again, he was parent business practices in order to from my perspective. preserve our American tradition of re- There are things in this bill that I the best legislator I ever served with, whether during my experience in the sponsible free enterprise. wouldn’t have included—the Democrats His respect for tradition extends to State legislature of Nevada or here: wouldn’t have included had we written the Senate itself. I say this for a num- David Pryor. He was very, very good. the bill alone. I don’t support the ber of reasons, but once a reporter Six years after David left, MARK weakening of Dodd-Frank and the re- asked him what he would do if he had came. What a good legislator he is. He strictions on the District of Columbia absolute power over Congress. In his is just such a fine person. But it is no and other things, but I didn’t write this characteristic fashion, he responded he surprise to me that he followed in his bill. Senate Democrats didn’t write would instill in his fellow Senators dad’s footsteps. After all, the Pryor this bill alone. It is a compromise. greater respect for each other and for family has worked as public servants in That is what legislation is all about. the world’s greatest deliberative body. Arkansas for five generations. MARK’s The Presiding Officer has been a Gov- That is what MARK PRYOR said. ernor for the State of Maine. He is now great-great-grandfather was a sheriff. While some may have disagreed with MARK’s great-grandfather was a sheriff. a legislator and has been a legislator, MARK, they never ever questioned his and he knows that legislation is the art MARK’s grandfather Edgar was a coun- sincerity, his integrity. I admire his of compromise. Any chief executive ty sheriff also in Arkansas. In fact, just impeccable dedication to his con- who has to work with a legislature, as last year, an Arkansan said to MARK: science. Presidents of the United States do, ‘‘I’m for MARK PRYOR not because of Mark Twain said: does not get everything he wants. Leg- his dad David but because of Edgar.’’ The proper office of a friend is to side with islation is a compromise. And that is That is how deep the Pryor roots run in you when you are in the wrong. Nearly any- what this legislation is. Arkansas. body will side with you when you are in the We are going to consider this legisla- On MARK’s desk is a plaque that right. tion to keep our government open and reads: ‘‘Arkansas Comes First.’’ This With apologies to Mark Twain, if funded, and we are going to do it was a plaque that was on his dad’s desk eternal agreement were the price of today—I hope. There are Senators who and that MARK put on his desk. This friendship, we would all have fewer are unhappy with this legislation, and has been MARK’s mission since he has friends. Friendship can transcend pol- they will have a chance to make their been here—to put Arkansas first. The icy preferences, as MARK’s and mine do. objections heard. I hope we can com- Senate and the entire country have We agree on most everything. There plete work on this bill as soon as we benefited from the influence of the are a few things we don’t agree on po- finish the Defense bill. That depends on Pryors in the — litically, but that doesn’t matter. It everyone’s cooperation here. But there David and MARK. doesn’t matter because he is my friend. isn’t a lot of time. The government MARK was born in Fayetteville, grew He is a friend to my wife and me. It funding runs out at 12 o’clock midnight up in Little Rock, and attended the is no secret there are many people—the on Saturday. as an under- Republican leader and his wife—who When we started this Congress, the graduate and later to law school. While reached out to console me and Landra government was running on autopilot. working as an attorney in private prac- during her terrible accident, and then Since 2011, we have lurched from crisis tice, he began his public service in 1990, when the cancer was ravaging her to crisis, with the country constantly when he ran for a seat in the House of body. But she pulled through that. And under threat of a shutdown or financial Representatives. He was elected and one reason she did, I am convinced, is catastrophe. It is a very bad habit, and served there for 4 years. MARK PRYOR. MARK PRYOR, who almost one the American people are very, very In 1996, MARK was faced with the died from cancer, called my wife tired of, as they should be. fight of his life. He had a situation often—often—texted her often telling This bill is, I repeat, far from perfect. occur near his Achilles tendon on one her: You are going to be OK; don’t be But when we pass it, we will be able to of his legs. They tried physical ther- afraid. So my wife loves MARK PRYOR.

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