July 15, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 155, Pt. 13 17757 SENATE—Wednesday, July 15, 2009 The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest HOUSE, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. SPECTER, Mr. called to order by the Honorable RO- the absence of a quorum. FRANKEN, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. MERKLEY, Mrs. LAND W. BURRIS, a Senator from the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- GILLIBRAND, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mrs. SHAHEEN, State of Illinois. pore. The clerk will call the roll. Mr. KERRY, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. DODD, Mr. HARKIN, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. CASEY, The assistant legislative clerk pro- Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. LIEBER- PRAYER ceeded to call the roll. MAN, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. BROWN, Mr. AKAKA, The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unan- Mr. SANDERS, Mrs. MURRAY, and Mr. REED, fered the following prayer: imous consent that the order for the proposes an amendment numbered 1511. Let us pray. quorum call be rescinded. Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unan- Our Eternal God, we lift grateful The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- imous consent that the reading of the hearts for the great heritage of our Na- pore. Without objection, it is so or- amendment be dispensed with. tion. Thank You for those who pur- dered. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- chased our freedom with blood, toil, Mr. REID. Mr. President, my under- pore. Without objection, it is so or- and tears. Give us this day a vivid vi- standing is the clerk will report the dered. sion of what You expect our Nation to matter before the Senate at this time. (The amendment is printed in today’s become, as we accept the torches of in- f RECORD under ‘‘Text of Amendments.’’) tegrity and faithfulness from those RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME Mr. REID. I now ask for the yeas and who have gone before us. nays. Lord, give our lawmakers a reverence The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- for Your Name and a determination to pore. Under the previous order, the pore. Is there a sufficient second? please You with their thoughts, words, leadership time is reserved. There appears to be a sufficient second. and deeds. Enable them to bear with f The yeas and nays are ordered. fortitude the fret of care, the sting of NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZA- AMENDMENT NO. 1539 TO AMENDMENT NO. 1511 criticism, and the drudgery of TION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010 Mr. REID. I now call up a second-de- unapplauded toil. Direct them to the gree amendment which is at the desk. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- sources of moral energy so that Your The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- pore. Under the previous order, the strength may be linked to their limita- pore. The clerk will report. Senate will resume consideration of S. tions. The assistant legislative clerk read 1390, which the clerk will report. We pray in Your great Name. Amen. as follows: The assistant legislative clerk read f as follows: The Senator from Nevada [Mr. REID], for Mr. KENNEDY, proposes an amendment num- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE A bill (S. 1390) to authorize appropriations bered 1539 to amendment No. 1511. for fiscal year 2010 for military activities of The Honorable ROLAND BURRIS led the Department of Defense, for military con- Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: struction, and for defense activities of the that the reading of the amendment be I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military dispensed with. United States of America, and to the Repub- personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, for other purposes. pore. Without objection, it is so or- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Pending: dered. f Levin/McCain amendment No. 1469, to The amendment is as follows: strike $1,750,000,000 in procurement, Air (Purpose: To require comprehensive study APPOINTMENT OF ACTING Force funding for F–22A aircraft procure- and support for criminal investigations PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE ment, and to restore operation and mainte- and prosecutions by State and local law The PRESIDING OFFICER. The nance, military personnel, and other funding enforcement officials) clerk will please read a communication in divisions A and B that was reduced in At the end of the amendment, insert the order to authorize such appropriation. to the Senate from the President pro following: AMENDMENT NO. 1469 WITHDRAWN SEC. ll. COMPREHENSIVE STUDY AND SUP- tempore (Mr. BYRD). Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I with- PORT FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGA- The assistant legislative clerk read TIONS AND PROSECUTIONS BY the following letter: draw Senate amendment No. 1469. STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCE- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- MENT OFFICIALS. U.S. SENATE, (a) STUDIES.— PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, pore. The Senator has that right. Washington, DC, July 15, 2009. AMENDMENT NO. 1511 (1) COLLECTION OF DATA.— (A) DEFINITION OF RELEVANT OFFENSE.—In To the Senate: (Purpose: To provide Federal assistance to this paragraph, the term ‘‘relevant offense’’ Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, States, local jurisdictions, and Indian means a crime described in subsection (b)(1) of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby tribes to prosecute hate crimes, and for of the first section of Public Law 101–275 (28 appoint the Honorable ROLAND W. BURRIS, a other purposes) U.S.C. 534 note) and a crime that manifests Senator from the State of Illinois, to per- Mr. REID. On behalf of Senator form the duties of the Chair. evidence of prejudice based on gender or age. LEAHY, myself, and others, I call up (B) COLLECTION FROM CROSS-SECTION OF ROBERT C. BYRD, President pro tempore. amendment No. 1511, which is at the STATES.—Not later than 120 days after the desk. date of enactment of this Act, the Comp- Mr. BURRIS thereupon assumed the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- troller General of the United States, in con- chair as Acting President pro tempore. pore. The clerk will report the amend- sultation with the National Governors’ Asso- f ment. ciation, shall, if possible, select 10 jurisdic- tions with laws classifying certain types of The assistant legislative clerk read RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY offenses as relevant offenses and 10 jurisdic- as follows: LEADER tions without such laws from which to col- The Senator from Nevada [Mr. REID], for lect the data described in subparagraph (C) The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Mr. LEAHY, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. KENNEDY, Ms. over a 12-month period. pore. The majority leader is recog- SNOWE, Mr. LEVIN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. SCHU- (C) DATA TO BE COLLECTED.—The data de- nized. MER, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. WHITE- scribed in this paragraph are— ● This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. VerDate Mar 15 2010 14:38 Nov 14, 2011 Jkt 079102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR09\S15JY9.000 S15JY9 TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD 17758 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 155, Pt. 13 July 15, 2009 (i) the number of relevant offenses that are (4) GRANT AMOUNT.—A grant under this know that some of the estimates we reported and investigated in the jurisdiction; subsection shall not exceed $100,000 for any are hearing about health care reform (ii) the percentage of relevant offenses that single case. are misleading. And we also know that are prosecuted and the percentage that re- (5) REPORT AND AUDIT.—Not later than De- the administration is building up a sult in conviction; cember 31, 2008, the Attorney General, in (iii) the duration of the sentences imposed consultation with the National Governors’ substantial track record of its own of for crimes classified as relevant offenses in Association, shall— dubious predictions that it has used to the jurisdiction, compared with the length of (A) submit to Congress a report describing sell its ideas to the public. sentences imposed for similar crimes com- the applications made for grants under this We saw it with the stimulus. In sell- mitted in jurisdictions with no laws relating subsection, the award of such grants, and the ing one of the most expensive pieces of to relevant offenses; and effectiveness of the grant funds awarded; and legislation in history, the administra- (iv) references to and descriptions of the (B) conduct an audit of the grants awarded tion said it had to be passed right laws under which the offenders were pun- under this subsection to ensure that such away, with almost no scrutiny. If we ished. grants are used for the purposes provided in (D) COSTS.—Participating jurisdictions this subsection. did not pass it right away, they said, shall be reimbursed for the reasonable and (6) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— the economy would collapse. necessary costs of compiling data collected There is authorized to be appropriated Here is what the President said about under this paragraph. $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 and the importance of passing the stimulus (2) STUDY OF RELEVANT OFFENSE ACTIVITY.— 2009 to carry out this section. bill as quickly as possible: ‘‘If we don’t (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months CLOTURE MOTION act immediately, then millions more after the date of enactment of this Act, the jobs will disappear, the national unem- Comptroller General of the United States Mr. REID. I send a cloture motion to shall complete a study and submit to Con- the desk. ployment rates will approach double gress a report that analyzes the data col- The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- digits, more people will lose their lected under paragraph (1) and under section pore.