States are increasingly looking at public-private partnerships that are financed or funded by the use of availability payments.

This drop hurts American leverage in at the Bank, creating more openings for China and others who may not share our priorities.

This is a case of some terrific bipartisan cooperation that is, in fact, making real progress for Pennsylvania.

I am pleased that she has been nominated here before the Committee today, and I am going to work with my colleagues to move her name through the confirmation process.

So let me ask you about the other side of that coin, the arbitration process, where many people may not even realize that they have signed away, in many contractual relationships, their right to go to court.

What are your thoughts on that?

We have in Illinois something known as the Illinois Innocence Project, which has successfully found many cases where people were wrongly convicted.

we have passed out of this Committee, now pending on the floor, the Smarter Sentencing Act, which is going to address that not just for you but for all Federal judges in the future.

One of the questions asked of you by Senator Kirk... was about a constitutional amendment, the Tenth Amendment, the role of the Federal Government, the role of the States.

I have always maintained the view that while I am certainly fortunate to have the positions that I had, I am a human being and I am no different than any other individual that I deal with.

the Federal prison population has increased 500 percent in the last 30 years

It is not only of a great service to the community, but it actually is a great service to the younger lawyers.

One of the things you undoubtedly experienced, as many of us who practice have experienced, is that some judges with lifetime appointments become imperial and believe they are beyond reach of ordinary human beings.

Following Katrina, we had many, many lawyers whose homes were destroyed, whose offices were destroyed.

I am pleased to introduce Staci Yandle, nominated to serve as district court judge in the Southern District of my State.

I believe that Ms. Yandle will be preceded by Nancy Rosenstengel, whose nomination is currently pending on the Senate floor.

Thanks a lot, Senator Klobuchar.

I found that one of the most challenging things of being a legislator was deciding when to vote the will of my constituents and when to vote the will of myself and my own conscience.