May 19, 2014
I guess I would start by saying that he, Senator Alexander, he typifies the American Dream.
Pete Domenici
The Public Record
Pete V. Domenici is a former United States Senator from New Mexico, serving from 1973 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he was known for his work on budgetary issues and energy policy. During his tenure, he played a significant role in shaping legislation related to nuclear energy and national defense. Domenici was also involved in various bipartisan efforts, particularly in the areas of health care and education reform. He was a prominent advocate for fiscal responsibility and was instrumental in the passage of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.
★ Featured Quote
July 6, 2014
It is clear from this example that good things can happen when we open up more areas for drilling in a responsible manner.
— Pete Domenici
Most widely reported
by number of sources- I rise today with my friend Senator Kennedy to introduce the ``Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003.'' I have mixed emotions today, because, while we are once again fighting for parity, my long time partner, Paul Wellstone is not standing across the aisle from me. Unfortunately, my colleagues are to aware of Senator Wellstone's tragic passing last year. So, while I feel a profound sense of sadness, I also have a renewed determination to win a parity victory for the millions of Americans affected by these dreaded diseases. The time has come to end this blatant pattern of discrimination against people merely because they suffer from a mental illness. The human brain is the organ of the mind and just like the other organs of our body, it is subject to illness. And just as we must treat illnesses to our other organs, we must also treat illnesses of the brain. Building upon that, I would ask the following question: what if forty years ago our Nation had decided to exclude heart disease from health insurance coverage?8 sources2003govinfo.gov
- Mr. President and fellow Senators, you have a clear vote it seems to me. One, do you support the President of the United States when he said we shall not cut defense anymore? He even said, ``My staff has advised me, some of them have, to cut defense. But it is wrong. We have cut defense enough.'' The Harkin amendment would cut defense some more to pay for what the President should have funded from the beginning: The Byrne amendment which fights drugs and crimes in our cities and States in probably the best way that any Federal money is spent. The other choice is to take Senator Gorton's approach, and it will be the second vote, and say we do not want to cut defense anymore, but we do want to replenish the Byrne Grant Program in its totality. We want to fund it right up to current policy which means inflation on top of last year because it is a great program. Then Senator Gorton says, as I would interpret it, the President should never cut the Byrne grants, and said to the agencies of this Government, you can spend $1 billion on new furniture. So we say cut that in half. I believe had the President been looking at $1 billion worth of new furniture or cutting the Byrne grants, he would have said cut the furniture. In any event, whether he says it or not, we ought to say it here today. That is why we ought to support the second vote. Everybody wins. Senator Harkin gets the Byrne grant replenished.5 sources1994govinfo.gov
- I rise today to introduce again legislation to eliminate one of the great inconsistencies in the Internal Revenue Code. The bill I am introducing today with Senator Bennett is designed to restore some internal consistency to the tax code as it applies to art and artists. No one has ever said that the tax code is fair even though it has always been a theoretical objective of the code to treat similar taxpayers similarly. The bill I am introducing today would address two areas where similarly situated taxpayers are not treated the same. Internal inconsistency #1 deals with the long-term capital gains tax treatment of investments in art and collectibles. If a person invests in stocks or bonds, holds the asset for the requisite period of time, and sells at a gain, the tax treatment is long term capital gains. The top capital gains tax rate is 20 percent, 18 percent, if the asset is held for five or more years. However, if the same person invests in art or collectibles the top rate is hiked up to 28 percent. Art for art's sake should not incur an additional 40 percent tax bill simply for revenue's sake. That is a big impact on the pocketbook of the beholder. Art and collectibles are alternatives to financial instruments as an investment choice. To create a tax disadvantage with respect to one investment compared to another creates an artificial market and may lead to poor investment allocations.5 sources2003govinfo.gov
- Today I rise to introduce an uncontroversial piece of legislation that I hope will receive prompt committee action and will make its way quickly to the President's desk for his signature. I would first like to familiarize the Senate with the important mission and related work of the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park in Las Cruces, NM. The Chihuahuan Desert is the largest desert in North America and contains a great diversity of unique plant and animal species. The ecosystem makes up an indispensable part of southwest's treasured ecological diversity. As such, it is important that we teach our young ones an appreciation for New Mexico's biological diversity and impart upon them the value of this ecological treasure. The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park is a non-profit institution that has spent the past six years providing hands-on science education to K-12th graders. To achieve this mission, the Nature Park provides classroom presentation, field trips, schoolyard ecology projects and teacher workshops. The Nature Park serves more than 11,000 students and 600 teachers annually. This instruction will enable our future leaders to make informed decisions about how best to manage these valuable resources. I commend those at the Nature Park for taking the initiative to create and administer a wonderfully successful program that has been so beneficial to the surrounding community.5 sources2004govinfo.gov
- water is the life's blood for New Mexico. When the water dries up in New Mexico, so will many of its communities. As such, the scarcity of water in New Mexico is a dire situation. Unfortunately, the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer (NM OSE) lacks the tools necessary to undertake the Herculean task of effectively managing New Mexico's water resources. Today, I introduce legislation that would allow New Mexico to make informed decisions about its limited water resources. In order to effectively perform water rights administration, as well as comply with New Mexico's compact deliveries, the State Engineer is statutorily required to perform assessments and investigations of the numerous stream systems and ground water basins located within New Mexico. However, the NM OSE is ill equipped to vigorously and comprehensively undertake the daunting but critically important task of water resource planning. At present, the NM OSE lacks adequate resources to perform necessary hydrographic surveys and data collection. As such, ensuring a future water supply for my home state requires that Congress provide the NM OSE with the resources necessary to fulfill its statutory mandate. The bill I introduce today would create a standing authority for the State of New Mexico to seek and receive technical assistance from the Bureau of Reclamation and the United States Geological Survey.5 sources2004govinfo.gov
- I rise today with great pleasure to introduce ``The Rural Employment in Telecommunications Industry Act of 1999.'' The introduction of this Bill marks a historic opportunity for rural communities to create jobs within the telecommunications industry. The Bill establishes a program to train residents of low income rural areas for employment in telecommunications industry jobs located in those same rural areas. As many of my colleagues know, I have an initiative called ``rural payday'' and I believe this Bill is yet another step in creating jobs for our rural areas. All too often a rural area is characterized by a high number of low income residents and a high unemployment rate. Moreover, our rural areas are often dependent upon a small number of employers or a single industry for employment opportunities. Consequently, when there is a plant closing, a downturn in the economy, or a slowdown in the area's industry the already present problems are only compounded.4 sources1999govinfo.gov
congress.gov
Nov 15, 2012
to redress the balance between the Government acting in its discretionary capacity and the individual
Jun 18, 2012
The two of us have done this budgeting differently because we have done it bipartisanly from the very beginning.
Jun 18, 2012
I see it as nothing but an obstacle--and we have plenty already--to getting things done.
Jun 18, 2012
the lower the tax, the better in terms of the economy and its capability to produce and grow.
Jun 18, 2012
We may not know all the answers that you seek of us because we did not have a lot of time to study in detail the more intricate health care issues.
Jun 18, 2012
I want to say to you first, as a former Republican Senator, remember that we put our plan together starting with bipartisan membership.