Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 7, 2013, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Housing Finance…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 7, 2013, at 11 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. subcommittee…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 7, 2013, at 9:30 a.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 7, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. committee on…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights, and Agency Action, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on November 7, 2013, at 1:30 p.m., in room…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes in opposition to the Toomey amendment and that the Senator from Wisconsin also have 2 minutes to speak in opposition. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there…

Mr. President, over the course of this debate, we have documented the tremendous business community support for this bill, including over 100 major companies. A key reason for that support is that ENDA is closely modeled on title VII of…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Zachary Kachevas and Nicole DuBois, of my staff, be granted the privilege of the floor during the remainder of today's session. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…

Mr. President, I spoke at some length on this bill, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the other day, but as we move to end debate on the bill itself, I want to once again express the critical nature of the bill for ensuring equality…

I thank the Senator for his question. He is correct, nothing in this amendment would modify the nondiscrimination provision that was included in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. What this amendment does is say that you…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Lauren Sarkesian and Jennifer Lucas of my staff be granted floor privileges for the duration of today's session. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

the Department, quote, "does not consider qualified health benefits, other programs related to Federally Facilitated Marketplaces, and other programs under Obamacare, to be Federal health care programs."

One way to reduce prison crowding is to build more prisons.

I am concerned that we are hearing many of the same kind of voices that headed us toward greater crime starting back in the 1960s.

Anyone who is concerned about reducing prison costs should make lowering that number a priority.

Twenty-five percent of the Federal prisoners are gang Members.

We should be very careful about any action we take in changing sentencing laws, whether based on cost or other concerns.