On Monday the Earth's 7 billionth person was born. Our population has doubled in the last 50 years, and it could double again by the end of the century if we let it. This rapid growth is straining water and food supplies, reducing access…

Reclaiming my time, as my colleagues know, Senator Kirk is strongly in support of moving high-level nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. Senator Durbin said the right things. We just want him now to lead on that issue for the importance of the…

Before my freshman colleagues get too concerned, I am only going to go a couple of minutes to talk about why I have been coming to the floor once each week for a whole debate on high-level nuclear waste and a national repository that is…

Canadian oil sands transported via pipelines play a major role in supplying the energy needs of southern Illinois. Two weeks ago, I visited the oil sands in Alberta, Canada, and here is exactly what we saw. On Monday of this week, I…

Madam President, as a proponent of smart and fair crime policies, as well as improving the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system, I would like to commend my home State of Illinois for its recent reforms in this area. I have long…

Yes. How many times is Washington going to be dishonest with us and just say, I know it didn't work in the past, but it's going to work this time? The President himself said the shovel-ready jobs--chuckle, chuckle--weren't so shovel-ready…

What's amazing to me is we've conditioned--I mean Republicans and Democrats, not ``we.'' We've only been here less than a year. But the American people have been so conditioned to believe that if there is any difficulty, the answer is a…

I thank the gentleman from Colorado. You know what's amazing about those forgotten 15? You know how much they cost? Nothing. I mean, isn't that great? When you think about it, we're talking about something out of Washington, D.C. that…

Mr. President, I rise today to thank the Government of Kenya and its President Kibaki for the difficult decision he and his government have made with regard to Somalia. We all recall Somalia as the site of the Black Hawk Down tragedy in…

These are called public works projects for a reason. They're done by the public sector. They are good for our country. They are good for our economy. They put people to work. And that's exactly what we ought to be doing, and that's what…

Everybody has the same issues: the underground systems, the water systems, the overhead systems, the bridges. I wonder sometimes about those who don't support the American Jobs Act. Don't they drive over bridges? Don't their families drive…

Mr. President, what if I came to the floor today and said I have a new law I want to introduce, and here is what it says: If you stop motorists across America, anywhere across America--for speeding, reckless driving, driving under the…

Mr. President, I just left a meeting with President Obama at the White House, and we discussed the jobs bill that is pending before the Senate. It is a bill which the President put together and presented to Congress almost 2 months ago. He…

I thank the Senator from California for her presentation. As she talked about her wonderful hometown of San Francisco, one of my favorite cities outside Illinois, I thought about my most recent trip there to that Golden Gate Bridge and the…

I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 764

I ask consent to speak in morning business. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

I ask unanimous consent that a title amendment to H.R. 2112, the text of which is at the desk, be agreed to. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: Amend the title to read: ''An…

Madam President, I ask that morning business be extended for the next hour. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.