Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we now proceed to H. Con. Res. 332, which is an adjournment resolution, which was received from the House and is at the desk. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent…

Mr. President, first I would like to express my appreciation to the Presiding Officer for his patience. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Absolutely.

I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 332) was agreed…

Mr. President, I am told there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title. The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (S. 3975) to permanently extend the 2001…

Mr. President, I submit the following notice in writing: In accordance with rule V of the Standing rules of the Senate, I hereby give notice in writing that it is my intention to move to suspend rule XXII, paragraph 2, for the purpose of…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read the third time and passed, that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements related to the bill be printed in…

Mr. President, I note the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. The PRESIDING OFFICER. In my capacity as a Senator from the State of Minnesota…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business with Senators allowed to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…

Mr. President, are we on the bill now? The PRESIDING OFFICER. Yes, we are. ____________________

I now call up the Harkin substitute amendment which is at the desk and ask for that amendment to be considered read. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Nevada [Mr. Reid]…

Mr. President, I rise today to honor Mr. Robert ``Bob'' Forbuss for his service to the people of Nevada. Tomorrow evening, at its Annual Convention and Tradeshow in Las Vegas, the American Ambulance Association will honor Mr. Forbuss for…

Mr. President, I have spoken to Senator Hatch and Senator Menendez, who are the main sponsors of this legislation. It is extremely important legislation. We are going to continue to work to get this done. This is a bipartisan bill. There…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture motion on the motion to proceed to S. 3815, the Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles Act, be withdrawn and that at 11 a.m. the Senate then resume the motion to proceed to S. 3772 and…

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum and ask unanimous consent that the time be equally divided. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will call the roll. The assistant legislative…

Mr. President, I am not going to give a long speech on food safety. I will say, however, how important it is. I read a column today where someone kind of minimized the importance of this and why should the Senate be working on this issue…

Mr. President, the Presiding Officer and I have had a number of occasions to speak in the recent weeks. Welcome to you and everyone else, the floor staff, who are so valuable, and our pages. We look forward to a busy next few weeks…

I welcome back, as I have indicated, my friends and welcome our new colleagues who will be sworn in as Senators this afternoon. With Senators Manchin and Coons joining our family, the Senate will look a little different starting today. It…

Mr. President, I object to any further proceedings with respect to these proceedings en bloc. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Objection is heard. The bills will be placed on the calendar under rule XIV. ____________________