Madam President, this morning we learned that the Republican leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate have done something which may be unprecedented. We are searching for some example in the past when this has occurred, but…

I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was announced--yeas 46, nays 53, as follows: [Rollcall…

Mr. President, by sad coincidence, America lost two women this past weekend women we had watched grow from little girls into accomplished women. Kara Kennedy and Eleanor Mondale Poling were both members of this Senate family. Kara was the…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs' Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 20…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia be authorized to meet during…

Madam President, I wish to thank my colleague from New York, and I would ask the Chair how much time is remaining in morning business on the Democratic side. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Nineteen minutes.

Madam President, it was 10 years ago when I introduced the DREAM Act. It is an important piece of legislation for thousands of people who are living in America who are literally without status, without a country. The DREAM Act says, if one…

Let me thank my colleague from New York for his statement about the challenges we face. I have been involved for over 1\1/2\ years in deficit reduction talks on a bipartisan basis with the Bowles- Simpson Commission, the Gang of 6, now the…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 20, 2011, at 9:30 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objeciton, it is so ordered. Committee on…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 20, 2011, at 10 a.m., in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled…

I announce that the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. Bingaman) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was announced--yeas 99, nays 0, as follows: [Rollcall Vote…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Seante, on September 20, 2011, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 20, 2011, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…

I rise this morning to pay tribute to a great American who lived in the State of Illinois, who represented it and the country well, Senator Charles Percy. I recall that when Senator Percy was elected, I was a young schoolteacher, community…

Mr. President, today I am pleased to join with Senator Frank Lautenberg to introduce the Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act of 2011 to help protect the millions of Americans who utilize public beaches each day. Unfortunately…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to suspend the time limitation and continue for 8 minutes to eulogize Senator Percy. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. President, I rise along with my colleague from Illinois, our senior Senator, Mr. Durbin, and, of course, Senator Rockefeller, related to the Percy family, to eulogize Senator Percy, whom he we lost on Saturday--a great and one of the…

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Reed). The clerk will call the roll. The assistant Daily Digest editor proceeded to call the roll.