I do that with a little bit of obvious bias as a former Governor. I think it is important that the country know what the Governors think, because the legislation we are talking about today is a States rights bill. It is an 11-page bill. It…

These are letters from Senators to the leaders of the Finance Committee. The first letter is dated January 31, 2012, last year, at the beginning of the year. It was from five Democrats and five Republicans who introduced the Marketplace…

I wonder if I could, through the Chair, pose another question to the Senator from Illinois. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.

I see Senator Enzi is here, and I appreciate his patience in allowing me to go ahead, but I know if I were still the Governor of Tennessee--which I am not, and I won't be again--and Congress did not act on this and I saw an opportunity--if…

To be more specific about these matters, let's take circuit court judicial confirmations in President Obama's first term. According to our research, the average time for President Obama's nominees was 240 days. That is faster than…

In addition to that, let's say I am the Governor of Tennessee and I look to the Senate and say: These guys can't get anything done. They have been debating this ever since Senator Enzi has been a Senator. They have been debating it for 14…

If I am not mistaken, there is a Federal moratorium on Internet taxes; that is, there is a Federal temporary ban on State taxes on access to the Internet. Am I not correct that if the Marketplace Fairness Act passes, that ban will still be…

I know Senator Barrasso is coming, but until he does, I wish to make a few comments about the Marketplace Fairness Act, which is the legislation before us today, and especially, to begin with, Senator Heitkamp's address, the new Senator…

seeing no other Senator here, I would like to turn to another matter. In his biography of Thomas Jefferson, Jon Meacham writes that Jefferson liked to fish. Jefferson ``had a favorite spot,'' Meacham writes, ``below the old dam on the…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Manchin). Without objection, it is so ordered. Judicial Nominations

occasionally some of my friends on the other side of the aisle will say President Obama is being poorly treated on his nominations. That did not ring true to me because it seems to me that just the reverse was true. I have spent a good…

I see the principal leaders for this legislation, Senators Durbin and Enzi, and I congratulate them for their leadership. What they have been able to do is to come up with a simple, 11-page bill that has two words for a theme--States…