I thank the Chair, and I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.

later this week the Senate will vote on a resolution to disapprove the Clean Air Act rule designed to limit the blowing of powerplant pollution from one State to another. In my opinion, overturning the rule would throw the matter back to…

I am delighted the Senator from Colorado is in the chair when I speak. I want to speak on a subject where he is the foremost expert on the day-to-day operation of school systems. He will appreciate and understand what I am about to say in…

I thank the Senator from Kansas because I would like to make my point, if I may. Remember, the State of Tennessee won Race to the Top. It has been working on teacher evaluation for 25 years. It developed the Sanders Model, which was the…

I thank the Senator from Kansas, and I will kind of speed up my comments a little bit. But I might take 4 minutes, unless that is a problem.

last month several Republican Senators came to the floor and offered legislation to fix No Child Left Behind, the legislation that was passed nearly 10 years ago to try to address our Nation's 100,000 public schools. In that legislation…

in February of last year, we had a fairly extraordinary event at the Blair House here in Washington. The President invited a large number of Members of Congress--must have been 20 or 30 of us around the table. He sat there the whole day…

our country has endured a 9-percent unemployment rate for a longer period of time than at any other time since the Great Depression. Yet, unfortunately, the Democratic leader is reluctant to address this problem of joblessness in a serious…

I congratulate the junior Senator from Tennessee for his usual good judgment and insight in working on a difficult problem. No Member of this body has done more in the last year to try to highlight the problem of the Federal debt. Through…

according to the Washington Post this morning, the President and his Education Secretary will announce tomorrow that the Department of Education will begin a process to grant waivers to States from the provisions of No Child Left Behind…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Education Reform

I thank my friend of 40 years, the Republican leader, for being here for these remarks I am about to make. I thank my colleague, Senator Corker, and several other of my Republican colleagues for, on very short notice, coming to the Senate…

I thank the Republican leader. I am deeply grateful for his comments, with one single exception. I have great confidence in Derek Dooley. He is a fine football coach at the University of Tennessee. They are playing very good football, and…

Senator Isakson of Georgia has a distinguished career in education, not just as a leader in the Senate of Georgia, but as chairman of the Georgia School Board, appointed by Gov. Zell Miller, and as a former Member of the House of…

the Republican Senators have come to talk about education, No Child Left Behind, and I ask consent to engage in a colloquy. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I thank Senator Enzi and I thank him for his leadership and the constructive way he and Senator Harkin are working together. I should emphasize, as I said in my remarks, the respect all of us have for Secretary Duncan. He has done a…

in the world in which we live, every American's job is on the line. As every American knows, better schools mean better jobs. Schools and jobs are alike in this sense: Washington cannot create good jobs and Washington cannot create better…

how much time is remaining? The PRESIDING OFFICER. Fifteen seconds.

I thank Senator Isakson for his leadership in education in the State of Georgia and on this bill. Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina has focused on elementary and secondary education for many years, especially on making it easier for…

I thank the Senator from North Carolina, Mr. Burr, for his insight and leadership on how we help create an environment in which teachers, parents, principals, and community leaders can make schools better, rather than through orders sent…

The Senators who will be here will be Senator Isakson, Senator Burr, Senator Kirk, and Senator Enzi. Will you let each of us know when we have consumed 5 minutes? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair will do so. ____________________

Thank you, Mr. President. Every American knows that every American's job is on the line. Every American knows that better schools mean better jobs. We are ready to work with the President and with our Democratic colleagues to create an…

Will the Chair please let me know when 5 minutes is remaining. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Yes. ____________________

I congratulate the Senator from Nebraska on his typically commonsense, reasonable presentation about how we might take steps to deal with the smothering regulations that are putting a big wet blanket on job growth in this country, and the…

tonight we welcome President Obama to the Congress to deliver a jobs address. The President will be coming at a time when we have had persistent unemployment at a greater rate than at any time since the Great Depression. No one should…