Mark Pryor: “I thank my colleague who allowed me to jump in front of him in the line. I appreciate that. I am sorry for my voice…”

“I thank my colleague who allowed me to jump in front of him in the line. I appreciate that. I am sorry for my voice today. I sound a little bit like Daffy Duck, but I have a cold, and I am working through that right now. I rise today to speak for a few minutes about something in this country we take for granted--and that is electricity. Ever since the Rural Electrification Act back in the 1930s passed, for the most part every person in this country has had access to electricity. I know there are a few exceptions, but basically that program has worked extremely well and continues to work. As the Presiding Officer, who comes from a rural State, knows, sometimes we have investor-owned facilities, sometimes we have these cooperative type utilities, and sometimes we have even municipalities. I rise today to focus on something the Arkansas electric cooperatives have been involved in, and I thank 25 power linemen in the 12 electric coops in Arkansas who recently completed a mission to electrify two remote Guatemalan villages. Combined with a 2013 project, Arkansas electric cooperative linemen have assisted in providing electric service to more than 770 rural Guatemalan residents who otherwise would not have electricity. This is the first time these people have ever had electricity in their lives.…”