I thank Senator Merkley for his leadership. This is an issue which is not getting the attention it should be getting, and we hope today, with the series of speeches we will start to make now, to wake up America to this threat. I have a…

I wish to honor veterans from America's ``greatest generation'' who were held captive as prisoners of war, POWs, by Japan during World War II and to recognize seven veterans-- including three from California--who recently participated in a…

I really look forward to making this chemical safety bill better and better. But if we can't support these perfecting amendments today, I intend to vote no on final passage.

You know when our States act, we all benefit.

It will increase assistance to areas impacted by potential disease clusters.

For every life lost from an asbestos-caused disease, a shattered family is left behind.

I also don't understand why in the new Vitter substitute there is not even a mention of asbestos.

There are deadlines to get it to that point, but there is no timeline.

Colleagues, this is the Environment Committee, not the board room of the chemical companies.

This is an opportunity to add to the improvements that Senators Whitehouse, Merkley, and Booker made along with Senators Vitter and Udall.

If you said to somebody in the street, again, there is a dangerous chemical, when do you think it ought to be taken out of your products? You know what they would say? Yesterday.

When all the dust settles and everyone has a chance to read this bill, without this amendment, there are no deadlines to act on a chemical that is dangerous.