today I am introducing the ``Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2011,'' a bill that would ban the chemical Bisphenol A, known as BPA, from all children's feeding products. I have a deep, abiding concern regarding the presence of toxins and…

I rise today to discuss two promising Asian-American judicial nominees from my State of California who have been denied simple, straightforward up-or-down votes on the floor of this body for what I believe are very spurious reasons…

next month marks the retirement of Mr. Gary Dionne after 34 years in government service. Throughout this time, Gary has been both the consummate professional and a friendly presence in the halls here on Capitol Hill. Mr. Dionne currently…

I am very pleased that the Senate is about to ratify the New START treaty--I hope and believe with a very solid bipartisan vote. This really is a historic moment. This is the biggest arms control treaty in 20 years, and the most important…

This is a major amendment. In my view, it is a deal breaker. It is a poison pill for the entire treaty. It essentially provides real changes in the treaty. It says the President, prior to the treaty going into effect, must certify that he…

let me thank Senator Lieberman for his authorship of and advocacy for repeal of don't ask, don't tell. I wish to use my time to speak about pieces of legislation. Don't ask, don't tell has been with us now for 17 years. I just pulled a…

I am introducing today, on behalf of Senator Leahy, Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary and myself the FISA Sunsets Extension Act of 2010. Since early in this Congress, I have been working with Chairman Leahy, both in my capacity as…

Thank you very much, Mr. President. I see both the ranking member and the chairman of the committee on the floor. I wish to say a few words about both of them and the good name they give to bipartisanship. Both of them see how much of…

as the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, I regret that such an error was made. I would like to reconfirm that my colleague, Senator Mikulski, should not be listed as a sponsor for this project…

as chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I would like to address the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty--called New START--that is now before the Senate for ratification. This treaty has been carefully vetted. I am…

I also am one of those who worried over this vote over the weekend that we passed yesterday. I spoke on this very floor about the fact that I did not like the estate tax. I did not think wealthy Americans needed a sustained tax cut. Then I…

I rise today in support of the The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, which will prevent tax increases on middle-class Americans, provide targeted investments in American businesses, and…

I rise today in support of the DREAM Act. This important legislation would give eligible young people, who were brought to the United States as children, the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the United States. This bill addresses…

I offer today private relief legislation to provide lawful permanent residence status to Shigeru Yamada, a 28-year-old Japanese national who lives in Chula Vista, CA. The Senate passed S. 124, a private relief bill on behalf of Mr. Yamada…

I rise to support the Middle Class Tax Cuts Act of 2010, which gives permanent tax relief to struggling American families who need it most. By extending the current rates for 98 percent of taxpayers, this bill provides the certainty and…

I rise today in opposition to the Coburn-McCaskill amendment, which would impose a 3-year moratorium on earmarks. This amendment is a direct attack on the authority vested in the Congress to determine how Federal funds are spent, despite…

I rise to introduce a bill to raise the cap on rail liability in cases of gross negligence. This bill was originally introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Elton Gallegly of the 24th District of California, and I thank…

today I am introducing a private relief bill on behalf of Shing Ma ``Steve'' Li. Steve Li is a Peruvian national who, until his recent detention, lived in San Francisco, California. He was brought to the United States as a child and is now…

today I wish to express my concern about the detention of seven leading members of the Baha'i community in Iran: Mahvash Sabet, Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm. The…

I wish to offer my commendation to that great team. It was quite wonderful. Now down to business. Mr. President, it appears that I will be blocked from offering an amendment on bisphenol A, to the food safety bill. So I come to the floor…

At this point, seven States have moved to enact laws banning BPA from children's products: Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin. The city of Chicago also has a ban. These entities have already taken…

I rise on behalf of myself and Senator Boxer to introduce legislation to establish a National Heritage Area in the California Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This legislation will create the first Heritage Area in California. I am pleased…

I am in support of the nomination of Mr. David Buckley to be the next inspector general of the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA. On Tuesday, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence voted unanimously to recommend Mr. Buckley's…

We support the $650,000 request to provide in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers General Investigation Budget.

The blaze damaged or destroyed 55 homes, injured 66, and killed, at this time, 7 people.