I believe that Hilda Solis is just such a leader.

I really think it's a wonderful thing that President-elect Obama nominated her for this position, and I'm just very proud to be here to support that nomination.

I would like to offer my very sincere and heartfelt congratulations to the President pro tempore of this body, Senator Robert Byrd. He has served in the body for 50 years. I have had the privilege of working on the Appropriations Committee…

I offer today a private immigration relief bill to provide lawful permanent residence status to Denes and Gyorgyi Fulop, Hungarian nationals who have lived in California for more than 20 years. The Fulops are the parents of six U.S…

I am offering today private relief legislation to provide lawful permanent residence status to Claudia Marquez Rico, a Mexican national living in Redwood City, CA. Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Claudia was brought to the United States by her…

Today, I am introducing the Lawful Interrogation and Detention Act of 2009--legislation intended to reverse the harmful, dangerous, un-American, and illegal detention and interrogation practices of the past seven years. As I will describe…

I rise to introduce the Data Breach Notification Act. This is a commonsense bill that is aimed at protecting personal information and preventing identity theft. The bill would require businesses and government agencies to notify…

Thank you for the opportunity to offer comments on the fiscal year 2010 Interior, environment, and related agencies appropriations bill.

I find it unconscionable. These tickets are supposed to be free for people. And the chance to witness this solemn event should not be bought and sold like tickets to a football game.

There is no more important requirement for national security than obtaining accurate, actionable intelligence. At the same time, there have to be strong safeguards in place to ensure that the Government does not infringe on Americans'…

I particularly salute the Senator from Maryland. I thank her for her leadership of our group of Democratic women. Senator Mikulski has, from the get-go, been there for the women of the Senate. This is the second time I have participated in…

I rise to introduce The Oil Speculation Control Act, a bill to reduce the impact of excessive speculation in the oil markets. The legislation is cosponsored by Senator Ted Stevens. Last week the price of oil hit $138 per barrel. A…

the article describes how Salim Hamdan ``has essentially been driven crazy by solitary confinement in an 8-foot-by-12-foot cell, where he spent 22 hours a day, goes to the bathroom, and eats all his meals.'' This is not about abuses from…

I would like to explain the purposes of the amendment I have filed today with Senators Klobuchar and Snowe to the greenhouse gas registry provisions of the Climate Security Act. This amendment attempts to clarify the relationship between…

I rise to introduce the Imported Ethanol Parity Act of 2008. This legislation is cosponsored by Senators Gregg, Cantwell, Allard and Collins. First, let me explain what this bill does. The Imported Ethanol Parity Act instructs the…

simply put, I cannot vote for another $165 billion to give President Bush a blank check and fund the continuation of the war in Iraq, without condition, for over another year. This is a difficult decision and not one I take lightly. But I…

2 years ago I sponsored a resolution designating the third Friday in May as Endangered Species Day. This resolution passed by unanimous consent. There were no objections. The resolution was nonpartisan and noncontroversial. The goal of…

I think the race is reaching a point where there are negative dividends from it in terms of strife within the party.

today I honor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, who is retiring at the end of 2008, after a distinguished and illustrious career spanning 50 years as a public servant in the State of California. I wish to extend to Mrs. Burke, who served as a…

I would like to commend the distinguished Senator from Florida. I have watched him over these months, and no one has tried harder than he to move toward a solution with respect to the Florida situation. He has told me on several occasions…

This resolution condemns the violence in Tibet, and it calls for restraint by the Government of the People's Republic of China and the people of Tibet. It does other things as well; that is, to urge the Government of China to sit down with…

This was 1998. It is now 10 years later. And no discussion. I have tried my level best but no discussion, no ability for the leader of 6 million people, part of China, to be able to sit down and discuss them. So the events over the last…

I am a cosponsor of the Durbin amendment and am very happy to support it. ... What that has done is enabled bad actors to flourish. I wish to give you two examples of what a bad actor as a subprime mortgage broker means. I met this family…

Let me answer that. Not to the best of my knowledge. Let me also say--and perhaps I do, but I will find out--let me also say Citibank and even the California real estate establishment want exemptions. Well, I am not willing to give…

This amendment is called the SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act, ``licensing'' being the dispositive word. I am very proud to work with this with Senator Martinez of Florida. One of the things I didn't realize is how big scams are a part of the…