today I am introducing the National Improvised Explosive Device, IED, Preparedness and Prevention Act of 2008. This bill will ensure that the brave men and women who are called on to respond to bomb threats around the country have the…

I rise today with Senator Kennedy, Senator Brown, Senator Murray, Senator Sanders, and Senator Clinton to introduce the PLUS Loan Borrower Protection Act of 2008. This bill is designed to ensure that students and parents can get access to…

Mr. President, if I may, this morning, I think we have adopted a very good piece of legislation, one that is going to take a significant step in dealing with the present housing crisis in our country. As I have repeated on numerous…

Reclaiming my right on the floor, there is a vehicle moving including, possibly, the legislation that is coming from Senator Carper here. It seems to me that making a case for exactly why probably allowing that bill to come up, the very…

I commend Senator Allard and Senator Reed for working together in a bipartisan fashion to come forward with the proposals dealing with homelessness.

Let me finish the thought. The idea is we are watching the legislation, quite candidly, because it is a tax bill, with which Senator Grassley and Senator Baucus are dealing. All of a sudden, we found ourselves dealing with other issues…

I appreciate the substance of the idea he has offered and, of course, the amendment by Senator Durbin as well. I will not belabor my colleagues with the history of why it is that provision exists. There were about 10 or 12 of us who…

I will take a back seat to no one in my determination to get far better reforms out of the bankruptcy proceedings in the country, and we will certainly do our best. But I want to be realistic with my colleague as well. Unfortunately, the…

I would argue alternatives may have been available. In the final analysis, what was done that Sunday night to allow the merger of Bear Stearns with JPMorgan Chase--and this is the conclusion, I think, unanimously of our committee, having…

This is not a crumb, let me say to my colleague from Pennsylvania. The idea we are modernizing the FHA is critically important. The fact we have money in here for disclosure, we have resources for counseling, the fact we are getting…

I wish to again thank Majority Leader Reid. Without his leadership, we would not be here. We would not be in a position to actually do some things that are critically important to work our way out of this mess our country is in when it…

I can't recall anything, at least in recent memory, that would compare to what the Gulf State have suffered and particularly what the State of Louisiana has suffered. They are very fortunate indeed to have a fighter such as Mary Landrieu…

let me commend my fellow New Englander for this idea. You wonder how something such as this persisted as long as it did. I wish to commend our colleague for discovering it and finding it out. Senator Shelby is not here this afternoon, but…

I thank her. She has done a terrific job on this proposal. I know she is working with Senator Shelby and others on the committee in crafting this proposal in a way that can make a difference. Our colleague is absolutely correct in…

I think he said it well. It becomes almost axiomatic, maybe it is becoming overused, but it certainly captures what all of us feel. That is, there is no greater wealth creator, there is nothing more to stabilize a family or a community…

let me, first of all, begin by thanking the majority leader, Senator Reid, and the Republican leader, Senator McConnell. We would not be where we are at this moment without their leadership. So any discussion of where we are on this matter…

I rise today to add my voice of support for the first-ever World Autism Awareness Day, a day that is sorely needed. In 2006 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, estimated that 1 in 166 children were diagnosed with autism…

I say amen to my colleague from Florida. I didn't hear everything he said; I missed the opening few sentences, but I think I heard about 99 percent of his comments. We have had good conversations privately over the last number of days…

Senator Durbin, I believe, rightly says: Why should that be the case? In bankruptcy, shouldn't the courts be able to work out something that allows people to stay in their homes or to afford a new mortgage? There is a lot of resistance to…

This is a problem that is growing by the hour. It demands our attention. This is the contagion effect we read about now spreading far beyond the housing issue, per se. It is now leaching into all aspects of our economy. It has even gone…

among the associations and organizations that are supporting this amendment is the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the March of Dimes, and many others. Under the President's budget…

I wish to thank Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, Senator Schumer, the Presiding Officer, and Senator Durbin for joining me in the first amendment I will be offering to increase funding for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant. This…

I wish to speak on the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Bill, which the Senate passed earlier today. I was pleased to cast my vote in support of this important bipartisan bill, and I thank Senators Pryor and Stevens for their hard…

Next week, members of the afterschool community will be gathering for the 20th anniversary of the National AfterSchool Association Conference. The initial conference held two decades ago marked the first formal meeting of afterschool…

I rose to address the Senate less than a week ago about this present economic set of circumstances in the country. Obviously, the foreclosure issue is a major question that is causing serious problems all over the country. In fact, it is…