for those who are following the debate of the Senate, we are in the midst of the debate on the immigration reform bill, expecting votes on amendments this week, and then final passage. It is a historic and important measure. We have interrupted it briefly to consider a nomination that is important as well. It is the nomination by President Obama of Penny Pritzker of Chicago to be the next Secretary of Commerce in the President's Cabinet. I know Penny and I know her family and I know the reputation they enjoy in Chicago, in Illinois, and around the world. She is an extraordinary person. The Pritzker family has been successful in business for many decades and many generations. She stepped up years ago and told her father she wanted to play a role in business leadership. There weren't that many women involved in business leadership at that time, but her father said he would give her an opportunity, and he did. She became very successful with the corporation, with the family businesses, and has made a name for herself over the years. Penny has decades of business, entrepreneurial, and, equally important for this job, civic experience. Despite her success in the private sector, Penny Pritzker and her family have given unsparingly of their own time to help many important causes. She understands business and economic development, but she also understands the reality of the challenges many families face across our country.…
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