an important manpower issue that is facing the Air Force and that affects operations is the shortage of drone pilots.

I thank my friend and colleague from Maine. He has enormous expertise in the area of renewable energy, and I very much appreciate his adding his expertise to this debate. Before I yield the floor, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in…

I thank the Senator from Minnesota for her leadership. I, too, want to thank the two floor managers of this bill, the chairman, Senator Murkowski, and her partner, Senator Cantwell, for working so closely with us. The fact is that biomass…

I wish to speak on my amendment No. 3197, to increase the protection of our critical infrastructure in the electric sector from a debilitating cyber attack. I am pleased to have Senators Mikulski and Hirono join me as cosponsors. Critical…

I am pleased to join some of my colleagues today to speak about the key role woody biomass can play in helping to meet our Nation's renewable energy needs. Last night an amendment that several of us offered was adopted by a voice vote. I…

I rise to speak on an amendment that I submitted last week, amendment No. 3140, which is a tripartisan amendment to the Energy Policy Modernization Act, which is the pending legislation. I submitted the amendment last week with Senators…

I yield the floor. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

today I wish to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Town of Weld, ME. Known today as a gateway to the rugged and beautiful Western Maine Mountains, Weld was built with a spirit of determination and resiliency that still guides the…

If it is a short enough time, it is not going to be worth the amount of money that the manufacturer--well, they are not manufacturers; they are more like what I would call hedge fund pharmaceutical companies--would pay to get the rights to…

What we are finding is that a lot of these companies are not doing the manufacturing, and so it is a very new and interesting business model, and I am convinced that it is one that is really negative for patients, providers, hospitals, and…

I yield now to the ranking member of the Special Committee on Aging, my colleague Senator McCaskill. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri. Mrs. McCASKILL. Madam President, first I want to compliment the chairman of the…

I rise today with my friend and colleague, the Senator from Missouri, Mrs. McCaskill, to inform our colleagues of an important development in the investigation underway by the Special Committee on Aging as we examine the sudden and…

We still don't treat mental illness the same way we treat physical illness in this country from the perspective of Federal reimbursement policies and programs, which is pretty stunning in this day and age.

I think you raise an excellent point in your last statement.

To be clear, the FAA should be ensuring that local communities have a voice when decisions that affect them directly are being made by the agency. ____________________

I wish to join my colleague from Arizona, Senator McCain, in a colloquy regarding an aviation noise concern of particular interest to his constituents in the Phoenix area. During the floor debates on the transportation and housing…

I rise today to speak on the fiscal year 2016 Omnibus appropriations bill. I want to highlight the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development division of the bill, which is critically important to meeting the housing needs of low…

the cyber security bill included in the omnibus is a first step towards improving our Nation's dangerously inadequate defenses against cyber attacks. I know that the chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee worked…

tomorrow the Senate will vote on the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, which will provide needed tax certainty and predictability for our Nation's small businesses, enabling them to create more jobs and boost our economy…

I wish to commemorate the contributions of Priscilla Hobson Hanley, who is retiring after more than 30 years of distinguished public service as staff in the U.S. Congress. Since the very beginning of my service in the Senate nearly 19…

I rise today with my colleague from Washington, Senator Cantwell, to introduce the Preserve Access to Medicare Rural Home Health Services Act of 2015. This legislation would extend the modest increase in payments for home health services…

I rise in support of the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act. This is landmark legislation that would reform and reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind. As a member of the Health…

I am pleased to have joined with my colleague, Senator Angus King, in sponsoring this resolution to designate December 12, 2015, as Wreaths Across America Day. Since its inception, the Wreaths Across America project has become an annual…

I look forward to supporting your efforts on the floor today.

It's so important that our committee is examining this serious public health crisis, and I want to commend our leaders for doing so.