Al Franken

I commend you for the work that you have done.

Right now we are really using our criminal justice system as a substitute for a fully functioning mental health system and that has to stop.

I have just reintroduced a bill, with a number of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, that would assist in training law enforcement on how to recognize and how to respond appropriately to individuals who have mental health issues or…

I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 15 minutes as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. (The remarks of Mr. Franken pertaining to the introduction of S. 993 are printed in today's Record…

I rise to speak about the Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act, a bill I am introducing today with a number of my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle and with Representative Doug Collins, who is introducing this legislation…

Now because of decades of major Federal investments, the commercialization of this technology has made the United States an energy super power.

I am actually concerned also about climate change, so that is why I regretted yielding to the Senator from West Virginia.

I urge my colleagues to vote yes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does the Senator wish to call up his amendment?

I would say yes. I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and call up my amendment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report. The senior assistant legislative…

we just voice-voted an amendment to let students use summer Pell grants, but the fact is this budget cuts Pell grants. In Minnesota alone, more than 160,000 students were able to go to college thanks in part to Pell grants, and the same…

Can the Presiding Officer tell me when 7 minutes have elapsed. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator will be so notified.

the budget the Republicans in the Senate have presented us with imagines a future where we give even more tax breaks to millionaires and special interests, while pulling the rug out from under working families. Instead of addressing the…

I will end by saying that this is not even smoke and mirrors; this is riddled with gimmicks and is fundamentally unfair to working Americans. It is the same trickle-down economics that we have seen fail time and time again. I urge my…

I rise to speak in opposition to the Republican budget resolution. I would ask--there are time restraints here. I will go as far in my speech as I can and then ask the remainder be included in the Record.

Please let me know--is that done without objection? The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I think one of the biggest problems is that we've used our criminal justice system as a substitute for a well-functioning mental health system.

Last September, we urged the Department to make sure it was focusing its resources on countering violent extremism in the United States.

This is why I will be reintroducing my bill on criminal justice and mental health very soon, called the Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act.

I'm going to continue, and so will Senator Klobuchar, the implementation of the program and we'll keep pressing the administration.

We've seen it happening in Minnesota for some time, starting before I came to office, first with al-Shabaab, and more recently with ISIL.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you. You also talked about the role that disease and device registries can play in making data collection more efficient.

When I first came to the Senate and started studying these kinds of issues, I saw the different culture between the regulators, of course, and the industry, and this public-private partnership--and this is the first of its kind--seems to…

I think this is an early step towards reauthorizing NAHASDA and I am sure we will work this out as we go through the process.

Under her leadership, Fond du Lac has been leading the way in addressing the housing needs of its community.