On the recordFebruary 9, 2022
I want to start by thanking my friend from the great State of New Hampshire for signing on to a letter I just want to briefly describe and send the letter to the desk. I send a letter to the desk which has been signed by seven Members of this body, and we expect several more to be added over the next day, if not this evening. Ladies and gentlemen, it is pretty simple. I was thinking that my mom is one of the few people who probably watches C-SPAN a lot when her son is on the floor. We have so many instances where we have 90 or so Members standing on the floor, looking at a door to the left or the right or the rear, wondering where that last Senator is who is holding the vote open. So, Mom, when I am on the floor and looking that way, it is because we have a Member who may be coming to vote or maybe not. What we have here is a situation where any one Member is able to hold the vote open. Out of respect for that Member--technically, the vote could be called after the time is called, but it is not out of respect for our Members. So what I have simply done is circulate with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and say: How about this as a proposition: If you are the last Member to vote and your vote will not change the outcome, then instruct the desk and the Presiding Officer to simply call the vote.…
