Heidi Heitkamp

How do we get to a C, then a B and then an A?

I pledge to you that I will do everything that I can to assist in this effort to bring a broader justice.

We can fix this, but it is important to step back as the commission proposed by Senators Heitkamp and Murkowski offer to do.

It still happens across this Country. Despite all our best efforts, we still see these problems.

I cannot believe in a country as great as America that if we don't all want to solve a problem, and we all want to work to solve the problem, that we can't.

We thank you for your bipartisan leadership with Senator Murkowski to try to move this forward and get some bright minds looking at this to find solutions.

Isn't that interesting? Not very interesting, it is pretty depressing.

This commission talks about the barriers, the obstacles, trying to evaluate explicitly what the elements are that we can put together that finally address the heart of this matter.

Despite all of that, these kids have been left behind. The fact is, it is a national disgrace.

I have spent a lot of time in Indian Country in my time in public life in North Dakota.

We must hold professionals accountable when they are not following existing law.

We respectfully request that the procedures used to implement the legislation not be duplicative, costly nor a source of frustration to possible foster parents or caregivers.

This is on us. This is on all of us because we are the adults.

I am out of time but I want to make the point that no one should be so discouraged that we are looking at safety in foster homes.

I agree with him that we have caseloads that are overwhelming to the caseworkers that we do have.

No one needs to be a second class citizen. Everyone has a right to be safe in their homes.

We know there are children at risk in this Country, Native American children especially.

I want to express my great affection and appreciation for the work that Senator Dorgan has done.

But right now your challenge is, isn't it, to imagine if it were in town, what would you do?

The threat to transportation is, No. 1, you would knock out a major hub and cause economic disruption.

$2 million increase in light of the percentage increase that we are seeing of these materials moving on the rails seems like it does not quite meet the challenges.

I think that would be, just in terms of looking at heightening awareness within the first responder communities and within the emergency services and States and those people who are responsible for responding to hazmat incidences.

We think you have $5 million now that you might be able to spread around a little bit.

I would suggest that we have a whole other group of people we have not talked about, which are the men and women who may be feeling less secure if they are on the rails today transporting this product.

$400,000 for an engine is a lot of fish fries, right?