I want you to know that I am going to be working closely with you and the Administration

I want to commend you for holding this very important hearing.

I do believe that the Congress, working with the Administration, can make sure that the dollars available buy the biggest possible improvements in preparedness and safety.

I think it is obvious, Mr. Chairman, that there is a new appreciation for the bravery of this country's first responders.

I am going to in my legislation that I have talked about on a number of occasions--we are going to make some funds available under my legislation for some pilot projects to promote communications interoperability

I think it is obvious, Mr. Chairman, that there is a new appreciation for the bravery of this country's first responders.

I think it is critical for the Congress in addition to making sure that there are adequate resources for the first responders...

I want it understood tonight that in the withdrawal of this amendment, I am doing this as part of a good-faith effort to find common ground with my colleagues. The people of Oregon feel so strongly about this issue that I could not let…

to my colleague's great credit, he did not assert there was any fraud. We prosecute aggressively in the State of Oregon. I see my colleague from Missouri is in the Chamber, and I want him to be assured, however this vote turns out this…

Of course, in my home State of Oregon, what we have tried to do is to have a tough system at the front end. But, yes, when you sign your ballot and mail it in, and there is a statement about the tough criminal penalties that are involved…

My colleague is right. It is the basic proposition that there are a number of systems by which we can address this concern. There is a reason that groups such as AARP still believe that, even with the measure the distinguished Senator from…

I do believe that a vote for cloture strengthens this country's greatest freedom--the right to vote--and a vote against cloture leaves that freedom unprotected. A vote for cloture is a vote for the millions of seniors in American nursing…

I think there is the framework for a genuine compromise. If we stick with that kind of outline, I think we can still get there and we ought to try with this bill which, as a result of efforts of the Senator from Missouri and the Senator…

Not only is the Senator right, but Senator Smith, in particular, deserves great credit because in a very close election, he made no assertions that there was any fraud in the election. My question is, Is the Senator from Nevada aware of…

I want to make a comment to address some of the concerns the Senator has voiced. In particular, with respect to the process that has been followed, I was not involved in any of the negotiations with the Senator from Missouri. I made it…

I and others think the motor voter law has been an important step forward. We are concerned about the implication that some of the spirit and substance of it could be unraveled. That is why we are trying to stay at the table with the…

in Oregon, the penalty for registering dogs that have become so famous, the monetary penalty is something like ten times the amount in this bill. When fraud happens with the vote-by-mail system, it is caught and it is stopped. Our…

I never would have agreed to the photo ID provision in any negotiation because I believe this provision is a poison pill that is going to silence the political voices of seniors, the disabled, young people, and minorities from coast to…

With respect to vote by mail and how it is working in the State of Oregon, in the special election held in 1996 where the principal candidates were myself and our colleague, Senator Smith, we had almost two-thirds of all eligible voters…

I rise to engage the distinguished chairman of the Commerce Committee in a colloquy on very important legislation he has sponsored--the Port and Maritime Security Act of 2001. This legislation, which I am pleased to have cosponsored, would…

One of the most serious environmental problems in our country and in the world is the excessive emissions of carbons into the atmosphere. Senator Brownback and I have worked for a number of years together on a bipartisan basis because we…

I urge our colleagues to work with public health programs in their communities. I certainly intend to do that in Oregon, at home, during this high-risk season. I think it is possible to get clearer, more understandable messages out to the…

before the Senator from Massachusetts leaves, I want him to know, as the original Senate sponsor, I want to redouble my efforts to work with him and Senator Enzi and all of our colleagues. We may be able to see that there is a…

as the original Senate sponsor of the Internet Tax Freedom Act, I have spent 18 months trying to find common ground on this issue. For hour after hour, we have gone at it, because obviously the technology sector is being pounded and local…

first I salute Chairman Harkin and Senator Specter for doing, in my view, a superb job with respect to this bill. They have really set a special standard in terms of trying to work on important issues in a bipartisan way. The chairman has…