Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of the Workers' Memorial Day, which is observed every year on April the 28th.

I do not agree with that, and I wanted to ask you about it.

It has been a pleasure working with you on this legislation, and I am excited about this opportunity to highlight our shared commitment to promoting pre-kindergarten.

Hispanic immigrant families in particular have a very strong need for such programs because their young children often have extremely low levels of English language and literacy proficiency.

We are nowhere near where we ought to be.

I am out of time, but I want to make sure that someone who was born in Pottsville, PA gets the last word.

This legislation being discussed today, the Strong Start Act, represents a major step forward in our fight to ensure that all children have access to affordable and high-quality early learning experiences.

One of the main goals of the Affordable Care Act was to provide access to health care coverage to all Americans.

I hope we can, because we have in our State--and I can say this, I think, without contradiction--two of the best children's hospitals in the world in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

I am pleased that New Jersey is among the States that expanded their program, but I am also concerned by some reports.

I was not here during your testimony regarding the number of folks who have taken advantage of the exchanges, and I guess we are up to 7.5 million.

It is bipartisan. It is not expensive. I do not understand the opposition to it.

We are also thankful to those on this committee who have been supportive of this bill, including Senator Casey of Pennsylvania and Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina.

I wish to highlight two quotes. The first is from a 21- year-old woman who is voting for the first time in this election: She was voting, for the first time, for her children and for women's rights, she said, speaking in a whisper. ``I…

this legislation on equal pay is about justice, in a word. We could almost say that equal pay equals justice. There is probably no simpler way to say it. It is really, when you consider what this means, a very simple concept: If a woman…

I wish to say a word of commendation for the remarks the Senator from Colorado just made about a very important issue, and that photograph he took is, indeed, an inspiration to all Americans. Each of us can be inspired by that photograph…

I was just appointed the new chair of the Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight.

This is the 501(c)(4) issue, the processing of those.

We all would agree, I think, that that is especially important.

I would welcome the prompt release of the conclusions of that bipartisan investigation.

I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 1, 2014, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Subcommittee on Emerging…

I ask unanimous consent that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 1, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. to conduct a…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 1, 2014, at 2:30 p.m. in room SR-253 of the Russell Senate Office Building, to conduct a…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 1, 2014, at 2:15 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Committee on Health…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 1, 2014, at 2:30 p.m. in room SD-430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a…