Jack Reed

This week the Senate is on the verge of making fundamental and urgently needed changes to reform Wall Street and protect consumers and investors.

Let me just raise a point that I would like to make, or at least to put on the table...

We are still left, I think, based on your testimony, with the conclusion that we are not quite sure what was the decisive precipitating course.

I think that is very sound because I think we will anticipate for good reasons and sincere reasons there could be different perspectives, and there has to be an action-forcing device.

But I think this notion that we are going to let it the good will of the regulators does not work.

Well, I think we were all sort of--and I think Senator Corker was not only being his usual insightful and charming self, but the reality is had we started in this all fresh, there would be one agency dealing with these products that…

We have highly interrelated markets and we have different rules in those markets.

Well, given the institutional arrangements that are likely to stay in place and given the fact that in the future there might not be the same kind of meeting of minds and cooperative spirit that you both exhibit, there has to be, I think…

Don't we need some more regular, systematic...review of the rules but consistent rules that are derived by joint rulemaking?

We can't be alarmist, but we have to be very sort of tough minded about what potential problems exist there.

Like everything I learned in kindergarten, everything I learned in the Army.

First, let me join Majority Leader Reid in saluting these incredible Americans who are with us today, wounded warriors and Bob O'Malley. As someone who served 12 years in the U.S. Army, my appreciation is profound for what you have done…

I want to thank you all for just tremendous insights, and particularly something that Karen said about how so much of learning now is happening outside the school building.

Thank you for introducing the Keep Our Educators Working Act.

I also want to thank Senator Leahy and Senator Sessions for their prompt attention to this nomination by the President of Jack McConnell to be Rhode Island's next U.S. District Court Judge.

I very strongly share that point of view and that is why I so strongly supported your nomination.

It can be an informative tool for policymakers, like yourself and State legislatures, to understand what is happening in the health insurance marketplace.

So, there's no distinction between a for-profit insurance company and a not-for-profit insurance company in the way they operate.

I think, going forward, we have to be careful not only about reviewing the ratings, but we also have to be very careful about having a consistent set of reports between regulators and financial statements.

Well, frankly, we're having a discussion about firms that go to the Street and say, 'Our strategy is, we're going to deny claims and raise premiums above medical inflation.'

Well, what's the base?

Principals have to be educational leaders not bus monitors, milk fund trustees.

I also know that the Federal Government understands that investing in professional development is so important.

Senator Reed has provided leadership in Congress in advancing it as well.

One legislative proposal that would address several of our recommendations is Senator Jack Reed's Teacher and Principal Improvement Act.