if their rights cannot be adequately protected, then the rhetoric is nice, but it is better to have the access to the rules and protections.

One of the prouder achievements in the Dodd-Frank Act was the Office of Servicemember Affairs.

the Stronger Enforcement of Civil Penalties Act, which I am pleased to be introducing today with Senator Grassley and Senator Leahy, will enhance the ability of securities regulators to protect investors and demand greater accountability…

this motion represents what we have heard from the Secretary of Defense and all of our uniformed leaders in the military who are saying that we should budget appropriately, put long- term defense needs in the base budget--$534 billion--and…

as the Republican leader indicated pursuant to unanimous consent, I will shortly be offering a motion to instruct conferees on the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act regarding the inappropriate use of overseas contingency…

I have a motion to instruct conferees which is at the desk, and I ask for its consideration. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the motion. The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Rhode Island…

I come to the floor to speak about an amendment that I am offering with Senator Kirk, Senator Brown, and Senator Baldwin, which would establish an accountability mechanism for student access to the core resources necessary for learning…

I come to the floor today to urge all of my colleagues to support the Reed-Cochran amendment to encourage States and school districts to integrate school library programs into their plans for improving student academic achievement. I would…

I rise this morning to highlight an issue that I believe we must pay closer attention to in this Chamber and in this Congress. You see, on June 23, Mr. Speaker, we marked the tenth anniversary of an important Supreme Court case. That case…

let me just state that this legislation before us is of vital national importance, and I would like to commend Chairman Alexander and Senator Murray for their commitment to an open and inclusive debate. They and their staffs have been…

today I pay tribute to a great Rhode Islander, Marguerite K. McKay, who passed away last month at the age of 96. Marguerite Katherine McCrudden was born in Providence on September 15, 1918, and grew up in the Smith Hill neighborhood of the…

the 40th anniversary of Cabo Verde's independence, on July 5th, comes just one day after our country's own Independence Day. As we near Cabo Verde's 40th anniversary, this small country of 500,000 merits our recognition for its…

today, in an effort to decrease the rate of drug overdose deaths, I am pleased to be joined by Senators Durbin, Whitehouse, Markey, and Leahy in introducing the Overdose Prevention Act. Representative Donna Edwards is introducing this bill…

after almost 3 weeks, we are completing consideration of the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. Again, I want to thank Senator McCain for what has largely been a bipartisan, serious consideration of issues important to…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Perdue. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I, too, want to commend the chairman and his staff for extraordinarily diligent, cooperative, and careful work. I am pleased to be here to support this block of amendments. As the chairman noted, we are on the verge of passage of the…

To the Senator from Oklahoma, we have been trying to move forward on an equal basis in terms of pending amendments. At this juncture, I am not able to agree to make another amendment pending. There is a possibility that we spoke about…

I object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard. The Senator from New York. Amendment No. 1578

at 5 p.m. we will be voting on an amendment proposed by the Senator from Louisiana, Mr. Vitter. The amendment would require the Secretary of the Army to maintain at least 32 brigade combat teams in the Regular and Reserve components of the…

I yield back the time. The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time is yielded back. Under the previous order, pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state. The bill clerk read as…

I oppose the Ernst amendment. It would undermine what has been the fundamental policy of the United States going back into the last administration: a unified, sovereign Iraq. This amendment would send a signal to the Iraqis that we are…

I stand as a very proud cosponsor, along with Senator McCain and Senator Feinstein, on this amendment. I particularly wish to commend both Senator Feinstein and Senator McCain because they have really been the leaders in this Senate and in…

I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from Minnesota. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered. The Senator from Minnesota.

reserving the right to object. First, the Senator is chairman of the committee which has jurisdiction for this particular amendment, so he has complete--in fact, more than complete--authority to bring it up in regular order and bring it…

at this time, I object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.