I know the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. I know them. I trust Senator Inouye, someone awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery and valor in World War II. I trust the senior Senator from Mississippi and the…

The statement describes the bill as a balanced and well- crafted effort to enhance the services to patent applicants and America's innovators provided by the U.S. Patent Office. The Statement of Administration Policy emphasizes the bill…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 7, 2011, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``Defending the Nation Since…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 7, 2011, at 10 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. committee on homeland…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on September 7, 2011, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled…

I have worked on efforts to prevent the diversion of fees collected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for years. When the distinguished Senator from Oklahoma, Mr. Coburn, took on the issue, I urged him to work with me, to withhold…

I ask unanimous consent the period for debate only on H.R. 1249 be extended to 6:30 p.m. and that at 6:30 p.m. the majority leader be recognized. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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

let me speak a little bit about Mark Hatfield, because those of us who knew Mark thought the world of him. I had an opportunity to know him and to serve with him, and for 23 years I served with him in the Senate. I rise to pay tribute to…

every time I hear discussion about how we balance the budget, especially coming from the other side of the aisle--maybe because I have been here long enough--I remember the last time we did balance the budget during President Clinton's…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on September 7, 2011, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled…

Well, thank you. And, incidentally, Mr. Baker, I think the House of Representatives would find it very difficult to accept the mandatory minimum, and certainly I do not intend to include it in the bill that I will put forward.

I think we would be happy to work with the Committee under your leadership to try to find a way to address those concerns.

Protecting American consumers and businesses from cyber crime and other threats in cyber space has been a priority of this Committee for many years--I might say a bipartisan priority--and we continue that tradition today.

if the Senator would yield on that point, I would tell my good friend from Iowa how touched I was when I received his e-mail saying how the people of Iowa have stood with the people of Vermont, as we did with the people of Iowa when they…

The country is at risk, and there is much work to be done to better protect critical infrastructure and improve our ability to stop computer crime.

You know what I am saying. In the normal criminal code, you could have some kid who takes a car joyriding and leaves it.

We take cyber crime as a serious offense.

I ask unanimous consent that I use my remaining time to speak as in morning business about the America Invents Act and the cloture vote that will be taken tonight on proceeding to that important measure. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without…

I would note that we have been working with Chairman Leahy, Ranking Member Grassley, and their staffs on a common solution to address this issue.

we are on the question of the flooding in Vermont. I was born in Vermont. I have lived there all of my life. We live on a dirt road in a small town, Middlesex, up about 1,000 feet, in an 1850s farmhouse. It means a lot to us. It is a place…

The church should be thy priest's keeper in terms of civil liability.

I think we can always use more resources.

I have outlined where we stand in comparison to the progress we made when the Senate moved to confirm 205 Federal circuit and district judges during President Bush's first term. Three years into President Obama's administration, we have…

Over the 8 years of the Bush administration, from 2001 to 2009, we reduced judicial vacancies from 110 to a low of 34. The vacancy rate--which we reduced from 10 percent to 6 percent by this date in President Bush's third year, and…