I would say we need to be doing that because if we are just putting people into a job and it is not effective because we are not doing it right, then the transition is not working the way we expect it to.

I expect the Departments to do better than that.

let me echo the words of our chairman and thank him, our staff and everyone who has worked on this and everyone who has supported this in a bipartisan way to send it now to the President to be signed into law. It is a great step forward…

Duncan Taylor is the parent of a second grader in Highline public schools in my home State of Washington. Like so many parents in my State, he got a letter in the mail saying his son's school was failing. Last year, Washington State lost…

50 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson rushed to the old elementary school he had once attended and with him he had a piece of major legislation. At a picnic table on the lawn of the school, President Johnson signed into law the Elementary…

I am so pleased that the Senate is taking the last few legislative steps to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act or ESEA. Our bipartisan bill, the Every Student Succeeds Act, will end the one-size-fits-all mandates of No…

we yield back all our time as well. Cloture Motion The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state. The legislative clerk read as follows: Cloture Motion…

I ask unanimous consent that Sarah Rosenberg, a fellow with the Senate HELP Committee, and Lauren Burdette, a fellow in Senator Casey's office, be granted floor privileges during the consideration of the Every Student Succeeds Act. The…

We yield back our time. The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time is yielded back. The question is on agreeing to the amendment.

together Senator Cantwell and I commend Mayor Haggerton for his long-standing dedication to public service. Over the past 30 years, Mayor Haggerton has always been an unwavering partner for the citizens of Tukwila, available with a…

today with my colleague Senator Cantwell, I wish to commemorate Mayor Jim Haggerton for his 30 years of public service. Mr. Haggerton first served the people of Tukwila, WA as a member of the planning commission from 1985 to 1994 and…

I am well aware that there are serious disagreements between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to women's health, but I would hope that despite our disagreements, they would at least allow us to vote on the important amendment I have…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Amendment No. 2876 There will now be 2 minutes of debate equally divided prior to a vote in relation to…

as I have said before, I am very proud of the progress we have made over the last few years toward a health care system that actually works for our families and puts their needs first. Today more than 16 million people have gained the…

we are about to have a voice vote on the substitute amendment, and I would not object to a voice vote, since I know we have all been here a long time, but I would just like to point out to everyone that the substitute amendment is a major…

over the last several years our country has taken some important steps forward when it comes to health care. More than 16 million people have gained the peace of mind and security that comes with having health care coverage. Tens of…

I think we can all agree there is a lot of work that needs to be done in this Congress--priorities such as continuing to improve health care for our families, creating jobs, boosting wages, expanding economic security for workers, and…

I call up my amendment No. 2876. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Washington [Mrs. Murray] proposes an amendment numbered 2876 to amendment No. 2874.

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. (The amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text of Amendments.'') The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr…

Veterans deserve a system that works, not one that is torn apart and weakened over time.

OK. I am out of time, but I did want to ask you, Secretary Gibson, how are you going to make sure that the care veterans receive in the private sector is high quality, timely, and coordinated? How do you do oversight of that?

That may be concerning to veterans who want to use the VA facilities, and cutting out that much work, I think could have serious consequences for our VA hospitals and our providers.

I am kind of amazed that we would ask our veterans to pay for care for service-connected conditions. That is a major reversal of a fundamental tenet of our care for veterans.

I think we have always told our veterans we would care for them for service-connected issues. This would be a major reversal of policy if we are all of a sudden charging them a copay for emergency visits.

I refuse to let substandard care be the status quo.