I want to start just by acknowledging our former chair, Senator Tom Harkin, and commend his many years of service.

since No Child Left Behind passed back in 2001, we have seen achievement gaps narrow for black and Latino students in both reading and math

I would just say that there is tremendous interest on our side of the aisle in fixing the No Child Left Behind law to really make sure that in this country we really do make sure that every child, no matter where they live or who their…

on behalf of the Democratic leader, I ask unanimous consent that Neysa Call, a fellow in Senator Reid's office, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the 114th Congress. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so…

a century ago, President Lyndon Johnson returned to his old elementary school in rural Texas with a major piece of legislation. At a picnic table on the lawn of his school and sitting beside his very first teacher, President Johnson signed…

the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, which Congress passed a year ago this month, not only provided relief to families, servicemembers, and the economy from the harmful effects of sequestration, but also put an end to the recent fiscal…

I am delighted to be on the floor this evening to take, first of all, a minute to thank my good friend and mentor Chairwoman Mikulski for her tremendous work on the product that is before us tonight. We want to get something done when we…

Over the last 30 years, independent studies have pointed to Yucca Mountain as the nation's best option for a nuclear repository for high-level waste.

I really appreciate you scheduling this hearing so quickly so that we can process this critical nomination expeditiously.

I have come to the floor to talk about one of the most important issues facing our Nation as we have been hearing for the past 15 minutes; that is, our longstanding, desperate need to finally fix our Nation's broken immigration system. Too…

I ask unanimous consent that Denise Dickenson, a fellow in my office, be granted the privilege of the floor until January 26, 2015. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

I think that it will go a long way in making sure that they know what they need to do when they get home.

There really is no issue as pressing as providing quality, timely mental health care and suicide prevention programs to our Nation's heroes.

I appreciate that response, but I think we also have to look at whether or not the VAs are meeting women's specific needs.

I would like to take a few minutes to talk about the legislation we are considering regarding the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. As with too many controversial issues, we have lost track of the facts and the basic process for moving a…

This is really concerning to me; it is something that I will be following very closely as well.

Just one suicide, just one veteran in crisis, or just one family struggling to make it through is just one too much.

We cannot have someone call to get an appointment and be told that they can get one in 5 weeks when they have a problem.

We are focused on the VA today, as we should be, on the issue of suicides.

We all know when our men and women in uniform have the courage to come forward and ask for help, the VA has to be there not only with high quality and timely care, but the right type of care to best meet the veterans' needs.

But we just passed this bill saying anybody outside the 40 miles can go to a provider.

I thank the Senator for clarifying the bill's intent that McKinney-Vento liaisons be part of States' coordination of childcare services. I would also like to clarify the intent behind two related bill provisions. First, this bill requires…

I come to the floor today to speak about the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act. I'm glad to say that the bill before us today contains a number of provisions intended to facilitate homeless families' access to quality child care…

Thank you for that explanation. I am pleased to hear that homeless children will be able to receive services while their families are taking actions to comply with immunization and other health and safety requirements. Regarding enrollment…

I thank the Senator for that clarification, which will assist States in implementing the provisions of this bill by aligning definitions across Federal programs serving homeless families. This bill overlaps with the McKinney-Vento Act in…