quorum call:

a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. portman: madam president, i rise today to join with my colleague from rhode island to talk a little bit about a very important piece of legislation we are introducing, it's called the comprehensive addiction and recovery act of 2014. i think it's fair to say that senator whitehouse from rhode island and i don't agree on everything in this body that comes up although policy issues, but on this one we agree that it's necessary to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to deal with this heroin epidemic sweeping across our country. he's been an unwavering ally and i appreciate him and again this is an area where we can find common ground on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the capitol, move legislation

forward that can help to deal with this growing issue in our states. i don't think we can afford to wait. every day, unfortunately, the number of people who die from aaron overdoses grows every day more mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters are lost to this horrible scourge. by the time this year is out i'm told that more than 19,000 ohioans will have overdosed on heroin or other opiates. the deaths from heroin overdoses this year will be the number-one cause of death in the state of ohio. exceeding traffic accidents. elected officials around the country, medical professionsals professionsals -- professionals are dealing with this issue, fighting back and doing everything in their power to save lives and try to stem this epidemic. but they need help. the challenge we all face is serious and to address it we need a comprehensive effort. marshaling the resources of communities, grassroots

organizations, local, state and, yes, the federal government, and that's where we come in here in the united states congress. together and i think only together can we make progress here and prevent new victims from falling into the grip of addiction. only together can we help those already struggling with heroin to rebuild their lives. i think this bipartisan legislation we've introduced today is the important step and it leads a broad spectrum response to the epidemic of heroin adick. it starts with prevention and education. why? because we know that approach can work. and obviously it's the most effective way to deal, to keep people from getting into the addiction in the first place. nearly 20 years ago, i joined with leaders around southwest ohio to form the coalition for a drug-free greater cincinnati. i was here in the united states congress on the house side, a constituent said her son had just died of an overdose of smoking marijuana and huffing

gasoline. and i was ready for her. i had all the statistics as to what we were doing at the federal level in terms of eradicating crops in places like colombia, interdicting drugs, prosecuting people. trying to stop the flow of drugs into this country. and she looked at me and said how is that going to help me in my community deal with our church where people are in denial and won't even talk about it or our school where the principal said it's not a problem here. and so we came up with this notion of these community coalitions because there were a few around the country, they seemed to be working. ours in greater cincinnati has worked well. it's still working well. by working together with grassroots organizations across the spectrum so teachers and parents, law enforcement, religious leaders, the media, business, we pulled together a group and that coalition led to this greater effort that we

started in the united states house and legislation that i authored called the dug-free communities act which has now provided funding, by the way, and therefore helped to create house thousands of other community coalitions, provided funding to over 2,000 community coalitions, there are now about 5,000 around the country and those have worked. but they're be adequate to deal with this heroin epidemic. but we start there. we start with this notion that there a way, focus on prevention and education to be able to help stem this growing problem. that's stopping addiction before it even starts. that, again, is the most effective way,if saves money, saves lives. we've also, though, to got to incentivize new treatment programs for those who become addicted to try to break the cycle, break the addiction. we do it by encouraging diversion programs like drug

courts to provide alternatives to incarceration, evidence-based pilot programs, there are some exciting new medications out there that we think are worth trying. including some new medication that blocks the urge or the craving. we're funding evidence-based treatment programs but using emergency medications to stop overdoses because this is something we've even in all of our states, the ability of the lock zone, an overdose inhibitor so first responders have access to that to keep people not from overdosing which is happening but from dying from that overdose. and we know that there have been many lives saved even over the last couple of years through the use of that medication. we offer more resources to promptly identify and treat incarcerateed individuals suffering from addiction disorders by collaborating with criminal justice stakeholder and

providing evidence-based treatment. this revolving door of people who are drug users getting into prison, getting out again and within two or three two or three years two-thirds back in the system, we're all paying for that, the communities with increased crime, the families are paying for it, taxpayers are also paying for it. $25,000, $30,000 a year for incarcerating individuals who if you can get them in a drug treatment program in part through drug courts, other programs that are proven to work, they can then not just get over their addiction and not be committing crimes but become productive citizens and taxpayers themselves. we've seen this happen around country. we ought to be encouraging that and supporting that at the federal level. i saw a model of this kind of approach when i visited drug treatment system in columbus, ohio, met with counselors on the front lines. they use medicated assisted treatment but also a lot of counseling to help men and women get on this path to recovery so it's not just the medication. has to be a more come preen

hensive plan. they do it in connection with a prison reentry program. people coming out of the criminal justice system with a history of addiction too get them into these programs so that they can not just get the treatment they need to get over their addiction but also get the job training they need to be able to get back into the work force to become productive citizens. we don't we don't stop here in this legislation. if there's one thing i've learned, the best solutions to this are not going come to from washington. they're going to be developed at the grass roots, on the ground. what we can do is support the efforts on the ground and provide states with more flexibility to be able to use the resources that are already coming from washington, so our legislation does that as well. our bill offers states that are proactive at enacting proven policies the ability to benefit from support from state and senate grants. these grants would award states

like ohio that are working to reach 100% compliance with programs like the prescription drug monitoring program that tracks prescription drugs. as you know, some states like ohio, where we have a big prescription drug problem, there are also adjoining states -- say, southern ohio, west virginia and kentucky - with ths issue, and some people are getting drugs filled across the state in ohio. we want to encourage states to adopt these programs so we know who's using the drugs and who's abusing the process. we often talk about this issue of addiction in the abstract and i've done that today by talking about numbers. you know, 19,000 overdoses. but what does that mean? it's a shockingly high number. we sometimes forget that every one of those overdoses represents a person, a family member, someone who has hopes and dreams, someone who at some

point made a mistake and now that mistake threatens those dreams. often devastates their family, as i've seen and i'm sure you have seen, sometimes can even result in that person's death, as we've talked about overdoses this year will be the in my judgment-one cause of death -- the number-one cause of death in my state of ohio. i want to talk about people in my state who are struggling with the weight of addiction. i recently met a guy about my age, his name is paul. paul came to a round table discussion and has been engaged this this issue because his son died of a heroin overdose. he was 19 years old. he died of an overdose just two days after getting out of rehab. sadly, that's not an uncommon story. people go into rehab to turn their lives around and many are successful, but many aren't and for some of them when they get out, the tee temptation is justo

great. their body no longer has the tolerance it once did and sometimes they overdose. his son is one of those. the guy has been in a lost pain. and you can tell. where he has channeled his grief and his pain is in helping others to overcome addiction and to bring this discussion out of the dark, to talk about it. it's not a comfortable topic for a lot of people to talk about, but he's been willing to do it and to talk about his family situation and talk about the fact that every family ought to around the kitchen table be talking about this. we ought to be talking about it in the classrooms. we ought to be sure people understand the incredible risk and danger that our young people face today. earlier this year i met a young woman named ver. sarah has been struggling to overcome her own addiction and she's been successful this that, and i applaud her for that. she told me addiction starts in treatment, rob, but it also

happens in the community. you've got to have a surrounding that supports you and encourages you. so she is fighting her own battle, but she is also doing somethinsomething interesting ae ohio state university. she has started a support network among students. again, often this is in the shadows, she's been willing to step forward and say, i've g got an issue. i am a recovering addict and i want other recovering addicts ko come to come and join me and feel support so that they don't do what paul's son did. and there's bill. bill is in recovery from a heroin addiction that he told me used to cost him $2,000 a week. -- at its height and it cost him his freernlings by the way. he ended up in prison. when he got out of prison, he was able to take advantage of some of these programs we've talked about today, some of these prisoner reentry programs and bill turned his life around.

interestingly, he now works at the very corrections facility where he once served. and as he joked with me, he said, i used to be behind bars. now i hold the keys to the cells. and i'm spreading the message. and i imagine he is a very credible spokesperson for that message. he is working with inmates to help build relationships not just in the prison, behind the walls, but also in his community of canton, owe. he encourages employers to give people a second chance, to give them a shot. his quote to me was, "don't give them the keys to the safe on the first day but give them a shot." it worked for me, it can work for others." soarvetioothers. "so, this battle against addiction won't be an easy one. we foe that. but we also know that it's well wornl the fight. we've got to take the fight. when we see the number of overdoses drop, when we see statistics showing that fewer

kids are using drugs, we'll know that it paid off. and it's not just about dhars and cents. yes, we can save taxpayer money doing this and we can make sure that more people are productively employed and that our economy is more efficient, but ultimately it is about our young people and what kind of future are they going to have. it is about our children and grandchildren. will they have a better shot at their dream, a better shot at getting through school, getting education, a better shot at getting a decent job and being able to hold it, a better shot at being able to have their own families and have the dignity and respect that comes with that. so that's what this legislation is all b i want to thank senator whitehouse for joining with me to craft this legislation. i also want to thank senator leahy, who i understand has agreed to become a cosponsor of this bill, and other members i would encourage you to take a look at it. i think it is a good way for us to come together as republicans

and democrats to focus on an issue that is affecting every single state represented in this body. sometimes people are in denial about this, but the reality is it affects all of us as americans. thank you, madam president. i now yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll -- and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. vitter: is there a quorum call? the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. ms. landrieu: i would like to ask for unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the roll. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. landrieu: thank you, madam president. it is my pleasure today to come to the floor of the senate to honor some very special constituents from all of our states that are here these three

days, and they're very special because they actually have wings. we call them angels. and the i think the president has met her angels that are here this week. they're members that have been honored -- or constituents of ours that have been honored by members of the senate and members of the house for extraordinary work that these individual citizens, sometimes entities, organizations have done on behalf of orphans here in the united states and around the world. and there are happily over 124 angels here with us, about 124 members of congress, 70 members of the house, and 54 members of the senate took the time to identify someone in their district or state that has really stepped up for orphans through either the domestic foster care and adoption system or our international adoption

work. and i want to say just a minute before i come back to the angels and our national angels how proud i am of the congressional coalition on adoption. i'm one of the founders of the organization. about 16 years ago a group of about 20 of us came together to begin really focused work on educating ourselves, first, and then our colleagues across the aisle and in both houses of congress on the barriers that were keeping children from families, the barriers that were causing children to be left and abandoned, never to be either reunited with their birth family or ever placed with a new family that could adopt them. we struggled to learn and educate ourselves about why families break up and disintegrate and what is the proper approach after that happens to try to pull that

family back together, and if not how do we place children in homes where they can be raised and nurtured and care for. you've heard me say this many times, that governments do some things very well, some things not so well. but raising children is not one of them. parents, responsible adults raise children. it's the way we're wired. it's the way we're create. i.tit's the only real way that t ever works well. so our job, i believe, at the federal, state, and local level -- both here in the united states and around the world -- is for the governments to get out of the way and let this happen or start leading and helping with the kinds of policies that help convect children to either reunite with birth families. if that is not possible, to move quickly -- because time is of the essence, as you know in the child's development -- to make sure that that child and sibling

group are placed in a loving, supportive family. not in an institution, not necessarily with people that are paid to be parents, not necessarily in group homes, but in real families. and, yes, sometimes governments and nonprofits and charitable individuals want to help with sty pends to support that effort. we perfectly understand that. it's perfectly legal. but we'd really love children to be in homes where they feel like they're being loved out of a gift of love, and that is our heart and our goal. so every year it is a happy occasion, since there's so much gridlock and arguing going on. this is one issue that's not gridlocked at all, one issue that there's no arguing about. republicans and democrats have come together. jim inhofeed and i are proud to serve as the leaders in the senate, with many members that have been very active. senator -- the presiding officer

has been extremely active. i want to say thank you to the senator from wisconsin for your leadership on several pieces of important legislation. i want to give a special shout out to the senator from minnesota, senator klobuchar, who's been remarkable in her leadership. senator gillibrand has been extremely helpful. senator shaheen has also been a real leader. senator blunt, senator wicker, senator boozman, and i could go on -- there've been really about 20 or 25 real chac champions inr in the senate on issues that affect children and foster chin. senator grassley has also been a very reliable advocate on behalf of these children. and just to sort of frame the challenge, we have about 500,000 children in the united states that are in foster care. about 100,000 have been deemed to be adoptable.

their parental rights have been terminated -- gross neglect, abuse, et cetera. the courts have stepped in and said, these children need a new home, new parents. that is a big number -- 500,000 -- but it represents about hof % of all the children in america. so from that standpoint, you can say america is doing pretty well with keeping all of our children in families, keeping them loved and supported when families fail. then the communities, governments, churches need to step in and be supportive -- places of worship. but we still have many problems. some kids are waiting too long. some children are stillborn in this country -- are still born in this country without birth certificates. so their legal status has been compromised. and there are millions of orphans around the world who don't have any advocacy and don't have the kind of systems that we have in the united

states to help with their identification, their reserve could you, their placement, et cetera. that's the work we dovment we -- the congressional coalition on adoption educates members of congress. we hold seminars for ourselves, education opportunities. we also -- this is our gala this year, angels in adoption in our 16th year. it is happening today, tonight in washington. angels are visiting the offices, telling their story of adoption to our members and then tonight we will be at the reagan centers celebrating with almost 1,000 people the work that our angels are doing. i want to put into the "congressional record" a congratulations for our three very special national award winners. adoptive parents bill klein and dr. jennifer arnold. they are the stars of the tlc reality show "the little

couple." they are very famous. everyone in america knows them, have seen them, and they're known internationally around the world. people have watched them in their own life overcome great challenges as being very small people, very tiny but with great hearts, great minds and just an extraordinary reach. they have, on this show that we're all very familiar with, married and have proceeded to build a family through adoption. they adopted a little, little, little child from india and another little child from china and are building their family and have just been remarkable models for all adoptive parents, of which i'm one, sharing how the joy and challenges of being an adoptive parent, but also adopting children with very

special physical needs. it's just been remarkable, and we're going to be so touched by their story tonight. they just left my office and we'll be sharing their story tonight with us. i want to thank them for their leadership. adoptive parent shanda rhymes is not with us in washington. she is the executive producer of the hit show substantial, private practice and grey's anatomy. she has written issues regarding adoption in her shows, helping to really educate the united states of america and the world about the needs of orphans and the great privilege of being adoptive parents. finally our third national award winner is our paul singer awardee. paul singer is deceased but he was a great leader in the corporate world, and our organization gives an award every year to a corporate

executive that has gone above and beyond their general responsibilities to advocate for orphans, and this year our winner is debra stiger waller, who is president of jockey international and has founded an organization that really helps to provide support for postadoption services. because many of our adoptive parents are adopting children with special needs, many are adopting teenagers and there are all sorts of challenges. sometimes they have no place to turn. so she stepped up as a corporate leader and adoptee herself and is really leading that effort in our country, and we are so grateful for her leadership. i'm going to just mention two other angels, and then i see my colleague on the floor to speak, and i don't want to take more time. but i'd like to ask unanimous consent for just another five

minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. landrieu: my angel, i was proud to nominate pastor chad harbarger and his wife marcia. they served as adoptive parents in louisiana for over nine years. the couple amazingly has cared for 14 children out of the foster care system and have adopted six of those children from foster care. they have a 19-year-old, a 14-year-old, an 11-year-old, a 9-year-old, an 8-year-old and a 7-year-old. and they're in the process of adopting a special little infant, amber, who is with them. all the children are here in washington and have had a great tour of the city today. so for monique, chris, bryce, jordan, bailey, gavin and amber, what a wonderful family to be brought together in the loving home of pastor chad and his wife marcia, who are now working with their local church in the

shreveport, which is the northwest louisiana area, to help advocate and get other churches and other families involved in fostering and adopting. so i was so pleased to present the award to the senior pastor of emanuel baptist church. he has established his own ministry, fashion for a home. and he does so many things to help our children. and these children don't have any fancy lobbyists or p.r. firms fighting for them. but it's pastors at home and their wives and advocates that are doing a beautiful job. so congratulations to chad har barger and his wife marcia. and i was so moved by meeting senator wicker's angel at the pinning ceremony, and it was such an interesting angel, i wanted to put this one into the "congressional record." senator wicker nominated mendahl l. thompson, president of the

christian credit union, in california, serving more than 48,000 members. they have about 500 million in managed assets. he serves as a trustee and director of several different organizations. but what he received his award for from senator wicker was designing a loan package at the credit union that would provide low-interest throons -- loans to families that were adopting because sometimes expenses can be overwhelming particularly if you're adopting internationally. but even if you adopt out of foster care, while the cost of adoption is minimal from foster care but the expenses associated with adopting the child -- sometimes you've got to add a room to the house, get a special vehicle if it's a special-needs child. while we have a federal tax credit that is helpful, this loan -- and so he's made over 1,000 loans to families to adopt children. so i wanted to give a shout out to senator wicker's angel mr.

mendahl thompson and his board of directors at the christian -- at america's christian credit union in california and thank them for believing that every child believes a forever family for taking an active role in crafting an affordable solution for america's adoptive families. he's got a passion for adoption and continues this in california and throughout the country. so, madam president, i thank the members for their participation. it's going to be one of our biggest events. and before i take my seat, i wanted to add, if i could, a special resolution unrelated to this but related to reverend samuel raymond blakes, pastor of family center in new orleans who celebrated his 19th pastoral

anniversary. i wanted to ask my colleagues to join with me in honoring him. i was honored to participate recently in his worship celebration and just want to congratulate him. he's a graduate of st. augustine high school, attended southern university, master's degree in theology from christian bible college in louisiana, celebrating 19 years of service to new orleans and to louisiana. and i put the rest of the statement in the record and yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. vitter: thank you, madam president. madam president, very recently the u.s. house of representatives passed on a bipartisan basis h.r. 3522, the employee health care protection act by congressman bill castle. this bipartisan act that passed the house would keep the president's core promise throughout the obamacare debate

when he told every american, quu like the health care -- if you like the health care coverage you have, you can keep it. period, end of story. i'm bringing this up in the senate because it is vital that the president and everyone who made that pledge keep that promise, and this bill enacted into law would do that. again, the bill is limited, focused and straightforward. it lets small businesses and workers keep their health care coverage if they like it. it provides more affordable health care options for american workers who don't want or can't afford the other obamacare mandated plans. again, the president and every democrat who voted for obamacare promised that explicitly again and again and again. and when that didn't happen, when millions of americans were kicked off the plan they had and

they like and they wanted to keep, americans rightly felt misled. in fact, that led to the president's promise and commitment, if you like your plan, you can keep it being labeled by nonpartisan sources in 2013 as the -- quote -- "lie of the year." close quote. so this bill would fix that, would make it good. it would not repeal obamacare. it would fix that part of obamacare. it would make that promise good. the keep your plan bill would let insurers continue to sell those plans that people want to keep, that are less expensive, that cover basic but crucial needs. at least two million people would likely sign up for these. last fall nearly five million americans all across the country had their health plans canceled even though they wanted to keep

them, even though the president told them they could keep them. in louisiana, that was 93,000 people who received those cancellation notices having gotten that clear pledge and promise from the president and other supporters of obamacare. sadly, that hurt isn't over. because the employer mandate for businesses that employ 100 or more workers, that is still coming. and when that mandate kicks in in just a few months, we're going to see the same thing happen all over again with millions upon millions of americans in louisiana, in every single state getting pushed off the plan they had, that they wanted to keep. small businesses losing that opportunity, losing a plan they had, they liked, they wanted to keep. now this bill passed the house, as i said, on a bipartisan

basis. 247-167. over two dozen democrats voted to support it. this plan, this bill by congressman bill cassidy. even democrats on the house side see the importance of the legislation. and i ask all of us to recognize that this is a crucial element of obamacare that needs to be fixed. it absolutely needs to be fixed. 39 democrats in the house previously had voted for a similar bill. again, to let americans keep their plan and individual market. senate democrats scrambled with the administration last year to find some way to let individuals who face cancellations on the individual market keep their plan, but those cancellations are happening to a lot of folks, hasn't been fixed for all those folks by a long shot. and more of those sorts of

cancellations are on the way when the employer mandate finally hits. so i urge all of us to come together to pass this bill in the senate as it has been passed on a bipartisan basis in the house. so with that, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h.r. 3522 which was received from the house. i further ask consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. murphy: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. murphy: reserving the right to object, just very briefly. as the senator knows, the president has set forth policies that allow for states like louisiana, which has taken advantage of this opportunity through the work of the senior senator and republican, insurance commissioner to allow individuals to stay on their

plans. this bill would allow for new plans to be offered that do not comply with the a.c.a. plans that would include the kind of discriminatory treatment that the a.c.a. seeks to cure, such as higher costs for women than men, treatments discriminatory against individuals with preexisting conditions. for that reason, madam president, i would object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. vitter: madam president, reclaiming the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. vitter: i think this is very unfortunate. my distinguished colleague alluded to what i know. let me tell you what i know. i know 93,000 louisianians were forced off a plan they had, they liked, they wanted to keep. i know the president of the united states promised them exactly the opposite. i know my louisiana colleague in the senate promised them exactly the opposite. and i know thousands of more cancellations are on the way

when the employer mandate is enforced. that's what i know. i hold hundreds of town hall meetings in louisiana. that's what i know from talking to louisianians. and that's why i know as the central problem of obamacare that needs to be fixed. it passed the house on a bipart. i find it very unfortunate that we can't bring it up in the senate on the same basis and pass it expeditiously. with that, madam president, i yield the floor and i suggest the absence of a quorum before i do. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: to vacate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: madam president, this month america celebrates the 50th anniversary of both the wilderness act and the land and water conservation fund.

so i'm going to spend just a few minutes today, and i believe i'm going to be joined at various times by a number of colleagues, to talk about the important role that these two storied pieces of legislation have played in creating a legacy of protection and access to america's treasures. first, people may not remember remember, perhaps given the way some in the congress talk about wilderness these days, but the wilderness act had an extraordinary, extraordinary bipartisan push behind it. it passed 73-12 in the united states senate and 373-1 in the other body. and then the congressional champions included leading democrats and republicans of

that time. to celebrate the successes of this landmark piece of legislation today, and the middle of wilderness week, i introduced a senate resolution along with our colleague on the other side of the aisle, senator sessions, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the passage of the wilderness act. and just like the original bill, our bipartisan resolution has numerous cosponsors and colleagues from both sides of the aisle. now, part of the beauty of the wilderness act lies in the balance that was forged between immediately designating some places as wilderness in 1964, as part of the act's enactment while providing a pathway for future designations.

it's that balance, madam president, that has helped to make the wilderness act one of our country's most democratic pieces of legislation in our rich history. by requiring future legislation, it compelled citizen activists to go out at the grassroots level to involve their friends and neighbors to seek permanent protection for the special places that were important to them. and while passing wilderness designations through copping has been far from easy, the reward has been extraordinary. since the act was signed, the congress has designated more than 110 million acres of federal lands as wilderness, and each acre is a gift to our future from our past