quorum call:

tart start. ms. collins: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the calling of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: and, madam president, i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, last week the senate passed the national women's history museum commission act, a bill that i authored with the dean of the democratic women senators,

senator mikulski of maryland. it passed finally as part of the national defense authorization act. our legislation will create a commission to evaluate and plan the establishment of a museum dedicated to women's history right here in our nation's capital, and i know that the presiding officer shares my view that this is long overdue. i am, in fact, pleased to have had all of the women senators as cosponsors of this bill, and i'm thankful for the support of many of our other colleagues as well. senator mikulski has been a terrific coleader, and i would like to thank her for her leadership. a women's history museum is long

overdue in washington, d.c., think of it, madam president, we actually have a museum that is dedicated to buildings, honoring buildings. we have museums along the mall that commemorate various aspects of our history. we have the air and space museum. there's a privately run spy museum. there's the newseum, which honors journalism. there is a museum that honors native americans. americans from all over this country can come to washington and learn about our history and the contributions of the people who have made our nation the greatest country in the world. despite this plethora of museums, however, there has been no museum dedicated to the women

who have helped to shape our nation's history. the legislation that was finally approved last week calls for a commission to fund its own costs and it would be paid for entirely with private funds, at no cost to american taxpayers. this commission would put forgot a -- this commission would put forth a plan for establishing a museum on women's history so that people who are coming to washington can learn about the enormous contributions of women to our nation's history. indeed, american women have made invaluable contributions to our country across such diverse fields as government, business, medicine, law, literature, sports, entertainment, the arts, and the military.

a museum dedicated to women's history will help ensure that future generations understand what it is that we owe to the many american women who have helped to build, sustain, and advance our society. such a museum will share the stories of pioneering women like abolitionist harriet tubman, the founder of the girl scouts julia gordon lowe, supreme court justice sandra day o'connor, astronaut sally ride, and my personal inspiration, margaret chase smith. madam president, i first introduced legislation to establish a museum for women's history in 2003. early the following year, the senate unanimously approved my

bill. unfortunately, that legislation was not taken up by the house and died. in 2005, the senate again approved the legislation, but it, too, stalled in the house. with the passage finally of this commission bill, the effort to establish a museum for women's history in our nation's capital takes a positive step forward. this bill will convene a talented, diverse, and skilled panel of historians, educators, museum administrators, and other experts with experience in women's history to make recommendations for the creation and the sustainment of such a museum. it's important to emphasize that

this museum will portray all aspects of women's contributions to our history, without partis partisanship or bias. the only political statement that we will be making is to correct the longstanding omission of the role of women in america's history. i would also like to recognize and thank chairwoman landrieu and ranking member murkowski for their careful consideration of our bill by the energy and natural resourceenergy andnatur, which unanimously approved it last month. madam president, telling the history of the contributions of american women matters, and this bill takes a long overdue first step toward recognizing and

honoring those who have shaped our shared american heritage. i look forward to the day when young girls and young boys visiting washington will be able to visit a women's history museum to learn more about the remarkable contributions of american women to our nation. thank you, madam president. madam president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

ms. collins: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that proceedings under the call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: and i ask unanimous consent that i be permitted to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: madam president, i am about to pay tribute to one of our colleagues, saxby chambliss, and i would ask unanimous consent that my remarks be included in the tribute book that will be compiled for him. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, madam president. madam president, it's a great pleasure but a bittersweet moment for me to rise on the senate floor to pay tribute to a dear friend and an esteemed colleague, senator saxby chambliss. after 20 years in congress,

eight in the house and 12 here in the senate, senator cham bhis re--- senator chambliss retires from his service to georgia and tower nation with a well-deserved reputation as a true statesman. at a time when the coarsening political discourse across our nation and here in congress is a growing concern, senator chambliss is a shining example of expertise and ability combined with civility and respect. and he leaves congress not only with many friends on both sides of the aisle but also with many accomplishments to his credit. his leadership in national security and intelligence in

both chambers has been a great asset to our nation. from agriculture to armed services, senator chambliss has been an informed and effective advocate for his constituents and for the american people. now, the golfers here might consider the hole in one he famously scored in a foursome with president obama last year to be worthy of mention. personally, as the founder and cochair of the senate diabetes caucus, i would consider his dedication to the cause of juvenile diabetes to be a true highlight. i've also had the great pleasure of serving with senator chambliss, both on the intelligence committee where he is the vice-chairman and

previously on the senate armed services committee. i saw firsthand his extraordinary grasp of complicated issues that are so critical to the security of our nation. i also witnessed how he would listen carefully to the views of others, whether within the republican side of the aisle or the democratic members on both committees. but if there is one shining moment that stands out for me, it would be senator chambliss' leadership in the gang of six during the 2011 debt ceiling crisis. at a time when it was far easier to stand back, point fingers and fix blame, senator chambliss, along with senator mark warner,

led the way in producing a framework to provide a bipartisan comprehensive -- a bipartisan, comprehensive and balanced way to put our nation on a stable fiscal path. the fact that our national debt has grown from $16 trillion to $18 trillion since then makes it all the more imperative that we continue the effort, the leadership that was shown by senator chambliss and that he so courageously helped to start. the fact that this dedicated and wise leader cited washington gridlock and partisan posturing as a driving force in his decision to retire from the senate should give us all cause to reflect.

senator saxby chambliss has always been a voice of reason. no matter how bitter the debate, he has always engaged in thoughtful discussions that result in solutions. as he returns to private life, his advice will continue to be sought after and i hope heeded. his knowledge and insight will still be valued and the example of decency and civility that he has set should guide us all. i know that his beloved wife, his children, and his grandchildren will be happy to have more of senator chambliss's time. but for those of us who have been privileged to serve with him in the senate, his decision

to retire is a great loss. the people of georgia, the people of america, those of us who have been privileged to serve as saxby chambliss's colleagues are grateful for his service and i wish him all the best in the years to come, both on and off the golf course. thank you, madam president. madam president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

mr. reid: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: mr. president, the noted author and analyst of human behavior, steven covey, said -- quote -- "strength lies in differences, not in similarities." for the last 18 years, senate democrats were stronger because of senator mary landrieu. her ability to shun political labels instead of just going the route with democrats and republicans, independents, she went her route. she made the united states a better place, the united states senate a better place. she had a good training for being a consensus builder, somebody who liked compromise. i had the good fortune to serve in the senate with other united

states senators elected from louisiana, bennett johnston. i served with him for many years on the appropriations committee. he was chairman of the energy and water subcommittee on appropriations. he was a good legislator. he helped the country. and then john breaux. he and i came to the senate together. he was the dealmaker. he could put a deal together when no one thought one could be put together. mary landrieu has had good louisiana genes with those two men and that's one reason she's been as effective as she has been. she came to the senate with no partisan agenda. she was not interested in representing just liberals or just conservatives. she worked to represent all of louisiana. that meant sometimes she and i may not be on the same side of

an issue. other times we were on the same side of an issue. one thing was always certain. she was always on louisiana's family side. the landrieu family political legacy runs long and deep in the state of louisiana. the oldest of nine children, mary is the daughter of lew andrew, her brother was jimmy carter's secretary of housing and urban development. i had a -- a number of years ago i toured louisiana -- i'm sorry, new orleans basically because she asked me to as a member of the appropriations committee. i said okay, i'll go but i have to see those pumps, p-u-m-p-s. i bawched this thing on -- i

watched this thing on national public broadcasting, talked about old pumps built in 1900's but still work every day pumping the water because new orleans is below sea level and those pumps have to work 24 hours a day. i wanted to see those old, old pumps. they were so clean, spotlessly clean, very, very old pumps. i toured lake poch train and learned so much about -- i toured lake pontchartrain and learned so much about that. thousands and thousands of tons of shells have come out of that lake. they stopped because they thought it would be damaging to the environment but over the last 50, 60 1,00 years thousands

of tons came out of that lake. we heard about lake pontchartrain during that huge storm that hit. also as part of the tour of new orleans, you had to go to her home, that little home that nine children were raised in. beautiful little home but nine children, wow. and her mom and dad were there. that's the first home i had been in of the famous landrieu. when we came there unannounced they were making peanut brittle. i got some peanut brittle and that good man on occasion has sent me some of his home made peanut brittle. i think the world of her and her family. she was elected to state ledges slay tower at age -- state

legislature at age 23. after eight years in the legislature she became state treasurer for eight years. in 1996 she was elected to the united states senate and became the first woman for louisiana elected to a full senate term. she was really good in small business. she now is the chair of the senate energy and natural resources committee, the same full committee that her predecessor bennett johnson shared. the committee on small business, she reduced heavy federal regulations that created tax relief for small business. as chair of the senate committee on energy and natural resources, mary has fought for louisiana, industry jobs. even before she became chair of that committee she did something that was impossible. people have been trying to do something like this in louisiana

for 50 years, 60 years, 70 years, 80 years, but she did it to give new orleans, the whole state of louisiana and that gulf coast now some financial benefit from the offshore drilling. she did that. that's a legacy that she will always have. she always had louisiana's interests at heart and the people of louisiana have been all the better because of this. for example, in the aftermath of katrina, she stood up to the bush administration and demanded for disaster relief for the people of louisiana. "the new york times" called her -- quote -- "the national spokeswoman for victims of the hurricane." close quote. as her time in the senate comes to an end, all louisianians will miss having mary in their corner. i wish mary landrieu, her husband frank and their children connor -- who recently is

married -- mary shannon the very best. mary shannon, i remember when mary brought that little baby home and she brought that baby to the senate. a tiny, little baby. now, a beautiful child, this woman is an excellent horse woman. she is one of those people who rides horses all the time. shoo has entered in contests -- she has entered in contests. connor, of course, i knew him when he was a little boy. he is married, they have a little bay named maddox. mary is so proud of that grandchild. frank, her husband, is a wonderful human being. i think so very much of him, and i hope that we will continue seeing them. mary brings her family very often to my office. she takes them out on that

balcony there overlooking the mall. mary's touched my heart for a number of things, but the one thing she has done that has been unsurpassed is her caring about children who have no parents. adoptions. she's led the senate in adoptions. her two children are adopted children. connor and mary shannon are adopted, and she is so involved in this, and i know she will continue to be. and here on the senate floor we'll all miss mary, her voice of reason and moderation. i consider her a good friend and appreciate all that she's done for me, for the people of louisiana and our country. madam president, i would ask consent the next statement i give will appear in a separate place in the record. without--

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: there is only one combat veteran of the iraq war in the senate and that's senator john walsh. in 2004 john walsh lead the deployment of 700 national guardsmen from montana to iraq. he did the same thing a year later. it was a very difficult time for americans in iraq. general walsh and his men were in some of the heaviest battles. many of them were wounded and a number of them gave the ultimate sacrifice. he led the largest deployment of montana soldiers and air men since world war ii. with his service, john was awarded the bronze star, legion of merit and combat infantry badge. when john came to the senate a hero, nothing's changes; he'll leave the senate a hero.

he treated his time in the united states senate like his time in the army. he volunteered for the most difficult assignments that come to the senate's attention. for example, saturday night it was late, and he -- we thought we may have to be in all night. and he volunteered to be here all night. he agreed to be here all night, and he did it because he said that's what i'm here for. so he served the people of montana admirably in the senate. i thank him for his service this past year. i thank his family, his wife janet, sons michael and taylor, granddaughter kennedy for their sacrifice in supporting his work here in washington, d.c. i wish him the very best. he was lieutenant governor of montana, a job i held in the past, and we talk about that. i don't know what the next

chapter of his life is going to be, but knowing the courage, integrity of john wall -- john walsh, it will be an important chapter. i would ask the chair to begin the calling of the caucus -- i'm sorry, so sorry. quorum call. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: i ask unanimous consent to vacate the quorum call and speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. wyden: madam president, senator thune and i are together going to talk about the internet tax freedom act, and before that, i want to spend a few minutes discussing senator rockefeller and his extraordinary accomplishments, and then i know senator thune, after he and i ar have talked at the internet tax freedom act, he is going to be making some additional remarks on some other areas. and i also want to commend him for one of those other areas: his work on charitable

contributions. he and i have led the effort to protect charitable donations. both of us don't consider charity some kind of tax loophole. we consider them a lifeline for the american people, so i look forward to senator thune's remarks on several issues. madam president, with respect to senator rockefeller, one of the challenges right now for some of us is to almost get our arms around the idea that senator rockefeller will no longer be serving in the united states senate. and this is especially a challenge for me because i remember watching senator rockefeller's work years before i had entered public life. right after i got out of law school, we started the oregon gray than percent.

i had a -- gray panthers. i had a full head of hair and rugged good looks. and we were passing around petitions for the wonderful work that senator rockefeller was doing on the elderly. he was in the van guard even then in the health care field. i know the presiding officer has been very interested in this: ensuring that there were more options for older people, particularly in the long-term care setting. we were passing petitions around, the gray panthers, back in those days, urging that americans and the senate all rally to senator rockefeller's work to ensure that there were more options to alternative care. senator rockefeller, as has been the case, was way, way ahead of

his time, and that's really the time when i began to really be a charter member of, i guess, the rockefeller grass-roots delegation that was sweeping the country for health care reform. as the presiding officer and our colleagues know, senator rockefeller's accomplishments in a number of fields have been exceptional. they span a host of issues, from cybersecurity to reducing violence on television to improving our transportation system and, of course, we've all seen his leadership in reining in some of the excesses of the c.i.a. he is a very strong supporter of the rank-and-file, the thousands of individuals who work in the intelligence field who are patriotic as it is possible to be, do wonderful work to protect

our people. and senator rockefeller has said that as they do that work, they're stronger when there's vigorous congressional oversight. and we're very grateful for his work. and i have sat next to him on the intelligence committee for many years and have watched his leadership there. today, though, as chairman of the senate finance committee, i want to focus in particular on senator rockefeller's work on that committee. i want to start by noting his service on the finance committee is really a family legacy. his great-grandfather nelson aldrich, the senator from rhode island, not only served on the finance committee but is often described as one of the committee's most distinguished chairs. on the committee, senator rockefeller has exercised similar influence. jay rockefeller has served on the senate finance committee for

28 years, longer than all but 11 other senators, and his tireless work on the committee has had a profound and positive impact. he has been a leader on maintaining a strong u.s. trade policy, with thinking creatively about asia, madam president, long before it became cool. and he also has been a great advocate for fairness in the tax system, something that i know many of us consider a special priority at this time. senator rockefeller has paid special attention to programs like the trade adjustment assistance program, including the health coverage tax credit, the earned-income tax credit, and the child tax credit. and that was drawn from recommendations in the national commission on children, which senator rockefeller, as is the

case so often, ably chaired. and so, just briefly, madam chair, i want to talk about the common denominator in these kinds of efforts. and it's really pretty direct, because it captures jay rockefeller's approach to public service and to life. reach out to those who don't have power and clout, those who don't have a lot of political influence and political action committees, and lend a hand, make a difference, and particularly for millions of americans who jay rockefeller gave voice to, now they have an opportunity -- millions of men, women, and children enjoy better lives and a more secure future because of jay rockefeller's strong moral compass.

now, as i touched on at the beginning, madam president, my first experience in watching, you know, jay rockefeller -- i'm of the view that health care is the area where senator rockefeller's legacy is going to be especially important. and, in a sense, jay rockefeller always captured the notion that if you and your loved ones don't have their health, it's pretty important to do anything -- it's pretty hard to do anything else. in other words, if you aren't feeling well, you're facing, you know, chronic illness, how do you jump up and enjoy the wonderful outdoors of oregon and wisconsin and west virginia? so, jay rockefeller always said that health care was a special priority for him, and, boy, you see it in a whole host of

accomplishments. jay rockefeller has been a leader in the fight against alzheimer's and other neurological conditions, he was a powerful and persistent voice, particularly in advocating for low-income americans in the affordable care actth, and i'm especially -- in the affordable care act, and i'm especially pleased to note today, along with senator hatch, they really played the key role in creating the children health insurance program. this is a program that i hope not only will be extended but also strengthened next congress. and as many members of this body know, jay rockefeller's work to protect and exar expand medicais without equal. so over the past half-century, you can count on one hand the

senators who have done an extraordinary amount to improve the health care of america, and when you look to that handful of senators, madam president, jay rockefeller is right at the top. and i started with a personal comment about jay rockefeller, madam president, and i want to end with one. when chairman baucus chose to take the ambassador position in china, where he is doing a fine job, jay rockefeller was next in line to replace chairman baucus. and, make no mistake about it, jay rockefeller would have been an outstanding chairman of the senate finance committee. but his decision to decline that

opportunity and to continue his work at the senate commerce committee allowed me to accept that position, the chairmanship of the finance committee and the responsibilities that has gone ahoppinalong with it. that kind of approach was really characteristic of jay rockefeller, not wanting to push himself out in front. as i've indicated, i told him he would have been a superb chairman of the senate finance committee. but i want to note, on a personal side, because i started on a personal side, my thanks to jay rockefeller. so i close simply by saying that now, as the chairman of the finance committee and in the years ahead, my goal there when we take up issues like health

care and tax fairness and a trade policy that lets us tap global markets but works for the middle-class worker, i will just say, madam president, my goal -- i think i.t. the goa it's the gr members of the senate finance committee -- it's our goal in the days ahead to live up to the high standards that senator jay rockefeller has set. with that, i yield the floor on my remarks about senator rockefeller and now for a few minutes, madam president, senator thune and i are going to talk about the internet tax freedom act and our involvement in it. the story about the internet tax freedom act, madam president, really starts in the 1990's, and this was a period when, i think,

policy-makers were starting to think about how do we lay out a framework for addressing the various challenges to ensure that the internet would tap its full potential, it's full potential for innovation, for commerce, for learning, for health care? and i want to make it clear, madam president, we weren't talking about inventing the internet. what we were talking about was laying out a set of policies to ensure that it would be possible for our country and for persons all around the world to tap the full potential of the net. and i got my start with former congressman from california, you know, chris cox, when we were

looking at the challenge of what would happen if a web site or a blog was held liable for something that was posted on the web. and the two of us, much like senator thune and i have done over the years on the tax freedom act, tried to really unspool all the implications and it became very back in the 1990's, madam president, that if a web site or a blog was held liable for something that was posted on the site, nobody would every gever go out and invest it we now know to be the social media, because the last thing they'd do is put their money into something where they'd be hit and hammered with all kinds of litigation and lawsuits. so our former colleague, chris cox, and i wrote the law that

ensured that a web site would not be held secondarily, you know, liable. in fact, at that time all of this was so new, madam president, that our approach, which relied on voluntary filters and the like to deal with smut, that and another approach that was more of the old-fashioned censorship approach, both of them went to the supreme court and the supreme court upheld our approach and struck down the other. and today if you talk to many people in the social media, they cite that law as really being the key that unleashed modern investment in the social media. because if you ran a web site or a blog, you knew you wouldn't be held secondarily liable over something that you couldn't control. so i think it's fair to say that congressman cox and i, i guess were kind of intoxicated about the fact that we had written

this law, it had been upheld by the supreme court, and we thought about what ought to go next in terms of trying to lay out a framework, as i've indicated, to tap the full potential of the net. and early on in our discussions, we came across a situation with respect to taxing the internet that was particularly troubling. and what we found was that if someone bought a subscription to a newspaper and they bought the on-line edition, they got hit with a big tax, but if they bought the off-line addition -- what we now call the snail mail addition -- they didn't get taxed. so congressman cox and i said, well, that's not going to help promote innovation, that's not going to allow the internet to grow, and it's just plain

discrimination. it's discriminating against the internet. it's singling the internet out, you know. you have to pay a tax if you buy the on-line edition of a publication. you don't have to pay a tax if you buy the snail mail edition. so we wrote the internet tax freedom act at that time to protect the openness and viability of the net as a platform for commerce, speech and the exchange of ideas. and as both senator thune and i have seen over our years of working together on this, this has become important to the millions of american citizens and businesses who depend on the net. and i think it would be fair to say, madam president, and senator thune and i have discussed this, it's likely that the internet would be subject to the same level of punitive taxation that is currently inflicted on wireless services without the legislation that we wrote.

without the internet tax freedom act, access to information in america would no longer be tax-free. access to on-line communication would no longer be tax-free. access to the global marketplace, so crucial to america's economic future, would no longer be tax-free. and the costs to consumers could be hundreds of dollars a year per household, which certainly is a burden to many working-class families who right now are walking on an economic tightrope trying to balance the food against the fuel and the fuel against the college costs and all the challenges we know for working-class families in wisconsin and oregon and across the country. so senator thune and i have been working together on this issue for a number of years and i want to thank him for our partnership over the years. and now we've gotten a bit of

seniority. we chaired a subcommittee on the finance committee and we really see these issues as central to economic competitiveness. this is what we need to grow and prosper. with more good-paying, high-skill, high-wage jobs for middle-class people. and that is why we have introduced together legislation that would really set our tax policy in this part of the economy into the 21st century. that is the digital goods and services tax fairness act. this legislation ensures that digital goods will continue to be treated fairly, consistently and predictably across state lines, just like their nondigital competitors. and because the internet tax freedom act has been temporary, senator thune and i authored new legislation to make the net tax-free permanently.

and our bill is cosponsored by more than half of our senate colleagues. most importantly -- and this is why i think we're on the assent in terms of support for our cause -- the house passed a permanent bill in july, putting the ball in the chamber's court here. this body could take up and pass our permanent legislation. the permanent legislation that senator thune and i have authored on a permanent basis if it chose to do so. but because the congress has become too reliant -- and we have certainly seen this in a number of areas -- on stop-and-go government, it was necessary to once again pass a yearlong extension as part of a larger bill. the extension, in my view, is certainly a positive step but in my view, it is clearly time, in

fact, it is long overdue, madam president, to enact a permanent law to guarantee the certainty and predictability to all who are seeking to innovate on-line, to the people in a garage where it's wisconsin or oregon or anywhere else, you have some sense of what the ground rules are going to be. that's what i sought to be part of in the 1990's when i mentioned some of those early days. that's why i'm so grateful for senator thune's leadership, because he's been a partner in this cause now for many years on the finance committee. our view is that a permanent law in this area would be hugely valuable to innovation, to the small businesses, to the people who have a good idea because it would provide them a new measure of certainty and predictability when they are looking at what's coming out of washington, d.c.

and we have temporary measures and we have measures that last a few weeks. senator thune and i want to get away from that so i'm very hopeful that next year a permanent -- a permanent version of the internet tax freedom act will be enacted. senator thune and i are going to continue to work together on a bipartisan basis until that is done and with that, madam president, i would yield the floor to my partner from south dakota and thank him for all his leadership. and i would yield the floor. mr. thune: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: madam president, i want to thank my colleague from oregon, senator wyden, for his continued leadership on this issue and i do want to mention, because he did in his first remarks, echo what he said about our departing colleague, senator rockefeller. i have had the opportunity to serve as his ranking republican on the senate commerce committe and have really enjoyed serving with him during his chairmanship and learned a lot.

he's someone who has great experience here, 36 years in the senate. i've been here now for 10. so i have a lot to learn from people like senator rockefeller. and we did some good things together. we just recently here got through the senate a cybersecurity bill that the commerce committee had passed earlier this year. satellite television reauthorization this year, which ended up being -- it's always somewhat controversial to move that legislation but we were successful in getting that ultimately enacted this year. we moved an s.t.b. reauthorization bill, surface transportation board, that had some rail reforms in it out of the commerce committee; unfortunately didn't get it considered here on the floor of the senate. but had hearings on numerous issues that are under the jurisdiction of the commerce committee. and i appreciate so chairman rockefeller's leadership, his service here. like him, ily co- fro i come frl state, we shared a lot of things in common, came from small

communities and represented people who work hard, just want a fair break, want to make sure athat the people they elect to represent them in washington, d.c., are staying focused on the issues that are important to their livelihood. so i appreciate his leadership on those issues. and i have to say that he stands tall among our colleagues. i think he probably has the distinguished as being the tallest united states senator. the senator from oregon, senator wyden and i, are not far behind. but if senator rockefeller ever stood up all the way, i think he'd have us by several inches. and so the tall guy caucus here in the united states senate will be less represented when senator rockefeller departs. and i've always enjoyed his sense of humor and the way in which he approaches the job and the passion that he feels for public service. and so we wish him well in his retirement and thank him for a long and distinguished career here in the united states senate. i want to say to my colleague from oregon that he is, as he

mentioned earlier, he was the pioneer on this issue. you go back to 1998, when he worked with former congressman chris cox, and that was the original internet tax freedom act. and i'm hopeful that both our permanent bill, which senator wyden mentioned, the itfa bill, and our digital goods and services tax fairness act, could be considered as early as possible in the next congress. and the senator from oregon, senator wyden, is the chairman of the senate finance committee, a very powerful committee here in the congress and will continue his leadership in the next session of congress as the ranking democrat on that committee and so he'll be a very influential voice on all of these issues, tax matters, trade matters, health care matters, the finance committee has a very broad jurisdiction. but it's really important that we get this part right. you know, if you look at what most americans have dealt with when it comes to internet service, they've not been taxed on internet access for 16 years

due to the internet tax freedom act moratorium that senator wyden and senator cox were able to get instituted back in 1998. that moratorium's been extended three times and it's been critical to the rapid growth of the internet. but all this would change if we allow the internet tax freedom act to expire. now, we were able to get through the end of this next fiscal year, which will be september 30 of next year, an extension of the moratorium, but the fact of the matter is, madam president, as senator wyden has mentioned, we need permanency with regard to this tax policy. we need certainty. we need predictability. we need people in this country to know, american families to know that they're not going to be hit with a substantial tax as a result of the lapse of this particular piece of legislation. if you look at what it could do to the average american family, the average state telecommunications tax rate is roughly 12%. so imagine a married couple with two children, where everyone in

the family has a phone with a $50 data plan. well, currently the internet tax freedom act prevents taxes auton this data plan on states that didn't have those prior to this law's enactment. but if this law expires, this family of four would be likely to see at least a $20 increase in their monthly phone bill, meaning a tax increase of more than $200 a year. knewnow, for families strugglino make ends meet, as senator wyden pointed out, this is real money. and this tax increase would not just be bad for american families and american consumers. it would also be bad for the american economic -- for american economic competitiveness because we know that higher costs for the deployment of high-speed internet will mean a slower roll-out of this technology. this is especial believe the case in rural america, where the cost of deploying high-speed internet service is often much

higher than in urban or suburban areas. by keeping the cost of internet access as low as possible, we help to encourage the continued use of the internet as a source of economic growth, creativity and not on newership. as the incoming chairman of the senate commerce committee i'm committed to increasing connectivity through this country whether through the universal service fund by getting additional spectrum into the hands of the private sector or by providing regulatory certainty to encourage broadband buildout our committee is going to be looking at available options to make sure americans have access to high-quality internet. unfortunately if the federal government allows new taxes to be levied on internet access, we risk canceling out our other efforts to get more americans online. madam president, this just doesn't make any sense. we all need to be growing -- or i should say we need to be rogue

in rogue -- need to be rolling in the same direction if our country is to be engaged in the connected ecosystem. earlier this year, as senator wyden pointed out, we passed a bill to go forward. i'm hoping next year we will move on a much longer term extension as well as other measures that promote the digital economy such as the digital goods services tax fairness act i mentioned earlier. as incoming chairman of the commerce committee, i'm looking forward to a new agenda next congress, one that's optimistic and forward-leaning. it's an agenda that recognizes that the dynamism in our economy today should not be a source of concern but rather a source of opportunity for jobs, for growth, and for economic freedom. in my view, this agenda begins with support for the internet tax freedom act.

and that is why, madam president, i am pleased that the bill that we just passed saturday evening extends the internet tax freedom act through september of 2015 so we can have a debate next year about how we promote the internet economy with all of its benefits on a much more permanent basis. i look forward to working with my colleague from oregon, senator wyden, and senators on both sides who i think care deeply about this critical issue moving forward early in the next congress. as the senator from oregon mentioned, there are, i think, half of the members of the united states senate who are cosponsors of this bill. that suggests to me obviously that there is broad bipartisan support for what we're talking about doing here. and i also look forward to working with senator wyden on other issues that are important to the digital economy. dig. tral trade is -- digital trade is something he and i negotiated on as well.

the t.t.p. as well as the t-tip trade agreements with europe all need to include important protections for the digital economy as one of the areas in our economy where we actually have a trade surplus because of american ingenuity and know-how and innovation we continue to lead the world in this area. we need to make sure that we not only are protecting, putting in place the important safeguards here in this country against taxing these services but also ensuring that we have access to other markets around the world where we know american know-how and american ingenuity and creativity can lead the way. so i look very much forward in the next congress to working to continue to work with my colleague from oregon on these important matters so that we can continue to see middle-income families in this country benefit from the gains and productivity that come, the hopefully higher

standard of living, better take-home way, better job opportunities that come with a robust, vibrant digital economy that enables our broader economy to continue to make great gains. so, madam president, i thank the senator from oregon, senator wyden, for his leadership on this issue both past and present and i look forward to working with him as we try in the future to make sure that those gains are protected and that we move even further in the direction of economic freedom when it comes to the internet. madam president, with that, i would like to shift gears and speak, if i might, for just a moment about another issue which i think is very important to our overall economy and very important to a lot of people across this country, both those who give to, empower charitable giving in this country and those who benefit from it. last week the house of representatives voted on a piece

of legislation that would empower americans to give more to charity. the legislation would accomplish this by making permanent three tax incentives for charitable giving that have been in law on a temporary basis. all three of these tax provisions have historically enjoyed strong bipartisan support. first, the bill would make permanent the law allowing individuals 70 1/2 years of age and older to donate up to $100,000 of their individual retirement accounts to charity without incurring a tax penalty for doing so. second, the bill would make permanent the enhanced deduction for food inventory, thus encouraging businesses to donate food that might otherwise go to waste to food pantries and other organizations that help to feed the hungry. finally, the bill would make permanent certain tax rules that make it easier for farmers and other landowners to donate land for conservation purposes, thus

helping to preserve america's natural habitat. this last provision, i might add, is included in president obama's 2015 budget. these are commonsense measures that will help to promote what i believe is a core element of the american experience, and that is private citizens helping friends and neighbors in their time of need. what could be more appropriate during this season of giving than the government making it a little bit easier for americans to lend a helping hand? unfortunately, this christmas season the obama administration has a different message for america's charities and the millions of individuals they serve, and that message is bah-humbug. that's right. instead of working with us to help america's charities the obama administration promised to veto this bill should it pass the house and senate. apparently the president is so opposed to any new tax relief, he's decided to oppose a bill with significant bipartisan

support. let's be clear that this measure is not some budget-busting bill. in fact, this bill would provide about $1 billion per year in tax relief to americans who donate to charity which would have almost no impact on a federal budget of nearly $4 trillion. one measure of the bipartisan nature of this legislation is the fact that the democrat chairman of the tax writing finance committee, senator wyden, who was here just briefly a moment ago, supports this measure. in fact, chairman wyden recently indicated that he hoped we could get this measure to the president's desk quickly. he stated -- and i quote -- "my view is we'll pass it as a clean bill and send it on to the president. i really don't see a lot of controversy." unquote from, as i said, chairman of the senate finance committee. unfortunately, where senator wyden and along where many of colleagues from both parties see

an opportunity to get something meaningful enacted before the end of this year this white house sees yet another opportunity for gridlock. so, madam president, i just would say i strongly believe that promoting charitable giving should be a high priority. earlier this year senator wyden and i circulated a letter signed by 33 of our senate colleagues to then-finance chairman baucus and ranking member hatch urging them not to weaken the charitable tax deduction in any tax reform effort. as a member of the finance committee, i haven't signed many letters on tax reform as i generally believe that everything needs to be on the table. however, i made an exception when it came to charitable giving because i believe so strongly that promoting charity is an integral part of who we are as a nation. much like the deduction for charitable contributions, the

provisions of the supporting america's charities act represent important means by which to encourage americans to give more to charitable organizations. fortunately due to opposition from the president this legislation fell a few votes short of passage last week in the house when it was considered under suspension of the rules, which is a process that requires a two-thirds majority vote. that being said, madam president, i intend to introduce similar legislation early next year, and i strongly urge the president of the united states to reconsider what i believe is his misguided opposition to these very worthy provisions. i hope the administration will join us in a spirit of goodwill toward all men and women, especially those of our fellow citizens most in need of

assistance. madam president, i want to finally speak today regarding a bill that i'm very pleased has moved through this congress, and that is -- or i should say it will be moving shortly. that is the achieving a better life or experience or able act. this bill will assist individuals with disabilities by creating a mechanism to achieve long-term personal savings, something that individuals with disabilities are effectively prohibited from doing today under current law. the able act would create tax-favored savings accounts for people with disabilities and would not count toward the $2,000 individual asset limits that apply to the supplemental security income programs. the able act would allow individuals with disabilities and their families to save money to pay for qualified disability expenses such as education, a primary residence, transportation and other personal support expenses.

this legislation helps achieve a world where disabilities are no longer viewed as a limiting factor as individuals plan for jobs or school and for family life. it helps achieve a world where federal policies no longer impede individuals with disabilities from achieving their dreams. and it helps give parents peace of mind as they think about what the future holds for their children. i've met with many families on this issue, and one story in particular stands out. it's the story of tim and jamie deales from dakota tsunis. they have three sons and -- did- dakota dunes and they have three sons. the able act is the most far-reaching piece of legislation to help individuals with disabilities in nearly 25 years. and i'm proud to be a cosponsor.

long hours and intense effort shaped this legislation into a package that helps americans with disabilities and is fiscally responsible as well. i'm proud to support the able academy as modified. i look forward to passage of this legislation later this week as part of the tax extenders legislation. madam president, with that i yield the floor. mr. nelson: madam president in. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. nelson: madam president, before the senator from south dakota leaves the floor, let this senator say that i am looking forward to working with him since he will be our chairman of the commerce committee next year. i will have the privilege of being the ranking member.

we've got a fairly full plate of things that must be done: f.a.a. reauthorization, telecommunications rewrite. fortunately it looks like we've just done a coast guard bill, but there can always be tweaks to that. a host of things. we're way behind on nasa reauthorization. and fortunately we've been able to build on the nasa reauthorization that was done in 2010, but that needs to be updated. there's all kinds of consumer legislation as we get into the things like these thorny issues of the internet access. it's going to take some real

bipartisan cooperation. and in my discussions with the future chairmanman, senator thune, i'm looking forward to working with him on this very important committee. madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: madam president, i know the senator from florida has things he wants to talk about but i want to take this opportunity to mention as well i very much look forward to working with him. i think we have the potential for a real foundation, hopefully for accomplishment in our committee. the senator from florida is somebody who i think has an interest in working in a bipartisan way to get things done for our country. i know of his great interest in being from florida, in the space program, in nasa, in oceans. oceans is not an issue we have a lot to deal with in south dakota but it's an issue that our committee deals with and it's an issue that's very important to a lot of our colleagues on the committee as well as to the

senator from florida. so i welcome the opportunity to work with him. as he mentioned these are tough, thorny issues, telecommunications issues, transportation issues, highway bill, perhaps something on rail. there is a whole range of jurisdiction that fall under the commerce committee that is going to require an extraordinary level of not only support from members of our committee but a willingness on the part of the, those of us, the senator from florida and i who hopefully can craft that agenda to really get some things done for this country. so i appreciate his kind words and would reciprocate by just saying how much i look forward to working with him and to hopefully a real record of accomplishment as we get into this next year. and so i thank the senator from florida for his kind words and let him know that we'll be doubling down next year, working as hard as we can to put some points on the scoreboard that is

good not just -- just for the state of florida, the state of south dakota but for america and for our economy, because we have so many things under our jurisdiction in the commerce committee that really contribute to a stronger and more vibrant and robust economy in this country. mr. nelson: madam president, i want to speak about a tax bill coming up that is fairly necessary for the country. the senator from south dakota and i have the privilege also of serving on the finance committee, and there is an example where we just haven't been able to get a lot done, and now here we are at the 11th hour and 59th minute with a whole bunch of provisions that are extremely important to american taxpayers about to expire, such as the research and development tax credit.

american businesses and american taxpayers would like to have some certainty of knowing as they are doing their planning for the year that they can plan on this or that deduction or tax credit, and here for the entire past year we have not had etched in law because it's expired a number of these tax deductions and credits that i'm going to go through but the r&d tax credit is just one example. and so how in the world can american business and the american taxpayers plan? take, for example, the senator has a state where agriculture is predominant. so does this senator. there are a number of ranchers in the state of florida that

want to donate a conservation easement on their property to keep that property in this case of ranching families that have been ranching for centuries, and they want that way of life to continue. there's an interest in the environmental restoration, for example, the everglades restoration that the headwaters that ultimately flow to the everglades be preserved from being developed so there is an interest in the environment to obtain the development rights or a conservation easement. and it is clearly in the interests of the taxpayer likewise to obtain that conservation easement because that's the easiest way of cleaning up the water that

ultimately flows into the everglades, so the conservation easement is a win, win, win. it's a win for the rancher, it's a win for the taxpayer, and it's a win for the environment. but the poor ranchers, because we have not passed the tax extenders bill, here they are at the end of the year. they would like to make the donation of the conservation easement, and how are they going to get it done in the next couple of weeks if we don't pass it up until almost the midnight hour? it's just another example, and i look forward to working with the senator from south dakota. i hope we can pass that this week so at least some of it can be salvaged before the end of

this tax year. and i have given you two examples. i'll give you another one. the wind energy production tax credit. it provides a credit for electricity produced by the wind. well, there's a lot of wind out in the middle of this country. it's a good way to produce electricity. it's called renewable electricity. it's brought our electricity sector into the 21st century. it's reduced our dependence on carbon-based electricity. it makes sense. you go to a country like denmark. look how many windmill -- i still call them windmills. they are wind turbines. they are highly sophisticateed, finely tuned machine blades that

will take the least big of wind and turn that big blade that is hundreds of feet long, and as it turns, it's generating electricity. and yet, for the entire past year, people who want to establish these wind farms, they don't have any certainty that they have been able to get this wind energy production tax credit. that's the purpose for the tax credit, is to give the businesses an incentive to establish wind farms which, number one, becomes a win for the environment. number two, becomes a win for the business that's in the business of wind energy production, and number three,

becomes a win for the consumers because it's weaning us from just producing electricity from a carbon-based fuel that ultimately sends co2 into the atmosphere. and you know what's happening with a lot of co2 up there. it creates the greenhouse effect as the sun's rays come in and bounce off the surface of the earth and reflect or radiate back out into space, suddenly the glass ceiling, the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases traps that heat, and what happens? the increasing temperature of the planet, 90% of that heat is

absorbed in the oceans, and as a result you're seeing the sea level rise, and for a state like mine, the state of florida, nasa has measured over the last 50 years not forecast, not projections, measurements, 5-8 inches in south florida on sea level rise. by the way, check the papers. yesterday the pumps didn't work. alton road in miami beach was flooded. the mayor of miami beach when he was campaigning a year ago, he went in a kayak on alton road as a demonstration of how the sea level rise at high tide is flooding the streets of miami

beach. sea level rise. so it brings me back to this extenders tax bill that we need to pass this week. the wind energy production tax credit. i'll give you another example. the work opportunity tax credit which encourages people that work to hire disadvantaged people. it provides a tax credit for businesses who hire people who have a difficult time of getting a job. it encourages the private sector to help these folks get out of a difficult spot in their lives because they have disadvantages to become independent, to stand on their own two feet because they can go to work.

that's the purpose of a tax credit for work opportunity, but that hasn't been in effect all this year, 2014. we pass this tax extenders bill, it will retroactively take it back to the first of the year and make this tax credit as these others that i have mentioned available as people are calculating their federal income tax for the calendar year 2014. if you don't roll over i.r.a.'s to charities. now, this is what that is. when you get to a certain age -- and i believe the age is 70 -- and you have an i.r.a., by law

setting up the i.r.a.'s, which are nontaxable. you recall all the years you have put money into those i.r.a.'s, you put that money in before you pay tax on that. now, when you bring that money out of the i.r.a.'s that you have been selling -- that you have all of your life, you're going to pay your tax, and that more than likely is going to be during your retirement years. that's when an an i.r.a. is for -- that's when an i.r.a. is for. it's called an individual retirement account. well, by law, under the i.r.a. law, when you get to be 70, you have to start taking out a certain amount of that i.r.a. we have had a provision in the

tax code that is an incentive to give that money that you have to take out, it's an incentive to give it to charity. and therefore, it provides an easier way for people who have to take the money out of their retirement accounts to give that money to charity because when you take it out, it doesn't become taxable before you give it to the charity. in other words, it's a transfer of the tax-free dollars in the i.r.a. over directly to charity. it's a win for the taxpayer. and it is a win for the charitable organizations because there is an incentive there to give that money to charitable

organizations. if we don't pass this tax extenders bill, that's not available for all of this year of 2014. think what that's going to do to some charities and what it's going to be doing to taxpayers who have been planning on that and suddenly find that it's not available. well, let me give you another example. there are a few states, maybe a half a dozen, that do not have a state income tax, but often the state government is in fact funded by the state sales tax. my state of florida is one of those states. the state of washington is another. the state of texas is another.

and there are about three others. therefore, if you're in a state that has a state income tax and you're calculating your federal income tax, you can deduct the state income tax in the calculation of the federal income tax. well, what about the poor people in the states that don't have a state income tax? they should be able to deduct the similar tax that we pay in our states, the state sales tax, and that provision has been there in the tax code but it's not in there for 2014 because it lapsed, and we need to re-enact it, and this is not a way to run

a railroad in tax policy, but unfortunately because it has the word tax to it, it seems to be radioactive and as a result we have to wait until the 11th hour and the 59th minute to pass it, and i certainly hope that we will pass it this week. well, let me give you another example. the deduction for mortgage insurance premiums. you know, when you get a mortgage at the bank, you want to buy a home, the bank negotiates and sets up a mortgage so that you can buy the home. most of the banks will require you to take out an insurance policy should you fail to pay on that mortgage. we've always had t