ers, emergency managers and law enforcement. the bill also provides for research and development t.s.a.'s aviation security screening operations, the federal law enforcement training center and e-verify, which supports businesses across the u.s. in hiring legal workers. as indicated previously, what this bill does not fund is -- the presiding officer: all time on debate for this motion has expired. mr. hoeven: i ask for one minute to complete my remarks. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. hoeven: as indicated previously what this bill does not fund is the president's executive action and rightly so. mr. president, since we haven't had regular order in the chamber in years it seems that there may be some reluctance to allow the senate to work as it's designed to do. to proceed to legislation so that we as a legislative body can engage in a healthy debate. it is time the senate proceed to d.h.s. -- this d.h.s. appropriations bill without

further delay. and i urge my colleagues to vote for proceeding to h.r. 240 the d.h.s. appropriations bill. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will now report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion. we the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby prove to bring to close debate on the motion to proceed to h.r. 240 making appropriations for the department of homeland security for the fiscal year ending september 30 2015. signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is: is it the sense of the senate that debate on the motion to proceed to h.r. 240 an act making appropriations for the department of homeland security for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2015 and for other purposes, shall be brought to a close?

the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will now call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 47, the nays are 46. three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is not agreed to. the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: mr. president i enter a motion to -- could we have order. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. the senate will be in order. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell:: mr. president i enter a motion to reconsider

the vote. the presiding officer: the motion is interred. -- the motion is entered. a senator: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: mr. president today democrats voted to continue blocking funding for the department of homeland security to protect actions president obama referred to himself as ignoring the law. the vote came after -- after -- a federal judge enjoined the administration from moving ahead with that overreach. i was certainly glad to see that court decision. the issue will continue winding its way through the courts. in the meantime, congress is trying to do what it can and yet even democrats who previously have been critical of the president -- quote -- "ignoring the law" voted again today to defend his overreach.

now, my preference -- my preference is still to debate and pass the funding legislation that's currently before us. it's already passed the house. it's the simplest and easiest way forward. and if democrats think it needs to be amended i'm sure they'll try to do that. but first, we need to bring it to the floor. as long as democrats continue to prevent us from even doing that the new bill i described offers another option we can turn to. it's another way to get the senate unstuck from a democratic filibuster and move the debate forward. so in that regard mr. president, -- excuse me -- i understand there's a bill at the desk and i ask its first reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bill for the first time. the clerk: s. 534 a bill to prohibit funds from being used to carry out certain executive

actions related to immigration and for other purposes. midnight i now ask for a second reading and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14 i object to my own request. the presiding officer: objection having been heard the bill will be read the on the next legislative day. mr. mcconnell: mr. president i understand there's a bill at the desk and i ask its first reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title. bill. the clerk: s. 535 a bill to promote energy efficiency. mr. mcconnell: i ask for a second reading and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the productions of rule 14 i object to my own request. the presiding officer: objection having been heard the bill will be required red for a second time on the next

legislative day. mr. mcconnell: i ask when the senate completes its business it adjourning until 10:00 a.m., february 24, the journal of proceedings be approved to date and the time for the two leaders reserved for their use later in the day. following leader remarks, the senate will be in a period of morning business until 12:30 with senators permitted to speak therein for ten minutes each and the first hour be equally divided with the democrats controlling the first half and the republicans controlling the final half. i further ask the senate recess from 1:30 to 2:15 to allow for the weekly conference meetings. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: if there's no further business to come before the senate i ask that it stand adjourned following the remarks of senators merkley and coons for up to 10 minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i suggest the

absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call: