health policy advisor, katie simmion, heath rutledge and becky shipp. and i want to extend my gratitude to the staff of the health, education, labor and pensions committee, senator alexander has done a marvelous job there but his staff -- including staff director dare cleary, his deputy staff director, lindsey sideman, his senior policy advisor and health counsel, liz rowe and health policy director mary sumter-lipinsky. i also need to thank the former budget staff people who lent their expertise to this, particularly bill hogland. we're in a process that may help with some of the future accounting for projects. that's to do some budget reform. a lot of people have talked about budget reform. we've been doing hearings on budget reform and we believe putting together a bill and to make that a bipartisan bill

we'll have it go into effect in 2017. at that point nobody will know who will be in the majority, so we'll all work to have a process that will be fair to both sides, just in case we happen to be in the minority or the other side happens to be in the minority. so we have a lot of people from bothsideboth sides that have bek on that issue. we'll hold a number of hearings and hopefully come up with a process where we can get rid of old programs, eliminate duplication, make the programs we have be far better. some of people that have worked on that in the past have been senator domenici, senator greg who was the chairman of the budget committee, senator patti murray, who was the chairman of the budget committee, and one of the early ones, senator phi phil gramm who has donated some of his time to come and work with both sides to take a look at some of the future economic problems. he's one of the foremost

economic predictors, so that we can make sure that all of those things will come together as we work on future budgets. of course i'd be grossly in error if i didn't mention the house chairman of the budget committee, tom price. he and i have been et mooing at least-- --he and i have been meeting at least once a week with our staffs and koord canadianing what's been done on boun sides, both from a process standpoint, from a policy standpoint, from a bill standpoint, from a budget standpoint, and i think that paid off in what we have seen tonight. but last and particularly not least, i need to thank the parliamentarians. i need to thank elizabeth mcdonough, lee hilldebrand, thomas cuffy, some unsung heroes of the united states senate who do a nonpartisan job for us, kind of refereeing when asked.

when you're doing a reconciliation bill, you're forced to scvment i had no idea what the process was and the difficulty and the time that's involved, but all of that was spent by the parliamentarians. we're all familiar that -- with the rule book, which is in every wurcone of these desks and about this thick. that's a small part of it. in their office they have file cacabinets full of press dejtse. if you're drafting a bill that has to meet the kind of rules and the tight constraints that a reconciliation bill has, they have to meet with you on a regular basis to give their opinion and review all of these precedents to see if it can be put together the way that you think that it ought to be put together to be sure that when it comes to the floor, it can be voted on and when it's done it actually is a bill that will possible to go to the president's desk.

so i thank the parliamentarians from presiding officer before. i know the tremendous job they do of advising whoever sits in the president's chaimplet but this was a whole new level of strurks as i found out all of the things that they have to have as a part of their knowledge. and i really appreciate the effort that they go to, the knowledge that they already have, and the important role that they played in this process. so i know i left out a lot of people, but to anybody that participated in it i want to thank them for their efforts and hope that out of all of these budget processes what we come up with is a better america. i yield the floor and thank the chairman. mr. inhofe: mr. president? the presiding officer: the sphror oklahoma. mr. inhofe: met me first of all thank the senator from -- let me first of all thank the senator from wyoming. it is interesting that every time we're involved in something it can be reconciliation, it commerce committee the budget, it be the high billification

he's always in the center and has always been the anchor that holds us all together. we appreciate that so much. we'll recognize the senator from washington, senator cantwell. ms. cantwell: thank you, mr. chairman. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. ms. cantwell: i rise to thank my colleagues hoff who worked so hard on this transportation package we just voted on and to thank chairman inhofe and senator boxer for their hard work and also chairman thune and senator nelson from the commerce committee for their hard work. the last thing i would have predicted at the beginning of this year is that senator boxer would have joined forces with senator mcconnell to force through a transportation package that many of us probably thought wasn't even a reality. and i just want to thank the gentlewoman from california because i think there are times

in everybody's career where you have to decide that you are going to stand up and push forward no matter how many arrows are shot in their back or how many questions people ask. autograph vision of a path you see and you realize that at the end that you think you can produce a package that will really be good for americ. and that's what senator boxer has done. she has produced a package that will not only be a great legacy for an already great career but will be the very, very anecdote that we need right now to aeconomy -- to an economy that is greatly challenged by a lack of infrastructure investment. i say that because the senator from california and i both represent west coast states who see asia as a great economic opportunity, who have many ports up and down our state. we probably have the top one,

and two, and three, and four ports on the west coast as far as volume. and the key thing that we know is that our own quadrennial review of energy products said to us that we can't even move product because we compete so much with our rails, with our highways. so for the first time in this legislation, the united states of america will have a national freight policy, and that national freight strategic plan will say that we have to identify the freight network that is most critical to moving product through the united states of america and to those ports and that we should have a program to give a priority of funding to those projects on a multimodal basis that are going to help get u.s.-made products outside of the united states and to the markets that need to be delivered. so i thank, again, senator thune and senator nelson for fileting-

for fighting for these provisions in the commerce committee bill that got merged into this package and to all the staff on both sides of the aisle from the commerce committee and to senator boxer and senator inhofe for including this. i know that many times i ran into staff in the hall and they said, yeah, we know freight can't wait, which was kind of a moniker that we had come to talk about because freight really can't wait. and if we're not shipping it in a timely fashion from north america, from the united states, i guarantee you product will be delivered to asia or to europe from someplace else and we will lose business. so the fact that the united states congress and the senate tonight has understood that our infrastructure needs a shot in the arm to move freight and to establish this policy, i know, is going it pay dividends for us. so thank you very much for making sure that that provision

was in this legislation. very, very key moment for us in looking at the fact that we are an exporter and that we want our products to reach markets in a timely fashion. i also want to thank the secretary of transportation because he gets this policy. and the national advisory committee that he had had on freight that is going to also make permanent os par as part os process will be very, very helpful for us in identifying the projects and using the resources that are in this legislation to move forward. i also want to say, mr. president, how happy and grateful i am that the resolution of the export-import bank is finally over tonight and finally will resolve in the fact that the bank will be reauthorized for four years. there are hundreds of millions of dollars of projects that need

to be approved, and they can hopefully start moving through the process. i will point out that the board needs nominees to fill the vacancies, and we should get that done so that we can finish this process. but the fact that we are making a commitment for four years to the strategy that, yes, we want to move producted, yes, we want to build things and ship thefer them to overseas markets, whether grain sigh loarks airplanes, whether they're music stands, whether they're tractors, whatever they are, we want to build them and we want them to reach developing countries and international markets and we're going to make sure that the credit agencies that assist bankers in finalizing those deals exist and we're making that commitment for four years. so if there's anybody that has arrows in their back over that, i also thank you for continuing to fight to make sure that we go to through this process. my colleagues know that both a

majority of people in the house, a majority of republican supported this idea and finally got their ideas heard through a discharge petition and a majority of the united states senate supported this position. so i hope that people who have allowed this process to finally take place will understand how valuable the freight provision and the export bank provision is for us as a country to continue our export strategy. our strategy is to build great products and to sell them to a developing world. 95% of consumers are outside the united states. so let's sell product. but we have to fix our tbra to o fix our infrastructure to do it. we have to make sure credit is vaiblg. and we have to move forward on the other policies that will help with us this strategy. so again i want to say how

grateful i am. i will tell you i don't think it is a perfect bill but everybody understands it is not a perfect bism but i want to change the gentlewoman from california for her decision to take what is a challenging process and persevere hon an investment strategy that each and every wurconeof us would have writtena different one you go got us to the goal of making a critical infrastructure at a time of being able to move products to customers around the globe. again, i thank the staff on both committees, on both sides of the aisle and everybody that was involved in making these policies a reality. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

mr. inhofe: mr. president? the presiding officer: the 12340r frothesenator from oklah. mr. inhofe: i just want to address very briefly the comments that were made by one of the senators earlier on how bad this bill is. i think it's important for us to understand that shows you how difficult a bill like this is, because you're facing things and accusations -- it's the kind of thing that people want to believe, but it is just not true. and we don't have the things that sound good -- you know, the export-import bank, i agree. that's something i had to sexul loavment i opposed the bank every opportunity i've had for the last 20 years. yet this is a huge bism this is the largest bill in 17 years. and the most important part of this to me is those who criticize it fail to realize that when we take an oath of office, we hold up our hand, every senator does, to uphold

the constitution of the united states, it says in there in the constitution, the only two things that we are mandated to do in article 1, section 8, is to defend america and roads and bridges. now, ever since 1956 when eisenhower came and did the national bill, the national highway system, it's been successful. but where we've dropped the ball is we've been failing to have the transportation reauthorization bills that take into consideration all the things that we're supposed to do. these are things that we're supposed to do in accordance with the constitution. you know, it's easy for me to say this because i have been ranked the most conservative member many times, probably more than inelse has, but i recognize that we do have this responsibility. and having said that, let me just state -- i agree with the comments made by the majority leader and by senator boxer. she and i have disagreed more than we've agreed on things. but we've gone through a couple

of these bills together and people look at us and think, you know, if both of them want to do this, there must be something good about tt i've enjoyed work welcome senator boxer. it has been my honor to do it. and we've actually shocked a lot of people on how well we get along. that's not going to happen after this bill. but it did before. let me just do this. i want to thank some people and i appreciate the fact that the senator from wyoming recognizes his staff. i look around here and i see these two guys. they're up more nights all night long than they were sleeping all night long. and this is for a long period of time. we've been work on this for a long time. this -- it's a result of months and months of really hard work. in particular i want to hold up the senator alex hairgut right over here. he was sort of driving this thing. shant boyodgen is one who does

maybe the hardest part because that's the actual road part and he's the expert that pulled that through. and and we had chi a kaufman, susan bodine, danielle harter, dante litinder, senator boxer's team of david napaoello -- i never get that right but i've enjoyed work with you and that's pretty close, isn't it. this is funny, i could talk to david just like i talk to one of our people here. we all had the same thing -- the concerns that we had. and so it makes it that much easier. andrew dorman, jason arbretton, and i would say and include also so many others. but i see that senator boxer is still here and i'd like to go ahead and just conclude this right now, that i know you want to recognize some of the people that worked so hard in your shop. and we worked together, shocked a lot of.

so i'll go ahead and yield to you on this. mrs. boxer: i thank you. mr. president, thank you so much. i know it's late and i know we're all exhausted, but you've got to mark a moment and i think that this bill was such a monumental effort and the staffs that we're mentioning, senator inhofe is right, they were working constantly. the reason i know is i called them constantly, whether -- and senator inhofe is right again, i called my staff, i called his staff, i called senator thune's staff, i called everybody's staff. right? drove them crazy. and one time my little granddaughter was there and i was getting into a bit of an altercation with a senator from the house -- i'm sorry, a member from the house and i said to my granddaughter, i whispered, tell him to help your grandmother.

so she got on the phone and said, "please help my grandmother." she had no idea and the gentleman on the other end said, "ooh, boy, you're tough. okay." and we got through that night all right. so i'm going to ask unanimous consent to place my entire statement in the record. it includes every group in america that's for this. it would take too long to read their names. they are incredible, from working people to businesses. everybody came together. and i am going to also thank the hauch family who helped us write the safe rental car act. and in closing, i am going to read these names on my team, batina poret, david napoello, tyler rushforth, ted ilston, mary kerr, keith gilman, collin mccarthy. from senator inhofe's team, i have to mention him again, alex hurgut, brian jackson, shawn

boyogien, susan bodine, andrew kneelly, chia kaufman. leader mcconnell, hazen marshall, many others. for the banking committee staff, i want to thank mark powden, shannon heinz, jennifer dece. for senator nelson, kim lipsky, brandon kaufman. for senator thune, dave scwieg either, adrienne articus, allison cullen, patricia fuchs. we worked together, we forged real friendships. i'll never forget this as long as i live. i am grateful to everyone. and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: without objection, the materials will be placed in the record. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask the chair to lay before the senate the conference report accompanying s. 1177.

the presiding officer: the chair lays before the senate the conference report to accompany s. 1177, which the clerk will report. the clerk: the committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two houses on the amendment of the senate to the bill s. 1177, to reauthorize the elementary and secondary education act of 1965 to ensure that every child achieves having met have agreed that the house recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the house and agree to the same with an amendment and the house agree to a same. signed by a majority of the conferees on the part of both houses. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion. we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 2 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the conference report to accompany s. 1177, an act to reauthorize the elementary and secondary education act of 1965 to ensure that every child achieves. signed by 17 senators as follows.

mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the reading of the names be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask the mandatory quorum be waived with respect to the cloture motion. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: now, 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 of the bill for the first time. the clerk: s. 2359, a bill to restore second amendment rights in the district of columbia. mr. mcconnell: i now ask for its 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 for a second time on the next legislative day. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the committee on the judiciary be discharged from further consideration of s. 2032 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 2032, a bill to adopt the bison as the national mammal of the united states.

the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i now ask unanimous consent that at 5:00 p.m. on monday, december 7, the senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination, calendar number 214. that there be 30 minutes of debate on the nomination and following the use or yielding of time, the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate. that following disposition of the nomination, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. that no further motions be in order to the nomination, that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the record, that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action and the senate then resume legislative session. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: so, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 2:00 p.m. monday,

december 7. following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day. further, following leader remarks, the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. finally, at 5:00 p.m., the senate proceed to executive session as under the previous order. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: so, if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until

members then passed a highway funding bill by a vote of 83-16, with 14 republicans and two democrats voting no on the highway measure. live coverage of the u.s. senate always here on c-span2. >> booktv has 48 hours of nonfiction books and authors every weekend on c-span2. saturday afternoon at 2:00. the vegas valley book festival in las vegas. features author talks on race, free speech, and the american west. >> a fantastic word, tragic, invented by an australian anthropologi3'c" ñ and it is the unconsolable loss of a place that you know that has been pulled out from under your feet. you feel nostalgia for a place you have been, where you grew up. so where you're standing still and then watching the landscape out of the front of your windshield or your living room

window go away. >> and at 10:00 p.m., gilbert gall examines the business culture of college football. >> i don't think the players in a few years are going to be satisfied with just a couple thousand dollars. some of them are quite smart and they're at least smart enough to see where the money and is how much there is and what the coaches are are being paid and ask why shouldn't they be getting more? >> joining the conversation is tom mcmillan, former u.s. representative from maryland and president and ceo of the division 1-a athletic directors association, and sunday at noon, a discussion with cokie roberts. join the conversation as we take your phone calls, e-mails, facebook comments and tweets. watch booktv all weekend, every weekend, on c-span.

>> all persons having business before the herable supreme court of the united states are admonished to draw near and give they're attention. >> monday, on c-span's landmark cases, we'll look at the case of baker versus carr, he 1962 decision that ruled federal courts could intercede in disputes over reapportionment. earl warren called it the most important case of my tenure on the court. here's a portion of the actual oral argue. >> these 11 tennessee voters live in five of the largest cities in tennessee. they are the intended and actual victims of a statutory scheme which devalues, reduces, their right to vote to about 1 were 20th of the value of the vote given to certain rural residents. >> by the early 20th century, population shifts in states like

tennessee had a majority of voters from rural areas move into the city, yet those rural districts with now smaller populations held voting power equal to large urban districts. so a group of voters challenged the disparity ask took the case to supreme court. the case of baker very carr's a milestone in supreme court activist and the term, one person, one vote, is still being debated. the inside store of how the supreme court brought one person, one vote to the united states. that's live, monday night, at 9:00 eastern on c-span, c-span3, and c-span radio. for background on each case while you watch, order your copy of landmark case's companion book, available for 8.595 plus shipping at c-span.org/land mark cases.

>> coming up on c-span2, republican presidential candidate at the republican jewish coalition presidentat forum. we hear next from senators cruz, graham, and rubio, and former new york governor george pataki. >> town hall meetings, speeches, rallies, and meet and greets. we're taking your comments on twitter, facebook, and by phone. and always, every campaign event we cover is available on our web site, c-span.org. >> republican presidential candidates spoke at the republican jewish coalition presidential forum thursday in washington. coming up we'll wing the speeches or senator ted cruz of texas, lindsay graham of south carolina, marco rubio of florida, and former new york

governor george pataki. the portion of the event from the ronald reagan building is two hours. [applause] >> well, thank you very much, edward, for the very, very kind introduction. it has been so great spending time with ed and elisa and their wonderful family. so great to be with so many dear friends here this morning. i'd like to begin by just remembering those who were murdered in san bernardino yesterday. i would ask if we could observe a moment of silence in their honor.