city to lead the criminal investigation and supervise the prosecution of the bombers. in fact, he insisted, insisted on being sent. he didn't just volunteer. he didn't just say okay, i'll go. he told his supervisors that they had to let him go. he was the highest ranking justice department official on the ground in oklahoma city following the bombing. and he helped to oversee every aspect of the investigation and the subsequent trial. his colleagues at the time have attested to judge garland's commitment to following the letter of the law in every aspect of that investigation. he refused to take any shortcuts that could somehow compromise the integrity of the case that he and his team were building.

through their tireless efforts and his tireless leadership, his deep understanding of the law and scrupulous attention to detail, judge garland ensured the prosecution had an air tight case. ultimately both bombers were convicted giving the families of the 168 victims, not their sons, their daughters, their children, their moms or dads back again but at least provide a small measure of vindication for the losses that they had incurred. judge garland's work was so appreciated by the families and friends of those victims 21 years ago that last year on the 20th anniversary of the bombings, the oklahoma city national memorial and museum awarded judge garland its annual

reflections of hope distinction, not the year after the bombing. 20 years after the bombing. judge garland has established an unparalleled reputation as a dedicated prosecutor and jurist. he has received strong bipartisan support in the legal community, including that from alberto gonzalez, the former u.s. attorney general in the administration to president george w. bush. so today it's not just discouraging, at least to me, that most of my -- not all but most of my republican colleagues are refusing to consider judge garland's nomination to serve on our highest court. personally i believe it's outrageous. i served for eight years as governor of delaware, a state whose's renowned for its -- who is renowned for its own court,

superior court. courts play a national role, not just on the state level. for eight years i nominated men and women to serve on those courts. you can only serve eight years as governor of my state. every one of those nominations hearings were held for them, whether democrat or republican, and i think during that period of time i nominated an equal number of democrats and republicans to the swriew dish-year and -- judiciary and that's the constitution of our state. it's a great example because we have one of the most highly regarded judiciaries in the state of delaware. my obligation, my job as governor was to nominate outstanding candidates for these judgeships as they became vacant. the role of the state senate in delaware was to consider them. they never waited a year and left a seat vacant for a year awaiting the end of my time as governor or any other governor's

time. that would never happen. we wouldn't wait ten months. the stat couldn't wait -- they t wait ten weeks. they did their job. we're not doing ours and we need to i feel the fact that we haven't is outrageous. when we elect presidents in this country, we elect them for four years. if they're elected for another four years, they're not president for three years 11 months. they're not president elected to a term of three years and 10 months. we elect them to a term of four years. they need to be on the job for four years. and this president, our president, is doing what he's supposed to do, and that is to send us the names of exceptional people to serve in incredibly important positions like the

supreme court. he's done his job. i very much want to do mine, and i want to be joined by democrats and republicans in doing our job. every member of this body has taken at least one oath to uphold the constitution. some of us many times over. when i was 17 years old, not much older than the young interns that are sitting here at the front of the chamber, took my first oath as a midshipman, freshman, ohio navy rotc where i was privileged to go on a scholarship, a navy scholarship. i four years later took another oath, raised my right hand as an ensign in the navy to defend the country and the constitution headed to pensacola, florida to become a navy flight officer right in the middle of the vietnam war. ended up serving three tours over there during that conflict. as a congressman, i took an october to defend the country and constitution -- oath to

defend the country and constitution. as governor i also took a similar oath to defend our country and constitution, our state constitution. as a u.s. senator i've taken it any number of times. the refusal of the majority here, and i think i'm regarded by my colleagues of one of the least partisan persons we've got leer but the refusal of the majority to refuse to consider the nomination is more than an akd indication of our responsibility. i believe it's an example of playing politics with the very constitution we have sworn to uphold. for those of you don't know, delaware is known as the first state. we are known as the first state because on december 7, 1787, before anybody else, any other state had ratified the constitution, we did. and i joke with people that for one whole week delaware was the entire united states of america. we opened things up in maryland, pennsylvania, new jersey,

eventually indiana, even iowa, and i think for the most part it's turned out pretty well. but the idea of playing politics with the constitution that we have sworn to uphold is deeply troubling to me. i hope that's not what's going on here, but i fear that it is. the right and just way to proceed is to begin consideration of judge garland's nomination, not next month or not some other year but now. first in committee and then on the senate floor. we have something we call the delaware way, and we focus on the three c's: communicate, compromise and collaborate. that's a good example for 49 other states and i think it's a good example right here. after all, we have been sent by the people to this hallowed place, this senate chamber to put democracy into action, to

protect liberty and to protect justice for all. nearly 50 years ago a former chief justice i believe from california, he was appointed or nominated -- i believe he was nominated by dwight eisenhower, a republican. but former chief justice warren burger said and i quote him here, i sense of confidence in the court is essential to maintain order and liberty for a free people. he went on to say, inefficiency and delay will drain even a just judgment of its value. i think the short-hand version of that is justice delayed is justice denied. justice delayed is justice denied. and by dragging our feet trying to get into a new congress maybe with a new president, certainly with a new president, that's delaying justice i believe. we face the prospect of any

number of potentially 4-4 divided verdicts on the supreme court with only eight members. we cannot just stand aside and let that happen. justice burger was right when he said those words all those years ago, and he is right today. mr. president, i think it's time to stop this delay. it's time for us to serve the people. it's time for us to deliver justice. it's time for us to give this president's nominee the consideration demanded of us by the constitution which we are sworn to uphold. mr. president, i see no colleague seeking recognition. with that i would note the absence of a quorum. thank you. the presiding officer: the clerk shall call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. ms. klobuchar: mr. president, i come to the senate floor today to speak of the loss of one of minnesota's own, and that's prince. like all minnesotans, we were shocked today. we were saddened. i grew up with prince's music starting with "little red corvette" when it was the 1970's. we won't forget "purple rain" in ph*fpb. we were so proud of that movie and everyone would point to

every spot they knew. he was a super star composer, amazing performer and a music innovator with a fierce belief in the independence of his art. he lived his art. he believed his words were his own, his name was his own and he wasn't going to let anyone own him. there was absolutely nobody like him, and there never will be. prince sold more than 100 million records worldwide. he released 39 studio albums. he had five number-one billboard hits and 40 in the top 100. he won seven grammies, an oscar and a golden globe. he was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 2004, the first year he was eligible. but even with all that success, even with all that fame, minnesota never lost that sense

that he was a beloved son. our neighbor, the super star next door. i was always so proud to say prince, you know he's from minnesota. he was born there and he still lives there. and that fact, that prince was a proud native of my state, came through in all of his music. he pioneered the minneapolis sound, that mixture of funk, rock and pop that emerged in the late 1970's and 1980's and influenced music for decades to come. jimmy jam and terry lewis, janet jackson, bruno mars, justin timber lake, beyonce, these are some of the many artists who were influenced by that sound. but that sound didn't just influence artists. it influenced everyone who heard it. prince's music touched our hearts, opened our minds and

made us want to dance. that's his legacy, and that's what we'll always remember. prince made purple rain a household name. like most minnesotans, i remember the first time listening to that album. it was, as his band then was called, request a revolution. it changed music forever and is considered among the best in music history. two of the songs on that album, when doves cry, which is especially notable because he plays all of the instruments in the song, and "let's go crazy" rose to the top of the charts. "let's go crazy" includes a lesson important to remember on days like today. there's a world waiting for us after this life, prince saying, a world of never-ending happiness where you can always see the sunday -- see the sun day or night. i know that today all of us hope that prince is standing in that

sun. prince sang that song at first avenue in downtown minneapolis when he introduced his band to the city in 1983. there too prince shot some of the scenes for his classic "purple rain" film. today the club is a landmark and must-play venue for artists. i personally stood in prince's dressing room surrounded by pictures of him. the building is covered in stars with the names of artists who performed there and there will always be one star who will shine the brightest, and that's the man that made it the landmark that it is. prince. minnesota loves prince and prince loves minnesota. he was born in minneapolis. he went to central high school where he played piano and guitar for a band called grand central. he recorded his early demo tapes with chris moon and at sound 80 studios in minneapolis. throughout his life, he called

minnesota home. he wrote a song about the minnesota vikings. he was always a big fan. appropriately titled "purple and gold." at the end of last year when the minnesota lynx, our women's basketball team won the championship, he held a concert at his recording studio, paisley park, for local fans who got to enjoy his music well into the night. and just a few days ago he hosted a dance party there and made a brief appearance. in some way, it was his last gift to our state. but his best and lasting gift, his music, his innovation, his energy. when accepting his lifetime achievement award, prince said "the future is in your hands now, and the world really is yours." well, that world is a whole lot cooler because prince was in it.

and it's a whole lot sadder today now that he's gone. my heart goes out to his friends and family and to all who mourn his loss today. we will miss the artist prince. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk should call the roll.

quorum call: .

a senator: mr. president ?p. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. a senator: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that the pending quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: we're not in a quorum call. mr. whitehouse: we're not in a quorum call. how amazing.

thank you. the presiding officer: we are. it's vitiated. mr. whitehouse: there we go. i'm on the floor today i guess just a few moments ahead of the rankingember on our senate foreign relations committee, my friend ben cardin who is on his way but he's authorized me to proceed with a few remarks on the topic that he and i and perhaps others would like to address, which is tomorrow's signing in new york of the paris climate agreement. over 160 nations around the world are going to be participating in signing that agreement that will move many of them immediately into their program of compliance and signify for others a statement

of intention to join, but i think it's the largest international agreement in terms of the number of countries involved ever. certainly the biggest one that i can think of. so it's very significant in that respect. one other thing about paris i think was also very significant, and that is what took place in america's corporate sector in support of a strong paris agreement. the president and groups lik --h particular leadership from companies like unilever got together and created a really remarkable american corporate coalition. more than 150 companies including ones like bank of

america and goldman sachs, ford and g.m., nike and v.f. industries, general mills, ca cargill, apple, google, really a terrific coalition, kind of the who's who of corporate america. and they got together to urge the countries of the world to be bold in paris, to have it be a strong agreement and to show their support for an international program to address climate change, which i think is a really terrific thing. the distinguished senator -- junior senator from louisiana is presiding and i can't think off the top of my head what

louisiana-base companies are part of that company hitio but y state we represent, major companies. walmart, for instance, out of arkansas, coke cola out of georgia, v.f. industries out of north carolina, some of our biggest electric utilities, the bulk of the property casualty insurance and reinsurance industry, very, very significant that america's corporate community came to strongly together. and i hope very much that that's a message that not only resonated in paris but that will resonate here in congress as well because i would bet you that every single one of us have a significant home state corps that has sign -- corporation that has signed that pledge, and

some of us will have many significant home state corporations that will have signed that pledge. so when you've gotten to the point where the leadership of america's corporate community has signed on to the fact that something needs to be done here and america ought to lead, that's our role in the world, that that will begin more and more to have an effect in this body to counter some of the nonsense and mischief that a very small slice in the fossil fuel industry has been promulgating at the expense of the broader american corporate community which by and large has been pretty outstanding on this. let me also mention one other thing that has happened just this afternoon which i'm very, very encouraged by, and that is an amendment that has been filed by ten senators, bipartisan,

five and five. it's the graham-white house amendment that cosponsors on the republican side are senators graham, kirk, ayotte, collins, and portman. on the democratic side there are whitehouse, merkley, schatz, marquemarkey and brown. the amendment reads climate change is real and human activity contributes to climate change. climate change is already affecting the american people and poses an increasing risk to our health, security, economy, and infrastructure. over 180 nations, including china, india and brazil have made commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change creating opportunities for american workers and innovative private industry to benefit from global clean energy markets and, therefore, it is the sense of the sena that the united states should be a world leader in addressing climate change,

that congress is best positioned to address policies that leave a prosperous economy and healthy environment for future generations, that congress has a responsibility to take actions that reduce emissions and combat climate change, and finally that congress should support research and development to bolster clean energy technology. in that latter regard, let me note that the mission innovation initiative that has come out of secretary moniz's department of energy and out of a significant group of really major investors around the world, the deal basically is the countries involved will try to double our clean energy r&d and in return these major, major investors from around the world led by bill gates will set up a significan fund that will take the emerging technologies that

early r&d can discover and bring them through the earliest investor stages, what investors and start-up folks call the valleys of death on the way to becoming a sustainable company so that those technologies can be brought forward on an accelerated basis. so when you look at paris, you not only see this enormous array of nations coming together in a common cause, you see right behind it virtually the entirety of the leadership of america's corporate sector coming right in with it and saying this is what we want, this is what we encourage. we want it to be strong. you have the biggest investors in the world, most of them coming together saying, and we're going to have your back with investment into new types of clean energy funding. and then you have the governments of the world not only signing up -- not all of them but the ones that are

participating in mission innovation signing up in addition to the treaty to this commitment to increase r&d and press innovation in this space forward. so for all of those reasons and more, tomorrow is a good news day for our country. it is a good news day for progress and innovation. it is a good news day for the enormous array of american corporate leaders who have supported and cheered on this particular occasion. and it is i think an occasion for pride on the part of the united states of america that the signing will be taking place here in the united states in new york, that the president will be attending, that the chinese leader will be attending, and that people from all around the world will be there not only recognizing the need that we do

this but recognizing america's leadership in getting us to this place. i'll close with a personal note of appreciation for a gentleman named todd sterne. todd was the climate negotiator for the department of state for many, many years. and some of those were rather bleak years in which the united states was not showing leadership and todd had to hang in there and endure that frustration and keep his candle of faith burning until the day came when we really finally began to kick in at last and his role was really important in getting us prepared for and through the paris agreements. he is retiring and has served his country well and so i will

close with a word of goodwill for that particular public ser servant who has done right by his duty and done right by his country. and with that, i will yield the floor and we can with any luck await the arrival of senator cardin in due course. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk shall call the roll. quorum call:

white white mr. president, may i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. whitehouse: and my comments be corrected that it's shore kerry going to -- it's secretary kerry going to new york, not the president. with that i yield again and note the absence of a quorum again. the presiding the presiding officer: the clerk again should call the roll. quorum call:

mr. franken: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator minnesota. mr. franken: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. franken: thank you. thank you, mr. president. before i begin my remarks today

regarding climate change, i would like to say a few words about a minnesota icon who passed away today. prince was a phenomenal artist who was beloved by people all over the world, but as minnesotans, we are particularly proud to call him one of our own. prince got his start in a minneapolis jazz band and went on to share his talent in minnesota and all over the globe. his artiestory, his innovation -- his artistry, his innovation, his presence inspired and will continue to inspire millions of people. in minneapolis, he put one of our most cherished venues -- first avenue -- on the map, and up until just a few days ago, he

was performing. he had a concert in atlanta. he's truly, truly going to be missed. as someone -- someone once said that a brain isn't a mind and a mind isn't a soul. and that's why we need the arts. and i think the outpouring that you're seeing today of appreciation for prince has to do with that unique role that artists play and speak to the importance of the arts to human beings. mr. president, i rise today to join my colleagues in celebrating the official signing of the paris climate agreement.

tomorrow morning more than 160 countries will send representatives to new york to sign onto this historic agreement. this gathering is set to become the most well-attended signing event in the history of the united nations, highlighting the importance of this issue for people around the entire world, and i think it's very fitting that this veajts is taking place -- this event is taking place on earth day. mr. president, this agreement has been nearly 25 years in the making. the international climate agreements date back to when the governments met in rio. nations have met every year

since then to further this goal, and while some meetings have been more successful than others, most have been met with disappointment and lack of action. after all, climate change is a complex issue. and achieving consensus for any international issue is no small feat, which is why this agreement is truly, truly impressive. last december i traveled to paris with nine of my colleagues. we met with the united nations secretary-general bank key moon, with u.s. energy secretary ernest moniz and todd stern. i would like to congratulate all of them for their stellar work. i would also like to thank todd stern for his service at the

state department and his dedication to combating climate change. mr. stern played a critical role to achieving a successful resolution in paris, and i have no doubt that his successor, dr. jonathan pershing, will effectively continue his work. climate change is an existential threat to our planet and to future generations. my colleagues have been on the floor today in the senate to talk about the impacts of climate change on their states and the need to address it. so i'd like to take a minute to talk about how it's going to impact minnesota. minnesota is one of the top agriculture states in the

country. one out of five jobs is tied to agriculture in our state. and climate change will have significant impact on our food system, both through warmer temperatures and more intense droughts. recent study estimates that global crop production could decrease by more than 40% by the end of the century. that's why i join dave mcclel land, the c.e.o. of cargill, the largest privately owned company in the country -- he and i joined in penning an op-ed in the minneapolis "star tribune" to highlight this threat, especially considering the global population will reach 9 billion by midcentury. as the c.e.o. of a company

focused on agriculture, dave is concerned about what climate change is going to do to our food supply. climate change will also impact our waters. minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes -- actually, about 14,000 lakes -- including lake superior, which contains about 10% of the world's fresh surface water. lake superior has about 10% of the fresh water on earth -- of surface water. lake superior is warming by 2 degrees per decade. we are seeing more evaporation and lower water levels in the lake, plus rising temperatures allow for more favorable conditions for unvasive species -- invasive species and

hazardous algal blooms. warmer temperatures would also have severe consequences for fish like walleye and trout that are so important to minnesota's fisheries and to our ecosystems. and let's not forget the threat of climate change to our forests. like our lakes, warmer temperatures elevate the threat of invasive species, unvasive species such as the emerald ash-borer and gypsy moth that are rapidly changing the composition of our forests. in other parts of the country, we are seeing longer fire -- wildfire seasons. wildfires that are burning hotter, more intense, and that are bigger. the forest service is spending

more and more fighting these fires. more than half of their entire budget. so you can see, mr. president, that climate change poses a very serious threat to minnesota and our country and the world. the paris agreement that we will sign tomorrow marks an important step forward to address that threat, but our job, of course, is not done. we have to remain vigilant and build on the success of the agreement. internationally, we have to hold other nations accountable and ensure that they commit to stronger emission reduction targets as time goes on. and to make sure that those reductions are transparent and

verifiable. domestically we have to build on the success of our cities and states, like minnesota, who've been working hard for a long time now to become more energy-efficient and reduce emissions. mr. president, i have two grandchildren. i'm expecting a third later this year. god willing, they will live through this century and into the next. and i want them to know that when we had the opportunity to put the earth on a safer path that we seized the moment. so let's recognize the historic nature of this year's earth day and let's celebrate this climate agreement because it is an important mime -- milestone.

and let's build on it to make the planet a safer and more habitable place for our grandchildren and their children and their grandchildren. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: mr. president, i want to thank my friend from minnesota, senator franken, for his comments concerning an important day tomorrow. it's important for many reasons. we've worked a long time to get the global community engaged on climate change. as senator franken pointed out, tomorrow is earth day. it will be the 46th anniversary of earth day that was started by our former colleague, senator gaylord nelson. he did that because he recognized that it's important for this country to recognize our global responsibilities to

our environment and to our future. and there is no greater challenge that we face than climate change because climate change has been caused in part by our own activities here on earth, by the emission of greenhouse gases, and we have a responsibility to reverse the current trends. and we can do that. so tomorrow in new york city, many leaders will come to sign the top 21 agreement that was negotiated in paris earlier this year. by 196 nations representing 98% of the global greenhouse emissions. this is an historic moment. mr. president, i just want to reflect for one moment about the u.s. leadership that has brought

us to this moment that we now have an agreement by so many countries of the world. we've been trying to do this now for a long time, and we have not been successful. at last the global community has come together with meaningful commitments that will put us on the right path, and the u.s. leadership made this possible. i want to congratulate president obama for his leadership on this. i was with secretary moniz in paris. ten members of the united states senate went to paris during the negotiations. we were there less than 48 hours. but i think what we were able to broadcast, united support for u.s. leadership for a global commitment. and secretary moniz, our secretary of energy, took us to the exhibit where we saw firsthand u.s. technology. u.s. technology that will help us meet the challenges of

climate change, how we can produce energy more efficiently, how we can use energy more efficiently. it was u.s. technology, and that technology will be used around the world. and i mention that because u.s. global leadership is critically important to help save our planet from the adverse impacts of climate change. yes, but it also will help our economy. it will help our economy obviously in dealing with the effects of climate change but also in u.s. technology being used around the world, creating jobs here in the united states. mr. president, this is an urgent issue. let me first, if i might, quote from pope francis, what he said -- and i quote -- "the urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together

to seek a sustainable and integral development. for we know that things can change. i urgently appeal for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. we need a conversation which includes everyone since the environmental challenge we are undergoing and its human roots concerns affects us all. climate change is a global problem with grave implications, environmental, global, economic, political and for the distribution of goods. it represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day." end quote. pope francis, i couldn't agree with him more. this is a global challenge with global grave consequences if we don't get it right.

mr. president, i see that in my own state of maryland. smith allen, which is disappearing in the chesapeake bay. i see it in the chesapeake bay with the loss of sea grasses because of warmer water temperatures. sea grasses are critically important to the survival of the maryland blue crab. i see it in our coastal safety as we see more and more storms with more consequences. recently i traveled to the southern part of africa and had a chance to see from a helicopter the impact of climate change. in the southern part of africa they have only two seasons. the rainy season and the dry season. about now it is the dry season. we were there during the rainy season and flew by helicopter over land that this should have been part of a pond.

instead it was dry, no water. so were carcasses of animals because they couldn't survive because of the drought. climate change is real and affecting our planet. there are vulnerable nations from the marshal islands to bangladesh and so many others that are countries that very existence is at risk because of climate change. this is an urgent issue that requires an urgent response. but here, we can make a difference. we can make a difference through conserving and using less energy and producing our energy in a more environmentally friendly way in a carbon-free environment. i'm joined by congressman delay ni and many members of both the house and senate in saying that the united states should make a commitment to produce at least 50% of our electricity through a carbon-free source by the year 2030.

we can do that. we can do that. and here's the good news. it will not only be good for our environment, it will be good for our economy and good for our national security. for, you see, renewable energy sources can be produced here in america. you don't have to depend on the fossil fuels from countries who disagree with our way of life. so for the sake of our national security, for the sake of our national economy, there's more jobs in clean energy than there is in fossil fuel industry. so for all those reasons, for our economy, for our security, and for our environment, the united states leadership towards dealing with these solutions can help america's security. and, yes, u.s. leadership is absolutely vital. we saw that in cop 21. without u.s. leadership, it could not be done. and this is where i really call upon our colleagues. i've said this many times on the floor of the united states senate. it's a great honor to serve in

the united states senate. it's a great honor to represent the people of maryland. every congress has tried to add to its record to protect the future generations as it relates to our environment. mr. president, it's never been a partisan issue, the protection of our environment. and i would urge our colleagues to find ways that we can work together to build the legacy of this congress to further protect our environment for future generations. we should be part of the solution. this is earth day. tomorrow is earth day. let us make a difference. what we see happening in new york and by our actions, let us protect future generations. i yield the floor.

i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk should call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. sasse: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mr. sasse: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated.

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sasse: on behalf of senator alexander, i ask unanimous consent that it be in order to call up the following first-degree amendments: merkley 3812, reed 3805, flake 3820. further, that at 11:00 a.m. tuesday, april 26, the senate vote on the amendments in the order listed and with that second-degree amendments in order prior to the votes and there two minutes equally divided prior to each vote. the presiding officer: without objection. ssesmr. sasse: i ask unanimous consent that the senate be in a period of morning business with senators allowed to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. officer without objection. mr. sasse: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 437, submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 437, expressing support for the designation of may 1, 2016, as silver star service banner day.

the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the motion? without objection. mr. sasse: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motion to reconsider move to reconsiders -- and that the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sasse: i ask that the senate proceed to s. res. 4 -- 38 submit he had earlier today i. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk: national brain aurism awareness month. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. sasse: i further ask that the resolution be agreed to the preamble be agreed to, and the the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sasse: i understand there are two bills at the desk and ask for their first reading en bloc.

the presiding officer: the clerk will read the titles of the bills the first time en bloc. the clerk: h.r. 1206, an act to prohibit the hiring of additional internal revenue service employees and so forth. h.r. 4885, an act to require that user fees collected by the hires i.r.s. be deposited into the general fund of the treasury. mr. sasse: i now ask for a second reading and to be my own request, all en bloc. the presiding officer: objection is heard. they will be read for the second time on the next legislative day. mr. sasse: i ask that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until 3:00 p.m. monday, april 256789 following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the radio leaders be reserve the for their use later in the day. furthering following leader remarks, the senate be in a period of morning business until

4:00 p.m. with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. finally, following the morning business, the senate then resume consideration of h.r. 2028. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sasse: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that is it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the clerk stands -- the senate stands adjourned until 3:00 p.m. stands adjourned until 3:00 p.m.

the payments are made to accommodate high risk patient pools. the house commerce committee held a hearing last week. [inaudible conversations]