mr. whitehouse: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: thank you, mr.

president. i have the happy occasion here to actually pass a law. it is one that i have been working on for some time so i've taken the opportunity to come to the floor to actually move it through myself. but before i do that, there are a considerable number of thank yous that are in order. the first and foremost thank you being to senator dan sullivan of alaska who chaired the subcommittee hearing that first moved this issue before the senate in a bipartisan fashion within the environment, public works committee. it was a really important thing for senator sullivan to have done and in part it solved a problem between the

environmental public works committee and commerce committee over jurisdiction in this area. we were very fortunate that senator sullivan serves as both the chairman of the relevant environmental public works committee and also the fisheries subcommittee of the commerce committee. so he was able to negotiate and obviously came to a happy conclusion. i also want to thank senator inhofe who was an early sponsor of this legislation. he attended the hearing. i will confess that when senator inhofe came into our hearing on the environment and public works committee on an environmental matter, i was not convinced that that was a positive turn of events for the bill. but senator inhofe could not have been more gracious and took a very strong interest in this piece of legislation and was an original cosponsor. and so i want to thank him as

well. i'd also like to thank senator murkowski. she joins senator sullivan and being from alaska and alaska has a terrific problem with the issue that we're addressing. and the issue at hand is marine plastic debris. the plastic sweas with -- plastic waste with which we are filling the ocean. in rhode island we do beach cleanups and people go up and down the beach and pick up the plastic trash that's washed ashore. we do those with trash bags. in alaska they do those with front end loaders, dumpsters, barges because alaska faces the pacific. and there's far more plastic waste and trash in the pacific because the worst sources for plastic waste and trash are asian countries that have terrible upland waste disposal infrastructure and so it ends up in the creek and ends up in the

river and ends up in the sea. so alaska has had a terrific role. senator murkowski's role -- in her role as my coordinate on the oceans caucus. she helped make sure the oceans caucus, a group of 38 senators, supported this, very bipartisan group. so that provided some added oomph if that's not too informal a word to use on the senate floor to all of this. i'd also like to thank my original democratic cosponsor, original cosponsor, senator booker. so a lot of people have had a hand in this and they were -- and there were a great number of sponsors. and i appreciate all of them for their support for all of this. the bill actually passed the senate before but when colleagues saw something moving, they wanted to put things on it. so a few pieces have been added from the house side relating to

maritime safety and coast guard center of excellence which we welcome on to the bill and appreciate that now we have the chance to finally pass it. i would also like to thank adina leadman of my staff who has been very persistent and thorough about making this happen, working very well with staff members from the offices involved and helping coordinate all of my activities with the oceans caucus. she has done a really exemplary staff job as the -- job. as the presiding officer knows, the common description of senators around here is that we are walking constitutional impediments to the smooth and orderly operation of staff. and while senators may disagree with that from time to time, adina leadman does smooth and orderly operation of staff.

i want to appreciate her. senator sullivan could not be here. we had hoped to be able to do this together but i do want to express to him my very, very strong appreciation for what a really wonderful partner he has been in all of this. in the only are we excited to pass the save our seas act but we are already working on s.o.s. 2.0 and just today in the environment and public works committee, we held another hearing on marine plastics. this one at the full committee level led by senator barrasso. so i owe senator barrasso a thank you. i find it interesting that at today's hearing, the two leading republicans on the committee who were there, dan and i are more junior at the top where senator barrasso and senator inhofe both of whom were present, both of whom were productive and helpful and both of them who suffer this terrible disability of living in a landlocked state. they don't actually have a coast. and yet they have been helpful

in moving this forward. and we had a terrific coalition of business and other interests. you've seen the reaction around the world to how this problem has suddenly emerged under the national and international stage. and i think we're in a really terrific position after we pass this bill to move on. and i hope with equal bipartisanship and alacrity we pass save our seas 2.0. with all that said may i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. 3508 introduced earlier today by senator sullivan and myself. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 3508, a bill to reauthorize and amend the marine debris act to promote international action to reduce marine debris and for other purposes. the presiding officer: is

there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. whitehouse: i ask unanimous consent now that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. whitehouse: thank you, mr. president. bravo to all who participated in making this possible. i yield the floor. and i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. flake: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. flake: are we in a quorum call? i ask unanimous consent that it be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. flake: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the following -- that following leader remarks on thursday, september 27, the senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination --

executive calendar 867. i further ask that the time until 12:40 be equally divided in the usual form and that following the use or yielding back of time, the senate vote on the nomination with no motion in order and without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, the president be immediately notified of the senate's action, that no further motions be in order, and that statements relating to the nomination be printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. it is so ordered. mr. flake: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session for the period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. flake: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the appointments at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. flake: i ask unanimous

consent that the senate proceed to immediate consideration of s. 3509 introduced earlier today. the presiding officer: without objection. oh, the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 3509, a bill to reauthorize the congressional award act. the presiding officer: there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. flake: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. flake: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of h.r. 4854. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 4854, aen act to amend the d.n.a. analysis backlog elimination act of 2000 to provide additional resorts to state and local prosecutors and for other purposes. the presiding officer: there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the senate

will proceed. mr. flake: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. flake: i know of no further debate on the bill. the presiding officer: is there further debate? if not, all in favor say aye. all those opposed, no. the ayes do have it. the bill is agreed to. mr. flake: i ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. flake: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 654 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 654, supporting the goals and ideals of national retirement security week and so forth. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. flake: i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be

agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. flake: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. res. 655 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 65, recognizing hispanic heritage month and celebrating the heritage and culture of latinos in the united states and the immense contribution of latinos to the united states. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. the senate will proceed. mr. flake: i further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. flake: i ask unanimous consent that the committee on the judiciary be discharged from further consideration of s. res.

625 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 625, designating the week beginning september 9, 2018, as national direct support professionals recognition week. the presiding officer: there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. flake: further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. flake: i understand that there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading. -- for a first reading, first reading. the presiding officer: the senator is correct. the clerk will read the title of the bill for the first time. the clerk: h.r. 628, an act to provide competitive grants for the operation, security, and maintenance of certain memorials to victims of the terrorist attacks of september 11, 2001.

mr. flake: i now ask for a a second reading and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provision of rule 14, i object to my own request. the presiding officer: the objection, having been heard, the bill will receive its second reading on the next legislative day. mr. flake: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 12:00 p.m. thursday, september 27. further, that 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, and morning business be closed.

further, following leader remarks, the senate proceed to executive session under the previous order.

i ask unanimous consent that the majority leader be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions thursday, september 27. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. flake: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until >> the senate today confirmed peter feldman on a seven-year term on the safety commission. when the senate is back in session, our life coverage will continue here on c-span2. the senate judiciary committee will hear from christine blasey

ford about her allegations that supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school. the nominee will also testify about the allegations. that is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. eastern on thursday. you can see it live on the new spam free, online at c-span.org and you can listen on the c-span radio app. >> on the senate floor earlier today, number senators addressed allegations including outgoing senator jeff flake. next, we'll show you his remarks followed by speeches from both sides of the aisle. >> not a president come i today to see a few words about the two human beings who will be

providing extraordinarily important testimony before the senate judiciary committeeee tomorrow. doc air christine blasey ford and judge brett kavanaugh who will testify in that order. two human beings in this political study to specify their humanity. but we need to. i admit it would feel strange to have to do that, but we in this political culture in the city and in this building, even in this chamber, we seem to sometimess forget that before this woman and this man are anything else, they are human beings. we sometimes see intent on stripping people of their humanity so we might more easily denigrate or defend them or put them through the grinder better politics requires. we