but for cellmates, russell johnson and christopher reid, for instance, it's hard time. >> it's certain ways you conduct yourself in here, too, you know what i'm saying? >> let's say for instance someone wanted -- >> somebody wanted to talk to him, you know what i'm saying, we got -- i've got to sit down. you know what i'm saying? >> or i might have to come up like this. or he can just turn to his side right here and walk this way. >> yeah. this is how you do it. you do your back that way. this is the real deal. you know what i'm saying? it really is. >> just how each inmate survives the extraordinary time they spend in these tiny spaces is as individual as the inmate. >> as you see we keep our home neat and clean. cleanliness is next to godliness. >> salen lee is a third termer about to be paroled. lately he's been teaching his cellmate the benefit of his experience, and he'll need it. he's got a 12-year sentence in which to practice. >> this is what i do. take my t-shirt. grab my bar of soap. dip it in the toilet because i keep my toilet fresh and clean. hold my hand here. when the to

washington and jelani andrews might benefit from the experiences shared by robert janil and christopher reidinmates were born. >> change your life. to start all over again. use it. you know? >> work at mcdonald's flipping burgers, [ bleep ], mopping floors. i don't care if i have to clean up [ bleep ], i'm going to do it. >> you think about more things. think about the things you're about to do before you do them now. >> exactly. >> me and some of the older guys we try to talk to them and let them know, you know, it's no place to be. let them look at me and see, you know, that, you know, you could very well be me if you don't change your ways now. >> we do the things we do, because we want to do them. we want to go out and drink or smoke weed, whatever, that's because we want to do them. we ain't got to do them. we want to do them. >> it's the choices i made in life. you know, to continue in this life of crime, as i was continuing, i got the same old results. no matter which direction i went, i still got the same results. i didn't want them to go through the same thing. >> i've been here 70

hereby appoint the honorable christopher murphy, a senator from the state of connecticut, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patrick j. leahy, president pro tempore. mr. reid: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. mr. mcconnell: i suggest the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, earlier this week president obama explained to the american people what he hopes to accomplish in the year ahead. and i think it's safe to say that despite the hype, there wasn't a whole lot in this year's state of the union that would do much to alleviate the concerns and anxieties of most americans. it wasn't anything in there that would really address the kind of dramatic wage stagnation we've seen over the past several years among the middle class or the increasingly difficult situation people find themselves in trying to find stable, good-paying jobs. there was no creative proposal for increasing mobility or oppor

christopher s. murphy, a senator from the state of connecticut, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patrick j. leahy, president pro tempore. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i move to proceed to calendar number 294. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 294, s. 1926, a bill to delay the implementation of certain proefbgs provisions of the biggert-waters flood insurance act of 2012. mr. reid: mr. president, 5:30 today there will be a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the flood insurance bill. i'm told that s. 1950 is at the desk due for second reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bill for the second time. the clerk: 1950, a bill to improve the provision of medical services and benefits to veterans and for other purposes. mr. reid: i would object to any further proceedings with respect to this bill at this time. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the calendar. mr. reid: mr. president, as i announced earlier today, the