president, on this occasion of remembrance and during this time of honoring my good friend jim abdnor, i hope we can remember our solemn duty to protect the american dream that the abdnor family represented. in closing, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that my remarks and the senate resolution expressing profound sorrow and deep regret regarding the death of senator jim abdnor be included together as part of the "congressional record." the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, i yield the floor. and i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: test quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum you be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: mr. president, last month the senate passed the violence against women act on a strong bipartisan vote of 68-31. 15 republican senators including all the

if not for jim abdnor, i would not be spanned standing here today --, standing here today. after a basketball game when i was a freshman in high school, jim struck up a conversation with me that would dhaing change the course of my life. i went to work for jim as a legislative assistant when he was a senator and later at the small business administration. when i first ran for office, jim's guidance and support were invaluable to me. this past weekend, hundreds of south dakotans came out to honor jim be a -- jim abdnor and remember his love for his state. his funeral was held in a lutheran church in pierre, where he first served in statewide offer as lieutenant governor. he was buried outside kenne of bec near where his immigrant father homesteaded. jim leaves us with many legacies and i want to messengers a few of them here today. first and foremost, jim's was an american story. it started as the tale of an immigrant who boarded a ship for the united states not even knowing the english language but knowing he was heading for the land of opportunity. that imgrant, jim's fathe