leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, i've listened to the senator from oklahoma. this is an amendment that can derail and even kill this bill. now, he expresses concern that why should a bill be sought because somebody objects to the bill. i sometimes remember it would be socked because there are so many objections to it. i sometimes ask myself that question. of course the distinguished senator from oklahoma has objected to many, many items going forward of his own, on his own behalf of. but this is an amendment that could derail and even kill the bill. and this would otherwise help our roeufrg economy. it would unleash innovation and create the jobs so desperately needed. now, i probably worked longer in this body than anybody against patent office fee diversion. i happen -- and as the senator from oklahoma knows, i put a provision in the managers' package to allow the fees to go to the patent office. it's a lobby to keep that in in th

leahy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, we're on the question of the flooding in vermont. i was born in vermont. i've lived there all my life. i lived on a dirt road in small town middlesex, an 1850's farmhouse. it means a lot to us. it's the place my wife, my son and i spent part of our honeymoon 49 years ago. but i saw something that i have never seen in vermont. ten days ago, vermont bore the full brunt of then tropical storm irene that dumped more than six inches of rain across the state in just a few hours. you have to understand in our state, our small state, with the green mountains running down the spine of it north to south, the narrow valleys of the green mountains where towns and roads and rivers are historically intertwined were particularly hard hit. the gentle rivers and streams became rushing for -- torrents of destruction. whole towns were cut off from the outside world for days. you would fly over and just see a town completely marooned. every road going into it, every bridge going into it gone.

leahy: mr. president, the the -- i will continue because i'm not taking time from anybody on this. time has been reserved for me to talk some more about what has been happening in vermont. i've spoken many times about my may alternative state and what we went through with tropical storm irene. i was born in vermont. my parents, my family came to vermont in the 1800's. we have nothing in my lifetime that has approached the devastation we've seen in our state. vermonters continue to struggle to regain a sense of normalcy. bridges, railways, roads remain damaged or wiped out. businesses and schools were not entirely washed away but need profound repairs. farmers have been struggling to salvage what they can of their livelihoods. it is late september, mr. president, and in vermont october can bring snow. amid the debris and destruction of this horrific natural disaster come hundreds of heartening stories of things i've seen firsthand or heard about vermonters rising to the occasion, helped their nei

leahy: i ask consent for 30 more seconds. i wish to commend the hard-working staff of other senators. chairman smith's dedicated staff. now it will be the law of the land. i thank all my colleagues who worked together on this. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the bill -- a senator: mr. chairman. mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. ms. cantwell: mr. president, rising in opposition, this is not a patent reform bill. this is a big corporation patent giveaway that tramples on the rights of small inventors. it changes first to invent to first to file, which means if you're a big corporation and have lots of resources, you will get there and get the patent. secondly, it doesn't keep the money where it belongs. it belongs in the patent office. and yet instead of having reforms that will help us expedite patents, it is giving the money away that is needed to make this kind of innovation work. third, the bill is full of special giveaways to particular industry corporations as we have just witne

are worried that the current state of the computer fraud act already reaches too far leahy was quoted as saying we want you to concentrate on the real cyber crimes and not the minor things. now the committee has yet to vote on this legislation but one can only hope are the questions about the broad language of the bill could help prevent the government and overreacting when it comes to computer fraud all the name of fighting hackers anybody remember to protect children from internet pornographers act in two thousand and eleven that's the law which would require i ask you keep everyone's internet records along the whole host of other data for up to eighteen months in the name of fighting child porn and this expansion that we just spoke about that's starting to remind me a whole lot of that meeting that is not good. now to look back to an operation that was conducted by the f.b.i. almost one year ago on september twenty fourth of two thousand and ten that the idea of the homes of anti-war activists across the country five minneapolis homes two homes in chicago as well as the office of t

leahy: with senator moran to be recognized for ten minutes. following his remarks the senate resets subject to the call of the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: madam president, i was about to ask for a quorum call but i see the distinguished senator on the floor so i yield to him. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. moran: this is a historically significant week for the united states and all those who care about peace and stability in the middle east. it is a region already roiled by protests and war and faces the prospect now of even more tension, more uncertainty and potentially more violence. we know this to be the case if the preupb's president abbas goes forward with his plan to seek recognition of palestine statehood at the united nations in new york. we've known for some time this was coming and thankfully the united states government -- and the administration plans a veto of the measure. i'm afraid that we have not done enough to convince the palestinians that there will be consequences for th

laverty >> steven lawn >> robert lawrence >> nathaniel lawson >> eugen gabriel lazar >> james patrick leahy >> joseph gerard leavey >> neil joseph leavy >> leon lebor >> kenneth charles ledee >> alan j. lederman >> elena f. ledesma >> alexis leduc >> david s. lee brother ofhusband, nine siblings living for about the world. >> and my brother-in-law, engine company 240, battalion 48, of brooklyn. michael, you are missed and dyno will meet again in haven't. thank you. >> gary h. lee >> hyun joon lee >> juanita lee >> kathryn blair lee >> linda c. lee >> lorraine mary lee >> myoung woo lee >> richard y. lee >> stuart soo-jin lee >> yang der lee >> stephen paul lefkowitz >> adriana legro >> edward joseph lehman >> eric andrew lehrfeld >> david leistman >> david prudencio lemagne >> joseph anthony lenihan >> john joseph lennon, jr. >> may your name and memory live on for my brothers and i and to all of those courageous men and women who actively serve in the new york police department. >> and my dad, to my hero, i love and miss him so much. [applause] >> john robinson lenoir >> jorge luis leon >>

and senator leahy and senator sanders talked about what happened in vermont.it's hard to explain what happened there. maybe as many as 200 bridges are gone in vermont. hundreds and hundreds of people out of their homes. the largest office building in vermont is under water. 1,700 people are unable to work. we just had lee, that's what this rain is about out here, that's the tropical storm lee that has been someplaces dropped as much as 20 inches of rain. as we speak in texas we have 150 fires burning. 1,500 homes have been destroyed in texas because of these fires. the washing monument is closed because of an earthquake -- washington monument is closed because of an earthquake. all of these disasters caused americans to suffer. the reasons for these storms are the subject maybe of another discussion, but they are coming fast and furious. i don't see how we as a great nation we have can stand on the sidelines while our people are suffering. we should get relief to people when we need it and joplin, missouri, fema is basically broke and the money has now been sh

leahy: i thank the distinguishes senator from iowa for his -- his words. you know, this -- and i join with the senator from iowa in opposing the amendment for two reasons. first, just simply a practical matter, the amendment would have the effect if it passed of killing the bill because it is not going to be accepted in the other body, and after six years or more of work

is there also topics that senator leahy and others have put that. >> host: is senator leahy's legislation similar to wed senator bob lomax legislation? >> guest: i think it is a good starting point, but i don't think it goes as far as congressman rush's bill from the last congress. one of the accomplishments was to recognize the significant role of the information industry plays in this particular area and they need anything to establish some new privacy safeguards for the industry. but congresswoman bono mack thought was at this point she wanted to focus on the security side without looking at the privacy issues. our view is privacy issues need to be the same time. >> host: final question, mr. sub three. >> host: we have seen between a private set tourism industry dinghies to be as little data kept as possible. on the other hand, law enforcement and the house of bill, which under the purpose of cutting out -- i was at the hearing where he testified that. can you speak to that tension? the white house appears to be more sympathetic to law enforcement sneed kabila to access information. >>

and of course, tragic leahy never had the chance.bc news, los angeles. >>> cup cakes and pastries were food for thought and debate on the uc berkeley campus today. berkeley college republicans sponsored the so-called diversity bake sai. the group claims they had the goodies pruceed according to the ethnicity and gender. they banned affirmative action, but a bill on governor brown's desk would allow it to be considered for college admissions. hundreds of students staged a counter protest. the bake sale pulled in a few hundred dollars which will go to charity. >>> all right, on to the weather and things are changing. >> the warmth is going away. sandhya patel is here. >> the warmth is going away and the rain will be moving in. don't panic, not yet. we still have a few more days. the highs were pretty warm. san francisco is coming in at 76. 72 in half moon bay, and you really had to hit the beaches if you had the day off. 86 this afternoon in santa cruz. hi in livermore, concord, san jose 83. you can see the low 90s for santa rosa and c

before the california state assembly, judiciary committee, and provided written testimony to senator leahyfor the uniting of american families act. the irc, in making their recommendations to the mayor and board of a supervisors, to improve and enhance the quality of life into the participation of all the grim immigrants in the city and county of san francisco must include the plight of same-sex couples and by-national relationships. at the four of any immigration reform discussion, particularly for this city, the current immigration law fails so many immigrants and families. yes, same-sex relationships stand on prejudicial ground when compared to their heterosexual counterparts. without specific language such as that in the united families act which seeks to have permanent partners, same-sex by dutch national couples will remain victims to the law that compels discrimination against lgbt couples, including the right to sponsor a spouse, and with no right to a k1 same-sex visa. we are advised that took schumer will introduce same-sex reform in january 2010. we are also told that passage by

pat leahy, who came in in the 1974 elections, says he has never seen anything like this in his career in congress in terms of a public anger. typically, is the in-a party that pays the price. but what is the in-party next year? president obama and the democrats, or the gop-led house? >> jonathan is right that both sides have to be concerned right now. they both had a hand in what is going on at year. there is one issue, jobs. it is the one issue on which they are not getting anything at seriously down, and we have one emotion and is anchored. charlie coats has said that he thinks this could possibly be the first time we see a true anti-incumbent election, where it does not tilt one way or the other. is across the board and it could create all sorts of surprises. >> what are they missing on the hill? why are rented a hearing in this? >> they are giving us, but they are also hearing from their base. -- they are hearing at this, but they are also hearing from their base. no tax increases, cuts in entitlement reform. democrats say we want to do something odd jobs, but we also have to rais

and of course, tragic leahy never had the chance.ews, los angeles. >>> cup cakes and pastries were food for thought and debate on the uc berkeley campus today. berkeley college republicans sponsored the so-called diversity bake sai. the group claims they had the goodies pruceed according to the ethnicity and gender. they banned affirmative action, but a bill on governor brown's desk would allow it to be considered for college admissions. hundreds of students staged a counter protest. the bake sale pulled in a few hundred dollars which will go to charity. >>> all right, on to the weather and things are changing. >> the warmth is going away. sandhya patel is here. >> the warmth is going away and the rain will be moving in. don't panic, not yet. we still have a few more days. the highs were pretty warm. san francisco is coming in at 76. 72 in half moon bay, and you really had to hit the beaches if you had the day off. 86 this afternoon in santa cruz. hi in livermore, concord, san jose 83. you can see the low 90s for santa rosa and clove

leahy: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, i have five unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders, and i ask unanimous consent the requests be agreed to, the requests be printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: madam president, you know, every time i hear discussions about how we balance the budget, especially coming from the other side of the aisle, maybe because i have been here long enough, i remember the last time we did balance the budget during president clinton's term. we balanced the budget, we created an amazing surplus. we created millions and millions of new jobs. you know what? not a single republican voted for that. it passed in the senate only because the vice president of the united states cast the deciding vote. no republican voted. we actually had to do more than just have a bumper sticker, let's balance the budget. when we actually did balance the

leahy: i thank the senior senator from oregon. mr. president, let me speak a little bit about mark hatfield. those of house knew mark really thought the world of him. i had an opportunity to know him, to serve with him, for 23 years i served with him in the senate, and i do rise to pay tribute to mark as a dedicated public servant, a respected lawmaker. the man not only i was proud to call my friend but i think virtually everybody serving during that time, republican or democrat alike considered him a friend. he dedicated nearly his entire life to public service. he served in the u.s. navy in world war ii, he took part in the battles of iwo jima and okinawa. he taught political science in oregon at willamette college for seven years, served in the oregon state legislature, served two terms as governor, and i remember him smiling when somebody would see him on -- in the corridors and call him governor. then he became oregon's longest serving senator. he served five terms in the u.s. senate. unfortunately --, excuse me. unfortunately, m

leahy: mr. president, i have spoken many times here on the floor, as has the distinguished presiding officer, about the disaster and tragedy vermont faced with hurricane irene. we all learned with profound sadness that master sergeant john stocker, the vermont air national guard suffered a fatal heart attack while working on a road reconstruction project in cavendish, vermont. he was in the vermont civil engineering squadron. of course in vermont we mourn that loss and our thoughts and prayers are with sergeant stocker's wife, christine, and their children. i told her that when i spoke with her today and told her that i would talk about him on the floor and his sacrifice. it struck me in what happened how much it says about vermont and our national guard. sergeant stocker and so many of us fellow guard members have answered the call to help their neighbors in need. when sergeant stocker passed away, his troops gathered. they wanted to know how best to honor his memory that day. and they decided

senator patrick leahy of vermont. [ applause ] and lamar smith, republican from texas. [ applause ] wepresentative bob goodlet, representative jim moran, representative melvin watt. they're all here. [ applause ] becky blank our acting secretary of commerce. david capos director of the trademark office and we've got some extraordinary business leaders here. ceo of eventis. jessica matthews, ceo of unchartered play. ellen coleman, ceo of dupont. [ applause ] and another outstanding student. this is one of the best high schools in the country. and as you can see it's filled with some pretty impressive students. i have to say when i was a freshman in high school, none of my work was patent worthy. we had an exhibit of some of the projects that you guys are doing. the first high school student satellite. a wheelchair controlled by brain waves. a robot. there's one thing -- i don't know exactly how to describe it. it is measuring the oceans and it's unbelievable stuff. to the students here, i could not be more impressed by what you guys are doing. i'm hoping that i will learn something just

they especially want to thank patrick leahy and lamar smith, who led the process in a bipartisan wayin the house and in the senate. i have to take this opportunity while addressing members of congress here to say i've got another bill that i want them to get past to help the economy right away. it's called the american jobs act. [cheers and applause] in these things i can did. -- connected. this change in our patent laws as part of the agenda for making us competitive over the long-term. but we've also got a short-term economic crisis and a set of challenges we have to deal with right now. what the american jobs that does the splits were people back to work in more money than the pockets of working americans. everything in the proposal in the jobs act is the kind of proposal that's been supported by democrats and republicans in the past. everything in it will be paid for and you can read the plan for yourself during all the free time that you have here at thomas jefferson. on whitehouse.gov. i want congress to pass this jobs bill right away. let me give you an example of why this is

i especially want to thank patrick leahy and lamar smith who love the process in a bipartisan way in the house and in the senate. i have to take this opportunity while it got members of congress here to say i've got another bill that -- [laughter] i want them to get past to help the economy right away. it's called the american jobs act. [applause] >> and these things are connected. this change in our patent law is part of our agenda for making us competitive over the long term. but we have also got a short-term economic crisis, a set of challenges we have to deal with right now. with the american jobs act does is put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of working americans. and everything in the proposal, everything in the american jobs act is the kind of proposal that's been supported by democrats and republicans in the past to read everything will be paid for, and you can read the plan for yourself during all the free time you guys have here at thomas jefferson. [laughter] on white house.gov to read by what congress to pass this jobs bill right away. let me give

i want to thank all of the people active in that from senator reid to senator landrieu to senator leahy, all of the people that made that happen. they did a great job. does that bill have everything that i would like to see in a disaster relief bill for the state of vermont? no, it doesn't, quite frankly. but it is a very good bill. it is an urgently needed bill. it is an important step forward in the right direction. and i want to commend again all of those senators who played an active role in moving that bill along, including ten senate republicans. disaster aid should not be a partisan issue. but it seems the house republicans are intent on making is it one. the disaster funding that the house is likely to pass this week is totally inadequate and will not address the magnitude of the damages inflicted by hurricane irene or to the back sp-- or to the backlog in fema funding that existed before. to my mind, it was an outrage that for the first time in modern american history house americans want to have a budget debate over disaster assistance. they threaten to block urgently needed a

laverty steven lawn robert lawrence nathaniel lawson eugen gabriel lazar james patrick leahy joseph gerard joseph leavy leon lebor alan j. lederman elena f. ledesma alexis leduc david s. lee gary h. lee hyun joon lee juanita lee >> and my husband, carlos, father of louis, francisco, brother of nine siblings throughout the world. >> and my brother-in-law, michael, engine company 240, 48 brooklyn. you are missed and i know that we will meet again in heaven. thank you. >> kathryn blair lee linda c. lee lorraine mary lee myoung woo lee richard y. lee stuart soo-jin lee yang der lee stephen paul lefkowitz adriana legro edward joseph lehman eric andrew lehrfeld >> and my father, james. may your memory and spirit live on through my brother and die. >> and my father, lt. joseph, i love and miss you so much. [applause] david leistman >> david prudencio lemagne joseph anthony lenihan john joseph lennon, jr. john robinson lenoir jorge luis leon matthew gerard leonard michael lepore charles a. lesperance jeff leveen john dennis levi alisha caren levin neil david levin robert levine robert michael levi

. >> the senator patrick leahy said the resources will allow the agency to speed up the patents and spur of jobs are being held up because we can't move the patents through. moo n my state we found more patents than in america. we get the patents approve and they always create jobs. >> venture capitalists predict the opposite will happen because investors will be less willing to bet on an idea if the patent can be in jeopardy. >> let me ask a question. some of the proponents said they will create 200,000 jobs. are they off the mark? >> there is no evidence that this would create any jobs. if you look at the evidence from around the world, it indicates it would lose jobs. >> the disclosure records showed big business rallied in favor of the bill. among the larger supporters, ibm between april and june of this year, they spent $960,000 lobbying this and other issues. johnson & johnson, $1.3 million. cisco is $830,000 and 3 m, $1.2 million. the coalition for 21st century patent reform with some of the biggest companies in the united states hailed the vote in the senate and took a victory la

leahy: mr. president, i've spoken to so many of my colleagues. i know i have with my good friend, one of the most distinguished members of this body, the senator from montana, and others about what's happened in vermont. we're a little state with 660,000 people. we're a state that has sent volunteers all over the country when people have been hit by earthquakes and tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding. but now vermont has been hit. i was born in vermont. my family came to vermont in the 1800's. the only thing that could even begin to match what we've seen were the horrible floods of 1927. i wasn't alive then, but i remember the stories my paerpbts told me -- my parents told me. in my lifetime we've never seen anything like this, as vermont continues to grapple with the aftermath of tropical storm irene, it's all vermonters joining. it doesn't make any difference whether you're a republican or democrat. i'd like to call to the senate's attention today the severe and stiff damage that -- extensive done to our state's transportation infrastructure, our r

senator leahy is a friend of mine but he has completely ignored brian terry's debt.is left senators to twist in the win without any cooperation. we're referring to a fast and furious. they want to say that it is just an operation even though it led to 2500 deadly weapons and the hand of drug cartels. host: we want to talk about regulations as well. we will show our viewers what henry waxman had to say, who was our guest last week. areas on the house and the regulation efforts. >> the republicans do not have regulations of any sort. they call regulations job killers. they got it from their spin masters. but these regulations are some much more beneficial than the cost. they had to go to a rigorous cost-benefit analysis at the epa and at the office of management and budget. when we stopped mercury pollution from the old power plants, it can cause people to die and could cause those who live learning disabilities. there is of tremendous public- health price that we pay. you would think from the republicans that the only cost of regulations are the cost to comply with th

senator leahy has completely ignored and she's a friend of mine but completely ignored brian terry's death. he let senator grassley twist in the wind without any cooperation. our committee has been taking on what the senate won't take on. host: you are a friend to the fast and furious program. guest: we are referring to fast and furious. they are saying it's not a program but an operation which led to 2,500 deadly weapons in the hands of drug cartels. host: we want to talk about regulations. show our viewers what henry waxman had to say who was our "newsmakers" guest. here he is. >> well, the republicans don't believe in regulation of any sort. they call regulations job killers. that's a good little phrase and they got it from their spin meisters. but these regulations are so much more beneficial than the cost. they had to go through a rigorous cost benefit analysis at e.p.a. and the office of management and budget. when we stop these mercury from the old power plants, mercury can cause children to die and could cause those who live disabilities. there is a tremendous public health c

we see pictures of what is happening in places like vermont, where as senator leahy told us yesterday, a woman that he talked to has to drive an hour plus for her chemotherapy because the road is gone and it used to take her five minutes. we need to fix that road. we need to fix the roads, the bridges, the highways, the sewer systems, the water systems, the schools that get harmed in these natural disasters, and the republicans are holding up the bill to let us do that. we have holds on -- more than one. the highway bill, known as the transportation bill, and the f.a.a., our nation's aviation bill. and here's the real shocker: the f.a.a. and the transportation bill, which have been merged in one bill, have come over from the house of representatives and the house relented on the numbers, they are at current levels of spending, they are clean extensions, which we wanted, but the republicans over here will not let us get to those bills. now, tomorrow the f.a.a. authorization for the airports, to fix up the airports, rebuild the airports, that expires. so there's no fee as of tomorrow, a

i have a statement from chairman leahy on this hearing. i won't -- i would unanimous consent i will put the statement into the record. and it has two letters attached which i will also put into the record. ms. monaco i will summarize its conclusion which is the attorney general should issue prosecutial -- prosecutorial guidelines that would remove the uncertainty of the scope of the material support law. i would hope very much that the department takes that advice to hard -- heart. we have just had a vote in the last markup where the department was invited to issue prosecutorial guidelines, and did not. and the result was that a measure passed through the judiciary committee that the department disapproves of. when the chairman of the judiciary committee invites the attorney general to issue prosecutorial guidelines on a matter, i think that's something that the attorney general should tend to with considerable dispatch and attention. because it is a device that leaves the control over this in the hands of the department as to how to desig

but as i think senator leahy said so eloquently in our press conference today, do the republican -- some people in the republican party actually believe we want fire departments all over the united states when your house is on fire, they show up with the engine and then they debate in the middle of the street how they're going to pay for the extra overtime to put out your fire? i don't think so. even if the fire department is broke, even if the funding is run out, you don't want to have a debate over how are you going to pay for overtime when the fire is burning. you put the fire out, you bring the people to safety, you put the family in shelter and then you go back to the city council meeting next week and you can debate for as long as you want how you're going to ultimately pay for it. we paid for world war ii, obviously. it was a long time ago. it's completely paid for. we paid for world war i, we're paying for afghanistan, we're paying for iraq which by the way, not one single solitary republican -- and not many democrats for that matter, but not one republican that i can recall stoo

kyl: i rise to urge my colleagues the support the leahy-smith america invents act. some other responsibilities may take me from the senate floor during the coming week when we'll debate the act so i want to lay out my views at this time strongly urging my colleagues to support the bill. although the present bill originates in the house of representatives it's actually based on and substantially identity cal to the bill that passed the senate in march by a vote of 95-5. also before chairman smith brought his bill to the house floor, he negotiated final changes to the bill with the lead supporters of the measure in the senate judiciary committee. the house and senate have now been working on patent reform for six years. the present bill is a good bill. it reflects a genuine compromise between the house and the senate. and it is a bill that will provide substantial benefits to the u.s. economy this the coming weeks years. so i hope that as i said, the senate will adopt this legislation and to be able pass it on directly to the president for his signature. the overarchi

senator leahy is a friend of mine. he has completely ignored brian's death. he has let senator grassley twist in the wind with the cooperation. we are referring to fast and furious. it is just an operation they want to phase out. it led to a deadly weapons in the hands of drug cartels. host: i want to talk about regulations your committee is working on. show our viewers what henry waxman has been saying, our guest last week. this is about the house efforts. guest: the republicans call regulations job killers. that is something they got from their spin-masters. they had to go through a rigorous cost-benefit analysis at the epa and the office of management and budget. they're trying to stop mercury pollution from these old power plants. it is a caustic pollutants that can cause children to die. it can cause those who cause -- it can cause those who live learning disabilities. there is a tremendous price. the costs of regulations are the costs to comply with them. the costs of not doing these regulations are often many multiples of the cost of getting the job do

packard -- patrick leahy chairs the committee. the hearing is an hour and 30 minutes. >> good morning. this is a hearing on its cyber crime. we are protecting american consumers and businesses from threats in cyberspace. that has been a priority of this committee for many years, a bipartisan priority. we continue that tradition today. before we start, i want to thank senator grassley, who has worked with me on this. this affects all of us. developing a comprehensive strategy for cyber security is one of the most pressing challenges facing our nation today. i think of the day is not many years ago when you were worried about somebody going into a bank and robbing a bank and getting $20,000. the were usually caught. i think of losing a warehouse. now it is a lot different. in a study released today by symantec, it estimates the price is $114 billion a year. we witnessed major data breaches at sony, the international monetary fund, and lockheed martin, just to name a few. it is not a masked person with a gun walking into a bank. it i

people who are responsible for making some great progress on reforming our patent laws here, the pat leahyof vermont, and lamar smith, republican from texas. in addition we have representative jim moran and others who are all here. [applause] maggie is our acting secretary of commerce -- becky blank is the acting secretary of commerce. and we have some extraordinary business leaders here. jessica matthews, ellen coleman, ceo of dupont, and the ceo of eli lilly. we have another of standing ticket, your class -- another outstanding student, your classmate. this is one of the best high schools in the country. [cheers and applause] as you can see, it is filled with some pretty impressive students. i have to say when i was a freshman in high school, none of my work was patent worthy. we had an exhibit of some of the project that you guys are doing, and the first high school student satellite, a wheelchair controlled by brain waves, robots -- there is one thing, i don't know exactly how to describe it, but it is measuring toxicity in the oceans. unbelievable stuff. to the students here, i could

leahy: mr. president, i've worked at efforts to prevent the diversion collected by -- fees collected by the u.s. patent and trademark issues. when the distinguished senator from oklahoma worked on took over, during the judiciary committee's consideration of the bill and i'd work to include improvements on the floor. i did. i kept my word. i included language he drafted in the manager's amendment, and worked hard despite the misgivings of senators on both sides of the aisle. however when i went over to the house of representatives they preserved the principle against diversion but changed the language. the language of the bill is that which the house voted to include, as worked out by the plus republican leadership to satisfy house rules. the provision senator coburn had drafted -- and i understand may offer again -- with his amendment, apparently violates house rule 21 which prohibits authorizing legislation from converting discretionary spending into mandatory spending. so instead of a revolvin

leahy: madam president, my state was devastated by hurricane irene. i'm going to do everything possible to help vermonters get the aid they need, but i strongly oppose the amendment offered by the junior senator from kentucky. first, it's a terrible idea to cut critical national security programs to offset funding for emergency disasters. it would set a precedent that would make it infinitely harder to help our states cope with these crises, whether it's katrina or whether it's earthquakes or no matter what it is. disasters -- the presiding officer: thank you. the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: disasters strike unexpectedly. the funding in the recovery bill is not built in the budget. they strike republican and democratic states alike. and to say in this, well, why don't we cut out our state department, our embassies, so we cut out the aid that the united states gives to haiti. you know, we live in a global economy. this amendment makes no sense. the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. could we please have order. this is a very impor

leahy: mr. president, is there time remaining? the presiding officer: there is no time remaining on the democratic side. lay lalled ask unanimous consent for 30 seconds. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: the senator west virginia is absolutely right. we have tens of billions of dollars sitting in accounts now unspent for iraq and afghanistan for rebuilding roads and all of theirs. let's spend it on america. it is american tax dollars. let's spend it in america. i yield the floor. mr. reid: before we do that, i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. reid:. the presiding officer: the yoarl. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent if cloture is not invoked -- thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent if cloture is not invoked on the pending reid of nevada motion to concur with an amendment the majority leader be recognized to withdraw the pending m

and i also think as patrickhas leahy, the senator from vermont has said many times, many peopl are startingthink,to why isr that some people ines congress rush out to fund programs in afghanistan and iraq and neveren want to debate when we went to war how we were going to pay g i that.n which is literally did 3 it in w days. nobody can question that we were going to pay for it, literally.w i was here. the maybe a few people raised the issue, this is going to be expensive but nobody on the other side did.to to go to war twice? and after a hurricane and and a tornado and i now have to have a not down drag out full-fledged w debate onre how we are going toe pay for every singlery penny give a green light to thesere governors and ayers d county commissioners. it is unnecessary and totally unfair. k so, i don't know what is going to happen. the we sent a bill over to the house that had $6.9 billion it is much bettere than 2.65 from last yeaa there wasn't sufficient than. we send the bill over, stand-alone bill. the house, they don't think thes number -- they think the numbers too high, take it d