thank you, senator mikulski. and i yield the floor. ms. mikulski: i yield the floor to senator snowe. the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. snowe: thank you. i want to thank our senior senator from the state of maryland for organizing this tribute to our dear friend, geraldine ferraro and the eloquent comments from the senator from texas as well. i'm pleased today to be able to join in this tribute with my good friends and colleagues. senator barbara mikulski and senator barbara boxer, as well, of california. and as i look back in our time ace began my service in the u.s. house of representatives, i can't help but think today we're standing here honoring a come paacompatriot at that time, a political torch bearer, geraldine ferraro after a brave battle with cancer. as many will hear in this senate many times over, geraldine was a pioneering champion and a dynamic force for women's rights, a colleague of all three of us in the u.s. house of representatives, and always a dear friend through more than three decades. as america's

mikulski: mr. president? mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. ms. mikulski: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that our remarks regarding the passing of skwrer dean tper -- of geraldine ferraro appear at an appropriate place in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. mikulski: mr. president, i also ask that the following senators be permitted to speak for five minutes each: senators -- on the subject of geraldine ferraro: senators boxer, hutchison, stabenow, shaheen. i don't know if the gentlelady from maine wishes to speak at this time or another time about -- would you like to speak at this time? let me reiterate the unanimous consent. the following senators be permitted to speak for five minutes each: boxer, hutchison, stabenow, shaheen, snowe. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. mikulski: thank you. mr. president, we come to the floor with

mikulski: mr. president, i now yield to the gentlelady from new york, senator gillibrand, though our newest democratic senator, she's been a strong advocate. she's not new to being a strong advocate. i yield five minutes. mrs. gillibrand: thank you -- the presiding officer: senator from new york. mrs. gillibrand: thank you, mr. president. i rise today to join my colleagues and speak out about the failure that is taking place on the other side of capitol hill right now in this republican-controlled congress. the election last november was not a mandate for any one political party or extreme ideology. it was a mandate for action, for sliewses that will create -- solutions that will create jobs and get our economy moving again. rather than focusing on jobs and responsible budgeting, house republicans have engagedded in an all-out assault on the health and well being of women, children, and families in america. the american people voted overwhelmingly for debate on economic solutions that will create j

mikulski: thank you very much, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent to speak up for -- speak up to for ten minutes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senator from maryland is recognized. ms. mikulski: thank you very much, mr. president. i wanted to address the senate about the consequences of where we are in the debate on appropriations and the really harsh and punitive consequences of h.r. 1. but i cannot let the comments that have been made during the last half an hour go uncommented on or unchallenged. first of all, i'd like to comment about the senator from oklahoma's comments about duplication in government. i so respect the senator from a oklahoma. we've worked on many fiscal reform issues. but he went over a list, a program by program by program by program of where he says we have duplication. i don't challenge his facts, but i do challenge his inertia. now, if these programs have been in existence that have been duplicative and denied value to the taxpayer, where has he been? the republicans have been in cha

office and though in recent years almost no money has been diverted thanks to my colleague, senator mikulski, p.t.o. funding should never depend on shifting political fortunes. the mere possibility of fee diversion is harmful to p.t.o. because it robs the ability of the patent and trademark office to plan with confidence the varying workload will be matched by future funding. this bill does not currently address the issue of patent fee diversion, but that is something i and others are working to change. ending fee diversion is perhaps the single-most effective thing we can do. that's why i look forward to supporting dr. coburn's amendment which would ensure the p.t.o. has access to the fees it charges subject to continuing congressional oversight of course. the second thing that the america invents act does to make the united states more competitive is to improve the predictability and accuracy of the patent examination process. by transitioning to a first to file system, this bill will bring the united states patent system into line with the rest of the world. under this first to file syste

i'm joined in this effort by senator mikulski, senator schumer and senator gillibrand. the natural landscape on the eastern shore that existed during harriet tubman's day exists today. her homestead, where her father was born, ben ross, exists today. the stork canal where her father worked exists today. where harriet tubman worked as a slave exists today. adjoining that property is the blackwater wildlife national refuge. so we have the landscape in which the underground railroad was operating to free slaves in the 19th century exists today on the eastern shore of maryland. in auburn, new york, the home at which harriet tubman lived, still exists; the home for the aged that she started still remains, the thompson memorial a.m.e. stkaoe i don't know episcopal church still remains, all are intact, available for preservation. the legislation that we have filed will preserve these places in american history under a national park system for future generations. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation to honor a great american and to preserve our heritage for future g

amendment is identical to the social security protection act that i introduced yesterday with senators mikulski, boxer, sherrod brown, blumenthal, akaka, whitehouse, begich and lautenberg. this legislation halls the strong support of the national committee to preserve social security and medicare, the american med reagan administration of government employees, the paralyzed veterans of america, the military order of the purple heart, and the jewish veterans of america, among others. mr. president, social security is the most successful and reliable federal program in our nation's history. for 75 years, through good times and bad, when the economy was strong and when the economy was weak, social security has paid out every nickel owed to every eligible american. and while we take that for granted, that in fact is an extraordinary accomplishment, and it is all done at very modest administrative cost. social security has been enormously successful in accomplishing exactly what its founders hoped to accomplish. before president roosevelt signed the social security act into law in august of 1935, ap