mr. cochran,no. mr. bennett of colorado,aye. [no audio] mr. sessions,no.[no audio] [no audio] [no audio] [applause] mr. sanders -- [laughter] >>yes? >> mr. sanders, aye. mr. shelby -- no. [no audio] [no audio] >> and the other senators wishing to go toward change their vote? the amendment is passed. [no audio] >> i had a restless night worrying about bipartisanship and i think i found a way tested. nowhere in history have we found a way to make health care more affordable than today. this is a victory for the american people, those fortunate enough to have health insurance will be able to keep theirs and of those who do not will be able to have health insurance. this is a victory because we have affirmed that the ability to live a healthy life in our great country is a right and not merely privilege for the select few. this morning's vote brings us one step closer to making ted kennedy's dream a reality. it is the dream of americans which is part of that treatment ted kennedy. that has also become a reality. every step of this long process has been an enor

mr. cochrane? >> mr. ry, united states fire administrator of the department of homeland security. i appreciate the opportunity to participate today in this discussion. since this is my first hearing following my confirmation, it's a great opportunity to participate in this important issue. i look forward to working with you on many other life, safety and fire prevention initiatives over the next three years. each year carbon monoxide poisoning kills or sickens thousands of americans. this colorless, odorless gas adheres to red blood cells faster than oxygen which interrupts the exchange of oxygen. consequently, the loss of oxygen leads to tissue damage and in some cases, death. from 1999 to 2004, approximately 450 americans died from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. on an annual basis, approximately 20,000 people visit emergency rooms and more than 4,000 are hospitalized due to carbon monoxide poisoning. approximately 73% of those exposures occur in homes. 41% occurred during the winter months betw

mr. cochrane? >> mr. chairman, senators, other members of the committee, again, i'm calvin cochrane, associate administrator for the federal emergency management industry, united states fire administrator of the department of homeland security. i appreciate the opportunity to participate today in this discussion. since this is my first hearing following my confirmation, it's a great opportunity to participate in this important issue. i look forward to working with you on many other life, safety and fire prevention initiatives over the next three years. each year carbon monoxide poisoning kills or sickens thousands of americans. this colorless, odorless gas adheres to red blood cells faster than oxygen which interrupts the exchange of oxygen. consequently, the loss of oxygen leads to tissue damage and in some cases, death. from 1999 to 2004, approximately 450 americans died from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. on an annual basis, approximately 20,000 people visit emergency rooms and more than 4,000

mr. cochran? >> mr. airman, senator klobuchar, other members of the committee, again, i'm kelvin cochran, associate administrator for the federal emergency management agency united states fire administrator of the department of homeland security. i appreciate the opportunity to participate today in this discussion. and since this is my first hearing following my confirmation, it's a great opportunity to participate in this important issue and i look forward to working with you on many other life, safety and prior prevention initiatives over the next three years. each year carbon monoxide poisoning kills or sickens thousands of americans. this colorless, odorless gas adheres to red blood cells considerably faster than oxygen which interrupts the exchange of oxygen. consequently the loss of oxygen in the body leads to tissue damage and in some cases death. from 1999 to 2004, approximately 450 americans died from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. on an annual basis approximately 20,000 people visit em

mr. cochran: mr. president thank you very much. i'm glad i was here to hear the remarks of the distinguished senator from hawaii. i serve on that subcommittee of defense appropriations with him and get to observe at close range the skill and effort and courtesy that is reflected in his service as chairman of our committee. it's a pleasure to serve with him and an honor to serve with him. he's provided leadership and cooperation, working with all senators -- not just members of our committee -- to move forward the carrying out of duties by the department of defense through our appropriations process. it's very important that the senate approve as soon as possible the funding that is contained in the bill that our committee has reported to the senate. it will help support and provide the resources necessary to carry out the missions that our men and women have in afghanistan in iraq, and around the world. safeguarding our freedoms, protecting our security interests. the department of defense is now operating under a continuing resolu

mr. chairman, and ranking member cochran, for scheduling this hearing on this very important subject. and thank the witnesses for coming in. autism is a heartbreaking ailment. and of the many issues we have to face, among the toughest is talking to parents who have children who suffer from autism. and there's a real question of doing more. senator harkin and senator cochran and i have worked hard for funding on the national institutes of health and for a decade we were able to raise funding from 12 to $30 billion at a time when senator harkin and i have transferred the gavel. senator cochran chairman as of the full appropriations committee and regrettably that's not enough. i note that funding for autism was slightly under $52 million in 2000. up to $122 million and estimated to $141 and cdc's spending has increased from a little over a million to a little over $22 million. we have been successful in getting into the stimulus package, $10 billion, as you know, and it is my projection that some of that will be coming to autism. these funding levels are set by nih in order to avoid what

mr. cochran: i think that we have to say it, this patient protection and affordable care act is controversialit sounds like just what the doctor ordered, but you look at it closely, doctors are not favorably impressed with it. neither are the taxpayers, especially those who earn less than $200,000 a year. another issue that's troubled the pharmaceutical companies is the reimportation of drugs. the f.d.a., the food and drug administration has concerns about that. if the senate tries to ignore these and other serious concerns about the bill before the senate, it will be an act of hope over reality. which this senator cannot support. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. burris: thank you, mr. president. i rise, of course, to speak on our health care legislation. mr. president, the united states senate is the greatest deliberative body that this world has ever known. and since the inception of this body, its members have practiced and perfected the art of compromise. it's been said that politics is the art of possible. and this chamber's teeming with exp

mr. chairman, and ranking member cochran for having this is airing of this very important subject and think the witnesses for coming in. autism is a heartbreaking element. of the many issues we have to face, among the toughest is talking to parents who have children who suffer from autism. there is a question of doing more. senator a harkin and senator cochran and i have worked hard on funding for the national institutes of health. for a decade, we were able to raise funding from $12 million - $30 billion. regrettably, that is not enough. i know that funding for autism was slightly under $52 million in 2000 and up to 122 built -- million dollars now. the cdc spending has increased from a little over $1 million to a little over $22 million. we have been successful in getting into the stimulus package, a $10 million, as you doubtless know. it is my projection that some of that will be going to autism. these funding levels were set by nih in order to avoid politicization. i think there should be a bigger share for autism. we are pushing to make that happen. we're working on comprehensive healt

mr. president, i rise on behalf of the fiscal year 2010 national appropriations act. let me begin by thanking the committee's distinguished chairman, senator inouye, and the ranking member, senator cochranfor their leadership in crafting this bill and for their strong commitment to our nation's armed forces. mr. president, i'm very proud of the work that the state of maine does that contributes to our national defense. the appropriations bill provides vital resources that our troops need and recognizes the enormous contributions made by the state of maine to our national security. from the portsmouth naval shipyard in kittery, to the pratt & whitney engineer plant, to beth iron works ship builders to the university of maine's engineers, to the maine military authority in arusta county. mainers all over our great state are leading the way to a stronger national defense. mr. president, i would ask that the remainder of my statement on this issue be inserted into the record as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: mr. president, i'd like to comment further on the health care bill that is currently before the senate. i've talked about my concerns previously about t

cochran of mississippi and establishes a standard for certification of safety of the drugs coming in. now, could the senator from kentucky describe to me what the new amendment, mccain amendment 3200 does? mr. mcconnell: fortunately, senator mccain is on the floor at this time, and i would like to ask him to describe -- mr. mccain: i'd like to say to my colleague, first of all, as is well known, the side-by-sides have been one side of the aisle and the other side of the aisle. if the lautenberg amendment were in order on the dorgan amendment as a side-by-side, that would obviously be a change from what we have been doing. basically, what my amendment does -- i think it makes some perfecting changes to the underlying -- the dorgan amendment. i think it makes a sense of the -- it has sense of the senate provisions. it has several other provisions which i think would help make it more effective. and i have to be very honest with my friend from illinois, it doesn't undermine the dorgan amendment. i think it supplements to the dorgan amendment just as the bennet amendment to medicare costs supplemented the position that we had that medicare benefits wouldn't be cut. so side-by-side amendments a

mr. president, i'm a very patient person, but at times the rhetoric of this debate is too much to take. with senator cochran, my vice chairman, as my partner, we have tried to move 12 individual bills only to be thwarted by a few members. just a few members. that is why we are here and where we are today with an omnibus bill. as we look ahead, the consideration of fiscal year 2011 appropriation bills, i hope that all members of the senate will learn from the frustrations of this year. we can succeed in returning to regular order for appropriations. we just need a modicum of cooperation and the recognition that delay for the sake of delay serves no one's best interests, least of all the people of the united states. mr. president, i strongly support this clean bipartisan bill. i urge my colleagues to support it as well. i yield back the time. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. enzi: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. enzi: i would ask unanimous consent that we dispense with the quorum call. the presiding off

mr. reid: this is no sucker punch that the democrats leveled to the republicans. this amendment was previously offered by senator cochran, a republican. this something that people have known for a long time. i understand people may have forgotten what was in that. they can have the evening to looking to it over. but i will renew my request tomorrow. we're ready to legislate. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i just learned something from the majority leader, that, in fact, this is an amendment that has been around before. we just learned that from his comment having just received it shortly ago. nevertheless, we'll continue to talk and see if we can't move forward and make progress and give both sides the votes that they're clearly interested in having. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i appreciate the attitude of the republican leader. i think it's fair that they have a chance to look at that amendment. we'll be here in the morning to try to work through this. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senat