mr. harkin: i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: first of all, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that nathan brown, a detailee on my staff, be granted floor privileges for the duration of the consideration of h.r. 3204, the drug quality and security act. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: and i ask unanimous consent that tatiano lowell campbell and benjamin freedman of my staff be granted floor privileges for the duration of today's session. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: madam president, i have high hopes that the senate will soon vote to enact the drug quality and security act. the so-called compounding and trace and track bill. this legislation helps ensure the safety of compounded drug products, and it also secures the pharmaceutical supply chain. i'm pleased to report that it's a product of excellent bipartisan collaboration on the health, education, labor and pensions committee where i work very closely with our ranking membe

mr. harkin: i ask that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to s. 815, which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 184, s. 815, a bill to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. the presiding officer: the snr from iowa. march harass first, i ask unanimous consent that sergio mr. president. plaza and lauren erickson be granted floor privileges for today's session. and ca katrina. ruvment gachenski be granted floor privileges for ther duration of the week. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: today marks another step forward in the progress of the united states of america in making sure that all of our citizens are treated fairly and equitably under law, that each citizen of this country will know that he or she cannot be discriminated against because of race, r

mr. harkin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: i know that senator murray is next. i want to ask that three members of my stative granted floor privileges for the duration of today's session. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from washington. mrs. murray: i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. murray: objection.mr i come mrs. murray: i come to to the floor to talk about early education. i want to thank chairman harkin, whose leadership on this critical issue ^+s unparalleled. i'm delighted he is on the floor today as well. i also want to thank senators casey and hirono for their strong support of early childhood education. they are great partners in this work as well. and, mr. president, of the 535 members of congress, i just have to say, each one of us comes to washington, d.c., with our own unique backgrounds. we're a collection of military veterans and farmers and business owners and a lot more. well, as for me, i come to congress as

mr. harkin: mr. president, first, i have six unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. i ask unanimous consent that these requests be agreed to and that these requests be printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that zachary kechivis and nicole dubois be granted floor privileges. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: mr. president, i ask that the senator from wisconsin have two minutes also to speak in opposition. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. harkin: over the course of this debate we have documented the tremendous business community support for this bill, including over 100 major companies. a key reason for that support is that enda is closely modeled on the title 7 of the civil rights law. employers are familiar with the law. they understand how to comply with the law,

mr. harkin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: i ask unanimous consent lauren sarkesian be granted floor privileges for the duration of today's floor session. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: mr. president, i spoke at some length on this bill, the employment nondiscrimination act, the other day, but as we move to end debate on the bill itself i want to once again express the critical nature of this bill for ensuring equality in the workplace for all americans. i was just on the floor listening to senator merkley's very poignant remarks and i just want everyone to know that we would not be here at this point in time with this bill before us ready for passage tomorrow were it not for the leadership and the persistence of senator merkley from oregon. he has been a champion of this issue since he served in the oregon legislature, and when he first came here he became a champion of this bill. he truly picked up the mantle of senator ted kennedy in picking this bill up from sort of the ashes of 1996, the last

mr. harkin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: mr. president, i would like to cover for a little bit here about the bill that we're actually on, the drug quality and security act. before i do that, i ask consent that at the end of my remarks that the senator from new hampshire, senator ayotte, be recognized to speak. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. harkin: one year ago we were at the beginning of our effort to understand one of the worst public health crises this country happens experienced in recent years. we were just learning about the new england compounding center's astonishing disregard for basic procedures to ensure that the products that they were manufacturing were sterile. we were shocked and saddened by the news that hundreds were sick dozens had died from infections caused by necc's blatant disregard for patient safety. we were fearful for the fate of the thousands of additional patients who had received injections of necc's products. despite the urgency of that crisis, the bill we are considering today was n

mr. harkin: mr. president, i want to take just a few minutes, first, to congratulate our leader, senator reid, for leading the senate finally into the 21st century. that's the step that we've taken today. thank you very much, leader reid. for your courageous action in making sure that the senate can now work and get our work done. i've waited 18 years for this moment, from 1995 when we were in the minority, i proposed changing the rules on filibuster. i've been proposing it ever since. what's really happened is that this war has escalated, this war on both sides. i said at the time in 1995 that it was pliek an arms race, that if we didn't do something about it, the senate would reach a point where we wouldn't be able to function. well, i thought perhaps -- perhaps at that time i thought my words were a little apocalyptic. but as it turns out, they weren't at all. and so this is a bright day for the united states senate and for our country to finally be able to move ahead on nominations so that any pr

mr. harkin. >> thank you, mr. chairman. it's a pleasure to be with you again. we've been through farm bills together. i might say, this is the way things ought to work. this is the way we should work. get together in conference committees and work these things out. this is my eighth farm bill that i've worked on. twice as chairman in 2002 when dick luger was the ranking member. on the house side, it was larry convest from texas and charlie stenhill. we got a farm bill in 2002. the senate was democratic. the house was republican. and we had a republican president. and we got a farm bill done. then in 2008 i was chairman an we did the 2008 farm bill. at that time, it was my good friend saxby chambliss. on the house side, of course, it was colin peterson and bob goodlatt. there was long conferences. these conferences drug on and on and on. i know you were there, mr. chairman, for those. but we got our work done. i take what colin peterson said earlier to heart. you know, these things are long. we get involved, but if we're left alone, we can do our job. we can rea

mr. harkin. >> is a pleasure to be with you again, mr. chairman. this is the way things should work, get together in conference committees and work these things out. this is my eight farm bill that i have worked on. twice as chairman in 2002, when luger was the ranking member. on the house side it was larry in texas. and charlie. we got a farm bill in 2002, the senate was democratic, the house was republican, we got a farm bill done. in 2008 i was chairman and we did the 2008 farm bill. at that time it was my good friend, saxby chambliss, the ranking member, and on the house side of course it was collin peterson. there were long conferences. they dragged on and on. i know the you are there for those. i take what mr. peterson said earlier to heart. , we can doeft alone our job and we can reach the agreements that are needed. we always have to keep in mind when hammering out agreements that the farm bill will become law unless past by both houses and the president. we have to keep that in mind. it takes balance, bipartisan solutions and i am proud of

franken, boxer, durbin, coons, baldwin, stabenow, cardin, whitehouse, murray, mikulski, gillibrand, harkin. mr. reid: i ask the mandatory quorum under rule 22 under rule 22 be waived. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. reid: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. those opposed. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. reid: so, mr. president, if i understand h.r. 3804 is now the pending matter? the presiding officer: the senator is correct. mr. reid: i have a cloture motion with respect to the bill which is at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: we the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate hereby move to bring to a close the debate on h.r. 3204 an act to amend the federal food, drug and cosmetic act and so forth and for other purposes. signed by 17 senators as follows --. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the reading of the n

mr. durbin: madam president, yesterday senator harkin of ii, as -- senator harkin of iowa as chairman of the help committee joined me in reintroducing a bill. i'm pleased that support the education trust, the national association of college admissions counseling, military association of america and young invincibles. since 1992 congress has required for-profit schools to derive a portion of their revenue from non-federal sources. most people would be surprised to learn how these nonprofit schools are really totally upside down. they depend almost exclusively, almost on federal money. they are private schools, very profitable, and yet most of their money comes from the federal government. if you took this segment of our economy, for-profit schools, and made it a federal agency, it would be the ninth-largest federal agency. that's how much money we put into for-profit schools. who are these schools? young people, particularly high school age or college age, they know them by name. these are the ones that come bombarding you on the internet with solis stations to please -- with solicitation

that's why it's so important that we pass the harkin-begic harkin-begich-hirono-schatz-bron bill. mr. president, i yield the floor to the senator. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. mrs. shaheen: mr. president, i ask consent that the period for morning business be until 7:00 p.m. for debate only. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. shaheen: thank you. mr. president, almost 50 years ago, congress passed the civil rights act. this landmark legislation prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion and gender in employment, housing and public accommodations. many of us in the senate remember the passage of that legislation and many of us, unfortunately, saw firsthand the painful examples of legally sanctioned discrimination that existed before the civil rights act. i grew up in a state where i went to segregated schools. i can remember the separate drinking fountains and going to the movie theater where if you were an african-american, you had to sit in the balcony. these practices were wrong and they ended be

mr. markey: thank the chair. i want to begin by thanking chairman harkin, ranking member alexander, senators franken and roberts, and all of their staffs for their tremendous leadership on this bill. this bill was also developed in concert with our counterparts in the house of representatives, and i extend my thanks to ranking member henry waxman and chairman fred upton and their staffs of the energy and commerce committee. what we have now is a bipartisan, bicameral bill that addresses two very serious issues: the safety of compounded drugs and the security of our entire drug supply. last fall an outbreak of fungal meningitis stunned the nation and thus far has claimed the lives of 64 people and sickened 751 in 20 states. this issue hits home for me because it started in massachusetts. at the center of this tragedy was the new england compounding center, also known as necc, and it was located in framingham, massachusetts. i met some of these victims of this terrible outbreak and heard about their struggles, like jerry cohen, a resident of pik pikesville, maryland, who went to the doctor for routine steroid inje

mr. donnelly: i understand that 17 3 -- s. 1737, introduced earlier today by senator harkin, is at the desk and i ask for its first reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bill for the first time. the clerk: s. 1737, a bill to provide for an increase in the federal minimum wage and so forth. mr. donnelly: i now ask for its second reading and object to my own request. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will receive its second reading on the next legislative day. mr. donnelly: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on wednesday, november 20, 2013, and that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day. and that following any leader remarks, the senate be in a period of morning business for debate only for one hour with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the time equally divided and c

mrs. capps, and in the senate, senator harkin and senator alexander for their wonderful efforts. working together, yes, we are making a difference in the lives of so many. i would urge my colleagues to join me in support of this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. mrs. capps: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. capps: i rise in strong support of senate bill 252 as amended. as amended, this bipartisan legislation would address critical health care issues through the authorization or re-authorization of three different programs, title 1 of the legislation would authorize the proo maturity research expansion and education for mothers who deliver infants early act, better known as the preemie act. it was enacted in 2006 in response to an alarming number arising in the number of premature deaths. those that occur prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy are the leading cause of newborn death and neurologica

mr. harkin: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: madam president, the senate is about to take another historic step. think about this: 1964 civil rights act. 1990, 23 years ago, i stood here and we passed the americans with disabilities act, extending civil rights to people with disabilities. here we are today now tabling one more -- taking one more step to make the american family more inclusive to ban discrimination once and for all in employment against gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered americans. this is an historic opportunity for the senate, once again, to say that we're all members of of the american family. no one should be discriminated against because of race, sex, religion, national origin, and they shouldn't be discriminated against because of who they love or who they are or whether they're gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. this is an historic step for the united states senate to do today. i urge and aye vote on the motion to proceed. the presiding officer: who yields time? opposition? -- who yield

mr. harkin: mr. president, i want to take just a few minutes, first, to congratulate our leader, senator reid, for leading the senate finally into the 21st century. that's the step that we've taken today. thank you very much, leader reid. for your courageous action in making sure that the senate can now work and get our work done. i've waited 18 years for this moment, from 1995 when we were in the minority, i proposed changing the rules on filibuster. i've been proposing it ever since. what's really happened is that this war has escalated, this war on both sides. i said at the time in 1995 that it was pliek an arms race, that

mr. harkin: in the course of our hearings on this bill we heard from executives of nike and general mills among others. asked why they had chosen to implement strong policies themselves, nike testified that enda is good for business because teams thrive in an open and welcoming environment where individuals are bringing their full selves to work. the bill we're debating protects liberty which allows religious organizations to continue to take sexual orientation and gender identity into account when making employment decisions in their religious organizations. enda, i might point out, is supported by 60 faith-based organizations including congregations and organizations ranging from the presbyterian church of america, the episcopal church, the progressive national baptist convention, the union of reformed judaism, the union synagogue of conservative judaism, islamic society of north america, and many others. polls, as i said, show a lot of different things. polls show 76% of american catholics support basic workplace protections for lgbt workers. almost 70% in that poll of evangelical chri

mr. blumenthal: thank you. i want to begin by thanking a number of my colleagues for their leadership. senators merkley and harkin and others in this body who have championed the employment nondiscrimination act known as enda over many years with great passion and constancy, and now we are literally on the verge of approving this historic measure in this body and hopefully in the house of representatives. i've heard from numerous organizations that represent america's workforce. i'm quoting the u.a.w.. this legislation represents a step in the right direction toward providing equal opportunity for all americans. that message is also carried by america's faith leaders, our business community generally, and many others who have fought over the years for civil rights and civil liberties. it is one of the paramount civil rights issues of our time, and i'm proud to be fighting for it. i'd like to mention some of the american businesses that have stepped forward to endorse this legislation. beringer engelhi evment im pharmaceuticals, u.b.s. xerox cooperation also of stanford corporation. there are many others around co