mr. leahy: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, i ask consent the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: madam president, today we're going -- the presiding officer: morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, dale a.drozd of california to be united states district judge for the eastern district. the presiding officer: under the previous order, there will be 30 minutes for debate equally divided in the usual form. mr. leahy: thank you, madam president. i didn't realize we had not gone into executive session. but as the distinguished chair pointed out, we're going to vote on the nomination of judge dale drozd to be federal district judge for the eastern district of california. that's the good news. unfortunately, the bad news is so

[applause] mr. leahy: madam president, i -- the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: i'll speak further on this later on, but die want to thank my dear friends, senator reid, senator mcconnell, senator sanders for their comments and i appreciate the opportunity to be able to serve with them. you know, the senate offers both great opportunities and responsibility for this senator from vermont -- as for both senators from vermont and all who serve here. we have a chance day after day to make things better for vermonters and for all americans. we can strengthen our country. we can ensure its vitality in the future. we can forge solutions in what's been an unending quest throughout this nation's history to form a more perfect union. i cast my first vote in this chamber in 1975 on a resolution to establish the church committee. now, the critical issues of the post-watergate era parallel the issues we face today, prove the enduring fact that while the votes we cast today address the issues we face today, problems will persist, threats will continue, improvements in de

mr. leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president, i ask consent the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: mr. president, as the proud parent of a wonderful daughter and the proud grandparent of three wonderful granddaughters, like so many others, i was proud of the u.s. women's national team and their historic world cup victory. i'm even more proud when on tuesday i saw them at the white house with president obama. i know all americans are so proud of this well-earned honor. and the reason why so many americans are proud of it is that earlier this year, with more than 25 million americans watching, this electrifying group of athletes led the united states to a record -- a record -- third world cup title. we all cheered this, but then along with a lot of other americans, i was surprised to learn the united states women's team, even though the -- even though they were enormous receipts from the tv c

. >> mr. leahy? >> i have no information about on the governor uses his staff. >> now to my knowledge by the governor is very courageously taken on the burden of this exchange embedding it in all of the departments. >> mr. gutierrez? >> not under the current administration. >> ms. o'toole? >> i have no information about that. >> i think mr. allen the potential of the to this question in oregon. >> i was not directly involved in the management or operation of exchange at the department of health direct experience with that kind of involvement. >> kodansha on your part. i want to introduce, to into a series of newspaper articles that were acquired, investigative reporting that was done that could indicate that our governor at the time used it outside political campaign staff to manage and coordinate messaging on covert work in. it may be worse than that based on e-mails made available from for you. i think it's important for the e committee to know as we investigate what happened to this money, what ha

mr. leahy: mr. president, would the senator yield for just one moment to me? mr. nelson: absolutely. mr. leahy: mr. president, the senator from florida and i have been friends for decades, and to get this praise from a man who served with distinction as a congressman, a senator, and an astronaut means a great deal to me, and i thank him. mr. nelson: well, the senator is very gracious, but i stood to comment upon the characteristics that he has exemplified in his public life that is a role model for all of us. i was about to say that here we are seeing tonight that the u.s. congress is going to be able to move ahead without falling off the fiscal cliff because there's going to be a bipartisan vote in the house of representatives. my goodness gracious! isn't this what it's supposed to be what it's all about? my senator from vermont can remember back well over 0 years ag--well over 30 years ago whene role models in the house of representatives were tip o'neill and bob michel, the democratic speaker and

previous order, the question occurs on amendment numbered 2587, offered by the senator from vermont, mr. leahy. the democratic leader. the senate will be in order. the senate will be in order. mr. reid: madam president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. reid: i would ask that my remarks be under leader time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: mr. president, today my friend and colleague, pat leahy, has reached another milestone in an extraordinary career. he just cast his 15,000th vote. that's remarkable. he's only the sixth senator in the history of this great body to have done that. in 226 years, he is one of six. today's momentous occasion should come as no surprise because his entire career in public service has been history making. he graduated st. michaels college, which is a vermont institution, graduated georgetown university law center. he was first appointed as the state's attorney when he was 26 years old. he was then re-elected on two separate occasions. during that time, pat leahy was a nationally renowned prosecutor. in 1974, his last as state att

feinstein, for mr. leahy, proposes an amendment numbered 2587, as modified, to amendment numbered 2716. mr. burr: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. mr. burr: madam president, i call up the paul 2564 amendment, as modified, to correct the instruction line. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the amendment by number. the clerk: the senator from north carolina, mr. burr, for mr. paul, proposes an amendment numbered 2564, as modified, to amendment numbered 2716. mrs. feinstein: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. feinstein: i call up mikulski 2557. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the amendment by number. the clerk: the senator from california, mrs. feinstein, for ms. mikulski, proposes an amendment numbered 2557 to amendment numbered 2716. mrs. feinstein: madam president, i call up whitehouse 2626. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the amendment by number. the clerk: the senator from california, mrs. fein

leahy? thank you, mr. chairman. i think as use adjusted the problems facing our criminal justice system cannot continue to go on addressed -- unaddresssed. we love up to many people, for longer and is necessary to keep our communities safe. we have fewer resources to support public safety efforts that actually work. [indiscernible] system isal justice anything but just, particularly for many communities of color. problems likeex addiction, congress has to offer resorted to civil but deeply flawed minimums and. it is time we fix our mistakes. apply the fixl we retroactively so that those currently paying the price for our mistakes are given a second chance. this is an historic opportunity. should not squander it. this is a bipartisan bill. is not perfect. i would like it to go further. there are many mandatory minimums that are -- [indiscernible] and while it does not contain everything i might like, it does not contain every thing senator grassley would like. that is the nature of a compromise. it might be an exampl

leahy? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i think as you suggested, the problems facing our criminal justice system cannot continue to go unaddressed. we lock up too many people far longer and far longer than is necessary to keep our communities safe. it comes at an extraordinary price. we have fewer resources to support public safety efforts that actually work. we're just left with a criminal justice system that is anything but just, particularly for many communities of color. to solve complex problems in our communities like addiction, congress has too often resorted to simple but deeply flawed mandatory minimum sentences. it's time we fix our mistakes. it's essential we apply the fix retroactively so those paying the price for our mistakes are given a second chance. it's an historic opportunity. we shouldn't squander it. this is a bipartisan bill. it's not perfect. i would like it to go further. there are many mandatory minimums the bill does not impact. but while it doesn't contain everything i might like, it doesn't cont

mr. chairman, ranking member leahy and the members of the committee for the opportunity to testify about this singh can't criminal justice legislation you'll be considering. i'm privileged to speak in my capacity as the executive director of justice fellowship, the advocacy arm of prison fellowship. the bipartisan introduction of this sentencing reform and corrections act represents a significant milestone for our organization and the broader faith community which has long advocated for a more restorative approach to crime and punishment. a many of you know our founder the late chuck coleson went from being president nixon's counsel to being a federal prisoner as a result of his involvement in a watergate-related scandal. although his power and pride coupleable, his faith in ychris was strengthened. he vowed to never forget who he met in prison and founded prison fellowship in 1976. today our organization as the world's largest prison ministry, we mobilize thousands of volunteers to serve in over 1400 correctional facilities and reach over 200,000 men and women in prisons nationwide. in

leahy? thank you, mr. chairman. i think as use adjusted the problems facing our criminal justice system cannot continue to go on addressed -- unaddresssed. we love up to many people, for longer and is necessary to keep our communities safe. we have fewer resources to support public safety efforts that actually work. [indiscernible] system isal justice anything but just, particularly for many communities of color. problems likeex addiction, congress has to offer resorted to civil but deeply flawed minimums and. it is time we fix our mistakes. apply the fixl we retroactively so that those currently paying the price for our mistakes are given a second chance. this is an historic opportunity. should not squander it. this is a bipartisan bill. is not perfect. i would like it to go further. there are many mandatory minimums that are -- [indiscernible] and while it does not contain everything i might like, it does not contain every thing senator grassley would like. that is the nature of a compromise. it might be an exampl

mr. chairman, ranking member leahy and the member of this committee for the ability to testify about the significant criminal justice legislation you will be considering. i'm privileged to speak in my capacity as the advocacy arm of prison friendship. the bipartisanship of this act represents our faith community which has long advocated for a more restorative approach to crime and punishment. our founder went from being president nixon's council to being a federal prisoner as a result of his involvement in the watergate scandal. although his power and pride crumbled, his faith in jesus christ was strengthed. upon his release, he vowed never to forget those he met in prison. today we are the largest prison minist ministry. we mobilize volunteers to serve in 1400 correctal facilities and reach over 200,000 men and women in prisons nationwide. in 2014 our angel tree program provided over 330,000 with a christmas gift on behalf of their incarcerated parent. this includes working alongside many of you to pass the religious freedom restoration act, the fair sentencing act, and the second chanc

leahy? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i think, as you suggested, the problems facing our criminal justice system cannot continue to go on unaddressed. we lock up too many people far longer and far longer than is necessary to keep our communities safe. it comes at an extraordinary price. we have fewer resources to support public safety efforts that actually work. we're just left with a criminal justice system that is anything but just, particularly for many communities of color. to solve complex problems in our communities like addiction, congress has too often resorted to simple but deeply flawed mandatory minimum sentences. it's time we fix our mistakes. it's essential we apply the fix retro actively so those paying the price for our mistakes are given a second chance. it's an historic opportunity. we shouldn't squander it. this is a bipartisan bill. it's not perfect. i would like it to go further. there are many mandatory minimums the bill does not impact. but while it doesn't contain everything i might like, it doesn't

mr. beauprez: thank you, panelists. thank you very much. >> enjoyed it. announcer: the senate judiciary committee meeting. that chair of the committee, chuck grassley, the ranking member, patrick leahy of for mott. -- of vermont.

of the judiciary committee, senator leahy for the great help that he's been not only as my friend but as working on this piece of legislation. i yield the floor. mr. grassley: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk shall call the roll. quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. hatch: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hatch: mr. president, last week i came to the floor to speak on the subject of religious liberty in america. i explained why religious liberty matters why it's important and why it deserves special protection from government interference. i also use my remarks to welcome pope francis to washington and to recognize the historic nature of his visit. i was struck by the pope's emphasis on religious liberty while he was here and by his concern for the state of religious liberty not just around the world but in the united states as well. in his address at the white house, pope francis said that many american catholics are -- quote -- "concerned that efforts to build a justice and wisely ordered society respect the

whitehouse, leahy and wyden for reaching an agreement on text that senator whitehouse very much wanted to include, and i'm pleased we were able to include that in this unanimous consent package. so, mr. president, i appreciate the support of my colleagues. i urge a strong yes vote on the cloture vote to allow us to proceed to this bill. thank you. mr. wyden: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: mr. president, i rise today to speak against cloture on the substitute. this substitute would not have stopped the target hack, the anthem hack, the home depot hack, or the o.p.m. hack. but when it comes to real privacy protection for millions of americans, with this substitute there is simply no "there" there. the and you see that, mr. president, by looking at page 17 of the substitute. "companies only have to remove personal, unrelated information if they know that it is personal and unrelated." how would they know under this amendment? under this amendment, they're required to virtually do no looking. it is the most cursory review. and that's why, mr. president, the nation's leading technology companies have come out overwhelmingly against this legislat

mr. franken:ty. madam president, tomorrow we'll vote on my amendment to the cybersecurity information-sharing act or cisa. i am a proud to be joined on this amendment by senators leahy, durbin, and wyden, each of whom have has worked to try toto ensure that any cyber legislation passed by this body is effective and adequately safeguards the privacy and civil liberties of the american people. my amendment tightens the definitions of the terms "cybersecurity threat" and cyber threat indicator" in the bill. these changes will help ensure that cisa's broad authorities are not triggered in circumstances where no real cyber threats are present. this makes the bill more privacy-protective and more likely to work effective i.ly. the amendment is supported by more thank 30 -- more than 30 civil society organizations from the american civil liberties union to prominent libertarian groups like our street. as i'll describe it, it addresses specific concerns that have been raised by security experts, major tech companies, and even the department of homeland security. under cisa, companies are authorized to monitor users' online, sharing information with one another and with the

mr. leahy: mr. president, this is really a personal speech. i was very grateful for the indulgences of my fellow senators who allowed me yesterday to make a few observations after i cast my 15,000th vote. i also appreciated the comments from both the republican and democratic leader about that vote.i might like to elaborate just a bit more. i've never lost sight of what a great opportunity and responsibility the senate aaffords this senator from vermont. day after day, to make things better for vermonters and i hope for all americans. the strength in our country. ensure its vitality into the future. to forge solutions in the unending quest begun by the founders of this country to form a more perfect union.and over the last 40 years, i've been lessed to be able to serve -- i've been blessed to be able to serve with some of the giants of the senate, like mansfield, howard baker, bob byrd, robert mondale, hubert humphrey, bob dole, george mitchell and my mentor when i came here, the then-senior senator from vermont, senator bob stafford. i would

mr. president, that each of these amendments would be significant improvements to the bill, and i hope my colleagues will support all of them as well as an amendment by our colleague from vermont, senator leahy, that would real estate move unnecessary modification of the freedom of information act. now let me close, mr. president, by saying it is not just senators -- and i have listed both democrats and republicans tonight. it is not just democrats and republicans in this body who've raised concerns about this bill's inadequate privacy protections. privacy advocacy groups from the american library association to the oregon technology institute have come out against the bill. america's leading technology companies, companies that have to have expertise in both cybersecurity and protecting the data of our customers, have opposed it as well, companies like apple, dropbox, twitter, sales force, reddi thank you. , and yelp have all said they oppose the legislation because it does not include adequate privacy protections. the trade association that represents google and amazon, facebook, microsoft, yahoo, netflix, and paypal said, "cis "cisa's prescribed mechanism for sharing of cyber threat infor

mr. cruz: madam president, on october 15, 2015, senators dianne feinstein and patrick leahy released the following statement marking the five-year anniversary of the arrest of lui xa, the wife of chinese democracy activist and nobel peas prize winner. this week marks the five-year anniversary that liu xa was placed under arrest in china. she has never been charged with a crime and remains confined to her apartment because her husband, respected democracy activist liu chabot won the nobel peace prize in 2010. over the past five years, lui xa's health has severely deteriorated. she suffers from back pain and had a heart attack last year. her repeated requests for medical treatment have been denied. we urgently request that the chinese government allow liu xa to seek medical treatment abroad and release liu chabot, the world's only jailed peace prize laureate. such action would be a welcome humanitarian gesture. i could not agree more. with the very wise sentiments expressed by senator feinstein and senator leahy. that is exactly right the united states should speak with one voice in suppor