ms. murkowski: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn to then convene for pro forma sessions only with no business being conducted on the following dates and times, and that following each pro forma session the senate adjourn until the next pro forma session. friday, july 15, 11:30 a.m., tuesday, july 19, 1:00 p.m. friday, july 22, 1:00 p.m. tuesday, july 26, 10:00 a.m. friday, july 29, 10:00 a.m. tuesday, august 2, 10:00 a.m. friday, august 5, 7:45 a.m. tuesday, august 9, 12:55 p.m. friday, august 12, 8:00 a.m. tuesday, august 16, 9:00 a.m. friday, august 19, 3:00 p.m. tuesday, august 23, 4:00 p.m. friday, august 26, 10:00 a.m. tuesday, august 30, 9:00 a.m. and friday, september 2, 10:00 a.m. i further ask that when the senate adjourns on friday, september 2, it next convene at 3:00 p.m. tuesday, september 6. following the prayer and pledge, the morning business be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date and the time f

ms. murkowski: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. ms. murkowski: mr. president, i would now ask unanimous consent that alexander bratton who is an intern on the energy committee be granted floor privileges for the remainder of today's session. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. murkowski: mr. president, a great deal of discussion this week on very difficult and hard issues. the comments of the senator from california which were preceded by the comments from our colleague from south carolina remind us, remind us that as lawmakers, as policymakers, our jobs are indeed difficult as we do try to make good on that pledge for a more perfect union because we are clearly not there today. i'm here on the floor to speak to another type of killer that we face in this country, and that is the killer that comes with d

ms. murkowski: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. ms. murkowski: mr. president, i would like to spend a few moments this afternoon to shed some light and to speak about the issue of postpartum depression. now, as a physician yourself, you are clearly aware of the reality that many new young mothers face when they deal with issues relating to post pardon me -- postpartum depression, but i think what is perhaps unknown is what the -- the relevance, really the incidents of postpartum depression here in the united states and the fact that here in this country one in seven mothers nationwide will suffer from postpartum depression. in my state of alaska the numbers are even more troubling. we are twice the national average in one in three. one in three new mothers in the state of alaska who will deal with the difficulty of postpartum depression. about a month ago -- it's been a little bit more than that by n

ms. murkowski: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: mr. president, i request that proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. murkowski: mr. president, in just a matter of minutes here this afternoon we will proceed to a motion to go to formal conference on s. 2012, which is the energy policy modernization act of 2016. there is, there's no doubt in my mind but that we should agree to go to conference with the house on this broad bipartisan measure. and i want to begin my remarks with a reminder of both the process that we followed to reach this point and really the many, many good provisions that the process has allowed the senate to include within our energy bill. from the very beginning -- from the very beginning we have committed to the regular order committee-oriented process. and i want to acknowledge the strong working relationship with my opinion friend and colleague on the committee, the ranking membe

ms. murkowski: mr. president, so many conversations, so many discussions here this week of the tragedy in dallas recognizing the toll on those who serve us every day, who put on the uniform, put on the badge, go out to protect our vote, to protect our communities, and the loss of life that we suffered there in dallas. i think it is fair to say the nation has come together to grieve and the collective conversations that have come about since that time. i wanted to speak just a few moments this afternoon about how the impact of the tragedy in dallas touched many in alaska, particularly the bedroom community of eagle river, alaska, just just outside anchorage. along with the officers murdered was senior corporate lorne ahrens of the dallas police department, and his father, william, and his stepmother sue live in eagle river. and on that friday morning, last friday morning, bill and sue became members of a very exclusive fraternity that no law enforcement family ever wishes to join, and that's the fraterni

ms. murkowski: mr. president, we are on the floor here this afternoon with the issue before us of g.m.o. foods, genetically modified organisms. i don't want to talk about g.m.o. foods in that space. i want to talk about a more specific genetically engineered species. i would like to speak this afternoon about genetically engineered salmon. i think it's important to acknowledge that this is -- this is separate from this larger g.m.o. debate that we have been engaged on the floor here. genetically engineered animals are not crops. they are not something that grows in a field and stays stationary. a genetically engineered salmon is something that swims. it moves around. it is something entirely new. it is a new species, a new species designed specifically for human consumption. this is the first time that the f.d.a. has ever signed off on a genetically engineered new species designed for human consumption. first time. i happen to think that the f.d.a. signoff was wrong, and i'm going to continue to object

ms. murkowski: mr. president, it looks like we are towards the end of the day. the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. ms. murkowski: request the proard under the qowrkts -- proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. murkowski: looks like we're at the end of the day. the state of alaska is well represented. i understand there's a bill that senators ayotte, booker and others have worked on to ensure that first responders are equipped to deal with anthrax threats. it's my understanding the bill was cleared earlier on both sides of the aisle because of the hard work of senators ayotte and booker. i would ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 458, s. 1915. i further ask that the committee reported substitute amendment be withdrawn, the ayotte substitute amendment be agreed to the bill as amended be read a third time and passed, the title amendment be agreed to and that the motions