pass the united states senate. so i colleague who is from utah imagining some of the land and water conservation fund being made permanent and start going to pass the united states senate, he ist just dreaming of something that is really going to take place and become reality in the very near future. but what you are done is tonight made it a lot harder for us to make sure that we're moving ahead. this legislation that he refused to love to vote out tonight also includes important i would say one thing, the one thing that may be you could say hasn't had constant, constant attention over two years but certainly has grown in importance is new technology to help our firefighters fight fires, locate with a fire is happening, gps systems that make people more safe. that was in this package, and probably yes has gotten against a great guilt over the last six months as we've seen the tragic devastating impact of fires throughout the west. so yes, that was in here and part of consideration. and yes, there were legislative a

this year marks the end of an year tenure42 serving the people of utah at the united states senate. anand that's time senator hatch has made an indelible mark on the state of the united states senate and on this nation. people know of course what it's meant to this institution. also to his party, his state and the republic is a few from utah, orrin hatch is more than a prominent name in the news. he's a troubling political figure not only of his generation but also of the generations that have come along in history and that will follow. reading and speaking out for us in washington one of the great privileges of my life was the his page when i was a teenager. he was then and now one of the leaders of the senate not only a political role model, but a role model, period. outspoken but always thoughtful, honest, gentle. one of my fondest memories of senatorrs hatch was something tt occurred a couple of years after i was his page. i was maybe 18-years-old or so in salt lake city attending the semiannual general conference of the church of jesus christ of latter-day in the tabernacle at t

this year marks the end of an year tenure42 serving the people of utah at the united states senate. anand that's time senator hatch has made an indelible mark on the state of the united states senate and on this nation.

bob corker has done as united states senator what every tennessean, every american should hope the united states senator would do. he has gotten up early determined to find a way to make the country a little better, read everything he could find, talked to everybody he could find on the telephone. anybody who thought he thought knew anything about the issues he cared about jumped into it with both feet, saying exactly what he thought was the right thing to do for the country and usually coming out with a result that did just that. it has been a privilege to serve with him and to know better elizabeth and their wonderful family. i look forward to watching what has to be one of the best upcoming shows in town which will be whatever bob corker decides to do next. thank you, i yield the floor. >> senator from delaware. >> i ask unanimous consent to speak in morning business. >> without objection. >> madam president, i'm honored to join my colleagues in rising day and speaking a tribute to my friend senator bob corker in recognition of his remarkable service to the nation in the united states

this may be my proudest moment in eight years of the united states senate. never in a million years could i have dreamed, though i hoped and expected we could have passed this, i don't think i thought we would get 87 votes in the united states senate. i'm grateful to each of you working with me and each of your staffs, the many groups from across the political spectrum. i'm grateful to president trump for his open, honest, aggressive advocacy for this. jared kushner and to all those who have helped us with this effort. senator booker. >> i just want to start with my deep sense of gratitude as well first to chuck grassley. this as we said before, would not have happened if it wasn't for the willingness of chuck grassley to listen and learn and work with us. he is the chairman of the judiciary committee and he is the person in my opinion made this possible, taking it from being impossible to possible. i'm deeply grateful to you, sir. i forced him to hug me last night. i promise i won't make you suffer that too much more. >> not a mid western. >> i want to thank

martha mcsally received over one million votes to the united states senate and now she will be serving alongside senior senator kirsten sinema. thank you all. >> -- you had a big influence on this decision. who had your ear? >> you know, i have read many of those stories with great interest but there was one source and one name missing, and that was mine. i think the fact that i'm standing here and now with martha mcsally at my side making the appointment to the united states senate says everything that needs to be said. thank you all very much. >> a look at our prime time schedules on the c-span networks. at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, a discussion on the role of special counsels with remarks from ken starr, who served as former independent counsel during the whitewater and lewinsky investigations. at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span 2, a look at the prospects of peace talks to end the civil war in yemen. on c-span 3, american history tv with programs on the history of immigration in the u.s., including a 1911 report looking at that issue. tomorrow, house speaker paul ryan will deliver a

and thank him for his great work here for the sacrifice that enabled him to be here in the united states senate. god bless you and your family in the days ahead. >> madam president quick. >> like my colleagues i do want to honor and express my gratitude for senator heller. and to be here serving the great state of nevada no doubt after the initialu conversation you will hear about his lovede for nevada he is advocating for the people of carson city to serve as secretary of state and in congress he has worked tirelessly on behalf of the nation's a veterans as we have heard first as act representative and then as a senator. i have watched him and have been honored to work with him now across the aisle. when i first came here as a junior senator and how we work together. or how we can work together for the state of nevada and he made the commitmentt then and follow through on that commitment so many things on behalf of the great people on the state of nevada working with critical infrastructure and with the low income families also have common ground and also to introduce bipartisan legislation al

when i delivered p my maiden speech on the floor of the united states senate, when i delivered my maiden speech on the floor of the senate i was struggling after being knocked down by the great recession. the that elimination and home foreclosures when we had double digit unemployment. the housing market has recovered, home prices are increasing. now we are one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. nevada is booming because this congress delivered tax cuts that put more money in america's paychecks and pocketbooks and pensions and we advanced progrowth policies that led to more jobs, higher wages and more opportunities for nevadans. as a member of the senate committee on finance i'm proud to authorize and offer several provisions in the tax cuts that included and not limited to doubling child tax credit from $1000-$2000 per child. since the law was enacted tens of thousands of jobs have been created and recently nevada's unemployment rate is at a new 11 year low. the lowest rate since the 2008 economic downturn and as a result of this new law tens of thousands have benefited from

giving me the profound honor of representing the vatican and the united states congress for 12 years. and then in the united states senate for almost 8 years. nevada, thank you for granting me the privilege of working every day for a state that i am so proud to call my home. of course, like to thank my immediate family. especially my wife, for being on my side. for nearly 30 years of public service. to my children, hilary, harris, drew and me. to their spouses -- thank you for your patience. your understanding and your tolerance of this process. i would be remiss if i did not think my parents jack and janet heller. setting the right example and religious tone in our home growing up. to my father-in-law, richard, all of my wife's family, thank you for raising such a wonderful daughter. a sister, cousin and aunt. madam president, i have five brothers and sisters. they all played a vital role in my upbringing. so thank you to jack, tammy, sarah, matt and bryant. all of these individuals i mentioned gave me their steadfast support. in my journey from nevada legislature to the secretary of states office, to the united states

we have too many embarrassing uncles in the united states senate, lots of embarrassing stuff. the united states senate is no longer the world's greatest deliberative body and everybody needs to quit saying it. until we recover from this period of polarization and the fear of the political consequences of tough votes. writing legislation behind closed doors, giant omnibus bills that most don't know what's in them, k street lobbyists knowing about the tax bill managers' package before even senators, that's today's senate and no amendments. solving the toughest problems will not happen without making the tough votes. we can argue -- argue about them and campaign on them, but we're not going to solve them without tough votes. it will not happen. my first year in the senate was 2007. we voted on 306 amendments in 2007. this year, as of yesterday, we voted on 36. that's a remarkable difference. something is broken and if we don't have the strength to look in the mirror and fix it, the american people are going to grow more and more cynical and they might do something crazy like elect

what this bill says is, it says our sentencing provisions, as established by the united states senate and united states house of representatives, are unjust. they're unjust. that's the assumption of the bill. and rather than try to fix them, we're going to give discretion -- if you read the 150-page bill carefully, and i have -- almost unfettered discretion to the bureaucrats in the department of corrections to fix our mistakes. if you follow the logic of the proponents of this bill, it's like putting paint on rotten wood. the sentences are unjust, they assume. therefore, we're going to give the wardens and the director of the bureau ofmans' prisons the authority -- of the bureau of prisons to let out whoever they want to. i know there are checks and balances supposedly built in there, but you read the bill carefully, in the final analysis, this is going to be a subjective call as to who gets out early and who doesn't. if you want a debate on this floor -- if you want to debate on this floor, mr. president, our sentencing provisions and whether they are just, i will pounce on it like

as a presidential candidate in a cabinet member and a member of the united states senate and i'm sorry for his decision but i certainly understand. madam president a note note to the injured into a separate place in the record i'd like to say a few words about the legislation currently pending before united states senate. every once in a while and it doesn't happen very often the stars light up and the democrats and republicans and the conservatives and progressives and the president and the congress agree on something. we are not talking about flag day or appleer pie or whether lassie was a collie dog. it comes down to an occasion of something that's meaningful and we are in the midst now on the floor of the united states senate which will culminate probably tomorrow in some historic votes while the whole question of criminal justice reform. how important is this issue? it so important that we rarely take it up more than once a decade and we sit down and look at criminal justice standards and laws in america decide whether or not we can make it better or just a few minutes ago my coll

you think about this, a country where somebody from my background could actually become a united states senator. i'm from a very conservative state against all odds the prediction was that was only 8% i got elected to the senate and i got to serve in the senate for six years as an incredible american story. people always ask me at what point did w you think wow you ce to the senate and i said i was so busy after i got elected and people whor want to to see me during the campaign so they were busyo putting together the offie and i remembere remember the dao the chair and the pastor came and then i turned around to say the pledge of allegiance and i thought here i am. north dakota, middle-aged democrat from north dakota and i'm standing in the senate where not even 2,000 people have come before. this is a great and good and noble country with good purpose and greatpo opportunity and i wt every child out there to understand it doesn't matter. we represent a cross section of this great country, but we also are not that special. sometimes i think the american public thinks if you took 100 random peo

the sacrifice that they have made and to enable him to be here to represent nevadans in the united states senate. so senator heller, god bless you and your family in the days ahead. thank you. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. ms. cortez masto: i want to thank my gratitude for my friend and colleague, dean heller. most people don't know dean has spent 30 years serving the great state of nevada. i have heard everyone talk about how dean loves nevada. there is no doubt. if you just had an initial conversation with dean heller, you will learn about nevada and his love for nevada and why it is a wonderful place to live. he has advocated for the people of carson city as a member of our nevada state assembly. he served as nevada's secretary of state where he made nevada the first state in the nation to adopt paper records for electronic voting machines. and in congress, dean has fought tirelessly on behalf of our nation's veterans, as we have heard, first as a representative for nevada's second congressional district and then as a united states senator. and i

should i run for the united states senate? should i run for governor of tennessee, which might be better suited to somebody with his executive background. he ran for the united states senate in 1994, which would have been a very good year for a republican to do that, with one exception. he had a primary and he was defeated by bill frist, a doctor who had never before been involved in politics. somebody said it really amounted for these two rookies who were running against each other in a primary, frist spent more of his money to beat corker. in any event, frist came here and served as majority leader of the united states senate. of course, that didn't slow bob down for more than ten minutes. the new governor of tennessee invited him to become in effect the chief operating officer of our state government. there we saw the first indications of diplomacy that we now see today in his work around the world. he began to work with the democratic mayor of nashville whom governor sundquist had just defeated in the governor's race. and t

to come to the united states senate. i think when we have a world of options and we make this choice it is so important that become here with purpose. senator,to be named not just for the trappings of office, but for purpose. the truth is i am not supposed to be here. i am from north dakota. a town of 90 people. when i was growing up, my family was 1/10 population. my dad was a world war ii veteran who loved education. read the paper every day. believed in this country. he was never given a chance to go to high school. my family struggled to get by. when you look at it you think about this. you think about a country where somebody from my background could actually become a united states senator. i am a democrat from a very conservative state. small odds and fast prediction was it was only 8%. i got elected to the senate. the fact that i got to serve in this senate for six years is an incredible american story. people ask at what point do you think well, you came to the senate. i said i was so busy -- busy after i got elec

i was pleased to support him as my successor to the united states senate. he has his priorities right -- faith, family, and country. and he has spoken about both his faith and his family here. not very many of us have the opportunity to serve from a town named after our own family, and that's how far senator flake's roots go back in the state of arizona. he has spoken not just today but on earlier occasions from his heart about things that he sees need improvement here in the united states senate. i think we're all aware of the things of which he spooks. -- he speaks. and it's been appropriate for him to do so. because, as he pointed out, in order for us to be a beacon to others around the world in support of liberty, individual freedom, we have to demonstrate how it can be practiced right here in the united states of america. we'd all like to leave this place better than we found it, and it's not easy to do. but senator flake has tried his best. he also spoke about our democratic republic and our focus on individual liberty and how that has had an impact a

in that time, senator hatch has made an indelible mark on our state, on the united states senate, and on this nation. people who follow washington politics closely know, of course, what he has meant to this institution. but also to his party, to his state, and to the republic. but for those of us from utah, orrin hatch is more than just a prominent name in the news. he's a towering political figure not only of his generation but also of the generations that have come along in his wake and that will follow. many utahans can't remember a time before orrin hatch was serving, leading, and speaking out for us in washington. one of the great privileges of my young life was the opportunity to serve as his page when i was a teenager. he was then as now one of the leaders of the senate. not only a political role model but a role model, period. outspoken but always thoughtful, honest, always gentle. tough when he had to be and kind even when he didn't have to be. one of my fondest memories of senator hatch was something that occurred a couple of years after i was his page. i was maybe 18 years

we're in the midst of a debate on the floor of the united states senate probably culminate tomorrow in historic votes on the whole question of criminal justice reform. how important is this issue? it's so important we rarely take it up more than once a decade, that we sit down and look at criminal justice standards and laws in america, and decide whether or not we can make them better and more effective. just a few minutes ago, my colleague from texas, senator cornyn, a conservative republican, came to the floor and how the state of texas engaged in prison reform they could not only reduce the prison population, but reduce the incidents of crime at the same time. that's what we're setting out to do at the federal level as well and senator cornyn's measure, which he introduced with sheldon whitehouse, criminal justice reform. i had another part of criminal justice reform i've been working on for a long, long time. you see, three decades ago, congress responded to our nation's drug epidemic, creating the harshest mandatory minimum sentences in our history. consider what happened next as

if we work together leading up to 2020, just like we did in 2018, we are going to hold the united states senate. we are going to hold this senate seat. we are going take back the united states senate. we are going to live the governor's office and finally centrum packing and restore honesty and integrity to the white house. the thank you all very much for everything you've done. [applause] thank you. >> we are here to celebrate each of these great elected officials referred from and all the great things are going to do. the next speaker is here because he deserves to be here. he gave more support to our house caucus and our senate caucus and are candidates for congress and governor into the coordinating campaign than any other person. [applause] when he makes a commitment, he more than delivers. he is an enormously effective member of congress in the u.s. senate, a spokesperson for so many of our causes and a dynamic speaker at that. but to us, the best fred new hampshire democrats had in 2018. senator corey booker. [cheers and applause] >> hello, new hampshire. hello, new hampshire. [cheers an

this may be my proudest moment in 18 years of the united states senate. never in a million dreamers -- never in a million years that i have dreamed or hope -- although or expected to pass this in the united states senate. the staff and many groups across the political spectrum. i'm grateful to president trump for his "honest, aggressive advocacy for this. the jared kushner and all of those who have helped us put this together. senator booker? want to start with my deep sense of gratitude as well, first the chuck lasley. this would not have happened if it was not for the willingness of chuck grassley to listen, learn, and work with us. he is the chairman of the judiciary committee and is the person, in my opinion, -- to vista being possible. >> i forced him to hug me last night. it i promise i will not make you suffer that much more. lee also want to thank mike . i came to the united states senate, and one of the driving purposes of my life was to make a difference in criminal justice reform. i still member on a subway car, i did not even know my way around

but as a point of personal privilege, i have been confirmed by the united states senate three times and two of those times it was under the watchful eye of senator hatch. as a young conservative coming to this town, and being just absolutely mortified at the thought of sitting in front of the united states senate, to know that there was someone there who loved this country, who cared enough personally about me to take a special interest in my own confirmation hearings, meant the world. and there are several of my mentors and friends in this room tonight and i certainly count senator hatch among them. he has been a protector of our religious liberty, and that is so important, i know, to each and every one of us here. with his landmark religious freedom restoration act, he's also been a staunch defender of our constitution. one would think that you wouldn't have to say that about a united states senator because you would think they all are. but in this case, we know we have a defender there and one who holds our founding documents in high esteem. he's proven to be one of the most respecte

and senator heitkamp has continued those causes, that fight, as a member of the united states senate. among the many issues on which we've worked together, senator heitkamp's determined leadership on efforts to support victims of human trafficking and to prevent youth homelessness stand out. she and i led the charge this year for increased federal funding for the runaway and homeless youth act and the mckinney bento education for homeless children in youth program. she has also been such a strong advocate for children, as you all heard today. she has worked to help teenagers who find themselves without a permanent home or on the street. i was proud to stand with her in helping to forge the bipartisan path forward on the justice for victims of trafficking act, which became law and includes senator heitkamp's provision to give safe harbor to victims of human trafficking. she's also shed light on the role that health care providers can play in identifying and protecting the victims of human trafficking. she authored the stop, observe, ask, and respond to health and wellness act, the sore

of its impact on the administration is nonbinding however it does state publicly where the united states senate is when it comes to the status of the u.s. side the relationship the united states' relationship with prince muhammad and the future interaction between the united states and the saudi government in terms of the potential impact it can have on sanctions the impact on potential u.s. saudi weapons agreements in the future as well as continued u.s. support for saudi military for diet and yemen all right and coming to you chris so a very very strong message even if it's not binding a really strong message with some very very strong rip us language coming from the senators of both sides of the aisle a strong message to president trump in the white house will he listen sure so this is something that is very difficult for. any president to be in this is a position really between the morality of the united states and the realities of what the problems are currently in the middle east namely the threat and the violence of iran knowing that any type of destabilizing activity for example calling

we have too many embarrassing uncle's in the united states senate. lots of embarrassing stuff. e united states senate is no longer the world's greatest government body. and everybody needs to quit saying it. brian: what is your reaction to that after spending all this time thinking about the senate? interestingit's because if you listen to senator mcconnell and what he says, the senate has been arguing within the senate. cover theress does is acrimony. they don't cover the bipartisanship. and i think one of the things that's really interesting, one of the clips in the documentary, william proxmire talking about television coming to the senate. he says be careful what we're asking for. this place is going to dissolve into what a lot of people think it's going to become, which is very acrimonious. what i think, there's a fair amount of acrimony, but just yesterday the bipartisanship showed up on the crime bill. again, you can look at it both hatch, who's orrin been there for over 40 years, said he's never seen it as bad as it is now. brian: let's look at some video that you shot o

what this bill says is, is says our sentencing provisions, as established by the united states senate, the united states house of representatives, are unjust, they're unjust. that's the assumption in the bill. and rather than try to fix them, we're going to give discretion, if you read the 150-page bill carefully, and i have, almost unfettered discretion to the bureaucrats and to the department of corrections to fix our mistakes. if you follow the logic of the proponents of this bill it's like putting paint on rotten wood. the sentences aren't just, we assume, therefore we're going to give the wardens and the director of the prison authorities let out whom ever he or she wants to. i know there are checks and balances supposedly built in there, but you read the bill carefully and the final analysis, this is going to be a subjective call as to who gets out early and who doesn't. if you want to debate on this floor, mr. president, our sentencing provisions and whether they are just, i will pounce on it like a ninja. i will be here all day and all night, but i'm not going to vote to pass

we have never done that in the united states senate may say that's the whole reason i came from the th house so every time the majority got an idea one of those major purposes of the filibuster is to protect the minority in this country alexis de tocqueville wrote a book democracy of america may be the best book of democracy of america ever written and looking into potential problems and one was russia and the other was the tyranny of the majority and said in the 18 thirties one of the great problems for our country is the tyranny of the majority the united states senate is the bulwark to prevent the tyranny of the american democracy and has been from the beginning and it is today. summer friend say get rid of it we may think about the fact that we republicans or conservatives are in the minority. since world war ii, nearly 70 years democrats have had complete control of government with the senate, the house for 22 years republicans have had it eight years. democrats have had control 22 years. democracies finest hour the opportunity for extended debateef they could save more than our s

60 votes, except for reconciliation and republicans are never going to have 60 votes in the united states senate. the democrats have only had 60 votes in the 42 years i have been in congress. so, even the democrats, when they are in the majority have to , have some bipartisanship. so, the senate is an institution that brings people together. unlike the house of representatives, whether you are the democrat majority or republican you can ignore the , minority as long as you stick together you can't do that in the united states senate. host: chairman chuck grassley, thank you. next up, james inhofe chairs the armed services committee. there has been a committee overseeing the military since 1816. in addition to those duties, the committee also has control over the petroleum reserves and some security aspects of nuclear energy. previous chairs, andrew jackson and jefferson davis. >> senator james inhofe, republican of oklahoma, will begin the first full year as senate armed services chairman. you spent most of 2018 as acting chairman and chairman following the death of senator john mccain. what is

many, many more options and we will grow the reputation not only of the united states government, but of the united states senate. income disparate is at crisis with more individuals and families getting left behind. the one-- the top 1% of families in america make more than 25 times what families make in the bottom 99%. think about that. and let me repeat that. 25 times what families in the bottom 99% make. and much of the recent economic prosperity we've seen in this country has been concentrated on the coasts leaving much of rural america behind. the administrative trade war, not something i've been shy talking about, is causing an emergency in rural america, but i think it's going to cascade into a challenge and it's going to domino into an economic peril for this country. i'm not saying that we don't need to address disparities, inequities and trade agreements, i'm saying you don't need a 17th century solution called a tariff to solve 21st sken century problem. think about the unilateral responsibility of the white house to impose a tax on the earn m people. and then even more remarkably to create a system

watch the house live on c-span and the senate on c-span 2. ♪ >> the united states senate, a uniquely ican institution. legislating and carrying out constitutional duties since 178 9. 2, wednesday, january c-span tatian inside the senate. learning about the legislative body and its in formal workings. we'll look at his history of conflict and compromise with original interviews. >> arguing about things and kicking them around and having great debates is a thoroughly american thing. >> key moment in history. and unprecedented access. allowing us to bring cameras into the senate chamber during session. follow the evolution of the senate into the modern era. from advice and consent to their role in impeachment proceedings. and investigations. senate, conflict and compromise, a c-span original production, exploring the history, traditions, and role of this uniquely american institution premieres wednesday, january 2, at 8 p.m. eastern and pacific on c-span. be sure to go online at c-span.org/senate to learn more about the program and watch original interviews with senators, view farewell s

they decided the success story should be written right here in the united states senate i tried to have a comprehensive catalog to have everything accomplished in the senate with the last act of business before new year's. but a few highlights stand out especially. early inhe his first term when the financial crisis throughout the economy ended in chaos. but the inspired freshmen immediately started to work with new friends across the aisle to become a pivotal playeriv to help to craft policies to help begin restoring civility. a leading voice on housing reform and the combination of his background with ford relations committee has led to unique accomplishments. hard at work to overhaul how america longs for due projects in the developing world. also a key champion of what become law in 2016 for a more stable power grid. there are also other ways he remains a confident businessman. f and bob has continued to hustle to invest in new job and investmentis insight. phone call by phone call. meeting by meeting. by one of the most energetic members with those enthusiasm and expertise we will

>> well, i think it hopefully would go somewhere because you, for instance, in the united states senate, you know, a number of united states senators who had voted to repeal the affordable care act -- >> almost all -- >> -- who in the course of the campaign, and there weren't, you know, more of our guys were campaigning than were the other side. but so many of them said, both house members -- oh, but i'm for protecting pre-existing conditions, so that there was, you know, democracy works if the people are for something both parties try to accommodate those needs because that's good politics. >> it's the way it works. >> so i think that we have a possibility at least in some lawyers of making -- some areas of making some progress. but i think what our responsibility will be and my thought is we ought to propose that which we believe will make the affordable care act work effectively on behalf of the american people and pass that through the house of representatives. and then the senate will have to decide what to do with it. and if they can pass it, then the president will have to decide

like to begin with a profound honor to represent nevada and united states congress 12 years and then in the senate almost eight years. thank you for granting me the privilege every day for a state that i am so proud to call my home. and joined by my immediate familyid especially my wife through all these years of public service into my children and their spouses , thank you for your patience and your understanding and your tolerance of this process. also my parents to set the example in her home growing up. into myy father-in-law thank you for raising such a wonderful daughter sister cousin a and aunt to all my brothers and sisters thank you to jack and tammy and sarah all of these individuals i have mentioned have given me the steadfast support from my journey to the legislature secretary of state to the united states house of representatives in the united states senate possible and i could count on them every step of the way. we all know how important our staff is and i'm no exception i have two staff members here with me and i would like to highlight both of them. my chief of staff also from no

passed the united states senate. so my colleague, who is somehow from utah imagining that somehow the land and water conservation fund being made permanent is not going to pass the united states senate, he's just dreaming of something that is really going to take place and become reality in the very near future. but what you've done is tonight made it a lot harder for us to make sure that we're moving ahead. this legislation that he refused to allow us to vote on tonight also includes important, i would say one thing -- the one thing that maybe you could say hasn't had constant, constant attention over two years but certainly has grown in importance is new technology to help our firefighters fight fires, locate where the fires are happening, g.p.s. systems to help make people pour safe. that was in this package and probably has gotten enhanced a great deal over the last six months, as we've seen the tragic, devastating impacts of fires throughout the west. so, yes, that was in here and part of consideration. and, yes,