Thursday, September 21, 2006

5:45 Senator Durbin Speaks About the Secure Fence Bill Senator Durbin, the minority whip, came to the floor to discuss the Secure Fence bill.  He explained that he would prefer to pass comprehensive immigration reform.  He stated that he hopes that there is a chance to make amendments to the bill so that the Senate can make it more comprehensive.  If the majority allows amendments to the Secure Fence bill, Senator Durbin said he will introduce the “DREAM” amendment.  This amendment would give undocumented students the chance to become permanent residents if they came to the U.S. as children, have no criminal record and will attend college or enlist in the military for at least two years.  He argued that this amendment would help undocumented immigrants to pursue their dreams and allow them to fully contribute to the nation’s future. 5:58:33 PM

3:05 Senator Obama Speaks About the Secure Fence Bill Senator Obama of Illinois came to the floor to speak about the Secure Fence bill.  He said that he was in favor of the bill’s strong enforcement measures such as improved barriers and more customs and border agents.  He argued, however, that it does not solve the problem of illegal immigration.  He said that he would like to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill that, among other things, gives employers the tools to verify the legal status of job applicants, and that discourages people from overstaying their visas. 3:20:04 PM

12:37 Senator Reed speaks on Medicare Part D program Senator Jack Reed is concerned about the doughnut hole in this program.  This hole requires seniors to fund their own prescription drugs when their spending falls between $2250 and $5100.  This means that when the Medicare program pays for prescription drugs, seniors receive benefits only until they receive $2250, when these seniors will then have to pay out of pocket.  The insurance program then picks up again when the seniors have reached spending of $5100.  Senator Reed called this a strange insurance program, and one that needs to be fixed.  He compared it to Alice and Wonderland and entering a whole new world.  Senator Reed is working on the Prescription Fairness Act, which he hopes will help seniors off-set these monthly expenses for vital prescription drugs. 12:45:39 PM

12:00 Senator Thune Supports the Secure Fence Act Senator John Thune of North Dakota spoke on H.R. 6061, the Secure Fence Act.  He asserted that this legislation will address the first priority of the immigration debate, securing our borders.  This legislation will send a loud and clear message that the United States is serious about following our laws and Congress must start by stemming the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.  He said that Congress must address the issue of illegal immigration to decrease the rise of crime in many places, including the proliferation of methamphetamine use in his home state of North Dakota.  He supports the Secure Fence Act and hopes Congress will pass it out before the Senate recesses. 12:15:53 PM

11:35 Senator Stevens speaks on Senate Communications bill Senator Stevens of Alaska urged Senators to support the bipartisan communications legislation that was reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation.  This bill would encourage broadband deployments, reduce consumer cable rates and create choices for consumers of video and phone services.  Senator Stevens reiterated that the main objective of this bill is to level the playing field between providers of communications and all Americans. 11:51:56 AM

10:30 Senators Conrad and Nelson speak on Drought Relief Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska spoke on drought relief legislation that has come before the Senate twice before.  This summer was one three worst years for droughts in the mid-west and they urged the Senate to pass legislation that would aide farmers who are affected by these droughts.  Senator Conrad said that every county in North Dakota was declared a disaster last year due to flooding, and this year, there have been extreme droughts along with extreme high weather.  Both Senators urged their colleagues to support drought relief legislation in order to support the farmers of America. 10:50:19 AM

9:53 Senator Allard speaks about Gold Mother’s Day The last Sunday of September is Gold Mother’s Day, to honor those women who have lost children who were in the Armed Forces fighting for our country.  Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado would like to acknowledge all of these women and send his condolences on their losses and he knows that words cannot replace their children.  He wanted to assure the parents that their loss was not in vain and that Congress honors their children. 10:02:05 AM

9:30 Senate Reconvenes The Senate reconvened at 9:30 am and the Senate is currently in a period of morning business, with 15 minutes under the majority and 15 minutes under the minority.  After morning business, the Senate will move to consideration of HR 6061, the Secure Fence Act.  If all the debate time is used, there could be a vote this afternoon on HR 6061.  Senate Majority Leader Senator Frist stated there will votes on Monday afternoon and the Senate will attempt to complete all business before next weekend, although the Senate may be in session into Saturday.  The Senate will then be in recess until the week following the elections in November.  Senator Stabenow is currently speaking about increasing physician Medicare payments and to stop a 5% cut that is to take place in January 2007, unless additional legislation is passed. 9:50:50 AM