John Boozman

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 7213, which was received from the House.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 3444 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the Cassidy substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the Cassidy amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4227 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the Banking Committee be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 1235.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Wednesday, December 19; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Maguire nomination.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be withdrawn; that the Thune substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 677, S. 3367.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be withdrawn; that the Thune substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 424, S. 2200.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 2 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be withdrawn; that the McCaskill substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 666, S. 3085.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 3777, introduced earlier today.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the career of Edward ``Sandy'' Sanders who is retiring as Mayor of Fort Smith, AR, capping a lifetime of service in the public and private sectors. Sandy Sanders received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Oklahoma and spent 32 years with Whirlpool Corporation, retiring as the human resources manager in the Fort Smith Division. During his corporate career, Sandy was well known as a volunteer and leader among countless community organizations and events. Locally he served as the chair and president of numerous charitable boards including the Fort Smith Symphony, the Old Fort Days Rodeo, Bost Human Development Center, Leadership Fort Smith Alumni, the Fort Smith Port Authority, and the Fort Smith Park Board. His leadership skills were also appreciated at the State level and beyond. He was appointed by the Governor to the Arkansas Aeronautic Association and also served as President of the Arkansas-Louisiana District Exchange Clubs and National President of the Association of Community College Trustees. Sandy has always looked for ways to improve opportunities for young people and create a well-educated workforce. His efforts included serving on the Governor's Apprenticeship Coordination Steering Committee and the Southern States Apprenticeship Committee. He was a member of the board of directors of the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce and continuously provided a bridge between business and community needs. After his retirement from Whirlpool, Sanders was called over and over to fill positions of need in the community. First, as interim director of the Children's Emergency Shelter and then as first executive director of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, which was created to transition former military property into a job-creating asset for the region. This was supposed to be a temporary position, but Sandy stayed for 6 years and laid the groundwork for what we now know as Chaffee Crossing. He probably thought he was officially retired when he left that position. However, the community called again, this time to run for public office. Sandy was elected mayor of Fort Smith in 2010. His combination of experience in the private and public sectors made him the ideal person to lead the city, help the area attract new jobs and improve services to the community. During his tenure, the city has seen impressive growth and success in business and the arts. I know he is especially proud of the events he led during his last year in office to celebrate Fort Smith's bicentennial. In many ways, his leadership illustrates everything he hoped to highlight about the city. He has a rich history in the area, but has always looked forward. Sandy has received many accolades for his work over the years, but I know from our visits that he is more interested in the success of others. His work to promote education and provide opportunities for young people will continue to benefit generations to come. He is a man of great faith who uses his gifts however they are needed at St. Luke's Lutheran Church, whether that is serving on the building committee or singing in the choir. He and his wife, Dr. Sandi Sanders, have been married for 54 years and are very proud of their two daughters and six grandchildren. Beyond all of his personal accomplishments, he would tell you that his family is his greatest legacy. I appreciate Sandy's friendship and am grateful for his years of service and efforts devoted to the State of Arkansas.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize and highlight the significant contributions of Megan Parrott, my 2018 Air Force fellow. SMSgt Megan Parrott began her fellowship in my office in January and immediately became an invaluable member of my staff. Her work as a part of my national security team has been beneficial in the efforts of my office to advocate and improve life for servicemembers, veterans, and Arkansans. Megan was born in Longbranch, NJ, and enlisted in the Air Force in 1999. In her 19-year military career, both on Active Duty and in the Reserves, Megan has excelled in her work. A career maintainer, Megan has served as a lead technician, flying crew chief, section chief, and flight line production superintendent. As a testament to her capabilities, in February 2012, Megan was selected for a position on the joint staff, working for the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that position she was the program manager and confidential adviser on matters including joining forces, the Women in Service Review, the Yellow Ribbon Program, and personnel readiness. She has used her extensive experience in the Air Force and the joint staff to help me serve Arkansans. Throughout her tenure on my staff, Megan demonstrated the Air Force core values of ``Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do.'' I relied upon Megan's input on all matters of defense and veterans' policy. Megan drafted legislation, recommended policy positions, staffed me at Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearings, represented me in meetings, and helped support my priorities during the appropriations process. She also assisted me in my role as a cochair of the Senate Air Force Caucus. Megan supported multiple congressional delegation trips to Air Force bases and coordinated meetings between Senators, the Secretary of the Air Force, and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Megan was well versed in the subject matter and fully steeped in research, and she always supplemented her knowledge with insights from her personal experience as a senior enlisted leader in the military. In true senior NCO fashion, Megan made time during her year as a fellow to mentor junior members of my staff, providing career advice, offering information about executive branch functions, and talking about professional development opportunities. As the son of an Air Force master sergeant, I am especially proud to have hosted an enlisted fellow this year. I am only surprised that Megan is not yet a chief master sergeant, and I look forward to attending her promotion to chief in the very near future. Megan, thank you for all you have done for Arkansas while working on my staff. To her husband Chris--also an Air Force senior enlisted leader--and their two daughters, Natalie and Emily, I say thank you for sharing your amazing wife and mother with my team this year.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to applaud my colleagues for coming together in a bipartisan fashion to pass the farm bill conference report. There is much to be excited about in the final version of this 5-year reauthorization. First and foremost, the farm bill will bring much needed certainty and predictability to farmers and ranchers over the next 5 years. This is especially important given the intense pressure our agriculture producers are facing. If you look at the numbers across the Nation, net farm income is approximately half of what it was when we passed the last farm bill. Farm bankruptcies are up by 39 percent since 2014; financing has become more expensive; commodity prices have plummeted; input costs are rising; and the trade outlook is volatile and uncertain, to say the least. Farmers across the country--regardless of where they call home or which crops they grow--are hurting. The farm bill that Congress approved last week, delivers meaningful and real relief for our farmers and ranchers in these very difficult times. It is the big bill for my home State of Arkansas as well as across the country. Agriculture is a driving force of the Natural State's economy, adding around $16 billion to our economy every year and accounting for approximately one in every six jobs. That is why agriculture advocacy groups in Arkansas were very excited when we passed the final version. The Arkansas Farm Bureau said it was ``pleased that Congress has recognized how important the new farm bill is to the hard-working farmers and ranchers of this country'' and expressed gratitude that we came together ``to pass this critical legislation before the new year.'' The Agricultural Council of Arkansas said it ``cannot stress enough the importance of the farm bill and the need for it among Arkansas farmers.'' The council went on to add ``a farm bill with meaningful support is critical in preventing significant harm to Arkansas farms.'' The Arkansas Rice Federation said the farm bill will provide ``certainty in such a variable agricultural climate.'' Along with strengthening key risk management tools for our farmers, the farm bill also helps our rural communities by authorizing key economic development and job creation programs. It helps rural Arkansans with everything from combating the opioid crisis, to home financing, to high-speed internet access. Sending this bill to the President is about as important as it gets for my State. It would not have been as beneficial to Arkansas farmers and ranchers without the diligent efforts of the conference committee leadership who worked to ensure that the harmful, arbitrary policy changes were excluded from the final conference report. As a result of these efforts, family farms are protected from additional regulations and unnecessary paperwork. I commend Chairmen Roberts and Conway, as well as Ranking Members Stabenow and Peterson, for their commitment to make this bill fair and equitable to the diverse needs of producers across all regions of the country. Again, as always, special thanks to the staffs who do so much hard work around here to get these things done. It was a heavy lift. They worked hard to ensure that we would get this done before adjourning this Congress. I would also like to thank them for their willingness to include provisions that I advocated for in the conference report. The elimination of all State performance bonuses in SNAP is something I pushed for in the last farm bill. I am pleased that this time we got it included. The Federal Government partners with States to administer SNAP, but in order to best serve program recipients, the States must be good partners. Unfortunately, States have exaggerated their performance to receive these bonuses. This policy change saves $48 million per year. Is a smart reform that we have made in this bill. I was particularly proud that another provision, championed by my friend Senator Heitkamp and by me, was included. It would allow trade promotion funding for agricultural products to be used in Cuba. This is a big win for our farmers and ranchers who have consistently been working to open up more access to the Cuban market. Cuba imports approximately 80 percent of its food, and our farmers and ranchers produce the highest quality, lowest cost, and safest food in the world. Additionally, I welcomed the inclusion of my provision that clarifies the definition of livestock to include live fish for purposes of the Department of Transportation's hours of service regulations, as well as reauthorization of the ATTRA Program, which does so much to help our veterans who want to get started in agriculture, and reauthorization of the Delta Regional Authority. The farm bill conference report includes a true investment in conservation to help the waterfowl in Arkansas, and I was excited to see the Century Farms Act that Senator Murphy and I authored was also a part of the package. With approval of the conference report last week, we are just one step away from the farm bill becoming law. President Trump has indicated his support of a farm bill that will ensure certainty and predictability for producers. We are sending one his way, and I look forward to it becoming law. With that, I suggest the absence of a quorum.