Mike Crapo

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I come before the Senate to discuss the agreement that is being proposed between the United States, the other members of the P5+1 nations, and Iran with regard to Iran's capacity to build a nuclear weapon. I strongly oppose this agreement for a number of different reasons. Before I get into the specifics of those reasons, I need to back up a little bit. About 2 years ago, I served on the banking committee. I don't think most people in America realize that the banking committee has jurisdiction over the sanctions legislation which deals with Iran and other sanctions legislation throughout the world. Over the years, we have developed a very powerful and effective sanctions regime with regard to Iran. This regime involved not only the United States but the participation and agreement of nations around the globe, including sanctions that were followed by us through the United Nations. Those sanctions--after having had four or five different versions of them, increasingly tightening them down--had worked very effectively to cause Iran to need to come to the negotiating table. I think most Americans realize that the reason Iran came to the negotiating table was the fact that our sanctions were working. In fact, a couple of years ago, we had another version of new sanctions legislation to tighten down our sanctions even further and increase the leverage that the United States had on Iran in order to try to cause Iran to not only come to the negotiating table but also to agree to stop development of a nuclear weapon. At that time, the President asked the banking committee--I was the ranking member at the time--to pull back our proposed new sanctions legislation. He gave us his explanation, which is the fact that he wanted to open up new negotiations with Iran and did not want to cause an offense that would cause Iran to back away from the negotiating table. I disagreed at the time. In fact, my position was that if the United States wanted to go into negotiations, we should have Congress pushing for a new round of sanctions legislation so the President could say honestly and effectively to Iran that we needed to get a workable deal put together or we had a Congress that was ready to move forward with ever-increasing and more effective sanctions. Instead, the President said no. I understand that his party controlled the Senate at that point in time and we could not get the chairman at that point to agree to move the legislation forward, even though the chairman and I had worked together with the other sponsors of the legislation to develop it. At that time, it was my position that if the United States was going to withdraw its leverage through increasing sanctions legislation, that we should at least ask for some kind of a good-faith effort on the part of the Iranians as we were exercising the right to withdraw our sanctions legislation. So it was my position that we at least should have asked for the release of our prisoners. Most Americans are aware that we have four political prisoners--at least four--in Iran today who are being wrongfully held. One of them, Pastor Saeed Abedini, is from Idaho. He has been held illegally in Iran now since 2012. In addition, we have Robert Levinson, who is a retired FBI agent, missing since 2007; Jason Rezaian from the Washington Post, a reporter, held since 2014; and Amir Hekmati, a former marine, who has been held since 2011. Yet the administration would not ask for the release of these prisoners as a token of good faith in return for starting the negotiations, even though we were willing to withdraw our efforts to impose new sanctions in an effort to start these negotiations. I felt that was a mistake from the outset. The United States gave up its leverage and refused to ask for a concession as we moved forward in these negotiations. Yet it has set a pattern for what has happened since. Well, I think everyone knows the history from that time forward. We did engage in negotiations. It is important to note that at that time, the President assured--he assured us--that he would not enter into an agreement that would allow Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon and that we would have ironclad inspection and verification regimes in place to assure that. So where are we today? We are now faced with an agreement that cements in place Iran's nuclear stockpiles, that effectively allows Iran to develop a nuclear weapon over time, even if it complies with the agreement, and does not have any kind of an effective sanctions regime. I strongly oppose this agreement. During the remainder of my remarks, I wish to go through four or five critical reasons Congress should reject this agreement. First, it does not prohibit Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb. Second, it does not provide ironclad inspections and verification procedures. Third, it provides sanctions relief that is almost certain to result in increased terrorism around the globe. Fourth, it dangerously and needlessly lifts unrelated, nonnuclear embargoes. Fifth, it contains inexcusable and dangerous omissions. Finally, it will create instability in the Middle East and effectively a new regional arms race, dangerous to the entire world. Let me go back through these. First, it does not prohibit Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb. Even if Iran complies with the agreement, which it does not have a very good record of doing with regard to its agreements, it will still be able to develop a nuclear weapon. The agreement fails to roll back Iran's nuclear development program beyond a 1-year breakout period. For 10 years, the agreement will only include IR-4, IR-5, IR-6, and IR-8 centrifuges. Now, this is getting into the weeds, but this is a level of centrifuge development that Iran has already been working on and engaging in. And the agreement says--and this is exactly from the agreement--``For 10 years will only include the IR-4, IR-5, IR-6, and IR-8 centrifuges as laid out in Annex 1.'' In other words, the only application of the agreement is to these centrifuges during a 10-year period. During the 10 years, ``Iran will continue testing IR-6 and IR-8 centrifuges, and will commence testing of up to 30 IR-6 and IR-8 centrifuges, as detailed in Annex I.'' It does not dismantle any of its nuclear sites of concern, which are the sites at Arak, Natanz, and Fordow. None of them is dismantled. It recognizes Iran as a de facto nuclear state. And with all of the centrifuges that Iran now has, is it required to destroy them? No. It simply has to disconnect them and store them in another room. Iran is allowed to keep 6,000 centrifuges and 300 kilograms of uranium. Iran is allowed to conduct nuclear research and development during the terms of the agreement, and, in fact, amazingly the United States commits to assist Iran with its nuclear research and development in developing its own nuclear technology and infrastructure. That is not even the end. One of the provisions of the agreement which I find most outrageous is that it requires the United States Government to oppose State and local sanctions against Iran and amazingly to help ``strengthen Iran's ability to protect against, and respond to nuclear security threats, including sabotage, as well as to enable effective and sustainable nuclear security and physical protection systems.'' In other words, if Iran develops nuclear weapons capacity, this seems to imply that the United States will need to help Iran protect its capacity. I am sure the argument will be made that this is only to help Iran develop its peaceful nuclear weapons capacity, but the agreement isn't clear. At a minimum, these kinds of things should have been made clear in the agreement. So let's look at the inspections. Assuming that Iran will comply with its one-sentence agreement that it will not build a nuclear bomb for 10 years, does the verification system that we have adopted prohibit that? Well, the agreement does not provide ironclad inspections and verification. I think Americans are increasingly becoming aware that not only do we not know what the inspection regime is, the United States does not participate in the inspection regime. The inspection is turned over to the United Nations. The IAEA, the committee under the United Nations that does these kinds of inspections, is in charge, and the IAEA has entered into side agreements with Iran that it will not disclose to the United States or any other country. Some of the information we are starting to see about it, if it is accurate--and we don't know if it is accurate--but it seems to imply that Iran will not even allow the IAEA inspectors onsite. It is going to provide its own samples. These are concerns that are serious. Yet we cannot even confirm them, and Congress is being asked to deal with this issue without even having all of the agreement in front of us. Moreover, as we move forward in this process, we have identified that the sites are identified as two different kinds. There are declared sites. Those are the ones that Iran admits exists. As to declared sites, Iran must first draw up a list and tell us what they are. We don't have onsite inspection to determine that. As to undeclared sites, Iran is permitted to negotiate for at least 14 days for the IAEA to say we have a site that we think there is, but we are not sure, and Iran is allowed to negotiate whether there is such a site. If the IAEA and Iran cannot agree to a joint inspection of a suspected new site, then there can be further delays, taking up to 54 days before anybody would be able to take a look at these sites. Again, we don't know whether those persons then required to look at these sites will be Iranians showing the United Nations inspectors what they want them to see or whether they will be United Nations inspectors, but we are pretty sure we know they aren't going to be U.S. inspectors. The bottom line is that we have a very weak inspection regime that is almost certain to result in the same outcomes we have seen for the last 10 years, as we have tried to inspect and monitor Iran's development activities on its nuclear weapons. That brings me to the third issue, which is sanctions relief. Iran does get major sanctions relief under this agreement. Iran is regarded as one of the top, if not the top, sponsors in the world of terrorism-- the top state sponsor of international terrorism. Many have said Iran has been connected to hundreds of U.S. service personnel deaths in Iraq. Some say more Americans have died in Iraq because of Iranian state-sponsored terrorism and other activities than any other source. We lift economic sanctions that we have been putting onto Iran. There is some debate about what the value of those sanctions are, but the estimate that I think is fair is approximately $100 billion will be released to Iran very quickly under this agreement. Just by comparison, $100 billion to Iran, in terms of the size of its economy, is approximately the same as $4.25 trillion to the United States respecting our economy. It is about one-quarter of Iran's economy. Those who say Iran will simply use these sanctions relief dollars in order to strengthen their economy ignore the reality that Iran today has a weak economy because of our sanctions and it is plowing money into sponsoring terrorism. There is no question that these dollars are going to result in an increased support of terrorism across the globe. Next, the agreement dangerously and needlessly lifts unrelated, nonnuclear embargoes. As we were dealing with all of these issues I have just discussed as the negotiations were moving forward, at the very end we find out that in order to complete the deal, Iran and Russia introduced new unrelated issues that the administration willingly conceded to. We lifted the existing conventional weapons embargoes on Iran and we lifted the ballistic missile embargoes on Iran. Russia is already today going forward with selling advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran, making future military action increasingly more difficult. The next issue is that the agreement contains inexcusable and dangerous omissions. First, as I said at the outset, it does not free Pastor Abedini and the other Americans who are detained in Iran. Secondly, it does not recognize Israel's right to exist. Third, it limits nuclear research for 10 years and frankly does not assure, as I have indicated earlier, that we don't have violations of the agreement before 10 years. It does not require an accounting of past nuclear weapons cheating by Iran, meaning it does not require them to disclose where their facilities are. It does not require disclosure of the military component of Iran's nuclear program. What this means is that Iran has given us no information about its military facilities and has said that its military sites are off-limits. Now, where would we expect Iran to build a nuclear bomb? It does not address Iran's existing ballistic missile capacity, and it does not ban ballistic missile development. We don't know what its capacity is and we no longer ban them from developing their capacity further. In fact, we have lifted the ballistic missile embargoes. The agreement does not require Iran to stop sponsoring international terrorism. The agreement is deficient in so many different ways. Finally, the agreement creates instability in the Middle East and a new regional arms race. One hundred billion dollars is an immediate windfall to Iran, a portion of which the administration acknowledges will wind up in the hands of international terrorist groups targeting Americans and our allies. That money will be made available to Iran shortly. Neighboring States have already said they are going to have to accelerate their own nuclear enrichment programs to counter Iran. Recognizing the new threats to Iran's regional neighbors, the President himself wrote to Congress on September 2 to announce stepped-up security enhancement for our Middle East allies, further evidence that the agreement is destabilizing and requires increased military commitments in the region. Having abandoned the ``no notice'' inspections requirement, the administration has agreed to permit a process for contested sites that could stretch for weeks or months before inspectors step a foot into the facility, if they are even able to do so at all. Some experts acknowledge that window is sufficient to hide or remove any kind of incriminating evidence of smaller illicit activities crucial to weapons development. Other states in the region--Egypt and Saudi Arabia--have already signaled that they are going to embark on a nuclear weapons program, sparking a new arms race. The possibility of further instability in the Middle East does not serve our national security interests or give the American people comfort. We cannot forget that Iran is a regime with a history of sponsoring terrorism against Americans and our allies and which continues to threaten the existence of Israel. This agreement changes the U.S. policy toward Iran but does very little, if anything, to change Iran's aggressive nature. The Iranian leaders have already renewed their threats to Israel, and continue to call the United States the Great Satan and have publicly rejected the administration's hope that the agreement will lead to better cooperation with Iran. So where are we? The United States Senate passed legislation 98 to 1 saying that Congress should have a right to vote on this agreement. Twice already in these Senate Chambers within the last week we have tried to bring that legislation up only to face a filibuster that has stopped us from even being able to vote on the agreement. Ninety-eight Senators voted to let Congress have a right to vote on this agreement, and 42 of them voted twice now in the last week to refuse to let us bring the agreement before the Senate to vote on it. So today we are facing yet another effort. Today the issue before the Senate is a provision that would say the agreement cannot go into effect until Iran recognizes Israel's right to exist and until Iran frees the four political prisoners whom I identified. Once again we are facing a threat of a filibuster. As I indicated, this agreement is dangerous. It is dangerous to the security interests of the United States. It is dangerous to the security interests of the world. It is destabilizing in the Middle East, and it contains very, very serious potential consequences for the future security of all Americans, and, frankly, of people throughout the world. This is a critical time. This is a monumentally important decision, and I encourage all of my colleagues to let us simply bring the agreement forward for a vote. A critical issue such as this should not be stopped from even being brought forward for a vote in the Senate. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I wish to celebrate the enactment of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness Additions Act and congratulate my Idaho congressional delegation colleagues Representative Michael K. Simpson and Senator James E. Risch on this important achievement. Enactment of this legislation, also called the SNRA Plus, was accomplished due to significant hard work, led by Representative Simpson. Representative Simpson's determination to work through the many challenges that arose during the near decade of this collaborative effort has given Idaho a homegrown solution to sustaining this treasured area of Idaho. Senator Risch's work in shepherding this legislation through the Senate, including through the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on which he serves, is also commendable. Senator Risch fought through many challenges in his pursuit of getting this needed legislation over the finish line. A number of other individuals deserve acknowledgement for their considerable efforts to develop a hard-sought consensus that will be of lasting benefit. John Revier and Lindsay Slater of Representative Simpson's staff dedicated immeasurable time and extensive know-how to developing the legislation to reach this milestone. Custer and Blaine County Commissioners also did an outstanding job in this collaborative effort. The SNRA Plus is a win for Idaho and an example of how local governments and interests can achieve solutions to some of the most persistent public lands issues we face today. Following the enactment of this important legislation, the focus must now shift to the hard work of successful implementation that will require commitment from the various Federal agencies and all of the affected interests. Again, I commend Representative Simpson, Senator Risch and the other stakeholders for their important work that will make a lasting difference in our great State.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise to support the efforts of the Senator from Wyoming to address budgetary issues impacting how our Nation fights wildfires. Like the State of Wyoming, Idaho's forested lands are consistently under threat of catastrophic wildfires. According to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, in the last year alone there were 1,456 wildland fires in Idaho that burned 714,057 acres. As more resources go toward fire suppression, resources that could be used to implement projects that improve forest health, benefit forest communities, and enhance public safety are squeezed. We know that wildfires are going to continue to be a threat, and we can better prepare for the increasing costs of wildland fire management by making needed changes that will support the preparation of firefighters and land managers. That is why I partnered with Senator Ron Wyden in introducing legislation, the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, to provide for more efficient and effective fire management. I look forward to working with my colleagues across the West, and in the Senate Budget Committee in particular, on legislation that would better budget for our Nation's fire suppression activities.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. I thank Senator Risch. Mr. President, it is an honor for me to rise with my colleague Jim Risch to celebrate the passage of this legislation. It has been years and years in the making. This legislation culminates from the hard work by people all over Idaho. As Senator Risch has indicated, the credit for making this all finally come together goes to Representative Mike Simpson. I wholeheartedly agree with that. Passage of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness Additions Act, also called the SNRA+ Act, is the result of tremendous efforts by Representative Simpson and Senator Risch. He deserves tremendous credit as well. I do want to say that I honor Representative Simpson's dogged determination and his persistence to fight through many obstacles associated with this treasured region of our State for a very long period of time. Representative Simpson's efforts have given Idaho a homegrown solution to what was rapidly becoming a national problem. As I said, similarly, my colleague Senator Risch has fought through many challenges in his pursuit of developing a consensus on this issue that has been hard to achieve. Both of my colleagues, in their respective ways, have expressed again the power of collaboration in the attempt to find consensus to deliver local solutions to longstanding public land management challenges in Idaho. Local governments and local stakeholders must be empowered to shape and manage decisions relating to our public lands. In the process, such efforts must respect private property rights and the owners of private property as well as other impacted stakeholders. Such initiatives are never easy to achieve, and consensus takes dedication, patience, and persistence. For too long, westerners have been saddled with top-down land management decisions that are both harmful to the landscape and the people living in and subsisting off of our natural treasures. The SNRA+ is a win for Idaho and an example of how local governments and interests can achieve solutions to some of the most persistent public land management issues we face. I have to conclude by saying that while we have succeeded today in passing a milestone in Congress, the focus must now shift to the hard work of successful implementation that will require commitment from the various Federal agencies and all of the affected interests. Again, I commend Senator Risch and Representative Simpson for their incredibly important work that has been accomplished today. I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life of Linda Norris, a beloved former member of both my State and Washington, DC, staff who passed away recently. Linda was the very first member of Team Crapo and has left a lasting legacy in my office as well as in her adopted State of Idaho. Linda retired from the Senate nearly 7 years ago after providing 18 years of service to Idahoans. Linda was the first staff member to join my congressional campaign as a member of my first House campaign staff. She was prominent and pivotal in my campaign and quickly became one of the most reliable and intuitive staff members. Linda then became my first regional director in Twin Falls, ID, serving throughout my service in the U.S. House of Representatives and into my service in the U.S. Senate. As State Director of Constituent Services, she established high constituent service standards, ones that are still used in my office, and she advocated strongly for military families and veterans. Her friendly nature, southern charm, and quick intellect helped defuse potential conflicts, and she represented the House and Senate offices with the utmost professionalism. Whether she was working in Idaho or Washington, DC, her priority was to serve the people of Idaho, which she carried out with the utmost care and diligence. Her lasting legacy will be her influence over domestic violence awareness and prevention. More than 20 years ago, she arranged for me to visit a local shelter for abused children. The visit inspired an immovable commitment to increase awareness of domestic violence and to advocate for solutions and assistance for victims in every possible circumstance. Her interest and advocacy in this matter also spurred her into action when she recognized the need for training public servants who worked on public lands in how to handle domestic violence situations that arise when people are on public lands, not in their homes. With my strong support, she worked with the appropriate individuals within the U.S. Forest Service to initiate programs to train employees on domestic violence prevention. This remarkable achievement might be enough to most people, but Linda was a force that continued to search for ways to improve the lives of others. She touched the lives of many Idaho military families and youth. As an Army wife herself, Linda had a personal understanding of military families. This experience gave her empathy to advocate effectively and attentively on behalf of Idaho military members, veterans, and their families. Linda also instituted and guided my military academy nomination process, helping countless Idaho youth on their path to success. She was observant, inspired, tactful, and hard-working. Linda helped highlight the unrecognized good deeds of fellow Idahoans by suggesting I create two awards: the Spirit of Idaho for volunteers, and the Spirit of Freedom for veterans and those who work with veterans. These awards recognize the extraordinary efforts of Idahoans and the service of veterans and volunteers serving veterans. She also helped achieve hard-sought land access and conservation policies. Linda was a nurse by training and profession, which is consistent with her gift for helping and caring for people, a behavior she demonstrated repeatedly. The legacy that she left upon her retirement remains today in the Crapo office. Since news of her unexpected passing has reached my staff and former staff members, remembrances of Linda have poured in. I would like to share a few with you: ``Linda was a singular individual who set the pace for constituent services in Idaho. She cared for individuals and families, not `cases'. Her approach influenced me and how I set up succeeding constituent services operations. Her zealous care for people has been emulated and has resulted in thousands of Idahoans getting the help they deserve from their government.'' ``Linda was truly an amazing, generous, and gracious lady. She truly was beautiful both inside and out. Linda made me feel so welcome on my first trip to Idaho. She joked with people that she introduced me to that I was from way, way Southern Idaho. We decided that Lava Hot Springs would be my adopted hometown. Really being from Louisiana, I loved that Linda and I shared strong Southern roots, and great wacky stories.'' ``She has that southern mixture of sweetness and sass with an underlying spirit and determination that was always apparent.'' Beyond her professional accomplishments, Linda was a great friend. Not only did she pay attention to my professional needs, but she also recognized when some personal time was needed. Many times when I was working in her region, she built in time in the schedule for a much needed clothes shopping trip, a visit to the eye doctor, or just some down time with my family. My wife, family, and I have all been blessed with her friendship. Linda will be missed beyond measure, and I extend deep condolences to family and friends. Thank you for your service, Linda. Rest in peace, dear friend.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 14, 2015, at 10 a.m., in room SD-106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Regulatory Issues Impacting End-Users and Market Liquidity.''

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Joint Committee on Printing be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 14, 2015, at 3:50 p.m.

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 14, 2015, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 14, 2015, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Cybersecurity: Setting the Rules for Responsible Global Cyber Behavior.''

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 14, 2015, at 10 a.m., in room SD-215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``A Pathway to Improving Care for Medicare Patients with Chronic Conditions.''

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 14, 2015, at 10 a.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 14, 2015, at 3:40 p.m.

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 14, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. CRAPO

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

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I wish to honor the life of Frank Henderson, an outstanding Idaho leader who will be missed greatly. Frank personified public service. He served our Nation in the U.S. Army 33rd Division during World War II. He served our State and his district in the Idaho State Legislature for five terms. He served Kootenai County as Kootenai County commissioner, and he served his community as mayor of Post Falls. Frank was a newsman by trade who attended the University of Idaho and began his career in journalism as a reporter for the Chicago Herald American newspaper. He worked as a marketing executive before returning to Idaho in 1976 and becoming the owner and publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Frank was a humble man who did not crave the spotlight. Throughout his career and life, he was a focused, organized, direct, driven, and solution-oriented leader. Frank worked hard, and utilized his ability to work well with others to make progress and deliver many significant achievements. These included drawing in and retaining businesses and jobs in Idaho, building the infrastructure to sustain economic expansion, and eliminating impediments to job growth. He recognized the value of consensus building and the strength of a diversity of experiences and abilities. Diversification was central to his economic development efforts. Frank promoted a diversity of industry and local educational opportunities to support those industries and grow jobs. He wanted to make sure Idahoans had access to a broad spectrum of job opportunities, and he worked diligently to draw those industries to Idaho while assisting businesses already in Idaho with remaining competitive. It is no surprise that Frank's talents and achievements have been widely recognized. He was inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame in 2014 and received many other recognitions for his work in furthering economic development and in support of seniors, veterans, the Boy Scouts of America, and others. Frank received a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteerism. Frank was so dedicated that he worked well into what would be many people's retirement years to make improvements for Idahoans. We have much to thank Frank Henderson for, including his example of effective leadership, his tenacity in seeing projects through to completion, and his focus on strengthening Idaho. I express my deep condolences to Frank's wife, Betty Ann, his children and their families, and his many other friends and loved ones.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, today I honor the life and legacy of Sandra Wisecaver, owner and operator of the Buhl Herald in Buhl, ID. Sandra leaves an enduring legacy of dedication to her community and deep personal strength. Sandra is remembered as a remarkable journalist, who led the Buhl Herald as owner and operator since 2005 after working at the newspaper for many years. She started working at the paper as a senior at Buhl High School and worked for the paper while attending the College of Southern Idaho. After working in other fields, she became the Castleford correspondent for the paper in 1987, and returned to the Herald in 1992. She worked as reporter and editor before purchasing the newspaper 10 years ago. Sandra's commitment to providing an outlet for stories about the achievements of area youth and a sound chronicle of community events will not be forgotten. She worked hard to ensure that the stories that mattered to her community reached her readership. A native of Buhl, Sandra's roots were firmly planted in the community she loved. She was born on August 30, 1949, to Jess and Vina Wilson of Buhl. In 1967, she graduated from Buhl High School and married Joe Wisecaver in 1969. In addition to her work at the newspaper, she also worked in Green Giant's payroll department, worked at the Corner Merc in Castleford, and Sandra and Joe maintained the contract for the mail delivery to Roseworth. She was a community leader also, dedicating considerable time as a 4-H leader, Cub Scout den mother, and baseball and softball cheer mom and driver. Sandra's personal strength cannot be overstated. Beyond her role at the newspaper and in the community, Sandra was an example of fortitude. She overcame a stroke and persevered through stage IV kidney cancer to continue to publish the newspaper that had a central role in Buhl for more than a century. Her grit and determination was inspiring. She is an exceptional example of staying power and commitment to her community. I extend my condolences to her husband Joe; her children, Angela and Joe Jr.; their families, including her three grandchildren; her many friends and the Buhl community. Sandra Wisecaver was an amazing woman who leaves behind a legacy of thoughtful and determined leadership.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, today I honor Dawn Justice, who is retiring from serving as president and chief executive officer of the Idaho Bankers Association. Dawn, who grew up in Sarasota, FL, began her career in the hotel industry working in hotel management for the Hilton and Hyatt hotels. Her work in this field took her to California, Texas, Singapore, and Thailand before we were blessed that she chose to make Idaho her home 24 years ago. Prior to her work with the Idaho Bankers Association, she also worked as vice president of human resources for the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry and special projects assistant for Boise State University, where she also earned her master of public administration degree. For the past 11 years, Dawn has led the Idaho Bankers Association with remarkable skill and knowhow. Throughout her time with the association, Dawn has been instrumental in advancing a number of the organization's priorities, including initiatives involving the Idaho Bank Act, Personal Information Security Act, the Credit Report Protection Act, the Residential Mortgages Practices Act, the Uniform Prudent Investor Act, and much more. She has utilized her indispensable talents advocating for policy objectives of importance both at the State and national levels. Dawn's efforts and advocacy on behalf of the Idaho banking community have been exceptionally helpful as we have worked together over the years. She has been an outstanding advocate in explaining the need for traditional banking and the costs of overregulation on consumers, small businesses and communities. She was instrumental in providing valuable insight and recommendations that helped me craft and advance my regulatory relief legislation into law. Additionally, her help pushing back against harmful Dodd-Frank rules and providing insight into how many of these rules would negatively impact credit and economic growth opportunities in Idaho has been especially appreciated. Dawn, thank you for your hard work and effective leadership. You have been a great strength in advancing Federal policy changes of assistance to Idahoans. I commend you for your service to Idaho and our Nation. I wish you all the best and hope you have a retirement filled with many good times with your loved ones. Congratulations on your remarkable career and retirement.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise to speak on the importance of the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act being introduced today. This legislation will not only pave the way for enhanced research opportunities and allow physicians greater flexibility in how and where they treat patients, but, importantly, will provide increased access to care for those with chronic and end- stage kidney disease, particularly in rural and underserved areas. As our Nation continues to face dangerously high levels of debt, it is imperative we prioritize initiatives such as this while simultaneously ensuring we do not worsen our already fragile fiscal picture. Prior to passage, as with any piece of legislation, a responsible offset that is budget neutral must be included.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise to speak on the importance of the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act being introduced today. This legislation will not only pave the way for enhanced research opportunities and allow physicians greater flexibility in how and where they treat patients, but, importantly, will provide increased access to care for those with chronic and end- stage kidney disease, particularly in rural and underserved areas. As our Nation continues to face dangerously high levels of debt, it is imperative we prioritize initiatives such as this while simultaneously ensuring we do not worsen our already fragile fiscal picture. Prior to passage, as with any piece of legislation, a responsible offset that is budget neutral must be included.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise in support of the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act that I am introducing today with Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. This bipartisan legislation would address the shortage of veterinarians in many areas of this Nation by helping to increase the placement of more veterinarians in areas of the country where they are desperately needed. Veterinarians are a critical part of ensuring our access to a safe and high-quality food supply. Americans depend on veterinarians to help ensure food safety and public health, improve animal health and welfare, promote sustainable economic development and safeguard our homeland from foreign animal disease. Unfortunately, nearly every state has a rural community that is suffering from a shortage in essential veterinary services. To help address this concern, in 2003, Congress established the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program, VMLRP. This program assists selected food animal and public health veterinarians with student loan repayment for a three-year commitment to practice in areas of the country facing a veterinarian shortage. This program helps veterinarians with daunting student loan debt with making a living in a community where starting a practice may be otherwise financially impossible. Through the program, more than 280 veterinarians have been placed in communities throughout the country--a benefit for food safety, the communities, farmers and ranchers, the veterinarians and more. The problem is the VMLRP is subject to a significant Federal withholding tax on the assistance provided to qualifying veterinarians. This affects the amount of limited resources that can go toward this worthy effort and the reach of its benefits. The legislation we are introducing will address this by providing an exemption from the Federal income withholding tax for payments received under the VMLRP and similar State programs. Thus, more veterinarians would have the opportunity to practice in small, rural communities where their services are so desperately needed and more communities will have much- needed veterinarian services. To illustrate the need for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act, consider the following example. In October 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced more than $4.5 million was awarded to 51 veterinarians through the VMLRP. The awards announced in October will fill shortage needs in 22 States. However, estimates show that if this withholding tax were to be eliminated, an additional veterinarian could be placed in a shortage area for every three currently participating in the program. That means approximately 17 additional awards could have been issued last year had this tax been eliminated. This legislation would also help bring the tax treatment of this program in line with the tax treatment of assistance for doctors and nurses who are serving areas of the country in need through the National Health Service Corps' loan repayment program. In 2004, Congress exempted the benefits available under the National Health Service Corps' loan repayment program from the federal withholding tax. Enactment of the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Enhancement Act would create tax parity for the counterpart program for veterinary medicine. So far, 15 Senators--including Senators Thad Cochran, Johnny Isakson, Jim Risch, Pat Roberts, Michael Bennet, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken, Mazie Hirono, Angus King, Jr., Pat Leahy, Bernie Sanders, and Tammy Baldwin--from both sides of the aisle have cosponsored this important legislation and 152 national and local organizations support the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act. Congress can help ensure that every community across America has access to needed veterinary care. Please join us in this effort to place more veterinarians in areas of the country where they are desperately needed and support passage of this bipartisan, commonsense legislation. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter of support be printed in the Record.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise in support of the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act that I am introducing today with Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. This bipartisan legislation would address the shortage of veterinarians in many areas of this Nation by helping to increase the placement of more veterinarians in areas of the country where they are desperately needed. Veterinarians are a critical part of ensuring our access to a safe and high-quality food supply. Americans depend on veterinarians to help ensure food safety and public health, improve animal health and welfare, promote sustainable economic development and safeguard our homeland from foreign animal disease. Unfortunately, nearly every state has a rural community that is suffering from a shortage in essential veterinary services. To help address this concern, in 2003, Congress established the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program, VMLRP. This program assists selected food animal and public health veterinarians with student loan repayment for a three-year commitment to practice in areas of the country facing a veterinarian shortage. This program helps veterinarians with daunting student loan debt with making a living in a community where starting a practice may be otherwise financially impossible. Through the program, more than 280 veterinarians have been placed in communities throughout the country--a benefit for food safety, the communities, farmers and ranchers, the veterinarians and more. The problem is the VMLRP is subject to a significant Federal withholding tax on the assistance provided to qualifying veterinarians. This affects the amount of limited resources that can go toward this worthy effort and the reach of its benefits. The legislation we are introducing will address this by providing an exemption from the Federal income withholding tax for payments received under the VMLRP and similar State programs. Thus, more veterinarians would have the opportunity to practice in small, rural communities where their services are so desperately needed and more communities will have much- needed veterinarian services. To illustrate the need for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act, consider the following example. In October 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced more than $4.5 million was awarded to 51 veterinarians through the VMLRP. The awards announced in October will fill shortage needs in 22 States. However, estimates show that if this withholding tax were to be eliminated, an additional veterinarian could be placed in a shortage area for every three currently participating in the program. That means approximately 17 additional awards could have been issued last year had this tax been eliminated. This legislation would also help bring the tax treatment of this program in line with the tax treatment of assistance for doctors and nurses who are serving areas of the country in need through the National Health Service Corps' loan repayment program. In 2004, Congress exempted the benefits available under the National Health Service Corps' loan repayment program from the federal withholding tax. Enactment of the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Enhancement Act would create tax parity for the counterpart program for veterinary medicine. So far, 15 Senators--including Senators Thad Cochran, Johnny Isakson, Jim Risch, Pat Roberts, Michael Bennet, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken, Mazie Hirono, Angus King, Jr., Pat Leahy, Bernie Sanders, and Tammy Baldwin--from both sides of the aisle have cosponsored this important legislation and 152 national and local organizations support the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act. Congress can help ensure that every community across America has access to needed veterinary care. Please join us in this effort to place more veterinarians in areas of the country where they are desperately needed and support passage of this bipartisan, commonsense legislation. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter of support be printed in the Record.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I wish to commend the Idaho National Lab's Energy Innovation Laboratory, EIL, for the facility's selection as the 2014 Best Green Project in the Nation by the Engineering News- Record. The recent award is among the growing list of recognitions the EIL is receiving for the innovative work at the lab. Engineering News-Record also recognized EIL as the Best Overall Intermountain Project for the States of Idaho, Utah and Montana. Additionally, EIL won the 2014 Go Beyond Award for the team's work to reduce the lab's environmental impacts. The lab is also among fewer than 5 percent of U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED, registry research labs to be Platinum-certified. EIL was completed in 2013 following the outstanding work of the EIL project team, led by Reed Miller of Ormond Builders and Kath Williams, the LEED coordinator, and in collaboration with INL's Project Management Office, Supply Chain Management and Campus Development Office. The new laboratory provides space for INL researchers to develop solutions to national energy challenges in advanced clean energy and related environmental science while also consolidating some of INL's research and development. I commend all those on the project team-including Ormond Builders Inc.; INL; Plan One/Architects; REL Facilities, LLC; Engineering System Solutions; and others--for their collaborative and conscientious work to establish this exceptional research facility that is mindful of our environment. Energy efficiencies at the facility have resulted in its energy use being nearly half that of other conventially-designed laboratories. In addition to its impressive energy savings, the facility's design also reduces its water usage. Nearly all of the construction waste was recycled, reused or repurposed, and one-third of the facility was constructed using recycled materials. Idahoans are leading the way in developing technological and scientific advancements that are beneficial around the world. The exceptional research and development being conducted at the Idaho National Laboratory is an asset to our State and Nation. I commend all those on the EIL project team for their forward-thinking work. Congratulations on receiving this award. I look forward to continuing to follow your success.

Mr. CRAPO

Mr. CRAPO. Madam President, I wish today to honor Ryan Ringel, a member of my Senate staff who recently went to work for a fellow Member of the Senate. Ryan, who is from Rexburg, ID, has been an invaluable member of my Senate staff for the past 16 years. After attending Ricks College, now Brigham Young University-Idaho, Ryan graduated from Boise State University in 1998 with a bachelor of science degree in political science, international relations, and Spanish. With his strong support for BSU sports, particularly football, he will likely continue to cheer for his team from his new position, even though he is working for another State. Also in 1998 he joined my campaign as a staff assistant and then interned in my Boise office before moving to Washington, DC to become systems administrator in the Senate office as it opened in 1999. During his Senate tenure, Ryan met his wife, Noelle, and they have built a beautiful family that includes three sons, Zachary, Andrew and Michael. In addition to being an effective member of my staff, Ryan is a trusted friend. Ryan's high regard for the privilege of serving fellow Idahoans is evident. His know-how and sensible guidance have been instrumental and will be greatly missed. Countless times he has taken my calls at any hour and fixed whatever it was that was broken or in need of replacement. All the while, he brings a good humor to challenges and figures out ways to get things done right. It is no surprise that Ryan's knowledge and skill have been recognized by others, and I wish Ryan all the best in his future career path. Thankfully, he is not going far, and I will still get to see Ryan and Noelle in the halls of the Senate. Congratulations, Ryan, Noelle, Zachary, Andrew and Michael, on the start of a new chapter. Thank you, Ryan, for your outstanding service. I wish you all the very best life has to offer.

Mr. CRAPO

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