Christopher Coons

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any related statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 614, submitted earlier today.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I rise today to join with my colleague, Senator Paul, to discuss the life and work of an exceptional American, Dr. Sandy Greenberg, who is here with us today, along with his wife Sue and his sister Brenda. Sandy, in my view, is an honorary Delawarean because he spends a month every year at one of our most beautiful beaches, Rehoboth Beach. But he is much more than that. A successful businessman and philanthropist, Sandy has a wide variety of interests and life experiences. He has founded and run software and technology companies, he is a pioneer in the use of technology in medicine, and helped bring telemedicine to rural health care facilities as chairman of the Rural Health Care Corporation. He was appointed by President Clinton to the Board of the National Science Foundation. As a young man he took a break from his studies at Columbia, where he roomed with Art Garfunkel--a well-known musician--to work as a fellow in Lyndon Johnson's office. All of this on its own merits would make for a life well-lived and a substantive, meaningful contribution to our country. But there is one thing I have not yet mentioned. At the young age of 19, Sandy went blind. He lost his sight, and with that all likely hope of the successful completion of his college career or a successful career in life. He was told by the social workers who met with him after glaucoma stole his sight from him that his future would likely consist of assembling screwdriver kits in a sheltered workshop in his hometown in upstate New York. But because of the kindness and the intervention of his roommates-- Art Garfunkel and Jerry Spire--and others who volunteered--Marc Mukasey--who dedicated countless hours reading to him, he was able to finish his class work, to be successful in completing his studies at Columbia, and then to go on to Harvard Law School and to Oxford, and then to go further and further. He has lived his entire adult life and achieved a career most of us can only dream of while also plunged in darkness. His exceptional courage and his perseverance don't end there. Today he wants to serve others and catalyze a transformative shift in the health of our Nation by ending blindness by the end of this decade. Is this outrageous? Is this audacious? Maybe. But that is what experts said when President Kennedy stood before this Congress--in the same year, 1961, that Sandy lost his sight--and challenged our Nation to put a man on the Moon by the end of that decade. The best and brightest minds, the top scientists and researchers of Kennedy's generation rose to that challenge and achieved his impossible dream. Now, for this generation, Sandy and his wife Sue have once again raised our sights and challenged the best scientific and medical researchers in the world to rise to an enormous challenge--a challenge that has been with us from the beginning of mankind. In the Bible itself we hear of blindness, of people who could not see with their eyes but only their hearts. For millennia, humanity has struggled to understand and overcome blindness. Yet today we have the scientific tools necessary to reach for a cure--to restore the physical sight so many of us take for granted to those who otherwise live in darkness; to bring to life the 39 million people in this world who live without sight, many in the world's poorest countries, at a time when experts already believe 80 percent of blindness can be prevented or cured. We know we can do it. Just think of what an awe-inspiring accomplishment this would be, what a triumph of the human mind, of individual initiative, of collaborative efforts of the scientific method, of modern technology, and of our investment in the belief that America can and should be a world leader in curing the diseases that have ailed humanity for generations. Mr. President, a majority of all research scientists in human history are alive today. That remarkable fact alone carries with it great potential. That is why Sandy and his wife Sue created the Prize to End Blindness by 2020, to take advantage of this incredible historic opportunity to bring together scientists and researchers and end blindness by the end of this decade. To inspire them, the Greenbergs have provided a prize of more than $2 million in gold. Why gold? Well, it is a reminder of the color of the beautiful shimmering sunsets Sandy and Susan enjoyed together in the waning days of Sandy's sightedness, and it is a reminder of the beauty of the challenge of a prize to restore sight to millions who live in blindness. Mr. President, I am no expert on the health or science of the eye, but we are blessed to have in this Senate two Members who are. We had some supportive comments that will be given by Senator Boozman of Arkansas, but I am particularly glad and honored to be joined today by Senator Paul, by Dr. Paul, who is not only a tireless advocate for the people of Kentucky, but who, by professional training and background, is an ophthalmologist. I yield the floor at this time.

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

Mr. COONS. I thank, Senator Paul. I, like the Senator, am confident that some great good will come out of this bold vision, out of this clear initiative. As we look forward at the health care debates that have raged throughout this Chamber and this country in the last few years, I will simply say in closing, as we look to the future of the United States, there is a path forward that says the right way to deal with skyrocketing health care costs and the fiscal challenges they provide is to simply crunch down, to limit, to narrow, to cut off access, and to manage downward. A competing and I think a more compelling and I think, frankly, a more American view is we should take bold risks. We should innovate. We should dare to speak of curing diseases that are immensely harmful and expenses that are challenges and burdens for our whole country and the world. This prize--this challenge from Sue and Sandy Greenberg--is something I think should lift the sights of all of us in this country to the very real possibilities of working together to find exceptional cures. I thank the Presiding Officer for letting us speak about this extraordinary American, his wife and his family and his quest to end blindness by the end of this decade. I urge anyone interested in this topic and interested in working with us further to visit the Web site endblindnessby2020.com. I thank Sandy and Sue Greenberg for their courage, their perseverance, and their commitment to bringing light to millions of their fellow men and women around the globe. I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 615, which was submitted earlier today.

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

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 11:30 a.m., Thursday, December 13, the Senate resume consideration of S. 3637, the FDIC TAG Program extension bill; that it be in order for the Republican leader or his designee to raise a budget point of order against the bill; that if a point of order is so raised, the majority leader or his designee be recognized to move to waive the point of order; that the time until 12 noon be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; that at 12 noon the Senate vote on the motion to waive the budget point of order, if such a motion is made; that if the motion is successful, the Senate then proceed to the vote on the motion to invoke cloture on S. 3637; further, that if the motion to waive is not successful, the cloture motion be vitiated and the majority leader be recognized. Finally, if a budget point of order is not raised, the time until 12 noon be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; that at 12 noon the Senate proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on S. 3637.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read three times and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to S. 3677, introduced earlier today.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. COONS. I know of no further debate on this measure and ask that the bill be read for a third time and that the Senate proceed to a vote. The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill read a third time. The bill was read the third time.

Mr. COONS. I ask unanimous consent that the Rubio amendment No. 3334 at the desk be agreed to.

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 3783, which was received from the House.

Mr. COONS

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

Mr. COONS

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

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that morning business be extended until 6 p.m., with all the provisions of the previous order remaining in effect.

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, like millions of Americans, on November 6, just over a month ago, on election day, I stood at the polls and I cast my vote, and then when I got home I stayed up late to see the results come in. I was still awake when President Obama delivered his acceptance speech. In those remarks, he said: I want to thank every American who participated in this election, whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time. By the way, we have to fix that. There is so much we have to fix. It was 11:38 p.m. on the east coast when the Associated Press called the election for President Obama, but Andre Murias, an 18-year-old first-time voter in Miami Dade County, FL, was still in line waiting to cast his ballot. Andre had been in line at South Kendall Community Church for nearly 5 hours by the time he cast his ballot just before midnight, and that is nothing compared to the 7 and 8 hours many other Floridians waited to cast their ballots during the State's condensed early voting period. ``This is a mess,'' one voter said. ``It is chaos.'' Rashell Hobbs, another first-time voter, waited 5 hours in Chesapeake, VA. ``This is just horrible,'' Rashell said. ``There is no reason it should take this long.'' Voters across the country had other challenges or problems voting. Voters in Pueblo, CO, said they checked the box on their touch screen panel to vote for Mitt Romney, but it kept switching their pick to President Obama. ``I wonder whether my vote really counted,'' one Colorado voter said. Voters in Pennsylvania reported a similar problem, although in that case it was the President for whom they were seemingly unable to vote. Poll watchers in Davidson County, TN, could only stand by as would-be voters saw the very, very long line of people waiting to cast their ballots and drove away, pressed, I am sure, by commitments of family or work to choose not to spend hours standing in line to exercise that most fundamental of American rights--the right to vote. In Philadelphia, longtime registered voters who showed up to cast their ballots discovered their names simply weren't on the rolls anymore. In Ohio, Wisconsin, South Carolina, New York, Montana--more than a dozen States experienced some kind of basic breakdown in the administration of their elections in 2012. This is the United States. The right to vote is fundamental to who we are. It is basic to our democracy. It is in our DNA. We have to get this right. That is why I introduced the Fair, Accurate, Secure, and Timely--or FAST--Voting Act of 2012, along with Senators Warner and Whitehouse. And I am grateful that Congressmen Connolly and Langevin in the House have introduced it and are cosponsors there. In my view, long lines are simply another form of disenfranchising voters. Running out of ballots is simply another form of voter suppression. Incomplete and inaccurate voter rolls, disregarded voter registrations, misleading phone calls and mailing pieces--things that make it harder for citizens to vote are simply a violation of voters' civil rights. We can and must do better. As widespread as the problem was in 2012, there are also many States that are getting it right, and these States, in my view, continue to be laboratories of democracy from which we should learn. The FAST Voting Act creates a new competitive Federal grant program roughly modeled on Race to the Top, which encourages States to pursue reforms in a different field, in education. States that demonstrate the most comprehensive and promising reform plans win a greater portion of the grant funding in that model. Instead, the FAST Voting Act would inspire election reform. This bill authorizes a Federal program that would award grants based on how well States improve access to the ballot in at least 9 different ways: through flexible registration opportunities, including same-day registration; through early voting at a minimum of 9 of the 10 calendar days preceding an election; through what is called no-excuse absentee voting; assistance to voters who do not speak English or have disabilities or visual impairments; effective access to voting for members of our armed services; formal training of election officials, including State and county administrators and volunteers; audited and reduced waiting times at poorest performing polling stations; and, as we learned given that Sandy, Superstorm Sandy, occurred close to the election, contingency plans for voting in the event of a natural or other disaster that compels a delay of an election. These are the big areas mentioned in this FAST Voting Act, making it easier to register, making it easier to vote early, making it easier to vote absentee, shortening lines, better preparing for catastrophes, making it easier for Americans to exercise their right to vote. This is a good one, and I am working with a host of civil rights and voter protection groups who work, day in and day out, on strengthening our electoral process. It encourages States and localities to find new and creative and local solutions that other States can learn from. Mr. President, as you know, in my service prior to coming to this body I was a county executive and long active with NACO, the Nation Association of Counties. Counties have different roles in different States. There are more than 3,000 counties spread across our 50 States but in most States they are responsible in part for administering elections. Many election officials are county-elected officials and many voter boards are parts of county government. One of the things I think is best about this bill, this FAST Voting Act of 2012, is that rather than mandating some specific response it encourages and incentivizes State and local officials to put together plans for how to learn from the lessons of 2012, how to learn from the long lines and the barriers that were put in front of those who came out to vote, and finding the best solutions; rather than imposing or compelling, incentivizing and leading in a way that I think State and local officials will respond to well and will accept and celebrate. There is strong momentum. Although the election is now more than a month behind us, my hope is that we will continue to focus on the challenges of this last election and fix them before the next. The Pew Conference, today and tomorrow, on voting in America is bringing together some of our Nation's foremost experts and scholars. For that we are grateful to the Pew Charitable Foundation. The Judiciary Committee on which we serve has a hearing announced this coming week and I applaud Chairman Leahy and Senator Durbin for highlighting the need to get to the bottom of what happened in 2012 and championing the need to get reform. Other Members, Senators Gillibrand and Boxer, have introduced bills as well and I look forward to working closely with them to harmonize our bills and making sure we have the best approach moving forward. In addition to serving on the Judiciary Committee, I am chairman of the African Affairs Subcommittee of the Foreign Relations Committee. In that role I advocate for free and fair elections with African leaders every day. The United States is often cited as their role model. We need to act like it and we need to earn it. What kind of message are we sending to electoral commissions, to heads of State, to members of civil society, and advocates of free, fair, and open elections in the rest of the world when we so visibly and publicly fail to deliver on that promise here in our own country? What kind of message are we sending to Andre Murias, a first-time voter? What kind of message are we sending to Rashell Hobbs? What kind of message are we sending to first-time voters about the value of their right to vote, for which so many fought, worked, struggled, sacrificed, even died in the course of our history? What message do we send to them when we allow modern-day barriers to be put in their place? Voting is a fundamental civil right, and when States prevent their citizens from exercising that right, whether deliberately through law or through regulations or accidentally through lack of preparation or mere incompetence, it is a violation of voters' civil rights. The Fair, Accurate, Secure and Timely Voting Act is one critical way we can try to fix our elections and make sure what happened across our country in 2012 never happens again.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, today is Human Rights Day, and I wanted to simply add my voice to the many others who have spoken about the important work the United States can do to continue our leadership around the world as a country that holds itself accountable and leads others toward being accountable for a world in which human rights have meaning and substance. There are two things we can do between now and the end of this calendar year that will make a significant contribution to human rights and to the U.S. global leadership. First, the House of Representatives can take up and pass VAWA, the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill passed months ago by this Chamber. It is a strong, broad, sensible reauthorization bill that I think well deserves consideration and passage by the other Chamber. Second, TVPA, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, needs to be reauthorized. I was proud last month to join with Senator Portman and the Presiding Officer, Senator Blumenthal, as the three of us jointly founded the Caucus to End Human Trafficking. Slavery exists in the world today. In this country and around the world, there are victims of human trafficking whose voices demand to be heard. By reauthorizing TVPA, this Chamber and this country can make a meaningful contribution toward ending trafficking of persons in the United States and around the world. I simply wanted to add today, Human Rights Day, those two simple calls for action so this Congress and this country can continue our global leadership. The House of Representatives needs to take up and pass VAWA and the Senate needs to pass the TVPA reauthorization. Together let us continue to make history in America's leadership on human rights. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. COONS

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

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. I thank my colleague. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. COONS. Whether it is the reception in the morning, the long carriage ride through the middle of Georgetown, the speeches on the podium, the announcement of the results, the literal burying of the hatchet, or the receptions that go on all afternoon and into the night, the experience of Return Day for me--and I believe for my colleague Senator Carper--has been one of reconciliation, one of moving past the election and then forward toward the challenge of making decisions together for the people we represent. Everybody shows up--the winners and the losers. It is only the sorest of losers who don't show up and only the most arrogant of winners who don't show up. So, frankly, it is almost always everybody. In the elections I have been blessed to stand in and be successful in for the people of Delaware, the Return Day is a great end to the campaign season and beginning of our season of service to the people of Delaware. So as we go from the floor now to the reception in honor of Delaware Day, I want to say how grateful I am to serve with my senior Senator, who has always been personally a model of the civility, of graciousness, and of the service that marks the Delaware Way and marks Delaware Day which we celebrate officially tomorrow but which we kick off tonight with a reception.