Steve Daines

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of Jean Turnage, the former Montana Supreme Court chief justice and a State senate president who passed away earlier this week. Chief Justice Turnage was a true public servant who always put Montana and this Nation first. He is remembered as a fair and tolerant judge and a true gentleman legislator. As both a legislator and judge, he had a genius for solving conflicts and bridging differences--a quality that is far too rare in public service. Chief Justice Turnage was part of a dying breed of the ``greatest generation'' and was a true statesman. As a World War II veteran, a State legislator, and chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court, Justice Turnage truly exemplified our State's strong legacy of service. His passing is a great loss for Montana. On behalf of all Montanans, I wish to recognize Jean for his decades of service to Montana and to this Nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Turnage family during this time of loss. I yield the floor.

Mr. DAINES

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to enter into a colloquy with Senators Ayotte, Alexander, Burr, Collins, and Gardner.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, Montana's national forests and public lands have been a pleasure and a part of our State's heritage for generations. As a fifth-generation Montanan and as someone who loves the outdoors, I recognize how valuable our public lands are and the importance of ensuring access for generations to come to hunting, backpacking and fishing--traditions that I, like many Montanans, have been thankful to pass along to my kids. I know firsthand the important role that the Land and Water Conservation Fund holds in protecting and increasing Montanans' access to our public lands. That is why since coming to Congress I have been actively working to secure funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund every year. In fact, through the appropriations process this summer, Senator Susan Collins and I successfully passed an amendment to increase the funding for the LWCF program by nearly $14 million. This brought the overall funding for LWCF to $306 million and ensured that LWCF did not lose out on work for permanent authorization. In Montana and throughout the country, the Land and Water Conservation Fund plays a critical role in achieving the goal of increased access. Despite the tireless efforts and the work of Senators Burr, Collins, Ayotte, Alexander, and Gardner to move reauthorization forward, yet again today, the authorization for LWCF will expire tonight. The Continuing Resolution did not include a reauthorization for LWCF. Because LWCF is funded through royalties generated from offshore energy development, it is a fundamental tool to help preserve and protect Montanans' opportunity to enjoy hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. In fact, during the August recess while I was back home in Montana, this is where I was: On the public lands of Montana. This is the Beartooth Wilderness area. This is my wife Cindy and our dog Ruby. I have my fly rod on my back. This is, in fact, up near Granite Peak, Montana's highest peak. That is over 10,000 feet where that picture was taken. It was a chance to enjoy our public lands--something that is an absolute treasure for the people of Montana and the people of our great country. LWCF keeps family ranches in the family and working. It is a fundamental tool that preserves and protects our opportunities to enjoy hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. It keeps forests in productive use through the Forest Legacy Program, as in the Haskill Basin where my good friend Chuck Roady of Stoltz Land and Lumber works. That is why it is so disappointing that reauthorization was not included in the CR we voted on today. Under the current CR, LWCF will be funded, as will the rest of the Federal Government, through December 11. LWCF will be funded at fiscal year 2015 levels and all projects will continue as planned. However, any new deposits into the fund will stop tomorrow, on October 1. I have heard from many Montana businesses, outfitters, and guides who love the outdoors and are very concerned about the program's lapse in authorization. These small businesses rely on it for public access to Montana's treasured public lands for outdoor recreation which supports millions of dollars of revenue and hundreds of jobs for our State. Like Eric Grove of Great Divide Cyclery in Helena who has built his mountain bike business around the South Hills Trail System outside of Helena which was facilitated by LWCF. There are many other small businesses such as Eric's in Montana. Before being elected to the Senate, before coming to Congress, I spent more than 12 years growing a technology company in Bozeman. We were able to attract quality employees not only because we offered good-paying salaries, but also because of Montana's unparalleled quality of life. In fact, our slogan was ``work where you also like to play.'' The LWCF is a critical tool that facilitates recreation on our public lands, allowing Montana businesses to attract world class employees. We can't let it slip away. I remind the Members of the Senate, we passed the reauthorization of LWCF. We have that in the bipartisan energy bill that passed the Energy and Natural Resources Committee this year. I hope for cooperation from our friends across the aisle to bring that to the floor for a vote and move it forward in regular order, which is the way the Senate should operate. Now I wish to pause and yield to my distinguished colleague from the great State of New Hampshire, Senator Kelly Ayotte, who is also a big supporter of LWCF. I am glad she has come to the floor today and is joining me in our fight to make sure we keep LWCF reauthorized.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I wish to thank Senator Ayotte for her great comments and for speaking as well about her heritage that has been passed down in New Hampshire. In this picture, this is not a selfie that was taken with a selfie stick. The reason we happened to have this picture is that we had our son along. Our son took that picture of my wife Cindy, our dog Ruby, and me. These are lands that I hiked in when I was a little boy, when my parents introduced me to the public lands of Montana wilderness areas. Outdoor heritage is an important part of who we are as Americans, as is the importance of preserving and protecting our clean water and our clean air. I know our States' Governors don't want this program to lapse either. In fact, in a letter sent yesterday from the National Governors Association, they stated that a lapse in authorization would create uncertainties for our States. We can still do the right thing. We can still reauthorize this important program. There was an appropriations bill that was passed which gave us funding at the same level we had from last year, at $306 million. It is short of where I would like to have it, and I know it is short of where Senator Ayotte would like to see it funded, but at least we held our funding consistent with where we were at last year. The energy committee, through the Energy Modernization Act, had the reauthorization provisions in it. That would permanently reauthorize the program. So there are a lot of options on the table to get this done. We can still do the right thing. We need to double down our efforts and reauthorize this most important program. I am a proud cosponsor of the multiple-piece legislation to make the LWCF permanent and the fight to reauthorize this program. In fact, I am the only Republican member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to cosponsor S. 338, Senator Burr's legislation, that will secure a permanent solution for LWCF. Permanent reauthorization of LWCF is also included in the Senate Energy Policy Modernization Act that we just talked about. It passed the committee on a large bipartisan vote. In the coming days I think the momentum behind reauthorization is only going to grow stronger. We have that evidenced here today as I am joined by a number of my colleagues who support the LWCF, and we are not going to let this conversation die. We are going to continue to fight for the permanent reauthorization of LWCF. It is a tool for public access. It is a tool to ensure that Montanans and the American people can have access to the public lands. I am hopeful the momentum will lead the House to prioritize reauthorization in the near future. It is vital that we permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund and not allow reauthorization to lapse. We need to get this reauthorization passed and on the President's desk. I see that another supporter of LWCF, the Senator from Tennessee, Mr. Lamar Alexander, has joined us in this colloquy. I am glad to have Senator Alexander here and look forward to his comments on LWCF.

Mr. DAINES. I want to thank the Senator from Tennessee for his leadership and unwavering commitment to the LWCF through the many years. We are also joined by the Senator from Maine, Ms. Collins. Senator Collins comes from the beautiful State of Maine and shares a passion for the outdoors. I am grateful to have Senator Collins speak on behalf of the LWCF. Senator Collins.

Mr. DAINES. I want to thank the Senator from North Carolina, Mr. Burr. I thank you for your leadership on the LWCF. Senator Burr has been truly out in front, working first to get the temporary reauthorization here as a bridge until we get the permanent reauthorization. I appreciate the comments. See, this is not about a land grab. This is about a land solution, as Senator Burr said. It allows us, in many cases, to provide access to public lands that we currently do not have access to because they might be landlocked through private holdings. So thank you, Senator Burr. In conclusion, I am hopeful that the momentum that we are seeing here in the Senate will lead the House to prioritize the LWCF reauthorization in the near future. It is vital that we permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund and do not allow authorization to lapse. We have less than 11 hours and this program will lapse. We need to get reauthorization passed, and get it on the President's desk, and get this signed. I yield the floor.

Mr. DAINES. I thank the Senator from Maine for those great remarks. It is important to get our young people outside--outdoors. In fact, this picture was taken about 5 weeks ago by my son with his smartphone. The good news is that the smartphone wasn't working because it was so far away from cell phone towers, but the camera did work, so he took the picture. It is important to get out and pass it on to the next generation to get our children out on the public lands. The LWCF has an important role in ensuring that access and preserving it for generations to come. We heard from the Senator from New Hampshire, Ms. Ayotte; from the Senator from Tennessee, Mr. Alexander; and the Senator from Maine, Ms. Collins. I spoke from Montana. You can see the geographic diversity across our entire country to support this program. It is only fitting that the Senator from North Carolina is here now, Mr. Burr. He has been the leader in permanent reauthorization for LWCF. That is why both Senator Collins and I are proud cosponsors of S. 338, which would permanently reauthorize the LWCF. I thank the Senator from North Carolina, Mr. Burr, for his leadership and what he is doing to remove this uncertainty we have today in the LWCF and get it permanently reauthorized.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 180, S. 599.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 29; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of the message to accompany H.R. 719 postcloture; further, that all time during the recess or adjournment of the Senate count postcloture on the motion to concur with amendment No. 2689; finally, that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. 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. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. I now ask for a second reading and, in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 271, submitted earlier today.

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 28, 2015, at 5 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Migration Crisis in Middle East/Europe.''

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of calendar Nos. 196 and 197 and all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Air Force, Army, and Navy; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order; that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Russ Fullmer, who has been the agricultural manager at Sidney Sugars for 30 years. Russ exemplifies a work ethic that defines Montana, and it is my great honor to honor his successes today. Russ received his bachelor's of science in geology from the University of Wyoming and has since built a successful professional career. Russ worked for Holly Sugar for 7 years, taking his skills across the country to California, Wyoming, and Montana. When Holly Sugar changed ownership in 2002, he continued to loyally serve as the agricultural manager. With his leadership, Sidney Sugars has found much success and produced a record high of 30.4 tons per acre in 2014. On behalf of all Montanans, we are sad to see him go but so thankful and inspired by his decades of loyal service and hard work.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act will do exactly that: protect unborn children who can feel pain. Studies have shown that babies can feel pain by 20 weeks or 5 months into pregnancy, and it is unconscionable to subject a child, at any stage in their life, to such pain. Anesthesiologists protect these children from the pain of surgery in the womb. Today these premature babies have a one in four chance of living a full and complete life. Do a quick Google search and type in ``20-week baby'' or ``20-week baby pictures.'' Take out your smartphone and Google it. The results of that search will pull up something like you see here to my right--a baby whose facial features are clearly visible. In fact, only seven countries in the world allow babies 20 weeks or older to be aborted-- seven countries. The United States is one of them, along with North Korea and China, to name a few. Overwhelmingly, Americans support this commonsense legislation. According to a November 2014 poll, 60 percent of Americans support a ban on abortion at 20 weeks, including nearly 60 percent of American women. This is a bill that a majority of the American people are behind, protecting babies after 20 weeks when they can feel pain. We must continue to fight for the most vulnerable in our society--the elderly, the disabled, and the unborn--for they don't have a voice up here on Capitol Hill. Their right to life is protected by our Constitution and is part of the framework of the Declaration of Independence, and because of that, we speak up. During the Gosnell trial, we all learned about the gruesome methods of ending the life of just-born children by using a method similar to dismemberment, which occurs in several clinics throughout our country. Science tells us that this method causes pain to the baby, some of whom were a little over 20 weeks old. Why do we allow these late-term abortions? If Gosnell aborted these children moments before they were removed from the womb, would the loss of life have been any less tragic or less appalling? We cannot stand idly by and allow such painful terminations of human life to continue. We must continue to be a voice for those who don't have a voice. The Senate needs to join the House of Representatives and get this legislation passed and on the President's desk. I yield back my time. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of Jacob Francom, a top-tier educator from Troy, MT. Dr. Francom was recently honored as the 2015 Montana Principal of the Year and is an excellent example of the importance of education to the State of Montana. Dr. Francom has not only succeeded in enhancing and tailoring the professional skills of his staff, but has made great advancements to the technological arenas at his school. He has also developed and improved the systems of instruction used with the students of Troy Junior and Senior High Schools. What sets Dr. Francom apart is not only his leadership and pioneering at his own school, but his initiative in helping the schools in other parts of Lincoln County. His efforts are focused on aiding Troy, Libby, and Eureka with hopes to share in the milestones they reach. At only 36 years old, he has earned a bachelor's degree from Utah State University, a master's degree from University of Arizona, and his doctorate, along with a second master's from The University of Montana. He started his career working at a boarding school in the Yaak, but in 5 short years became a rising star at Troy Junior and Senior High School. Three years later, he was serving as superintendent. The characteristics that have made Dr. Francom a prime candidate for this award are not limited to his work in the education field. His humility and perseverance have made him a positive and inspiring example for our State. It is with great appreciation that I thank Principal Francom for his work in Troy and across our State.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I rise in recognition of the achievement of Sustainable Lumber Co., located in Missoula, MT. JPMorgan Chase recently announced that Sustainable Lumber Co. has been awarded a $100,000 grant and business trip to Linkedin's California headquarters for an opportunity of learning and networking. This award further emphasizes Sustainable Lumber Co. as a fine tribute to the State of Montana, and their both transformative and responsible approach to operating their business has earned them the success they rightfully have achieved. I also would like to applaud JPMorgan Chase for investing in small businesses, like Sustainable Lumber Co., through its Mission Main Street initiative. These investments in small businesses strengthen our local communities and work as a catalyst towards revitalizing the American Dream.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, this generation is at the forefront of technological advances. In fact, it is making the United States and this generation that lives here one of the best networked in history, in fact, not only here but around the world. The need for new and better technology to accommodate such a generation has also left a gaping hole in the security of our country. In recent years, cyber security attacks and breaches have multiplied and left American citizens incredibly vulnerable. Make no mistake, the cyber security of the United States is in great danger. But, unfortunately, proper precautions and reforms needed to set a better course have yet to be taken. Just look at last week's headlines. USA Today recently reported hackers have attempted to compromise the Department of Energy over 1,100 times between 2010 and 2014, and these attackers have been successful over 150 times. In a 2013 breach these attackers gained access to the information of over 104,000 Energy Department employees. After these attacks, the auditors noted ``unclear lines of responsibility'' and ``lack of awareness by responsible officials.'' Yet nothing was done to mitigate the potential for future attacks. Our government needs to stop being content with simply being reactive to serious cyber threats. There are no deterrents or consequences to these foreign attackers. Not one person at the Department of Energy has faced consequences. The CIO of the Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, remains in charge after one of the largest hacks on Federal employees. In an age ruled by technology, it is our responsibility to make sure we take the necessary steps to protect the information of the American people. This past Monday I held the first biannual Montana High Tech Jobs Summit in my hometown of Bozeman at my alma mater, Montana State University. We had over 600 Montanans attend. We need to be more disruptive of the status quo in the technology sector, rather than passively sitting by as other nations innovate and leave us behind. We need to encourage STEM education in our classrooms and bring more people into the science and technology sector. In my home State of Montana, high-tech jobs are growing 10 times faster than the statewide job growth rate. Last year alone, 40 percent of the wage growth in our entire State took place in Gallatin County, the county where Bozeman is located, and it has become a hub of technology. Yet too often Montana kids have to leave to find work. We need more high-paying technology jobs in Montana. During my time at the cloud computing company RightNow Technologies, which was founded, started up, and grew to a company that was acquired by Oracle for $1.8 billion, over the 12 years I was there, I saw firsthand how Montana is becoming a leading hub for innovation and high-tech job growth. Montana has a qualified workforce and an unparalleled quality of life that makes our State a wise investment for tech companies. In fact, where the campus of our software company is located in Bozeman we are just minutes away from the Gallatin River. The Gallatin River is where the movie ``A River Runs Through It'' was filmed, where Brad Pitt made his debut, and directed by Robert Redford. This tech summit showcased the great work done in our State, a State where we can combine the quality of life of fishing, hunting, backpacking, mountain climbing, spending time with family outdoors with technology and create a world-class high-tech company, because millennials want to have that quality of life, but they also want to have a world-class career in building global companies. This tech summit allowed our Nation's tech leaders to share their views and experiences and encouraged our future tech leaders to lead. It provided a unique opportunity for our State's tech and business leaders to learn from one another. We had a great slate of speakers and panelists from across the technology industry: Laef Olson, the senior VP for cloud operations at Oracle; Dr. Dava Newman, a Montana native and the new Deputy Administrator at NASA. We had two of the five FCC Commissioners, Ajit Pai and Michael O'Rielly. We had Doug Burgum, the former CEO and chairman of Great Plains Software. Great Plains Software was started up in North Dakota. He grew that company. It was acquired by Microsoft in 2001 for $1.1 billion, the largest acquisition at that time for Microsoft. Now Doug is cofounder and partner of Arthur Ventures and chairman of the Kilbourne Group. We had Craig Barrett. Dr. Craig Barrett received his undergrad, master's, and Ph.D. at Stanford and was a professor at Stanford for 10 years in metallurgical engineering and then went to this small company in 1974 called Intel. There, he rose all the way to CEO, and in fact, worked with Gordon Moore, who became CEO of Intel and who is famous for Moore's law. Mike Goguen, the managing director of Sequoia Capital, a company that was an early initial investor in companies such as Google, YouTube, Apple, PayPal. We had Will Lansing, a former board member of RightNow Technologies who is now the CEO of FICO. We had Matt Rose, the BNSF Railway executive chairman. We had panelists as well who explored issues of critical importance to our technology sector, cyber security infrastructure, and our economy. All convened in Bozeman on Monday. One doesn't think of the Gallatin Valley as being a hub of technology--maybe the Silicon Valley--but as the world is changing, as technology removes geography as a constraint, you have a quality of life that is exceptional, where you are an hour away from Yellowstone National Park and can grow world- class tech companies there. We heard from cyber security professionals from Microsoft and Facebook that we need not only to run faster, technically speaking, but work together between the private and public sectors to fend off potential hackers. We heard how technology is removing geography as a constraint. We heard how companies are adopting innovative cyber security practices to keep information safe while maintaining global competitiveness. We learned about the importance of maintaining and advancing our technology infrastructure and the factors that affect start-up companies willing to grow, attract investments, and create jobs. We have great technology leaders moving our country forward and working to protect our country, but we need to run faster than those seeking to destroy us. We need to ensure that we don't have burdensome regulations facing our entrepreneurs and our companies. We need to continue to encourage policies that drive innovation. I yield the floor.

Mr. DAINES

Mr. DAINES. I wish to thank the Senator. I appreciate that.