Johnny Isakson

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, it is an honor for me to pay tribute to Rabbi Scott E. Colbert today. Rabbi Colbert will be celebrating his 29th year with Temple Emanu-El of Greater Atlanta soon, and his congregation is honoring him with a special celebration. While I am unable to attend the event, I have known Rabbi Scott for some time, and I have had the good fortune of speaking alongside him at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr., celebration at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta in the past. Rabbi Colbert has served Temple Emanu-El in many capacities since 1987. He holds degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as New York University, Hebrew Union College--Jewish Institute of Religion, and the Rabbinical Academy of America. In 1992, he was awarded the prestigious title of Reform Jewish Educator by the Reform Movement. In 2001, he graduated again from the Hebrew Union College-- Jewish Institute of Religion earning a doctor of ministry degree in pastoral counseling. Earlier that year, the college institute honored him with an honorary doctorate for his outstanding service to the Jewish people. In addition to serving as senior rabbi at Temple Emanu-El, Rabbi Colbert is adjunct professor of Jewish religious thought at the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. He is a published author and writes for various professional journals. I applaud Rabbi Scott and congratulate Temple Emanu-El on their good fortune in having had him as one of their spiritual leaders for 29 wonderful years.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I wish to thank the Senator from New Hampshire for her remarks and thank her for her commitment. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. It is time we get a different result in Washington, which is balanced budgets, fiscal accountability, and balanced spending, and a biennial budget will do that. In our remaining time, with the permission of the Senator from New Hampshire, I wish to address one other amendment we have called up to be pending, which is amendment No. 839, which has already been reported. Amendment No. 839 is very simply an amendment that recognizes the fact that 52 Americans were taken captive in 1979 in Iran at our Embassy. Forty-four of them are still alive. They remain the only American hostages ever taken who were never compensated for their time. We have revenue accumulating because of the Iranian sanctions. Everybody on the Foreign Relations Committee is supportive, and I think the State Department is too, of seeing to it we take a portion of those sanctions and compensate the American hostages of the Iranian Government from 1979 to 1980. As the Presiding Officer will remember, it was the day Ronald Reagan was sworn in that Jimmy Carter finally made arrangements to get those hostages out of Tehran. They suffered torture, physical abuse, and terror for 444 days. They deserve to be compensated. We deserve to take the money the Iranians have been paid for sanctions and see to it these Americans are compensated for what they suffered in 1979 and 1980. I appreciate the time from the Chair and I yield back the remainder of our time. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, amendment No. 839 recognizes that on November 4, 1979, 52 brave Americans were taken hostage in Tehran, Iran. They were beaten, they were held in captivity, they were tortured. Finally, the Algerian accords were negotiated, and they were released in January of 1981. But in the Algerian accords, they were prohibited from ever being compensated by litigation against the nation of Iran. Now, with the sanction money flowing into the U.S. Treasury and into the State Department, the money is there to compensate these brave individuals, of which there are 44 still remaining alive. This amendment acknowledges that Congress has the responsibility that the Supreme Court dedicated to make sure these people get compensated for the bravery they exhibited for the United States of America in captivity. I urge that this amendment be adopted. I recognize the Senator from New Jersey.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment to call up amendments Nos. 321, 611, and 839 en bloc.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Shaheen and Senator Isakson be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes in order to call up our amendments.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I am glad to join the Senator from New Hampshire on a very important piece of legislation that is being proposed as an amendment to the budget today. It is called the Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act which 2 years ago passed this Senate with 68 votes. It has bipartisan support this year. It is the right way to solve our biggest problem, which is responsible spending in Washington. The Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act assumes the following: What we have been doing has been broken for years. Every President since Ronald Reagan has endorsed the biennial budget. Twenty of the fifty States in the United States of America have a biennial budget. It is time we did budgeting and oversight and allowed time for both. What this bill basically says is that in odd-numbered years we will do our appropriating and in even-numbered years we will do oversight of appropriations. Wouldn't it be great to change the paradigm in America to where during election years and even years, instead of saying how much bacon we are going to bring home, to instead say how much savings we are going the find in the appropriations process. We can find new money to fund new programs without raising taxes or raising revenues of the Federal Government. It is a responsible way to run our country, it is a way we ought to run our country, and it is a responsible way for America to return to fiscal accountability. With an $18.1 trillion deficit and with spending going haywire and us not being able to do budgeting or appropriating at all, it is time we call time out, fix our problem, and move forward. I yield to the distinguished Senator from New Hampshire, who as Governor of New Hampshire for 6 years did biennial budgeting and has great experience in that effort.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. For the information of all Senators, there will be up to two rollcall votes at 12:15 p.m. today.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be recognized for up to 1 minute.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume consideration of S. Con. Res. 11 following the joint meeting; that the time until 12:15 p.m. today be equally divided between the managers or their designees; and that at 12:15 p.m., the Senate vote in relation to the following amendments in the order listed, with no second-degree amendments in order prior to the votes: Burr No. 622, Warren No. 652. I further ask unanimous consent that there be 2 minutes equally divided between the managers or their designees prior to each vote.

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

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 18, 2015, at 2:30 p.m., in room SR-253 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission.''

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Seapower of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 18, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 18, 2015, at 9:30 a.m., in room SD- 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act.''

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on March 18, 2015, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Impact of Abusive Parent Litigation Practices on the American Economy.''

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 18, 2015, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 18, 2015, in room SD-628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 18, 2015, at 10 a.m. in room SD-G50 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a joint hearing with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I encourage the Members of the Senate to vote favorably on cloture so we can move forward on the important bill on human trafficking. Mr. President, I come to the floor to ask unanimous consent to address the Senate as in morning business.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I don't normally come to the floor and address a question that was asked rhetorically on the floor the night before, but I am compelled to do so today. There were two instances that happened in the last week where my name and the Coca-Cola name came up, and I thought I should set the record straight. This weekend, in an op-ed published in USA TODAY, the Democratic leader, Harry Reid, and Sheldon Whitehouse, the Senator from Rhode Island, made the following statement: Republicans in Congress who represent great corporations headquartered in their states ignore those corporations-- Walmart in Arkansas, Coca-Cola in Georgia, VF Corporation in North Carolina--when they explain the business case for addressing climate change and are already reducing their own pollution. Republicans in Congress who root boisterously for their state university sports teams ignore the warnings of scientists and researchers at those very universities on climate change. Then last night on the floor of the Senate, in his 93rd speech on global warming, Senator Whitehouse made the following statement and asked this rhetorical question: ``I don't know whether Coca-Cola has ever spoken about climate change to Senator Isakson . . . from Coca- Cola's home State of Georgia.'' So I came to answer that rhetorical question and to answer the reference that was made in the editorial by Senator Reid and Senator Whitehouse. This is a picture of me and Senator Coons in Ghana, Africa. It is 5 years old. At the request of the Coca-Cola Company, he and I traveled the continent of Africa looking at clean water projects all over that continent. African people who never had the opportunity to drink clean water now have sustainable clean water plants thanks to the Coca-Cola Company. These plants are environmentally safe, environmentally friendly, noncarbon-emitting water purification systems. During the course of the years I have been in the U.S. Senate, the Coca-Cola Company has briefed me on the following things about their business as it deals with climate change or carbon. They have saved 7 billion gallons of water in the United States with facility improvements in the United States. They have donated 70,000 ingredient drums for reuse as rain barrels, have supported over 100 watershed projects across North America, and have partnered with the National Forest Service to provide water to 60 million Americans. On energy and climate, they have improved cooling equipment efficiency by 60 percent in their operation since the year 2000. They own the largest heavy-duty hybrid electric truck fleet in North America and have improved energy efficiency in manufacturing by 8 percent since 2008. In packaging, over 96 percent of total waste is diverted away from landfills. Since 2007, they have distributed 240,000 public recycling bins. They have achieved a 70 million-pound reduction in packaging material, and innovative packaging avoids 150,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions--150,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. As far as agriculture, they have invested over $1 million to support sustainable agriculture in Georgia and across the United States. They have supported the planting of 25,000 acres of new orange groves in Florida and 4,100 new jobs in energy efficiency. That is what the Coca-Cola Company has advised me of since I have been in the U.S. Senate in terms of their commitment to a clean environment for our world and country. I believe the climate does change, but I don't believe climate change is a religion, I think it is science. I have done everything I can as a Senator to educate myself on the carbon and climate change issue. Seven years ago, I went with Senator Boxer from California to Disko Bay in Greenland with Dr. Ally, the leading glaciologist in the world, to study what he says about the possibility of carbon being the cause of climate change. There are mixed reviews and mixed scientific evidence on that. I am the first person to say we should reduce our carbon footprint. It is good for the atmosphere and our health. Eight years ago, when I had just entered the U.S. Senate, I bought a hybrid vehicle. I still drive that hybrid Ford Escape today. I did so because I thought it was a good business and a good atmospheric decision. I didn't buy it because someone made me; I bought it because I cared. My wife and I recycle because we think it is a good idea. There are lots of things we can do to reduce the footprint of carbon, but to infer in USA TODAY or in a speech that we are not cognizant of the things that are done by our corporations to reduce carbon emissions and reduce the danger to the environment is just wrong and it is just unfair. Senator Whitehouse wrote a great book, which I read, called ``Virtues.'' It is about the great virtues of living a good and healthy life, and one of those virtues is truth. The truth is that all of us care about the environment; we just don't all subscribe to the same theory about what happens. We should all be praising the good things that corporations are doing and recognize that it is not just Democrats and not just Republicans, but it is American politicians who make the policies that determine where we go in the future. I think it is very important that we reduce carbon emissions, but I think it is important to be practical in those reductions. We can pass all the great regulations in the world that are good for the environment, but if they shut down the American economy and American business, they are probably not a very good idea. The environment and business should work in harmony together rather than be adversaries and enemies. Publications like what appeared in USA TODAY over the weekend or speeches like the one that was made last night don't do anything to foster harmony or a good commitment; instead, they raise controversy. I love Sheldon Whitehouse. He is a great U.S. Senator. I appreciate Leader Reid and what he does. But I don't appreciate the references that were made about Coca-Cola or about me in the article they wrote over the weekend or the speech that was made last night. In fact, as I thought about what I would do in terms of responding to what was said, I sat down last night and made an interesting observation. Monday of this week before I left Georgia to come up here, I met with the Southern Company, and one of the discussions that came up were the solar panels they put out in the Southwest to amend the grid out there with solar energy--something that is environmentally sound and doesn't emit carbon. They talked about Plant Vogtle, where they are adding three or four reactors, which is renewable energy and recyclable, and it emits no carbon and is now being generated in Georgia--reliable electricity with carbon-free generation through nuclear power. Yesterday, I had a meeting with the UPS corporation, which just happens to be one of the leaders in the world using nonfossil fuel- burning waste to deliver their packages. You can go down the list of corporate America and the things they are doing to reduce carbon emissions every single day, and they deserve the credit. But they don't need to be criticized or lectured by Members of the Senate for not lobbying me because they do lobby me. They believe, as I believe, that reducing carbon is good, but it shouldn't be a religion; it should be dealt with scientifically. It is important that we understand that every contribution we can make to a carbonless environment is a good contribution, but we can't abolish it absolutely. Every regulation we pass to improve our environment is important, but if it shuts down American business, it probably is not the right decision to make. So since the question was asked rhetorically last night on the floor of the Senate, I thought I would come to the floor and answer it in person. I believe truth is a virtue. The truth is the Coca-Cola Company has informed me continuously about the efforts they have made to reduce carbon emissions and to improve their environmental contribution. There is no greater evidence of that than me drinking water that just came out of a purification plant in Ghana, Africa, out of a Coca-Cola cup. I think that is about the best evidence we can possibly find that they have delivered their message. They are doing their job. I am proud of the Coca Cola Company. I yield the floor.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, It is a great honor for me to pay tribute to a great Georgian and a great friend, Wayne Mason. It is Wayne's 75th birthday, and for a minute I want to share with the Senate the greatest example I know of how much difference one man can make. I would not be where I am today and Gwinnett County--one of America's most dynamic counties--would not be what it is today were it not for the support and leadership of Wayne Mason. Wayne is generous in giving back to his community and passionate in his love of country. A successful real estate developer, Wayne has said he lives for the deal and will die seeking his final one. Wayne began a life of hard work and deal-making as a boy by plowing his family's gardens with a one-eyed mule, and he honed his marketing skills by selling eggs and Christmas wreaths. A clever young man, Wayne understood what was needed in a budding community and he opened many of the entities needed to develop one--including a bonding company, ceramic tile store, funeral home, liquor store and a bank. Between 1959 and 1972, he built 1,800 homes in the growing community of Snellville, GA, and by that time, he was a millionaire. Wayne didn't stop building his community credentials there. He became chairman of the Gwinnett County Commission in 1977 and served in that capacity until 1981. Wayne's successful development and investment projects in Gwinnett County include names and places all metro Atlantans know such as Discover Mills and The Villages at Global Forum. He also served as a member of the Atlanta Regional Commission, which is the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for much of the metro Atlanta area. Another area he conquered in more recent years that is also essential for a thriving community is higher education. It has also become a particular passion and point of pride for Wayne in the form of Georgia Gwinnett College, which he helped to make a reality. In 1994, Gwinnett County was the largest county east of the Mississippi without a 4-year college. So Wayne and a group of leaders in Gwinnett County purchased 160 acres of land in Lawrenceville, GA, and designated it specifically for the development of a college campus. Georgia Gwinnett College opened its doors in 2006 as the first 4-year college founded in Georgia in more than 100 years, and the first 4-year, public college created in the U.S. in the 21st century. In less than 10 years, Georgia Gwinnett College's enrollment is approaching 11,000 students and Wayne still serves on the college foundation's board. Wayne Mason is the foundation upon which Gwinnett County's success is based. So I want to wish happy birthday to a great Georgian and friend.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I have nine grandchildren. Seven of them are 11 or under; two of them are in college. Those 7 who are 11 or under represent the joy of my life and the life of my children. But tonight when you and I go to bed and each Member of this Senate goes to bed, somewhere back in our State, young women and young children the same age as my grandchildren will be bought and sold into slavery. They will be trafficked as human beings for sex workers, for pornography workers, and for workers themselves. It is wrong for the greatest Nation on the face of this Earth and the richest Nation on the face of this Earth to have the crime of human trafficking take place day in and day out. I am so proud of Senator Cornyn and others from this Senate who brought forward the bill that is before us today. I want to appeal to those who are holding it up to go to cloture to ask themselves this question when they go to bed tonight: When you put your head on that pillow, some child somewhere in your State is going to be trafficked for sex purposes or pornography. Some young life, some life of innocence is going to be ruined. I think it is time for us to put aside any differences we may have on this legislation and move it forward so that we have for the first time the focus on human trafficking and the abuse of kids. This is a serious problem in my State of Georgia. Atlanta has one of the highest rates of trafficking of any city in the United States, I am told. Our attorney general, Sam Olens, has said the following: Human trafficking is a modern day slavery, plain and simple. It robs children of their innocence and dignity. We must combat this evil, and it is appropriate that the most deliberative body in the world, the U.S. Senate, begin to put together a framework where we confront child slavery, sex trafficking, and the targeting of our children in multiple ways. We need to provide them with benefits to be able to be protected. A lot of that is in terms of housing and safe havens, but it also concerns other things. We need to increase the resources for victims of trafficking, No. 1. A lot of kids who are trafficked and can get out of trafficking and get out of possession end up having serious problems with PTSD and TBI. The problem of being abused as a child is as rough as the battleground in Afghanistan or Iraq. We must provide the safe havens and the therapy and the mental health care that is necessary to help them bring back their life. I gave a graduation speech 5 years ago to a young lady who was 22 years old and just graduating from high school. She had dropped out of high school pregnant at the age of 15. She had come under the spell of a trafficker who took her in, made her a sex worker, and she ended up having three additional children. She was almost lost for life. But finally some good person found her. They brought her into the county school system. They found her a way to go to the alternative school. She ended up graduating No. 1 in her class and going to the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. A life was saved, but it was only saved because people reached out to her. We need to encourage that and produce that. Back in my home State of Georgia in my hometown of Roswell, GA, there is a guy by the name of Dave McCleary. Dave McCleary is a Rotarian who 2 years ago took this project on as his passion--to be a spokesman for those who are abused, those who are trafficked, and those who are thrown into prostitution and pornography. He has made a major difference in Rotary clubs in Georgia, and now they are activating themselves to pay attention to this terrible disease and this terrible affliction. We need to recognize child pornography as a form of human trafficking so victims have access to support, and we need to require that traffickers be treated as violent criminals to protect the victims and witnesses. Most important of all, we need to help State and local governments fight human trafficking through increased shelters, law enforcement, task forces, and problem-solving cures for people with these problems. We also need to get to the floor for another reason. Senator Corker in the Foreign Relations Committee has a bill which would be an amendment to this bill which expands our human trafficking response. We can't get to that until we get to cloture, and we can't get to cloture until we get 60 votes. So I appeal to Members of the Senate to find common ground to let this debate come to the floor, so that when you lay your head on the pillow tonight, instead of thinking about a child that is being abused, you think about the abuse that you are avoiding because the Senate took action on human trafficking. Commending John Lewis

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, 2 years ago, on the 48th anniversary of the crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge by a bunch of brave citizens who challenged the United States to do what was right and make voting rights equal for everybody, I walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Congressman John Lewis from my State. John Lewis is 75 years old this year, and he continues to be a leader for civil rights and for passion. This past weekend in Selma, AL, he led the President of the United States, Barack Obama, the past President of the United States, George W. Bush, and over 100 Members of Congress across the Edmund Pettus Bridge for us to reflect and remember over the last 50 years what has happened in this country, where voting rights have gone from being a dream to a reality, where equality for men and women and people of all races now exists. It would not have happened were it not for a few good men and a few good women who at their time in history responded to history's call. John Lewis was one of those people. I am proud to serve with him in the Georgia delegation to the Congress, and I am proud of all he has done to make America a better place to live. So on this year when he celebrates his 75th birthday anniversary and on the 50th anniversary of the crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, I pay tribute to a great citizen of Georgia, a great American, and a great humanitarian--John Lewis, the Congressman from the city of Atlanta and the State of Georgia. I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, I rise to speak and to commend the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Senator Alexander, for this resolution that is on the floor to rescind and overturn the ambush election rule the NLRB has asked to go in effect on April 14. It is just dadgum wrong. It is a solution in search of a problem. We don't have a problem in terms of labor relations. Ninety-five percent of all the elections for unionization take place within 56 days. The median term is 38 days. That is 1\1/2\ months to 2 months. That is all it takes. This would compress that period of time from the average now of 38 days to 11 days. Is 11 days enough time for a worker to get all the information they need to find out whether they want to become unionized? No, it is not. Is it fair to an employer to give him only 11 days to defend himself against a union organization trying to take him to a union shop? No, it is not. Does it do anything for the middle class? No, it does not. This is a solution for an issue, as I said, that doesn't exist, a problem that doesn't exist. It is time we stood up for American business and American workers. I ran a sub S corporation, which is a small business in Georgia. Most everybody thinks this is a big business issue. It is not; it is a small business issue. It is a repeat effort by the NLRB to continue to meddle and tilt the playing field between labor and management. Everybody knows that during the Industrial Revolution this country overlooked the worker. We had child labor, we had workers working too long, and we didn't have good safety rules. We all know labor unions came about because businesses failed to address their needs. But that was 100 years ago. Today we have good labor law, we have fair labor law, and we have opportunities for people to be unionized if they want. Of all the elections called in the last 2 years, 64.2 percent have gone to a unionized shop--64.2 percent. In other words, the law we have now today works. It works for the worker and it works for the union. But it doesn't work to compress that time period to 11 days. That would cause confusion, it would cause discord, it would cause a terrible burden on the employer and terrible pressure on the employee. Included in the rule are, in my opinion, privacy violations by the organizers. It will require the company to turn over cell phone numbers, private information and all of that, so the unions can harass them to try to get them to sign a petition for a clarification and certification. It is just downright wrong. The chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is exactly right: This is an unfair rule. It has no place being passed and adopted. We have every right to rescind it, which I hope this Senate will do. Let's remember who the middle class really is. Let's remember who small business really is. Let's remember why we have unions and why we have a National Labor Relations Board. We have it for fair and equitable treatment of labor law. We don't have it to tilt the playing field in favor of labor or in favor of management. We have it to be fair, so everybody gets a fair shake and a fair notice and a fair time to have their say. So I rise to commend the chairman for his efforts and what he has done. I support his effort and what he has done, and I hope the Members of the Senate will vote in favor of rescinding this rule before it goes into effect. It would be a terrible one-two punch to have this rule go into effect on April 14 and the IRS's tax day be April 15. That is too much punishment for one period of time. It is just not the right thing to do. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, are we in a quorum call?

Mr. ISAKSON

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