Carl Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Did we outsource to the Packard Commission, the reforms they recommended?

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. If the Senator from Illinois would yield for just a moment, I would only urge our colleagues--and I know Senator Warner joins me in this--we have over 300 amendments that have been filed. We are clearing some. We have cleared 10 more.

Mr. LEVIN. We have about 300 still that need to be addressed one way or the other. Either they are going to be resolved, voted on, or dropped. We need the full cooperation of every Senator to address this very large number of amendments. We have made some progress in clearing amendments. We had two votes today on important amendments. We look forward to those three to five votes in the morning. But we still need the full cooperation of every Senator, and I would urge them to work with our staffs to see if we can clear as many additional amendments as possible.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess today from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess until 2:15 p.m. today.

Mr. LEVIN

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess subject to the call of the Chair.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Baucus be recognized for up to 6 minutes as in morning business and then we return to the bill.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, what is the pending amendment?

Mr. LEVIN

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

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, is there a pending amendment?

Mr. LEVIN. Other than those amendments that filled up the tree, there are no pending amendments; is that correct?

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, we are trying to work out a unanimous consent agreement so we can vote on the amendment of the Senator from Delaware, hopefully, at 5:30. We are attempting to work out a unanimous consent agreement. We do not have it yet. I will suggest, if the Senator from Delaware is willing, because there is a reasonable chance we are going to get there, that he now describe his amendment and offer his amendment, and then--he cannot technically offer it, but he can describe his amendment--and, hopefully, we can get a unanimous consent agreement. If we do, he could then technically offer it. So I would suggest that without offering his amendment, the Senator from Delaware describe his amendment, debate his amendment, in the hopes we can get a unanimous consent agreement to vote on that amendment at 5:30. We do not have it yet, but we are working on it.

Mr. LEVIN. If the Senator will yield, I don't believe there is an objection to the amendment. I think it is not in order at this moment to offer the modification.

Mr. LEVIN. If the Senator will yield.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I wish to briefly thank and commend the Senator from Delaware for his ongoing leadership in a very critical area, and that is the area of federalism in Iraq. He has made it clear in his amendment, he has made it clear in his remarks that the federalism he is referring to is the federalism which the Iraqis have placed in their Constitution.

Mr. LEVIN. There is no effort here to impose our view of federalism or an outside view of federalism on the Iraqis. It is their view of federalism, reflected in their own Constitution, that the Senator has viewed as a real potential solution to the violence in the provinces in Iraq. So I wish to thank the Senator from Delaware, and perhaps at this point, if I could get the attention of the Senator from Delaware, in order to save time later, he and I have entered into a colloquy which doesn't need to be made part of the Record at this time, it could be put in the Record after the amendment is modified. So I ask unanimous consent that after the amendment is modified to have printed in the Record a colloquy between myself and the Senator from Delaware.

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

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I send a series of 34 amendments to the desk, which have been cleared by myself and the ranking member. Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider those amendments en bloc, the amendments be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, and I ask that any statements relating to any of these individual amendments be printed in the Record.

Mr. LEVIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I would like to honor the life of Dr. Edward M. Gramlich, who recently passed away at the age of 68. Dr. Gramlich was an outstanding and dedicated public servant whose expertise, knowledge, and counsel were highly sought after among the leaders of Michigan's economic and academic communities. Dr. Gramlich will be best remembered as a pragmatic economist who championed the cause of consumer protection and sought to tighten mortgage lending practices. Appointed to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in 1997 by President Clinton, Dr. Gramlich brought a balanced view to the Reserve Board that included a deep respect for consumer-protection issues. For years he warned of the looming crisis in the mortgage industry, citing excessive fees and high cost mortgages offered to those who could not afford them. In June of this year, while undergoing medical treatment, Dr. Gramlich published a timely critique of these practices entitled ``Sub-prime Mortgages: America's Latest Boom and Bust,'' which both assessed the issue and offered timely solutions to the problem. In 2005, Dr. Gramlich resigned from the Fed to return as interim provost to the University of Michigan, where he enjoyed a decades-long affiliation. He held a number of distinguished positions there throughout his career, including as a professor of economics and public policy, chair of the Economics Department, and Dean of the Ford School of Public Policy. Other important positions included Dr. Gramlich's service as chair of the Air Transportation Stabilization Board after the attacks of September 11, 2001; deputy director and acting director of the Congressional Budget Office; senior fellow at the Brookings Institute; and director of the Policy Research Division at the Office of Economic Opportunity. Prior to his work with the Reserve Board, Dr. Gramlich served as chairman of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. In that capacity Dr. Gramlich worked to urge legislators to clamp down on predatory lending practices and to toughen regulations on banks and mortgage lenders. During his tenure at the Fed, his strong calls for regulation were often met with resistance from a system that favors industry self-regulation. Given today's mortgage and credit crises, we cannot help but wonder ``what if'' with respect to many of those decisions. In any event, as Congress and the States seek ways to grapple with the current situation, Dr. Gramlich's work on consumer protection issues and his insightful analyses will undoubtedly have significant influence. Dr. Gramlich is mourned by many in Michigan and across the country, including his wife Ruth; his children, Sarah Howard and Robert; his parents, J. Edward and Harriet; as well as many other family members, friends, and colleagues. Dr. Gramlich made an extraordinary impact throughout his life, and I hope that those mourning this loss find comfort in the significant legacy he leaves behind.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, September 25, 2007, at 10 a.m. in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The purposes of the hearing are to receive testimony on S. 1756, a bill to provide supplemental ex gratia compensation to the Republic of the Marshall Islands for impacts of the nuclear testing program of the United States, and for other purposes; and to receive testimony on the implementation of the Compact of Free Association between the United States and the Marshall Islands.

Mr. LEVIN. 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 Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 2 p.m. in room 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in order to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Green Jobs Created by Global Warming Initiatives.''

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, September 25, 2007, at 10 a.m., in room G-50 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``Home and Community Based Care: Expanding Options for Long Term Care.''