Patty Murray

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mrs. MURRAY. Is it not true that the rules of cloture provide an amendment does not need to be read?

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I yield our remaining time to Senator Dorgan.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from New Jersey.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, how much time is left on both sides?

Mrs. MURRAY. I thank the Chair. Madam President, in every part of our country Americans are frustrated by the transportation problems that we face every day. We sit in traffic on overcrowded roads. We wait through delays in congested airports. We have rural areas that are trapped in the past without the roads and the infrastructure they need to survive. We have many Americans who make their living along our shores, fishing or boating. They count on the Coast Guard to keep them safe. But today the Coast Guard does not have the resources to fully protect us. We have many families who live near oil and gas pipelines. They are afraid that those aging, untested pipelines could rupture, and with very good reason, given all the tragedies we have had lately. They want us to make pipelines safer. Our transportation problems frustrate us as individuals, and they frustrate our Nation's economy, slowing down our productivity and putting the brakes on progress. It is time to help Americans on our highways, our railways, our airways, and our waterways. We can do so by passing this transportation appropriations bill. For months, Senator Shelby and I have worked in a bipartisan way with virtually every Member of this Senate to meet the transportation needs in all 50 States. They told us their priorities, and we found a way to accommodate them. We have come up with a balanced, bipartisan bill that will make our highways safer, our roads less crowded, and our country more productive. Now is our chance to put this progress to work for the people we represent. Our bill has broad support from both parties. It passed the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously. It passed the full Appropriations Committee unanimously. Now it is before the full Senate ready for a vote, ready to go to work to help Americans who are fed up with traffic congestion and airport delays. In a short time, the Senate will vote to move forward on this very important bill. I hope the Senate will vote to invoke cloture so that we can begin working on the many solutions across the country that will improve our lives, our travel, and our productivity. This vote is about fixing the transportation problems that we face, and it is about ensuring the safety of our transportation infrastructure. If you vote for cloture, you are voting to give your communities the resources they need to escape from crippling traffic and overcrowded roads. If you vote for cloture, you are saying that our highways must be safe and that trucks coming from Mexico must meet our safety standards if they are going to share our roads. But if you vote against cloture, you are telling the people in your State that they will have to keep waiting in traffic and keep wasting time in congestion. If you vote against cloture, you are voting against the safety standards in this bill. A ``no'' vote would open up our borders to trucks that we know are unsafe, without inspections, and without the safety standards we expect and deserve. This vote is not about partisanship or protectionism. It is about productivity and public safety. I want to highlight how this bill will improve highway travel, airline safety, pipeline safety, and Coast Guard protection. First and foremost, this bill will address the chronic traffic problems facing our communities. In fact, under this bill every State-- every single State--will receive more highway construction funding than the President requested. And with this bill, every State would receive more highway construction funding than they would under the levels assumed in TEA-21. Our bill improves America's highways. Our bill also includes money to increase seatbelt use so we can save lives on our roads. Let's vote for cloture so we can begin sending help to our States. Secondly, this bill will improve air transportation, and it will make air travel more safe. This bill provides additional funding to hire 221 more FAA inspectors. The administration's budget did not provide this funding, but our bill does because it is a national priority. Let's vote for cloture so we can begin putting these new inspectors on the job for our safety. Third, our bill boosts funding for the Office of Pipeline Safety by more than $11 million above current levels. That means: funding all new 26 positions requested by OPS; $4.7 million for pipeline safety research and development; $8 million for testing and best safety practices; and $3.4 million to improve community right-to-know and to update our national mapping system Let's vote for cloture so we can begin making America's pipelines safer before another tragedy claims more innocent lives. Fourth, this bill will give the Coast Guard the funding it needs to protect us and our environment. Our subcommittee has held several hearings on this issue, and we have great respect for the men and women of our Coast Guard. We want them to be able to do their jobs safely with the training and support they need. Our bill will help modernize the maritime 911 system. It will address serious staffing, training, and equipment shortfalls at search and rescue stations. And our bill funds the mandatory pay and benefit costs for our Coast Guard service members. Let's vote for cloture so we can begin making our waterways safer. These examples show how this bill will help address the transportation problems we all so desperately face at home. This vote, though, is also about making our highways safe, so I want to turn to the issue of Mexican trucks. And I want to clear up a few things. Some Members have suggested that Senator Shelby and I have refused to negotiate on this bill. That simply is not the case. As I have said several times in this Chamber, we are here, we are ready, and we are listening. And we have had extensive meetings, bringing both sides together. On Tuesday, our staffs met until well after midnight. Again yesterday, Wednesday, our staffs met from midafternoon until 3 a.m. this morning. We have worked, as well, this morning, meeting one more time. We have worked with all sides to move this bill forward. I want to point out something else to those who say we must compromise, compromise, compromise. The Murray-Shelby bill itself is a compromise. It is a balanced, moderate compromise between the extreme positions taken by the administration and the House of Representatives. On one hand, we have the administration, which took a hands-off approach to let all Mexican trucks across the border and then inspect them later, up to a year and a half later. Even though we know these trucks are much less safe than American or Canadian trucks, the administration thinks it is fine for us to share the road with them, without any assurance of their safety. At the other extreme was the ``strict protectionist'' position of the House of Representatives. It said no Mexican trucks can cross the border and that not one penny could be spent to inspect them. Those are the extreme positions. The administration said: Let in all the trucks without ensuring our safety. The House of Representatives said: Don't let any trucks in because they are not safe. Senator Shelby and I have worked very hard. We have found a balanced, bipartisan, commonsense compromise. We listened to the safety experts, to the Department of Transportation's own inspector general, to the GAO, and to the industry. We came up with a compromise that will allow Mexican trucks onto our highways and will ensure that those trucks and their drivers are safe. With this balanced bill, free trade and highway safety can move forward side by side. This bill doesn't punish Mexico, and that is not our intention. Mexico is an important neighbor, ally, and friend. Mexican drivers are working hard to put food on their own families' tables, and we want them to be safe, both for their families and for ours. NAFTA was passed to strengthen our partnerships and to raise the standard of living in all three countries. We are continuing to move towards that goal, and the bipartisan Murray-Shelby compromise will help us get there. Right now Mexican trucks are not as safe as they should be. According to the Department of Transportation inspector general, Mexican trucks are significantly less safe than American trucks. Last year, nearly two in five Mexican trucks failed their safety inspections. That compares with one in four American trucks and one in seven Canadian trucks. Furthermore, Mexican trucks have been routinely violating the current restrictions that limit their travel to the 20-mile commercial zone. The Department of Transportation's own inspector general has found that 52 Mexican trucking firms have already operated illegally in more than half of the United States. We have, as Members of the Senate, a responsibility to ensure the safety of America's highways. The Murray-Shelby compromise allows us to promote safety without violating NAFTA. During this debate we have heard from some Senators who say that they think ensuring the safety of Mexican trucks would violate NAFTA. We have heard that some White House advisers think ensuring the safety of Mexican trucks would violate NAFTA. I appreciate all of their opinions, but with all due respect, there is only one authority, only one official body that decides what violates NAFTA and what does not. That organization, established under the NAFTA treaty itself, is the arbitration board known as the Arbitral Panel. Here is what that authority said: The United States may not be required to treat applications from Mexican trucking firms in exactly the same manner as applications from United States or Canadian firms . . . U.S. authorities are responsible for the safe operations of trucks within U.S. territory, whether ownership is United States, Canadian, or Mexican. Those are not my words. Those are from the people who decide, the NAFTA arbitration panel. It is that simple. We can ensure the safety of Mexican trucks and comply with NAFTA. This bill shows us how with a commonsense safety measure. Under our bill, when you are driving on the highway behind a Mexican truck, you can feel safe. You will know that truck was inspected and that the company has a good track record. You will know an American inspector visited their facility and examined their records, just as we do with Canadian trucking firms. You will know the driver is licensed and insured and the truck is weighed and is safe for our roads and bridges. You will know we are keeping track of which drivers are obeying our laws and which ones are not. You will know drivers who break our laws won't be on our roads because their licenses will be revoked. You will know that the person behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler has not been driving for 20 or 30 straight hours. You will know that the truck didn't just cross our border unchecked but crossed where there were inspectors on duty. That is a real safety program. That will make me feel comfortable driving my family on our highways. The administration's plan is just far too weak. Under the administration's plan, trucking companies would mail in a form saying they are safe and begin driving on our highways--no inspections for up to a year and a half. The White House is telling American families that the safety check is in the mail. I don't know about anybody else, but I wouldn't bet my family's safety on that. I want an actual inspector looking at that truck, checking that driver's record, making sure that truck won't threaten me or my family. The White House says: Take the trucking company at its word that its trucks and drivers are safe. Senator Shelby and I say: Trust an American safety inspector to make sure that truck and driver will be safe on our roads. This is a solid compromise. It will allow robust trade while ensuring the safety of our highways. The people of America need help in the transportation challenges they face every day on our crowded roads. This bill provides real help and funds the projects for which our Members have been asking. Some Senators apparently would hold every transportation project in the country hostage until they have weakened the safety standards in the Murray-Shelby compromise. That is the wrong thing to do. Let's keep the safety standards in place so that when you are driving down the highway next to a truck with Mexican license plates, you will know that truck is safe. Let's vote for safety by voting for cloture on this bill. In closing, this vote is about two things: Helping Americans who are frustrated every day by transportation problems, and ensuring the safety of our transportation infrastructure. Today I urge my colleagues to vote for cloture so we can put this good, balanced bill to work for the American people. Voting for cloture means we can begin making our roads less crowded, our airports less congested, our waterways safer, our railroads better, and our highways safer. Virtually every Member of this Senate has come up to me and told me about the transportation challenges in their State. Senator Shelby and I have listened. We have done everything we can to meet America's priorities. Those who vote for cloture are voting to begin making progress across the country in ensuring the safety of our highways. Those who vote against cloture are voting to keep our roads and our airports crowded and to expose Americans to new dangers on our highways. The choice is simple. I urge my colleagues to vote for cloture so we can begin putting this good, balanced bill to work for the people we represent. I reserve the remainder of my time. I ask unanimous consent that time under the quorum call be equally divided and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, clearly, as the Senator from Arizona knows, our staffs met until a little after midnight last night. We stand ready to continue to talk with him about any way that we can find that allows him and other colleagues on the other side to believe we have moved. We also have to deal with a number of colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, who believe as strongly as I do in safety. And we will continue to have those discussions and negotiations as long as possible. The amendment sent forward by the Senator from Texas is about whether or not we can put provisions into legislation that require safety on our highways regarding Mexican trucks. Any effort by the Senator from Texas to change that and try to talk about other issues simply is not fact. This is an issue of safety. The provisions under the bill do, in fact, subject Mexican trucks to stricter provisions than do Canadian trucks, but there is a very good reason for that. It is shown on this chart. Of the trucks that are inspected, 36 percent found in violation are Mexican trucks; 24 percent, American; only 14 percent, Canadian. It is very clear that Mexican trucks crossing the border have safety violations. That is why a number of our constituents across this country are telling us that, in order to move forward the NAFTA provisions, we need to ensure that our people who are driving on the highway, who see Mexican trucks or Canadian trucks or American trucks, know they are in fact safe. This isn't discriminating against Mexico. It is ensuring the safety of the American public is something that this Congress and this Senate stands behind. I am a supporter of NAFTA. I am a supporter of free trade. But I am not a supporter of allowing the American public traveling our highways to be unsafe. The provisions in the underlying bill do not violate NAFTA, no matter what the Senator from Texas says. That is not just my opinion. It is the opinion of the arbitration panel under NAFTA that said in their document: The United States may not be required to treat applications from Mexican trucking firms in exactly the same manner as applications from United States or Canadian firms. . . . U.S. authorities are responsible for the safe operations of trucks within U.S. territory, whether ownership is United States, Canadian or Mexican. Clearly, they tell us that we have the right in this country to ensure that trucks coming across our borders are safe. That is what the Murray-Shelby amendment does. It is not just my opinion. It is the opinion of the NAFTA arbitration panel that is very clear about that. The Senator from Texas is trying to say we are violating provisions of NAFTA. We are not. We are assuring, as we have a right to under the treaty, that people who travel in this country, families who are on vacation, traveling to work, dropping their kids off at school, know that the trucks on the highway with them follow specific safety provisions. That is what the underlying amendment does. The amendment before us clearly is an attempt to gut those safety provisions and will mean that families in this country cannot be assured of their safety. We have a right under NAFTA to do that. As a supporter of NAFTA, I will fight with everything I have to assure that the American public is safe under any treaty obligation we have. I thank the Chair. Vote On Amendment No. 1033

Mrs. MURRAY. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, this amendment that is before us, no matter what we hear, is about safety, is about our ability as a country to ensure that our constituents--whether they are traveling to work, taking their kids to daycare, going on vacation, or traveling down the highway--are safe. We have a right in this country to ensure the safety of our constituents. I hear our opponents saying this is a violation of NAFTA. Do not take my word for it. Take the word of the NAFTA arbitration panel. They have clearly told us that the United States may not be required to treat applications from Mexican trucking firms in exactly the same manner as applications from United States or Canadian firms. United States authorities, in their words, are responsible for the safe operation of trucks within United States territory, whether ownership is United States, Canadian, or Mexican. We have a right under treaties right now to ensure the safety of our citizens on our highways. That is what this amendment is about. That is what this vote is about--whether or not we will undermine that safety all on our own here in the Senate and go beyond what the NAFTA panel has told us we can do and undermine the NAFTA panel, or whether we are going to stand up for safety. That is what this amendment is about. I urge all of our colleagues to vote on the side of families and safety. I yield to my colleague.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, how much time is left on both sides?

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I reserve the remainder of my time.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I rise to make a very simple point. The Senator from Arizona listed a series of provisions contained in his proposed substitute. Those provisions, such as the requirement to inspect every truck, would apply to Mexico, not to Canada, and that really is the point. We can and should impose strict requirements on Mexico. The Senator cited inspection statistics. These are the results of those inspections. We believe very clearly, as the NAFTA arbitration panel has stated, that the underlying provisions are not a violation of NAFTA, and we think the Senate should uphold the NAFTA arbitration panel by voting to table the Gramm amendment. I know Senator Shelby has 5 minutes remaining on his side. How much time is left on the other side?

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I know the last 5 minutes of our time is yielded to Senator Shelby, so I ask unanimous consent to use 1 minute of that time.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, how much time remains on our side?

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY. I ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be equally divided.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, it is my understanding that quorum calls will be equally divided. Is that correct?

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. MURRAY. I ask unanimous consent that time spent under the quorum call be equally divided and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I am proud to join with my colleagues, Senators Wellstone and Schumer, to introduce the Victims Economic Safety and Security Act, VESSA. VESSA will help our country take the next step forward to protest victims of domestic violence. In 1994, our country took a dramatic step forward by passing the historic Violence Against Women Act, VAWA. This landmark legislation brought together social service providers, victim advocates, law enforcement, and the courts to respond to the immediate threat of violence. VAWA has been a success in meeting the immediate challenges. But there is still work to be done. Between 1993 and 1998 the average annual number of physical attacks on intimate partners was 1,082,110. Eighty-seven percent of these were committed against women. According to recent government estimates, more than 900,000 women are raped every year in the United States. Women who are victims of abuse are especially vulnerable to changes in employment, pay, and benefits. Because of these factors they need legal protection. Today, it's time to take the next step. Our bill will protect victims who are forced to flee their jobs. Today a woman can receive unemployment compensation if she leaves her job because her husband must relocate. But if that same woman must leave her job because she's fleeing abuse, she can't receive unemployment compensation. That's wrong, and our bill will protect those victims. Our bill will also protect victims by allowing them unpaid time to get the help they need. Today, a woman can use the Family Medical Leave Act, FMLA, to care for a sick or injured spouse. But a woman cannot use FMLA leave to go to court to stop abuse. Our bill will correct these fatal flaws. Finally, our bill will protect victims of domestic violence from insurance discrimination. Insurance companies have classified domestic violence as a high risk behavior. That punishes women who are victims. Once again, women must sacrifice their economic safety net if they choose to come forward and seek help from violence. Title IV of VESSA would prohibit discrimination in all lines of insurance against victims of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault. I am proud of the guidance we've received from advocates in crafting this legislation. I want to thank them for their efforts and their commitment to breaking the cycle of violence. I want to particularly acknowledge the efforts of the advocates in Washington State who have provided invaluable input in drafting this legislation. Without the grassroots support for our communities, we couldn't have passed VAWA in the first place. Their support and leadership will help us take this critical next step in passing VESSA.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I am proud to join with my colleagues, Senators Wellstone and Schumer, to introduce the Victims Economic Safety and Security Act, VESSA. VESSA will help our country take the next step forward to protest victims of domestic violence. In 1994, our country took a dramatic step forward by passing the historic Violence Against Women Act, VAWA. This landmark legislation brought together social service providers, victim advocates, law enforcement, and the courts to respond to the immediate threat of violence. VAWA has been a success in meeting the immediate challenges. But there is still work to be done. Between 1993 and 1998 the average annual number of physical attacks on intimate partners was 1,082,110. Eighty-seven percent of these were committed against women. According to recent government estimates, more than 900,000 women are raped every year in the United States. Women who are victims of abuse are especially vulnerable to changes in employment, pay, and benefits. Because of these factors they need legal protection. Today, it's time to take the next step. Our bill will protect victims who are forced to flee their jobs. Today a woman can receive unemployment compensation if she leaves her job because her husband must relocate. But if that same woman must leave her job because she's fleeing abuse, she can't receive unemployment compensation. That's wrong, and our bill will protect those victims. Our bill will also protect victims by allowing them unpaid time to get the help they need. Today, a woman can use the Family Medical Leave Act, FMLA, to care for a sick or injured spouse. But a woman cannot use FMLA leave to go to court to stop abuse. Our bill will correct these fatal flaws. Finally, our bill will protect victims of domestic violence from insurance discrimination. Insurance companies have classified domestic violence as a high risk behavior. That punishes women who are victims. Once again, women must sacrifice their economic safety net if they choose to come forward and seek help from violence. Title IV of VESSA would prohibit discrimination in all lines of insurance against victims of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault. I am proud of the guidance we've received from advocates in crafting this legislation. I want to thank them for their efforts and their commitment to breaking the cycle of violence. I want to particularly acknowledge the efforts of the advocates in Washington State who have provided invaluable input in drafting this legislation. Without the grassroots support for our communities, we couldn't have passed VAWA in the first place. Their support and leadership will help us take this critical next step in passing VESSA.