Patty Murray

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate go to a period of morning business, with the time equally divided between the minority and majority, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Margaret Taylor, a detailee from the State Department to the Foreign Relations Committee, be granted floor privileges for the consideration of S. 1243.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 25, 2013.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 25, 2013, at 9:30 a.m.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a meeting during the session of the Senate on July 25, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The Committee will hold a hearing entitled, ``The Partnership Between NIST and the Private Sector: Improving Cybersecurity.''

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 25, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 25, 2013.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 25, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. in room SD-419 of the Dirksen Senate Office building.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 25, 2013, at 2:30 p.m.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 25, 2013, at 11 a.m.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on July 25, 2013, at 9:30 a.m., in SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct an executive business meeting.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 25, 2013, at 2:30 p.m.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 25, 2013, at 2:30 p.m., in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a meeting during the session of the Senate on July 25, 2013, at 10:15 a.m. in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The Committee will hold a hearing entitled, ``State of Wireline Communications.''

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, what is the pending business?

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I yield back the remaining time in morning business.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, for the information of all Senators, we are now back on the transportation and housing appropriations bill. My colleague and I, Senator Collins from Maine, will be here all day working our way through any amendments that our Members have to offer. We encourage Members to come to the floor and let us know what those are so we can get this done in a timely fashion. Madam President, I believe, under the previous order, Senator Portman is here to offer his amendment, and I yield to him at this time.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I support this amendment. What it does is it clarifies that when the Department of Transportation awards funding under Bridges in Critical Corridors, priority should be given to structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges. The Federal Highway Administration uses those terms to talk about the status of the bridges across the country. So when a bridge is ``structurally deficient,'' its condition has deteriorated over time. And when a bridge is ``functionally obsolete,'' its design does not meet today's standards. Both situations, obviously, can be a serious concern. In the underlying bill itself, I took the initiative to include an additional $500 million for these bridge investments so that we can address these serious concerns across our country and make sure our transportation network is safe and reliable. So I support this amendment. I urge our colleagues to vote for it. I would ask the Senator from Ohio if he wants a voice vote and would allow us to move forward on it now or if he requires a rollcall vote.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, it is completely up to the Senator from Ohio. As I said, if the Senator offers us a voice vote right now, I can guarantee its adoption quickly. How long does the Senator want to wait to vote?

Mrs. MURRAY. A wise choice and a good example for those Senators who follow the Senator in offering an amendment.

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

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I thank the Senator from Ohio for bringing his amendment before us and setting a good example for all Members, as we now move forward, to bring their amendments to the floor. We will work our way through them. We hope everybody can contact myself and Senator Collins as quickly as possible so we can get these amendments up. Amendment No. 1760 With that, Madam President, I call up Senator Cardin's amendment No. 1760.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mrs. MURRAY. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise along with my colleague, the Ranking Member of the Budget Committee, Senator Sessions, to pay tribute to Frank J. Sammartino, who is retiring this week after 33 years of distinguished Federal service, including 26 years serving the Congress at the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Economic Committee. Mr. Sammartino began his Federal career in 1978, working in the office of the assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he worked until 1985. He left HHS for the Tax Analysis Division in the Congressional Budget Office, where he has worked for most of his remaining career. While at CBO, Mr. Sammartino has risen up through the ranks to his current position of assistant director for Tax Analysis, the director's top person on all tax policy and budget matters. In addition to his work at CBO, he has also served Congress as the chief economist and deputy director at the Joint Economic Committee. As head of the Tax Analysis Division at CBO, Mr. Sammartino has worked tirelessly to ensure the Congress has quality and timely analysis of tax policy and budget issues. He has directly contributed to and overseen numerous baseline projections, policy studies, and cost estimates. In fact, early on at CBO, he developed the first microsimulation model used by CBO for analyzing tax policy. That model became the basis for CBO's individual income tax projections and its analysis of the distribution of federal taxes. In general, his expertise on a wide range of public policy issues has served as a valuable resource for Members and staff. Mr. Sammartino exemplifies CBO's high standards of professionalism, objectivity, and nonpartisanship, and has received the highest awards for outstanding service while at both CBO and HHS. As chairman, I greatly appreciate the sacrifices that he--as well as his family, including his wife, Ellen, and children, Frank and Lulu--have made in assisting the Budget Committee and Congress. I would like to turn to my colleague, Senator Sessions, for his remarks.