Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent the Committee on Commerce be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4212, and we now proceed to this matter. The PRESIDING OFFICER . Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report the bill by title.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Vitter substitute amendment which is at the desk be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, and any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Veterans' Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration of following nomination: PN 2024; that the nomination be confirmed; the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to the nomination; that any related statements be printed in the Record; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Armed Services Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1339 and we now proceed to this matter.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I further ask the bill be read a third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. 3709, which was reported earlier today.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Vitter- Brown of Ohio amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to, and the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and all statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I now ask we proceed to H.R. 6364.

Mr. REID. I ask that the McCaskill-Blunt amendment which is at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be made and laid on the table with no intervening action or debate, and any statement be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent the Committee of Commerce be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 5859.

Mr. REID. I further ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statement be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 613, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a voice vote on the adoption of the resolution.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, that there be no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to this matter be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I now ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the upcoming recess or adjournment of the Senate, the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and the majority and minority leaders be authorized to make appointments to commissions, committees, boards, conferences or interparliamentary conferences authorized by law, by concurrent action of the two Houses or by order of the Senate.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that from Friday, December 21 through Thursday, December 27, the majority leader be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. First of all, I appreciate the Presiding Officer filling in on an emergency basis to preside. It is not often we get one of the senior Members of the Senate to preside and I am grateful. It makes it so much easier on everyone else. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 12 noon on Monday, December 24, 2012, for a pro forma session only, with no business conducted, and that following the pro forma session, the Senate adjourn until 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 27, 2012; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following any leader remarks, the Senate begin consideration of H.R. 5949, the FISA bill, and Senator Wyden be recognized; further, that the previous order be amended so that there be up to 7 hours of debate on the bill--that is the FISA bill--and all other provisions to the previous order remain in effect.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, we have been able to work things out, I hope, to everyone's satisfaction. We are going to have a rollcall vote early in the day on Thursday. It will be at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. It will be in relation to the FISA bill or the supplemental appropriations bill.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the previous order.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to H.R. 1845, which was received from the House.

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a woman by the name of Janice Shelton for her friendship and 32 years of dedication as an employee of this body, the Senate. Twenty-five of those years Janice worked as my executive assistant. She has demonstrated sincere dedication to me, my office, my family, and this body, the Senate. It is an understatement to say she will be sorely missed. She will be. She has always been kind and thoughtful to me, to my wife Landra, all my children, and to everyone with whom she comes in contact. If there is a problem, everyone knows: Go to Janice. No one has had my ear over the past 25 years like Janice Shelton has. She has spent her professional career creating order where there could easily be chaos. Over the course of her productive career with the Army, the White House, and the Senate, each benefited from her unique expertise, professionalism, and hard work. She began her professional life at the Department of the Army as secretary to the Chief of the Personnel and Training Division Headquarters. Her gift of completing tasks quickly and with ease, all while maintaining a positive outlook, served her well when she moved on to a position of trust at the White House. It is not merely her professionalism but the equally valued personal qualities she has brought to the job: graciousness, unflagging energy, and a willingness to take on any task, large or small, that made her so treasured to everyone who came in contact with her. From the White House she transited to the Senate with Senator Hawkins and Senator Mikulski and, as I said, for the last 25 years has been a source of calm and order in my office, despite the often long hours and the endless to-do lists that come with working with me. I say with certainty that had it not been for Janice, my office would not have functioned nearly as smoothly as it has over the years. She is also a woman of tremendous faith and her life revolves around her family. She has been married to Robert Lee Shelton for 58 years. They have two daughters, Robin LeCroy and Laurie Nelson. She has eight grandchildren and one great-grandson. I know four of her grandchildren. I got up every Sunday to see what happened in Shelton's college football game. Shelton was big. He was an offensive lineman--played at the college level. He must have weighed 300 pounds of muscle. I followed Shelton's little brother--little brother?--6 foot 3 or 4, a big, strapping, left-handed pitcher; also a college baseball player. And then I had two of her granddaughters who worked for us as pages, Rebecca and Holly. She spends long hours at her desk. I do not go home early but I could call and she would be there at 9, 10 clock at night, and that is no exaggeration. But when she is not at that desk, Janice was usually in Georgia or North Carolina with her children or grandchildren. She has probably been a little bit political, but I think she has gotten a little more political working for me. She has made sure each of her grandchildren understands the importance of their political voice. During the recent election she called those eligible to vote to make sure they had voted. I did not press very hard, but she may have urged them how they should vote. While Janice's professional accomplishments deserve great recognition, it is really Janice herself who will be missed so dearly. She has served not only as a deeply trusted and committed assistant to me, but as a mentor to many who have worked with her. I know I am not the only one who will note her absence. She has been so wonderful to my family. During times of crisis, my boys know: Call Janice. They can always get through to me through Janice. She has given them advice. She has counseled them. My wife Landra is a dear friend of Janice and conversely the case, Janice is her good friend. She has helped Landra in so many different ways--social events that Landra has committed to take care of here, because of what I do, and other reasons. During Landra's very bad accident Janice was always there. She was the one who walked to my desk and said to me: Landra has been hurt pretty bad. You have to stop doing what you are doing--and we were trying to do a health care bill. During Landra's battle with breast cancer she has helped her in so many different ways. I am so indebted to Janice for how she has treated my family in addition to how she has treated me and everyone who comes in contact with her. At our Christmas party last night, we gave Janice a little present. I told everyone there that she and I had shed all the tears that we were going to. I guess it was not true. She combined an unflinching honesty with a generous and kind nature. One always trusts she has one's best interests at heart. Her charm causes even the hardest cases, many times, to crack a smile. And her quick wit often brings a grin or a smile, sometimes a laugh. These traits, more so even than her skill and dedication, have made her successful. I will miss her both as an employee and as a person. Today is her last day--just a few more hours to work here. On the back of my desk I have a picture of my mentor, Michael O'Callahan. In fact, I have two pictures on my credenza right behind my desk. He was my mentor and my best friend. He taught me something that I have always remembered: You can buy a resume, you can buy good looks, education, experience, but the one thing you cannot buy is loyalty. There is no one who has ever been more loyal to me than Janice Shelton.

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the clerk be authorized to modify the instruction lines on amendments proposed to the substitute amendment No. 3395.