Member of Congress
Harry Reid
- Role
- Former Senator
- State
- NV
- Party
- Democrat
Speeches
RECOGNIZING MIKE HALEY2014-11-13
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the career of Sheriff Mike Haley, who has served as the Washoe County sheriff since January 2, 2007. For more than 30 years, Mike Haley has been dedicated to protecting the people of Washoe County. He started his career in 1980 as a deputy sheriff and proceeded to work and supervise in every division within the Sheriff's Office. When he was elected sheriff, his vast experience and understanding of the community he served enhanced Washoe County. Sheriff Haley spearheaded groundbreaking projects, such as the Northern Nevada Counter-Terrorism and Cyber Center and the Area Crime Evaluation System, and used these technological advances to make the Washoe County Sheriff's Office more efficient. Under his leadership in an extremely poor economic situation, county law enforcement overcame budgetary challenges and continued his efforts to make Washoe County safer. Mike Haley has helped Nevada immensely beyond his role as sheriff. He serves as vice-chair for the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security and is chairman of the Nevada High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. In previous years, he was the president of the Nevada Sheriffs' and Chiefs' Association. These notable positions only begin to demonstrate Sheriff Haley's dedication to the community, and the constructive impact he has had on the Silver State. Prior to his career in law enforcement, Mike Haley served our Nation as a first sergeant in the U.S. Army. He graduated with honors from Northeast Missouri State University with a Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice. His commitment to extending his education and training is evident in all he has done. Mike Haley graduated from the FBI National Academy, the Secret Service Executive Academy, Senior Management Institute for Police Executives at Harvard University, Southwest Command College for Law Enforcement Executives, and the Drug Enforcement Academy. Throughout his prolific career and his exemplary life, Sheriff Mike Haley has been a great boon to the State of Nevada. I congratulate him on his many successes while serving as the Washoe County sheriff and appreciate his dedication to public service. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.
MARKETPLACE AND INTERNET TAX FAIRNESS ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED2014-11-12
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 467, S. 2609, the Marketplace Fairness Act.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the Republican leader, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:30 this evening. During that time, Senators will be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees. At 5:30 p.m. the Senate will proceed to cloture votes on the nominations of Randolph Moss and Leigh Martin May; one is from the District of Columbia and the other is from the State of Georgia. Working Together Mr. President, I have always believed it wise to follow Will Rogers' admonition: ``Don't let yesterday use up too much of today.'' We have a lot of work to do and no time to dwell on the past. With just a few weeks left in this Congress--the 113th--there are a number of important legislative matters before this body that must be finished. I congratulate the Republican leader who will soon become the new majority leader. The senior Senator from Kentucky and I have known one another for a very long period of time. We have been whips together. He was minority leader. I was minority leader and majority leader. We have been back and forth, so we understand these jobs. I appreciate his devotion to the State of Kentucky, to our country, and to the Senate. He knows I hold him in the highest regard. I am ready to work with him in good faith to make this institution function again for the American people. I saw firsthand how a strategy of obstruction was debilitating to our system. I have no desire to engage in that manner. I have been, as I mentioned before, and I mention again, the minority leader. I have been able to strike compromises with my Republican colleagues, and I am ready to do it again. Regardless of how one may interpret last week's election results, it is clear the American people want us to join together to get things done for the middle class and all Americans, and we should be able to do that. After all, helping working families is not a partisan issue. Just last week we saw four very red States--Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota--vote to increase their minimum wages. Clearly, Republicans outside this building don't object to giving American workers a livable wage. The minimum wage is just one example. There are other issues such as student debt relief for borrowers, pay equity for women, and a number of other issues that need to be addressed as well. There is absolutely no reason we can't work together on these issues and all issues so Democrats and Republicans can lend Americans the helping hand they so desperately need. Although the desks in this great Chamber may move around and change, our duty to help working American families never will. Senate Democrats are ready to work in good faith with their Republican counterparts-- whether it is today, tomorrow, January, no matter when it is--to help the middle class, and when we do that, we help all of our citizenry. Recognition of the Minority Leader
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)2014-11-12
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have a cloture motion at the desk that I ask to be reported.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION2014-11-12
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I now move to proceed to legislative session.
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)2014-11-12
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. I send a cloture motion to the desk--in fact, it is already at the desk--and ask that it be reported.
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION2014-11-12
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. I now move to proceed to legislative session.
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)2014-11-12
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. There is a cloture motion at the desk that I ask to be reported.
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.
USA FREEDOM ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED2014-11-12
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.
Mr. REID. I move to proceed to Calendar No. 499, S.2685.
Mr. REID. I ask to have the cloture motion at the desk be reported.
EXECUTIVE SESSION2014-11-12
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION2014-11-12
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. I now move to proceed to legislative session.
Mr. REID. I withdraw my motion to proceed to S. 2609.
AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET2014-11-12
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 12, 2014, at 6:15 pm, to conduct a hearing entitled ``CLOSED/TS/SCI: Countering ISIL in Iraq and Syria.''
Mr. REID. 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 November 12, 2014, at 5:30 p.m.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 12, 2014, at 4 p.m., in room SD-628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
LEIGH MAY, U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE2014-11-12
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
BANK ON STUDENTS EMERGENCY LOAN REFINANCING ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED2014-09-18
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 409, S. 2432.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, following my remarks, the Senate will be in recess subject to the call of the Chair for the joint meeting with the President of Ukraine. When the Senate reconvenes, it will be in a period of morning business until 1 p.m., with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees. The Republicans will control the first half and the majority will control the final half. At 1 p.m. the Senate will proceed to the consideration of H.J. Res. 124, the continuing resolution. There will be up to 4\1/2\ hours of debate prior to a series of rollcall votes followed by several voice votes on executive nominations. Senators should expect the votes to begin around 5 p.m. Tribute to Jerry Linnell Mr. President, in ancient Greece the keeping of history was considered so important that Clio, daughter of Zeus, was believed responsible for recording all that occurred on Earth--everything. In the Senate we don't have Greek gods in charge of keeping our records, but we do rely on the superhuman efforts of a group of official reporters who transcribe every word we say. It is a hard, hard job. Official reporters have to accustom their ears to all sorts of accents from across our country, find ways to spell newly invented words, try to listen to what I don't say very loudly, and all the other issues they have to deal with, and they have to suffer through talking filibusters. In fact, they may be the only people who dislike filibusters more than I do. Today I recognize just one of those hard-working official reporters-- the chief reporter of debates of the Senate Jerry Linnell, who is retiring at the end of this month. For 32 years Jerry has been a staple here in the Senate, ensuring that the words of Senators past and present are correctly recorded for the American people. While he has been here, he has witnessed many events. He has seen five different Presidents occupy the White House, worked with eight different majority leaders, transcribed speeches on everything from the Berlin Wall to Senator Byrd's legendary lectures on the history of the Senate. I wish Jerry all the best in his well-deserved retirement. I have no doubt that he and his wife Jane will keep busy spending time with their 7 children and 11 grandchildren. And, of course, Jerry will have his Washington Nationals to follow. It has been a pleasant respite for me to spend time with Jerry talking about baseball. He takes trips around the country that make me so envious--watching different teams in different stadiums. I think he has watched a baseball game in almost every Major League Baseball stadium in America, and I am very envious of that. The Senate is a better place because of Jerry's 32 years here. I, along with every other Member of this body, thank Jerry for his many years of service. Continuing Resolution Mr. President, yesterday the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution to keep our government from shutting down for the next 3 months. In addition to keeping the government operating, this measure includes provisions important to our national security, such as funding to combat ISIS--an evil organization--by training and equipping vetted Syrian opposition forces and aid to fight the spread of Ebola. It is not perfect; that is for sure. But no legislation is. In this era of radical ideologies and endless obstruction, the funding resolution before us is infinitely better than the alternatives-- another shutdown of our government. I think it speaks volumes that Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, the Republican leader, and I are supporting this legislation. That should say a lot to the American people. As every Senator knows, the funding bill we approve must first have passed the House of Representatives, and it did that. Breaking up the legislation the House sent us is not a viable option at this juncture. We need to complete our work on the House-passed resolution as soon as possible. We have an agreement in place to vote on this measure no later than 5:30 p.m. this evening. With the cooperation of Senators, we could vote even earlier today. There is one final unanimous consent request. Authorization To Appoint Escort Committee Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the President of the Senate be authorized to appoint a committee on the part of the Senate to join with a like committee on the part of the House of Representatives to escort His Excellency Petro Poroshenko into the House Chamber for the joint meeting today.
CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS RESOLUTION, 20152014-09-18
Mr. REID
Mr. REID. There is now a second degree amendment which has also been filed at the desk.
Mr. REID. I have a motion to commit H.J. Res. 124 with instructions which has been filed.