Mike Rounds

Mr. ROUNDS

Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the adjournment of the Senate, committees be allowed to report bills and reports on Tuesday, May 26, between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Mr. ROUNDS

Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the upcoming adjournment of the Senate, the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore, 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. ROUNDS

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 Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. ROUNDS

Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate and reflect on the centennial anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian genocide. With great sadness, we remember the beginning of the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks who died 100 years ago. On April 24, 1915, the campaign targeting the Armenian people began. They, along with Assyrians and Greeks, were viewed as threats to the Ottoman Empire and driven from their homeland. The persecuted minorities were uprooted from their way of life leaving behind generations of family history, property, and memories. The Armenians were then force-marched into the desert without proper rations and supplies, with most dying along this brutal passage. The remaining survivors were detained in concentration camps rampant with disease and hunger. These mass killings are historically documented and served as a tragic prelude to the Holocaust. This solemn anniversary offers us a chance to renew our commitment to the principle of ``never again,'' a vow that surfaced after the Holocaust. And so today I rise to proclaim never again can an ethnic group be targeted due to race, religion, or ethnicity.

Mr. ROUNDS

Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and call up my amendment No. 412.

Mr. ROUNDS. I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, my amendment aims to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from entering into settlement agreements without seeking approval from State, county, and local governments that would be affected by the settlement. All too often, rather than writing and implementing environmental regulations in an open, transparent process, environmental regulations are implemented as the result of citizen suits that establish arbitrary timelines that force the agency to rush through the regulatory process. As a result, regulations that affect all sectors of the economy are implemented without following the proper administrative procedures. It is unfortunate, but legislating by lawsuit has become commonplace as agencies repeatedly miss deadlines and are challenged by citizen suits alleging improper agency action. A 2014 report by the Government Accountability Office found that legal mandates do influence an agency's selection of regulatory options. These lawsuits leave inadequate time for agencies to analyze the options available to them. As a result of this shortened timeline, agencies cannot do a proper analysis of proposed regulations. This leads to inadequate time for notice and comment. It keeps the citizens in the dark about economic impacts of significant regulations and does not allow for State and local governments to provide input regarding how these regulations will affect them. For example, in 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service entered into a settlement agreement with environmental groups that will lead to the potential listing of more than 250 species. Millions of acres across the United States will be impacted. Yet no State or local government was allowed to give input into the process. Similarly, the Environmental Protection Agency has entered into settlement agreements on issues such as regional haze, which have no impact on public health but cost billions of dollars in impacted States. While the EPA is willing to talk to radical environmental groups in the settlement process, they did not consult with the impacted States or communities. A vote for this amendment is a vote to say that we should fix this problem and that we make certain that our State and local governments are given a say in settlement agreements that will have impacts within their borders. A vote against this amendment is a vote against transparency and a vote to give radical environmental groups more say in the process than the States or local governments where the impacts actually occur. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. ROUNDS

Mr. ROUNDS. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.