John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize Patrick and Laura Munson of Sioux Falls, SD, as my nominees for the 2016 Angels in Adoption Award. Since 1999, the Angels in Adoption Program, through the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, has honored over 2,000 individuals, couples, and organizations nationwide for their work in providing children with loving, stable homes. Patrick and Laura's adoption story began when Patrick was finishing up his medical residency in Arkansas. Patrick and Laura, along with their three children, Jadon, Will, and David, decided to foster Micah, a boy born premature and coping with special needs. After hearing the statistics on children in foster homes, Patrick and Laura did not give a second thought; they knew that fostering Micah would give him the best chance to succeed. Soon after, the Munsons adopted Micah. While the Munson family will tell you that raising a child who has spent time in foster care can sometimes present its challenges, they fully and wholeheartedly embrace their life with Micah. Each year, awardees from all 50 States, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are invited to come together in Washington, DC, to participate in events that celebrate their heroic actions and enable them to use their personal experience to effect change on a national level. It is important that we recognize families like the Munsons who fulfill the roles of foster and adoptive parents. They open their hearts and homes to children in need of loving families. These families have bestowed a gift onto others in an immeasurable way, and the impact of their love is profound. It brings me great pride to honor Patrick and Laura as my nominees for the 2016 Angels in Adoption Award.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, as President Obama's Presidency draws to a close, talk tends to turn to his legacy. What will President Obama leave behind? Internationally, of course, he will leave behind a growing terrorist threat and an emboldened Iran on its way to becoming a nuclear power. Domestically, the President will leave behind a weak economy, as the recent economic growth numbers for the second quarter made clear. We grew at a little more than 1 percent. If you look at the historical average since World War II, average growth has been 3 percent, 3.5 percent. In fact, President Obama will be the only President in history--at least since they started keeping these sorts of numbers--who will not have had 1 year in his Presidency where the growth rate exceeded 3 percent. Under his Presidency, we have averaged about 1.5 percent, so it is a sluggish, anemic economy that continues to keep wages at lower levels for American workers, the highest number of people who have left the labor force and lowest labor participation rate literally in 40 years. That is the economic legacy of the President. Of course, the President will leave behind his signature law, ObamaCare. Many Democrats would still like to think of ObamaCare as the President's signature domestic achievement, but you can ask anybody to scan any newspaper, and you can see it is well on its way to being a disaster. This is just a small sampling of recent ObamaCare headlines. From the New York Times, this headline read: ``Think Your ObamaCare Plan Will Be Like Employer Coverage? Think Again.'' From the Chicago Tribune: ``Illinois ObamaCare rates could soar as state submits insurance premium increases to feds.'' From the Washington Post: ``Health-care exchange signups fall far short of forecasts.'' From a Lancaster, PA, newspaper: ``Lancaster residents will have rising premiums, fewer choices from 2017 ObamaCare health plans.'' From the Wall Street Journal: ``Insurers Move to Limit Options in Health-Care Exchange Plans.'' From The Tennessean, quoting the Tennessee insurance commissioner: ``Tennessee insurance commissioner: Obamacare exchange `very near collapse.' '' That is a headline from The Tennessean. I could go on. In fact, I could go on for a long time. Those are just a few of the headlines from the past 3 weeks. I could literally fill an entire speech with the negative ObamaCare headlines just this summer. Just to reiterate, these are newspaper headlines. These are not conservative talking points. ObamaCare is failing so badly that even those who might like to deny it cannot. But let's get into the specifics. What exactly are consumers on the exchanges facing for this coming year? For starters, they are facing huge premium increases--36 percent, 43 percent, 19 percent, 22.9 percent, 89 percent. Those are some of the average rate hikes that Americans are facing around the country. Let's break that down for just a minute. Let's say that your health care plan for 2016 costs $10,000. Let's say you are facing a 43-percent rate increase, which is the average rate increase facing Humana customers in the State of Mississippi. A 43-percent increase means you would have to pay an additional $4,300 for your health insurance next year--$4,300. That is a massive increase for so many individuals and families, and that is just the rate hike for 1 year. Many people facing these kinds of increases already faced a substantial rate hike for 2016. Now they are expected to pay even more in 2017. Who knows what they will face in 2018. These kinds of rate hikes are completely unsustainable. Can you imagine? Just imagine if an individual's mortgage payment increased at a similar rate. Within a couple of years, most people wouldn't be able to afford to pay for their homes. While health insurance may seem like a significantly smaller part of the budget than a mortgage payment, the truth is, for many families it is not. I have heard from at least one South Dakota family whose health insurance payments exceeded its mortgage payments. In Tennessee, individuals are facing average rate hikes ranging from 44.3 percent to 62 percent for 2017. How many families can absorb a 62-percent increase in their health care costs--and for just 1 year, a 1-year increase. Residents in my State of South Dakota are also facing huge rate hikes. A 40-year-old nonsmoker in South Dakota faces a whopping 36- percent rate hike for a silver plan in 2017--36 percent in my State of South Dakota. I have to tell you that is simply not affordable for most South Dakotans. What are consumers getting in exchange for their premium hikes? Too often the answer seems to be not much. For starters, many customers who are already paying massive premiums face thousands of dollars in deductibles on top of that--before their coverage even kicks in. Then there are the increasingly narrow networks of doctors and hospitals on the exchanges. As the Wall Street Journal reported recently: ``Under intense pressure to curb costs that have led to losses on the Affordable Care Act exchanges, insurers are accelerating their move toward plans that offer limited choices of doctors and hospitals.'' The days of the President's ``if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor'' promise are long gone. Nowadays you have not only lost your doctor, you may have very few options to replace them. Of course, all of this is assuming you still have your health care plan. Countless Americans this year are once again discovering the hollowness of the President's ``if you like your health care plan, you can keep it'' promise. Because the other side of the story is that insurers are dropping out of the exchanges in droves. In August, insurance giant Aetna announced it is pulling out of 11 of the 15 States where it offers plans on the exchanges. Meanwhile, Humana is exiting several exchanges, while megainsurer UnitedHealthcare is pulling out of a whopping 31 States. What does this mean for consumers? Well, for many people it means they have lost their health care plan and their insurance company and that they may have very few options for replacing them. The President promised that choosing a health insurance plan would be like buying a TV on Amazon. For many people nowadays, going on healthcare.gov is akin to choosing a TV on Amazon if Amazon only offered one or two TVs. According to a report released in August, one-third of the country may have just one insurer to pick from on the exchanges for next year. Well, if you don't like that insurance company, apparently it is your tough luck. One county in Arizona may actually have no insurers from which to choose, not a single one. It is abundantly clear ObamaCare is failing American families, and even Democrats are starting to indicate they realize the current situation can't continue. Of course, Democrats' answers rarely involve going back to the drawing board to consider a better solution. Instead, Democrats generally offer proposals that involve throwing good money after bad. Democrats claim that more government is the solution. Throw more taxpayer money at the problem or let the government run all of health care--all health care plans to be government run. That is what we are starting to hear. Of course, maybe government-run health care for all was the plan all along, but would you trust the Federal Government to run your health care plan after seeing how it is doing with ObamaCare? Then, of course, there is the administration's solution, what the New York Times calls ``a major push to enroll new participants in public marketplaces.'' Previous recent pushes have been of limited effectiveness. Enrollment in the exchanges currently stands at roughly 12 million, just over half of what was projected to be at this point in the law's implementation, but leaving that aside, the administration is unlikely to have a lot of success with a new enrollment push because it is abundantly clear it is pushing a broken program. How does the administration think it is going to make high premiums, high deductibles, and limited choices look attractive to Americans? If I were the administration, I wouldn't hold out too much hope for an advertising campaign coming to the rescue. If we wanted to coin a phrase to describe the Obama Presidency, it might be the ``Presidency of diminished expectations.'' This, after all, is the Presidency in which Americans started to doubt the cornerstone of the American dream, something we all grew up with, that their children will have a better life than they do. It is the Presidency in which we were asked to start looking at weak economic growth--as I mentioned, a little more than 1 percent in the last quarter and 1 percent in the quarter before that--weak economic growth as the new normal. This is good enough. Obviously, it is the Presidency in which we were asked to look at a future of high premiums and few choices as the new standard for health care. I don't believe or think for a minute we need to resign ourselves to the diminished expectations of the Obama Presidency. We don't have to be stuck in the Obama economy for the long term, and ObamaCare doesn't have to be our health care future. ObamaCare's goals of affordable, quality care were noble goals, but this law has utterly failed as a way of getting us there. We need to start over. We need to lift the burden ObamaCare has placed on American families. We need to replace this law with health care reform that will actually drive down costs and increase access to care. I have to say, Republicans have a lot of ideas to bring to the table, we are ready to start working on a new solution, and I hope Democrats and the new President will join us. The American people have been stuck with ObamaCare for long enough. Zika Virus Funding Mr. President, I wish to take a moment to talk about one other health care issue; that is, Federal funding to combat the Zika virus. Democrats blocked $1.1 billion in Zika funding for the third time this week, despite the fact that every single Democrat in the Senate supported the exact same level of funding this spring. That is right. Every single Senate Democrat supported this exact level of funding this spring. Republicans were all ready to pass a final version of the bill and get this funding into the hands of the people fighting the virus, and then Senate Democrats changed their minds. They have offered a lot of different excuses. The Zika bill attacks women's health care, they claim, despite the fact that the bill actually increases women's access to care. It threatens clean water protections, they say, despite the fact that the bill lifts just a handful of redundant regulations for a brief period of 180 days so mosquitoes can be sprayed--to kill the mosquitoes that are carrying the virus. They also claim to dislike the way the bill is paid for, despite the fact that the majority of the money used to fund the bill has been sitting around unused. Either Democrats are so beholden to special interest groups that they cannot make decisions for themselves or they cannot take yes for an answer. The Zika funding bill provides expanded funding for community health centers, public health departments, and hospitals. The bill funds research into a Zika vaccine. It funds research into Zika treatments, and it streamlines mosquito control efforts, as the best way to protect people is to make sure they don't get bitten in the first place. The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the lead government agency for fighting diseases, has said $1.1 billion--the exact amount we are talking about--will take care of immediate Zika needs. So the question is, What are the Democrats waiting for? The number of Zika cases in the United States is rapidly increasing. More than 2,700 people within the continental United States are infected and many more in the territories. Democrats have talked and talked about the importance of addressing this crisis. Yet they just rejected their third opportunity to act. How big does this problem have to get before Democrats decide to stop playing politics with the Zika funding? I hope they will act soon, work with us, and answer the calls and demands we are getting from the American people to provide a solution to this problem. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Chase Glazier, an intern in my Rapid City, SD, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. Chase is a graduate of Custer High School in Custer, SD. Currently, Chase is attending South Dakota State University, where he is majoring in communications. Chase is a dedicated worker who has been committed to getting the most out of his experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Chase Glazier for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Jalatama Omar, an intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. Jalatama is a graduate of Washington High School, in Sioux Falls, SD. Currently, Jalatama is attending the University of South Dakota, where he is majoring in political science. Jalatama is a dedicated worker who has been committed to getting the most out of his experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Jalatama Omar for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Morgan Jones, an intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. Morgan is a graduate of Milbank High School in Milbank, SD. Currently, Morgan is attending the University of Minnesota--Twin Cities, where she is majoring in animal science. Morgan is a dedicated worker who has been committed to getting the most out of her experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Morgan Jones for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Daniel Duffy, an intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. Daniel is a graduate of St. Thomas More High School in Rapid City, SD. Currently, Daniel is attending Stanford University, where he is majoring in economics. Daniel is a dedicated worker who has been committed to getting the most out of his experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Daniel Duffy for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize Joseph Baka, an intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. Joseph is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, having earned a degree in Middle East and North African studies and statistics. Joseph is a dedicated worker who has been committed to getting the most out of his experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Joseph Baka for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President I rise today to discuss the security, safety, and other air travel benefits included in the bipartisan aviation reform agreement that was negotiated with the House of Representatives. Last week, Senator Bill Nelson, the ranking member on the Senate Commerce Committee, and I reached accord on a way forward with House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster and Ranking Member Peter DeFazio. Our agreement presents an opportunity for the Senate to break the pattern of short-term extensions for the Federal Aviation Administration that have not included any meaningful reform. The aviation bill the Senate passed by a vote of 95 to 3 in April was a larger and, granted, more comprehensive bill than the agreement that came out of our negotiations with the House. It contained provisions added by Members in the Commerce Committee and on the Senate floor that we remain committed to enacting. Nevertheless, we knew that certain safety and security reforms just couldn't wait until next year for the process to restart. When we looked at the ISIS attacks in airports in Brussels and Istanbul, as well as the downing of a Russian jetliner leaving Egypt, we knew there were meaningful reforms that could help efforts to prevent these kinds of attacks here in America, and so we acted. To address the threat of an ``insider'' working at an airport helping terrorists, the aviation reform agreement now before the Senate enhances requirements and vetting for airport workers with access to secure areas. It expands the use of random and physical inspection of airport workers in secured areas and requires a review of perimeter security. Responding to ISIS's demonstrated interest in targeting unsecured areas of airports, this aviation reform bill includes provisions to enhance the security presence of units that can include canines and other personnel in prescreening airport areas and increases preparedness for active shooter incidents. Because some international airports abroad operating nonstop flights to U.S. airports lack the security equipment and expertise of U.S. and other state-of-the-art airports, the bill authorizes TSA to donate unneeded security equipment to foreign airports with direct flights to the United States, permits increased cooperation between U.S. officials and partner nations, and requires a new assessment of foreign cargo security programs. This bill, which the House passed earlier this week, recognizes that long TSA lines aren't only an inconvenient delay for passengers trying to catch flights, but they can lead to large crowds in unsecured airport areas that create a target for terrorists. To address these lines, the bill includes the TSA PreCheck Enhancement Act, which will help enroll more Americans in expedited security screening and reduce waits by vetting more passengers before they arrive to get them through checkpoints quickly. Beyond question, safety and security needs drove the effort to finish this 14-month aviation reauthorization. The result, I can confidently say, ended up being the most significant airport security reform bill in over a decade. Our bipartisan, bicameral bill is good legislation that guards against the threat of terrorism, provides stability for the U.S. aviation system, and boosts safety and consumer protections for airline passengers. As we prepare for a vote on this important bill, I urge my colleagues to support this bill that we carefully crafted over the past several months with our House counterparts that keeps the American people protected from terrorists, makes air travel safer and more secure, and addresses an issue of importance to all Americans. Again, I thank the ranking member on our committee, Senator Nelson. Senators Ayotte and Cantwell, the chair and ranking member on the Aviation Subcommittee, were very involved in crafting this legislation. And, of course, there is the great work of our staffs, who put in countless hours to get us to where we are today, not only moving the original bill across the Senate floor back in April but also in negotiations with the House of Representatives to produce a result which I think we can all be proud of and which puts us on a path toward a safer travel opportunity for people in this country who use our airlines to get to their destinations. Mr. President, I hope we will have a big vote, a bipartisan vote, in support of this bipartisan legislation. I yield the floor. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 5 minutes.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso), the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Coats), the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Cochran), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Roberts), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Shelby), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter) and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my remarks.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, over the past 4 months, the Islamic State has carried out two deadly terrorist attacks at airports. Taken together, these two attacks--one at Brussels Airport and one at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport--resulted in more than 500 injuries and more than 70 deaths. Since September 11, airport security efforts have emphasized securing aircraft against hijackings, but the Brussels and Istanbul bombings highlight other airport security vulnerabilities. As these attacks demonstrate, it is not just planes that are vulnerable. Both the Brussels and Istanbul attacks sought to exploit the largely unprotected areas outside the principal security checkpoints where the attackers could detonate bombs outside of screening. The large crowds of people who congregate in nonsecured areas of an airport--like security checkpoints, check-in counters, and baggage claim--make appealing targets for terrorists who like nothing better than maximum loss of life with minimum effort. This week, the Senate will take up the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, which will directly address the vulnerabilities exposed by these attacks. It will ensure that attacks like those that happened in Brussels and Istanbul don't happen at American airports. While this bill has gained new urgency in the wake of the bombings in Istanbul and Brussels, the reforms in this bill are not a hasty response to these attacks. Instead, they are the product of months of Commerce Committee oversight of our Nation's transportation safety agencies and extensive Commerce Committee analysis of airport security vulnerabilities. I am proud that the bill we are considering today is the most significant airport security reform bill that Congress has considered in a decade. As I have already mentioned, one problem that the Brussels and Istanbul attacks highlighted in great detail is the tempting terrorist target offered by large crowds of people in unsecured areas of airports. The FAA bill addresses that problem in a number of ways. For starters, this bill includes provisions to get more Americans enrolled in the TSA's PreCheck program. Expanding enrollment in PreCheck will reduce wait times at security, which will help reduce the size of crowds waiting in unsecured areas. The bill also directs the TSA to more effectively deploy its personnel during high-volume travel times to speed up wait time at checkpoints. It also requires the TSA to develop and test new security systems that expedite the movement of passengers through security. Another important measure we can take to prevent attacks like those in Brussels and Istanbul is increasing the security presence in unsecured areas of airports. The FAA bill adds more prevention and response security teams, which often include K-9 units, and expands training for local airport security personnel so the airports are better able to deter or respond to bombers or active shooter threats. Increasing security at our Nation's airports and expediting security checks will go a long way toward preventing terrorist attacks, but threats at U.S. airports are not only threats facing U.S. airline passengers. Americans travel internationally on a regular basis, and on their return flights they depend on the quality of airport security in other countries. Part of protecting the traveling public is making sure that Americans traveling to other countries are safe when they return to the United States. To increase security for Americans traveling abroad, the FAA bill that we will pass this week authorizes the TSA to donate unneeded screening equipment to foreign airports with direct flights to the United States. It will strengthen cooperation between U.S. security officials and security officials in other countries and authorize the TSA to support training for foreign airport security personnel. It requires the TSA to conduct assessments of security that have received less attention at foreign airports and foreign cargo security programs. Another aspect of airport security that has received less attention but is equally important is the need to make sure that individuals who work behind the scenes at airports don't pose a threat. In October of 2015, terrorists killed 224 people when they brought down Russian Metrojet flight 9268 shortly after it departed Sharm el-Sheikh airport in Egypt. Many experts believe that the terrorists responsible had help from an airport worker. Ensuring that airport workers are trustworthy is essential to keeping passengers safe. However, at times the security badges that permit individuals to work behind the scenes at airports have been issued to individuals who have no business holding them. Right now in the United States individuals with convictions for crimes, including embezzlement, sabotage, racketeering, immigration violations, and assault with a deadly weapon can all obtain security badges granting them access to restricted sections of an airport. While most criminals are not terrorists, there are too many criminals who, for the right price, would happily expand their criminal activities even if it involved assisting terrorists. In fact, in March of this year, an airline ramp agent was arrested in a Florida airport with $282,400 in cash that he allegedly intended to hand off to an unknown individual. News reports indicated that he was aware the money was connected to illegal activity but knew little else. In other words, he could easily have been transporting money to terrorists without being any the wiser. The FAA bill that we will pass this week tightens vetting of anyone with access to secure areas of an airport and expands the list of criminal convictions that could disqualify someone from holding a security badge. This bill also provides for an increase in random searches of behind-the-scenes airport workers who are not always subject to security screening the way passengers are. I am very proud of everything this FAA bill achieves in terms of security. This is the most comprehensive airport security package in a decade, and it will help us make real progress toward keeping airline passengers safer, and that is not all. In addition to its robust security package, this bill puts in place a number of other important measures, among them new consumer protections. For example, this legislation will require airlines to refund package fees for lost or unreasonably delayed baggage so passengers will not have to spend a ton of time tracking down a refund when the airline doesn't deliver. It will also make sure airlines have policies that will help families traveling with children sit together on flights. It also takes steps to improve air travel for individuals with disabilities, and it ensures that Americans in rural areas will continue to have access to reliable air service. The bill also takes measures to support the general aviation community. It streamlines the requirements for the third-class medical certificate for noncommercial pilots so private pilots don't face unnecessary bureaucracy when obtaining their medical qualification, and to reduce the risk of accidents for low-altitude fliers like agricultural applications, the bill requires highly visible markings on small towers that could impose a hazard to pilots. On the aviation safety front, this bill updates current law to reflect the rapid advances in technology we have seen over the last few years--most notably drones. This bill includes provisions to deploy technology that will work to keep drones out of the path of airliners, which is particularly important given reports of near-miss collisions by airline pilots. It will also deter drone operators from interfering with emergency response efforts like wildfire suppression, and, in addition to fostering drone safety, this bill authorizes expanded research opportunities and operations that will further the integration of drones into our Nation's airspace. Since we took control of the Senate in January of 2015, Republicans have focused on passing legislation to address the challenges facing the American people in our country. I am proud that with this bill, we have found a way to make our increasingly dangerous world a little safer for Americans. I am grateful to my colleagues who contributed to this bill, particularly my Democratic counterpart in the conference committee, Senator Nelson. Senator Ayotte also led numerous subcommittee hearings in the Aviation Subcommittee to get the bill on a path to success, and both of us appreciate the contributions of Senator Cantwell, our Aviation Subcommittee ranking member. This bill is an example of what can happen when Democrats and Republicans work together to get things done for the American people. I look forward to sending our legislation to the President for his signature later this week. United States Appreciation for Olympians and Paralympians Bill Mr. President, I also wish to speak for just a moment, if I can today, about a bill that hopefully will pass the Senate later today as well. In just a few weeks, our Olympic athletes will head to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 2016 Olympic games. The following month, America's Paralympic athletes will compete in the Rio Paralympic games. These athletes represent what is best about our country. They embody the timeless values of hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship. Our Olympic and Paralympic athletes--and their families--have made innumerable sacrifices over the many years of training it takes to become a world-class competitor. Training is not cheap, and the vast majority of our amateur athletes put it all on the line without the help of sponsors or endorsement deals to subsidize their expenses. Many of these athletes have spent virtually their entire lives training for this moment, and I have absolutely no doubt these brave young men and women will represent our Nation with great honor and distinction. America's Olympic and Paralympic medal winners, in particular, will be greeted with much enthusiasm and great appreciation upon their return. Local communities across America will find ways to honor their returning hometown heroes. Unfortunately, one of the ways the Federal Government will welcome home our Olympic and Paralympic champions is by greeting them with a new tax bill. That is right. The Internal Revenue Service considers these medals to be income and will tax the value of any gold, silver, or bronze medal awarded in competition as well as any incentive award our athletes receive from the U.S. Olympic Committee. I believe this tax penalty on our Olympic heroes is wrong, and that is why earlier this year I introduced S. 2650, the United States Appreciation for Olympians and Paralympians Act. This legislation--introduced with Senators Schumer, Gardner, Gillibrand, and Isakson--would ensure that America rewards the sacrifice and hard work of Team USA by exempting from Federal tax the medals and cash prizes they win at the Olympics and Paralympics. I am pleased my legislation will pass the Senate later today, sending a strong signal to our athletes as they depart to the 2016 games that their Nation stands behind them. I urge the House of Representatives to take up and pass this legislation before the House adjourns for the August recess. America's Olympic and Paralympic athletes deserve not only our admiration and respect but also a tax system that acknowledges the many years of training and sacrifice they have endured. Because training for the Olympics is not considered a business enterprise, our athletes cannot deduct the substantial costs they incur over the years as they prepare to represent America on the world stage. Most countries not only compensate their athletes but also subsidize their training expenses with taxpayer dollars. Our athletes make considerable financial sacrifices to train for the Olympics and Paralympics and as amateurs receive no compensation for their training. The very least we can do is ensure they don't receive a tax penalty when they successfully represent our Nation in the highest level of athletic competition. Simply put, when it comes to our victorious Olympic and Paralympic athletes, we should celebrate their achievements rather than tax their success. Congratulating Paige McPherson Mr. President, I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my congratulations and best wishes to one of Team USA's shining stars; that is, South Dakota's own Paige McPherson. Paige grew up in Sturgis, SD, graduating from Black Hills Classical Christian Academy in 2009. She will be competing in Taekwondo at the Rio games and will be striving for her second medal in a row, after claiming a bronze medal at the London Olympic Games in 2012. I know Paige will represent America--and South Dakota--with great distinction next month, as will all of our Olympic and Paralympic competitors. I wish to thank the original cosponsors of my legislation, whom I mentioned earlier, as well as Finance Committee Chairman Hatch and Senators Sullivan and Moran for their support. I look forward to seeing our legislation enacted into law this year, and I wish all of our Olympians and Paralympians the very best of luck in Rio. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 12, 2016, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 12, 2016, at 10 a.m., in room SR-253 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``How Will the FCC's Proposed Privacy Regulation Affect Consumers and Competition.''

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 12, 2016, at 2:30 p.m., in room SR- 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a Subcommittee hearing entitled ``Intermodal and Interdependent: the Fast Act, the Economy, and Our Nation's Transportation System.''

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 12, 2016, at 10 a.m., in room SD-215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Examining the Stark Law: Current Issues and Opportunities.''

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 12, 2016, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Review of the 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report.''

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 12, 2016, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``FOIA at Fifty: Has the Sunshine Law's Promise Been Fulfilled?''

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 12, 2016, at 2:30 p.m., in room SH-219 of the Hart Senate Office Building.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Energy be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 12, 2016, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on State Department, and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 12, 2016, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Public- Private Partnerships in Foreign Aid: Leveraging U.S. Assistance for Greater Impact and Sustainability.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 7, 2016, at 9:30 a.m., in room SH-219 of the Hart Senate Office Building.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 7, 2016, at 2 p.m., in room SH-219 of the Hart Senate Office Building.