Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015--Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

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Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, we have been through this before, so I think the Senator from Ohio knows what I am going to say. The bill he proposes to go forward on these terms has been paired by our side with the National Estuary Program, which, like his bill, is bipartisan and, like his bill, is not controversial. It has been passed over and over again by the Senate. Indeed, I think it was originally the work of Republican Senator John Chafee of Rhode Island. It has been passed by the House over and over again. This is a reauthorization. If we clear it through the House, it will go to the President for signing.

Our bill came through the Environment and Public Works Committee in regular order, whereas this came over from the House, was held at the desk, was never reviewed by the committee of jurisdiction, and is now being hotlined, which is fine except that I understand it to be a tradition around here that we compare noncontroversial bills.

I don't understand. Our bill, the estuary bill, is noncontroversial also. Our bill is also bipartisan. It is the work of Senator Vitter, who is the chairman of the committee. Why is there this effort week after week to separate the two rather than just pass them both?

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Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, may I suggest to my friend the Senator from Ohio that if he is going to keep coming back every day, it might be productive if during the course of the day he were to get his side to clear the paired piece of legislation, which, as I have said, is bipartisan. His colleague Senator Vitter, for instance, is the co-author of it. It has cleared the EPW Committee, which is chaired and run by the Republicans now. If their side isn't aware of this bill, it came through regular order through the committee that they run. If their side isn't aware of this bill--it has been sitting over here ever since it cleared the committee. All they have to do is clear it, and we will be done.

So perhaps if the Senator will put his effort into clearing a noncontroversial, bipartisan bill that for decades has been passed and reauthorized by this body, then we can move forward. It should be a fairly easy task. I would be very happy to support him in any way I can.

With that, I yield the floor.

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Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I respect the Senator from Ohio greatly. I know this lake is important to him. We are a State that is wrapped around the estuary, Narragansett Bay, and that, too, is important to us. If my friend is sure, as he just said, that this bill will clear on his side, then I urge him to please go ahead and clear it, and let's clear this unnecessary blockage and move both good bills forward.

I yield the floor.

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