Allowing Senators' Young Children on the Senate Floor

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, on Monday April 9, 2018, at 7:07 a.m., a tiny little message to the Senate arrived: Maile Pearl Bowlsbey became the very first baby born to a Senator, bringing joy to her father Bryan and to her amazing mother, my colleague, Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth.

With this blessed arrival, this Chamber faced the reality of Senate parenthood. And tonight, just moments ago, we made the decision to allow Maile to help us make Senate history. Tonight we changed the standing rules of the Senate so that Senator Duckworth, and any other Senator who has an infant, can bring their child to the floor of the Senate during a vote.

Senator Duckworth can keep her responsibility under our Constitution and vote as a Senator without giving up her responsibility as a mom at that moment.

I think it will do us good in the Senate every once in a while to see a pacifier next to the antique ink wells on our desks or a diaper bag next to one of these brass spittoons which sits on the floor--thank goodness, never used. Perhaps, the occasional cry of a baby will shock the Senate at times into speaking up and even crying out on the issues that confront our Nation and the world.

We certainly revere history in the Senate, but part of our history is recognizing change--the change that brought the first woman to the Senate, the change that brought disabled people to the floor of the Senate, and changes that will come to it in the future. These adaptations have made us a better Senate and more reflective of the people we serve.

I just can't say enough about my colleague Senator Tammy Duckworth, an amazing woman who served her country, activated in the Illinois National Guard as a helicopter pilot in Iraq. When a grenade was shot into the cockpit and blew up and caused her grievous injuries, many people wondered if she would survive. She not only survived, but she prospered. She is determined and brave. She now is the mother of two little girls--something just short of a miracle--and that motherhood is something that is a source of great joy to all of us who count Tammy as a friend and a colleague and a great leader in the Senate.

Let me also give special recognition to two of my colleagues who made this resolution possible. Senator Amy Klobuchar worked closely with Tammy Duckworth on this issue and is our ranking Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee. Amy put in a lot of hours and good humor, and I thank her from the bottom of my heart for helping our colleague. And special thanks to Senator Roy Blunt, the Republican chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. Roy Blunt told me from the start: I support this resolution. It will come right out of the Rules Committee to the floor so we can move on it quickly. When Tammy Duckworth returns from maternity leave, we will be able to accommodate her little girl and, if it becomes necessary, to bring her to the floor during the course of a vote.

Let me close by saying that today we officially say to Maile Pearl Bowlsbey: Welcome to the world and welcome to the U.S. Senate.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source