Vote Explanation

Floor Speech

VOTE EXPLANATION -- (Senate - July 31, 2008)

Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I rise today because I am proud to see the Senate pass two strong, bipartisan bills that will provide much needed relief to families across the country; the College Opportunities and Affordability Act of 2008 and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

Congress first passed the Higher Education Act more than 40 years ago, guided by the principle that no qualified student should be denied the opportunity to attend college because of the cost. Today, the cost of college has more than tripled. Tuition at 4-year public colleges in Minnesota has increased 100 percent in just the past 10 years.

I believe that investing in higher education pays extraordinary dividends, I am proud to provide real help for students and their families to make college more affordable. By passing this legislation we continue our fight to gain stronger Federal support for higher education opportunities--because our future success as a State and a nation depends on making sure that quality education is accessible and affordable.

I am also so happy to see Congress pass comprehensive product safety legislation. Inspired by the story of Jarnell Brown--a 4-year-old boy in Minnesota who died after ingesting a charm that was 99 percent lead--I have worked for the past year on authoring and promoting the lead provision of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. In the past year and a half, over 13 million toys have been recalled because they contained harmful lead, and I am proud to say that this bill finally gets that substance out of children's toys.

As one of the conferees of this legislation, I signed the final conference report that was sent to the floor today, and I have been a strong supporter of this legislation since the beginning. This legislation is the most sweeping consumer product safety reform in decades, and I am glad that we have finally voted this evening to protect our children and protect our public.

On August 1, 2007, the Minneapolis I-35W bridge spanning the Mississippi River collapsed. The 1-year anniversary of this tragedy will be recognized across my State tomorrow. I am traveling home to honor the victims and their families, and to recognize our heroic first responders. By returning to Minnesota, I will not be in Washington, DC, to vote on the adoption of either the College Opportunities and Affordability Act of 2008 or the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 conference reports. Had I not returned to Minnesota, I would have voted in favor of both of these important pieces of legislation.

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