Floor and Hearing Statements
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Statement on Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United
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Sen. Franken's Floor Speech on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
With more than 3 million jobs in this country that could be filled if our workers had the right skills, U.S. Sen. Al Franken said that the comprehensive workforce investment bill passed in the Senate today—which includes measures similar to those in a bill introduced by Sen. Franken—will get Minnesotans back to work and help businesses fill high-demand, open jobs all across the country.
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Floor Statement on College Student Debt
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Senate Floor Statement on the Minimum Wage
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Statement on the Supreme Courts Ruling In McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission
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Sen. Franken Presses for Action on Climate Change during Marathon Speaking Session
Sen. Al Franken, a leader on efforts to address climate change, joined several Senate colleagues in a marathon speaking session designed to spur action on the issue.
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In Senate Speech, Sen. Franken Keeps Fighting to Extend Unemployment Insurance for Struggling Minnesota Families
In an effort to help give Minnesotans and their families the support they need to stay afloat while searching for work, U.S. Sen. Al Franken took to the Senate floor to deliver a speech on the critical need to renew emergency unemployment insurance for millions of people in Minnesota and across the country.
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In Senate Speech, Sen. Franken Praises Passage of Farm Bill
Sen. Al Franken took to the Senate floor to deliver a speech to praise the passage of the bipartisan five-year Farm Bill, which gives Minnesota's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities the certainty they need to plan for the future.
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In Senate Speech, Sen. Franken Fights to Extend Emergency Unemployment Insurance for Hard-Pressed Families in Minnesota
As part of his ongoing fight to help give Minnesotans and their families the support they need to stay afloat while searching for work, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) took to the Senate floor to deliver a speech about the critical need to renew emergency unemployment insurance for millions of people in Minnesota and across the country.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Employee Non-Discrimination Act
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Sen. Franken's Floor Speech on Health Reform
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Sen. Franken's Statement Calling for Action on Reforming the Credit Rating Agency
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Sen. Franken's Statement on Immigration Reform
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Student Loan Interest Rates
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Sen. Franken's Remarks on the Sugar Program
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Sen. Franken's Floor Speech on Sequestration
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Sen. Franken Highlights Detroit Lakes Department Store in Speech Pressing for Legislation to Protect Minnesota's Retailers
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Addressing Climate Change
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Sen. Franken's Floor Speech on the Marketplace Fairness Act
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Medicare
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Sen. Franken Floor Statement on Tax and Economic Policy
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Arbitration Fairness for Students
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Sen. Franken's Floor Speech on the Veterans Jobs Corps Act
Click here to watch Sen. Franken speak in favor of legislation to establish a Veterans Jobs Corps to increase opportunities for veterans in Minnesota and across the country.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Extending National Diabetes Prevention Program
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Privacy and Civil Liberties in the Cybersecurity Act of 2012
M. PRESIDENT, I rise today to talk about our nation's defenses against cyberattacks-and how our nation needs to respond to those threats.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Extending Middle Class Tax Cuts
M. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support our economic recovery, endorse fiscal responsibility, and bolster the middle class by voting to extend tax cuts on income up to $250,000.
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Sen. Franken Statement on the Violence Against Women Act
M. President, when my wife Franni and I decided that I should run for the Senate, we were greatly influenced by the example set by Sen. Paul Wellstone and his wife Sheila.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement Defending Post Offices in Minnesota
I rise today to talk about the importance of the Postal Service to Minnesota and to urge my colleagues to make thoughtful changes to strengthen S. 1789.
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Sen. Franken's Statement in the Judiciary Committee Hearing on NDAA
I support Sen. Feinstein's bill and agree our priority should be in making sure that American citizens are not arrested by the military in the U.S., I think it is a mistake for the military to be authorized to detain anyone here in the U.S.-regardless of whether they are a citizen or not.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement Against the Blunt Amendment
I'd like to talk for a minute about religious freedom. Our country was founded on the belief that all Americans should have the right to practice their religious beliefs, as long as their faith does not infringe on the rights of another person.
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SEn. Franken's Floor Statement on Extending the Production Tax Credit
I rise today to urge my colleagues in the Senate to support an extension of the renewable energy production tax credit.
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Statement on the Introduction of the Local Courthouse Safety Act
Today I am introducing the bipartisan Local Courthouse Safety Act.
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Statement on the Anniversary of Citizens United
I rise today to talk about one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in the history of the court. Two years ago, the Supreme Court handed down the landmark decision, Citizens United, and with it, they gave corporations a blank check to utterly destroy our political system.
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Statement On The Nomination Of Richard Cordray To Lead The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
I rise today to strongly support Richard Cordray, the President's nominee to be Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
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Sen. Franken's on the Detainee Provisions in the Defense Authorization Bill
"I rise today to express my strong opposition to the detention provisions in the defense authorization bill."
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Small Business Amendment
The amendment I'm offering will help small businesses. Small businesses often serve as subcontractors or suppliers to large corporations that have a primary government contract. My amendment would help guarantee that small businesses get paid by these large corporations in a timely way.
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Statement on the Introduction of the Housing Rights for Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence Act
Mr. President, nobody should have to choose between safety and shelter. Yet 48 percent of homeless women in Minnesota previously had stayed in abusive situations because they did not have safe housing options available to them.
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Chairman Franken's Opening Statemon on Gaps in Protections of Electronic Health Information
Over the past two decades, an incredible thing has happened-you can now put your entire medical history-every chart, every x-ray, every test, every last doctor's note, on a thumb drive this big.
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Sen. Franken's Statement ON Net Neutrality
I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote against a motion to proceed to Senator Hutchison's joint resolution of disapproval, which would repeal the FCC's net neutrality rules. As many of you know, I have repeatedly said that net neutrality is the free speech issue of our time.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Net Neutrality
M. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote against a motion to proceed to Senator Hutchison's joint resolution of disapproval, which would repeal the FCC's net neutrality rules.
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Sen. Franken's Opening Statement from Hearing on Health Information Privacy
I believe all Americans have a fundamental right to know who has their personal information-and to control who gets that information and who it is shared with.
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Sen. Franken's Statement on the Student Non-Discrimination Act in the HELP Committee
This amendment is the right thing to do. It's the moral thing to do. It follows a long precedent of Congress stepping in to protect the most vulnerable members of American society when they face pervasive discrimination. And by that measure, this amendment is absolutely necessary.
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Sen. Franken Statement on the need for Supplemental Disaster Relief Funds
I rise today to talk about the urgent need for FEMA disaster funds.
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Floor Statement of Sen. Franken on Raising the Debt Ceiling
U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) today spoke on the Senate floor in support of raising the debt ceiling to avoid default. The text of his remarks, as prepared for delivery, is below:
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Sen. Franken's Opening Statement in the Energy Hearing on the Stillwater Bridge
Stillwater, Minnesota is a beautiful city that's between a rock and a hard place. The current lift bridge between Minnesota and Wisconsin is 80 years old, and was not designed to handle the traffic it currently sees on a daily basis.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Bert Blylevens Induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame
I rise today to pay tribute to former Minnesota Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven, who this week received his sport's highest honor when he was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Debt Limit
I rise today to discuss the urgent need to raise the debt limit. I'd like to take this opportunity to remind my colleagues of our obligations to represent our constituents' best interests, and those of our great nation.
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Sen. Franken's Opening Statement in DOMA hearing
Our nation was founded on the premise that all people are created equal, and that all persons should receive equal treatment under the law.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Debt Crisis
I rise today to talk about our debt crisis. About our short-term debt crisis and our long-term debt crisis. And I come here today to discuss ways to address them and ways not to address them.
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Statement On The Nomination Of Goodwin Liu
I rise today to speak in support of the confirmation of Professor Goodwin Liu to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
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Floor Statement on Harmon Killebrew
I rise today to talk about a Minnesota icon. Minnesotans and baseball fans across the country are celebrating the life of Harmon Killebrew today.
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Statement On Eliminating Subsidies To Oil Companies
I rise today in strong support of Senator Menendez's bill to eliminate subsidies to big oil companies.
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Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cellphones And Your Privacy Opening Statement
It's my pleasure to welcome all of you to the first hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law.
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Statement on Net Neutrality and the Congressional Review Act
M. President, I rise today to talk about the House's effort last month to repeal the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules.
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Sen. Franken's Introduction of the STEM Master Teacher Corps Act
M. President, I rise today to talk about a matter that's very important to our country, to Minnesota, and to me - science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, or STEM education for short.
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Sen. Franken Statement on The University of Minnesota-Duluth's Men's Hockey Team Championship
I rise today to congratulate the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s men’s hockey team for capturing their first ever NCAA Division I Championship.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement On The Introduction Of The Pay For War Resolution
This resolution would change the way we pay for war spending, and it would change the way we deliberate about going to war.
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Sen. Franken Floor Statement on the Student Non Discrimination Act
M. President, I'd like to tell you about a Minnesota teenager named Justin Aaberg.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on H.R. 1
I rise today to oppose HR 1, the House's irresponsible and misguided budget bill that we just voted down, and which I will continue to oppose until major changes are made.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Health Care
M. President, I rise today to talk about health reform. And I'd like to start by telling you the story of a little boy named Isaac.
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Sen. Franken's Opening Statement, Hearing on Foreclosure Mediation Programs
Borrowers are at such an extreme disadvantage in these foreclosure proceedings that I fear robo-signing is only one of many ways that servicers have been able to take advantage of vulnerable families and homeowners.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Net Neutrality and the Comcast-NBC Merger
M. President, I rise today to talk about the growing threat of corporate control on the flow of information in this country.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the New START Treaty and Missile Defense
I rise today to discuss missile defense and the New START treaty. Missile defense is one of the persistent areas of concern of the treaty raised by some of my colleagues.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Tax Cut Package
I rise today to speak about my decision, after a lot of serious contemplation, to support this legislation. I believe that Minnesotans deserve a better deal than the one before us today, but unfortunately this is the one we have.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Tax Cuts and Unemployment Insurance
I was presiding this Monday when one of my friends on the other side of the aisle was speaking on the floor on a very important topic. He said, "We need to do everything to see that the deficit does not increase." Now, less than a week later, he is going to vote to increase the deficit by $700 billion.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on New START Treaty and Nuclear Modernization
Today, Sen. Franken went to the Senate floor to talk about the New START treaty and the maintenance of a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent.
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Sen. Franken's floor Statement on the introduction of the End Debt Collector Abuse Act
Senator LeMieux and I are introducing today the End Debt Collector Abuse Act, which would forbid debt collectors from seeking the arrest of a consumer in pursuit of payment. It would also require that debt collectors provide consumers with basic information up front-such as an itemization of the principal, fees and interest that make up the debt-so that consumers can recognize a debt, determine whether the collector's claim is accurate, and exercise their rights.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Importance of the Recovery Act
To read Sen. Franken's statement on the importance of the Recovery Act click here.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the National Mediation Board Rule Change
Today, after the NMB rule change, a union election at an airline will be just like any other election.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the DISCLOSE Act
The DISCLOSE Act will allow Americans to know how and which corporations-and unions-are trying to influence elections.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on World Alzheimers Day
I rise today to honor the Minnesotans and their families affected by Alzheimer's disease, and to recognize September 21st as World Alzheimer's Day.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Repeal of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Policy
Sen. Franken is strongly in favor of repealing the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the DREAM Act
Mr. President, these are children, and we need to help them. They've learned in our schools, they've played with our kids, and they want to serve our country. We just need to give them a chance.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act
Thank you, Mr. President. I rise today to speak in support of food safety legislation. Food safety is a topic that affects every single American.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Confirmation of Solicitor General Elena Kagan
M. President, I rise today to support the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Importance of Transparency and the DISCLOSE Act
M. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to allow debate on the DISCLOSE Act, a common-sense measure to fix just some of the problems created by the Citizens United decision.
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Sen. Franken's Committee Hearing Statement on BP and Workplace Safety
BP is an enormous company-last year they had over $230 billion in sales, and operated 16 refineries-5 here in the United States. They also employ over 80,000 people. They are responsible for the workplace safety of 80,000 employees. That's the same number of people who live in Bloomington, Minnesota. And that's the reason we care so much about the process safety procedures at BP. Just as for any other employer in the oil and gas industry, when mistakes are made, lives are lost. And BP has established a very disappointing track record. Twenty six workers have died under its watch in the past five years alone.
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Sen. Franken's Committee Hearing Statement for the Senate Special Committee on Aging
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding today's hearing on this important issue for seniors in Minnesota and across the country.
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Sen. Franken's Committee Hearing Statement on Treating Rare And Neglected Pediatric Diseases
Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing on rare and neglected pediatric diseases. This is an issue that touches the lives of thousands of Minnesotans and I'm looking forward to hearing from our witnesses.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan
Mr. Chairman, I'm going to vote for General Kagan.
Because I think that General Kagan understands the place of the Supreme Court, and its relationship to the executive, to the legislature, and to the American people.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement On The Nation's Budget Deficits
Sen. Franken delivers a floor speech on unemployment insurance, the economy, and the budget deficit.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Introduction of the Medication Therapy Management Expanded Benefits Act of 2010
I'm proud today to be joining Senator Hagan in introducing the MTM Expanded Benefits Act.
We all know that prescription drugs are an essential part of health care. What a lot of people don't know is that only about 50 percent of Americans typically take their medicines as prescribed. -
Sen. Franken's Committee Hearing Statement on Solicitor General Elena Kagan's Nomination
Every Senator who has spoken before me has sworn to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States." And so have I. There are few things that we do that are more important to fulfilling that oath than making sure that the Justices of the United States Supreme Court are brilliant, humane, and just individuals
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Passing of Judge Gerald W. Heaney
Sen. Franken delivered a floor statement sorrowfully noting the passing of Judge Gerald W. Heaney.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Introduction of the HELP for Separated Children Act
The Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections (HELP) for Separated Children Act aims to protect our nation's kids from unnecessary harm from immigration enforcement actions.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Comprehensive Energy Legislation
Sen. Franken spoke on the Senate floor about the catastrophic BP oil spill and how the devastating impact it has had on the Gulf Coast's environment and economy, further proves the need for comprehensive energy legislation.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on Monitoring and Verification in the New START Treaty
Senator Franken delivered a floor statement today regarding the New START arms control treaty.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Introduction of the DISCLOSE Act
"We need to act now to protect our elections against foreign governments. We need to act now to protect our consumer safety and environmental laws against a corporate veto. We need to act now to pass the DISCLOSE Act, which I am proud to join as an original cosponsor."
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Franken Announces Minnesota National Guard Action Plan For PDMRA Benefit Payout
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Sen. Franken's Committee Hearing Statement on NBC/Comcast Merger
Thank you, Senator Kohl, for giving me an opportunity to speak. As some of you may know, I’m not a lawyer, but I used to be in show business. In fact, I worked for NBC for many years. And what I know from my previous career has given me reason to be concerned—let me rephrase that, very concerned—about the potential merger of Comcast and NBC Universal.
Watch the statement here.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on President Obama's Speech on Afghanistan
Franni and I have been to the funerals of thirteen service members from Minnesota in the short time I've been in office. With so many troops from Minnesota already deployed, I have been following the Obama administration's development of a new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan very closely.
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Sen. Franken's Floor Statement on the Introduction fo the Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act
Sexual assault is a heinous crime. It is also a startlingly common one: last year, ninety-thousand people were raped. We as a nation have an obligation to help the survivors of sexual assault—by providing them prompt medical attention, and by bringing their assailants to justice.
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Franken seeks ingredient labeling for household cleansers
"As a baby, my son always had to have his 'binky' in his mouth, his pacifier," Franken recalled. "Sometimes that thing would fall on the floor and he'd pop it back in. It would've been nice knowing what cleaning products he was putting in his mouth and what was in them."
Read the whole story here.