MR. PRESIDENT, THIS WILL JUST BE A FEW MINUTES AS IT'S A VERY FOCUSED TOPIC. I RISE TODAY TO DISCUSS SENATE RESOLUTION 463 WHICH IS A RESOLUTION THAT SENATOR BLUNT AND I JUST DISCHARGED FROM THE RULES COMMITTEE THAT WILL HELP NEW PARENTS, SPECIFICALLY SENATOR PARENTS, TO BRING THEIR INFANT CHILDREN ON TO THE SENATE FLOOR. IT HASN'T BEEN BROUGHT TO THE SENATE FLOOR YET, BUT I THOUGHT I WOULD GIVE AN UPDATE AND EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE AND REALLY THE HISTORIC NATURE OF THIS RESOLUTION. AS YOU KNOW, MR. PRESIDENT, THIS MONTH SENATOR DUCKWORTH MADE HISTORY WHEN SHE GAVE BIRTH TO HER BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER. SENATOR DUCKWORTH HAS MADE HISTORY IN MANY WAYS, BUT SHE IS THE FIRST SITTING U.S. SENATOR TO GIVE BIRTH WHILE IN OFFICE. SOME HAVE POINTED OUT THAT IT IS REMARKABLE THAT IT TOOK SO LONG TO HAVE A SENATOR THAT GAVE BIRTH WHILE IN OFFICE, AND I THINK IT DOES SPEAK TO THE FACT THAT WHILE WE'RE A GROWING NUMBER OF WOMEN IN CONGRESS, THERE IS STILL NOT THAT MANY AND IT IS CHANGING. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 23 WOMEN SENATORS, WHICH IS AN ALL-TIME RECORD, MORE THAN AT ANY TIME IN HISTORY AND WE'RE SEEING RECORD LEVELS OF WOMEN RUN FOR OFFICE. IT IS INEVITABLE THAT IN THE FUTURE MORE WOMEN WILL HAVE KIDS DURING THEIR TIME IN THE SENATE. SO IN THIS WAY WE ARE SIMPLY ANTICIPATING WHAT WE SEE AS THE FUTURE, AND IT IS ON US TO MAKE THIS A BETTER WORKPLACE BEFORE THEY GET HERE, AND I THINK WORKPLACES ACROSS AMERICA ARE MAKING AND HAVE MADE THOSE SAME KIND OF ADJUSTMENTS AND DECISIONS. AS THE RANKING MEMBER OF THE RULES COMMITTEE, I RECOGNIZE THAT THIS MEANS SOME OF OUR OUTDATED RULES, AND SENATOR BLUNT AS THE CHAIR REALIZES THIS AS WELL, WHICH WERE DEVELOPED WITHOUT CONSIDERING NEEDS AND CHANGING NEEDS IN THE WORKPLACE MUST BE CHANGED. SENATOR DUCKWORTH HAS TAKEN A LEAD AND HER RESOLUTION IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT CHANGE. AS SHE PREPARED TO GIVE BIRTH, SENATOR DUCKWORTH DID WHAT MANY MOMS DO, SHE STARTED TO COME UP WITH A PLAN FOR HOW TO JUGGLE HER FAMILY AND HER WORK. LIKE TOO MANY OTHER MOMS IN THE U.S., SHE CAME TO REALIZE THAT THERE WERE PROBLEMS IN HER WORKPLACE FOR ACCOMMODATING NEW MOMS. SENATORS HAVE IMPORTANT CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATIONS RELATED TO THEIR SERVICE. THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL AMONG THEM BEING VOTING ON LEGISLATION. THE SENATE RULES REQUIRE SENATORS TO VOTE IN PERSON. WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF CHANGING THAT. ON THE SENATE FLOOR THEY MUST VOTE AND NO ONE CAN DO IT FOR THEM. SO RIGHT NOW, UNLIKE IN THE HOUSE, CHILDREN ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE SENATE FLOOR. THAT MEANS IN ORDER TO FULFILL HER SENATE OBLIGATIONS, SENATOR DUCKWORTH WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE HER BABY FOR EXTENDED PERIODS IN ORDER TO COME IN AND VOTE. SOMETIMES THAT WOULD BE JUST FINE, SHE WOULD HAVE CHILD CARE, HER HUSBAND WOULD BE THERE. BUT AS WE ALL KNOW THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE VOTE LATE INTO THE NIGHT, WHEN WE VOTE AT UNPREDICTABLE TIMES AND IT DOESN'T WORK WITH A MOM WITH A NEWBORN. WHAT DID SENATOR DUCKWORTH DO? WELL, SHE CALLED FOR LEGISLATION TO CHANGE THE RULES SO THAT SENATORS CAN BRING THEIR INFANTS ON THE FLOOR DURING VOTES AND WE WORKED TO COME UP WITH A WORKABLE PROPOSAL AND I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT THIS WEEK THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE SWIFTLY DISCHARGED THE LEGISLATION SO THAT IT CAN BE PASSED BY THE FULL SENATE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT WORKING MOMS DO, THEY STICK TOGETHER AND THEY GET THE JOB DONE. STICKING TOGETHER MEANS RECOGNIZING THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO INSIDE THE HALLS OF CONGRESS. THE TRUTH IS TOO MANY AMERICAN MOMS AREN'T IN POSITIONS OF POWER TO CHANGE THE RULES WHICH IS WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE IN POSITIONS OF POWER TO BE CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE, NOT JUST NEAR THE SENATE BUT IN WORKPLACES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT'S WRONG THAT AMERICA IS THE ONLY INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRY WITHOUT A LAW THAT REQUIRES PAID MATERNITY LEAVE AND IT IS WRONG THAT ONLY 10% OF AMERICAN EMPLOYERS OFFER WORKERS FULL PAY DURING PARENTAL LEAVE. THE LACK OF PARENTAL LEAVE COUPLED WITH COST OF CHILD CARE HAS A PROFOUND IMPACT ON OUR ECONOMY AND ON OUR SOCIETY AND IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I BELIEVE WHY THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH WOMEN IN POWER. WE MUST DO BETTER. PASSING SENATOR DUCKWORTH'S RESOLUTION REPRESENTS A SMALL STEP FORWARD. IN FACT, IT IS ONE BABY FORWARD, AND IN ANSWER TO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I GOT IN THE HALLWAY, NO, THERE WILL NOT BE WARDROBE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BABY AND, NO, WE DO NOT BELIEVE THE BABY WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A SENATE PIN. SOMEHOW I THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO ADJUST TO THE SIMPLE NOTION TO ALLOW A CHILD, AN INFANT, ON THE FLOOR FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE. THAT'S WHY I AM HOPEFUL THAT THIS WILL INSPIRE FURTHER CHANGE BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF CONGRESS. IN ADDITION TO THE SUPPORT OF ALL THE WOMEN SENATORS, EYED LIKE TO -- I'D LIKE TO THANK CHAIRMAN BLUNT, LEADERS McCONNELL AND SCHUMER AND SENATOR DURBIN, SENATOR DUCKWORTH'S COLLEAGUE, WHO ALL PLAYED AN INSTRUMENTAL ROLE IN GETTING THIS LEGISLATION TO THE FLOOR. WOMEN MAY BE LEADING THE CHARGE BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD MEN WHO HAVE HAD OUR BACKS, THAN IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AS WE CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR MORE FAMILY FRIENDLY WORKPLACES. FINALLY, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE ONE WHO DID ALL THE WORK, SENATOR DUCKWORTH, WHO CONTINUES TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY WITH STRENGTH TO PAVE THE WAY. WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE SENATOR DUCKWORTH AND I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING HER DAUGHTER ON THE SENATE FLOOR DURING A FUTURE ROUND OF VOTES. MR. PRESIDENT, I YIELD THE FLOOR.