Unanimous Consent Request (Cong. Rec., Aug. 4, 2020)

Summary

Page S4699 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for August 4, 2020. Remarks on a bill strengthening legal liability against the Olympic and amateur sports governing bodies for sexual abuses by coaches and employees thank Senator Moran's staff and Senator Blumenthal. A speaker from Arizona asks for an extension of expanded unemployment benefits through the end of the week. Under Unanimous Consent Request, Wyden proposes that the Senate proceed to consideration of the American Workforce Rescue Act, with the bill read a third time and passed, and the presiding officer asks whether there is objection.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Cite this document

“Unanimous Consent Request (Cong. Rec., Aug. 4, 2020).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-08-04-crec-2020-08-04-pt1-pgs4699-e88704d234/, SHA-256 d8c304cd83e1db2004b3db472e8584320730a679bcac5fb5975b72025d55bdd5.

Full text

August 4, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4699
Madeline Daly, Adam Bradlow, Subhan authorities, and it is helping survivors ical theater and thought it was more
Cheema, Natalie Mathes, Charlotte obtain justice and protect our young important than assisting Americans
Schwartz, Colleen Bell, and Maria athletes. who have been struggling to make ends
McElwain. Senator MORAN and Senator meet. Once again, he led the way and
I want to join in thanking Senator BLUMENTHAL then launched an 18- used hard-working Arizonans and
MORAN’s staff. Our staffs worked to- month bipartisan investigation into Americans as pawns in a political
gether with the teamwork that I think the failures of the U.S. Olympic organi- game.
can also provide a model for this body. zation. They found that these gov- For the many Arizonans who are out
Finally, this act is profoundly impor- erning bodies also failed to protect of work right now, this is not a game.
tant to the future of Olympic athletes their athletes from acts of abuse com- So here I am again, asking for a simple
and sports generally in our country. In mitted by coaches and other powerful extension through the end of this week
effect, it says that trainers and coach- individuals within their organization. I so that Arizonans don’t see an inter-
es, the organizations that represent am delighted that they have led the ruption to these benefits as we work
them—the organizations that are sup- way and that Congress has continued through our differences. Again, I ask:
posed to care for athletes should do to focus on this issue to protect the Who could possibly be against this?
their jobs and keep their trust for courageous young athletes across the While some States continue expanded
these athletes; protect them, not be- country who have come forward to tell checks after they expired on Friday for
tray them; put them ahead of whatever their horrific stories. a few weeks, Arizonans got their last
the other tangible signs of success may This bill strengthens legal liability one. These Arizonans live in my neigh-
be, medals or money. It would depend against the Olympic and amateur borhood. They live on my street. They
on protective, strong enforcement and sports governing bodies for the sexual worked paycheck to paycheck before
on deterrence. abuses perpetrated by coaches and em- this pandemic hit, and then they
My hope is that we will look back on ployees, and it gives the athletes great- couldn’t work.
this day and say that it transformed er representation on these governing These Arizonans are people we know,
this athletic endeavor; that it was a boards. It will also ensure that Con- like the single mom of two from Phoe-
transformative moment; that it gress conducts more systemic over- nix who for the first time in her life
changed the culture, not just the rule; sight. It will strengthen reporting had to rely on unemployment to sur-
that it changed the way sports in the mandates for adults with knowledge of vive. She is the owner of a catering
United States are played; and that it abuse allegations. These young ath- business. She has seen her income drop
embodied the best values of competi- letes who train to represent our coun- drastically, as weddings and large
tion and athletics in our great country. try at the top levels of competition events continue to be canceled. The
Thank you. and, indeed, those at all levels of com- $840 she collected a week on unemploy-
I yield the floor. petition and those who aspire to com- ment is helping her get through, keep-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- pete should never have to fear victim- ing her afloat, keeping her business
ator from Kansas. ization by trusted coaches and sports and her family afloat to care for her
Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I would officials. two sons, one of whom is autistic and
like to recognize the efforts of Senator I, too, commend the young athletes requires significant support.
COLLINS, the Senator from Maine, her with whom DIANNE FEINSTEIN and I I am pleading with my fellow Sen-
substantive and persistent endeavors met and who have worked so closely ators: As we work through our dif-
throughout our process to see that a with Senators MORAN and BLUMENTHAL ferences, let’s extend her benefit for 1
just and right result occurs. for coming forward. These survivors week. Who could possibly be against
I yield to the Senator from Maine. have told their stories. We are now her?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- going to make a difference for them Last week I heard from another sin-
ator from Maine. and for future athletes. gle mother of three who lives in Tuc-
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, let me I hope this legislation will be enacted son. She told me she is terrified of fall-
begin by thanking my two colleagues, and signed into law very soon. ing into poverty because she is forced
Senator MORAN and Senator Thank you. to live on $240 a week. The extra that
BLUMENTHAL, for their tremendous The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- we provided during this once-in-a-cen-
leadership on the Empowering Olym- ator from Arizona. tury pandemic helped her pay her bills
pic, Paralympic, and Amateur Ath- Ms. MCSALLY. Mr. President, I ask and make ends meet.
letics Act. I am very proud to be a co- unanimous consent that Senator I am imploring my fellow Senators to
sponsor of their bill. This shows what WYDEN and I be able to complete our extend her benefits, to keep her afloat
the Senate can do when we work to- remarks prior to the recess. for 1 week while we work through our
gether to accomplish such a critical The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without differences, to address what we need to
goal. I salute both of them. objection, it is so ordered. do to fight this pandemic, to defeat
This bill takes effective action to end f this virus, which we will, and provide
the negligent behavior by some mem- the economic support and the recovery
bers of the U.S. Olympic Committee UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST we need, because America will emerge
and the amateur athletic organizations Ms. MCSALLY. Mr. President, 5 days stronger from this. We need to work
that oversee Olympic sports that have, ago, I stood before you and this body through those differences. Let’s just
on far too many occasions, failed to and urged our fellow Senators to reach extend this for a week. Who could pos-
protect young athletes from truly hor- across the aisle and find agreement on sibly be against her?
rific instances of abuse. how we can best help millions of Amer- Arizona seniors are also suffering. A
Right after the Larry Nassar scandal icans who have lost their livelihoods 70-year-old man in Arizona drove for
broke, Senator FEINSTEIN and I intro- through no fault of their own due to Uber and Lyft before the pandemic hit.
duced the Protecting Young Victims this once-in-a-century pandemic. I He can no longer safely drive strangers
from Sexual Assault and Abuse Act. made a simple request for Senators to throughout Phoenix given his high-risk
Members of the USA Gymnastics team be pragmatic, to meet in the middle, status. He, too, benefited from the ex-
gave powerful and compelling testi- and to expand the unemployment bene- tended unemployment. That additional
mony before the Senate Judiciary fits through Friday—for 7 days—while week will really make a difference for
Committee about the abuses they had Congress continues to work through him. Again, I ask my fellow Senators:

SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
suffered and endured. We learned more our differences and comes up with a so- Who could possibly be against his get-
about the horrific acts, the crimes lution. ting those benefits for another week?
committed by Larry Nassar against the I asked: Who could possibly be These are just three of the countless
members of the USA Gymnastics team. against this? Well, it turns out the mi- stories I have heard from Arizonians.
Our bill, which became law in 2018, nority leader came to the floor person- They are pleading with Congress to put
required prompt reporting of every al- ally in order to object. The Senator the bickering and the dysfunction aside
legation of sexual abuse to the proper from New York decided to play polit- and work together.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:41 Aug 05, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G04AU6.019 S04AUPT1
S4700 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE August 4, 2020
When I got back home last weekend, Democratic leader, Senator SCHUMER, gle day walk an economic tightrope
people were asking: Why did they ob- and the Speaker, NANCY PELOSI, all balancing their food bill against their
ject? It was for 7 days while you guys made that request again and again, and fuel bill.
work through your differences. Why Republicans were unwilling to do that. We just heard a little bit about how
can’t you guys get your act together? So Republicans are trying to cover for we really need to solve the problem.
Why can’t you just do your jobs and, in the fact that they refused to come to This does that because, under our bill,
the meantime, just give us 7 more the negotiating table for months. S. 4143, the American Workforce Res-
days? Our country needs a long-term solu- cue Act of 2020, what we wish to do on
That is a reasonable request. That is tion that ensures the extra $600 re- our side is tie these unemployment
why I am here again to offer a simple, mains available for as long as this four- benefits to the actual conditions of the
commonsense solution—to extend the alarm economic crisis continues. American economy on the ground.
expanded $600 for unemployed Ameri- I object. We have had this proposal for months
cans through the week while we con- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec- now because, to some extent—and I see
tinue to work through our differences tion is heard. my good friend from South Dakota. He
here to provide economic support, re- The Senator from Arizona. made an important point in this dis-
lief, and economic recovery for Amer- Ms. MCSALLY. Mr. President, I am cussion. He is a member of the Finance
ica. Who could possibly be against this? just picturing, if you are one of my Committee, and I saw an article in
Who could possibly be against this? neighbors or one of the people I men- which he stated, you know, it is impor-
Therefore, I ask unanimous consent tioned who are watching TV right tant for people who are really hurting
that the Senate proceed to the imme- now—this is Washington. These are bu- in a tough economy—it is important
diate consideration of my bill at the reaucratic reasons why we can’t just for them to get benefits that let them
desk. I further ask unanimous consent simply do what I am asking, which is pay the rent and buy groceries. Then
that the bill be considered and read a extend for 1 week what we all agreed my good friend from South Dakota
third time and passed and that the mo- upon in the past while we continue to made a point I agree with. He said: You
tion to reconsider be considered made work together to try and solve prob- know, when the economy gets better
and laid upon the table. lems on behalf of Arizonans. That is all and unemployment goes down, then—in
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there I am asking. the words of the Senator from South
objection? Bureaucratic reasons or posturing or Dakota—the benefits can taper off to
Mr. WYDEN. Reserving the right to finger-pointing—people are so tired of reflect that.
object. it. I am tired of it. That is why I first That is essentially what S. 4143, the
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ran to come into this deployed zone American Workforce Rescue Act that I
ator for Oregon. and fight in a different way than when have authored with the Democratic
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President and col- I did in uniform but with the same leader, Senator SCHUMER, does is it en-
leagues, the only thing worse than sures that we are not going to have
exact oath. We are here to solve prob-
what the Republicans have done here— millions of workers every month or
lems. We are here to represent the peo-
cutting off desperately needed unem- every few months live in fear that Don-
ple we represent.
ployment insurance to millions of ald Trump and MITCH MCCONNELL are
And, while we work through our dif-
American families and communities— going to pull the rug out from under
ferences, there is political theater hap-
would be to allow a bill to pass that them.
pening, Arizonans. There is political We would have a benefit that would
promises money without actually de- theater. There is unserious negotia- reflect economic conditions on the
livering it. Even if this short-term ex- tions, unfortunately, happening be- ground, and it would deal with this
tension were to pass, State agencies— cause some people, like the minority economic challenge for all the months
the experts in this field—have told us leader, think that this is the path to until the economy recovers. That is
and the ranking Democrat on the Fi- power. Somehow, Arizonans can be what Senator SCHUMER and I put for-
nance Committee in very clear terms hurt, and others can be hurt. Somehow, ward some time ago. The $600 would
that States don’t have enough time to that is going to work in their favor. I gradually phase down based on the
reprogram their systems and avoid a am disgusted by that. I am simply ask- State’s average unemployment rate
lapse in benefits. ing for us to do our job. over 3 months. This would provide cer-
The State unemployment systems Maybe I need to offer another bill tainty for families and ensure the
are not equipped to flip these unem- that all Members of Congress have broader economy continues to receive
ployment benefits on and off. Short- their pay held until we sit down and the support it needs.
term extensions don’t work and will solve this. I did that before when the And, especially, it doesn’t set up arti-
not work from an administrative CARES Act was being delayed for po- ficial timelines. That is what the Sen-
standpoint. litical reasons. ate ought to be avoiding, to just set ar-
No Senator has to take my word for This is frustrating. It is dis- bitrary dates. What we need to do is
it. The National Association of State appointing. It is simply a 7-day exten- make sure that politicians—and, cer-
Workforce Agencies has said what I sion while we work through our dif- tainly, Donald Trump and MITCH
have just said: A short-term extension ferences. MCCONNELL have been willing to pull
isn’t enough for the hard-working Once again, friends on the other side the rug out from under the unem-
Americans relying on this lifeline who of the aisle have let Arizonans and ployed. We need to make sure that
don’t have jobs to go back to. What Americans down, but we need to keep there is a plan going forward.
about next week and the week after working to solve this issue and support That is what S. 4143 does, the Amer-
that? the people we represent. This is a com- ican Workforce Rescue Act. It will pro-
The only responsible route is to agree monsense request, and it is very dis- vide certainty for families and ensure
to the extension with triggers that will appointing that they are not letting it the broader economic recovery will be
lower the payments only when it is ap- through. our focus, and there will be support
propriate to do so, and that means I yield the floor. until we see that kind of recovery.
when the economy is in recovery, not The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- So I ask unanimous consent that the
when the economy is in freefall like it ator from Oregon. Committee on Finance be discharged
still is now. f from further consideration of S. 4143,
Republicans wish to cover for the

SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
the American Workforce Rescue Act;
fact that they refused to come to the UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST— that the bill be considered read a third
negotiating table for months. I looked S. 4143 time and passed; and the motion to re-
at the record. Literally, for months—as Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I would consider be considered made and laid
the author of the $600 more each month like to offer a proposal that really is upon the table with no intervening ac-
and the expansion to cover gig workers going to help working families and tion or debate.
and others—we asked Senate Repub- those who are trying to make rent, try- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there
licans to join us in negotiations. The ing to pay for groceries, who every sin- objection?

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:41 Aug 05, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G04AU6.020 S04AUPT1

File and source

File: CREC_crec-2020-08-04_crec-2020-08-04-pt1-pgs4699.pdf
Size: 217,453 bytes
SHA-256: d8c304cd83e1db2004b3db472e8584320730a679bcac5fb5975b72025d55bdd5
Our copy: CREC_crec-2020-08-04_crec-2020-08-04-pt1-pgs4699.pdf
Original: www.govinfo.gov