SENATE WILL COME TO ORDER.

TODAY'S OPENING PRAYER WILL BE

OFFERED BY REVEREND JOEL OSTEEN,

SENIOR PASTOR OF THE LAKEWOOD

CHURCH IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.

THE GUEST CHAPLAIN:

THANK YOU, SENATOR.

LET US PRAY.

FATHER, WE RECEIVE YOUR

BLESSINGS WITH GRATEFUL HEARTS

AND THANK YOU FOR THE FAVOR YOU

SHOW US.

AS WE PRAY FOR THOSE WHO LEAD

OUR NATION, WE ASK THAT YOU

BLESS THIS BODY AND THOSE WHO

SERVE IN IT.

WE THANK YOU THAT THESE

LAWMAKERS SERVE WITH HONOR AND

INTEGRITY, AND THAT YOU WILL

CONTINUE TO BLESS OUR NATION

THROUGH THEM.

GIVE THEM WISDOM THAT THEY WILL

MAKE GOOD DECISIONS, COURAGE

THAT THEY WILL HOLD FAST TO YOUR

TRUTH, AND COMPASSION THAT ALL

SHOULD PROSPER FROM THEIR LAWS.

WE RECEIVE YOUR PRESENCE HERE

TODAY, FATHER, AND PRAY THAT

THESE LAWMAKERS WILL REMAIN

MINDFUL OF YOU, AND THAT THEY

WILL HONOR YOU IN EVERYTHING

THEY DO HERE.

IN JESUS NAME.

AMEN.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER:

PLEASE JOIN ME IN RECITING

THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

TO THE FLAG.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO

THE FLAG OF THE

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

AND TO THE REPUBLIC

FOR WHICH IT STANDS,

ONE NATION UNDER GOD,

INDIVISIBLE,

WITH LIBERTY AND

JUSTICE FOR ALL.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE

CLERK WILL READ A COMMUNICATION

TO THE SENATE.

THE CLERK: WASHINGTON D.C.,

APRIL 26, 2012.

TO THE SENATE:

UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF RULE 1,

PARAGRAPH 3, OF THE STANDING

RULES OF THE SENATE, I HEREBY

APPOINT

THE HONORABLE TOM UDALL,

A SENATOR FROM THE

STATE OF NEW MEXICO,

TO PERFORM THE DUTIES OF THE

CHAIR.

SIGNED: DANIEL K. INOUYE,

PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE.

MR. REID: I NOTE THE ABSENCE

OF A QUORUM.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE

CLERK WILL CALL THE ROLL.

QUORUM CALL:

MRS. HUTCHISON: MR. PRESIDENT?

THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE

SENATOR FROM TEXAS IS

RECOGNIZED.

MRS. HUTCHISON: MR. PRESIDENT,

IT'S MY PLEASURE TO ASK

UNANIMOUS THAT THE

QUORUM CALL BE LIFTED.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER: WITHOUT

OBJECTION.

UNDER THE PREVIOUS ORDER, THE

HRAOEFRBD.

UNDER THE PREVIOUS ORDER -- THE

LEADERSHIP TIME IS RESERVED.

UNDER THE PREVIOUS ORDER, THE

SENATE WILL RESUME S. 1925,

WHICH THE CLERK WILL REPORT.

THE CLERK: S. 1925, A BILL TO

REAUTHORIZE THE VIOLENCE AGAINST

WOMEN ACT.

THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE

SENATOR FROM TEXAS IS

RECOGNIZED.

MRS. HUTCHISON: MR. PRESIDENT,

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO BE ABLE TO

INTRODUCE JOEL OSTEEN, THE

PASTOR OF LAKEWOOD CHURCH IN

HOUSTON, TEXAS.

HE IS A NATIVE TEXAN AND

ATTENDED ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY

IN TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

FOR 17 YEARS, PASTOR OSTEEN

WORKED BEHIND THE SCENES FOR HIS

FATHER JOHN WHO FOUNDED LAKEWOOD

CHURCH IN 1959.

IN 1999, HIS FATHER PASSED AWAY,

AND PASTOR OSTEEN ACCEPTED GOD'S

CALL TO SERVICE IN THE CHURCH

AND TOOK OVER THE REINS AS

SENIOR PASTOR DESPITE HAVING

ONLY PREACHED ONCE IN HIS LIFE.

IT WAS SOON CLEAR THAT THIS NEW

YOUNG PREACHER HAD A NATURAL

GIFT FOR SPEAKING AND WAS ABLE

TO PERSONALLY CONNECT WITH

DIVERSE AUDIENCES WITH THE

INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGE OF GOD'S

LOVE.

SINCE THAT TIME, HE AND HIS WIFE

AND COPASTOR, VICTORIA, HAVE LED

LAKEWOOD THROUGH EXTRAORDINARY

GROWTH.

IN 2005, THE OSTEENS MOVED

LAKEWOOD CHURCH FROM ITS

ORIGINAL HOME IN NORTHEAST

HOUSTON TO THE FORMER HOME OF

THE HOUSTON ROCKETS BASKETBALL

TEAM.

WITH THIS SPACE, PASTOR OSTEEN

NOW DELIVERS A MESSAGE OF HOPE

AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO 38,000

PEOPLE A WEEK, WITH MILLIONS

MORE ACROSS THE COUNTRY TUNING

IN ON THEIR TELEVISIONS.

PASTOR OSTEEN HAS REACHED

MILLIONS MORE AS A BEST-SELLING

AUTHOR.

HIS FIRST BOOK, "YOUR BEST LIFE

NOW" WAS RELEASED IN 2004 AND

REMAINED ON THE "NEW YORK TIMES"

BEST-SELLER LIST FOR TWO YEARS.

HIS MOST RECENT BOOK, "EVERY DAY

A FRIDAY" OFFERS COMMONSENSE

ADVICE ON HOW TO BE HAPPY BY

APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES OF GOD'S

WORD TO YOUR DAILY LIFE.

PASTOR OSTEEN HAS SPOKEN

THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, AND THAT'S

WHAT BRINGS HIM TO THE CAPITOL

TODAY.

ON SATURDAY, THE OSTEENS WILL

LEAD THOUSANDS IN WHAT IS BILLED

AS A NIGHT OF HOPE AT NATIONALS

PARK IN WASHINGTON.

THAT MESSAGE OF HOPE AND

TPHU RPBLGMENT IS WHAT HAS --

HOPE AND ENCOURAGEMENT IS WHAT

HAS ATTRACTED ME AND MY FAMILY

TO WATCH PASTOR OSTEEN ON SUNDAY

MORNINGS, AND I HAVE BEEN TO HIS

CHURCH.

HE WELCOMED ME AND MY DAUGHTER

BAILEY, WHOSE 11th BIRTHDAY IS

TODAY.

THEY WELCOMED ME TO LAKEWOOD

CHURCH TWO YEARS AGO, AND I GOT

TO SEE THIS AWESOME PLACE THAT

HE FILLS EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY,

SOMETIMES MORE THAN THE HOUSTON

ROCKETS EVER HAD, I HAVE TO SAY.

I DO WANT TO ASK -- OR SAY THAT

THE CHAPLAIN OF THE SENATE,

DR. BARRY BLACK, WHO WORKS WITH

US EVERY WEEK HERE IN THE SENATE

AND WITH ALL OF OUR STAFFS, WAS

WONDERFUL TO HELP ASSISTING TO

BRING PASTOR OSTEEN TO THE

PODIUM TO OPEN OUR SENATE THIS

MORNING.

IT'S A WONDERFUL SENATE

TRADITION THAT WE START OUR DAY

BY THANKING GOD FOR THIS

WONDERFUL WORLD AND ALSO

REMEMBERING THE MANTLE OF

LEADERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY

THAT IS ON OUR SHOULDERS AND

TRYING TO DO THE VERY BEST WE

CAN WITH THAT MESSAGE.

SO THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT, AND

I WANT TO THANK PASTOR OSTEEN

AND HIS WIFE VICTORIA; WONDERFUL

PEOPLE THAT I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW

THROUGH THE YEARS, AND THEY HAVE

INSPIRED SO MANY OF US IN OUR

TREVAILS OF LIFE.