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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Republicans should be ashamed that they are “afraid” to debate gun-control legislation in the Senate.

“Let us have a debate on violence in America,” Reid said Monday. “Many Senate Republicans seem afraid to even engage in this debate — shame on them. 

“The least Republicans owe the parents of 20 children murdered with guns at Sandy Hook Elementary is a thoughtful debate about whether stronger gun laws could have saved their little babies. The least Republicans owe them is a vote."

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) called for an “honest debate” on gun-control reform Monday.

“Parents, educators, police officers, hunters and sportsmen, and elected leaders have worked hard to find common ground and come up with new solutions to solve the very real problem of gun violence in this country,” Rockefeller said Monday. “And they’ve stuck with it even in the face of some unfair and ugly criticisms by those who would instead turn this moment into a false rallying cry over gun rights that are not threatened in any way, shape or form.”

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said Wednesday that any immigration reform being considered by Congress should “prioritize securing our borders.”

“Any immigration reform legislation Congress considers in the coming months must prioritize securing our borders and creating an effective system that tracks whether those entering on temporary visas have left the country,” Inhofe said during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday. 

The Massachusetts delegation announced Thursday that it unanimously supports universal background checks for gun purchases.

The Northeastern members of Congress released statements of support for some of the gun control reforms proposed by President Obama in his speech Thursday remembering the December killings in Newtown, Conn.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) warned Senate Democrats not to rush comprehensive immigration reform through committee.

On Wednesday, Sessions said that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) intends to move legislation drafted by a bipartisan group of eight senators through committee and to the Senate floor for a vote within a few weeks.

Republican candidates fighting for a seat in the Senate are accusing their Democratic opponents of unfairly abusing their current House offices in the race to become the next senator from Massachusetts.

Massachusetts will hold a special election in late June to fill the seat of Secretary of State John Kerry. Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) are vying for that open seat.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reverse its recommendation to remove wrestling from the Olympics.

“The call for wrestling to remain in the Olympics is growing increasingly louder,” Brown said Monday. “With mounting support, I’m hopeful that the International Olympic Committee will reverse its decision to eliminate wrestling from the Olympics.”

Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) announced Sunday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) extended a claims filing deadline for Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who have been discriminated against.

Udall said he had been working for weeks to get the USDA to extend its filing deadline from March 25 to May 1 so that Hispanic and women farmers would have more time to file discrimination claims related to a lawsuit against USDA.

Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.) urged his colleagues on Monday to take up and pass his bill aimed at preventing bullying in schools.

“Children deserve to go to school without fear or intimidation,” Casey said Monday. “Bullying and harassment affect millions of students every year. This legislation will help ensure that we are providing children with a quality education that builds self-confidence.”

The senate passed a resolution Thursday evening that designates next Monday as “World Plumbing Day.”

A group of bipartisan senators introduced S.Res. 73 the same day it passed by unanimous consent. The resolution expresses the importance plumbing plays in public health.