Robert Bennett

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a son of Utah and a good friend, Mr. Harris H. Simmons, who today, by the selection of his peers, becomes the next chairman of the American Bankers Association. I am honored to highlight a few of his accomplishments, including his significant contributions to the banking world and to the State of Utah. Mr. Simmons is currently the chairman, president and CEO of Zions Bancorporation. With its corporate offices in Salt Lake City, UT, Zions operates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Washington. It is included in the S&P 500 Index, and is a national leader in Small Business Administration lending. Harris started banking at the age of 16, when as a summer job he filed canceled checks at Zions. He continued his work at Zions in the investment department as he studied economics at the University of Utah. Harris then left Utah for a period as he furthered his studies and received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Upon graduating, Harris took a job in Houston, TX for Allied Bancshares. After a year and a half, he returned to Zions and became the chief financial officer at the age of only 27. Nine years later he was named president and CEO of the multibillion-dollar asset bank holding company which has seen fantastic growth and success as it has helped build communities and business under his leadership. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Harris has been an invaluable member of the Utah community. He has served as president of the Utah Foundation, chairman of the Utah Symphony, and chairman of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah. He currently serves as president of the Shelter-the-Homeless Committee, as well as cochairman of the Utah Committee of the Newcomen Society of the United States. Most importantly, he is a loving husband and father of four. This is but a small glimpse of Harris Simmons' contributions and accomplishments. I commend him to my colleagues as they have the opportunity to meet with him as he serves in his new role with the American Bankers Association. The American Bankers Association is privileged to have Harris Simmons as its new chairman.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, on behalf of the leader, I ask unanimous consent that at 5:30 today the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following treaty on today's Executive Calendar: No. 1. I further ask unanimous consent that the treaty be considered as having passed through its various parliamentary stages up to and including the presentation of the resolution of ratification, that any committee conditions, declarations, or reservations be agreed to as applicable, that any statements be printed in the Record, and that at 5:30 today the Senate vote on the resolution of ratification; further that when the resolution of ratification is voted upon, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and the President be notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, at this time I would like to thank those who worked so hard to help us with the bill, particularly Dave Schiappa and Laura Dove here on the floor, along with Bill Hoagland of the leader's staff and Chairman Chambliss and his staff, all of whom have been tremendously helpful. We also thank David Tinsley, Kathie Alvarez, Lula Davis, the Parliamentarians, and the cloakroom staff. These marathon activities are not the best kind of situations for some of these folks whom we take for granted around here. I want to acknowledge their help and their support. I, of course, want to acknowledge the staff of the subcommittee, and I will list their names as a single staff, even though technically they are divided between majority and minority, but in this subcommittee we work together as if we are one staff: John Ziolkowski, Fitz Elder, Hunter Moorhead, Dianne Preece, Stacy McBride, Galen Fountain, Jessica Frederick, Bill Simpson, and Tom Gonzales. All of these people have my very deep and sincere thanks for the work in getting this done. Now, Madam President, I understand we have to appoint conferees.

Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, all other amendments having been withdrawn or disposed of, we are now to final passage. To accommodate those who need to leave, I reserve any remarks about the bill until after final passage and urge we move to the vote. Madam President, I yield for the Senator from Alaska. Change of Vote

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I see Senator Dayton is here. The yeas and nays have not been ordered. There have been discussions during the evening about this amendment. I wonder whether the Senator wants the yeas and nays. I would say the Jeffords amendment, which under the previous order is the next pending business, will be withdrawn. Amendment No. 1796 withdrawn I ask unanimous consent that it be withdrawn, after conferring with Senator Jeffords and his staff.

Mr. BENNETT. The Senator from Iowa and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, as well as member of the subcommittee of jurisdiction over this bill, raises some important points about funding in the bill. I will work with Senator Harkin in conference to address this issue.

Mr. BENNETT. We are now on the Dayton amendment.

Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, I call for the yeas and nays.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, I now ask unanimous consent that there be a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator McCain's legislative fellow, Navy CDR Shawn Grenier, be granted floor privileges during consideration of H.R. 2528.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that at 11:30 a.m. today, the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 169, H.R. 2528. I further ask consent that the committee- reported substitute be agreed to as original text for the purposes of further amendment, with no points of order waived by virtue of this agreement.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendments be dispensed with.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, the hour of 4 o'clock has come and gone. That was the hour by which all amendments to the bill had to be submitted. We had 120. We have disposed affirmatively of 31 of those, and we are not at all sure the other roughly 90 are all going to be offered. The majority leader has made it clear he wants to finish this bill tonight, and so I say to those who have amendments still on the list, if they do not show up to offer their amendments, we will move to third reading at an appropriate time. We want to accommodate the majority leader's desire. I think it is the desire of most of the Members of the Senate to move forward. So I say to the other Members who do have amendments, you are on notice that if you do not let us know you are going to be here and try to reserve some time to call up your amendment, we will indeed move to third reading. There are hotlines that have been going out to Senators who have amendments filed to give them that message. We will go forward in that fashion. Amendments Nos. 1754 and 1755 Mr. President, I do have two additional amendments to those that have already been cleared, which I send to the desk and ask for their immediate consideration. Both are on behalf of Senator Salazar of Colorado.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, no one has come forward, so we are prepared to close down with the two amendments still unresolved, Dayton and Jeffords, and then move to final passage after those two are resolved for a voice vote or yeas and nays, I assume which will be determined tomorrow. At the moment, the yeas and nays have not been ordered. I want to respect the rights of both of those Senators. While we get together whatever final activity needs to go forward, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I call for a vote on the two amendments.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.

Mr. BENNETT. I would be pleased to yield to the senior Senator from Hawaii.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I understand that under the order, we now go to the Agriculture appropriations bill. I have a few housekeeping details I would like to take care of on behalf of the leader, and then I ask unanimous consent that the senior Senator from Massachusetts be granted half an hour in which he may speak in morning business, with the understanding that we will then go back to the Agriculture appropriations bill without any other requests for morning business being honored.

Mr. BENNETT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. BENNETT. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. BENNETT. I suggest the absence of a quorum.