Kit Bond

Mr. BOND

Mr. BOND. We are happy to accept it. We appreciate working with the Senator from Minnesota, in fact both Senators from Minnesota. Senator Dayton and Senator Coleman have both been very strong, vocal supporters. We know how important it is to Minnesota. We are sorry we are in such tight fiscal constraints, but we want to put the money in this year with the sure knowledge that we will be able to come back and finish it next year, which I trust will not delay the construction of the memorial. Furthermore, since Senator Coleman has been active on this, on his behalf, I ask that he be listed as a cosponsor of the amendment. I know the people of Minnesota want to know both of their Senators are very vigorous champions of this great memorial to a man we will always miss. I didn't always agree with him but it was always interesting, and I had many, many good and pleasant exchanges with him. We worked together on many issues. The Government Printing Office now uses soy ink because of our amendment. We used to tease each other, that in Minnesota he would claim it as the Wellstone amendment; I would claim it as the Bond amendment in Missouri. But neither one of us would mention the cosponsor in our States. But we worked closely together. His is a wonderful spirit that is still with us. I believe there are no further comments.

Mr. BOND. I ask we adopt it on a voice vote.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. BOND

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Alabama for his comments on space exploration and the space station. He noted the delays in the space station operations because of the unavailability of the space shuttle. That is one of the reasons we put some of those funds in other priority programs. We are trying to get back into space so we can get the space shuttle. We very much appreciate that.

Mr. BOND. I would be pleased to engage in a colloquy with my friend from Florida.

Mr. BOND. I agree this is an important issue and I will try to address it in conference.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I express my sincerest appreciation to my colleague, the Senator from Maryland, without whom we could not have gotten them done. We were under very tight time pressures and with very limited resources. I express my thanks to the chairman, Senator Stevens, and the ranking member, Senator Byrd, for making enough money available so we can restore the full amount of funding for veterans health care which was a top priority. This was an extremely difficult year for us. We could not have gotten it done without an extremely able staff who worked, I imagine, more than 100 hours a week and 20 hours several days. Thanks on the minority side to Paul Carliner, Alexa Sewell, Gabrielle Batkin; and, on my side, Jon Kamarck, Cheh Kim, Allan Cutler, Jennifer Storipan, and Rebecca Benn. We sincerely appreciate their good work. I ask my colleague for any comments, and then we are ready to go to final passage.

Mr. BOND. We are ready for final passage.

Mr. BOND. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. BOND. I ask unanimous consent the Senate insist upon its amendment, request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate.

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

Mr. BOND

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now resume consideration of H.R. 2765, the D.C. Appropriations bill; further, that an amendment that is at the desk regarding title II be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table. I further ask that the substitute amendment then be agreed to, the bill be read the third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; provided further that the Senate then insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate.

Mr. BOND

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Tuesday, November 18, 2003, at 2:30 p.m. for a hearing to consider the nomination of James M. Loy to be Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Department of Homeland Security.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Tuesday, November 18, 2003, at 10 a.m., to hear testimony on nomination of Arnold I. Havens, to be General Counsel for the Department of the Treasury.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 18, 2003, at 4 p.m., in open session, to consider the nomination of the Honorable Michael W. Wynne to be Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 18, 2003, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on the ``Review of Current Investigations and Regulatory Actions Regarding the Mutual Fund Industry.''

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Tuesday, November 18, 2003, in the President's Room, immediately following the first vote, on pending committee business.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a hearing on Tuesday, November 18, 2003, at 9:30 a.m, on ``America after 9/11: Freedom Preserved or Freedom Lost?,'' in the Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226. Panel I: Bob Barr, Former United States Representative, Atlanta, GA; Viet Dinh, Professor, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC; James Zogby, Arab American Institute, Washington, DC; James Dempsey, Center for Democracy and Technology, Washington, DC; Robert Cleary, Proskauer Rose, LLP, New York, NY; Nadine Strossen, President, American Civil Liberties Union, New York, NY; and Muzaffar Chishti, Director, Migration Policy Institute at New York University School of Law; New York, NY.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 18, at 2:30 p.m. The purpose of the hearings is to receive testimony on S. 1467, a bill to establish the Rio Grande outstanding natural area in the state of Colorado, and for other purposes, S. 1209, a bill to provide for the acquisition of property in Washington County, Utah, for implementation of a desert tortoise habitat conservation plan, and H.R. 708, a bill to require the conveyance of certain national forest system lands in Mendocino National Forest, California, to provide for the use of the proceeds from such conveyance for national forest purposes, and for other purposes; S. 1167, which would resolve boundary conflicts in Barry and Stone counties in the State of Missouri, and S. 1848, which would amend the Bend Pine Nursery Land Conveyance Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to sell the Bend Pine Nursery Administrative site in the State of Oregon.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on strategic forces of the committee on armed services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 18, 2003, at 2:00 p.m., in open session to receive testimony on space acquisition policies and processes.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Tuesday, November 18, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. for a hearing entitled ``U.S. Tax Shelter Industry: The Role of Accountants, Lawyers and Financial Professionals.''

Mr. BOND

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I understand there are five bills at the desk, and they are due for a second reading. I ask unanimous consent that the clerk read the titles of the bills en bloc for a second time.

Mr. BOND

Mr. BOND. I object.

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I ask that we go to the bill.

Mr. BOND

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Reid of Nevada and Senator Graham of Florida, and I ask for its immediate consideration.