John Chafee

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Yes; the amendment has been cleared on this side.

Mr. CHAFEE. Now, the amendment is adopted?

Mr. CHAFEE. The motion to reconsider was part of that and it was laid on the table?

Mr. CHAFEE. That is all going to be original text?

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following members of the Joint Committee on Taxation staff be given the privilege of the floor during the ISTEA debate: Lindy Paull, Ben Hartley, Tom Barthold, Judy Owens, Steve Arkin, Joe Nega, Carolyn Smith and Maxine Terry.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, this is the order. Senator Wyden has an amendment that has been agreed to. Actually, it turns out that it is my amendment; I am introducing it. This has been agreed to. We would like to move to the McConnell amendment. That will be a long one. I don't see Senator McConnell here, but I urge him to come because we want to get started on that. There is a time agreement suggested of 3 hours on his side, 2 on our side, and 45 minutes for Senator Domenici from New Mexico. We are ready to go. Amendment No. 1702 (Purpose: To further clarify the integrated decision-making process for surface transportation projects)

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, we have two amendments that have been cleared on both sides. I will start with the Inhofe amendment. Amendment No. 1705 to Amendment No. 1676 (Purpose: To improve the provisions relating to contracting for engineering and design services)

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the votes by which these two amendments were agreed to.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Collins be added as a cosponsor of the Chafee amendment.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that amendment No. 1684, which is the Chafee amendment, the financial amendment, be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and the amendment be considered as original text for the purpose of further amendment. I want to stress that it will be part of the bill. It can be amended. People can bring up their amendments to it.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I don't know where our errant brother is. We are ready. I think the ranking member makes a good point. We have been waiting. The agreement was that we were going to start at 12:30. In the famous words of the Senate, the Senator has been described as being ``on his way'' for the last 45 minutes. So I hope he will be here soon. I must say that I am thinking of, at quarter past, getting up and proposing--and that's 7 minutes from now--that all time after that be deducted from the proponents' side. Let's wait and see. I am going to make an effort to round up the Senator from Kentucky and see if we can't get started.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. I retract that word ``helpless.'' I feel frustrated. I am not totally helpless.

Mr. CHAFEE. Wait a minute. I don't want you to get on with that. Judge Kane found there was a compelling interest.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary, be authorized to hold an executive business meeting during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 5, 1998, at 10 a.m., in room 226 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Thursday, March 5, 1998, at 2 p.m. on commercialization of space.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be granted permission to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 5, for purposes of conducting a full committee hearing which is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. The purpose of this oversight hearing is to consider the President's proposed budget for FY1999 for the Department of the Interior.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Immigration, of the Senate Judiciary Committee, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 5, 1998, at 2 p.m. to hold a hearing in room 226, Senate Dirksen Building, on: ``Immigration and Naturalization Service Oversight: Reforming the Naturalization Process.''

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the resolution appear at this point in the Record.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, the Senator is right. We have no objections.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, this amendment is acceptable to this side.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, we yield time from the opponent's side. Amendment No. 1387, as Modified (Purpose: To encourage the Secretary of Transportation to use the national laboratories in carrying out the research and technology program)

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:30 a.m. on Friday, March 6, and immediately following the prayer, the routine requests through the morning hour be granted, and the Senate resume consideration of S. 1173, the ISTEA legislation.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period for morning business with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 5 minutes each.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, tomorrow, the Senate will resume consideration of S. 1173, the so-called ISTEA legislation. Under the consent agreement, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., the Senate will conclude debate on the McConnell amendment regarding contract preferences, with debate equally divided between the opponents and proponents, with 45 minutes of that time equally divided between Senators Chafee and Baucus. Also, under the agreement, at 11 a.m., the Senate will proceed to a vote on or in relation to the McConnell amendment. Following that vote, the Senate will continue to consider amendments to the ISTEA legislation. In addition, the Senate may also consider any legislative or executive business cleared for floor action. Therefore, additional votes are possible. As a reminder to all Members, the first rollcall vote tomorrow will occur at 11 a.m.