John Chafee

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, what we would like to do now is move to a Lautenberg amendment dealing with alcohol-blood content. The proposal is that there be 3 hours of debate equally divided. Unanimous Consent Agreement

Mr. CHAFEE. Well, I certainly agree with the distinguished ranking member. Senator McConnell has been very thoughtful. He has been on the floor. He is ready to go. We want to find out how many people want to speak on Senator McConnell's amendment so we can get some concept of the time that should be set aside. But that is another amendment. My thinking now is, if we can work out proceeding with the Lautenberg amendment, tomorrow morning we would take up the financing amendment that was agreed to in the committee today as a result of the agreement that was reached yesterday. There may be some debate on that. I do not know. But we are free to take that up tomorrow. My hope is we would do that tomorrow morning. And then tomorrow afternoon we would go to the McConnell amendment. But the Senator from Kentucky legitimately wants to know how many people want to speak on his amendment. We want a time agreement. He wants a time agreement. I am for a time agreement, enthusiastically for a time agreement. So, therefore, would individuals who want to speak on the McConnell amendment call up the cloakroom, let us know how long they think they need, and which side they will be on so we can figure that out. The same goes with the Lautenberg amendment. Time is of the essence. We will reach an agreement pretty quickly on the Lautenberg amendment. Now is the time for people to call with their thoughts. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Lautenberg be recognized to offer an amendment on blood-alcohol content and that there be 3 hours for debate, equally divided, under the control of Senator Lautenberg and Senator Chafee. I further ask unanimous consent that there be 1 hour remaining, equally divided, for debate. In other words, do 2 hours tonight and 1 hour tomorrow. The leader has indicated that we are to come in at 9 a.m. and that the vote will be at 10 a.m.; at 10 a.m., the Senate proceed to vote on or in relation to the Lautenberg amendment. I further ask unanimous consent that no additional amendments be in order prior to the vote in relation to the Lautenberg amendment.

Mr. CHAFEE. I applaud my colleagues on the Commerce Committee, particularly the distinguished Chairman Senator McCain, the ranking member Senator Hollings, and Senators Snowe and Breaux for their hard work on these provisions. Although the subtitle regarding the Dingell- Johnson/Wallop-Breaux program is included in the amendment offered on behalf of the Commerce Committee, I would like to express my gratitude to my colleagues on that Committee for the opportunity to remain involved in the negotiations leading to the language in the subtitle, and for the recognition that jurisdiction for that subtitle remains within both Committees. Indeed, the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration program, taken in its entirety, is primarily under the jurisdiction of the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Mr. CHAFEE. I ask unanimous consent to set aside the Wellstone amendment for the consideration of a McCain amendment.

Mr. CHAFEE. I wholeheartedly agree with the distinguished Chairman of the Committee on Commerce.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I personally am in support of the amendment of the Senator from Idaho. I think it is a good amendment. And he has moved his amendment, hasn't he?

Mr. CHAFEE. Well, put me down as in favor of it. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, the pending business, as I understand it, is the Wellstone amendment.

Mr. CHAFEE. Now, Mr. President, I modify the unanimous consent request, and as a matter of fact, I will just read it over again so everybody will understand it. I ask unanimous consent that Senator Lautenberg be recognized to offer an amendment regarding drinking levels, and there be 3 hours for debate, equally divided, and the time be under the control of Senator Lautenberg and Senator Chafee. I further ask unanimous consent that there be 1 hour, equally divided, for debate tomorrow morning--in other words, do 2 hours tonight and 1 hour tomorrow morning--that we come in at 9:30 a.m., and go straight to the remaining hour on the amendment, and at the hour of 10:30 a.m. the Senate proceed to vote on or in relation to the Lautenberg amendment. I further ask unanimous consent that no additional amendments be in order prior to the vote in relation to the Lautenberg amendment.

Mr. CHAFEE. Now, Mr. President, we have the so-called Lautenberg amendment that we would like to take up. This is the amendment that deals with the alcohol content in blood. The amendment would lower the alcohol content, which is a test, for drunken driving, from .1 to .08. Mr. President, we would like to enter into a time agreement on this. The time agreement would be something in the neighborhood of an hour and a half apiece. And now is the time for those Senators to come to the Chamber if, one, they object to this time agreement, and, two, the plan, further, would be that we would vote this evening. In other words, that would take us up to about 6:30, if all the time were used. So I want to send the word out, we are about to enter into this agreement. I trust offices are listening to what we are saying here and will come on over or call the cloakroom with their views because we want to move on. We have legislation we have to make progress on. We have been on this floor for some time but now we are ready for this particular amendment, the drinking amendment, which most people are familiar with. Mr. BAUCUS addressed the Chair.

Mr. CHAFEE. Has that been agreed to, Mr. President?

Mr. CHAFEE. I yield such time as the Senator from Arkansas needs.

Mr. CHAFEE

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

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I would like to direct, if I might, a couple of questions to the Senator from Minnesota. I have looked over this amendment, and it's an amendment, obviously, that is in the jurisdiction of the Finance Committee, as the Senator from Minnesota has indicated. And the amendment has just been introduced, so, obviously, there have been no hearings before the Finance Committee, and it's not a matter that has previously been considered by the Finance Committee, if I understand this correctly. I ask the Senator from Minnesota if that is accurate.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I note that this is a piece of legislation that would direct the Secretary to develop a plan. In other words, as I read page 2 here, it says the Secretary shall develop a plan, to the extent possible based on all available information, and so forth. What I would like to do, Mr. President, is hear from our people on the Finance Committee, which should be very shortly, and I will then see that the Senator from Minnesota has every opportunity to bring this to a vote, should he wish to, this afternoon. We will work it out. He is not going to be blocked in any fashion. But I would like to hear, and it may well be that we can accept the amendment, and that would save us all some time. We are now just trying to check with the Finance Committee. It may be well that something from the Labor Committee is involved likewise, although it seems to me that this is pretty much a Finance Committee matter. When we get back, after our luncheon recess has concluded, I will speak to the Senator from Minnesota, and we will then be able to go from there. Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I want to thank the distinguished Senator from Missouri for those kind comments. We have worked closely together, and he has been a valuable member of the committee, not only on highway matters, but in other matters likewise. We look forward to his vigorous support as we move forward with this legislation. Now, the Senator from Minnesota, I believe, has matters to discuss.

Mr. CHAFEE. It is my understanding the distinguished Senator from Minnesota has an amendment which he wishes to present. What we would like to do, if it is agreeable with him, is he could present his amendment and discuss it but we not proceed to a vote until we have had an opportunity to check with the Labor Committee, and check some other factors. So he and I could work together on when would be a good time to call it up for a vote. Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair.

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, it is my understanding the Senator from Missouri is going to speak on the underlying bill. Is that correct?

Mr. CHAFEE. What I suggest, Mr. President, is that the Senator from Missouri is not going to be very long. We will be in 45 minutes anyway, or more, before we recess. So I suggest if we could just let the Senator from Missouri go ahead, and then I have some comments I will direct to the Senator from Minnesota. That is my suggestion.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, today is the eighth annual National Sportsmanship Day--a day designated to promote ethics, integrity, and character in athletics. I am pleased to say that National Sportsmanship Day was a creation of Mr. Daniel E. Doyle, Jr., Executive Director of the Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island. Participation this year will include over 10,000 schools in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Today, the Institute is holding a day-long town meeting in which athletes, coaches, journalists, students, and educators are engaged in an in-depth discussion of racial issues in sports. I believe that the Institute's work in addressing the issues of character and sportsmanship, and its ability to foster good dialogue among our young people is significant. As part of the Day's celebration, the Institute selects Sports Ethics Fellows who have demonstrated ``highly ethical behavior in athletics and society.'' Past recipients have included: Kirby Puckett, former Minnesota Twins outfielder and 10-time All Star; Joan Benoit Samuelson, gold medalist in the first women's Olympic marathon in 1984; and Joe Paterno, longtime head football coach at Penn State University. This year, the Institute will honor over 15 individuals including Mills Lane, district court judge of Reno, Nevada and internationally known professional boxing referee; Bud Greenspan, renowned Olympic cinematographer; Billy Packer, CBS sports commentator; and Ken Dryden, president and general manager, Toronto Maple Leafs. Another key component of National Sportsmanship Day is the Student- Athlete Outreach Program. This program encourages high schools and colleges to send talented student-athletes to local elementary and middle schools to promote good sportsmanship and serve as positive role models. These students help young people build self-esteem, respect for physical fitness, and an appreciation for the value of teamwork. If all those activities were not enough, the Institute has found another avenue to promote understanding and good character for youngsters. A new program called Renaissance Education was instituted in 1996 to expose students to the foundations of ``total education.'' The Renaissance Education concept gives students the opportunity to contribute to a team effort and profit from the benefits of team participation. To kick-off this program, the Institute will host its first-ever Renaissance Games in April where students will participate in sports, leisure, cultural, and academic activities such as: basketball, volleyball, photography, public speaking, creative writing, chess, board games, spelling bees, and library research. I remain very proud that National Sportsmanship Day was initiated in Rhode Island, and I applaud the students and teachers who are participating in the events of this inspiring day. Likewise, I congratulate all of those at the University of Rhode Island's Institute for International Sport, whose hard work and dedication over the last eight years have made this program so successful. Mr. President, it is my understanding that S. 1173 will be the matter before the Senate?

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today it stand in adjournment until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4; that immediately following the prayer, the routine requests through the morning hour be granted and the Senate resume consideration of amendment No. 1682, offered by Senator Lautenberg, to S. 1173, the ISTEA legislation as under the previous order.

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. Tomorrow, the Senate will resume consideration of S. 1173, the ISTEA legislation. Under the consent agreement, the Senate will conclude 1 hour of debate on the Lautenberg amendment regarding drinking levels, with time equally divided, with a vote occurring on or in relation to the Lautenberg amendment at approximately 10:30 a.m. Therefore, Members should be prepared for the first rollcall vote tomorrow at 10:30. Following that vote, the Senate will continue to consider amendments to the ISTEA legislation. I hope at least two of the major amendments to this legislation can be offered and debated during Wednesday's session of the Senate. Members should therefore anticipate a busy voting day tomorrow. I certainly hope it will be a busy voting day tomorrow.

Mr. CHAFEE

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

Mr. CHAFEE

Mr. CHAFEE. That is fine, 10 minutes, from the time of the opponents.