Thad Cochran

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on International Economic Policy, Export and Trade Promotion and the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, August 4, 1999, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a joint hearing.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem be permitted to meet on August 4, 1999, at 9:30 a.m., or the purpose of conducting a hearing.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, August 4, 1999, at 2:00 p.m. to hold a closed hearing on intelligence matters.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Rules and Administration be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, August 4, 1999, at 9:15 a.m., to receive testimony on committee funding resolutions.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet for a hearing re Annual Refugee Consultation during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, August 4, 1999, at 2:00 p.m., in SD628.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet for a hearing re Pipeline Drugs: Proposed Remedies for Relief in S. 1172, during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, August 4, 1999, at 10:00 a.m., in SD628.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet for a hearing re Department of Justice Nominations, during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, August 4, 1999, at 8:30 a.m., in SD628.

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, August 3, 1999, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing on S. 692, a bill to prohibit Internet gaming. The hearing will be held in room 485, Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, August 3, 1999, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on S. 964, a bill to provide for equitable compensation for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. The hearing will be held in room 485, Russell Senate Office Building.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet at 9:30 a.m., on Tuesday, August 3, 1999, in open session, to consider the nominations of Carol DiBattiste to be Under Secretary of the Air Force and Charles A. Blanchard to be General Counsel of the Department of the Army.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, be allowed to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, August 3, 1999. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the farm crisis.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Governmental Affairs Committee be permitted to meet on Tuesday, August 3, 1999, at 10 a.m., for a business meeting to consider pending business.

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. I move to reconsider the vote.

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

Mr. COCHRAN. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I know of no Senator who is seeking recognition on this side. The issue has been debated fully. I think we are prepared to go to vote. I yield the time on this side on the amendment.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. COCHRAN. I thank the Senator. Mr. CRAIG addressed the Chair.

Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, I asked the Senator to yield so I can send a modification of my amendment to the desk. I do send the modification of my amendment to the desk.

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I have no objection. I think that is a good suggestion. I thank the distinguished Senator from West Virginia.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, if the Senator will yield, I think that is a good suggestion.

Mr. COCHRAN. Yes. He was.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, if the distinguished Senator from Kansas will yield further, I had suggested we not try to establish an order. That was my response to the question. He asked if we were going to establish an order. My answer is, as the manager of the bill, I recommend against it at this point.

Mr. COCHRAN. Rather than agree to that, and I think it is a good idea to go back and forth from one side of the aisle to the other, we do not have a time agreement, and I think it is a mistake now to try to get a time agreement. Senator Grassley, I know, was on the floor making notes a while ago. He stepped off the floor just now. I wouldn't want to jeopardize his right. He has been here for some time this morning. I hope what we can do is, if the Senator from Kansas can proceed as suggested by the Senator from Minnesota, and then the Senator from Minnesota, at that time we can take a look and see who wants to speak. But I know the Senator from North Dakota is interested in this debate and participated in the debate yesterday. We look forward to hearing his comments again today. Several Senators addressed the chair.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator from North Dakota for his willingness to let the Senate resume the bill. I appreciate very much also his efforts to try to identify the ways we can develop a comprehensive response to the disaster situation and the economic crisis that exists in agriculture today. Last evening, before the Senate adjourned, the distinguished Senator from Indiana, Mr. Lugar, spoke for about 30 minutes, focusing the attention of the Senate, as we should be focused, on the difficulties of designing a plan to deal with this problem in agriculture that affects all commodities, all regions of the country, because there are disparities around the country in terms of economic losses, weather- related damages to crops, and market influences in the agricultural sector. All of that means some farmers are doing fairly well. There was an article in my home State press yesterday, as a matter of fact, talking about the aquacultural industry in the State of Mississippi, and what a good year those who are producing farm-raised fish are having in comparison with the other agricultural producers in our State. This is probably replicated in many other States. Some farmers are having a good year but many are not. We are trying to identify ways we can design a program of special assistance to deal with those catastrophic situations where the Government does need to respond. It is my hope we can design a disaster program that sends money directly to farmers who need financial assistance rather than create larger Government programs with money going into the bureaucracy, or expanding conservation programs, as the first-degree amendment would do, and instead opt for the alternative that is the second-degree amendment which I have offered that sends the money directly to farmers. I was called this morning by one of the network radio news reporters and was asked whether or not the program we are recommending is more loans for farmers. Farmers, he had heard, do not want more loans. I assured him that is not what we were proposing. We are not proposing that farmers be given more loans. We are proposing that they be given more money, direct payments, using the vehicle of the existing farm legislation that gives authority to the Secretary of Agriculture to make direct payments to farmers in the form of transition payments. We are doubling the amount of the transition payments in this second- degree amendment. That makes up the bulk of the dollar cost of the second-degree amendment as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office. So I think we are on the right track in trying to identify the best way to help farmers who are in an emergency situation, to identify those who are in an emergency and to give them money in direct payments in this special situation. Several Senators addressed the Chair.