Thad Cochran

Mr. COCHRAN

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, this amendment would provide additional funding for three new special research grants, as follows: Food safety (Alabama) $300,000; Brucellosis vaccine (Montana) $150,000; and Food Science Center (Vermont) $150,000.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the motion was rejected.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I express my sincere appreciation to all Senators for their assistance and cooperation in the consideration of the agriculture appropriations bill. In particular, I thank my distinguished colleague and good friend from Arkansas, who has served for 20 years as a member of this committee and was helping manage the agricultural appropriations bill for the last time in his Senate career. He has been not only a very good friend but very helpful, thoughtful, intelligent and effective as a Senator in this capacity, helping shape this legislation during the time we have had the opportunity to work together as members of the Appropriations Committee. I am going to miss him very much. The Senate is going to miss Dale Bumpers. He is one of the most astute, articulate and effective Senators serving in the Senate today. I want Senators to know, too, that at my request, this bill includes a general provision to designate the United States National Rice Germplasm Evaluation and Enhancement Center in Stuttgart, AR, the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center. In my judgment, Senator Bumpers is the father of this center. He has helped guide the development of the research there in this important agriculture sector. I think it is very appropriate and I was pleased that the subcommittee included that in our committee print. It was approved by the full committee and is included in the bill that was passed by the Senate. Mr. President, I also say that without the wonderful assistance of members of our staff and the other members of our subcommittee, the passage of this bill would not have been possible. I particularly praise the hard work and effective work of the chief clerk of our subcommittee, Rebecca Davies. Those who have assisted her have also turned in exemplary performances, and I appreciate very much all of their work. They are: Martha Scott Poindexter, Rachelle Graves, Hunt Shipman, who is a member of my personal staff and legislative assistant for agriculture and other issues, and our summer intern, Haywood Hamilton, from Albin, MS, who we are glad to have with us in our office this summer. Those who worked closely with Senator Bumpers on the Democratic side: Galen Fountain, his chief assistant on this subcommittee we have come to know and appreciate over a period of time, and we are grateful for his excellent assistance; Cornelia Teitka, who is a designee allocated to us as a resource from the Department of Agriculture, has been very helpful in the handling of the legislation; Ben Noble and Carole Geagley also have assisted them from Senator Bumpers staff. We thank them all. We appreciate very much everyone's good efforts in the work on this bill. Mr. LOTT addressed the Chair.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, we have reached the point where we are prepared to recommend approval of two other amendments that we have cleared on both sides. It is my understanding we have. And I ask my colleague from Arkansas if he is prepared to recommend the passage of our amendment that we are offering for Senators Baucus, Leahy, and Sessions, and then an amendment offered in behalf of Senator Coverdell.

Mr. COCHRAN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President we are now on the Dodd amendment. We had asked for the yeas and nays. We now have been able to work out that amendment and agreed to take that amendment to conference. I ask unanimous consent that the yeas and nays be vitiated with that understanding.

Mr. COCHRAN. I thank the Senator from Illinois. As Senator Durbin knows, the committee has worked hard over the past several years to maintain this very important program. I will work with my colleagues in conference to see that the House level of funding is available for seniors. With the greying of America, the need for this program has clearly increased and as the Senator from Illinois has stated, many of these meals on wheels sites have long waiting lists. I thank the Senator from Illinois for bringing this issue to our attention. Mr. LOTT addressed the Chair.

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

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, the amendment that I suggested had been cleared is one that is offered by Senators Bumpers and myself for Senators Baucus, Leahy, and Sessions. I understand that amendment has been cleared on both sides. I send that amendment to the desk and ask that it be reported.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Utah and the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee for working this out. I believe the best procedure for addressing this issue would be through the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the Dodd amendment so the Senator from Iowa can offer his amendment.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, if the Senator will withhold. We are hoping that we can get a response to a request we have made of a legislative committee to react to the Senator's amendment. Senator Harkin is on the floor and has an amendment that he has been prepared to offer for some time. I hope we can proceed in the meantime and dispose of that amendment. Would the Senator object?

Mr. COCHRAN. I certainly want to provide adequate funding to maintain WIC participation. We felt that we were providing sufficient funding in the bill to accomplish that. I would also note that I am concerned about the effect of the offset in the Senator's amendment on the level of commodities that may be purchased and provided to schools for the National School Lunch Program.

Mr. COCHRAN. We are prepared to accept the amendment offered by the Senator from Iowa. We have made a strong effort to provide adequate funding in this bill in order to maintain WIC participation within the budgetary constraints we have faced.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that those amendments be agreed to, en bloc, and that the motion to table the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. COCHRAN. I appreciate the willingness of the Senator to work with us on these questions.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I send four amendments to the desk, en bloc.

Mr. COCHRAN. The Harkin amendment on the WIC program, together with a colloquy.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I think we can announce that additional amendments have now been cleared on both sides of the aisle. There are 4 amendments. Three of them are Coverdell-Cleland amendments, the Senators from Georgia. One involves a prohibition on loan guarantees. Another involves a definition of ``farmland.'' A third involves disaster loan collateral requirements. A fourth Amendment is for Senator Harkin, and it involves the WIC amendment, and it includes a colloquy. If my distinguished friend from Arkansas can verify that these have been cleared on his side of the aisle, we are prepared to proceed to ask that they be considered en bloc and agreed to en bloc.

Mr. COCHRAN. I agree with my colleague that the implementation of this program would expedite the introduction of improved food packaging materials and will give every consideration to this issue in the Conference Committee.

Mr. COCHRAN. I am pleased to yield to the Senator from Iowa for the purpose of a colloquy.

Mr. COCHRAN. I agree with the Senators from Vermont that there are areas of the country suffering agricultural damage as a result of natural disasters and the needs of these areas should be addressed. The Administration should review the damage estimates from affected areas and request any emergency funding required to address those additional needs.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Roberts be added as a cosponsor to the biodiesel amendment, amendment No. 3185.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I understand that the Wildlife Services Division of APHIS has recently completed a full, independent review of their aerial program.

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that those amendments that I read in the list be considered en bloc, agreed to en bloc, that motions to table the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.