Susan Collins

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, October 6, 2004, at 10 a.m., in room 485 of the Hart Senate Office Building to conduct a business meeting on pending Committee matters.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet for a joint hearing on BioShield II: Responding to an Ever-Changing Threat during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 6, 2004 at 10 a.m. in SH-216.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 6, 2004 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a hearing on Neglected Diseases in East Asia: Are Public Health Programs Working?

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 6, 2004 at 9:30 a.m. to hold a hearing on Addressing the New Reality of Current Visa Policy on International Student Researchers.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 6, 2004, at 2:30 p.m., in open session to receive testimony on the report of the Special Advisor to the Director of Central Intelligence for strategy regarding Iraqi weapons of mass destruction programs.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on October 6, 2004, at 10 a.m., in open session to consider the following nominations: Francis J. Harvey to be Secretary of the Army; Richard Greco, Jr., to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management; and General Gregory S. Martin, USAF, for reappointment to the grade of General and to be Commander, United States Pacific Command.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I thank everyone who has worked so hard on this bill, particularly my colleague and partner, Senator Lieberman. I believe we are ready to move to third reading.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, Senator Lieberman and I have a series of cleared amendments at the desk. Some of these are modifications of previously submitted amendments. Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that the amendments be considered en bloc, modified as necessary, agreed to en bloc, with the motions to reconsider laid upon the table.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to modify amendment No. 3807, with the changes at the desk, notwithstanding its prior adoption.

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

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I very much appreciate the cooperation of the chairman of the Armed Services Committee. We have incorporated many of his suggestions into the bill. I appreciate his advice. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on this amendment.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Frist amendment No. 3896 be considered at this point.

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

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I have a series of cleared amendments at the desk. Some of them are modifications of previously submitted amendments. Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that the amendments be considered en bloc, modified as necessary, agreed to en bloc, with the motions to reconsider laid upon the table.

Ms. COLLINS. I move to reconsider the vote.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the leader's amendment. The modification has been sent to the desk. Mr. President, this is the Frist amendment No. 3895, as further modified.

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

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I will not object because I am aware that the Senator could speak for up to an hour under the cloture rules, although I remind the Senator that she could not speak on the subject about which she appears to be ready to speak. But in the interest of moving forward, and since there have been others today who have also spoken as in morning business, I will not object. I do think it is unfortunate, however. (The remarks of Mrs. Stabenow are printed in today's Record under ``Morning Business.'')

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, will the Senator from Michigan inform me whether her statement is going to be germane to the bill as is required in the postcloture situation?

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Vermont for his cooperation on that last issue. As I have explained to my colleagues, the bill strikes a very delicate balance on the civil liberties board's power, and there were amendments to strengthen it as well as amendments to weaken it. I appreciate my colleagues' cooperation on both sides of the aisle. I am sure there will be more discussion of this issue as we go along. I thank the Senator from Vermont and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. COLLINS. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 3913 Withdrawn

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, again, I thank Senator Leahy for modifying his amendment to address concerns that the manager raised. I have no objection to the modified amendment, and I urge its adoption.