Susan Collins

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I congratulate the Senator from California for her amendment. She has worked very closely with Senator Lieberman and me, as well as with the Judiciary Committee and Senator Gregg. Senator Feinstein's amendment is a good one. It strengthens the bill. It underscores her commitment to making the FBI as effective as possible in the war against terrorism. I thank the Senator for her leadership, and I urge adoption of her amendment.

Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order to consider sequentially the Feinstein amendment, No. 3718, and the Gregg amendment, No. 3934, both as modified with changes that are at the desk.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I note that the debate on this bill has been extensive. The Senator from Connecticut and I were here until 9 p.m. last night. We were here until after 6 o'clock on Friday. We have been here, although others have not been here, debating all day every day.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. On behalf of Senator Rockefeller and Senator Baucus, these amendments have been cleared on both sides and I urge their adoption en bloc.

Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent, notwithstanding morning business, that I send two amendments to the desk and ask the pending amendment also be set aside, to S. 2845.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I now call up a managers' amendment that is at the desk and, again, has been cleared on both sides of the aisle.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, the first amendment I call up is amendment No. 3933, as modified, with the changes that are at the desk. This is an amendment from Senators Cantwell, Sessions, Schumer, and Kyl.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. I will be happy to yield.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding morning business, it now be in order to consider amendments to the pending intelligence reform bill, and for the information of all Senators, these are amendments that have been cleared on both sides. This will only take a few moments.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, if the Senator from Ohio would yield on that point.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, if the Senator from Ohio will yield, I will be happy to respond to his question. The Senator from Ohio is exactly right. The amendment offered by the Senator from West Virginia would greatly weaken the authority of the national intelligence director to move funding and people. That is one of the most important reforms made by this legislation. That is one reason I am strongly opposed to the amendment offered by the Senator from West Virginia. I believe the Senator from Ohio is exactly right, that were the amendment to pass, it would severely undermine the reforms called for by the 9/11 Commission to create a NID with real authority. That means the authority over the budget, over the people in the national intelligence program, the authority to set priorities, and certainly the Byrd amendment would greatly weaken that authority.

Ms. COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. President.

Ms. COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. President. The bill is now officially before the Senate. It is open for amendment. We have great deal of work to do on this legislation, as the Presiding Officer is well aware. I do anticipate many votes later today, starting at 4:15. I do anticipate a late session tonight in order to make considerable progress on the bill. In addition, I want to alert my colleagues to the fact that the majority leader, with the consent of the Democratic leader, did file a cloture motion last week that will ripen tomorrow morning. So we are determined to make good progress on this bill. We made a great deal of progress last week. Negotiations continued over the weekend. But we have to finish this highly significant bill. That is the leader's intention. It is the floor managers' intention. And we will be working long and hard to do so both tonight and tomorrow night. I thank the Chair.

Ms. COLLINS

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

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate insist on its amendment, agree to conference with the House, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees at a ratio of 2 to 1.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask that the Chair now lay before the Senate the House message to accompany H.R. 1047, the miscellaneous tariffs bill. The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate a message from the House of Representatives disagreeing to the amendment of the Senate to the bill (H.R. 1047) entitled ``An Act to amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to modify temporarily certain rates of duty, to make other technical amendments to the trade laws, and for other purposes'', and ask a conference with the Senate on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses thereon.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, tomorrow at 9:45 a.m., the Senate will vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the intelligence reform bill. We have made good progress on the bill, disposing of dozens of amendments. It is my hope that cloture will be invoked tomorrow morning so that we can move toward final action on the bill. For the remainder of the bill, the Senate will work through additional amendments to the bill. Senators should, therefore, expect rollcall votes throughout the day tomorrow. Finally, I remind everyone of the majority leader's announcement that following the conclusion of this bill, the Senate will begin consideration of the intelligence reforms related to the organization of the Senate.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. I ask unanimous consent that Members have until 9:45 tomorrow morning in order to file second-degree amendments as under rule XXII.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9 a.m. on Tuesday, October 5. I further ask that following the prayer and the pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved, and that there be a period of morning business until 9:40 a.m. with the first half of the time under the control of the majority leader or his designee and the second half under the control of the Democratic leader or his designee; provided further that at 9:40 a.m., the Senate resume consideration of S. 2845, the intelligence reform bill, and the time until 9:45 a.m. be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; provided further that at 9:45 a.m. the Senate proceed to a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the bill.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution and preamble be agreed to en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements be printed in the Record without intervening action or debate.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 446, submitted earlier today by Senator Reid of Nevada.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements be printed in the Record.

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 5122 which is at the desk.

Ms. COLLINS

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to continue its markup of Thursday, September 30, 2004 on Monday, October 4, 2004 immediately following the stacked roll call votes which are scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m. in S-219, The Capitol. I. Nominations: Claude A. Allen to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit; Susan B. Neilson to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit; Christopher Boyko to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio; Beryl Alaine Howell to be a Member of the United States Sentencing Commission. II. Legislation: S. 2396--Federal Courts Improvement Act of 2004; Hatch, Leahy, Chambliss, Durbin, Schumer; S. 2204--A bill to provide criminal penalties for false information and hoaxes relating to Terrorism Act of 2004; Hatch, Schumer, Cornyn, Feinstein, DeWine; S. 1860--A bill to reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy Act of 2003; Hatch, Biden, Grassley; S. 2560--A bill to amend chapter 5 of title 17, United States Code, relating to inducement of copyright infringement, and for other purposes Act of 2004; Hatch, Leahy, Graham; S.J. Res. 23--A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing for the event that one- fourth of the members of either the House of Representatives or the Senate are killed or incapacitated Act of 2003; Cornyn, Chambliss; S. 2737--A bill to modify the prohibition on recognition by United States courts of certain rights relating to certain marks, trade names, or commercial names Act of 2004; Domenici, Graham, Sessions; S. 1784--A bill to eliminate the safe-harbor exception for certain packaged pseudoephedrine products used in the manufacture of methamphetamine Act of 2003; Feinstein, Grassley, Kohl, Biden, Kyl, Schumer; S. 2863--A bill to reauthorize the Department of Justice Act of 2004; Hatch, Leahy, DeWine, Schumer; H.R. 2391--To amend title 35, United States Code, to promote cooperative research involving universities, the public sector, and private enterprises Act of 2003; Smith--TX; S. 2760--A bill to limit and expedite Federal collateral review of convictions for killing a public safety officer Act of 2004; Kyl, Hatch, Craig, Cornyn, Sessions, Chambliss; S. 1297--A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, with respect to the jurisdiction of Federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court over certain cases and controversies involving the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag Act of 2003; Hatch, Talent, Kyl; S. 2089--A bill to allow aliens who are eligible for diversity visas to be eligible beyond the fiscal year in which they applied Act of 2004; Chambliss, Kennedy, Miller; S. 2302--A bill to improve access to physicians in medically underserved areas Act of 2004; Conrad, Feingold, Kennedy, Schumer, DeWine, Kohl; S. 989--A bill to provide death and disability benefits for aerial firefighters who work on a contract basis for a public agency and suffer death or disability in the line of duty, and for other purposes Act of 2003; Enzi, Reid; S. 1728--Terrorism Victim Compensation Equity Act of 2003; Specter, Leahy, Schumer; S. 1740--Anthrax Victims Fund Fairness Act of 2003; Leahy, Feingold; S. 549--A bill to amend the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note; Public Law 107- 42) to provide compensation for victims killed in the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, and for other purposes Act of 2003; Schumer; S. 115--Private Bill; A bill for the relief of Richi James Lesley Act of 2004; Cochran; S. 2331--A bill for the relief of Fereshteh Sani Act of 2004; Allen; S. 1042--Private Bill; A bill for the relief of Tchisou Tho Act of 2003; Coleman; S. 2314--A bill for the relief of Nabil Raja Dandan, Ketty Dandan, Souzi Dandan, Raja Nabil Dandan, and Sandra Dandan Act of 2004; Durbin; S. 353--Private Bill; A bill for the relief of Denes and Gyorgyi Fulop Act of 2003; Feinstein; H.R. 867--Private Bill; For the relief of Durreshahwar Durreshahwar, Nida Hasan, Asna Hasan, Anum Hasan, and Iqra Hasan Act of 2003; Holt-- NJ; S. 2012--Private Bill; A bill for the relief of Luay Lufti Hadad Act of 2004; Levin.