Tom Daschle

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I would be happy to attempt to propound an agreement at 3 o'clock and see what happens. No harm done in making the effort.

Mr. DASCHLE. But I wanted to clarify that for the sake of anybody who may have misunderstood. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I appreciate the chairman's concern for moving the process along. And since we discussed this matter this morning, we have issued a hotline request for amendments. We have now received the response. A number of Senators have indicated a desire to ensure that they have been included in the managers' amendment. Once that confirmation can be made, I think on our side we would be prepared to then enter into a unanimous consent agreement which would take on or schedule the debate with an appreciation for a managers' amendment and a designated list of amendments that could be accommodated. So we are just about at a position where I think a unanimous consent request could be propounded. If Senators could just check with the distinguished senior Senator from West Virginia and the Senator from Alaska to ensure that the managers' amendment is as it has been reported to them, we will be able to move forward.

Mr. DASCHLE. I thank the chairman for yielding. Let me just say, the whole purpose in my announcement early last week that we would have to finish the supplemental, the organizing resolution, and the Patients' Bill of Rights was to accommodate Senators who had reservations. It is not my desire to inconvenience Senators or Members of the House with regard to this schedule. I do believe that the President believes, and many of us believe, that vacations are important, reservations are important, but not as important as finishing the supplemental, not as important as the Patient Protection Act, certainly not as important as the organizing resolution. We will stay here. I hope our House colleagues will share the same view we have with regard to the importance of getting our work done on the supplemental. I announced that last week. I don't know if people believed I was serious about it, but we are serious. We are resolute. That will be the order for whatever length of time it takes to complete our work. I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I am honored today to present to my colleagues in the Senate an essay by Austin Lammers of Hermosa, SD. Austin is a student at St. Thomas More High School and he is the National Peace Essay Contest winner for South Dakota. I ask unanimous consent that the essay be printed in the Record.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, the vast majority of cities throughout our Nation are small cities, many of which are fewer than 50,000 people. It is in these communities that our Nation's citizens nurture their families, develop their work ethic, cultivate their values, and live with their neighbors. Millions of Americans live better lives because small cities provide services and programs that meet the needs of their citizens. But small cities cannot meet these needs alone. Businesses, civic organizations and citizens across the Nation continue to develop partnerships in an effort to improve the quality of life in their communities. The Federal Government, too, must continue to be a good partner by supporting important efforts, such as the COPS program, Community Development Block grants, disaster assistance and infrastructure assistance, that enable small communities to become better places in which to live. The National League of Cities has designated this day, June 22, 2001, as National Small Cities ``Investing in Communities Day'' in an effort to highlight the many ways in which Federal, State, and local governments work together. We must continue that work and look for ways to improve our communities through continued cooperative efforts. I join the National League of Cities and the Small Cities Council in encouraging President Bush, my congressional colleagues, State governments, community organizations, businesses and citizens to recognize this event, honor the efforts of ``small town America,'' and renew our commitment to work together on this day and in the future to improve the lives of all citizens throughout the Nation.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I would like to call attention to the introduction of S. 1091, our bipartisan legislation to update and expand the Agent Orange Act of 1991. These changes, and my other ongoing Agent Orange work, are necessitated by our imperfect understanding of how dioxin affects the human body. As many of my colleagues know, dioxin is the toxic ingredient in Agent Orange, 11 million gallons of which were sprayed over Vietnam during the war. Dioxin ranks with plutonium as one of the most toxic substances known to man, and this country dropped more on Vietnam than has ever been released into the environment, anywhere in the world. S. 1091 is another effort, more than 25 years after the war's end, to deal with the wounds of, and determine the extent of the injury to, our own soldiers. As an example of how our knowledge of dioxin is evolving, I would point to a provision in S. 1091 that would remove all deadlines for veterans to claim disability benefits for respiratory cancer. This provision stems from a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences, which pointed out that there is no scientific basis for the deadline contained in current law--a deadline that effectively blocks benefits for a veteran whose cancer develops 30 years after Agent Orange exposure. The Academy finds no evidence that the risk diminishes with the passage of time. And as scientists learn more about Agent Orange, we must continue to ensure that veterans benefits are updated accordingly. The current mechanism for continuous updating, established in the 1991 Agent Orange Act, has proven to work well, but it expires soon. The two-step process begins with a biennial review of new dioxin research, via a scientific panel organized by the National Academy of Sciences. Next, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs must respond to the report and recommend the addition of new diseases and conditions as appropriate. S. 1091 would extend the process until 2012. Recently, this process has brought diabetes on the Agent Orange presumptive disability list, which means that if a veteran was exposed to Agent Orange, the veteran's diabetes is presumed to be connected to his or her military service. Previous Academy reports have linked Agent Orange exposure to serious conditions such as prostate cancer, respiratory cancer, the disfiguring skin disease chloracne, soft-tissue sarcoma, the lymphatic system cancers known as Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, porphyria cutanea tarda, multiple myeloma, and subacute peripheral neuropathy. I am proud to be a cosponsor of S. 1091, along with the chair and ranking member of our Veterans' Affairs Committee. My thanks to Senators Rockefeller and Specter for their hard work on this measure and their interest in Vietnam veterans, their families, and others who live with the diseases, conditions, and uncertainty created by exposure to dioxin.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I will use my leader time just to make a brief announcement. For the information of all Senators, this will be the last vote of the day and of the week. We anticipate another Republican amendment, after the vote on this amendment, and amendments to be considered today and on Monday. There will be votes Tuesday morning on the amendments to be considered today and on Monday. Should we complete our work on the supplemental and on the Patients' Bill of Rights, as well as the organizing resolution, by Thursday night, I do not anticipate a session or votes on Friday, a week from today. So there will be no votes this coming Friday, a week from today, if we are able to complete our work on those three matters by Thursday night. So the next vote will be cast on Tuesday morning. Consideration of amendments will take place between now and then. I yield the floor. Vote On Amendment No. 809, As Modified

Mr. DASCHLE

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

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 75, S. 1052, the Patients' Bill of Rights.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I now move to proceed to S. 1052.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I regret we are not in a position to begin consideration of this important legislation at this time. I remain hopeful that by the end of the day we will be able to do so. In the event that the Senate cannot proceed to the bill today, it is my intention to file cloture on the motion. Under the rules, this cloture vote would occur on Thursday morning 1 hour after the Senate convenes. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I want to call my colleagues' attention to a specific passage in President Bush's commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy last month that was particularly meaningful to me. In that reference, the President paid tribute to the heroism of a longtime friend of mine, retired Marine Corps Lt. Colonel William C. Holmberg, class of '51. I would like to quote from the President's speech: But there are many others from the Class of '51 whose stories are lesser known, such as retired Lieutenant Colonel William C. Holmberg. One year and a handful of days after graduation, Second Lieutenant Holmberg found himself on the Korean peninsula, faced with a daunting task: to infiltrate his platoon deep behind enemy lines in an area swarming with patrol; to rout a tenacious enemy; to seize and hold their position. And that's what he did. And that's what his platoon did. Along the way, they came under heavy fire and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat. Despite severe wounds, Lieutenant Holmberg refused to be evacuated, and continued to deliver orders and direct the offensive until the mission was accomplished. And that's why he wears the Navy Cross. And today, his deeds, and the deeds of other heros from that class, echo down through the ages to you. You can't dictate the values that make you a hero. You can't buy them, but you can foster them. I commend the President for his recognition of this very special American. I have known Bill Holmberg ever since I came to Washington as a freshman Congressman more than 20 years ago. I know Bill not as a war hero, but as an indefatigable champion of the environment and as a visionary who understood the potential of renewable fuels for improving air quality and reducing our dependence on imported oil long before they were accepted as a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Bill is a true American hero who stands as a model for us all. His selfless commitment to making the world a better place to live has been demonstrated not only on distant battlefields, but also by his daily pursuit of a more secure, environmentally sustainable and just society. I join with President Bush in saluting Lt. Colonel William C. Holmberg, a sustainable American hero.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, will the Senator yield for just a moment?

Mr. DASCHLE. I appreciate very much the senior Senator from Iowa yielding. The hour is almost over, and I do want to call attention to an important matter for me personally, for our caucus, and certainly for the Senate. Our colleague from Georgia, Senator Cleland, has never had the opportunity to preside before, in large measure because we have not been in the majority during the time he has been in the Senate. I want to call attention to the fact that Max Cleland, our colleague from Georgia, has been the Presiding Officer for this last hour. I congratulate him. I wish him well as he pursues his golden gavel of 100 hours of presiding. I compliment him on the way he has presided and thank him very much for his willingness to do so.

Mr. DASCHLE. I thank the Senator for yielding.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, it is my intention, then, to stay on the motion to proceed until the 9:30 time that we have now just agreed to on Thursday. Should there be any interest in accelerating that, we would certainly entertain it. However, at least now we know we will have a vote at 9:30, and that our Republican colleagues will be recognized to offer their first amendment at noon on Thursday. I appreciate very much the willingness of Senator Nickles and certainly the Republican leader and others who have been discussing this matter with me for the last couple of hours.

Mr. DASCHLE. Yes.

Mr. DASCHLE. There are two matters I think it is imperative we finish. This is the first of the two, I answer my colleague, the assistant Democratic leader; and the other is the supplemental. I think 2 good weeks of debate on this issue is certainly warranted. We have had a debate on this matter in previous Congresses. I think we should be prepared to work late into the night Thursday night. We will be here on Friday. We will be in session on Friday, with amendments and votes. We will stay on the bill throughout next week. As I say, we will hopefully set at least a desirable time for final consideration Thursday of next week. Should we need Friday, we can certainly accommodate that particular schedule, and if we need to go longer into the weekend to do it, my intention is to stay here until we complete our work. So, yes, I emphasize, as I have the last couple of days, that the Senate will complete this work, and hopefully the supplemental prior to the time we leave for the July recess.

Mr. DASCHLE. Correct.

Mr. DASCHLE. There will probably be votes on Friday but no votes on Monday.

Mr. DASCHLE. If I misspoke, I apologize. I intended to say, if I didn't say, we would have votes and amendments offered on Friday but that there wouldn't be any votes on Monday, but there would be amendments considered and hopefully we can make some arrangement to consider these votes as early on Tuesday morning as possible.

Mr. DASCHLE. We certainly wouldn't have any votes scheduled after around 1 o'clock on Friday.

Mr. DASCHLE. I agree. I don't know whether it is attainable or not. But I do know this: We will continue to have votes into the recess period to accommodate the completion of this bill. My concern is, very frankly, we will come back after the Fourth of July recess--and I have talked to Senator Lott about this--with the realization we have 13 appropriations bills to do and a recognition that we have a very short period of time within which to do them. I know the administration wants to finish these appropriations bills and Senator Lott has indicated he, too, is concerned about the degree to which we will be able to adequately address all of the many complexities of these bills as they are presented to the Senate. I want to leave as much time as possible during that July block for the appropriations process to work its will, and it is for that reason, in particular, that I want to complete our work on this bill so we can accommodate that schedule. Again, I appreciate the desire of the Senator from Oklahoma to vet this and to debate it. I hope we can find a way to resolve it prior to the time we reach the end of next week. There will, therefore, be no votes today. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.