Tom Daschle

Mr. DASCHLE

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 President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate, immediately following the disposition of the amendment to be offered, turn to the consideration of the conference report to accompany S. 1438, the Department of Defense authorization bill; that when the report is considered, it be considered under the following limitations; that there be 75 minutes for debate, with time controlled as follows: 45 minutes for the chair and ranking member or their designees; and 30 minutes under the control of Senator Byrd; that upon the use or yielding back of time, without further intervening action, the Senate proceed to vote on adoption of the conference report following a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Harkin substitute amendment to S. 1731; that upon adoption of the conference report, the Senate then turn to the conference report to accompany H.R. 2883, the intelligence authorization; that the conference report be considered agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; provided further that H. Con. Res. 288, a concurrent resolution providing for a technical correction in the enrollment of S. 1438, be considered and agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, without any intervening action or debate.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. DASCHLE. Let me just say to the distinguished Senator from Oklahoma, I have no reservations about suggesting that we alternate Republican and Democratic amendments. I am happy to yield to the Senator from Nevada.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I have been in consultation this morning with the distinguished Republican leader, and we have reached an agreement with regard to how the Senate may proceed over the course of the next several days. I appreciate as always his cooperation and his interest in accommodating Senators. I would like to propound a unanimous consent request, but let me explain the request briefly to Senators and then I will specifically read the unanimous consent request. Basically, what I am about to propose is that we have a cloture vote this afternoon at 4 o'clock. While it is not in this particular unanimous consent request, we will also attempt to take up the defense authorization conference report sometime later today. That is the subject of a separate request. We would then be in session on Friday, but we would not entertain any rollcall votes. It would be my expectation that regardless of how the cloture vote turns out this afternoon, we would remain on agriculture. On Monday, if we can, if our colleagues will agree, we will take up the conference report on education for the entire day and evening, whatever length of time it takes. We would have a vote on the conference report on education on Tuesday morning. There would be additional nominations to consider on Tuesday morning, and we would also have a cloture vote if it were required on the farm bill Tuesday morning as well. That is the essence of the request I am about to read. I will do so at this time.

Mr. DASCHLE. I am happy to yield to the Senator from Mississippi.

Mr. DASCHLE. The Senator is correct.

Mr. DASCHLE. I am happy to yield to the Senator from Oklahoma.

Mr. DASCHLE. The Senator is correct.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture vote on the pending substitute amendment occur at 4 p.m. today; that Members have until 11 a.m. tomorrow to file second-degree amendments; that notwithstanding rule XXII, the alternate amendment by Senators Cochran and Roberts, and the amendment offered by Senator Dorgan regarding payment limits, still be in order if cloture is invoked on the substitute amendment; that following the cloture vote, regardless of the outcome, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider executive Calendar Nos. 589, 590, and 592; that upon the disposition of those nominations, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that any statements thereon appear in the Record, and the Senate return to legislative session. I further ask unanimous consent that on Monday, December 17, at 1 p.m. the Senate proceed to the conference report on H.R. 1 for debate only, and that on Tuesday, December 18, there be 90 minutes remaining for debate, 60 minutes equally divided between the chairman and ranking member of the Health, Education, and Labor Committee, or their designees, and 15 minutes each for Senators Wellstone and Jeffords; that the Senate vote on the conference report at 11 o'clock on that day, with no further intervening action or debate.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I will accommodate the Senator from Oregon on his request and ask that they be included in the unanimous consent agreement.

Mr. DASCHLE. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. There has been a good deal of discussion during the vote on how to proceed. I think we may have reached an agreement, a consensus on how to complete the agreement that would be in most people's interests and accommodating most schedules; that is, if we voted on the defense authorization conference report right now. As I understand it, the chair of the committee, the chair of the Appropriations Committee, as well as the chair of the defense authorizing committee and ranking member are prepared to speak about the conference report for the record and share with Members its many component parts immediately following the vote. I ask unanimous consent that the defense authorization conference report be brought before the Senate and the Senate vote on its final adoption.

Mr. DASCHLE. The Senator from Arizona is correct.

Mr. DASCHLE. For clarification, we will have the discussion about the defense authorization conference report. Immediately following that, it will be my intention to go back to the farm bill. I think there was some understanding that we recognize the Senator from Kansas and the Senator from Oregon for a brief period of time for an amendment that I think has been agreed to, and then it would be our intention to move to the amendment offered by the Senator from Arizona.

Mr. DASCHLE. That would be my intention, that we would.

Mr. DASCHLE. That will be made part of the request.

Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, prior to the time we move to the conference report, there is one other housekeeping matter. It is always in keeping with our practice that the intelligence authorization and the defense authorization are considered jointly. I am told that I need to make the following request: That the conference report to accompany H.R. 2883, the intelligence authorization, be considered agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, provided that H. Con. Res. 288, the concurrent resolution providing for a technical correction in the enrollment of S. 1438, be considered agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table without intervening action or debate. I would just say, for the information of all my colleagues, this is done as we take up the Defense authorization bill. I made this request earlier, and I am simply repeating it now for the colloquy. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent when the Senate considers the Executive Calendar nominations, the first vote occur on Calendar No. 590, to be followed by Calendar No. 589 and Calendar No. 592, and that their consideration occur following this next vote.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. DASCHLE. I also commend the distinguished chair of the Judiciary Committee along the lines the assistant Democratic leader has noted. It is important at a time such as this that we recall for the record just what has transpired. The distinguished chairperson has been chairperson now for about 5 months, almost 6 months, and in one-half year's time, he has compiled a record that may at the end of this period actually exceed the number of judiciary appointments confirmed during the Clinton administration in an entire 12-month period of time in 1993. That is quite a remarkable accomplishment to exceed perhaps the number of judicial nominations in 6 months over and above what was confirmed in 1993 under a Democratic administration with, I might add, a Democratic Senate. Also, as the Senator from Nevada has noted, this has been an extraordinarily difficult time, filled with adversity. September 11, the anthrax attack, not only on the Senate and my office, but on the Senator's office itself--all of the disruption, the need for accelerated efforts on appropriations, and yet through all of that, with all of the work he had to do with counterterrorism, this Senator has very diligently, persistently, and with remarkable leadership brought us to this point. I publicly commend him, thank him, and tell him how proud I am for his effort and the work he has done to get us to this point. I yield the floor.

Mr. DASCHLE

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, will the Senator yield for the purpose of a unanimous consent request?

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, if the Senator will yield for a unanimous consent request which I think he thought I was going to make the first time, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate resumes consideration of S. 1731 at 9:30 on Thursday, December 13, there be 90 minutes for debate prior to vote in relation to the Bond amendment with the time equally divided and controlled in the usual form with no intervening amendment in order prior to the vote.

Mr. DASCHLE. I thank my colleagues.

Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, we have made some progress today on the bill. I appreciate the cooperation of many of our colleagues. I know there is an amendment pending. The distinguished Senator from Indiana has indicated other amendments could be offered tonight. I notify our colleagues we do not anticipate any other rollcall votes tonight. I hope some might still be prepared to offer amendments. We could stack the votes for tomorrow morning. We would like to keep going for awhile yet tonight. But in the interests of accommodating Senators with conflicting schedules, we will preclude the need for any additional rollcalls tonight. We will have those votes tomorrow should they be required. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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