Robert Dole

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Chafee-Warner, a managers' amendment. That is the second amendment. Are there two others? Smith?

Mr. DOLE. So that would leave Stevens-Murkowski.

Mr. DOLE. An Exon amendment.

Mr. DOLE. Is that one of the four?

Mr. DOLE. I think from what I see developing here, it is just going to take a little time. I think it can be worked out. But if we need to contact the senior Senator from Utah, Senator Hatch, and the Senator from Arkansas, Senator Bumpers, I know that is not going to happen in 2 minutes or 5 minutes or 30 minutes. In the meantime, we could be started on the litigation bill. Then, as soon as you get the agreement, we can come back to this bill, wrap it up, and have a vote on final passage.

Mr. DOLE. Is it a managers' amendment? I do not know which amendments they are. I am serious.

Mr. DOLE. That is right.

Mr. DOLE. Yes. We hope to finish the bill tomorrow night. If not, we will be on it Monday. But we could finish this bill, the present bill, before then, in particular if we get an agreement.

Mr. DOLE. But if you can reach agreement with all parties and it can be done very quickly, we will do it at any time you get the agreement, like 30 minutes from now or an hour from now or 2 hours from now.

Mr. DOLE. Right. That is what they told me at 3:30. Let me get the consent. There will be one additional amendment here and then we will go on. Let me ask unanimous consent that the Senate, after adoption of the managers' amendment, turn to the consideration of Calendar 128, S. 240, the securities litigation bill, and that no call for the regular order bring back S. 440 except one call by the majority leader after consultation with the Democratic leader.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I rise today to commend a truly remarkable individual, Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, on his retirement after 36 years of service to our Army and to our Nation. I had the distinct honor of working closely with General Sullivan over the years when he served as the deputy of the Command and Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS and during his command of the Big Red One at Fort Riley, KS. Indeed, it was my pleasure to introduce General Sullivan before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation as chief of staff of the Army just 4 years ago. In my view, Gordon Sullivan was exactly the right man at the right time to lead our Army during one of the most difficult periods of restructuring and downsizing. He kept the right perspective, and put it best in his own words, ``smaller is not better, better is better.'' Throughout his 4 years as Army Chief of Staff, General Sullivan kept his focus and vision. His priorities were our soldiers whom he prepared to fight and win our Nation's wars. And their families who support our solders and willingly sacrifice for their purpose. I frequently conferred with General Sullivan throughout this term as Army Chief. His views and counsel were always on the mark. Gordon Sullivan brought tremendous wisdom to the job and a style of leadership which reflected his greatness. Our Army will sorely miss General Sullivan, but it is stronger and better for his service. The legacy he leaves, a ready Army, a future force that will be unmatched, and the deep love and devotion of his solders is fitting of this great man. I ask my colleagues to join me in commending Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan for his sacrifice, his leadership, and his commitment to our solders and to our Nation. God's speed and blessings to him and to his wife Gay, and their family.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, one of the most remarkable public servants in Kansas history was Frank Carlson, who served in this Chamber for 18 years. During his career, Senator Carlson also served for 4 years as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and 4 years as Governor. Senator Carlson did many great things in his career, including helping to draft Dwight Eisenhower for President in 1952. But I am here this morning to talk about another great thing that Frank Carlson did. And that is the fact that he brought George Stafford to Washington, DC. George passed away last week, and I wanted to take a minute to remember this outstanding Kansan and outstanding American. George was executive secretary to Frank Carlson during his term as Governor, and followed him to Washington as his Senate administrative assistant. He served in that role for 17 years with great intelligence and integrity, always reaching out to provide advice and support to young Kansans who were new in town. In 1967, then-President Johnson appointed George to serve on the Interstate Commerce Commission. He remained on the commission until 1980, serving as its chairman for 7 years. George's years in Topeka and Washington are not the only examples of the service he gave to his country. He also defended freedom in World War II, rising to the rank of Captain, and receiving both the bronze star and the purple heart. Like many in Kansas and in Washington, I was proud to call George Stafford my friend. I know that Senator Kassebaum joins with me in extending our sympathies to Lena Stafford, George's wife of 48 years; his children; Bill, Susan, and Quincy; and his five grandchildren.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. I am happy to yield to the Senator from Massachusetts.

Mr. DOLE. Again, I thank my colleague from Louisiana. He spent a lot more time on this this week than I. I know, for example, the many, many hours the Senator from Louisiana spent. I also wanted to recognize the efforts of the Senator from Utah, Senator Hatch; the Senator from Delaware, Senator Roth; the Senator from Alaska, Senator Murkowski; the Senator from Oklahoma, Senator Nickles; the Senator from Missouri, Senator Bond; the Senator from Alabama, Senator Heflin, whom I have already alluded to, and a number of others on this side, including the Senator from Georgia, Senator Coverdell, who has been working in, I think, a very bipartisan way to try to find something we can agree on. This is very important legislation. We hope we can have a bipartisan bill.

Mr. DOLE. Let me respond to that. The Senator is correct. I will underscore that this is a very significant effort. I do not want to downplay the importance of the draft, because it is important. It is a result of a lot of work on behalf of a lot of people on both sides of the aisle. I do not want to suggest we are going to rewrite the whole thing. It is important. It has not been completed, and it could be improved, some would say by making it stronger, or there may be another way to improve it. If there is no objection, I will ask unanimous consent later to have it printed. It is not completed yet. That will appear in the Record tomorrow morning and, hopefully, we can continue discussions tomorrow and Friday and again on Monday, so that on Tuesday we might be prepared to take the bill up with fairly broad bipartisan support.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I have stated several times my intention to move as soon as possible to the regulatory reform bill. Regulatory reform is one of the most important issues this Congress will face, and the American people have made clear that they expect us to act. Regulatory reform does not have to be a partisan issue. Democrats and Republicans alike have seen a need to inject common sense into how the Federal Government crafts regulations. Democrats and Republicans alike recognize that we cannot continue to bear $500 billion of added costs to the economy. That is why I believe it is important that we pass a strong regulatory reform bill, with bipartisan support. Senator Heflin, for example, has provided welcome leadership in helping to craft this bill. I have been working with Senator Johnston for some time to produce a strong regulatory reform package, in order to ensure that Congress answers America's call for relief. I am pleased to say that I think Senator Johnston and I have reached an agreement on at least a discussion draft, a package that we believe will enjoy broad support. My intention would be to, as soon as the draft is completed, ask that the draft be printed in the Record today so that everybody might have an opportunity to see it. Earlier this year, we had a dispute because not all Members had seen a draft on an earlier piece of legislation. Hopefully, by Tuesday of next week, we can bring that bill to the floor and try to complete it by the end of next week. We can put that into the Record today. Again, this is a draft. We reached an agreement on this. It does not mean it may be the perfect answer or there may not be change between now and next Tuesday. I have talked to some of my colleagues on the other side, such as the Senator from Massachusetts, Senator Kerry, and many are wanting an opportunity to see what the draft is. By printing it in the Record, it will be available tomorrow, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday and, hopefully, we can go to it on Tuesday. I have suggested, and the Senator from Louisiana suggested, that we make that statement on the floor. I yield to Senator Johnston.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I join my colleagues today as a cosponsor of S. 440 to encourage the adoption of this legislation designating the National Highway System. This bill contains significant reforms that are important to Kansas and our country's transportation system. There has been a great deal of support for the designation of the National Highway System. The 159,000 miles identified in this bill represent each State's primary routes connecting major population centers, transportation facilities, and other intermodal efforts. Our highway system is a network whose maintenance and upkeep are crucial to our economy. As new technological developments for intermodal transportation are created, the interconnectivity of our country's transportation system becomes increasingly important. This designation will allow for much needed funds to flow to our States directly. I appreciate the efforts of Senator Warner and Senator Chafee to address specific areas of concern for Kansas. The designation of the I- 35 corridor identifies an existing route from Texas to Kansas to Minnesota that is a valuable link between Mexico and Canada. The demands on these transportation routes connecting Canada, the United States, and Mexico will only increase. As our demand for trade among these countries grows, so will our need to develop and maintain these transportation routes. Several issues addressed in this bill have long been in need of attention. The repeal of the crumb rubber mandate, removal of metric measurements requirements, and hours of service clarifications are of great interest to many Kansans. Although we did not pursue the repeal of Davis-Bacon in this legislation, the repeal of this outdated law will continue to be a high priority. Throughout this debate, efforts have been made to give the States a greater role in setting their own transportation policy. The issue is not whether there should be a speed-limit or mandatory helmet or seatbelt law. The issue is who decides: is it Congress or each of the respective States? In addition, I would like to thank Senator Chafee for joining with me in addressing the concerns of water-well [[Page S 8790]] drillers and the hours-of-service regulations. The language in S. 440 resolves an unintended problem by requiring the drivers of water well drilling rigs to comply with the same hours of service regulations currently provided to drivers of vehicles in oilfield operations while maintaining safety priorities. I believe the National Highway System designation, as well as other provisions contained in S. 440, provide a positive step forward in addressing our Nation's transportation needs. I urge my colleagues to join in support of S. 440.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, the Senator from Montana made a suggestion, if we could agree on the other amendments, to have the Senator from Alaska have the right to offer an amendment any time before final disposition of the bill, and that will give them time to decide precisely what amendment, if any, they wish to offer. Of course, the materials are not here. You are not going to let the bill go to final disposition. At least we would have a partial cap on the amendments. I think the managers are prepared to stay here tonight and not have any more votes but to accept some amendments that may be pending.

Mr. DOLE. There will be no more votes tonight. Amendment No. 1455 (Purpose: To include the Dalton Highway in Alaska in the designation of the National Highway System) Mr. Warner. Mr. President, I send to the desk an amendment on behalf of the Senator from Alaska.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, this morning leader time has been reserved. The Senate will meet in executive session to begin 3 hours of debate on the nomination of Dr. Foster. At 12 noon, or right around 12 noon, there will be a cloture vote on the Foster nomination. If cloture is not invoked the Senate will resume consideration of S. 440, the highway bill. I just suggest that Members can expect votes. We hope to complete action on the highway bill today. I understand there are only one or two major amendments and many others are in the process of being worked out, or may not be offered.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, the time will be under the direction of the chairman of the committee, Senator Kassebaum, and the ranking Democrat member, Senator Kennedy. I just want the Record to reflect before the debate starts that this nomination came on the calendar on May 26. That was followed by a recess. It was June 5 when we came back. This Senator and Dr. Foster tried to get together in 1 week. He was not available. The next week I was not available. But the Record should reflect that it has only been really since June 5 to June 21. So there has not been any delay as far as bringing the nomination to the floor. There was a lot of research and investigation done prior to the hearing. But I listened to some comments last night on television. I had the impression that many in the media thought this had been pending on the Senate floor for months and months, which is not the case. It is barely a little over 2 weeks.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. I have not had a chance to discuss this with my colleague, Senator Daschle, the Democratic leader, but I hope we can finish it this evening if we can obtain time agreements. Four amendments would not take that much time. We had a short night last night because of two or three very special events which presented conflicts for many of our colleagues. I would certainly be willing, and I do not think the Senator from South Dakota has any objection.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote and to lay that motion on the table.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, the Select Committee on Intelligence has received requests for copies of committee records from the Offices of the Inspector General of two executive branch agencies. First, the Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency has requested from the Committee records relevant to the Inspector General's pending inquiry into whether the congressional intelligence oversight committees where properly informed by CIA officials about the CIA's activities in Guatemala over the past 10 years. The second request is from the Department of Justice Inspector General and concerns a review the Inspector General is conducting into matters related to the Aldrich Ames case. The Inspector General is seeking copies of transcripts of hearings, briefings, and interviews that the Senate Intelligence Committee received on the Ames case last year. Mr. President, these two resolutions would authorize the chairman and vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, acting jointly, to provide committee records in response to these requests, utilizing appropriate security procedures.