Robert Dole

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, are we in morning business?

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, this April will mark the fourth anniversary of the untimely passing of our friend and colleague, John Heinz. And those of us who were privileged to serve with this remarkable public servant continue to miss his friendship and his leadership. Many of John's friends gathered last Thursday in Statuary Hall for the presentation of the first Heinz Awards. These awards were established by Teresa Heinz and the Heinz Family Foundation, and will be awarded to individuals who have made a difference in five issue areas where John was most active. It was a very moving and inspiring ceremony, and it reminded us again that, as John Heinz proved throughout his career, good people can do great things. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the very eloquent remarks delivered at the ceremony by Teresa Heinz be printed in the Record, and that they be followed by brief biographies of the six Heinz Award recipients.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in recess until 1 p.m. on Monday, January 30, 1995.

Mr. DOLE. I further ask that during Monday's debate, no amendments be in order. Therefore, no votes will occur during Monday's session of the Senate.

Mr. DOLE. I further ask unanimous consent that following the time for the two leaders on Monday, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, there be a period for the transaction of morning business not to extend beyond the hour of 2 p.m. with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, and that at 2 p.m., Monday, January 30, the Senate begin consideration of House Joint Resolution 1, the balanced budget constitutional amendment.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, as has been indicated earlier there will be no more votes today, and on Monday, we will begin work on House Joint Resolution 1, but there will be no votes on Monday. It will be debate only. I think that is satisfactory to the Senator from South Dakota. We will come in at 1 o'clock on Monday, and there will be a period for morning business from 1 to 2 o'clock, and at 2 o'clock, will take up House Joint Resolution 1, which is identical to Senate Joint Resolution 1, which has come from the House.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, may we have order?

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, first I want to commend the managers of this bill, particularly my colleague Senator Kempthorne. This is his third year, and I think he has done an outstanding job working with the distinguished Senator from Ohio, Senator Glenn. He is someone who made this commitment and stuck with it. Just for historical purposes, we have been on this bill a long, long time. The vote was 86 to 10. I think we could have finished it probably a week ago. We had 44 rollcall votes taken, 8 were unanimous. Of those 44 votes, 9 were taken on committee amendments that had been adopted unanimously in committee. We started on this bill on Thursday, January 12, at 10:35 a.m. We had 10 full days debate on S. 1. We used about 58 hours 34 minutes: The Democrats, 36 hours 55 minutes; Republicans, 21 hours 39 minutes. There were 211 amendments submitted to the desk. Of those 211, 68 were actually proposed--50 proposed by my Democratic friends, 18 proposed by Republicans; 30 were agreed to; 20 were tabled; 16 were withdrawn; 2 second-degree amendments fell; 3 have yet to be disposed of. These are just sort of background facts on how long it has taken and how many amendments and how many hours. I assume the next bill may take as much time. I hope not. If this was a warmup, we have a lot of work ahead of us. I will also suggest that this is the first step in forging a new partnership. The 10th amendment to the United States Constitution reads: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. That is what this legislation is all about. The idea that power should be kept close to people, that is federalism. It is the idea on which our Nation was founded. But I think we have made it very clear that we, in effect, have dusted off the 10th amendment in this effort. It has been a very successful effort. I know that we came close last year but did not quite get it. We wanted to do it in, I think, the last 2 days of the session. Maybe we could have done it in 2 days then, but it took 10 days now. The distinguished Senator from Idaho, Senator Kempthorne, Senator Glenn, Chairman Roth, Chairman Domenici, and others, deserve immense credit for working together on a bipartisan basis with representatives from State, local, and tribal governments, Democrats, Republicans, and independents, private sector groups and key Members from the other body. In fact, a few moments ago, I saw the distinguished Governor of Ohio, Governor Voinovich, who has been one of the leaders in working with Governors, mayors, and everybody else across the country, calling Senators of both parties. On the other side, my particular thanks to Congressman Clinger and Congressman Portman, because they crafted the bill that is before us today. It seems to me that all this hard work is going to be a departure from business as usual and also, we are making a big, big step in the right direction. the first step in forging a new partnership The 10th amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people. Federalism. The idea that power should be kept close to the people. It's the idea on which our Nation was founded. But there are some in Washington--perhaps fewer this year than last--who believe neither our States nor our people can be trusted with power. Federalism has given way to paternalism--with disastrous results. In the 104th Congress, we plan to dust off the 10th amendment and restore it to its rightful place in the Constitution. Adoption of this legislation is the first step in that process, the first step in forging a new partnership between Congress and our partners at the State and local level. This partnership is bipartisan, as the vote demonstrated and as the support among officials at all levels of State and local government already demonstrates. change from business-as-usual The distinguished Senator from Idaho, Senator Kempthorne, Senator Glenn, Chairman Roth, Chairman Domenici, and others deserve immense credit for working together on a bipartisan basis with representatives from State, local, and tribal governments--Democrats, Republicans, and independents--private-sector groups and key Members in the other body-- particularly Congressmen Clinger and Portman--to craft the bill that is before us today. All that hard work has produced a bill that will lead to a dramatic departure from business-as-usual in Washington. Mr. President, for far too long, Congress has operated under the false assumption that legislation that did not affect the Federal budget had no cost. Nothing could be further from the truth. According to private estimates, in 1994, the private sector and State and local governments spent between $600 and $800 billion complying with Federal regulations. In last year's budget, President Clinton projected that in 1994 the Federal Government would collect a total of $549.9 billion from Federal income taxes on individuals. In other words, State and local governments, private businesses, and ultimately taxpayers and consumers paid more to comply with Federal regulations than the Federal Government collected from Federal income taxes on individuals. This bill will change the way we do business in Washington. It will lead to a more informed debate on the Senate floor, a debate that will require us to consider the potential cost of a new sector, before the mandate is adopted. For far too long, Congress has given State and local governments new responsibilities without supplying the money needed to fulfill these new obligations. Those unfunded mandates have forced State and local officials to cut services or increase taxes in order to keep their budgets in balance. The costs are immense. California Governor, Pete Wilson, estimates that unfunded mandates cost his State $7.7 billion last year. more informed decisions This new process is a reality check for advocates of new mandates. It forces those who want to expand the reach of the Federal Government to consider the potential cost of their actions to State and local governments and to the private sector--before they take action. It is a reality check for advocates of new mandates. Those who want to create new mandates or expand existing ones have a choice: Either get an estimate of the potential cost of a new mandate and pay the full cost of imposing that mandate on State and local governments up front or try to get a majority of the Senate to agree that the Federal Government should not finance the new mandate. This legislation is really about good government and accountability. Here's the bottom line: The potential costs of new legislation should be considered before the legislation is adopted. who benefits most from mandate relief? There has been a lot of discussion about who this legislation helps. It certainly is a top priority for State and local government officials--Democrats and Republicans--who are sick and tired of dealing with a Congress that passes the buck. I have met personally with representatives from the so-called Big 7--Governors, mayors, State legislators, county officials, school boards, and so forth. They know that mandate relief will make it easier for State and local officials to balance their budgets each year. But, the real beneficiaries of this legislation are the people who ultimately pay all the bills for unfunded mandates: individual Americans. People--not government--pay all the taxes, both hidden and direct, generated by unfunded mandates. Federal mandates on businesses lead to higher prices for goods and services people on those businesses. When faced with an unfunded Federal mandate, State and local government officials make a choice--they cut services or raise taxes in order to comply with the new Federal requirements and balance their budgets. Stemming the flow of unfunded Federal mandates from Washington will help keep State and local taxes down and help prevent cuts in education, crimefighting and other State and local services. Mr. President, this is a good Government initiative that is long overdue. I am confident that it will be approved with broad bipartisan support. I hope that those in the other body will be able to act on this legislation without major changes and that we can get this important legislation to the President as quickly as possible. So I want to again congratulate my colleagues.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, 50 years ago tomorrow troops of the soviet red army marched into almost unimaginable horror in Auschwitz, Poland. In the 50 years since its liberation, Auschwitz has become a synonym for man's inhumanity to man. Roughly 1 million Jews were murdered at Auschwitz, part of Hitler's twisted final solution. Some 75,000 Poles and some 23,000 gypsies were killed. It is hard to envision the scope of this holocaust--the barbaric efficiency of the Nazi killing machine is typified by the Auschwitz camp. The importance of remembering Auschwitz should be clear to this and future generations--even today there are those who deny reality and distort history by claiming to doubt the reality of the Nazi Holocaust. Their lies only highlight the need to reflect on the meaning of the Holocaust on this important anniversary. In the last few days leading up to tomorrow's anniversary, newspapers and television have had powerful and moving accounts of life and death at Auschwitz. One has only to see the pictures and hear the anguished voices of the survivors to understand the phrase: ``never again.'' The horror of the death camps should lead each and every one of us to say ``never again.'' Never again will the world tolerate mass murder as a tool of state policy. Never again will the world tolerate the organized government effort to eradicate one group of people based on their religion or ethnic origin.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to salute the Senate few months. Since last September, they have put in long hours helping in the day-to-day operations of the Senate floor--from opening its doors in the morning to turning out its lights at night. And all that comes after early morning classes at the U.S. Senate Page School. No doubt about it, by watching democracy in action, these fine students from across America have learned more than the textbook view of Congress. I know I speak for all my Senate colleagues when I say we are grateful for their commitment to making the Senate work, and I wish each of these young men and women all the best in the future. I ask unanimous consent that their names be printed in the Record.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. How many amendments remaining?

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, some of the Members are inquiring about the schedule for this evening. It is slow, I can tell you that. We are not making any progress. On the 11th day on this bill, we have had only three votes. Two votes. It is worse than I thought. Now, if this is not delay, I do not know what delay is. So we are going to be here a long time tonight, I am fearful. There will not be any window. We are going to vote as the amendments come up. We just have to stay here and do it. I regret that I cannot accommodate some of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. We are spending 90 minutes on immigration amendments. A lot of things have nothing to do with this bill at all. Anything anybody can think of has been offered as an amendment--Social Security amendment having to do with a balanced budget. We have to debate that again on this bill. I have about reached the point where we will either file cloture tonight or start tabling these amendments unless they are offered and you have limited debate. We do not need 40, 50, 60 minutes on some of these amendments or rollcall votes on some of these amendments. So I must say that I do not know any other alternative. If somebody stands back here and banters back and forth for a day, that is not my idea of progress. Eleven days ought to be enough. We could have finished this bill in 4 or 5 days. We will finish the bill this week. If it takes until 10 o'clock tonight, 11 o'clock tomorrow night, and 11 o'clock the next night, we will finish the bill this week. But we may file cloture in the meantime if we continue. We may do that this evening. We have been all day long. Now it is dark outside. People want to be home with their families, so we are going to start voting at 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 o'clock. So I hope my colleagues will accommodate us--not the leader; I will be here in any event, but accommodate our other colleagues who would like to be home with their children and families. But we have not accomplished much today. Mr. GLENN addressed the Chair.

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

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

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, last night was a time for rhetoric. And no doubt about it, President Clinton knows how to give a good long speech. And now that the President has delivered his speech, the Republican Congress will continue to deliver on the promises we made to the American people. For we know that the success of this Congress--as well as the future of our country--does not depend on our words. They depend on our actions. And now it is time to act. It is time to carry out the mandate the American people gave us on November 8. And that means limited Government, less spending, fewer regulations, lower taxes, and more freedom and opportunity for all Americans. As Governor Whitman said last night in the Republican response, if President Clinton is ready to help us achieve those goals, then we welcome him aboard. But we won't wait long to see if he means what he says. The train is pulling out of the station. Republicans are getting on with the business of changing America. If President Clinton is truly committed to change, I hope he has a talk with with congressional Democrats--many of whom are devoting themselves to derailing Republican efforts to give government back to the people. And while I do not begrudge anyone standing firm against legislation they oppose, some of my Democrat friends are doing their best to block legislation they support. The American people are in a demanding mood--and rightfully so. They are watching us very closely. And they will know who is responding to the message they sent, and who is restoring to 100 percent pure partisan politics. The President spoke again last night about Americans he terms as ``middle class'' and those he terms as the ``under class.'' We have a basic fundamental disagreement in philosophy here. Republicans do not believe we should create factions of Americans competing against one another for the favors of Government. Instead, we believe we should lead by taking actions that instill hope and restore freedom and opportunity for all Americans. So, this Congress will carefully consider the President's so-called middle-class bill of rights,--but our actions will flow from the real Bill of Rights--the one that contains the 10th amendment to the Constitution. The President did not mention that amendment last night, so let me read it for the record. It is very short. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people. End of quote. That is all there is. That is the 10th amendment. Let me close by saying how exciting it was for some of us, particularly me, to look up last night and see a Republican Speaker sitting behind the President. We have waited--some almost a lifetime, 40 years--to see this happen. In fact I think it was a sight I was beginning to loose hope of ever seeing. But now it is a fact. And the President well knows that this Congress is much, much different from those in the recent past. He talked about yesterdays. This is not yesterday's Congress. This is a new Congress. This is not a big taxing, big spending Congress. This is not a Congress that has a government-mandated solution to every problem. Rather, this is a Congress that has a very specific mandate from the American people. President Clinton said last night that despite his liberal policies of the past 2 years, he accepts and understands that mandate. Republicans and all Americans who support our efforts to return Government back to the people hope that is a reality, and not just rhetoric. So, Mr. President, it seems to me the President has spoken. He has every right to. He spoke as most Presidents do, laid out the best that has happened in the administration. That is true whether you are a Republican or Democrat President. The President talked about lobbying. He did not mention how many lobbyists contributed to his legal defense fund. So if we are going to stop and give it all back, maybe we will hear that announcement today that all that money is going to go back, the $1 million raised from lobbyists around the country for his legal defense fund. We are prepared to work with the President. I must say I did not hear any cheers go up on the other side of the aisle when Mexico was mentioned. I do not know where the Democrats are on Mexico. The President said it is not foreign aid, it is not a loan. Maybe there is something we are not aware of. But I would say as far as that issue is concerned, we told the President in good faith at this meeting at the White House, which Secretary Rubin has talked about a number of times, that we understood there was a problem and we wanted to help. But we are not going to help on just this side of the aisle. Unless there is some help on the other side of the aisle, forget it; it is not going to happen. I do not see much support. I did not see any applause last night when the President talked about our special relationship with Mexico and our boundaries and the history of the two countries. But I would say to the President that we are still prepared to work out some arrangement-- maybe a different arrangement than has been proposed so far. But it must be bipartisan. It cannot be Republicans in the House and the Senate providing the votes while the Democrats vote the other way. If that is the case it will never be brought up in the U.S. Senate.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. That will be at 9. Amendment No. 199

Mr. DOLE. I did not make a request. But we can put it in writing if it works out. We still will not have any votes before 10, I can assure the Senator from Kentucky.

Mr. DOLE. There will be no votes before 10, if that is all right with the Democratic leader. If that is agreeable to everybody, there will be no more votes this evening.

Mr. DOLE. There is an hour agreement on that. So that will be at least 10 o'clock. That vote will occur at 10, followed by a vote on Lautenberg, or any other votes ordered.

Mr. DOLE. We are not going to have morning business. We will get right on the bill.

Mr. DOLE. We will come in at 9.

Mr. DOLE. I am still sleepy from last night. In any event, that press dinner does last a while. It is live on C-SPAN. If you are not able to go, but you would like to watch it--which I prefer--it will be on about from 9:45 until 10:30. So if that is agreeable, I appreciate the consideration by my friend from Kentucky. There will be the debate on the Lautenberg amendment, which is 40 minutes, I understand, equally divided. Two Levin amendments will be offered. I do not know of any time on that. If there are any rollcall votes ordered on any of the amendments, they will be postponed until tomorrow morning. At 9 o'clock there will be an immigration amendment, we hope. I guess the point is that none of the votes will occur until disposition of the immigration amendment, and we will try to stack the votes, probably after 10, maybe later than that.

Mr. DOLE. Or we give you 5 minutes each before the vote tomorrow.

Mr. DOLE. No. I said we have not said that there would be no more votes. I am prepared to do it either way.