Robert Dole

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. I will.

Mr. DOLE. That is correct.

Mr. DOLE. It contains the increase you suggested in the minimum wage, 45 cents and 45 cents.

Mr. DOLE. If the Senator will yield, I guess it is the other way around. Your leader is telling us the only way we can move the Senate on anything is to vote on your version of the minimum wage. We have a majority in this body. We have some responsibility to advance legislation, and there is a lot of it on the calendar we would like to advance, including reconsideration of the constitutional amendment for a balanced budget and other matters that have a great impact. We have tried to work it out in discussion. Maybe I understand why it cannot be worked out. But it seems to me we have now suggested-- if we cannot do it today just with my first request, then I am prepared to make a second request that would deal both with the minimum wage and the TEAM Act and the gas tax repeal. The TEAM Act, we are advised by the committee that it is necessary because of the 1992 National Labor Relations Board decision. I do not see what is wrong with employers talking to employees, but the unions do not like it. The labor bosses do not want their people talking to anybody in management. So they have sent the word down we cannot have this, and if we have to filibuster this, we will filibuster this. The facts were pointed out by the Senator from Massachusetts--what difference does it make if we have it codified? So we are prepared to take it up right now and pass the bill. But if my colleagues on the other side want to filibuster their minimum wage proposal and repeal of the gas tax, then they certainly are going to have that opportunity starting tomorrow.

Mr. DOLE. I will be happy to yield to my colleague, the Democratic leader.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I am rather new at this, but it seems to me, when you get what you want plus you get a little icing on the cake, you get to vote to repeal the gas tax, you ought to take it. But now we are told--I did not know the President was opposed to this. I thought certainly he would be flexible on something like this. He probably is. But I know the labor unions have been in town and they dumped $35 million into different races, and they have certain priorities. I thought their priority was passing a minimum wage increase, not killing the TEAM Act, which is really minor. It is minor legislation. So here we are prepared--I will probably get a lot of criticism on this side for doing this, but I am prepared to make this very generous offer to give my colleagues on the other side of the aisle a chance to vote to repeal the gas tax and to have their minimum wage proposal adopted. Who could be opposed to that? All we ask for is just one small, one little amendment. It probably would be hardly noticed by anybody. It simply says that employees can talk to management. They can talk about--in one case, they were talking about no smoking policies, and that was a violation of the NLRB. It seems to me we need to have a little common sense enter this debate. I have listened. I have been persuaded by the Senator from Massachusetts we ought to take 30 minutes and pass a minimum wage, and we can add another 30 minutes for the repeal of the gas tax. Then we will put in 10 minutes for this little, tiny piece that nobody really cares about called the TEAM Act. Then we would have a package that we could all be proud of and we could accommodate the concerns of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle--I hope. I have discussed this with the majority whip. I think he is willing. I think my other colleagues may not be so willing, but they are prepared to accept this procedure if we can only convince our friends on the other side that we are now willing to give them what they want if they will just say yes.

Mr. DOLE. I will be happy to.

Mr. DOLE. The bill already ensures workers will retain the right to choose an independent union in the case of collective bargaining. I will be happy to consult my colleague, Senator Kassebaum, chairman of the Labor Committee, and run that by her and see what she thinks of it. I have not discussed that. I hope we will not scuttle this whole package over some little modification that may or may not be necessary. So we are prepared now, or a half hour from now, to proceed, and I know my colleague from South Dakota--I guess maybe to clear up the present point, I object.

Mr. DOLE. I object.

Mr. DOLE. Let me make it clear, some of my colleagues do not think minimum wage is a good idea. I read some of your colleagues feel the repeal of the gas tax is not a good idea and some of your colleagues feel the TEAM Act is not a good idea. So if you put them all together, it is not quite the good idea as taking them up separately, but when they are together, it becomes a fair idea that will get us enough votes to pass. Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.

Mr. DOLE. I will be happy to yield to my colleague.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, as I understand, everything has been objected to?

Mr. DOLE. So where are we?

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. That is the Billy Dale legislation?

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I say to my friend from Massachusetts, we can arrange to modify, chop a limb off the tree here, if we can agree on an amendment process.

Mr. DOLE. We could not do that, but I think we can work out something. If you would rather have it on the Billy Dale travel matter just by itself, we can probably accommodate. But based on what the Senator from Massachusetts indicated--and I think we are closer maybe than we have been--I am going to ask the majority whip if he would visit with the Senator from Massachusetts. Let me again indicate, I did not think we would be rejected when we offered our colleagues what they wanted. But we have been rejected. So we will try maybe a different approach. I suggest the absence of a quorum, unless you want to go.

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I think there is probably one more refinement we could make, and then if cloture was invoked on the amendment, the Dole amendment, then we could divide the issue: division I being minimum wage and division II being the TEAM Act, and then we could have a separate vote on each of those. It seems to me that would be going one step further, and then if there were majority votes for the TEAM Act, that prevails, and if there are majority votes for minimum wage, then there are separate votes on each issue, if that will resolve the problem. My view is, if my colleagues in the minority are entitled to vote on what they want, why are not my colleagues in the majority entitled to vote on what they want to vote on? We are told we cannot pass anything unless those in the minority vote on what they want to vote on. I had problems at the policy luncheon explaining that to my colleagues in the majority. The minority has that right. Do we have that right to vote on what we want to vote on? It should not be debatable. So maybe there is another way we can attack it, and we will certainly look for that. We would like to resolve this issue today if we can. Tax freedom day does not end until midnight, so we have several hours here. I will ask the majority whip to get to work and see what we can come up with. It was our mutual understanding that legislation on the gas tax repeal through December 31 of this year would be offered today. Due to ongoing negotiations on the spectrum language in the bill, I hope that language will be prepared for introduction tomorrow. I yield the floor.

Mr. DOLE

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

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be the period for the transaction of morning business with Senators permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes each.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar 348, S. 1467.

Mr. DOLE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be deemed read a third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the bill be placed at the appropriate place in the Record.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today it stand in adjournment until the hour of 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 8, further, that immediately following the prayer, the Journal of proceedings be deemed approved to date, no resolutions come over under the rule, the call of the calendar be dispensed with, and the morning hour be deemed to have expired, and there then be 30 minutes equally divided for closing remarks prior to the 10 a.m., cloture vote relative to the White House travel bill.

Mr. DOLE. Madam President, there will be a 10 a.m., cloture vote on the White House travel bill. I ask unanimous consent that Senators have until 10 a.m., to file second-degree amendments under the provisions of Rule XXII.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that after the remarks by the distinguished Senator from Arkansas, Senator Bumpers, the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Mr. DOLE

Mr. DOLE. Madam President, following the cloture vote, if not invoked, it may be the majority leader's intention to turn to any of the other following items, so we could expect votes tomorrow. We have the repeal of the gas tax, the taxpayer bill of rights, the minimum wage legislation, and the TEAM Act. I guess we were unable to reach an agreement today, but it seems to me we should repeal the gas tax, settle the minimum wage dispute, all in one fell swoop. Hopefully that can be resolved.