Pete Domenici

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, we have no objection to the amendments being adopted en bloc.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, we call up amendment 317.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, this Graham amendment numbered 317 is cosponsored by Senator Hutchison of Texas. I understand that Senator Hutchinson is here on the floor, and he would like to share part of the discussion on the affirmative side.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, there is nothing further on our side to be added.

Mr. DOMENICI. I thank both Senators for their cooperation. Mr. President, I say to the ranking Member that Senator Schumer still has an issue. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, we understand that Senator Stabenow is next in line, and we understand that she is going to talk about an amendment and withdraw it when she is finished.

Mr. DOMENICI. I yield the floor.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I want everybody in the Senate to know that I don't have a sign. I can't put up a sign about our position. But I want everyone to know that we are as concerned about not spending the Medicare Part A trust fund as anybody. Republicans don't take a backseat on that issue. This budget does not spend any of the funds that are being alluded to. So the sign could be placed on our side of the aisle, and we would agree with it. Actually, I don't think we need to explain our position. We will just do it with our words. We don't need the amendment. It has been withdrawn. Frankly, the budget takes care of that problem. The Republicans are united. We are not going to spend Medicare funds for anything other than Medicare. I yield the floor at this point and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. DOMENICI. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DOMENICI. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. DOMENICI. He is just one of the few, Mr. President. In any event, we have nothing further. The next vote is final passage.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, we are finished. We are ready to vote on final passage. I do not believe after all these long hours that anyone wants to hear a speech from anyone, regardless of how eloquent the speaker.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, awhile ago I spoke in opposition to the amendment Senator Graham had originally offered that I believe the Senator from Michigan withdrew a while ago. I am not sure when I spoke in opposition to it that I had the microphone on. If you wouldn't mind, may I remake that statement for 30 seconds. When I spoke previously, I wasn't sure we were heard, which was my fault, no one else's. There was a sign up on that amendment with reference to Medicare that we want to make sure we don't take anything out of Medicare and spend it on anything else or use it for tax cuts. I said: We don't have a sign. All we can do is use our words. I repeat them: There is nothing in this budget that we intend to in any way spend Medicare money on other than Medicare. That has been our commitment; that will remain our commitment. We will not spend Medicare money on anything other than Medicare. We won't violate that at any time in this budget. Frankly, I will repeat it every time we have an opportunity. Those supporting this budget, when we finish tonight, need not have any fear that we are going to in any way minimize the totality of that Medicare fund. It will be there. With that, I am prepared to move on to another amendment. I thank the Chair. Amendment No. 303

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I am very pleased that by adopting the budget resolution today, the United States Senate has endorsed the President's recent proposal that would provide mandatory funding for the now-bankrupt Radiation Exposure Compensation trust fund. We passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act in 1990 to provide fair and swift compensation for those uranium miners, Federal workers, and downwinders who had contracted certain debilitating and too often deadly radiation-related illnesses. These individuals helped build our nation's nuclear arsenal and it is unconscionable that there is no funding to indemnify them for their sacrifice and suffering. Since last May, those who have had their claims approved are receiving only an IOU from the Justice Department. Today we have taken the first step in rectifying this injustice. The Bush proposal is within the defense function of the budget and would be a declining expenditure from about $100 million in 2002 to less than $5 million at the end of the decade. Total mandatory expenditures budgeted for this program is assumed to be $710 million over the next 10 years. In addition, to our positive actions today, I have introduced, along with Senator Hatch, legislation that would provide the appropriate funding for the Radiation Exposure Compensation trust fund. We are seeking our colleagues support in moving this legislation expeditiously through the Senate. It is vital that we act quickly to ensure that these victims who gave so much for our nation are never again left holding nothing more than a government IOU.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be made a cosponsor of the amendment, as well as Senator Conrad.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I recognize the importance of this issue to the Senator from Tennessee, as well as the Senators from Texas, Wyoming, Florida, South Dakota, Nevada and Washington. New Mexico has a gross receipts tax which is a complicated type of sales tax. New Mexico raises about the same amount of revenue from its gross receipts tax as it does from its state income tax. I point this out so that the Senate realizes that the Senator from Tennessee's proposal is an improvement for some states, but it may be a wash for other states. I believe that it is not good federal income tax policy for the code to favor one state's revenue raising scheme over another state's. This is the situation in the code now. States that have substantial state income taxes, but low or no state sales tax are favored over states that rely exclusively, or more heavily on state sales taxes. A fairness argument can be made for fully restoring the state sales tax deduction, however, to do so would cost the Treasury $83 billion over ten years. Nonetheless, the Senator from Tennessee has raised an important issue, and I pledge to work with my colleague during the conference on the budget resolution to include language regarding the deductibility of state and local sales taxes.

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

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, this amendment is budget neutral. Clearly, there is nothing added. This amendment says if in the future certain things happen to the PILT fund such that it is higher than in this budget, then allowances can be made for it. I understand, as one of the cosponsors, that that is all the amendment does. I yield the floor.

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, we need to have a quorum call for a little while while Senators meet. We are just going to have to wait a while. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DOMENICI

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I say to my good friend, Senator Kent Conrad, it is a pleasure working with you. I extend my congratulations for a superb job. It was a very difficult budget from the standpoint of both of us. In the last 36 hours, you and Harry Reid have been miracle workers. We very much appreciate your willingness to help us get through this, and get through quickly, so that our Senators can get on with their Easter recess and so that we could do something significant before we leave. Mr. CONRAD addressed the Chair.