J. Exon

Mr. EXON

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

Mr. EXON. I yield 30 seconds to Senator Kerry.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act, I move to waive the applicable section of that act for the consideration of the pending amendment. I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion to waive.

Mr. EXON. I yield 30 seconds of our time to the Senator from Kansas.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I yield 30 seconds of our time to the Senator from Minnesota.

Mr. EXON. Once order is restored in the Senate, I would like to yield 30 seconds on our side to the Senator from Kansas for remarks that I understand she has to make on this measure.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I move to waive the applicable section of that act pursuant to the pending amendment, and I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion to waive the act.

Mr. EXON. If I could have the attention of the Senator from Kansas. The Senator from Kansas, I yield her 30 seconds off of our time on the Kennedy amendment. I apologize. We are going to the Kerry amendment at this time.

Mr. EXON. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. EXON. I appreciate that very much. That is very good news.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I yield 30 seconds to my colleague from West Virginia.

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I simply say I share the concerns expressed by my colleague from Florida. I think, if we will check the Record, we will find very clearly that the Roth amendment--that is the subject of concern, and I think legitimately so, of the Senator from Florida and others--was supposedly the first amendment we were going to take up when we started this process of voting yesterday. It was laid aside. We were advised late last evening, sometime before midnight, that the measure would be presented to us so we could study it overnight. I remind all it was a rather short night. We still have not received it. I have not received it. Maybe it is in the process of being delivered to us at this time. Here, it seems to me, we have to exercise some discipline. All day yesterday, this Senator, along with my colleague, the chairman of the committee, kept telling Senators you have to be here to offer your amendments. We cannot run the U.S. Senate for the benefit of every other Senator, regardless of their station in life and regardless of what office they are running for. It seems to me, if we are going to move this process along, we are going to have to institute a policy that, if the Senator on the list that has been published now for about 24 hours is not here to offer the amendment, then I suggest the amendment should be set aside and disposed of and not considered. We have to exercise some discipline on everyone. I simply say I hope I can see the Finance Committee amendment. But in the meantime, I am at the mercy of the majority, and I simply ask my colleague if he could not join with me--and I think he will--to try to exercise some discipline on both sides of the aisle, not only with regard to the time constraints that we must maintain, but, also, we cannot move ahead unless Senators put the priority I think is necessary and that we should expect for them to be here to offer their amendments in a timely fashion, if for no other reason than out of consideration for the other Members of the body.

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. I move to reconsider the vote.

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

Mr. EXON. The Senator from West Virginia is not interested in additional time. I wish to yield 2 minutes to the Senator from Arkansas.

Mr. EXON. How much time do I have remaining?

Mr. EXON. It is my understanding and agreement with the chairman I will recognize the Senator from North Dakota and yield to him for 30 seconds. conrad motion to commit

Mr. EXON. I yield 2 minutes 50 seconds to the Senator from Florida.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I think we may be down to the last vote. Our bipartisan staffs have visited with the office of the Parliamentarian. That office has confirmed----

Mr. EXON. Yes.

Mr. EXON. I yield 4 minutes to the Senator from Massachusetts.

Mr. EXON. I yield 1 minute to the Senator from Arkansas.

Mr. EXON. I yield 1 minute to the Senator from Minnesota.

Mr. EXON

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I yield back all time assigned to us.