J. Exon

Mr. EXON

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, as previously stated on numerous occasions, I move to waive the Budget Act for consideration of the pending amendment, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, a brief description of Senator Reid's amendment, which would restore $1 billion in funding to the National Park System to alleviate the devastating more than $2 billion backlog of needs. These funds would be drawn from the $170 billion fiscal dividend.

Mr. EXON. Pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I move to waive the act for consideration of the pending amendment. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, a brief summary of the amendment offered by the Senator from Iowa would indicate that it is the sense of the Senate that any proposal by the Finance Committee to reduce spending on Medicare and Medicaid should include a proposal to recover from the tobacco companies a portion of the cost of their products imposed on Medicare and Medicaid and other Federal health programs. The Center for Disease and Prevention estimates that products sold by tobacco companies impose $200 billion a year on Medicare and Medicaid and other Federal health programs through tobacco-related illnesses. The adoption of this amendment would put the Senate on record in support of the efforts to have tobacco companies pay a portion of the costs of their products imposed on American taxpayers and the Medicare and Medicaid Programs.

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Harkin.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I thank the majority and I thank Senator Feingold. I ask that the amendment be agreed to. [[Page S7412]]

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, Senator Feingold's amendment requests the sense of the Senate that the 104th Congress should enact fundamental long-term health care reform that emphasizes cost-effective home and community-based care and achieves deficit reduction by helping elderly and disabled individuals remain in their homes and communities. I believe this amendment has possibly been agreed to and possibly could be handled by a voice vote.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, the General Accounting Office and the Health and Human Services inspectors general have found Medicare losses in billions of dollars every year because of the inadequate payment safeguards like audits and computer checks. Every dollar of investment in payment of safeguards saves $11 according to the GAO. In order to increase efforts to cut Medicare waste, the amendment provides an exclusion from the domestic discretionary caps only for increases above current spending levels for Medicare payment safeguards. This would occur only if the CBO finds that they will provide at least a 4-to-1 return on investment. A limit is set at $50 million in fiscal year 1996, rising to $100 million in fiscal 2002. It cannot be used as a loophole to provide for any other kind of additional spending. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I wish to thank--I am sure I would be joined by my colleague--Senator Leahy for his offer. We are moving much faster than we had anticipated because we are cooperating. Amendment No. 1172 (Purpose: To provide for additional Medicare payment safeguards)

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, this amendment by Senator Leahy was explained in some detail but not fully during our limited debate. Simply stated, this amendment corrects the House money removed from the antiterrorism and violent crime trust fund to be used for a tax cut. In light of the Oklahoma bombing and the increased terrorist threat, this amendment says we should put back the money that was taken out by the House.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, in behalf of Senator Leahy, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Leahy and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, this amendment would allow the transfer of up to $2 billion from the wasteful bureaucratic overhead and wasteful procurement in the military budget for use in addressing the problems of domestic violence without the 60 vote point of order that would otherwise apply to such a transfer.

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

Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. EXON. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 1169 (Purpose: To allow the shift of up to $2 billion from wasteful bureaucratic overhead and wasteful procurement in the military budget for use in addressing the problem of domestic violence)

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