Wendell Ford

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I don't know how many of my colleagues have been to junior colleges in the last year. I don't know how many of my colleagues have been to universities and colleges that have these types of individuals who have started. I go to my community college, and I talk to them. And this young lady with tears in her eyes says, ``I finally am on the edge of opportunity, and that edge is being sharpened by 1 year, and I have to leave education and go to work.'' She said, ``I cannot handle a job, I cannot handle education, I cannot handle my children, unless you give me this opportunity.'' I have looked into the eyes of those who want to do better, who can do better, and we must give them that opportunity so they can have that better life. I hope that the 4,000 in my State have that opportunity for that second year of education, that opportunity to find that job, and that opportunity to make a better life for their children. Mr. President, I yield the floor and I thank the chairman.

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I am surprised at the distinguished chairman of the Finance Committee for objecting to an individual having the opportunity to get an education. He ought to understand better than anybody in this Senate Chamber that education is power, education levels the playing field, education gives people an opportunity to do things that they have always wanted to do. The employers will be able to reach out to get individuals who are educated and trained. These people we are trying to help here want to get out of welfare. They want to be educated. They want better jobs. They want to take care of their children. If education does not belong on a higher education bill, I don't understand where it belongs. The employers want better employees. Where do you get better employees but educated employees? Where do you find them today? Those who are on welfare, trying to get out of welfare, get out of Catch-22. We have the American Association of Community Colleges that endorses this amendment, the State Directors of Vocational Technical Education Consortium, Career College Association, the Children's Defense Fund, Center for Women Policy Studies, American Association of University Women, the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, the American Council on Education. I could go on and on, of the associations that endorse this amendment. So we are saying here this is going to destroy the welfare program? How in the world are they going to buy a Roth IRA, if they don't have a better job and have more money so they can save? Mr. President, I hope the distinguished Senator would understand we are trying to get them out of poverty, give them a good job, help the employers--and higher education is where this amendment belongs. I hope this doesn't destroy welfare. We have a bipartisan effort here. These people are Democrats and Republicans who have endorsed this amendment. So I am hopeful we would not look at this amendment as destroying the welfare reform bill that I voted for and that I supported. I think this is one place, now that it is in place, soon to be a 2-year anniversary, that we would have an opportunity to correct those things that we made a mistake on. This is one we made a mistake on. It belongs in the higher education bill. I yield the floor. Mr. Moynihan addressed the Chair.

Mr. FORD. Just ask unanimous consent to have a colloquy.

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from New York (Mr. Moynihan) is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from New York (Mr. Moynihan) is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Inouye), the Senator from Maryland (Ms. Mikulski), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes) are necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Inouye) is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, may we have order? I make a point of order the Senate is not in order.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, it is hard for me to understand, when this was a House bill and it came over and the Senate committee studied it and sent it to the Senate floor with a substitute amendment, and then we don't want to take the committee substitute amendment. ``There is something about that,'' as we would say down in West Kentucky, ``that ain't right.'' So we are again telling the committee you can go through all of your work, you can do your hearings, you can do your markup, but you did the wrong thing. So I think the amendment that we offered, which was a committee amendment as modified, was appropriate. If the majority leader wishes to object to that, why, that is the way it has to be.

Mr. FORD. You objected to mine, so that ended it right there.

Mr. FORD. Sure, and you object to mine as proposed by the committee.

Mr. FORD. Reserving the right to object, Mr. President, and I do not have any caveat to the unanimous-consent agreement, but would the majority leader modify his request to include an amendment from the Democratic side which would be the only amendment in order, and that it be the text of the committee-reported substitute amendment as modified; that there would be 1 hour for debate on the amendment equally divided, and that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote on adoption of the committee-reported amendment?

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Reserving the right to object, Mr. President, I do object on behalf of this side.

Mr. FORD. I object.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Akaka), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Baucus), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Glenn), the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Harkin), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller), and the Senator from Minnesota (Mr. Wellstone) are necessarily absent. I also announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Wyden), is absent due to family illness. I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Wyden) and the Senator from Minnesota (Mr. Wellstone) would each vote ``aye.''

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Akaka), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Baucus), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Glenn), the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Harkin), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller), and the Senator from Minnesota (Mr. Wellstone) are necessarily absent. I also announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Wyden) is absent due to family illness. I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Wyden) and the Senator from Minnesota (Mr. Wellstone) would each vote ``aye.''

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Reserving the right to object, Mr. President, there are some who had hoped to offer some amendments. They were in the process of trying to work these amendments out where they would be agreeable. That has not transpired yet. So, then, on behalf of this side, I object.

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I understand what the majority leader is saying, what he is trying to do. But if he continued to push these amendments over to a piece of legislation at a later time, then you are going to have all these amendments that are waiting, and your colleagues will want to bring them up, and then your colleagues will be asked not to bring it up on that one. So we go through here with this constrained time that we find ourselves with, and the inability to bring amendments. I understand what the majority leader wants to do. I have no fault with what he is trying to do except we are trying to work out some amendments that we think are important. Just like your side, we are going to let ours try to work them out. So I will object.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Reserving the right to object, I do object.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Akaka), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Baucus), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Glenn), and the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller) are necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Akaka), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Baucus), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Glenn), and the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller) are necessarily absent.

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

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Akaka), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Baucus), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Glenn), and the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller) are necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Akaka), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Baucus), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Glenn), and the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller) are necessarily absent. I also announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Wyden) is absent due to a family illness. I further announce that, if present and voting the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Wyden) would vote ``aye.''

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Akaka), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Baucus), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Glenn), and the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller) are necessarily absent. I also announce that the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Wyden) is absent due to a family illness. I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Wyden) would vote ``aye.''