Wendell Ford

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Maryland [Mr. Sarbanes] is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, let me thank the chairman of the Rules Committee, the distinguished Senator from Virginia, for his honest, straightforward, and direct investigation and statements in closed session and in public today. I think it is evident from his effort, with the vote of 16 to nothing, bipartisan, that we now cease and desist as it relates to the investigation of the Louisiana election, and the distinguished Senator Mary Landrieu be seated as a true Senator without any cloud over her head whatsoever, so she can get about the business of full-time representation of Louisiana. I thank the chairman. I thank the members of the committee. I think it is now time that we put this behind us and proceed with the business of the Senate.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Vermont [Mr. Leahy] is absent due to a death in the family.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Delaware [Mr. Biden] and the Senator from Louisiana [Ms. Landrieu] are necessarily absent. I also announce that the Senator from Vermont [Mr. Leahy] is absent due to a death in the family.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Vermont [Mr. Leahy] is absent due to a death in the family.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Vermont [Mr. Leahy] is absent due to a death in the family.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, and I will not object, I just inquire of the Chair if the previous agreement regarding the bill's immediate modification and the majority leader's immediate offering of his amendment will be executed when the Senate resumes consideration of S. 25 on Monday.

Mr. FORD. All right. I will accept then the unanimous-consent agreement.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Delaware [Mr. Biden] and the Senator from Maryland [Ms. Mikulski] are necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota [Mr. Wellstone] is necessarily absent. I also announce that the Senator from Hawaii [Mr. Akaka] is absent due to a death in the family. I further announce that, if present, and voting, the Senator from Minnesota [Mr. Wellstone] would vote ``no.''

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I want to join my colleagues in sponsoring the Foreign Air Carrier Family Support Act. The bill, which I hope will be considered shortly by the Commerce Committee, is intended to close a loophole in law. Last year, we passed legislation requiring U.S. air carriers to file plans with the Secretary and NTSB outlining how they would address the needs of the families of victims of aviation disasters. The bill today will require foreign airlines that serve the United States. In light of the tragic crash in Guam, this bill will make sure that carriers like Korean Air are prepared to deal with the families of victims when a crash occurs on U.S. soil. The bill is supported by the administration and I hope that we can pass it quickly.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota [Mr. Wellstone] is necessarily absent. I also announce that the Senator from Hawaii [Mr. Akaka] is absent due to a death in the family. I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from Minnesota [Mr. Wellstone] would vote ``no.''

Mr. FORD. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 1227 (Purpose: To direct the Secretary of the Interior to submit to Congress a report identifying at least 20 sites on Federal land that are potentially suitable for Youth Environmental Service program activities)

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Iowa [Mr. Harkin], the Senator from New York [Mr. Moynihan], and the Senator from Minnesota [Mr. Wellstone] are absent on official business. I also announce that the Senator from Hawaii [Mr. Akaka] is absent due to a death in the family. I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from Minnesota [Mr. Wellstone] would vote ``aye.''

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Iowa [Mr. Harkin], the Senator from New York [Mr. Moynihan], and the Senator from Minnesota [Mr. Wellstone] are necessarily absent. I also announce that the Senator from Hawaii [Mr. Akaka] is absent due to a death in the family I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from Minnesota [Mr. Wellstone] would vote ``aye.''

Mr. FORD. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Title V--Priority Land Acquisitions and Exchanges

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I want to join my colleagues in sponsoring the Foreign Air Carrier Family Support Act. The bill, which I hope will be considered shortly by the Commerce Committee, is intended to close a loophole in law. Last year, we passed legislation requiring U.S. air carriers to file plans with the Secretary and NTSB outlining how they would address the needs of the families of victims of aviation disasters. The bill today will require foreign airlines that serve the United States. In light of the tragic crash in Guam, this bill will make sure that carriers like Korean Air are prepared to deal with the families of victims when a crash occurs on U.S. soil. The bill is supported by the administration and I hope that we can pass it quickly.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a great friend and a great Kentuckian. This month, Ronnie Abrams will retire from Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P. after 40 years of dedicated service. I first met Ronnie and his wife Marie when I was Governor of Kentucky. Since then, I've not only had the pleasure of working with him on many Kentucky projects, but I've also come to count on his advice and counsel over the years. Ronnie has made many contributions to his hometown of Louisville through his work with a wide range of groups including Adath Israel B'Rith Sholom, the Jewish Community Federation, Metro United Way, and the Louisville Chamber of Commerce. In each of these organizations, Ronnie has served in leadership positions and devoted countless hours of volunteer service. In recognition of his efforts to make the community a better place for everyone, the B'nai Brith honored him with the 1992 Person of the Year Award. Ronnie has also been an active member of his profession through the American Institute of CPA's tax division, the Louisville Chamber of Commerce's State tax committee, the Estate Planning Council of Louisville, and as chairman of the Kentucky Society of CPA's State taxation committee. Beyond his community and professional activities, Ronnie has been an invaluable advisor to many political leaders, myself included. He has shared his expertise in tax matters with policy makers at the State, local, and Federal level, providing both is expertise and old-fashioned commonsense. During his four decades and Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P., Ronnie has provided solutions on tax planning and compliance matters to a large clientele in the manufacturing, retail, financial service, and health care sectors. He began his career with the firm in 1957 after graduating from Vanderbilt University and the University of Louisville. A partner since 1971, he retires as the tax market leader for Kentucky. Mr. President, I hope all my colleagues will join me in thanking Ronnie for his hard work over the years, wishing him and his family the best of luck in the future. I know that no matter what he chooses to do, he will continue to excel and to be an asset to the community.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from West Virginia [Mr. Byrd] is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 1070, As Modified

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

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, let me thank the Senator from South Dakota, our Democratic leader, for this initiative. I think you have to understand that the momentum is there because people are concerned, Senators are concerned, politicians are concerned with the turnout, with the cynicism, with all the problems we are facing in this political arena. In 1974, when I ran for the U.S. Senate the first time, the average cost of a Senate race in this country was $425,000. In 1996, it was $4.4 million. The race in Kentucky would probably be a $5 million race on each side--$10 million or more, to run for the U.S. Senate from a small State like Kentucky. There is not a Senator that I know of, not a Senator, that enjoys raising money--enjoys raising money--making calls, calling people they have never heard of before. Some group organized to help with a fundraiser gives you a list to call. These are what we referred to as ``cold calls'' when I was growing up. A cold call is calling somebody you never heard of and asking for money so that you can run your race. I think we ought to take the M and M's out of politics--money and meanness, money and meanness. The more money you have, the meaner you can become. I listened to a Senator who was defeated who had a lot of mean ads run against him. He said by the end of the campaign he did not like himself. It gets pretty rough, so we need to take the money out. We hear a lot about free speech. I understand it. I can go outside and start talking. That is free speech. I can go over to Courthouse Square in my hometown and make a speech to nobody. That is free speech. I can do all of those things. But what we are talking about here is paid speech, paid speech. The more money you have, the more speech you have, but it is paid speech. It is television, it is radio, it is newspapers. Why, some places they make more money off of a political campaign--they want one every year, every 6 months, because we will raise the money to be competitive. Let's be competitive as individuals. Let's be competitive on the issues. Let's be competitive by seeing people and convincing them that your position and what you want to do is right, that you represent a party of principles--families first. Get out there and talk to people. In Kentucky, we had our first election last year in the Governor's race where you had a limited amount of money you could spend. With all of its warts, the two candidates stayed on the road. They did not fly in airplanes because it cost too much. They were looking for every Kiwanis Club, every Rotary Club, every Jaycees, every Lion's Club they could get to. There were an unprecedented 41 joint appearances. We used to have a joint appearance on television. It was on Kentucky educational television. It was a night Kentucky played for the championship of the NCAA basketball. They even sent the cubs out there to cover it, so no one really watched it. But when we limited the amount of money and limited what they could do, they had to see people, they had to talk about issues, they had to believe in what they were saying. Mr. President, now is the time to say to this country, ``Let us get back to the people. Let us get back to issues. Let us get back to shaking hands and saying, `I want your vote.''' Look them in the eye and they can ask you questions. That is the way we ought to run political campaigns. That is the kind of political campaign I like to run. Now we have that opportunity. We can touch it with our fingernails. We can touch it with our fingernails. If only two more Republicans will join, we will have the 50 votes necessary to say we have a comprehensive campaign finance reform bill that will be so important not only to the American people but to us as representatives of the American people. We will not be beholden to people we have never known. Mr. President, I hope we will join together now and give the American people what I believe they want--less money in politics, more personal contact. I yield the floor.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I have no objection under those circumstances.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, will the Senator yield for a question?

Mr. FORD. The Senator has been an attorney general. He is from the legal profession and I am not. Is it kind of unusual for a side agreement to be made by a defendant with a plaintiff lawyer?