Wendell Ford

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey [Mr. Bradley] is absent because of illness in the family.

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

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey [Mr. Bradley] is absent because of illness in the family.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey [Mr. Bradley] is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey [Mr. Bradley] and the Senator from Arkansas [Mr. Pryor] are necessarily absent.

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

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, we have been listening to two very well briefed men who are handling this piece of legislation here on the floor. When we begin to talk about nuclear storage and that sort of thing, spending hundreds of millions of dollars, it kind of goes over some heads. But I want to talk about something that affects real people now. Several weeks ago, Mr. President, in the House an amendment was floated to this bill, and to the reconciliation bill, to sell the Power Marketing Administrations. The Power Marketing Administrations with hydroelectric furnish low-cost power to rural areas in this country. To do even better than that, the amendment came out on the bill that would sell the lakes that provide the water to generate the electricity. I want to tell you. A furor occurred down in my part of the country because you have recreation, fishing, camping, and swimming on these various lakes--four of them in Kentucky where a father has taken a son fishing and camping, and now that son is taking his son to the lake fishing and camping. And it is something a family of low income can enjoy. So with all these furors that followed this suggestion, our people in my part of the State said, ``Sell the lakes? Never.'' The calls came to Washington, and Speaker Gingrich was contacted. And he assured them that this was off the table--that it would not be considered. But it would be considered when the communities have calmed down a little bit, and it would be revisited when the communities are more comfortable with the sale, I believe the Speaker said. But Mr. Kasich, the chairman of the Budget Committee, said that they will be sold but it will be done a little later because of the furor. Then the proposal to sell the Power Marketing Administrations was proposed, and another furor followed. Again, the Speaker said that this would be off the table. So you have to watch around this place, Mr. President, because there is always someone trying to back door you. If you think the Power Marketing Administrations are off the table, or if the power lines and the facilities to generate this electricity is off the table, you ought to read page 476 of the reconciliation bill from the House. We have in the statutory language now that the Secretaries of Energy, Interior, and Army cannot sell power marketing administrations. Well, on page 476 of the House reconciliation bill, they repeal those prohibitions. And in the next section they authorize and say, ``The Secretaries shall''--that is plural, of Energy, Interior, and Army-- ``shall secure and enter into arrangements with an experienced private- sector firm to serve as advisor to the Secretaries with respect to the sale of the facilities used to generate and transmit the electrical power marketed by Southeastern Power Administration, Southwestern Power Administration, and Western Power Administration.'' And so prior to December 31, 1996, they shall come back with their report to sell. And in these instructions in the reconciliation bill in the House, they say they can cluster the generated facilities where they might be sold at a higher price. That does not seem to me that power marketing administrations and the facilities used for such a transmission line are off the table. Lo and behold, Mr. President, in this bill--in this bill--we are about to pass here in the Senate, there is no language under amendment 51. It says: The conferees agree that the statutory limitations do not prohibit the legislative branch from initiating or conducting studies or collecting information regarding the sale or transfer of the power marketing administrations to non- Federal ownership. Mr. President, the power marketing administrations are not off the table. We are just being backdoored, making big headlines, big statements, ``They are off the table,'' then insert them in language, try to hide it, and in the language of this bill, as an afterthought, I suspect, they authorized GAO for the study. Mr. President, I am torn about whether to vote for this piece of legislation or not because it does authorize GAO to make the study for the sale of these power marketing administrations. So I want to just say to my folks that have an interest in it all across the country--all across the country--that you better be careful because the majority has made up its mind it is going to sell the power marketing administrations. And the testimony in the House committee said that rates would go up, the rates would go up. If you want rural electrical rates to go up, you just sell your power marketing administration, and you will see what happens to you. This majority is trying to sell everything.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Should we not make a motion to withdraw the amendment?

Mr. FORD. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 2980

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from California [Mrs. Feinstein] is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that [Mr. Lautenberg] 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. Mr. EXON addressed the Chair.

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, this denies a legitimate business from taking a deduction under legitimate costs. And it will go to all companies in the future, if we allow this one to prevail. So, Mr. President, I raise a point of order against the pending amendment. It violates section 305(b) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1994 because it is not germane.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, will the Senator yield? Are we going tomorrow by the schedule of amendments offered, and then we go down that line and then we are on, will be on the last ones?

Mr. FORD. Ten.

Mr. FORD. I thank the Senator.

Mr. FORD. We go as introduced.

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, may we have order, please.

Mr. FORD. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 2976

Mr. FORD. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 2963

Mr. FORD. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 2969

Mr. FORD. Now you know how we feel when we have 2,000 pages.

Mr. FORD. I do not believe Senator Pryor is going to be willing to move his away from tonight.

Mr. FORD. You talked about the Pryor amendment. We have the Simon- Conrad amendment that is also mentioned. The Senator says take that one tonight and have Pryor tomorrow?

Mr. FORD. Would the Senator yield for one moment? We have another amendment.