Wendell Ford

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I thank the majority leader. One further question: Should the Wellstone amendment be worked out and no final passage vote requested, that we could finish this bill tonight, and there would not be any left for tomorrow, could that be understood?

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Delaware [Mr. Biden] and the Senator from Nebraska [Mr. Exon] are necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from Nebraska [Mr. Exon] is necessarily absent.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, let me thank the distinguished majority leader for giving us the advance notice so that we can make arrangements for Saturday, August 5, and expect to be here to debate and vote on Saturday. Then we would be back at 9 o'clock probably on Monday, and continue our effort, whether it is welfare reform or whatever the distinguished majority leader wishes to bring up. I thank him for giving us this advanced warning. I think all have expected that Saturday, August 5, would be used. And I think it is a wise use of time by letting us out tomorrow and then coming back. So I thank him for that. Mr. President, we are now in the period of morning business in which each Senator has 5 minutes. Is that is correct?

Mr. FORD

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 have been advised that Senator Rockefeller will not offer that amendment. Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment and the time assigned to it be vitiated.

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

Mr. FORD. I thank the Chair. Amendment No. 1880

Mr. FORD. Madam President, the next item on the agenda, I believe, is the so-called Rockefeller amendment?

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

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, as we finish up on the important piece of legislation, the lobbying reform and the gift ban, I want to take a minute to thank the many people who worked to produce a significant step toward restoring confidence in this institution. And it clearly would not have been possible without the leadership of the distinguished Democratic leader, Senator Daschle. I want to thank him for placing his confidence in me to chair the working group--a task which I shared equally with my cochair Senator Levin, and whom I want to extend a special thanks, along with his most capable staff. Our job was made infinitely more easy by the considerable amount of hard work, time, and effort the working group and their staffs dedicated to making this process work. That group include Senators Wellstone, Feingold, Lautenberg, Rockefeller, Breaux, Dodd, and Reid. And I offer my thanks and congratulations for a job well done to them and their staffs. I also want to commend my colleague, the Majority Whip Trent Lott, whose leadership and hard-working staff helped bring cooperation and closure to this issue. Because of the hard work of all of these people, I think we now have a piece of legislation that all who participated in can be proud of and will have a stake in. Before I close, I do want to say that this reform is a step in--not an end to--the process of reforming Congress and of making this an institution that inspires confidence and pride from all Americans. Tickets to a concern, a ball game, or an occasional lunch or dinner raise the [[Page S 10860]] eyebrows of our constituents, and lower our esteem in their eyes. And that is inexcusable. But, the true role and influence of special interests on Congress is not determined by these gifts. Rather, the true role and influence of special interests on Congress lies with the financial contributions that Members of Congress receive for their campaigns. If we use our successes on lobbying reform and the gift ban as a substitute for campaign reform, then we will have failed. The practice of raising unlimited amounts of money through fundraisers hosted by corporations and lobbyists, distinguishes us from the executive branch. That branch of Government could never justify such an act, and neither should we. Yet, the majority of Members of this body participate in the never- ending ritual of chasing after special interest money. And despite our success on lobbying reform, despite our success on gift ban, this money chase is the true impediment to the independence of our elected officials. The effort to restrict the gifts a Member may or may not receive is vital but incomplete. With or without gift reform, Congress will continue to be diminished in the eyes of the public until we pass comprehensive campaign reform. So, Mr. President, I urge my colleagues not to let our efforts on gift and lobbying reform be a hollow gesture but, rather, the predecessor to comprehensive reform and to fully securing the respect and trust of the American people. I yield the floor. Mr. CHAFEE addressed the Chair.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Madam President, I object.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, this is just a technical amendment that changes the language on that line and page. I have cleared it all. I will not debate it.

Mr. FORD. Not yet. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. If there be no further debate, the question is on agreeing to the amendment.

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

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

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be set aside.

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I have a technical amendment to change some language on page 16, line 25. I have cleared this with the majority leader, the majority whip, chairman of the Ethics Committee, all those who are cosponsors. I think I have cleared it. So I ask unanimous consent that I might offer an amendment at this time.

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

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, and I will not object. I tried to follow him very closely. At the third line from the bottom of the unanimous-consent agreement, ``* * * disposition of the above listed amendments, the Senate proceed''----

Mr. FORD. There be 1 hour for debate equally divided between the two leaders. That is it.

Mr. FORD. OK. I just wanted to be sure--we worked so hard on this-- that the language was correct. We penciled in a couple things here. We have no objection and look forward to the debate.

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I apologize. I thought when you did that, you gave up the floor.

Mr. FORD. Parliamentary inquiry. The distinguished majority whip has just offered a motion as it relates to cloture on a motion to proceed. Now, on that motion to proceed, if cloture is invoked, and the Ryan White legislation has not been finished, the reform legislation has not been finished, the gift ban has not been finished, do they all go back to the calendar if cloture is invoked?

Mr. FORD

Mr. FORD. I announce that the Senator from South Carolina [Mr. Hollings] is absent because of attending a funeral.