Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed in the Record as if read.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Thursday, the time from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. be divided in the following manner: 10:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., Senator Leahy; 10:45 a.m. to 11 a.m., Senator Specter; 11 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., the Democratic leader; and 11:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the majority leader; provided further that at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, the Senate proceed to a vote on the confirmation of the nomination of John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the United States, with no further intervening action or debate.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the HELP Committee be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 3784.

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I understand there is a bill at the desk and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. FRIST. I now ask for its second reading and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I understand there is a bill at the desk due for its second reading.

Mr. FRIST. In order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I would object to further proceedings.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 251, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today we formally begin the consideration of John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the United States. In a moment, we will proceed to executive session to begin the debate on that nomination. In order to facilitate the debate on the Roberts nomination, we have set aside controlled time so that Members can better plan when they will be speaking to the body. I know many Members will want to come to the floor to speak on this important nomination. However, I hope Senators do not feel compelled to make lengthy statements. We will stay each night this week if the Senators desire to speak, but I would like to reach an agreement as to when that final vote will occur so that Members can plan accordingly. I will be discussing a time certain for that vote with the Democratic leader as we go forward with the debate. Last week, I announced that we would have a vote today beginning approximately 5:30. Shortly, we expect to have that vote locked in by unanimous consent. We have about 24 nominations that are pending on the Executive Calendar. We will likely set one of those pending nominations for a vote. As always, we will alert Members when that vote is set. Also, this week we need to address the continuing resolution as we end the fiscal year. We will continue working on the appropriations process following the vote on the Roberts nomination. The appropriations bill for the Defense Department will be reported this week, and we expect to quickly turn to that bill. Having said that, I look forward to a good debate and good discussion on John Roberts, followed by the vote on his confirmation.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, September 27. I further ask that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved, and the Senate proceed to executive session to continue consideration of Calendar No. 317, John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the United States. I further ask unanimous consent that the time from 10 to 11 be under the control of the majority leader or his designee; the time from 11 to 12 be under the control of the Democratic leader or his designee; the time from 12 to 12:30 under majority control; 2:15 to 2:45 under majority control; 2:45 to 3:45, Democratic control; 3:45 to 4:45 under majority control; 4:45 to 5:45 under Democratic control; 5:45 to 6:45 under majority control; 6:45 to 7:45 under Democratic control. I further ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess from 12:30 to 2:15 to accommodate the weekly party luncheons.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Tomorrow we will resume statements on the nomination of John Roberts, those statements having begun at about 1 o'clock today. Moments ago we locked in a time certain for the vote on the confirmation of the Roberts nomination, and that vote is now set for Thursday morning at 11:30 a.m. I do ask all Senators to be in the Chamber and seated at their desks on this historic day for this historic vote. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning will be devoted to continued statements on Judge Roberts. Now that the final vote is set, I encourage Members to come over early for their statements rather than waiting until Thursday morning. In talking to the Democratic leader, in all likelihood, as we look to later this week, we will be voting on Friday. I make that statement recognizing that we are going to complete this Thursday morning, and we plan on going directly to the Department of Defense appropriations bill. Over the course of this session, we have not voted on a lot of Fridays, but now we are going to have to begin voting on Fridays. I wish to give people notification on both sides of the aisle given the fact that we have so much business going on and, in such a short period of time, so much to do. We will give Members as much advance notice as possible, but I do want to notify people that we will be voting on this Friday.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, last night we cleared by unanimous consent the Grassley-Baucus Hurricane Tax Relief package. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina--and with Hurricane Rita now bearing down--this legislation is sorely needed. I want to thank Senator Grassley, Senator Baucus and Senator Lott for their hard work and leadership to get immediate assistance to the hurricane victims. All of America is pulling together to support the people of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, Americans from all walks of life, from all across the country, have poured out their hearts to help. In just 3 weeks, private citizens and businesses have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to assist in the relief and recovery effort. Schools across the country are opening their doors to the thousands of displaced students. Communities are taking up collections of blankets, clothes, toys, and food. Families are literally opening their homes to shelter and comfort the survivors. In the past three weeks, I've had the opportunity to see, firsthand, America's compassion at work. In the first week after the hurricane hit, I traveled to the gulf to do volunteer medical work. I flew to the New Orleans airport and met up with medical colleagues I know from Vanderbilt and Boston. Many had been so moved by the stories they saw and read in the news that they voluntarily organized themselves to head to the Gulf Coast to offer their help. I met Knox County volunteers from my home State who had been flying helicopter missions for days. I saw a constant stream of people pitching in, helping out, and providing spiritual and material comfort. The bill we passed vitally supports and rewards this tremendous charity. It recognizes that every sector of civic life is engaged in the massive recovery effort. For example, families who are housing hurricane survivors will be eligible to receive a personal tax exemption of $500 for every Katrina victim they take in. The bill encourages even more cash donations by waiving the income limits that are otherwise discouraging. The Grassley-Baucus package also rewards contributions from the business sector. Katrina is estimated to have swept away 400,000 jobs. Under this bill, companies that hire displaced workers are eligible to receive a Working Opportunity Tax Credit of up to $2400 per employee. Hundreds of schools are also in desperate need of extra school books for the wave of displaced students coming through their doors. Under this legislation, companies can receive an enhanced deduction for donating books until the new year. Food donations will also receive an enhanced deduction. As another way to promote cash donations, the bill increases by 50 percent the amount of cash contributions a company can deduct. The Grassley-Baucus package also offers help to the hurricane victims, themselves, in both time and money. It allows families to dip into their retirement funds without penalty so that they can make ends meet while they struggle to regain their footing. It also makes sure that if a mortgage company or credit card company, for example, decides to forgive a loan or a debt, there won't be any income tax due on that amount. Another important provision of the bill is its extension of time. All of these families need time to find a place to live, to get a job, to get back on their feet and rebuild their lives. To help ease the pressure, people whose homes are located in the presidentially-declared disaster area will have up to 5 years to purchase new property. Their tax filing deadline will be extended until February of next year. These are only first steps. But they're important first steps that lift some of the pressure on these traumatized families. I want to assure these good people that the United States Senate remains hard at work and focused on helping them recover. We are committed to the well being of our fellow citizens. America is a family. And we pull together in times of need. And we will grow closer, stronger and more compassionate as we confront the challenges ahead.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, and any statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to this measure be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 250, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 1 p.m. on Monday, September 26. I further ask consent that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved, and the Senate then proceed to executive session for the consideration of Calendar No. 317, John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the United States. I further ask consent that the time from 1:30 to 2:30 be under the control of the majority leader or his designee, the time from 2:30 to 3:30 be under the control of the Democratic leader or his designee, 3:30 to 4:30 under majority control, and 4:30 to 5:30 under the control of the Democratic side.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, the Senate does continue to make steady progress on the business of the American people. We are hard at work funding the basic obligations of Government. Today, we passed the Military Construction Appropriations Act. The Military Construction appropriations bill funds the entire Department of Veterans Affairs along with the construction of all five branches. It provides for cancer research and funding for our VA hospitals, along with covering the cost of our treasured national monuments. I congratulate Senators Hutchison and Feinstein for accomplishing consideration and passage of that bill in a single day. It took the cooperation of a lot of Members and proves that we can go quickly through the appropriations process. Again, I thank both of them. This morning we also passed with near unanimous support the Agriculture appropriations bill. I thank Senator Bennett and Senator Kohl for their tremendous work and leadership on this important bill. The Agriculture bill targets spending on the needs of rural America, while also maintaining funding for essential food assistance programs. The bill is particularly important to farmers in States all across the country, but in particular I want to comment on my home State. It provides $2 million for Appalachian Horticultural Research, a collaborative project between the USDA and the University of Tennessee to help trees fight and resist disease; about $955,000 for research into the best way to protect soil and water quality on farms which can suffer from heavy erosion; nearly $40 billion for the very successful Boll Weevil Eradication Program which will help cotton farmers continue to combat this destructive pest. These programs, along with major funding for USDA's rural development programs and housing services, are helping farm areas around the country continue to feed America and, indeed, continue to help feed the world. Last week we also passed a third appropriations bill, the Commerce- Justice-Science bill. In addition to funding basic Government business, it includes significant Katrina-related measures. More than 350,000 families have been made homeless by the Katrina disaster. The CJS bill provides Federal housing assistance of up to $600 per family per month for up to 6 months to get these families back on their feet. I commend my colleagues for remaining focused on the appropriations process so that we can also meet our responsibilities to the victims of Katrina. We have extraordinary challenges before us, and we are working hard to deliver meaningful relief in the gulf region in a fiscally responsible way. We moved quickly in the initial days to allocate appropriate funding. We also lifted the burden of student loans for those displaced from colleges and universities. We made sure that FEMA had funding to cover their national flood insurance obligations, and we passed legislation to get the Federal courts back on track in the regions affected. Since then, we passed aggressive tax relief to encourage charitable giving and to help hurricane victims rebuild their homes, restore their possessions, find housing, and find jobs. All of this is only the first step. There will be more. Helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina recover and rebuild is a monumental undertaking, an undertaking this body is focused on. We understand the absolutely critical importance of doing this in a fiscally responsible way, with full accountability and full transparency. This is America. America is up to the challenge. The Senate will continue to do its work moving forward in this regard.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Madam President, every morning, farmers and ranchers across America wake up to do the hard work of growing crops, tending livestock, and providing food that is safe, abundant and affordable. Over 2 million American farms grow the food that feeds the world. And today we will pass, with near unanimous support, the Agriculture appropriations bill, which helps America's farmers to be the most productive in the world. The Agriculture appropriations bill funds $100.7 billion for a wide array of Government agencies. Roughly 80 percent of the funding in this bill is for those programs referred to as ``entitlements.'' That includes farm price support programs and funding for low-income, domestic food assistance programs such as food stamps, school lunch, and other child nutrition programs. The portion of this bill we refer to as ``discretionary'' includes such activities as rural development, rural housing, agriculture research, FDA, and most conservation programs. That portion represents $17.3 billion--less than a 3 percent increase over this year's funding. Later today, the Department of Agriculture will release their most current estimates on the agriculture damages caused by Hurricane Katrina. Preliminary estimates indicate that the loss of agricultural production in the area might be less than $1 billion. Small comfort to the hard working people who have lost their livelihoods--shrimpers along the coast who have lost their shrimp boats, broiler producers in Mississippi who have lost their facilities. But we do know that 8 of the 10 major export grain elevators near the Port of New Orleans are operational today. Three major floating rigs, which have comparable capacity to these elevators, are also operational. Eighty percent of grain export capacity has been restored, and barge movement is now increasing. Export grain delivery from the upper reaches of the Mississippi is catching up with these capacity numbers. The real impact of Katrina on the agricultural sector will be the increasing cost of energy and fertilizer costs. As I mentioned earlier, the largest expenditure made by the USDA is for food and nutrition programs. The appropriations bill provides $40.7 billion for the Food Stamp Program; $12.4 billion for the school meal programs; $5.3 billion for the Women and Infants and Children program. Rural housing loan programs are allotted nearly $5 billion. Another critical function of the USDA is to conduct research into improving our farming and conservation methods. The Department provides grants to local communities for a variety of rural development projects, ranging from electricity improvements, to water infrastructure, waste management, broadband service, and energy efficiency. During the August recess, I had the opportunity to meet with a group of county mayors back in my home State. Tennessee is a major grower of cotton, corn, and soybeans. This year, we are expected to produce 48 million bushels of soybeans on 1.2 million acres of farmland. The Tennessee USDA office also predicts we will set a new State record for cotton production, at over 1.1 million bales. While I was home meeting with the county mayors, we discussed Tennessee's thriving farming business and what they need to help it grow. Greater research into agricultural production was one area they highlighted. The farm bill includes significant support for those efforts.nc1udes significant support for those efforts. It includes: $2 million for Appalachian horticultural research, a collaborative project between the USDA and University of Tennessee; $955,000 for research into the best way to protect soil and water quality on farms which can suffer from heavy erosion; and nearly $40 million for the boll weevil eradication program to help our cotton farmers combat this destructive pest. These programs, along with major funding for the USDA's rural development programs and housing services, are helping farmers around the country continue to feed America, and indeed, the world. From the very beginning of our Nation's history, farming has been the backbone of our economy, our growth, and our independence. Our earliest settlers were farmers. Farmers and ranchers pioneered our expansion to the West. Indeed, the first patent issued by the Patent Office in 1790 was to Samuel Hopkins for a farming innovation. I congratulate the chairman of the subcommittee, Senator Bennett, and the ranking member, Senator Kohl, on reporting a bill that, even in a time of tight budgets, targets spending on the needs of rural America, while also maintaining funding for essential food assistance programs. By pulling together and remaining focused, the United States Senate is keeping America's expansive food and fiber system moving forward.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.