Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, Senators should be aware that now the vote at 5:30 today will occur on the resolution expressing condolences to the victims of Katrina. I expect that a number of our colleagues will want to speak today on that resolution, and we have provided time to do so between 2:15 and 5:30 today. In addition, following that vote, at 6 p.m. this evening there will be an all-Senators briefing related to our Gulf States. At that briefing will be a number of the Cabinet Secretaries who will be available. That briefing will be in S-407 in the Capitol. As I have been stating, it is our intention to move very quickly, responsibly, and aggressively to Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath. This relief is underway. We need to make sure that we are maximally supportive and responsive in a timely fashion. I believe we demonstrated that last Thursday when we came in in an urgent session to approve $10.5 billion which subsequently became law and was signed by the President. Later today--again another manifestation of being able and appropriately responding to the changing events--we will clear a bill known as the Federal Judiciary Emergency Special Sessions Authority which will allow the affected U.S. courts to conduct business under these emergency conditions. Tomorrow, we will pay tribute to the Chief Justice of the United States, William Rehnquist. I will say more later today on the schedule as it relates to the funeral and a Senate resolution relating to Chief Justice Rehnquist. Finally, we will be turning to the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill later this week. That appropriations measure does fund a number of hurricane-related activities. Earlier today, the Democratic leader and I, Chairman Specter, and Ranking Member Leahy from the Judiciary Committee outlined the schedule with regard to Judge Roberts' hearings and the nomination process over the next month. Those hearings will begin Monday, September 12, at noon. The committee will report out Judge Roberts no later than Thursday, September 22. We will begin Senate floor consideration the week of September 26, and we will complete action no later than Friday, September 30. I believe that is relatively complete in terms of the changes we have made in response to two very sad and unfortunate events: Hurricane Katrina, a natural disaster which is ongoing, as we all know, and the death of Chief Justice Rehnquist. We will remain flexible in terms of our scheduling in this body to address that natural catastrophe along the Gulf States. We will be acting in a bipartisan and bicameral way, as has been seen to date, in these matters in order to facilitate an immediate response initially to the victims and then ultimately to the recovery and rebuilding of those gulf regions, with the goal of greater prosperity than they have ever seen in the past.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I have a few housekeeping matters as we begin today. I have talked to the Democratic leader and a number of our colleagues about changes we have made in our current schedule. As all Members are aware, on July 29 we filed cloture motions on two items that were scheduled for consideration today. In light of Hurricane Katrina, we will be shifting our focus this week, and I am prepared to make those changes by unanimous consent. Order of Procedure First, I ask unanimous consent that the two cloture votes scheduled for 5:30 this afternoon be vitiated.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent that the order be modified so that at 2:15 today, the Senate begin a period for morning business with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each, with the time until 5:30 equally divided between the two leaders or their designees. I further ask consent that at 5:30 today, the Senate proceed to a vote on adoption of a resolution related to Hurricane Katrina.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following the rollcall vote on the Hurricane Katrina resolution, the Senate adjourn until 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 7. I further ask that following the prayer and the 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 a period of morning business until 12 noon, with the time equally divided and Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter of notification relating to section 2 of H. Con. Res. 225 be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, on behalf of my colleagues and fellow Americans, I come to the Senate floor to extend my heartfelt sympathies to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and to reassure the thousands of families suffering from this tragedy that we are committed to providing all of the relief and support necessary to get through this terrible and ongoing crisis. It is unprecedented, and it is unfolding before our eyes. Thus, this is a highly unusual emergency session we are conducting tonight. As the President has said, our first priority is saving lives. At this very moment, relief organizations and faith-based volunteers are working valiantly to provide food, shelter, water, and medical care. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has delivered essential sustenance and supplies. It has supplied and continues to supply generators and thousands of cots and blankets and has deployed over 1,800 personnel to save lives and render medical assistance. Our action, coupled with the House action tomorrow, will ensure that all necessary funds are immediately available to respond to this ongoing crisis. The Army, Navy, National Guard, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Air National Guard are hard at work conducting rescue operations and providing aid. Twenty thousand guardsmen are on the ground right now. Thousands more are on the way. Volunteers from my home State of Tennessee have been on the front lines all week. I think of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief, a ministry of 3,000 Southern Baptist Tennessee churches. They are working around the clock on rescue missions, at relief stations, cooking thousands of meals and providing emergency care. And they are offering something else, something desperately needed in this time of tragedy: the hope and the love and the compassion of a Nation--of all of us pulling together as one. As Norma Jones, a 63-year-old volunteer from Indian Mound, told a newspaper, ``Most of the time, the rescue survivors just want to be hugged.'' Hundreds of storm victims have found refuge in Nashville and middle Tennessee. Many are staying with relatives until it is safe to return, which, as we all know, may not be for months. The ongoing crisis has become a crisis of refugees, a crisis of refugees the likes of which this country has never seen. In Memphis, TN, actually a long way from the gulf, there are 10,000 refugees as we speak, and over the course of tonight they are expecting 4,000 more refugees in that town alone. On the television, we see families wading waste-high for dozens of blocks in search of food or dry land or clean water. We see those families marooned on those rooftops, as floodwaters swirl past, writing, inscribing with whatever they have available: ``Need insulin.'' ``Diabetic.'' ``Please help''--reaching out for hope, reaching out to be saved. Our very own colleague and friend, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, lost his family home in this disaster. He returned recently--about 2 days ago--to his family home and found nothing. Our deepest sympathies go out to him and his family as they face this difficult time and to so many others in this body and, indeed, all around this country who face these personal challenges. Towns, cities, communities, and shorelines have been decimated and reduced to rubble, to debris. We have a public health crisis that is just beginning, an ongoing crisis, but one that will increase almost with certainty over the coming days and weeks. New Orleans, one of America's most vibrant cities, will take years to recover. Hundreds of helpless people remain trapped on highway overpasses and in the city center with nowhere to go, no food, no water, no sanitation, and security has been tough, as we have all seen over the course of the day. Most of Mississippi is without power, without electricity. Towns, villages have been totally destroyed. The darkness of the night will be not just dramatic but, as we heard over the last several hours, haunting underneath those bridges, in rural areas with no lights for blocks, for miles, just human suffering. Our rescue teams are working hard, and we see that. We are so proud of them, and they deserve our praise--our enormous praise--for their courage, for their boldness, for their dedication. People are still stranded. They are reaching their breaking point, and they need our help now. That is why at 10 o'clock tonight we are acting. That is why we are convening tonight in this urgent session for an emergency supplemental, operating by unanimous consent. FEMA needs additional funds now to continue their relief efforts and to continue the recovery. Over the course of the last several days, we have had numerous calls with President Bush, and the Democratic leader and I just several hours ago received a call from President Bush requesting these funds. We applaud President Bush. He moved early to get emergency supplies prepared and ready to go. We have been in constant contact. He and his administration have been working tirelessly to meet this daunting challenge. We all recognize we have much to do. There are a lot of frustrations that have bubbled up over the course of the last several days to do more or things are not going well, and we feel those frustrations. We feel that pain. We feel that suffering. Again, that is why we are here tonight--to support, to deliver, to answer those challenges. I also thank our State and local leaders for their tremendous dedication and commitment. We, this body, our Federal Government, stand behind them 100 percent. Helping the victims of this hurricane disaster is our highest priority. Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath is, as we now know, one of the worst catastrophes this country has ever seen. But this is America, and in America we face our toughest challenges together as one, united and lifted up by our compassion and our strength. Even in our darkest hour, our humanity shines through, millions of citizens, millions of Americans committed to one another, to the care and well-being of all. Inscribed in this very Chamber just above the Presiding Officer is ``E Pluribus Unum,'' out of many, one. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment under the provisions of S. Con. Res. 51 until 12 noon on Tuesday, September 6, 2005, unless the House has not adopted S. Con. Res. 51, in which case the Senate shall stand adjourned until 4 p.m. on Friday, September 2, 2005. The ACING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I want to take this final opportunity to thank our colleagues for their assistance in getting this emergency funding considered so quickly. We will be returning to business on Tuesday, and we will be monitoring the situation in all of the affected States as we mentioned tonight--really a much larger region in fact, the whole country--over the next several days. Our hearts, as has been spelled out and articulated so well by my colleagues, and especially our prayers, go out to the people of those States as we pull together and capture the best of what America represents; that is, the support of, in times of crisis, each other as a nation in order to get through these unanticipated, unprecedented challenges for us.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the majority leader, the senior Senator from Mississippi, and the senior Senator from New Mexico be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions during this adjournment of the Senate.

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 and under the provisions of S. Con. Res. 51.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to S. Con. Res. 51, which is the adjournment resolution. I further ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 226, which corrects the enrollment of H.R. 3; provided further that Senator Baucus be recognized to speak for up to 8 minutes, and following his remarks, the concurrent resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table without intervening action or debate.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we now proceed to the Corzine amendment as under the order and that there be 5 minutes for Senator Corzine, 5 minutes for Senator Schumer, 5 minutes for Senator Craig, to be followed by a vote on the Corzine amendment, with the order for the first-degree alternative vitiated; provided that the Senate then proceed to the Reed substitute with Senator Reed to speak for 15 minutes, Senator Hutchison for 10 minutes, to be followed by a vote in relation to the Reed amendment as under the order; that following that vote there be 10 minutes equally divided for closing remarks prior to the bill being read the third time and a vote on passage as the order provides.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following passage of S. 397, the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 3, the highway bill. I further ask unanimous consent there be 15 minutes equally divided between the majority and minority with 30 minutes under the control of Senator McCain. I ask unanimous consent that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to a vote on adoption of the conference report with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, just a clarification. A lot of people will have questions. We had these time allotments and we have asked Senators not to use all of the time that has been allocated. That is the general understanding. With that we have an orderly way of very quickly completing our rollcall votes for the course of the day. But with that, we can explain it over to the side that we are in shape and have a plan in order to finish at a very reasonable hour. Amendment No. 1619

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I am happy to yield to the Senator from Hawaii for a comment on the Native Hawaiians bill.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, through the Chair, I thank the distinguished Senator from Hawaii. I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, this cloture vote occur at 5:30 on Tuesday, September 6, with the mandatory live quorum waived.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I withdraw my motion.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 3199, the House-passed PATRIOT Act reauthorization bill. I further ask unanimous consent that all after the enacting clause be stricken, the text of the committee- reported substitute to Calendar No. 171, S. 1389 be inserted, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, and the Senate insist on its amendment and request a conference with the House with a ratio of six to four.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I thank our colleagues on this very important piece of legislation--both those who have reservations and those who support this very important act. I talked to the Attorney General a short while ago, and he expressed his appreciation to this body.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 84, H.R. 8, the death tax repeal, and I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory live quorum be waived and that this vote occur immediately after the previously filed cloture motion, if not waived.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, this procedure has now set a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the Native Hawaiians legislation. That vote will occur at 5:30 on Tuesday when we return. If cloture is invoked, we will stay on that motion until it is disposed of. If cloture is not invoked, we will proceed to a vote on the cloture motion to proceed to the death tax.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate immediately proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations on today's Executive Calendar: Calendar Nos. 212, 220, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 253, 254, 255 through 285, 287 through 293, 295, 296, 297 through 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk reported by the Armed Services Committee today; Calendar No. 311, Ronald Sega, PN-661; provided further that the following committees be discharged from further consideration of the listed nominations and the Senate proceed en bloc to their consideration: HELP Committee, Charles Ciccolella, PN- 524; Foreign Relations Committee, William Burns, PN-747; William Timken, PN-737; Richard Jones, PN-757; Francis Ricciar done, PN-758. I further ask that the Chair now put the question on Calendar No. 212, the nomination of Granta Nakayama, to be Assistant Administrator of EPA, and I note for the record that Senator Burns is opposed and he would vote against this nominee.