Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I very much appreciate the question. It gives me the opportunity to show the work and the challenge it is to address an issue that strikes at the science and ethical concerns. My approach has been to include what I think the Senator from Iowa wants, and that is a clean up-or-down-vote on this bill. I have real concerns with how that bill is written, and I will give several examples of why it bothers me a bit the way it is written and passing as a clean bill. But I am willing to do that if I can take into consideration the moral concerns and scientific concerns of others in this body and give them the same opportunity that the Senator from Iowa is asking for, and, thus, put together a group, a defined group, but not an unlimited group--we will be voting up or down on all sorts of votes--but see where everybody is on alternative ways: You do not have to destroy embryos to get the same cells you get from embryos, the cord blood bill, H.R. 810, and the cloning bill. It is a separate issue but involves the creation of embryos and ultimately the destruction of embryos. That is what we are talking about. That is my attempt. It is going to take a while on the floor of the Senate because of the fact of it not having gone through the committee process and the fact everybody does stand in little different positions, from an ethical standpoint, on any of the bills. On H.R. 810, the consent process is inadequate, from my standpoint. There is not an ideal ethical construct. It says informed consent, but it does not specifically talk about the potential for financial incentives between, say, a physician and an in vitro fertilization clinic. That is not addressed specifically in the bill. Instead of voting up or down, I would like to at least discuss those issues. Another issue--there is informed consent and the financial incentives--would be if we pass it, it is passed forever; there is no opportunity to come back and look at it on a periodic basis, say, every 4 or 5 years. I mention those concerns because I am willing to step back and give a clean vote on that if we can take into consideration other people's issues or their particular bills. I am a little surprised my colleagues have not taken me up on that opportunity, but since they have not, we will have to come back and figure the best way to address it when we get back after the recess.

Mr. FRIST. To complete this, from my standpoint, I want it to be very clear, to be understood that the majority leader of the Senate has offered to his colleagues to bring up six bills. The statement is made this is going to have an overwhelming bipartisan support. It did in the House. All I am saying is, let's, in a short period of time--what has been offered to both sides, is spend a day debating these six bills which do, if you look at the six bills, take the range of ethical considerations and moral considerations of this body and do look at the science--alternative ways of developing embryonic stem cells--and let's take them to the floor and allow each one to get a vote, and let's see where the votes are. It may be the bill of my distinguished colleague from Iowa will get a majority vote or a supermajority vote, but so may the cord blood bill. I hope it does. I think it will save lives. The alternative bill, let's see what it is. It has never been discussed on the floor. I would hope the distinguished colleague from Iowa would vote for it because there is potential hope there, as well as obtaining embryonic stem cells from embryos. Also, the cloning bill. Let's debate it in a defined period of time and vote on that. Let's see where the body is. That has been my approach, and that has been the offer to both sides. The Senator is correct, on both sides of the aisle there is this hesitation to do it. I need for my colleagues to understand that I am pushing for clean votes over a period of time, where we can address the very issues my two colleagues want to address.

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate resumes the gun legislation tomorrow, immediately following morning business, the only remaining amendments other than pending amendments be the following: Reid amendment No. 1642, 30 minutes equally divided; Kennedy amendment No. 1615 and a first degree, relevant, to be offered by the majority leader or his designee, with 40 minutes equally divided to be used concurrently on both amendments; Corzine amendment No. 1619 and a first degree, relevant, to be offered by the majority leader or his designee, with the same time limitation as above; Lautenberg amendment No. 1620 and a first degree, relevant, to be offered by the majority leader or his designee, again with the same time limitation. I further ask consent that the cloture vote be vitiated and that following the disposition of the above-listed amendments, the pending Craig and Frist amendments be agreed to and there then be 20 minutes for closing marks, the bill be read a third time, and the Senate proceed to a vote on passage of the bill with no intervening action or debate. Further, I ask consent that where there are two first degrees to be voted upon, the majority alternative is first.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 3045, the House-passed CAFTA legislation. I further ask consent that the statutory debate time be reduced to 20 minutes, equally divided, and that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to a vote on the measure without intervening action or debate.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, that is correct. I have two unanimous consent requests. One is on S. 792, and one is on the energy report.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, within several minutes, we will start 20 minutes of debate on CAFTA, equally divided. We will have a rollcall vote. We will go to energy after that. We will complete debate on energy tonight. We will not have a further rollcall vote tonight after the CAFTA vote. We will begin--and we will announce the time a little bit later as to the two votes on energy tomorrow, one on the point of order and one on the bill. Following that, we will be going to the amendments that have been outlined with the time agreements on guns. The highway bill we will expect at some point. I don't know when the House will finish with that, but we will deal appropriately with that after it arrives. Since energy arrived, we are going to energy first. That is the general outline. We have the unanimous consent agreements. I would recommend very soon we go to the CAFTA bill.

Mr. FRIST. Yes.

Mr. FRIST. Right. Order Of Procedure

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I will be happy to yield.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we will be closing tomorrow afternoon, hopefully not too late in the afternoon. This has been a very productive several months. If you look back and reflect upon the issues that have been discussed and the bills that have been passed, there have been many. We are governing in a way that meets the expectations of the American people, governing with meaningful solutions to their everyday problems. We passed a budget which was the fifth fastest in history. We passed a bankruptcy bill, a class action reform bill to rid frivilous lawsuits. We had six circuit court nominations, judges that had been either filibustered or threatened to be filibustered in the past. Now we will continue all of that work tomorrow with an Energy bill, a highway bill, a gun liability bill, a legislative conference report, and the Interior conference report. So it has been a very productive Congress and one that we will continue to work very aggressively on as we come back after the recess.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 225, the adjournment resolution; provided that the concurrent resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent there now be a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate immediately proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations on today's Executive Calendar, calendar 170, 211, 221, 222, 226, 238, and 240, provided further that the following committees be discharged from further consideration of the list of nominations and the Senate proceed en bloc to their consideration. The HELP Committee: Henry Johnson, PN 572; Terrell Halaska, PN 685; Kevin Sullivan, PN 473; Bernice Phillips, PN 106; Thomas Fuentes, PN 105. Rules: Donetta Davidson, PN 749. I further ask unanimous consent that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then return to legislative session.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.J. Res. 59, which is at the desk.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the joint resolution be read three times and passed, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, and that any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 208.

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent 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 the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 206 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

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 related to this matter be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 160, S. 1375.

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. I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Democratic leader, the Senate proceed to the consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 2985, the Legislative Branch appropriations bill. I further ask unanimous consent that there then be 20 minutes of debate equally divided between the majority and the minority, followed by a vote adoption of the conference report, with no intervening action or debate.

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.