Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, as in executive session I ask unanimous consent the injunction of secrecy be removed from the following conventions transmitted to the Senate on May 16, 2005, by the President of the United States: Convention Concerning Migratory Fish Stock in the Pacific Ocean (Treaty Document 109-1); and Convention Strengthening the Inter-American Tuna Commission (Treaty Document 109-2). I further ask the conventions be considered as having been read the first time; that they be referred, with accompanying papers, to the Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed; and the President's messages be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. 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. Tomorrow, following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the highway bill. Under a previous order, following the final 30 minutes for closing remarks, the Senate will proceed to a series of stacked votes on the pending amendments to the bill. Following the disposition of those amendments, the Senate will immediately vote on passage of the bill. Therefore, Senators should expect multiple rollcall votes beginning at approximately 11:30 a.m. tomorrow, culminating in passage of the highway bill.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 2 p.m. on Monday, May 16. 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 reserved, and the Senate then resume consideration of H.R. 3, the highway bill.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, on Monday the Senate will resume consideration of the highway bill. As a reminder, we reached an agreement last night that limits the final list of amendments in order prior to passage. Those amendments also must be offered no later than 4 p.m. on Monday afternoon. Senators who have amendments on the list should make themselves available to come to the floor Monday afternoon in order to get their amendments pending. We will also have at least one rollcall vote Monday, beginning at 5:30 p.m. That vote will be in relation to an amendment on the highway bill, and it is possible we will stack another amendment for a vote to follow the 5:30 vote. I do thank the chairman and ranking member, who have been here throughout the week working through amendments and moving this important legislation forward. Thanks to their efforts, we were able to establish a roadmap that will allow us to move to passage of the bill on Tuesday of next week.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today we return to the consideration of the highway bill. Yesterday, cloture was invoked by a vote of 92 to 7. We were then able to reach an agreement for finishing the bill on Tuesday. Under that agreement, Senators may offer amendments today from the limited list agreed to last night. Chairman Inhofe is here and may also have some cleared amendments to dispose of this morning. I announced last night that no rollcall votes would occur today. The next rollcall vote will be Monday at approximately 5:30. On Monday, we will again resume debate on the highway bill. Senators will have the final opportunity to offer their amendments. We will vote on one or two of those amendments on Monday evening. That will allow the Senate to return to the measure Tuesday morning and vote on the remaining amendments and final passage. After consulting with the chairman of the committee and the Democrat leader, we are hopeful most of these amendments will not require votes, that only a few remaining amendments will need rollcall votes prior to passage. As I did last night, I commend the managers for their hard work. I look forward to finishing the bill early next week. We have spent 2 weeks on this bill and given plenty of opportunity, plenty of time for Members to come forward. They have done so. We are on a final glidepath to completion of this very important bill.

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, this Sunday marks the 24th anniversary of Peace Officers' Memorial Day. Each year, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the country gather in the Nation's Capital to honor their comrades lost in the line of duty. They are accompanied by wives, husbands, sons, and daughters, along with families of the fallen. It is a solemn occasion. It is a sacred occasion. It reminds us of the tremendous sacrifices our police officers make to keep us safe. Every day around the clock they are on the front lines defending our neighborhoods and protecting our lives, our homes, protecting our freedoms. When we need an officer to investigate a dark alley, quell a domestic dispute, to chase an armed suspect, or subdue a criminal, we call these dedicated professionals to save us from harm. And each and every time they take a risk that our distress call could be their last. I share very briefly a few stories of our proud heroes from Tennessee who, last year, gave the ultimate sacrifice. Officer Jason Michael Scott of Loudoun County was shot and died on March 12, 2004, after responding to a family dispute. The station got a call that a teenager was attacking his mother. Officer Scott was sent to the scene. As Officer Scott climbed out of his patrol car to walk up to the house, he was shot four times with a high-powered rifle. The 16- year-old shooter then barricaded himself inside the home and exchanged gunfire with responding officers. The gunfight raged on for more than 20 hours before the disturbed young man committed suicide. Officer Scott was only 24 years old. His first child, Jayden Nicole, was born 11 days after his death. Our prayers are with the Scott family. Even routine calls can lead to unexpected tragedy. Officer Christy Jo Dedman of Nashville was helping a motorist on the side of Interstate 40, not too far from my home, when a tractor trailer hit and killed her. In the flash of an instant, in one random moment, her life was taken. At the funeral of Officer Mark Vance in Bristol, TN, an officer remarked: You always know when you go out that you are taking a risk but you do not think it is going to happen. Officer Vance was only 30 years old when he was shot and killed on a domestic violence call. Our prayers are with each and every member of his family. Tonight, the National Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial will hold a candlelight vigil to honor Officer Vance along with his fellow colleagues killed in the line of duty. Over 20,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony tonight. The names of the 153 heroes will be read, as will the names of 262 other fallen officers from years past. On Sunday, a memorial service will be held on the West Front of the Capitol. The President will be on hand to honor these heroes. I look forward to paying my respects to each of these courageous men and women. I will take a moment now to single out Tennessee's own who are included on this solemn roster: Sergeant Andy Thaddeus Bailey of Jackson; Officer Christy Jo Dedman of Nashville; Patrolman Timothy Howard Dunn of Shelby County; Patrolman J. Matthew Rittenhouse of Harriman; Deputy Sheriff Jason Michael Scott of Lenoir City; Patrolman Marlon Allen Titus of Memphis; and finally, Mark Edward Vance of Bristol. Our hearts go out to their families, friends, and colleagues who were made safer by their service. We all suffer their tragic loss. In their honor I pledge to keep working hard to show our commitment in the Senate. Last year, I cosponsored the Law Enforcement Safety Act, which the President signed into law. This legislation had been the No. 1 priority for our Nation's law enforcement community for years. Finally, last year, Congress passed it. It is now the law of the land. The new law allows current and retired police officers to carry a concealed weapon in any of the 50 States. America now has the added security of tens of thousands of trained and certified law enforcement officers serving and protecting us across the country and even into retirement. There are more than 870,000 sworn law enforcement officers now serving communities across America, the highest number ever. I thank each and every one of them and their families for their selfless courage, their sacrifice, and their dedication to public safety. Each of these officers is a hero. I honor them. Each of these officers has a family who deserves our appreciation and gratitude for their sacrifice. May God bless our women and men in blue. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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 second what the Democratic leader said in terms of both sides working together on a bill that has taken a tremendous amount of work. We spent several days on the bill and had plenty of opportunity over the last 2 weeks for everybody to come forward. To clarify for the benefit of our colleagues, with this agreement in place, we can announce there will be no further votes this evening. Tomorrow we will resume the bill, and Senators will be able to offer amendments from the list. No rollcall votes will occur on those amendments during Friday's session. As we just stated, on Monday, Senators will have an opportunity until 4 p.m. to offer amendments. As we discussed, there will be at least one, but possibly two votes. We will be voting Monday evening on at least one of the highway amendments. Therefore, Senators can expect the next vote to be at 5:30 p.m. Monday. We will then complete our work on the bill Tuesday morning. The managers will work over the course of Friday and Monday to further limit the number of amendments that will require votes. I thank our colleagues, and I thank the chairman and ranking member for their tremendous work, their patience in bringing this bill forward. Mr. President, I yield the floor. The list of amendments is as follows: Germane amendments intended to be offered: Carper: #638, #723. Dodd: #732 Teen Drivers. Durbin: #734 Fuel savings reporting; #669 Bicycling. Feingold: #695 Buy American; #676 Volunteer mileage. Feinstein: #591 Alameda Corridor East; #633 Toll Roads. Lautenberg: #619 Drunk driving; #639 Big Trucks. Schumer: #674 Transit Benefits. Wyden: #690 Hours of use exemption. Landrieu: #620 Corridor. Kerry: #680 Ferry boats. Post Cloture Amendments Sessions #646. McCain #719. McCain #720. Craig #616. Domenici #659. Bond #631. Bond #658. Warner #686 Ensign #636 Chambliss #603. Alexander #733. Snowe #706. Lott #583. Lott #667.

Mr. FRIST. Will the Senator yield for a question?

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, will the Senator yield just for a quick question?

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, through the Chair to the distinguished Senator from West Virginia, we will continue the discussion. I would prefer to, as leader, take the Executive Calendar and take the people on the Executive Calendar, who have gone through the Judiciary Committee, who have been debated--it is the way we have always done business or should do business--go through committee and have them voted on. If they are voted on, they come to the calendar. At that point in time, you would look at that list, and you would bring them to the floor, and you would have the debate, and you would vote. That is what I would much prefer. The specifics, just like you asked, I have heard, and we will consider that. But why not take Priscilla Owen for the Fifth Circuit, who is on this calendar, who has waited 4 years, rather than other judges, if we are going to be addressing judges? Or Janice Rogers Brown, who is a sharecropper's daughter, who is at the Supreme Court of California, with 76 percent approval, who is on the Executive Calendar? All she is waiting for--all she is waiting for--is a vote. Why can't we address Janice Rogers Brown? William Pryor--we had a recess appointment; he has done an outstanding job; I was just talking to our distinguished Senators from Alabama--was marked out of the Judiciary Committee today. So what I would like to do--again, I am not going to rule out anything. And I understand the Michigan judges in this Congress may be viewed a little differently than last Congress, and I appreciate that. I think once we can discuss how we are going to deal with those on the Executive Calendar--bring them to the floor--that we will be able to move very quickly on all of these, I am hopeful.

Mr. FRIST. To the question, does the Constitution say that every nominee of the President deserves an up-or-down vote, the answer is, no, the language is not there. Up-or-down vote, that is the language we use to signify that when the President of the United States sends a nominee to the highest court in the land, which is his or her responsibility, which is in the Constitution, they send it to this body for advice and consent. It is common sense to me, it is fairness to me that when they come over to give advice and consent, we go through the Judiciary Committee. If they make it out of the Judiciary Committee, the way we give advice and consent on this floor is a vote. That is what we are elected to do. Or vote no. I don't mean you have to vote yes on them, but advice and consent. To the American people who are listening now, when they elect us here, what is fair, what is our responsibility, what is our duty is to vote. That is how we give voice. You can't cut these nominees in half; you can't reshape them; you can't amend them; you can't send them to conference--all of those things. That is why I am a tremendous advocate for the filibuster for legislative matters. But when you have a nominee that comes over, all you can do is shine the light. You examine them. You debate it, unlimited debate--unlimited debate--and then to give advice and consent, which is in that Constitution, the advice and consent is right there. How do you do it? Vote yes, vote no. Confirm, reject. We accept it. One hundred people have spoken, and then we move on to the next nominee.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 137, submitted earlier today.

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

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, in 1988 Leslie Satcher picked up her belongings and left her home in Paris, TX, bound for Nashville. With a meager $100 in her pocket, she abandoned all that she had known in her young life, and headed to the Music City driven by her dream of being a country-music star. Almost 2 decades later, that dream is a reality. Today, Leslie Satcher is one of Nashville's most sought after song- writers. She has emerged as a glowing success under one of the world's brightest country-music spotlights. At her core, Leslie Satcher is a woman of humble ambition. Her work is shaped by unyielding faith and limitless passion for music. Critics describe her writing as ``emotionally persuasive, yet understated and artful.'' Indeed, she has found her success not by abandoning her homey roots but by embracing them. Her lyrics are laced with plain spoken yet insightful observations about love and life. And despite her tremendous success, she has always remained true to her creative vision, never losing hold of the simple joys of writing and singing music. Leslie has come a long way since her first venture into recording at the ``hear-your-own-voice'' attraction on Music Row and in front of audiences at the Bluebird Cafe. The Dallas Morning News has described her as ``one of the most in-demand tunesmiths in Music City.'' And her personal, painful and poignant compositions have been covered by a wide-range of artists including Reba McEntire, George Jones, Vince Gill, and Randy Travis. Most recently she has concentrated her efforts on not only penning some of today's top hits, but singing some of them, too. In fact, she's in Washington, DC this week to give a special performance to honor our Nation's injured troops at Walter Reed Army Hospital. Mr. President, Leslie Satcher is a self-made music success story. She is also one of my most favorite artists--and that's saying something coming from Nashville! One of her sayings is that ``you don't decide to be an artist, you are an artist.'' I could not agree with her more. She has much to be proud of--and it's evident in her songs and lyrics that she not only remembers but cherishes her roots. I am proud of all she has accomplished and honored to call her a friend.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. 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, 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. I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolutions be agreed to and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, tomorrow the Senate will resume consideration of the highway bill. Earlier today we invoked cloture on the substitute amendment, and the chairman and ranking member were able to construct a final list of amendments. We are now on a glidepath to complete work on this legislation early next week, and I do want to thank all Members for their hard work and cooperation. With that being said, there is still work to be done. The bill managers will be here tomorrow morning to receive the final few amendments. There will be no rollcall votes tomorrow, but I encourage those Members who have amendments on the final list to come to the floor tomorrow to offer and debate their amendments. We will be voting on Monday evening, and that would be the next rollcall vote.

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 136, submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 10 a.m. on Friday, May 13. 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 then resume consideration of H.R. 3, the highway bill.