Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed en bloc to the following resolutions submitted earlier today: S. Res. 128, S. Res. 129, S. Res. 130, and S. Res. 131.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, in a few moments, we will be voting on the budget resolution. I congratulate the distinguished chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Senator Judd Gregg, for bringing before the Senate this evening the conference agreement on the fiscal year 2006 budget. I would be remiss if I did not thank both the ranking member of the committee, Senator Conrad, and the Democratic leader for their cooperation in allowing us to proceed with the conference report expeditiously. I know being chairman of the Budget Committee is a thankless task, and I know the chairman of the Budget Committee feels that way tonight as well. It is not the most glamorous of legislative committees in the Capitol, and being chairman of the Budget Committee does not win any popularity contests with any Senators, again, as the Budget chairman will recognize. Nevertheless, the working of this committee is absolutely essential to completing our fundamental constitutional responsibilities on all matters fiscal. This is the first year the senior Senator from New Hampshire has had this responsibility, and he has carried out his duties in a professional and businesslike manner. It probably seems like ages ago, but it was only 12 weeks ago that the President submitted his executive budget proposal to the Congress. When we complete work on this conference report shortly, we will have a congressional budget. It is our blueprint for enacting spending and revenue legislation for the remainder of the year, but it follows the goals the President laid out in his budget to fund national security, extend expiring tax provisions, limiting the growth in nondefense spending, begin to address the growth of entitlements, and cut the deficit in half in less than 5 years. While it may have seemed to the chairman and many other Members involved that this day would not arrive, in truth, of the 27 budget resolution conference reports agreed to since the beginning of this congressional budget process in 1976, this is the fifth quickest conference report ever agreed to. I congratulate the chairman and his professional staff for this accomplishment. Having said this, I think the chairman would agree with me that no budget can meet all the demands and all the goals we have for this country. There are many issues that confront us, and some of those, such as national security, protecting the homeland, supporting education and research, and providing basic benefits to needy Americans require resources. It requires making choices, and it also requires setting those policies in place that will permit the economy to grow. For in the end, the best way of serving the needs of this great country is with a strong and vibrant economy. Meeting these goals by balancing Federal spending and limiting the burden of taxes on all Americans begins with this budget outline, the outline that is before us this evening. Once adopted, our work will only begin as we fill in the details of the blueprint by passing spending and revenue legislation within the aggregate levels specified in the document. Enforcing the blueprint means the chairman will not have a chance to rest much before he is back here watching over the building of our fiscal house for next year. Congratulations, again, to Chairman Gregg and his staff director, Scott Gudes, and all the staff who worked so hard to bring us to this point this evening. To summarize, we will vote in a moment on the budget conference report. Following this vote, we will proceed to the debate on the Portman nomination. We may not need a rollcall vote on that nomination. However, I remind my colleagues that we will have a cloture vote on the Johnson nomination tonight. Senators can, therefore, expect one to two additional rollcall votes this evening following the vote on the budget conference report.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, Benjamin Franklin once said: He that would fish must venture his bait. In America, we have millions of creative women and men and even teens who cast their reels every day in the hopes of catching the American dream. And fortunately we have the most vibrant economy in the world and the Small Business Administration to help them. This week the Small Business Administration is hosting its annual celebration of America's entrepreneurs at the Washington Hilton. President Bush spoke to the group several days ago in recognition of their tremendous contributions. One of the topics that had been discussed over the course of the week is just how important are small business owners. These innovators create 60 to 80 percent of new jobs nationwide. They generate more than 50 percent of the gross domestic product. Small business owners are the heart of the American marketplace, and their contributions to jobs and productivity are its lifeblood. In my home State of Tennessee, over 97 percent of all businesses are small businesses. Women-owned businesses generate billions of dollars in revenue and employ tens of thousands of workers. Minority-owned firms, the fastest growing small business sector in America, account for nearly 33,000 small businesses in Tennessee. Elisa Comer, CEO of Eagle's Landing Transcription Service over in Johnson City, TN, has been chosen this year as one of the Small Business Administration's 50 small business people of the year. Elisa's company offers cutting edge electronic technology that improves medical recordkeeping. This happens to be an issue that in my capacity as a Senator I have worked on very closely. Companies that provide up-to-the-minute medical records technology are crucial to improving patient care, to improving patient safety, and improving efficiency in the medical field. Workers and consumers depend on entrepreneurs such as Elisa to generate jobs and to provide higher quality products and services. And with the help of the Small Business Administration, America's entrepreneurs can get their ideas off the ground and into the neighborhood near you. Take, for example, the restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse. It may come as a surprise to some, but Outback Steakhouse is not headquartered in Australia. It is headquartered right here in America, down in Tampa, FL. In a little over a decade, Outback Steakhouse has grown from a small restaurant operation into a nationwide phenomenon. In February of 1990, the 2\1/2\-year-old company employed approximately 300 people and had a net worth of less than $2 million. That year it received a boost from the Small Business Administration. Ten years later, the restaurant chain employs more than 38,000 people and in 1999 posted revenues of a dizzying $1.6 billion. Outback has restaurants in 48 States and 13 countries as far away as Seoul and Rio de Janeiro. Another dazzling example of the Small Business Administration's catalytic effect is Staples. It started as a single office supply store in Brighton, MA, in 1986. The office supply store is now the country's largest operator of office superstores. Staples employs 58,000 people and has annual gross sales of $11.6 billion. It even offers products and services to up-and-coming small businesses to help them cut costs. The Small Business Administration has helped more than 22 million Americans start, grow, and expand their businesses. It has become the Government's most effective instrument for economic development. With its help, small companies have grown from a handful of employees into thousands. The SBA is just one part of our efforts to support job-creating policies. In 2003, the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Act we passed provided more than 25 million small business owners with tax relief totaling $75 billion. In fact, small businesses received 80 percent of the benefits of the reduction of the top marginal tax rate. The tax relief package quadrupled the amount small businesses can expense for new capital investments, which will lead, and has led, to new investment in technology and machinery and other equipment. It phases out the Federal death tax, ensuring that family business owners are able to leave their businesses to their families or key employees. These policies are helping to create new jobs and increase productivity and make every consumer's dollar go farther. Remington's electric shaver magnate Victor Kiam once observed: Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. I commend my fellow citizens who possess this talent to turn obstacles into opportunity, not only to their advantage, but also to the advantage of us all. Their risk-taking and creativity help keep America moving forward.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia be authorized to meet on Thursday, April 28, 2005, at 2 p.m., for a hearing entitled, ``Waging War on Waste: An Examination of DoD's Business Practices.''

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on National Parks be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 28, 2005, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD- 366. The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: S. 242, a bill to establish four memorials to the space shuttle Columbia in the State of Texas; S. 262, a bill to authorize appropriations to the Secretary of the Interior for the restoration of the Angel Island Immigration Station in the State of California; S. 336, a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a study of the feasibility of designating the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Watertrail as a national historic trail; S. 670, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites associated with the life of Cesar Estrada Chavez and the farm labor movement; S. 777, a bill to designate Catoctin Mountain Park in the State of Maryland as the Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area, and for other purposes; and H.R. 126, a bill to amend Public Law 89-366 to allow for an adjustment in the number of free roaming horses permitted in Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy be authorized to meet during the session on Thursday, April 28, 2005, at 10:30 a.m., to hear testimony on ``Building Assets for Low-Income Families.''

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. With that objection, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate reconvenes at 2 p.m., following the remarks of the two leaders, Senator Wyden be recognized for up to 10 minutes as in morning business, to be followed by Senator Thune for up to 10 minutes, to be followed by Senator Reed for up to 10, to be followed by Senator Salazar for up to 10.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I move that the Senate stand in recess until 2 p.m. today, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, yesterday the Senate voted overwhelmingly to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the highway bill, the highway bill we are now on. The amendment process has begun. It enjoys strong bipartisan support, and I am encouraged by the bipartisan commitment to both go to the bill and move this important bill forward. Time is of essence. The current highway extension from last year expires at the end of next month, on May 31. We are going to have to work together to pass this legislation, then take the bill that we pass to conference to join it with the House bill--I have a feeling there will have to be fairly extensive negotiations at that point--and then send that bill to the President for his signature. This highway bill that is currently on the floor is a product of a long bipartisan process. It is based on more than 3 years of hard work, over a dozen hearings, testimony from more than 100 witnesses, countless hours of negotiation, all of it supported by a deep and broad coalition, from State and local highway authorities to national safety advocates. It was last month that a very similar bill overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 417 to 9. It is time to get this bill done. This is what America sees, I know: While we engage in this endless negotiation inside the beltway, outside the beltway people are listening to that as they are sitting in traffic jams which are getting worse and worse by the day. At the same time we are debating, roads and bridges continue to deteriorate, and preventable traffic accidents take the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year. I will come back to that, because these lives do not have to be lost. The action we take on the floor of the Senate will cause those lives not to be lost. Car crashes, in fact, are the No. 1 cause of death for every age from 3 years of age to 33 years of age; crashes are their No. 1 cause of death. According to national statistics reported just last week, 43,000 people died in car accidents just last year alone. More than 2.7 million people were injured. I believe the key point is that one-third of all these traffic- related deaths can be attributed to unsafe roads. One out of every three deaths can be attributed to unsafe roads. In my home State of Tennessee, over 1,000 Tennesseans lost their lives in traffic accidents in 2003. Treasury Secretary Norm Mineta rightly says: If this many people were to die from any one disease in a single year, Americans would demand a vaccine. We do have a medicine of sorts. In fact, we have a cure of sorts. Passing the highway bill will save 4,000 lives each year simply by making those roads safe, by improving those roads, as well as educating the public about road safety. In Tennessee, where seatbelt usage is among the lowest in the country, our State highway department is taking action, but, like transportation departments all across the country, it needs our help. The highway bill will provide Tennessee with more than $3.8 billion over the next 5 years to invest in our State's highway infrastructure. Safety is a top priority of this legislation. Another serious goal is to get America's highways back on track economically. America is interlaced by nearly 4 million miles of roads and highways. Our transportation infrastructure is worth about $1.75 trillion. Every $1 billion we invest in transportation infrastructure generates twice that much--$2 billion--in economic activity and creates over 47,500 jobs. The interstate highway system has often been called the greatest public works project in history, and for good reason. Our roads, ports, and railroads are vital to America's economic success. We know that well in Tennessee, where we are home to companies such as Federal Express, U.S. Express, Averitt Express. Unfortunately, America's transportation infrastructure is deteriorating badly and becoming painfully overcrowded. Our roads and highways are not keeping up with demand. Just ask any American commuter--bumper to bumper traffic all day long. Indeed, in our Nation's urban areas, traffic delays have more than tripled over the last 20 years, and not just in the big cities but all over the country. In Raleigh Durham, for instance, commuting time has gone up 25 percent in 10 years. In Charlotte, traffic congestion has added 39 additional commuting hours per year. That is nearly an entire work week that has been added, sitting in traffic. In Tennessee, traffic congestion has increased in all of our major metropolitan areas. In Nashville, my hometown, commuters drive an average of 32 miles per person per day. Metropolitan planning organizations are struggling to meet demand. Americans suffer the loss of more than 3.6 billion hours in those traffic delays, and that translates down to 5.7 billion gallons per year of fuel being wasted. These transportation delays ripple through our Nation's economic sector and ultimately result in lost wages and lost jobs and lost productivity. Traffic congestion also generates more pollution. Cars that are caught up in stop-and-go traffic emit far more pollution than they do on a road that is smoothly flowing. The American Highway Users Alliance estimates that if we could free up America's worst bottlenecks, in 20 years carbon dioxide emissions would drop by over three-fourths, and Americans would save 40 billion gallons of fuel. Time, money, and quality of life are being burned up in traffic jams. The highway bill goes a long way to alleviating many if not most of these problems. The key to that effort is the improvements it will make in our mass transit system. The highway bill provides generous provisions to improve our bus and rail systems that make our urban centers thrive. In Tennessee, it will provide more than $240 million over the next 5 years to improve our transit for our rural and urban commuters. Taking the train or the bus will be more convenient and less time consuming and more comfortable. As we consider this legislation, keep in mind that oil prices are climbing to historic highs, and the summer driving season is just around the corner. For the sake of every family right now planning their vacation for this summer, every commuter who parks and rides, every minute we spend in a traffic jam, I do urge my colleagues to work quickly to pass this bill. One final note, and it is a note of caution: We need to stay within our budget limits. We have a rising deficit. We have a President who has clearly laid out his spending parameters, several of which will be spelled out in the budget we will bring to the floor tomorrow. But I am confident by working together we can get this done, and we can demonstrate reasonable fiscal restraint. Our vast and interconnecting highways are emblematic of our American spirit. They represent what being American is all about. They represent that spirit and love of adventure, our drive for the unknown. Our highways, bridges, roads, trains, and ports are the physical, tangible expression of the United States. I do urge my colleagues in the great American tradition, in every sense of the phrase, to keep America moving forward. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, this morning, following our leader time, we will have up to 2 hours of morning business. That time will be divided with the majority controlling the first 30 minutes, the minority controlling the next 60 minutes, and the last 30 minutes under the control of this side of the aisle. Following that time we will resume consideration of the highway bill. Yesterday, we began the amendment process on the highway legislation, and we will continue working through amendments today and over the course of this week. I do expect rollcall votes today on amendments, and we should have a full day of debate on the highway bill. I do want to take this opportunity to remind my colleagues that we in all likelihood will be considering conference reports this week, as they are made available. One of those will be the budget conference report, which will be debated for up to a 10-hour statutory limit. I hope when we do come to the budget we not find it necessary to use all that time, but Senators should stay on notice that we will complete that very important conference report before we leave for our recess. Finally, I should also mention there are a number of nominations-- actually two specific nominations--that will be completed before adjourning. We are working back and forth across the aisle to see how we can best complete those two nominations. We have three district judges as well that should be voted unanimously. The two nominations that I referred to--one is the Portman nomination, which came out of committee, to be U.S. Trade Representative, and the other is Stephen Johnson, to be Administrator of EPA. Again, we are working on bringing that to conclusion, but we need to complete both of those before we leave. Both of these are Cabinet rank officials, and we should not-- will not--adjourn until we have considered these important nominations as well. Mr. President, I have a brief statement on the bill.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today we will begin our session with a 1- hour period of morning business. Following morning business, the Senate will have an hour for debate on the motion to proceed to the highway bill. Under the order, after the 60 minutes of debate, the Senate will begin a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the highway legislation. I do expect that cloture will be invoked and that we would be able to consider the substance of the bill during today's session. Once we are on the bill, Senators can expect amendments. Therefore, additional rollcall votes will occur today. Today we will also recess from the hour of 12:30 to 2:15 to accommodate the weekly policy luncheons. In addition to the highway bill, this week we will consider any conference reports that become available. We hope both the budget and the emergency supplemental conference reports will be ready for floor consideration before we conclude our business this week. Finally, I would announce we have several district judges who should be cleared for Senate action. If votes are necessary on those nominations, we will be scheduling those votes periodically throughout the week. I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 125, 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. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27. 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 for morning business for up to 120 minutes, with the first 30 minutes under the control of the majority leader or his designee, the next 60 minutes under the control of Senator Biden or his designee, and the final 30 minutes under the control of the majority leader or his designee; provided that following morning business the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 3, the highway bill.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, tomorrow following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the highway bill. We will continue the amending process tomorrow. The chairman and ranking member will be here to work through amendments that are offered. Rollcall votes are expected throughout the day in relation to the amendments. I also remind my colleagues that we have several other important matters to address before adjourning for next week's recess. We hope to receive conference reports to both the budget resolution and supplemental appropriations bill. In addition, several nominations are available for floor consideration, and we expect to move forward with those this week as well. Again, we have a lot of work to do this week. Senators should expect busy days with rollcall votes throughout the week.

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. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Con. Res. 28, which was submitted earlier today.

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

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Agriculture Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 643 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I now ask for a second reading and, in order to place the bills on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own requests, all en bloc.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, it is my pleasure to support the nomination of Ambassador John Negroponte to the post of Director of National Intelligence. Mr. Negroponte is superbly qualified for this new and challenging position. I applaud the President on his choice of candidate. Last week, Mr. Negroponte was approved by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. I expect he will be confirmed with overwhelming, bipartisan support here on the Senate floor. Mr. Negroponte's career in public service spans four decades and three continents. He has served in Europe, Asia and Latin America. He speaks five languages fluently, and has won Senate confirmation for 7 previous posts. He is widely regarded as one of our most distinguished and respected public officials. Among his many career highlights, Mr. Negroponte has served as Ambassador to Honduras, Ambassador to Mexico, Ambassador to the Philippines, and Ambassador to the United Nations. He has served under multiple presidents, Republican and Democrat. In 2004, President Bush nominated Mr. Negroponte to serve as our Ambassador to the newly liberated Iraq. As his background attests, Mr. Negroponte has tackled many difficult and sensitive missions. He has also earned a reputation as a skilled manager--skills he will surely need in the job ahead. As Director of National Intelligence, Mr. Negroponte will be responsible for overseeing the entire intelligence community. It will be Mr. Negroponte's job to keep America safe by bridging the gaps between our 15 intelligence agencies and improving information sharing between agencies. He will determine the annual budgets for all National intelligence agencies and offices, and direct how these funds are spent. The Director will also report directly to the President. It is a tough job and a tremendous responsibility. But I am confident that Mr. Negroponte will work hard to make the necessary reforms to help keep America safe. We learned on 9-11 that the enemy is deadly and determined. He doesn't wear a uniform or march under a recognized flag. He hides in the shadows where he plots his next attack. Dangerous weapons proliferation must be stopped. Terrorist organizations must be destroyed. And we must have an intelligence community that works together to confront these very real dangers so that we never suffer another 9-11 or worse. I look forward to Mr. Negroponte's swift confirmation. He has served our country with honor and distinction over many years. America is fortunate to have a public servant of his caliber working hard on our behalf.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, tomorrow the Senate will be in a period of morning business. There will be no rollcall votes during tomorrow's session. The next vote will occur on Tuesday of next week. It is my hope we will be able to begin consideration of the highway bill early next week, and I will have more to say on next week's schedule tomorrow. Before we close, I do want to congratulate Chairman Cochran as well as the ranking member for their efforts on the emergency supplemental today. With the passage vote of 99 to zero, that bill shortly will go to conference committee for a final product. I thank the two managers for their time and patience on the floor during the consideration of the bill.

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.