Bill Frist

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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, over the past week we have become aware-- indeed, the entire world has learned of the graphic evidence--of abuse against Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. We express shock; we express condemnation of these despicable acts. That has been expressed on the floor--indeed, throughout the Nation. The persons who carried these acts out must face justice. The perpetrators have disgraced themselves and, in the process, have brought shame to all of us who cherish justice and decency and dignity. Moreover, their behavior is deeply un-American. This country is founded on those universal principles of human rights and respect for each and every individual. Those disturbing pictures show men and women who have abandoned America's values and, in the process, jeopardized our efforts to bring democracy and the rule of law to Iraq. Thousands of honorable men and women are working and sacrificing each and every day to bring peace and freedom to the Iraqi people. We cannot let these intolerable acts of a few undermine the noble work of the overwhelming majority of our troops. The abusers of Abu Ghraib must face justice and they will face justice. In March, the Army charged 6 military police officers with physical and sexual abuse of 20 Iraqi prisoners. Three of the six cases have been referred to military trial. The criminal probe into allegations against four other soldiers is continuing. In total, our military has launched five separate investigations. An administrative review has resulted in notices of reprimand filed against seven officers and noncommissioned officers this week. The inspector general of the Army and the commander of the Army Reserve are also conducting their own investigations. I commend President Bush for his efforts to reach out to the Arab world to address this matter. It is important that we address these reprehensible acts directly and fully and quickly and in a fully transparent manner. Our men and women in uniform are respected around the world. They are respected for their professionalism and because they defend the highest of political ideals: individual rights, freedom, justice, and the rule of law. In Bosnia, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq, and elsewhere, our troops are serving with honor, with courage, and with professionalism to advance democracy and to advance liberty. As the Abu Ghraib investigations unfold, I do urge my colleagues and everyone watching and listening to keep that in mind. The vast majority of our men and women in uniform are serving ably and honorably, and through their heroic efforts, they are advancing our freedoms and values.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs has received requests from various law enforcement and regulatory officials and agencies for assistance in connection with pending investigations into the credit counseling industry, which has been the subject of recent investigation by the subcommittee. The resolution would authorize the chairman and ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, acting jointly, to provide investigative records obtained by the subcommittee in the course of its investigation in response to these requests.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. ``Reserved, low key, self-deprecating, totally professional, and devoted to the Senate,'' that is how assistant enrolling clerk Joe Monahan describes his colleague Tom Lundregan, who retires tomorrow from his post as the Senate's enrolling clerk. For 15 years in the Office of the Secretary, Tom has had the crucial task of ensuring that the written copy of the legislation we pass in this body is thoroughly accurate before it is sent on to the House and to the President. As Tom explains, ``We cannot make mistakes. The final paper that is sent to the White House is being signed by the President and is going to become the law of the land.'' He says the responsibility can be ``a little scary.'' Despite the stress, Tom has maintained an impeccable record and earned the admiration of all of his colleagues. Not once on his watch has a piece of legislation been sent back from the House or from the President because of an error. Through work weeks that have stretched up to 90 hours, sometimes even 50 hours straight, Tom has shown total focus, dedication and commitment to the integrity of this institution. Says his colleague Joe, ``There are darn few people who can do that.'' He is right. The Senate has been incredibly fortunate to have such a meticulous and hard working member of the team. Tom says his most vivid memory of working in the Senate is 9/11, and realizing that a plane was heading this way. September 11 reinforced his idea of the importance of every Senate job, from clerks to staff to elected officials. ``This is the finest institution in the world that represents democracy to everyone in the world. To have an opportunity to work in this building has been a tremendous honor.'' Tom and his wife plan to spend their retirement years where it is warm all year round. They hope to travel throughout the States, starting this spring with Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and the Grand Canyon. Tom also anticipates after 15 years of grueling and unpredictable hours finally being able to spend quantity time with his four grandsons. I thank Tom for his extraordinary service to the Senate and to the American people. I wish him safe travels and all the best in his well- earned retirement.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 347 submitted by Senators Frist and Daschle.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, and that any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record at the appropriate place.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 376.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 346 which was introduced earlier today by Senators Dayton and Coleman.

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 the resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I understand that H.R. 4181 is 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 rule XIV, object to further proceedings on this matter.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I understand that S. 2370 is 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 rule XIV, object to further proceedings on this matter.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, on Monday following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the FSC/ETI JOBS bill. The chairman and the ranking member of the Finance Committee have already worked through a number of amendments, and they will be here on Monday to continue processing those amendments. There will be no rollcall votes on Monday, but Senators are encouraged to come to the floor to offer and debate their amendments. Any rollcall votes ordered on Monday will be set aside to occur on Tuesday. Mr. President, we began this week 4 days ago with the objective of taking up the Internet bill and, indeed, several hours ago passed a 4- year extension of an expired moratorium with protection of DSL and protection of broadband. In this bill, we address voice over Internet protocol. Also in the bill we reserve the right of States to collect the traditional telecom taxes. It was a long 4 days in order to accomplish this end, but it really took a lot of work from both sides of the aisle. There were a number of our colleagues who participated. I will mention a few, recognizing that there are many that I leave out. We tried once before to bring this bill to the floor and had to come back to it, but we were successful this time under Senator McCain's tremendous leadership. I will mention Senators Allen, Wyden, Lott, Alexander, Voinovich, Enzi, Feinstein, Dorgan, Sununu, and Stevens, and the list goes on. I appreciate the manner in which everyone handled this bill and allowed for the issues to come forward. I was so pleased that at the end of this week we accomplished what we set out to do.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order, following the comments of Senator Murkowski.

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, May 3. I further ask that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and following the time for the two leaders, the Senate then begin a period for morning business for up to 60 minutes, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each; provided that following morning business, the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 381, S. 1637, the FSC/ETI JOBS bill.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today the Senate will be in a period of morning business for up to 90 minutes. The first 30 minutes will be under the control of the Democratic leader or his designee, the second 30 minutes will be controlled by this side of the aisle, and the final 30 will be divided between Senators McConnell and Feinstein. Following that morning business period, the Senate will resume consideration of S. 150, the Internet access tax measure. There will be an additional hour for debate prior to the first of the scheduled cloture votes. The first vote will be on invoking cloture on the Daschle ethanol amendment to the Internet bill. If cloture fails, we will go immediately to a cloture vote on the Domenici energy package. Finally, if cloture has not been invoked to that point, the Senate will proceed to a cloture vote on the pending McCain substitute regarding the Internet tax moratorium. Having said that, it has been my goal from the start to finish this Internet legislation. This week has been set aside for consideration of this matter. I hope we can stay late and finish the bill. Mr. President, I briefly wish to comment on the first two cloture votes, opening with the fact that I am a strong supporter of the ethanol provision that the Democratic leader has pulled out of the Energy bill and offered as an amendment to the original language of the Internet tax bill. In fact, I joined the minority leader in offering very similar language to the Energy bill when it was considered on the Senate floor last summer. While I do support the renewable fuels standard as a matter of policy, there are many other important provisions included in the Energy bill that at this point I am not prepared to abandon. We in the United States need a comprehensive national energy policy. We have gone on for way too long without that policy, and we see the consequences of that every day. We see it in our rising dependence on foreign oil. We see it in last summer's blackout in the Northeast and today's record high gas prices, and in skyrocketing natural gas prices, which are hurting farmers and manufacturers and consumers alike. The slimmed-down Energy bill that Chairman Domenici has offered as a second-degree amendment addresses each of these issues. It lays out a balanced national energy policy that will lessen our reliance on foreign energy, thereby enhancing both our economic security as well as our national security. Senator Domenici's plan will help diversify our energy supply and encourage the use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy and ethanol, all of which decreases our reliance on foreign oil and increases our own energy independence. Moreover, it will facilitate the construction of the Alaska natural gas pipeline. This is perhaps the single most important thing we can do to increase our supply of natural gas, by transporting it from Alaska's North Slope to the lower 48 States. The Domenici amendment will also strengthen our electricity grid and make it easier to build transmission lines. With these improvements we will be better able to prevent blackouts such as the one last summer that blanketed 50 million Americans from the Northeast to the Midwest. The Domenici plan promotes clean coal technology, hydrogen fuel cells, clean nuclear energy, and domestic oil and gas production consistent with protecting the environment. It also encourages conservation and energy efficiency. We need all of these components in order to have an effective national energy policy. While the ethanol mandate is vitally important, we need a comprehensive plan that addresses all of our energy needs. That is why I urge my colleagues to oppose cloture on the Daschle amendment and to support cloture on the Domenici amendment. We should not break apart the Energy bill and attempt to pass it piecemeal. America needs an energy plan that increases our economic security, our energy independence, and adequately meets the demands of the 21st century. I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I am delighted with the outcome of that last cloture vote. It means we can proceed on course to finish this bill--a very important bill. I congratulate the managers but encourage our colleagues to come forward with germane amendments. We will be working through the afternoon. We will be voting through the afternoon. We can finish the bill this afternoon. We have been debating this bill all week. It is an issue that we debated months ago. We are debating it now. Now is the time to bring those amendments forward so we can have these final votes and complete the bill this afternoon.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I congratulate the two managers and all the many Senators on both sides of the aisle who helped bring this bill to conclusion. It has been a tough road, a difficult road. There has been tremendous debate. It wasn't both sides of the aisle but in the Chamber itself. There are going to be no further votes this evening. The Senate will reconvene on Monday. At that time we will resume consideration of the JOBS bill, the FSC/ETI bill. The chairman and ranking member of the Finance Committee have lined up Senators to offer amendments on Monday and therefore we will make progress on the bill on Monday. Any votes ordered on amendments during Monday's session will be delayed until Tuesday.

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of H.R. 4219, a highway program extension bill, which is at the desk. I further ask consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

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. 644 through 653, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk. For the information of Senators, these are military nominations and Foreign Service officers. I further ask unanimous consent that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon 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, throughout the day we have had discussion regarding the short-term highway extension. My colleague, Senator Bond, has been here throughout the day, working hard and discussing the critical importance of having this body move forward on the 6-year authorization measure on transportation that has passed both Houses. Obviously, there is a frustration that there has been an objection from the other side to our request to appoint conferees to move this bill to conference. We will do a short-term extension in a moment. However, as majority leader, in the absence of an agreement to move forward on the transportation bill, I am committed, after talking to and working with Senator Bond over the course of the day, to use our procedural options to put the Senate on record next week with regard to going to conference on the highway bill. The distinguished minority whip is on the floor, and he has been very engaged in this issue as well. I do thank our colleague, Senator Bond, and all the others involved, for allowing us to move on this short-term extension at this time. Again, I believe it is time for us to follow the regular order and send the 6-year authorization bill to conference.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Small Business Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 2267 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Snowe technical amendment at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc.