Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Is that request for the global HIV/AIDS bill? Just to clarify, on the global HIV/AIDS bill, people will still be able to propose amendments. The unanimous consent was for the underlying jobs and growth bill.

Mr. FRIST. The Senator would be able to do that, Mr. President.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that no other amendments be in order, other than a managers' amendment, which must be agreed to by both managers and the two leaders, and that the bill now be temporarily set aside and the Senate resume consideration of the global AIDS bill as under the previous order, and that the other provisions of the order with respect to S. 1054 remain in effect.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we are quite late at night and, just for clarification, we will put forth a unanimous consent, but we are waiting for final passage. We are waiting for the managers' package to be completed. That will take about 20 to 25 minutes or so. What we will do is set the bill aside and go ahead with the global HIV/AIDS bill and plan on going straight to the first amendment. The plan is to spend approximately 10 minutes equally divided and then go directly to a vote, after which the managers' package will be ready, and we will go to final passage on the jobs and growth bill. Let me turn to the Democratic leader to see if that is satisfactory, to make the best use of the time. We can't have final passage until we have the managers' package. That is going to be about 20 minutes. We will be able to dispense with the first amendment on the AIDS bill.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 2:30 on Monday, May 19, the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 96, S. 1050, the Department of Defense authorization bill; provided that all first-degree amendments be relevant; that any second-degree amendments be relevant to the first-degree to which it is offered; finally, provided that on Monday there be debate only on the bill until 5:30 p.m., with the time equally divided until 5:30.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we are making progress on the underlying bill. Again, we are going to keep the votes at 10 minutes, but we are going to cut them off at 15 minutes sharp. So, again, everybody stay in the Chamber.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I would be happy to.

Mr. FRIST. I thank the Senator from Vermont for his question. I agree that these organizations who work with prostitutes and women who are the victims of trafficking play an important role in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. We need to support these organizations, because HIV transmission through this type of behavior is widespread in many parts of the world. At the same time, we do not want to condone, either directly or indirectly, prostitution or sex trafficking. Both are abhorrent. I believe the answer is to include a statement in the contract or grant agreement between the U.S. Government and such organization that the organization is opposed to the practices of prostitution and sex trafficking because of the psychological and physical risks they pose for women. Such a statement, as part of the contract or grant agreement, would satisfy the intent of this provision.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I reiterate what the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee said. As I said at the outset of this week and through this week, the intent is to finish this bill this week. A number of Members on both sides of the aisle have requested that we continue. If we are going to finish this bill, which we will, we will finish it tonight. The plans are to finish the bill tonight. I know there are a number of amendments. As my colleagues can see from the amendments so far, the expectations are that we will be able to defeat each amendment as it comes forward. I encourage the other side of the aisle to look at the amendments. I do not believe we have any amendments on our side of the aisle. I encourage the other side to look at their amendments. This is the first step, at least from my standpoint, in addressing this complex issue. We are taking advantage of an opportunity at this point in time to move forward in the best interest of the United States with the global health community. I can tell the Senator this is not the bill I started with, and myself, Senator Kerry of Massachusetts, and a number of us have worked on a whole range of bills--the Lugar-Biden, Biden-Lugar bill. We are going to have plenty of opportunity to address this issue. This little virus, I have said again and again, is going to be with us for the next 30 years. Even if we invent a vaccine tomorrow, we will have plenty of opportunity to refine this bill or the framework upon which this bill was started at a later date. I again encourage all people who are considering amendments to not offer those amendments. Our intent is to defeat each one. I remind everybody, this is a bipartisan bill. It did come from the House of Representatives, built on lots of other bills on which we have been working, and only one Democrat and a handful of Republicans voted against this bill. Therefore, I encourage our colleagues to withdraw amendments. We will be working together in a bipartisan fashion to improve this fight against a devastating virus. The intent is to complete this bill tonight.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, indeed I hope the managers can agree on a list of amendments. Again, I know a lot of people--we have been working on colloquies, and we will continue to do that, if necessary, to show what our intent is. Again, I am not sure if a final list has been settled upon. I encourage it to be as small as possible. I inquire of the other side.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I do not believe we have any amendments on our side to be offered tonight. I encourage my colleagues to yield back time, again after careful explanations on their amendments so people know what they are voting on, but yield back time accordingly. I ask unanimous consent that all rollcall votes be 10 minutes.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, in regard to the schedule, as mentioned, the votes as outlined will be planned for the remainder of the evening. The vote we are about to have will be the last rollcall vote of the evening. I thank all Members for their patience. We have been here about 17 hours of consecutive voting. The Senate will not be in session tomorrow. We will return for business on Monday.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President. I commend the Senator from Louisiana for her leadership in the area of adoption. She is right to suggest that we focus these programs on an orphan child's need to find a permanent, loving home. I would be happy to work with her toward this end. eligibility for assistance

Mr. FRIST. I would be happy to.

Mr. FRIST. I thank the Senator from New Jersey for his question. This is an important issue. I fully agree that it is essential that information about approaches to HIV/AIDS prevention be medically accurate, including both the public health benefits and failure rates of the approach involved. That is what is intended by this provision. In fact, the provision uses the words ``an organization that is otherwise eligible to receive assistance''. I believe that ``otherwise eligible'' should be interpreted to require explicit assurances by such organization that when it provides information about HIV/AIDS prevention approaches it will meet this standard of accuracy.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I appreciate the points raised by Senator Boxer and Senator Smith and will work with them to ensure that adequate funding is provided for U.S. bilateral TB programs.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that the injunction of secrecy be removed from the following treaty transmitted to the Senate on May 15, 2003, by the President of the United States: Protocol of 1997 amending Marpol Treaty (Treaty Document No. 108-7). I further ask that the treaty be considered as having been read the first time, that it be referred with accompanying papers to the Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed, and that the President's message be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I understand Senator Dodd has an amendment at the desk. I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be considered and agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Rules Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 535 and that the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 128, which is at the desk.

Mr. FRIST

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

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of H. Con. Res. 58 and that the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I want to make a couple of comments on the schedule for today which I did not have the opportunity to make this morning. We just had our first vote in what will be a very long day with a lengthy series of votes. Hopefully, we can do as much as possible to shorten that list over the course of the day and certainly not add to it too much. I want to ask all of our Members to stay close to the Chamber. We will be starting, with this vote, 10-minute votes, and that will be enforced. It will be the only way we can get through this bill in this so-called vote-arama. I know it is going to be tough in terms of everybody's schedules today. I would go ahead and talk to your schedulers and let them know we have these votes every 10 minutes. Following passage of this bill later today, we will proceed directly to the global HIV/AIDS bill. We will work that bill through tonight, and hopefully finish that bill tonight. If we complete that bill tonight, Members can expect no rollcall votes tomorrow. The objective will be to complete the jobs and growth package today, start on the HIV/AIDS bill, and hopefully finish today. If so, we will not have votes tomorrow. Again, I ask Members to stay close to the Chamber and the 10-minute votes will be enforced.