Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the Senate's adjournment, committees be authorized to report legislative and executive matters on Wednesday, August 30, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 545, and the Senate then proceed to its consideration.

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements be printed in the Record.

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. 622, 760, 770, 773, 812, 813, 814, 815, 816, 817, 818, 820, 822, 824, 825, 826, 827, 828, 829, 832, 833, 834, 835, 841, 842, 843, 844, 845, 846, 847, 848, 849, 850, 851, 852, 853, 854, 855, 856, 857, 858, 859, 860, 861, 862, 863, 864, 865, 867, 868, 869, 870, 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, 878, 879, 880, 883, 884, 885, 886, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk. Provided further that the following committees be discharged from the nominations listed and they be considered en bloc: Agriculture Committee, Margo McKay, PN1665; Nancy Montanez-Johner, PN1693 and PN1695; Michael Dunn, PN1694; Bruce Knight, PN1763 and PN1764; Charles Christopherson, Jr., PN1865; HELP Committee, Camilla Benbow, PN1709; Homeland Security, James Bilbray, PN1873. I further ask unanimous consent that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, 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, I ask unanimous consent that during the adjournment of the Senate, the majority leader, majority whip, and senior Senator from New Mexico be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. As in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that all nominations received by the Senate during the 109th Congress remain in status quo, notwithstanding the August 4, 2006, adjournment of the Senate and the provisions of rule XXXI, paragraph 6, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, with the following exceptions: Calendar Nos. 37, 169, 553, 614, 624, 572, 881, 882; in committees, PNs 719, 1315, 193, 1297, 778.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, a number of the nominations we just went through were sent back. For clarification, they were sent back based on objections from the minority. So it is clear, they are not coming from me as the reason they are being sent back.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment under the provisions of H. Con. Res. 467 until 11 a.m. on Tuesday, September 5. 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. 5631, the Defense appropriations bill. I further ask that at 4:30 p.m., the Senate proceed to Executive Calendar No. 819, Kimberly Ann Moore, as under the previous order.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we have had a very full day today addressing the Family Prosperity Act, the Pension Protection Act, and the Department of Defense appropriations bill. We will complete the Department of Defense appropriations funding bill in September. Senators Stevens and Inouye have worked very hard in getting us this far on the bill, and we have a commitment from the Democratic leader to finish this bill by Wednesday when we return. Members should be prepared for a busy start of the week and should note that the first vote of the week will be on Tuesday, September 5, at 5:30 for a circuit court nomination.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I had a bill I had worked on for about 6 years, the autism bill that was passed tonight. A lot of us made statements earlier in the night, but it is a real pleasure, in part as a physician who is at least sensitive to the real challenges we have in terms of addressing issues such as autism, which has had a rapid increase in incidence over the last two decades. We have no idea why. It makes you very humble to realize our lack of understanding. But what is exciting is that by pulling together the very best of the public and private sectors, physicians, doctors, families, parents, and communities all gathering together, we can make some real headway in figuring out the etiology of autism and manifestations, about understanding that and improving treatment and ultimately a cure. I am very proud of this body and especially Senator Santorum for his tremendous leadership in that regard.

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 provisions of H. Con. Res 467.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Today has been a long day. I thank my colleagues for their cooperation. I also wish everyone a safe and restful break. We had a lot of highlights over the course of the day. We had a lot of passion and some emotion on the floor. I thank all of the people who are here tonight, the clerks, the pages who are here always until very late at night, the security personnel throughout whom we will say goodbye to as we leave the Capitol tonight. When you are here at 12:42 in the morning, having been here all day, you have a little appreciation for what it takes to make the Capitol click, the infrastructure, the people, the dedication. As Senators come and go over the course of the day, there are a lot of people here who dedicate themselves and sacrifice a lot of their own personal lives to make things happen. We appreciate that.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today we are returning to the Department of Defense appropriations bill. Our two managers opened the debate last night and are ready this morning to continue that debate and consider amendments that may be offered. If Senators have amendments to the bill, they should be contacting Senator Stevens or Senator Inouye at this time. If we have a full day today and into the evening, there is no reason we can't complete this bill by Thursday night. It is also my intention to move today to proceed to the death tax, minimum wage, and extenders package. There is an objection to moving forward on that bill, and therefore I will be filing a cloture motion on the motion to proceed to that bill. We will still be able to continue our work on the Defense bill, as the vote on invoking cloture on the motion to proceed will not likely occur until Friday morning; therefore, there will be votes today as Chairman Stevens makes progress on the Defense appropriations bill. I hope we can finish our work this week or this weekend, and if we work together over the next couple of days, we can complete a number of important legislative matters before we leave. Mr. President, I 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. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to Calendar No. 562, H.R. 5970, the bill that relates to the death tax, minimum wage increase, and other tax provisions.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I object on behalf of the Democratic leader.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I move to proceed to H.R. 5970, and I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, this vote will occur on Friday morning, unless changed by agreement, and we will announce the exact time for that vote as we get closer to it. In the meantime, I now withdraw the motion to proceed so we can return to the Defense appropriations bill over the next 24 hours. Again, I believe the two managers will be able to work together over the next 24 to 48 hours and finish the Defense bill prior to the cloture vote on Friday. Therefore, I now withdraw the motion to proceed to H.R. 5970.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I will suggest the absence of a quorum here shortly while we work through a few remaining items of business before closing for the day. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar Nos. 566, 568 through 575, all postal naming bills, en bloc, that the bills be read a third time and passed, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, en bloc.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Agriculture Committee be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to H. Con. Res. 399.

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. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate immediately proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations on today's Executive Calendar: Calendar Nos. 836 through 840, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and the Navy. Finally, I ask unanimous consent the nominations be confirmed en bloc, 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. I ask unanimous consent when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 3. 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 resume consideration of H.R. 5631, the Department of Defense appropriations bill.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today we made some progress on the Defense appropriations bill. Chairman Stevens and Senator Inouye will be here all day tomorrow with the goal of finishing the bill tomorrow evening. Those serious about offering amendments to the bill should be working with the two managers and talking to them early in the morning. Moments ago, I filed cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 5970, the House-passed bill that includes the death tax reform, the tax relief extenders, and the minimum wage increase. Under the regular order, that vote will occur on Friday morning, unless we reach an agreement to change that timing. I reiterate to my colleagues that we have some very important votes over the next few days, and Senators should be ready for a busy couple of days. It looks like we will be voting tomorrow night, and I ask all Members to adjust their schedules accordingly.