Chuck Grassley

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. The Senator accurately stated what my intentions are, but let me say it for myself so the Senator knows I have said it. First of all, I need to thank the Senator for his cooperation in working with us on this amendment so we can expedite the bill. Also, I make clear I am a strong supporter of the Senator's legislation and the expansion of it and would agree to make sure we get this done before the end of the calendar year, so that would involve extending it and expanding these teacher provisions. This all deals--so everyone knows what we are talking about--with the extension of legislation passed within the last 2 years. It sunsets. We make these permanent, and there would be a significant increase in the above-the-line deduction for teachers.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, the Senate is not in order.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, the way to make sure the American people are not buying a pig in a poke is to get more money in the pockets of the taxpayers so that there is less money around here for 535 Members of Congress to play with. I want to speak in regard to this amendment; that the complete substitute will cut back our efforts to reduce marginal rates for families and small businesses. In addition, the bill will make millions of taxpayers subject to the alternative minimum tax. I appreciate the Senator's efforts on the child tax, and we already have a $95 billion child tax credit. We also have significant State aid in the bill. We have a point of order, as we have had before on an amendment like this. I raise that point of order--that the language is not germane to the measure now before the Senate. The point of order is under section 305(b)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, this amendment proposes to offer a 50- percent tax credit for employers of reservists to encourage differential pay. This amendment does not benefit those who are self-employed and provides little benefit to small businesses with little equity. In addition, nearly 80 percent of the cost of the military tax bill, which we have already passed in the Senate, is dedicated to reservists with the above-the-line deduction that was included because Senator DeWine pushed very hard for it. The amendment is paid for by reducing the dividend exclusion which is essential to our growth package; in other words, to keep a well balanced growth package. So the amendment I see as an attack on the jobs and growth bill, and I ask that it not be adopted. Mr. President, I raise a point of order on germaneness, that the amendment is not germane. The point of order comes under section 305(b)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act.

Mr. GRASSLEY. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. GRASSLEY. I urge we now adopt the amendment by voice vote.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I appreciate Senator Baucus' efforts. We, in this bill, have tried to balance investment and spending incentives. This bill already provides $95 billion for children and the child tax credit. The bill includes acceleration of the credit for low- income families, whom Senator Baucus seeks to help. In addition, I believe the market will benefit more from the proposal contained in the bill because of how we have approached it in a balanced effort. However, I do thank the Senator for his efforts. I have to raise a point of order. The pending amendment offered by the Senator from Montana increases mandatory spending and, if adopted, would cause the underlying bill to exceed the committee's section 302(a) allocation. Therefore, I raise a point of order against the amendment pursuant to section 302(f) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

Mr. GRASSLEY. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I am pleased to work with Senator Baucus to strengthen criminal tax penalties. We have seen in Enron-type corporation scandals that there is no end to the cleverness of con artists in the corporate world. The con artists will even pay a little tax to cover up their deception. Then after the fraud, the corporation asks for its money back. This amendment will ensure the corporate con artists pay full freight for their crime of duping shareholders and workers. I yield the floor.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I don't care if anybody listens to me, but it would be nice if everybody would shut up so you don't have to go through that 10 times today.

Mr. GRASSLEY. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. GRASSLEY. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. GRASSLEY

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries and Coast Guard be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 15, 2003, at 2:30 p.m. on Marine Mammal Protection Act in SR-253.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 15, 2003 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed hearing.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Thursday, May 15, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. I. Nominations: Michael Chertoff to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit; David G. Campbell to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Arizona; L. Scott Coogler to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama; and Mark Moki Hanohano to be U.S. Marshal for the District of Hawaii. II. Bills: S. 878, A bill to authorize an additional permanent judgeship in the District of Idaho and S. 1023, A bill to increase the annual salaries of justices and judges of the United States.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 15, 2003 at 10 a.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing on S. 575, a bill to amend the Native American Languages Act to provide for the support of Native American language survival schools, and for other purposes.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 15, 2003 at 2 p.m. for a nomination hearing to consider the nominations of Susanne T. Marshall to be Chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board, Neil McPhie to be a Member of the Merit Systems Protection Board and Terrence A. Duffy to be a member of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, May 15, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. for a hearing entitled ``Investing in Homeland Security: Challenges Facing State and Local Governments.''

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to conduct a business meeting on Thursday, May 15 at 9:30 to consider the following: A bill to provide for the security of commercial nuclear power plants and facilities designated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to enhance the security of wastewater treatment works. S. 994, Chemical Security Bill, a bill to protect human health and the environment from the release of hazardous substances by acts of terrorism.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 15, 2003, at 5 p.m., in closed session to receive a briefing by the General Counsel of the Air Force, Ms. Mary L. Walker, on the results of the inquiry into reports of sexual assaults at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be authorized to conduct a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday May 15, 2003. The purpose of this hearing will be to review the nominations of Glenn Klippenstein, Julia Bartling, and Lowell Junkins to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation.