Judd Gregg

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, at this moment I ask to withhold further action on the amendment I sent to the desk.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, the cleanest way to do this is, if I may inquire of the Chair, to offer this as a first degree and have the Cantwell amendment also be a first degree. Would that be the most appropriate way to proceed?

Mr. GREGG. I withdraw my unanimous consent to set aside the Cantwell amendment so this can be a second degree. Is that correct procedure?

Mr. GREGG. I ask unanimous consent to set aside the amendment, and I send an amendment to the desk and ask it be reported on behalf of Senator Santorum.

Mr. GREGG. What is the present business before the Senate?

Mr. GREGG. Thank you.

Mr. GREGG. The Senator from Pennsylvania is in the Chamber and can advise how much time he believes he needs in the morning.

Mr. GREGG. That is correct. Senator Santorum may need some time, unless it is accepted.

Mr. GREGG. We will plan to do it that way.

Mr. GREGG. That is an excellent suggestion. Perhaps those folks who wish to speak on the amendment of the Senator from Washington could also speak tomorrow prior to the vote on both.

Mr. GREGG. If they are going to be accepted. I do not know if your side has reviewed the second-degree amendment.

Mr. GREGG. It is my understanding we will be voting on these in the morning. If they are acceptable, there will be less time needed to debate them in the morning.

Mr. GREGG. If the Senator will yield.

Mr. GREGG. Yes.

Mr. GREGG. Reserving the right to object----

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I think there is an amendment coming up that would be relevant to a second degree. If the Senator wishes to bring it back, it would be available at that time.

Mr. GREGG. I object.

Mr. GREGG. Reserving the right to object.

Mr. GREGG. I ask unanimous consent we stand in a quorum call for 5 minutes.

Mr. GREGG. Madam President, I understand the Senator from Massachusetts is expressing his frustration about the situation. But the situation is not, as I mentioned before, so far from what a typical parliamentary situation would be. All the first degrees had to be cleared, that is correct, but no second degrees had to be cleared. So there have been second degrees which are not being set up as second degrees because of this side-by-side process, which has been very constructive, so that everybody gets a vote on what their position is. They have been relevant to the first degree but have not been filed. So this is a second-degree amendment which is being held as a side-by-side amendment. That being said, simply, once again, to clear the parliamentary errors from where we are from our perspective. I yield the floor. How much time remains?

Mr. GREGG. I believe I have the floor.

Mr. GREGG. Madam President, I make a point: For all the concern which the other side has, I believe the other side has a right to know of the amendments that come forward. The confusion about this is unfortunate. The fact is, this amendment is a legitimate second degree to the underlying amendment, and therefore would have been in order if we had been functioning under the traditional parliamentary system. We are functioning under a system where we don't second degree; we have side-by-sides. As a second degree, it would have wiped out the Feinstein amendment. That is just a statement of where we are parliamentarily. I yield the floor.

Mr. GREGG. I yield to the Senator from Arizona 3 minutes.