Judd Gregg

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. I am grateful for that information from the Senator from Delaware. I know that he is a strong advocate of Radio Free Asia as well as the other broadcasting services. I look forward to working with him on this issue as the bill goes to conference and in the coming years. joint marine aquaculture education project

Mr. GREGG. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendments were agreed to.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, for the information of our colleagues, we now turn to the Smith amendment. Under the terms of the agreement, there will be 40 minutes of debate on this amendment. I expect we will begin voting on final passage and on the Smith amendment no earlier than 3 o'clock and no later than 3:15. Mr. SMITH of Oregon addressed the Chair.

Mr. GREGG. Will the Senator from Oregon yield?

Mr. GREGG. As I understand, there has been an agreement reached between the parties here that there will be 40 minutes of debate equally divided between the Senator from Oregon, who will control half of that time, and the Senator from Massachusetts, who will control half of that time. Is that correct?

Mr. GREGG. I ask unanimous consent that be the procedure under which we function.

Mr. GREGG. I now send to the desk a series of amendments cleared by both managers on behalf of myself and Senator Hollings. I further ask they be considered and adopted en bloc and motion to reconsider these amendments be laid upon the table.

Mr. GREGG. Yes, this is my understanding.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I would be pleased to join the Senator from Maine in a colloquy.

Mr. GREGG. For the information of all of our Members, we will begin voting on this amendment and then proceed to final passage at approximately 3:30. Modification to Amendment No. 3261, As Modified, Previously Agreed To

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I send to the desk on behalf of Senator Specter a technical modification to the Craig amendment numbered 3261. ``(2) Within funds appropriated in this Act for necessary expenses of the Offices of United States Attorneys, $1,500,000 shall be available for the Attorney General to hire additional assistant U.S. attorneys and investigators in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a demonstration project to identify and prosecute individuals in possession of firearms in violation of federal law.''

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I make a point of order that a quorum is not present.

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

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, while we are waiting, I would like to take a moment. We are, hopefully, about to move to final passage after the vote on the Smith amendment is taken care of. I would like to take a moment to thank the staff for the extraordinarily hard work they put into this. Both the majority staff and the minority staff spent countless hours bringing this bill forward. It is a complicated bill. They spent the last 3 or 4 days, almost, working on it. We have seen a lot of amendments. More than a little bit of intricate thought has gone into it. It has a very complex matrix of issues. And it could not possibly have been managed without the strong and professional support that we have received from the staff. I would like to also specifically thank former minority clerk Scott Gudes, who has moved on but whose work for 12 years on this committee was extraordinary, and whom I very much enjoyed working with. His replacement, Lila Helms, is a great addition and has carried on Scott's exceptional work. Emelie East and Dereck Orr have also been great assets, I am sure, to the minority and to the majority, as a result of their efforts. On my own staff, countless hours have been put in, and I especially thank Jim Morhard, who is clerk of the committee. I don't think he has seen his family, or anyone else, other than the inside of these walls for days and weeks. I very much appreciate his efforts and the expertise he has brought to this. Along with him, the professional staff of Paddy Link, Kevin Linskey, Carl Truscott, Dana Quam, and Vas Alexopoulos have been extraordinary; Kris Pickler, and Jackie Cooney of my personal staff, and Virginia Wilbert, who have been extraordinary also, have not only put their oars in but have aggressively rowed this boat toward the shore. We hope it will arrive very soon. It is really a team effort. And we have an extremely strong team, a team made up of Cal Ripkens and Ken Griffeys. We are very lucky to have them, and we thank them for all their time and effort. I have been advised that the Democratic leader is willing to proceed with a vote at 3:15. We will begin voting on the Smith amendment at 3:15. Mr. HOLLINGS addressed the Chair.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the managers' amendments be in order notwithstanding the fact that they amend language already amended.

Mr. GREGG. I thank the Senator. In my view this is a very legitimate goal and I join the Senator from Alaska in expressing the hope that the agencies will revisit this matter.

Mr. GREGG. Will the Senator from Alaska yield for a question?

Mr. GREGG. It is my understanding that this amendment will delay for one year the application of the GMDSS requirements for fishing industry vessels, but not other types of vessels. Is that the understanding of the Senator from Alaska?

Mr. GREGG. Is it the Senator's intention that the federal agencies involved would then use this period of time to further examine the issue of applying GMDSS requirements to the fishing industry?

Mr. GREGG. I would be happy to work with the distinguished Senator and Senator Hollings, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary and Related Agencies on this issue.

Mr. GREGG. I very much appreciate the kind comments obviously of the Senator from South Carolina. This bill has been a fairly complicated exercise, but its movement is entirely tied to the fact that the Senator from South Carolina brings to this floor extraordinary expertise and professionalism. It is a joy to work with him because his knowledge of how to move things around here is second to none and his history as to where some of the issues lie is equally dramatic, and so I greatly appreciate the chance to work with him. I thank him for all of his support and effort. This has been a bill that has moved forward as a result of the strong support of the Senator from South Carolina.

Mr. GREGG. Yes.

Mr. GREGG. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. GREGG

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, this morning the Senate will resume consideration of the Commerce/Justice/State bill. At 9:15 a.m. the Senate will vote in relation to the Craig amendment followed by a vote in relation to the underlying Kyl amendment. Following those votes, under a previous consent agreement, the Senate will debate several amendments to be offered to the C.J.S. bill. At the conclusion of that debate, which is expected by early afternoon, the Senate will proceed to a stacked series of votes in relation to those amendments. Following disposition of all amendments in order, it is expected that the Senate will quickly proceed to final passage of the Commerce/Justice/State appropriations bill. Upon completion of the C.J.S. bill it is hoped that the Senate will begin consideration of the transportation appropriations bill. Therefore Members should expect another late night session with votes as the Senate attempts to make progress on the remaining appropriations bills. I thank my colleagues for their attention.

Mr. GREGG

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