Judd Gregg

Mr. GREGG

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

Mr. GREGG. Does the Senator from California wish to ask for the yeas and nays?

Mr. GREGG. Before getting to a vote on this issue, just let me make this point. Were this a judicial proceeding, there is something called judicial notice. That is like water runs downhill and the Sun comes up in the East. I think the Court would take judicial notice of the fact the ninth circuit does not work; it is too big; it has too many people for one circuit to manage; it has too many judges to work effectively; it has too large a geographic region. This is an attempt to address that issue. It is a very important issue to address. It is an affordable issue to address. I hope my colleagues will vote down this amendment. Have the yeas and nays been asked for on this amendment?

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I have a couple of minutes left.

Mr. GREGG. I yield 15 minutes to the Senator from Idaho.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from Oregon.

Mr. GREGG. I appreciate the concerns of my colleague from New Jersey about reducing violent behavior in our society, and I agree that the Violence Institute provides valuable assistance in addressing the epidemic of violent crime in the United States. Successful programs that provide research into the basic causes of violence, and that develop initiatives to prevent the spread of violent crime, can be valuable tools in our Nation's fight against crime. I believe that programs such as the ones conducted at the Violence Institute are worthy of the Department's support.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, if the Senator from California wouldn't mind, I would like to go from side to side.

Mr. GREGG. I yield to the Senator from Washington 20 minutes.

Mr. GREGG. I hope the Senator would ask for adoption.

Mr. GREGG. Yes. It is appropriate for the Committees on the Judiciary of both the House and the Senate to be involved and that was the intention of the committee when it prepared the report.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, the following are technical corrections to the fiscal year 1998 Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary and related agencies appropriations report: First, under ``Title I--Department of Justice'', on page 7, line 3, delete $17,251,958,000; and insert $17,278,990,000; on page 7, line 6, delete $826,955,000 and insert $853,987,000; and second, under ``Title V-- Related Agencies, Small Business Administration'', on page 126, line 22, delete $8,756,000 and insert $8,756,000,000. Amendment No. 979

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we now adopt the managers' amendment, which is the pending amendment No. 979.

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

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I now send a series of amendments to the desk and ask unanimous consent that they be considered read and agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to these amendments be inserted at this point in the Record, with all of the above occurring, en bloc. These amendments have been cleared by both sides of the aisle.

Mr. GREGG. And the Senator from California has?

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I just mention briefly there have been considerable hearings on this issue, testimony before our committee on this issue, and the matter has been around and been discussed at length in a variety of forums. Mr. President, how much time do we have?

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I support the efforts of the Senator from Rhode Island to put a sense-of-the-Senate resolution in this bill relative to this very important issue. His sense of the Senate tracks the FEC regulation. I think it is very appropriate that he has raised the visibility of this issue, and the sense of the Senate will be included in the managers' amendment.

Mr. GREGG. I yield to the Senator from Idaho for 10 minutes.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I yield the Senator from Alaska 10 minutes.

Mr. GREGG. Could the Chair advise us of the time status?

Mr. GREGG. And the Senator from California?

Mr. GREGG. I yield to the Senator from Alaska, the chairman of the committee, 9 minutes.

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I yield the Senator from Alaska a minute.

Mr. GREGG

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