Mark Hatfield

Mr. HATFIELD

Mr. HATFIELD. I believe the Senator from Maine said he would withdraw his?

Mr. HATFIELD. OK, let us do the technical amendments. Amendments Nos. 5144 and 5145, En Bloc

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I might indicate following any action to be taken on the subject of the Baucus amendment, we are ready for third reading of the bill and final passage. I thank the Senators on the antiterrorism amendments, of which we had 11, for reaching an agreement to not pursue them on this particular bill but to have them as a matter of business to be taken up at a later time. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I move, after final passage, the Senate insist on its amendments, request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses, and the Chair appoint conferees on the part of the Senate.

Mr. HATFIELD. I will repeat. It would be to move ahead on the premise we are going to pass this bill in final passage in a few moments, and to go ahead and appoint the conferees.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I will respond that we have a piece of unfinished business before we can go to third reading. The Baucus amendment was not tabled, and we have not disposed of that amendment. There is a process now, I am hoping, of finding some accommodation in order to dispose of the Baucus amendment. The Senator from North Dakota certainly made a correct point. We should have had this bill passed yesterday. If we are going to do the HUD-VA and independent agencies tomorrow, Friday and Saturday, we have to get this bill behind us. So consequently, we are waiting for that occasion to accommodate the Senators who have an interest in that. As soon as that resolved issue is brought to us, we will do that and third reading.

Mr. HATFIELD. I might say, we have a parliamentary situation beyond an accommodation here to the Senators. We are in a parliamentary situation. We cannot go to third reading until there is a final disposition of either adopting the Baucus amendment or modifying the Baucus amendment. So that is where we are locked in. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. HATFIELD

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, on behalf of the leader, I propound a unanimous-consent agreement adopting the conference report accompanying H.R. 3603. This has been cleared on both sides. I ask unanimous consent that when the conference report accompanying H.R. 3603, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1997, is received in the Senate, that it be considered as having been agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. HATFIELD

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, the amendment has been one of long standing on our list. I am happy to be able to dispose of it. It has been cleared, as indicated by the Senator from Maine, by the authorizing committees, by the ranking member, as well as the chairman of the authorizing committee, and has been cleared by the two managers.

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

Mr. HATFIELD. I would be happy to yield to the senator from California.

Mr. HATFIELD. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Shiloh Interchange

Mr. HATFIELD. Yes, you have requested additional funds for this project. However, criteria established in the One-hundred-and-fourth Congress by the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee of the House precludes me from being able to accommodate the Senator from Montana's request. The subcommittee has an ironclad rule that no highway projects which are not authorized be included for funding under the appropriations bill. In addition, no increases above the authorized levels will be included. Given the level of single-purpose projects included in ISTEA the ability of the Appropriations Committee to accomodate the Senator's request has been severely reduced, and such adjustments need to be made in the authorizing legislation.

Mr. HATFIELD. No, there are no increases above the authorized level in the fiscal year 1996 act or the fiscal year 1997 bill currently under consideration.

Mr. HATFIELD. The Senator's points are well-taken. Long-pending cases of this type should be decided promptly. Such action would be particularly warranted with rail proposals that will benefit area-wide economies, promote competition, or foster the objectives of our environmental laws. I would hope that such public interest considerations would merit early resolution.

Mr. HATFIELD. I appreciate the interest of the Senators and their input in helping to recommend a resolution of the differences between the House and Senate report language on transit projects in Michigan.

Mr. HATFIELD. Considering the extensive discussions I know the two Senators from Michigan have conducted with their State and local governments over this proposal, I wish to assure both Senators that I will make every effort to ensure their proposal is given full consideration in conference discussions with the House. Exhibit 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Transit agency Description Federal funds ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lansing........................... Facility............ $1,230,000 SMART............................. Buses and facility.. 1,800,000 GRATA............................. Facility............ 1,800,000 Flint............................. Facility............ 1,800,000 Kalkaska.......................... Facility............ 576,000 Kalamazoo......................... Buses and facility.. 900,000 DDOT.............................. Buses and facility.. 2,000,000 Dearborn.......................... Intermodal facility. 764,000 Detroit........................... Intermodal facility. 2,000,000

Mr. HATFIELD. I would be pleased to yield to the Senator from California.

Mr. HATFIELD. I assure my colleague from California that the committee report does not mean the committee does not support research funding for the ATTB. I point out that the report also states that the committee has not earmarked projects mentioned in the House report that are not listed in this report. This action is taken without prejudice to final decisions on project funding that will be made in conference. The fuel cell component of the ATTB is an important part of the project, and I will make every effort to ensure that it is considered for funding.

Mr. HATFIELD. That is my understanding.

Mr. HATFIELD. That is my understanding. I thank the Senators for bringing their concerns to me. digital brite radar indicator tower equipment (dbrite) at the gainesville-alachua regional airport

Mr. HATFIELD. I would be pleased to engage in a colloquy with the Senator from Florida on this matter.

Mr. HATFIELD. I thank my friend and colleague.

Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I can sympathize with the frustration expressed by the junior Senator from Florida on behalf of the Gainesville/Ocala communities and regional airport. If the FAA had recognized a legitimate need which still exists, I certainly think it appropriate for the FAA to move forward in the delivery of the DBRITE system for the Gainesville-Alachua Regional Airport.