Jesse Helms

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, how many minutes are assigned to the distinguished Senator?

Mr. HELMS. And Senator Lugar has some time?

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, we have an agreement on both sides for a managers' package of amendments, which I send to the desk, including amendments by Senator Biden and myself and Senators Abraham and Grams, Kennedy, Durbin, Leahy, Moynihan, Reid, Bingaman, Thomas, Biden and Roth, two amendments by Senator Lugar, Senators McCain, Schumer and Brownback, Mack and Lieberman, Grams and Wellstone, Dodd, Ashcroft, Harkin, Feingold, and Feinstein. This package of amendments has been agreed to under a previous order.

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

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, before we get into this traffic jam timewise, I want the Chair to state what the situation is with the time agreement so there will be no mistake about it.

Mr. HELMS. So there are 5 minutes remaining.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. I commend the Senator from Minnesota for working with us on his amendments. The issues he raised are--``significant'' is not strong enough. They are grave issues that ought to be considered, and I commend him for it. I assure the Senator the committee will continue to work with him to address his concerns. Mr. President, we have made significant progress in the State Department authorization bill. We have now completed debate on the Feingold amendment, and we have just, obviously, accepted the modified Wellstone amendment. We are making progress on the Sarbanes amendment, which is the only remaining amendment to be debated. I understand some Senators wish to come to the floor and speak on the bill in general, and I encourage them to do that now. This afternoon we will vote on the Feingold amendment and possibly the Sarbanes amendment, and then we will move to final passage. Privilege Of The Floor

Mr. HELMS. To the contrary, I thank the Senator from Minnesota.

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, we certainly accept this amendment, amendment No. 697, as modified. We have discussed it on both sides. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. If there be no further debate, the question is on agreeing to the amendment.

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

Mr. HELMS. I think that is what we should do, and I hope we will.

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

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, listening to my dear friend from Delaware, Joe Biden, I harken back to the days when there was very little working relationship between the two parties on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Today, I think the working relationship is very good. That is due to the efforts of Senator Biden and his desire to make things work. Let me be candid. I am not in the mood to give away the store, and I haven't given it away regarding the United Nations yet. It remains to be seen whether the reforms both of us have been demanding will be in place early enough for this proposition, which I will discuss in just a minute, to take place. We will see. I can't tell the Senate how many times my best friend--next to Dot Helms--Admiral Nance and I have talked about this very issue. Bud Nance is gone now, but I remember his counsel on this bill. This measure is important to me because it bears the name of the Admiral James Wilson ``Bud'' Nance State Department Authorization bill. Bud is gone; he is at the Arlington National Cemetery, after a distinguished career. I miss him. However, both Senator Biden and I are blessed with excellent staffs. I thank staff on both sides. For the minority, the Democrats, I especially thank the inimitable Ed Hall, Brian McKeon, Runeet Talwar, Diana Ohlbaum, Janice O'Connell, and Joan Woodward. I am especially grateful to the Senate's legislative counsel, Art Rynearson, and, of course, the best part for me, the majority staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The staff was put together by Admiral Nance and me, but he became the chief of staff of the Foreign Relations Committee. Steve Biegun has succeeded Bud Nance. He has been very artful in his contribution to this measure. Patti McNerney, Garrett Grigsby, Marshall Billingslea, Michael Westphal, Beth Stewart, Roger Noriega--this Noriega was born in Kansas, by the way--Kirsten Madison, Marc Thiessen, Sherry Grandjean, Dany Pletka, who has just given birth to her second little girl--Richard Fontaine, Jim Doran, Natasha Watson, Christa Muratore, Laura Parker, Christa Bailey, Andrew Anderson and Susan Oursler. All of these young people on both sides have made a mighty contribution not only to the composition of the bill but the fact we were able to compose it at all. We are working together now. I want to say to my friend, Senator Biden, I appreciate his friendship and his cooperation. I extend my congratulations to him. Now then, this bill addresses several significant oversight and authorization issues that ought to be at least mentioned before we go to a vote. No. 1, it proposes to strengthen and preserve the arms control verification functions of the U.S. Government while addressing other nonproliferation matters as well. No. 2, the bill authorizes a 5-year construction blueprint for upgrading U.S. embassies around the world to provide secure environments for America's personnel overseas. Unlike the funds provided more than a decade ago in the wake of a report by Admiral Inman calling for improved security of U.S. embassies, this bill would create a firewall for funding of other State Department expenditures. This, of course, would ensure that embassy funds are not raided again to pay for other State Department pet projects. I am just not going to stand for it, and this bill makes that very clear. This bill makes some reforms to strengthen the Foreign Service and significantly, as Senator Biden has discussed at some length, the bill includes the United Nations reform package. This is not something we are going to lay on the table and say we are going to do someday. It is going to be done now. The United Nations is going to be reformed now or there is going to be trouble ahead. The reform agenda required by this bill, prior to payment of any U.S. taxpayers' dollars, has the full support of the Secretary of State and Senator Biden and me. These reforms were approved by the Senate during the 105th Congress by a vote of 90 to 5, with 5 Senators absent. But, of course, those reforms were vetoed by the President of the United States. In conclusion, I want to pay my respects to all who have participated in the building of this legislation, those with whom I have disagreed as well as those with whom I have agreed. All in all, I think it is a very fine bill and I am glad to have had a very small part in it. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Will the Senator be willing to send his amendment to the desk and count the time he has used against it?

Mr. HELMS. I am not trying to direct the Senator. I just want the clock to start running.

Mr. HELMS. That sounds fair.

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I yield back the remainder of my time on the Feingold amendment.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order, following the remarks of Senator Durbin.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 22. I further ask that on Tuesday, immediately following the prayer, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed to have expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate immediately resume consideration of the State Department authorization bill.

Mr. HELMS. I thank the Chair. I further ask that at 10 a.m. Senator Wellstone be recognized to offer two amendments as provided for in the agreement of June 18. I further ask consent that at 11:35 a.m., prior to the cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the steel import limitation bill, there be 40 minutes of debate equally divided between the two leaders, or their designees.

Mr. HELMS. Further, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following the 12:15 vote, the Senate stand in recess until 2:15 p.m. for the weekly policy conferences to meet.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. For the information of all Senators, tomorrow the Senate will convene at 9:30 a.m. and immediately resume consideration of the State Department authorization bill. Under a previous order, a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to S. 975, the steel import limitation bill, will take place at 12:15 p.m. with 40 minutes of debate on the motion prior to the vote. Following that vote, the Senate will stand in recess until 2:15 p.m. so that the weekly party conferences can meet. It is the intention of the majority leader to complete action on the State Department reauthorization bill during tomorrow's session of the Senate and to resume consideration of the agriculture appropriations bill. Therefore, Senators can expect votes throughout the day on Tuesday.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that with respect to H.R. 1664, the Senate insist on its amendments, request a conference with the House, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate.

Mr. HELMS

Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to a period of morning business with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.