Carl Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, the motion now that is pending is the Levin-Reed, et al., amendment. The floor is open for Senators to come and speak on that amendment. I would hope those who have speeches will do that. We need to get to a vote on this amendment early next week. There is no reason this amendment should be the subject of a filibuster with the subject that is on every American's mind. They want us to be able to vote up or down on this amendment. I hope it is not necessary that there has to be a cloture motion, because the Senate should express its will on a subject of this importance. But this is one of the many times that will be available in the next few days to speak on this amendment. We will be here Monday afternoon. We are here now. We will be here Tuesday, obviously, before the meetings of our parties at lunch. But I would hope people would take advantage of this opportunity to come and speak, pro or con, on the pending amendment, because there is no excuse for a filibuster on an amendment of this importance that the entire country is watching. This is one of a number of opportunities we are going to have in the next few days for Senators to express their opinion. I hope they will use this opportunity. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, we know of two speakers who do wish to come over here shortly, about 11:20 and 11:30. We do not know of any other speakers who wanted to be recognized at this point. We are on the bill now. In a moment I am going to ask consent that we go into morning business, with speakers limited to 10 minutes each. But I want to note my good friend from Virginia has suggested that we make it clear to the body that we are on the bill now. The amendment which is pending is the Levin-Reed, et al., amendment, and that we will, after we leave here today, be returning on Monday, at a time that the leaders will set, to this bill. This bill will be the pending matter. This amendment will be the pending matter on Monday when we return. I thank the Senator from Virginia for suggesting that we make that clear. I yield the floor.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, we also urge colleagues who still have amendments they wish to have considered to bring those amendments here to the floor by noon; to bring them here on Monday, because Senator McCain and I have both spoken on the necessity of getting amendments that are going to be filed to be filed by the end of business on Monday. We have a lot of amendments we have got to consider. Hopefully we can clear some. But the body would be very--colleagues would be doing the body a favor to get these amendments in if there are any additional amendments they want to consider.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, will the Senator from Florida yield for a unanimous consent request?

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following the Senator from Florida, the junior Senator from Pennsylvania be recognized to speak as in morning business for 10 minutes.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, while the Senator from Virginia is on the floor, I ask unanimous consent that we proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators recognized for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Mark Sullivan and Asmita on Senator Harkin's staff be granted floor privileges during today's debate.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, July 12, 2007, at 2 p.m., in order to conduct a hearing entitled ``Private Sector Preparedness, Part II: protecting our critical infrastructure.''

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 12, 2007, at 10 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. This hearing will address issues relating to telephone number portability.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to hold a hearing during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 12, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The purpose of this hearing is to consider the nominations of Clarence H. Albright, of South Carolina, to be Under Secretary of Energy; Lisa E. Epifani, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs; James L. Caswell, of Idaho, to be Director of the Bureau of Land Management; and Brent T. Wahlquist of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 12, 2007, at 10 a.m., in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``Airport Airways Trust Fund: The Future of Aviation Financing.''

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to hold a hearing on the nomination of Dr. James W. Holsinger to be Medical Director and Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services during the session of the Senate on Thursday, July 12, 2007 at 10 a.m., room G50 of the Dirksen Senate office building.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, July 12, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct an oversight hearing on transportation issues in Indian country.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup session on Thursday, July 12, 2007, at 10 a.m. in Dirksen room 226. Agenda I. Bills S.1145, Patent Reform Act of 2007, (Leahy, Hatch, Schumer, Cornyn, Whitehouse); S.--, School Safety and Law Enforcement Improvements Act, (Chairman's mark); S. 1060, Recidivism Reduction & Second Chance Act of 2007, (Biden, Specter, Brownback, Leahy, Kennedy, Schumer, Whitehouse, Durbin) II. Nominations William Lindsay Osteen, Jr. to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of North Carolina; Martin Karl Reidinger to be United States District Judge for the Western District of North Carolina; Timothy D. DeGiusti to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma; Janis Lynn Sammartino to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of California. III. Resolutions S. Res. 248, Honoring the life and achievements of Dame Lois Browne Evans (Brown); Res. 236, Supporting the goals and ideals of the National Anthem Project (Bayh, Craig, Kennedy, Cardin, Durbin).

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Thursday, July 12, 2007, at 9 a.m., in order to conduct a hearing entitled ``Dirty Bomb Vulnerabilities: fake companies, fake licenses, real consequences.''

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 12, 2007 at 2:30 p.m., to hold a closed hearing.

Mr. LEVIN

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

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, under the unanimous consent agreement that was entered into last night, a Senator designated on the Republican side was to offer an amendment at this time and then I was going to, or someone designated by me was going to offer a second-degree amendment. I want Senator Graham to say what the intention was on that side-- that intention has been changed--and then I will comment on what he has to say.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I thank my friend from South Carolina. That is our understanding. We understand what his intent was. We both have been involved in some discussions on this matter. Our staffs are involved in some discussions on this matter. Senator Graham has indicated his willingness to hold off offering his amendment at this time, with the understanding that he will have an opportunity at a later time to offer that amendment, and these discussions will continue in the interim.

Mr. LEVIN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. LEVIN. I ask unanimous consent that the Sessions amendment No. 2024, as modified, be set aside until 4 p.m. today and that no amendment be in order to the Sessions amendment; that at 4 p.m. today, there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senator Sessions and myself or our designees; that upon the use of that time, without further intervening action or debate, the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the Sessions amendment, as modified.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I thank my friend from Arizona. It is our hope that we can complete the debate on the wounded warriors legislation. I did intend to offer that as soon as this unanimous consent agreement is agreed to. Those who wish to speak on the wounded warrior legislation we invite to come to the floor in the next few hours. If the debate on that legislation is completed before 4 o'clock, the Senator from Arizona is correct, we would then, hopefully, have a vote on the wounded warriors amendment immediately after the vote on the Sessions amendment. If debate on the wounded warriors legislation is completed before 4 o'clock, as he indicated, there would then be an opportunity for another amendment to be offered as designated by the ranking member. I believe, in terms of alternating, it is now our turn. I will be offering, on behalf of many Senators, on a bipartisan basis the wounded warrior legislation. Then it is our understanding the next amendment would be from the Republican side.