Carl Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I understand the Senator from Wisconsin is willing to have 30 minutes equally divided instead of 40 minutes on his amendment. I ask that the unanimous consent agreement be so modified.

Mr. LEVIN. I say to my good friend from Massachusetts, I happen to agree with his thoughts on this subject. We are very close in terms of our views. However, there is a complete misunderstanding about the year 2005. That is not the year when the intelligence estimates say North Korea will be able to pose a threat to us.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Then we would go to Senator Byrd, who is in the UC, dispose of that amendment. Then the other four that are listed are not sequenced yet.

Mr. LEVIN. If the Senator would yield, there is just one more vote now scheduled?

Mr. LEVIN. But there are others involved in those amendments. Amendment No. 3812

Mr. LEVIN. We would attempt to sequence them. If we fail, as far as I am concerned, then it's whoever gets recognized first. But we are going to make a real effort to sequence those amendments and then vote on them in the morning.

Mr. LEVIN. Reserving the right to object, do I understand that the unanimous consent request would bring the Senate back to the previous order, immediately after those two votes?

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. And that will all occur tomorrow night?

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

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Bingaman, I call up amendment No. 3770 to establish the National Laboratories Partnership Act of 2000, and I send a modification to the desk.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

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

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

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, it has been cleared on this side.

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

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, and I obviously won't because this is a very good unanimous consent agreement, I believe in reading the last two lines my good friend from Virginia left out the word ``may'' so that ``it may be vitiated.''

Mr. LEVIN. I thank the Presiding Officer and my good friend from Virginia.

Mr. LEVIN. After disposition of the Byrd amendment.

Mr. LEVIN. I thank my friend from Virginia. There has been a lot of hard work, indeed, that has gone into this agreement. I do want to see if our understanding is correct on this. It was not explicit in the unanimous consent agreement. That is that following the disposition of the Byrd amendment tomorrow evening, and notwithstanding the managers' package of amendments, that the following amendments be--and then they are identified. It is our expectation and intention that that proceed immediately tomorrow night, to consideration of those listed amendments.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, has that now been adopted?

Mr. LEVIN. Move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 3760, As Modified (Purpose: To expand and enhance United States efforts in the Russian nuclear complex to expedite the containment of nuclear expertise that presents a proliferation threat)

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on behalf of Senators Bryan and Robb, I call up amendment No. 3761 which would provide for concurrent receipt by a surviving spouse of survivor benefit plan benefits and VA dependency and disability compensation. I believe this amendment has been cleared by the other side.

Mr. LEVIN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 3761 (Purpose: To provide for the concurrent payment to surviving spouses of disability and indemnity compensation and annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP))

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Biden, I ask unanimous consent the privilege of the floor be granted to a member of his staff, Ben Lowenthal, a Pearson Fellow currently at the Committee on Foreign Relations, during the pendency of the DOD bills.