Carl Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I thank Senator Cleland for making an extraordinary contribution, not just on this amendment but in so many ways on the Armed Services Committee and in the Senate. This will be an aid to recruitment and retention. I congratulate him for his usual perceptiveness of trying to improve the morale and conditions for the men and women in our armed services. He is a supreme leader in that regard. I thank him for his continuing leadership and look forward to the adoption of his amendment.

Mr. LEVIN. I thank the Chair.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I would add the following: It is my understanding of the unanimous consent agreement that recognition of the speakers who are listed here with a fixed period of time, including Senator Kerry, Senator Smith, Senator Snowe, and Senator Inhofe, is solely for the purpose of debate and not for the purpose of offering an amendment. Is the Senator correct?

Mr. LEVIN. Does Senator Wellstone have the floor?

Mr. LEVIN. On behalf of Senators Biden and Roth, I send an amendment to the desk that would require reports on the spare parts and repair parts program of the Air Force for the C-5 aircraft.

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

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

Mr. LEVIN. The amendment has been cleared.

Mr. LEVIN. The amendment 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. Amendment No. 3221 (Purpose: To strike section 344, relating to a modification of authority for indemnification of transferees of closing defense property)

Mr. LEVIN. The amendment has been cleared.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I join my good friend, Senator Warner, in thanking and commending the men for their gallant service during World War II and to thank Senator Bingaman for remembering them and having us as a body remember them. That is a real service, too. We are both grateful to Senator Bingaman.

Mr. LEVIN. It is a great bit of history, and it is great to be reminded of it.

Mr. LEVIN. I hope it has been written up because it is not familiar to me. I am now going to become familiar with it.

Mr. LEVIN. I ask unanimous consent to be added as a cosponsor of the amendment.

Mr. LEVIN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 3224

Mr. LEVIN. I wonder if the clerk could read for us the list of cosponsors on that amendment so any others who might wish cosponsorship.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I tip my hat in tribute to Senators Kennedy and Biden, Senator Roth and Senator Thurmond, and others, who have brought this to our attention repeatedly over the years. Hopefully, this matter can now be resolved in the appropriate way. Senator Kennedy and his colleagues have been absolutely tenacious in this matter. Hopefully, it will result in a good ending.

Mr. LEVIN. The amendment has been cleared.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Cleland, and other cosponsors whom he has identified, I offer an amendment that would enhance the Montgomery GI bill for both active and reserve members of the Armed Forces. This is the amendment we just discussed and on which we are so appreciative of Senator Cleland's leadership.

Mr. LEVIN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 3226 (Purpose: To enhance and improve educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill in order to enhance recruitment and retention of members of the Armed Forces)

Mr. LEVIN. The amendment 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. Amendment No. 3225

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, last weekend, a new report was released by the Justice Department about the successes of the Brady Law. The Brady Law requires that a prospective gun purchaser undergo a criminal background check before obtaining any firearm from a federal firearms licensee. The law is intended to prevent felons, fugitives, domestic abusers, and other prohibited persons from gaining access to guns. The new information brought the number of purchase rejections up to more than half a million since enactment of the Brady Law in 1994. According to the report, the number one reason for rejection was because the applicant either had a felony conviction or was under felony indictment. Of the approximately 200,000 purchase rejections in 1999, almost three-quarters, or 150,000 were denied for this reason. The second most common cause for rejection was a domestic violence misdemeanor conviction or restraining order, accounting for approximately 13% of rejections or 27,000 applications. Other applicants were denied the ability to purchase guns because of fugitive status, mental illness or disability, drug addiction, or state or local prohibition. In total, in 1999 alone, the Brady Law kept more than 200,000 guns off the streets and out of the hands of prohibited purchasers. The Brady Act has been effective but its success has been undermined by a loophole in the law that allows criminals to purchase guns from non-licensed sellers. That loophole allows felons, fugitives or other prohibited persons to purchase guns at gun shows without undergoing background checks. It is a loophole often exploited by those with objectionable backgrounds, some of whose applications have already been rejected by federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies. Congress made significant strides to reduce the level of gun violence by enacting the Brady Act, but now it's time to finish the job. Congress must close the gunshow loophole, otherwise the successes of Brady are weakened. As a reporter in my home state of Michigan said yesterday, ``the same statistics that demonstrate the usefulness of the background checks that have been in place since passage of the Brady bill cry out for closure of the loopholes that allow criminals turned away by licensed dealers to purchase guns with impunity elsewhere.'' I urge Congress to close the gun show loophole and stop undermining law enforcement's ability to keep guns off the streets and out of the hands of dangerous criminals.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. So as I understand it, after the disposition of the Smith amendment, there would be an opportunity for Senator Warner to offer an amendment?