Carl Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Leahy be added as a cosponsor on the amendment which we just adopted, the Lieberman amendment.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, there will be, then, no more amendments we will be able to take up tonight on the Defense authorization bill. We will pick up that bill tomorrow.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senator Hatch to be recognized for 15 minutes, then Senator Murray for 8 minutes, then Senator Burris for 6 minutes, and Senator Brown for 10 minutes.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 21, 2009, in Russell 253, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate to conduct a hearing on Tuesday, July 21, at 10 a.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 21, 2009, at 10 a.m., in room SD-406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 21, 2009, at 10:15 a.m.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 21, 2009, at 2:15 a.m.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 21, 2009, to hold a hearing entitled ``The National Security Implications of Climate Change.''

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on July 21, 2009, at 10 a.m., in SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.

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 during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 21, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Excessive Speculation in the Wheat Market.''

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 21, 2009, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security, be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on July 21, 2009, at 2:15 pm, in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Ensuring a Legal Workforce: What Changes Should be Made to Our Current Employment Verification System?''

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, following the remarks of the leader, the Senate will resume consideration of the Department of Defense authorization bill. Under an agreement reached last week, there will be up to 40 minutes for debate prior to votes in relation to amendments relating to hate crimes. Those votes would be in relation to one amendment offered by Senator Leahy or his designee and three amendments offered by Senator Sessions. It is my understanding that we may be able to dispose of the Leahy amendment by a voice vote and that the managers are working on the Sessions amendment regarding Attorney General regulations. Upon the use or yielding back of all debate time, the Senate will proceed to a series of at least two rollcall votes and possibly up to four rollcall votes. The votes could occur in the 4 p.m. range. After the Senate disposes of those amendments, we will resume debate on the gun amendment offered by Senator Thune. Second-degree amendments are in order to the gun amendment. Also under the agreement reached last week, upon disposition of the Thune amendment, Senator Levin will be recognized to offer the Levin-McCain amendment relating to the F-22s. I yield the floor.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, first of all, we are operating under a unanimous consent agreement. We have an agreement to vote on the F-22 amendment after 2 hours of debate. We are attempting to schedule that now. People are getting the cooperation of Members for tomorrow morning. That is our goal. The pending amendments to the hate crimes provision are going to be disposed of this afternoon pursuant to that same unanimous consent agreement. There may be a difference as to how we got to where we are. There is a difference; it was the inability to get the F-22 amendment to a vote, to get a time agreement, which triggered the determination of the majority leader to offer an amendment that Senator Kennedy had offered about 2 years ago on a Defense authorization bill. It passed the Senate after a long debate. It is not the first time hate crimes was taken up by the Senate. It is not the first time the hate crimes amendment was offered on the Defense authorization bill. It was offered 2 years ago, and it passed on a 60-to-39 vote, I believe. It was Senator Kennedy's amendment. Of course, Senator Kennedy is not available now to offer his own amendment. The majority leader offered it because of Senator Kennedy's necessary absence. So now we are operating under a unanimous consent agreement. The pending amendment is Senator Thune's. It is not germane, but, again, it is not unusual that nongermane amendments are offered in the Senate. We try to keep them to a minimum--those who manage bills--in order to get through the bill. We are hoping that once the F-22 amendment and the amendment of Senator Thune are disposed of, we will then be able to get back to germane and relevant amendments. That is our hope. In order for that to happen, we need Members of the Senate to bring those amendments to the floor and tell us they are ready to proceed. We are working very hard, as we always do, and our staffs are working very hard, as they always do, to clear amendments. I believe we have about 20 amendments that have been cleared already and, at an appropriate time, I believe Senator McCain and I will be able to offer them as a package. Senator McCain was extremely helpful in getting us to the point where we could enter the unanimous consent agreement. A vote is scheduled today on our hate crimes-related amendment. We have a time agreement on the F-22 amendment, and a time for voting on that amendment is being discussed. It is my goal that we vote on that amendment tomorrow morning after we debate it. Please, colleagues, bring your amendments to the floor. We are here. We are ready to be notified of those amendments on which Members of the Senate believe we will need a rollcall vote. We will try to clear as many amendments as we can. We urge our colleagues to notify us now of the amendments they intend to offer. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that amendment No. 1614 be identified as a Kennedy amendment.

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

Mr. LEVIN. I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Virginia be recognized next as in morning business for up to 10 minutes.

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

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order for the Senate to consider en bloc the following amendments: amendments Nos. 1614, 1615, and 1617.

Mr. LEVIN. I now call up amendments Nos. 1614, 1615, and 1617 and ask that the amendments be modified with changes at the desk and that once modified, the amendments be agreed to, as modified, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Sessions amendment No. 1616 now be the pending business, and that at 4:10 p.m., the Senate proceed to vote in relation to the amendment, with the time until then equally divided and controlled in the usual form.

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

Mr. LEVIN. I yield the floor.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, first, I thank the Senator from Alabama for this amendment. He is a valued member of the Armed Services Committee. He knows, as we all know, because of our work on the Armed Services Committee, how our men and women in uniform protect us, and we should do everything we can when it comes to our criminal laws to protect them and their families. This amendment is aimed at doing this. It would create a new Federal crime. It is appropriate we do that. I support the amendment. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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