Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, we will continue to work with both sides of the aisle to see if this matter can be dealt with in an acceptable way, aside from it being offered as an amendment to the China PNTR bill. I think that would be potentially a large problem because if it were adopted, certainly then that legislation would have to go back to the House, and there is a lot of concern about that. As far as a time to consider the major bill, the China PNTR, this is an important part of the process in a move in that direction. And until we get this resolved, then it is going to be very hard to focus on exactly what date we could get a vote on the bill. I must also add that it is true we have a lot of important work to do in July. We have to deal with the very unfair death penalty. We have to deal with eliminating the marriage penalty tax. We have to pass the agriculture appropriations bill. We have to pass the Interior appropriations bill. We have to pass the Housing and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill. We have to pass the Commerce-State-Justice appropriations bill. We have to pass the Treasury-Postal Service appropriations bill. We have a lot of work to do, and none of it is insignificant. The people's business needs to be taken care of. This is just a part of that process. But I understand the Senator's objection. We will keep working to see if we can find a time and a way to do it.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, if I could turn to the military construction appropriations conference report, that is a very good bill that passed way back in May, I think it was May 18. This important military construction conference report passed the Senate under the leadership of Senator Conrad Burns, but from the very beginning, it was a bill that did have some emergency provisions attached to it. We did have the funds for the costs, the money that has been already spent for the defense for Kosovo, and some additional funds for costs associated with that. Over a period now of almost 6 weeks, there has been a process underway between the House and the Senate on both sides of the aisle to get an agreement on this conference report that included a title II that had the emergency funds for the Kosovo situation, for the Colombia drug war, and also for emergencies associated with Hurricane Floyd, the fires, and other issues. During the process of the conference, other issues were added. Some issues that were in were taken out. That is the way a conference works. I must confess that I didn't get a look at the final product myself until this morning. I think we actually had access to it last night. We did get access to it. Senators had an opportunity to review that. If points of order need to be made, they can be made. But this is for military construction and for emergencies. We need to get this done. It is already late. There are a lot of people, there are a lot of different reasons for how that happened, but here we are. As majority leader, I have a responsibility to try to bring it to a conclusion and take whatever time that requires. I will shortly ask unanimous consent that the military construction appropriations conference report come up. I need to inform all Members that if the agreement is not agreed to or a similar version to this that can--if we cannot come up with something that could be entered into by the full Senate, then it would be my intention to call up the conference report and Senators McCain and Gramm will ask, as I understand it, that it be read. If that is done, it would take some 6 hours, I am told by the staff, to read the conference report. I still hope we can avoid that. If there are problems with the conference report, let's talk about it. If points of order are going to be made, let's do them. We will have time to understand exactly what is in the bill. I am sure we will hear from Senator Stevens and Senator Byrd and others who are familiar with the details. That is what it is all about. I realize it is Friday afternoon, but Members have been told for weeks that we would be in session on this Friday and would be having votes. This is an important vote. All we can do is try to come up with a way that we can have a good debate, but if there is objection to proceeding and insistence that it be read, then we will have to do that. After that there could be a series of votes on points of order and hopefully on final passage. I want to outline the situation as it now stands. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the conference report and it be considered as having been read. I further ask unanimous consent that following 10 minutes for debate between the two managers, and the chairman and ranking member, Senator Gramm be recognized to raise a point of order. I further ask unanimous consent Senators Stevens and Byrd be immediately recognized to make a motion to waive and, following 10 minutes equally divided on the motion to waive, the Senate proceed to a vote on that motion with or without any intervening action or debate. By the way, if we need more time for debate, I would be glad to accommodate that. Finally, I ask unanimous consent that if the motion to waive is agreed to, the Senate proceed to an immediate vote on the conference report without any intervening action, motion, or debate.

Mr. LOTT. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. LOTT. First of all, the greatest argument I have heard for bringing this to conclusion is the fact that the Senator's lovely wife is waiting for his presence to join him in other activities. I am genuinely concerned about that. If we have to read this bill, I would like to urge the Senator to stay here; I will go see Mrs. Gramm. That is the corner of First and C Streets, I believe? I will meet her, and I will provide her with a very lovely lunch in the Senate dining room.

Mr. LOTT. Speaking of the Lord's work, I suggest that the Lord's work here would be to analyze this legislation. Let's engage in discussion; let's point out where there are problems, if any. Let's hear the other side. If necessary, let's vote. To spend 6 hours reading the bill is not going to advance the cause. I am glad for the Senator to engage in this.

Mr. LOTT. I am glad to respond to a question.

Mr. LOTT. I have two things. There is one clarification I wish to make on what Senator Gramm said. If one of the points of order should be sustained, or if a major one was made and sustained, we would not necessarily have to continue this. This bill then would go back to the House when they return. They would have to take it up and consider it further. I realize there may be multiple points of order. If one were sustained, there might be others. Look, I understand what Senator Gramm is saying. I certainly feel very strongly that our budget process should be protected and, if it is violated, there should be an opportunity to address those points of order. I have no problem with that. All I say is I think to read the bill doesn't help anybody's cause. I think we would be better off if we get into a discussion and talk about what is in the bill. So, again, I am sympathetic with all sides concerned, and I would like to get out from the middle of the crossfire of the ammunition being employed here. At this point, since there is objection, I have no----

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, am I proceeding under leader time?

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I move that the Senate turn to the conference report to accompany the military construction appropriations conference report.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the conference report be dispensed with and that a vote occur on adoption of the conference report immediately.

Mr. LOTT. I am happy to yield to the Senator.

Mr. LOTT. Thank you, Senator Byrd, for your comments and for your inspiration and for talking about the history of this great country and this special celebration of the Fourth of July, 2000, with family and friends. It is a special time for our country and in our lives. I look forward to it. Senator Byrd, I will have the presence of my very fine grandson that you spoke so beautifully about just 2 years ago on his birth date. I look forward to that moment.

Mr. LOTT. I am happy to yield to the Senator.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank Senator Reid, for his comments.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I now have a unanimous consent request that the only first-degree amendments remaining in order to the Department of Defense authorization bill, S. 2549, be limited to amendments that are relevant to the provisions of the bill, and on the finite list of amendments in order to the bill; that these first-degree amendments be subject to relevant second-degree amendments; provided further that the first-degree amendments must be filed at the desk by the close of business on Friday, June 30, 2000.

Mr. LOTT. Before the Senator objects, in the spirit of cooperation that we are working under, I would like to withdraw the request so we can keep working and see if we can get this agreed to today.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I want the Senate to be on notice when we return on Monday, July 10, since there was objection to, at least at this time, taking up the Thompson bill freestanding, we will go to the Interior appropriations bill. There will be a vote or votes on that Monday sometime between 5 and 6, presumably around 5:30. Later today, we hope to still be able to propound some unanimous consent requests. We are still working to see if we can get the Department of Defense authorization bill worked out with an agreement, and conclude that, and Senator Daschle and I are continuing to work to see if we can get an agreement on how to take up the estate tax issue. We may still have some more business yet this afternoon. Of course, we are going to also wrap up with some confirmations from the Executive Calendar; specifically, judges that are pending before we conclude our business today.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Friday, June 30, 2000, 9:30 a.m., for a hearing entitled ``HUD's Government Insured Mortgages: The Problem of Property `Flipping.' ''

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that S. 2553 be indefinitely postponed.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the adjournment of the Senate, committees have from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 5, in order to file legislative matters.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 129, submitted earlier today by Senators Lieberman, Smith of Oregon, Cleland, and others.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution and the preamble be agreed to, en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute be agreed to. The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, as amended, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, Senator Daschle and I have been discussing this matter in the hope that we could work out an agreement as to how we could proceed. We had discussed the possibility of certainly a substitute being in order on the estate tax legislation. I believe the Senator from New York, Mr. Moynihan, had a substitute, or others, perhaps, joining with him would have a substitute, and other related or germane amendments to that issue. We even offered the possibility of having two nongermane amendments on each side. Our problem gets to be when you go to five or six--I don't know how many were included in that list.