Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, February 8, 2000 at 2 p.m. to hold a closed hearing on intelligence matters.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, be allowed to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, February 8, 2000. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss Federal dairy policy.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, February 8, 2000, at 9:30 a.m., in open session, to receive testimony on the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2001 and the future years defense program.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on February 8, 2000 at 10 a.m. to hear testimony regarding the President's fiscal year 2001 budget and tax proposals.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, February 8, 2000, at 10:30 a.m. to hold a hearing.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent a fellow for Senator Domenici, Pete Lyons, be given the privilege of the floor for the duration of the consideration of the nuclear waste bill, S. 1287.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, again, I thank Senators on both sides for their cooperation. I yield the floor to the chairman and ranking member and hope substantial progress can be made during today's session. I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT. I yield to the Senator.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I send a manager's amendment to the desk. This was circulated to the Members on Friday. I know there are others who need to review this. I hope they will take advantage of the opportunity they have to review it.

Mr. LOTT. I believe it is.

Mr. LOTT. I yield to the Senator.

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

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I say to the Senator from Nevada, we were aware of this particular hearing and how important and emotional it was for him. We have to be prepared to yield to each other on occasion and be considerate of each other's needs. We certainly understand. I also appreciate his cooperation in moving forward.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the amendment to the desk pursuant to the gentlemen's agreement.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consider S. 1287, the nuclear waste bill.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, as a result of our gentlemen's agreement last week--and I know all the Senators involved have been working to keep that commitment--I think progress has been made. I ask unanimous consent that this cloture vote occur at 2:15 p.m. today, that the mandatory quorum be waived, and that Members have until 6 p.m. this evening to file first-degree amendments and 12 noon on Wednesday to file any second-degree amendments.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, again, while the Senators from Nevada are here, I have already noted my appreciation for the cooperation of the Senators from Nevada. We wanted to make sure we did not go forward without their presence. Amendment No. 2808 (To provide a complete substitute)

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I now send a cloture motion to the pending bill to the desk. Before the clerk reports the motion, it is my sincere hope this cloture vote will not be necessary. It is my hope that rather than the cloture vote on the amendment today at 2:15 p.m., there will be a bipartisan outcome and the Senate can conclude this bill in a relatively short period of time. However, without that ironclad assurance, I have no choice but to file this cloture motion to the underlying bill.

Mr. LOTT

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

Mr. LOTT. I thank the Senators for being here as we prepare to move forward on this important legislation. I explained what has been occurring and the need to move forward.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, momentarily I will ask consent for the Senate to go to S. 1287, the nuclear waste bill. I know there have been negotiations underway in an effort to reach a comprehensive agreement on a manager's amendment to the nuclear waste bill. I thank Senator Murkowski for the work he has put into this important legislation now going back at least 2 years. We have had a good amount of time spent on this legislation on the floor of the Senate, having passed it once before. A lot of work has gone into it this year. I believe we are within the realm of being able to get an agreement which would allow this legislation to move forward and be completed in a very fair way this week. I also extend my appreciation to the Democratic whip, Senator Reid, for his diligence and for his work. He has always made an extra effort to make sure we are communicating and there are not any surprises or dilatory actions taken as we try to come to an agreement that is acceptable to the largest number of people. Senator Bryan of Nevada is here. This is very important to these two Senators and to their State. I understand that and I have always tried to be sensitive, understanding their need to offer amendments or to make statements, and to be very careful as we consider this legislation. I thank them. I understand negotiations have been underway between Senator Murkowski in discussions with Senator Bingaman and others, but I do think we need to go forward. This is important legislation. I believe we are very close to getting an agreement that is going to be acceptable to a large number of Senators. We do need to have either this agreement worked out and understood so we can move forward without a cloture vote or go ahead and go to cloture because we have to set up a process that allows this to be considered, hopefully favorably, and completed this week. We have been working on it a long time and now is the time to begin to close the deliberations and pass this legislation. I understand Senator Reid has been attending a hearing and is on his way so we can proceed with this action. I do not wish to proceed without his presence because I know if any procedural action or any agreement is worked out, he wants to be here and be a part of what is done. I do say, though, I do have a commitment on the House side I am going to have to attend. I was supposed to speak at 11 o'clock, so I do need to go to the House to carry out my commitment as soon as possible. I will withhold any formal request at this time, but by making this comment now I hope maybe we can move expeditiously to call up this bill and to filing cloture. I have one final comment. I say again, as I have said several times in the Senate last year and the year before and again this year, this is one of the most important environmental bills we will have in this Congress. Billions of dollars have been spent on this issue, and an inordinate amount of time in the Senate, trying to find a way to get it done. If we can come to an agreement and get this legislation completed, I believe history will look back on this action as one of the most important bills we will have done this year. If, at the end of this week, we will have already completed the final version of bankruptcy legislation, which included a minimum wage increase and tax relief for small businessmen and businesswomen, and address the question of health care costs, and then pass this important nuclear waste bill, we will be off on a very positive step. It will be done in a way I think is fair to both sides of the aisle. We can continue to make progress. As soon as Senator Reid arrives, we will move forward on the nuclear waste legislation. I observe the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LOTT

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

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, unfortunately this statement was inadvertantly left out of the Congressional Record at the end of last session. Therefore, today, I would like to recognize that on November 19th the United States Senate unanimously passed much needed legislation to protect some of America's most threatened historic sites, the Vicksburg Campaign Trail and the Corinth battlefield. S. 710, the Vicksburg Campaign Trail Battlefields Preservation Act of 1999, is a bipartisan measure that authorizes a feasibility study on the preservation of Civil War battlefields and related sites in the four states along the Vicksburg Campaign Trail. As my colleagues know, Vicksburg served as a gateway to the Mississippi River during the Civil War. The eighteen month campaign for the ``Gibraltar of the Confederacy'' included over 100,000 soldiers and involved a number of skirmishes and major battles in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee. The Mississippi Heritage Trust and the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Vicksburg Campaign Trail as being among the most threatened sites in the state and the nation. S. 710 would begin the process of preserving the important landmarks in the four state region that warrant further protection. I appreciate the cosponsorship of Chairman Murkowski, Chairman Thomas, and Senators Landrieu, Breaux, Cochran, Hutchinson, and Craig on this measure. Mr. President, the Senate also approved S. 1117, the Corinth Battlefield Preservation Act of 1999, a measure that establishes the Corinth Unit of the Shiloh National Military Park. The battle of Shiloh was actually part of the Union Army's overall effort to seize Corinth. This small town was important to both the Confederacy and the Union. Corinth's railway was vitally important to both sides as it served as a gateway for moving troops and supplies north and south, east and west. The overall campaign led to some of the bloodiest battles in the Western Theater. In an effort to protect the city, Southern forces built a series of earthworks and fortifications, many of which remain, at least for now, in pristine condition. Unfortunately, the National Park Service in its Profiles of America's Most Threatened Civil War Battlefields, concluded that many of the sites associated with the siege of Corinth are threatened. S. 1117 would give Corinth its proper place in American history by formally linking the city's battlefield sites with the Shiloh National Military Park. Mr. President, I want to thank Senators Robb, Cochran, and Jeffords for cosponsoring this measure. I would also like to express my appreciation to Chairman Thomas for his ever vigilant efforts on parks legislation, and in particular, for moving both the Vicksburg Campaign Trail and Corinth battlefield bills forward. I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize Chairman Murkowski for his continued stewardship over the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Mr. President, I also want to recognize Ken P'Pool, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for Mississippi; Rosemary Williams, Chairman of the Siege and Battle of Corinth Commission; John Sullivan, President of the Friends of the Vicksburg Campaign and Historic Trail; and Terry Winschel and Woody Harrell of the United States Park Service for their support and guidance on these important preservation measures. Lastly, I would like to recognize several staff members including Randy Turner, Jim O'Toole, and Andrew Lundquist from the Senate Energy Committee, Darcie Tomasallo from Senate Legislative Counsel, and Stan Harris, Angel Campbell, Steven Wall, Jim Sartucci, and Steven Apicella from my office, for their efforts to preserve Mississippi's and America's historic resources. Mr. President, as a result of the Senate's action today, our children will be better able to understand and appreciate the full historic, social, cultural, and economic impact of the Vicksburg Campaign Trail and the Siege and Battle of Corinth.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Madam President, in a few moments, I will ask unanimous consent to proceed to the nuclear waste bill. However, I will withhold that request until Senator Reid is able to reach the Chamber. I thought while we were waiting on his arrival I would go ahead and make some remarks about this very important legislation. We will, for the information of all Senators, continue to work tomorrow on the bankruptcy reform package and the amendments that have been agreed to. We hope to make good progress tomorrow. We will have recorded votes on Tuesday, but as to exactly when we will be able to finish it will require some communication with both sides of the aisle. It could be that we will not be able to finish until sometime Wednesday. After that, of course, we hope to be on the nuclear waste issue.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the nuclear waste bill, S. 1287, following passage of the bankruptcy bill.