Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT. In light of the objection, I now move to proceed to the conference report of the committee of conference on the bill (H.R. 1906) an act making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask consent following my remarks, Senator Jeffords be recognized.

Mr. LOTT. I thank my colleague for his frankness. I understand his feeling about it. I know there are Senators on both sides of the aisle who have some reservations about going forward with this bill. I know they can understand the need to move this very important bill on through the conference process and to the President for his signature. Cloture Motion I send now a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. LOTT. I say to the membership, if an agreement cannot be reached for a total time limitation that is reasonable, I will file a motion for cloture on the Agriculture conference report, and that a cloture vote will occur on Tuesday of next week at 5:30 unless a consent can be worked out to conduct the vote at an earlier time or unless something can be worked out to just have the vote on final passage. I ask the Senator from Vermont if he is in a position to agree to a time limitation for debate at this time on the pending Agriculture conference report?

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask consent that the Senate proceed to the conference report to accompany the Agriculture appropriations bill, the conference report be considered as read, and immediately following the reporting by the clerk and granting of this consent, Senator Jeffords be recognized.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, in view of the time that has been spent discussing this very important issue, and also the fact there have been several attempts to find ways to limit the debate, and now in view of the vote on the motion to table which was unanimous against tabling it, putting the Senate back to exactly the position we were in before, I think the thing to do at this time is to withdraw this amendment and move forward. I think that is a mistake. I want to say to one and all, this issue will be joined further, and we will find a way for the content of this amendment to be in some legislation and passed through the Congress this year.

Mr. LOTT. I ask unanimous consent that amendment 1825 be withdrawn.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. It is my understanding that movement to the House level is not an increase in the NIH budget, is that correct? As I understand it, this would reallocate money within the NIH budget and that this would not be additional funding. This would set aside a portion of NIH research money for those states, Mississippi included, to more fully exploit the opportunities to develop a competitive biomedical research base.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I move to reconsider the vote and move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. vote on amendment no. 2268

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

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a vote on the Robb amendment be included in the stacked sequence of votes after the policy luncheon breaks.

Mr. LOTT. I thank my colleagues.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, if I may withhold for 1 second, I am concerned that there might be another Senator who would want to be heard on this issue. If so, we will delay the vote momentarily. But I don't know that that will be necessary, so let's go ahead and go forward with the stacked vote sequence. Amendment No. 2254, As Modified

Mr. LOTT. That would be my preference, actually, Mr. President. If the Senator will yield, I would like to get that locked in at this point, if you would like to do so.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I understand that the Senator from New Mexico and the Senator from Alabama had filed four amendments that they were considering offering during Senate consideration of S. 82, the FAA reauthorization legislation. After discussions with them, with the managers of the bill and other interested Members, I understand the Members no longer feel it necessary to offer their amendments.

Mr. LOTT. I share the concerns of the Senator from New Jersey and would mention that the Senator from New Mexico and the Senator from Alabama have informed me on more than one occasion that if a change in the budgetary treatment of the aviation accounts, whether off-budget or a firewall, is included in the conference report, it would make it extraordinarily difficult to consider the conference report in the Senate. If that occurs the prospect of a multi-year aviation reauthorization may disappear and we may have to settle for a simple one-year extension of the Airport Improvement Program.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, we will begin at 9:30 on this important legislation. The pending amendment is the Nickles amendment regarding the Social Security trust fund. It is hoped that this and remaining amendments can be debated and disposed of in a timely fashion so that action on the bill can be completed no later than Thursday evening. Therefore, I ask Senators to work with the bill managers to Schedule a time to offer their amendments. Senators should be aware that rollcall votes will occur throughout the day on Wednesday and on Thursday. This week, we also expect to handle the Agriculture Appropriations conference report. I understand that some time for debate or discussion on that conference report will be required. We will work to find a window to do that. If the House should approve the Foreign Operations conference report later today or tomorrow, then we will look for an opportunity to also take that up.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, October 6. I further ask unanimous consent that, on Wednesday, immediately following the prayer, the journal of the proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate then resume debate on S. 1650, the Labor-HHS Appropriations bill.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I appreciate the fact that the Democratic leader is still here. I know he had urgent meetings he had to go to. We needed to get that final recorded vote and pass that bill. I appreciate his patience on that. Also, I think he and I both agree that we want to advise Members on both sides of the aisle and all concerned that we are discussing how to proceed with the vote that is now in place on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. After we discussed our concerns about how and when to proceed on that, then there started to be a lot of speculation on both sides of the aisle and all around town. I think it is important for Members to just calm down and relax. We need to have the ability to communicate with each other and think about what is in the best interest of the Senate and our country and weigh all of the evidence that is now available to us. We do have a unanimous consent agreement that we will proceed to this issue, and we will have a vote after the requisite number of hours, probably on the 12th, or perhaps the morning of the 13th before we get to final passage. Nothing more than that has been done. We will have to work through this, and we will certainly have to work with our respective caucuses and the White House, because this is a very important national security and foreign policy issue, and we will also have to be involved in the consideration in how we proceed on this issue. I think that is what we need to say at this point. Nothing beyond that has been agreed to, suggested, or called for by the President, or by any Senator, and all we are trying to do is communicate and see if we are proceeding in the best interests of all concerned. Would the Senator like to add to that?

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, I am pleased to join my colleague from South Dakota, the minority leader, in submitting for the Record and acknowledging the importance of a letter we received last week from 40 of our Nation's Governors. This letter is distinctly bipartisan and the signatories represent both coastal and inland states. It unequivocally demonstrates strong national support for reinvesting a substantial portion of federal outer continental shelf (OCS) oil and gas development revenues in coastal conservation and impact assistance; open space and farmland preservation; development and maintenance of federal, state and local parks and recreation areas; and wildlife conservation. The Governors also stressed the importance of recognizing the role of state and local governments in planning and implementing these conservation initiatives. Although the signatories to this letter did not identify specific legislation to which they are lending support, I believe that S. 25, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999, of which I am a cosponsor along with 20 other Senators, most nearly achieves the objectives outlined by the Governors. S. 25 has strong bipartisan support and offers Congress the best opportunity to pass legislation this year. I share the belief of these Governors that the 106th Congress has a historic opportunity to demonstrate our solid commitment to natural resource conservation for the benefit of future generations. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join hands in advancing this noble effort. I thank the Governors for their letter. I invite the attention of my colleagues to this very important area which is a win-win-win for those who live in the coastal regions as I do, but also inland Governors who will help us with conservation and preservation. I ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed in the Record.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I use leader time for 1 minute in response. With regard to nominations, judicial or otherwise, I am sure the Senate would never use any basis for a vote other than the qualifications and the record of the nominee. And just so the record will be complete, as a matter of fact, of the 19 nominees who have been confirmed this year, 4 of them have been women, 1 of them African American, and 3 of them have been Hispanic. Their records and the kind of judges these men and women would make are the only things that have been a factor with the Senate and are the only things that should ever be a factor. I ask unanimous consent that the remaining votes in the series be limited to 10 minutes each.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I rise to recognize the importance of today's passage of S. 82, the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill. Today is a great day for rural America's air passengers. This legislation, now known as the Air Transportation Improvement Act of 1999, will bring much needed air service to under served communities throughout the Nation. It will grant billions of dollars in federal funds to our Nation's small airports for upgrades, through the Airport Improvements Program (AIP). Senator McCain, Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, is to be commended for his superb leadership on this complex and contentious measure. Together with Senator Hollings, their joint efforts moved this bill through the committee, to the Senate floor, and to conference. Also, Senator Slade Gorton's leadership role in this legislation was vital. My friend and Colleague from the State of Washington proved himself pivotal earlier during S. 82 floor consideration. His counterpart, Senator Jay Rockefeller, should also be commended for his efforts to move this bill forward. Rural Americans are the biggest winners with the passage of S. 82. Citizens of under served communities will no longer have to travel hundreds of miles and several hours to board a plane. This legislation gives incentives to domestic air carriers and its affiliates to reach out to these people and serve them conveniently near their homes. Many Americans will be able to travel a reasonable distance to gain access to our Nation's skies and, from there, anywhere they wish to go. I also applaud the hard work of Senator Frist of Tennessee. He added provisions to S. 82 to expand small community air service. His dedicated efforts ensured that under served cities like Knoxville, Chattanooga and Bristol/Johnson are now in a position to receive additional or expanded air service. Likewise, his efforts will ensure that several under served regions in my home state of Mississippi, such as Gulfport-Biloxi, Tupelo, or Jackson, will become eligible to compete for more flights. The major policy changes in S. 82 led to hard fought, but honest disagreements. I have enormous respect for the efforts of Senators John Warner and Charles Grassley as they diligently advocated for their constituents and their respective states. This honest debate and willingness to work together to achieve common goals is what makes it exciting to serve in the United States Senate. Throughout the last twelve months, my home state of Mississippi has received federal support from the AIP to make needed physical improvements. A portion of these funds went to the Meridian Airport Authority to rehabilitate the taxiway pavement. Other funds were allocated to the John C. Stennis International Airport in Hancock County to extend and light existing taxiways. These enhancements are needed. And this bill will ensure that the AIP will continue uninterrupted for the next three years. AIP's reauthorization within S. 82 will allow Mississippi to continue to receive funds for essential enhancements for the upcoming year. I look forward to working with the airport authorities in my home state to make sure that the right improvements are made at the right airports. This is essential to aviation safety and economic growth. S. 82, through the Gorton-Rockefeller amendment, begins the process of evaluating current Air Traffic Control (ATC) management problems and implements initial change to begin to address these problems. I hope the Gorton/Rockefeller amendment will be a starting point for an intensive review of the ATC system next year. The delays experienced this past summer will return until a long-term solution to the Nation's ATC problems is implemented. Once my Colleagues initiate ATC review, I encourage them to include all relevant stakeholders in this issue including officials from the general aviation community, Department of Defense, commercial airlines industry, and airports. Likewise, I hope the Senate will review other models of air traffic management, such as Nav Canada and others to examine ways that other countries are addressing this matter. No legislative initiation is ever possible without the dedicated efforts of staff, and I want to take a moment to identify those who worked hard to prepare S. 82 for consideration by the full Senate. From the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation: Marti Allbright; Lloyd Ator; Mark Buse; Ann Choiniere; Julia Kraus; Michael Reynolds; Ivan Schlager; Scott Verstandig; and Sam Whitehorn. The following staff also participated on behalf of their Senators: David Broome; Steve Browning; Jeanne Bumpus; John Conrad; Brett Hale; Amy Henderson; Ann Loomis; Randal Popelka; Jim Sartucci; and Lori Sharpe. These individuals worked very hard on S. 82, and the Senate owes them a debt of gratitude for their dedicated service to this legislation. Mr. President, our Nation's small communities are a step closer to receiving long-sought air service. Also, America's smaller, yet important airstrips and airports will be enhanced. This is good for all Americans.