Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 90, S. 767, under the following limitations: 1 hour of debate on the bill equally divided in the usual form; that no amendments to the Senate bill are in order. I further ask that at the conclusion or yielding back of time, the bill be placed back on the calendar; that then the House bill, which is the text of H.R. 1376 as printed in the Record, following consent, be read a third time and a vote occur on passage, all without any intervening action, motion or debate. If I could explain, before the Chair rules on this, this is the bill that would provide relief for our military men and women who are now-- many of them--unexpectedly on short notice serving in the zone where the bombing is occurring, to have these tax benefits and lock this in so that they know, today, that they will be able to count on that change. That is my request.

Mr. LOTT. That is correct.

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

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Connecticut. I always enjoy working with him. He is absolutely right in repeating the need for us to express our appreciation to our military men and women and to continue our commitment to the humanitarian effort that is underway and express our appreciation to the front-line states that are there dealing with this problem and the cost of the problem in a very serious way. We will work to see if we can express that appreciation and concern. But I want to emphasize that we have our own military men and women who are doing a magnificent job. All of our Senators and House Members who have gone to the region, who have gone to Brussels and have gone to Aviano or been in Albania or Macedonia, have come back saying what a magnificent job our military men and women have been doing. But it has gone now beyond our active-duty pilots and men and women who are involved in the exercise there. It now involves Reserve unit members, National Guard, volunteers. We have Air Guard members that are now flying the refueling aircraft that are helping in that effort. And they have been called up unexpectedly with very little notice. Now you have spouses that are in the region that did not have time to file their income tax return, and tomorrow is the infamous day. Tomorrow is April 15. And like so many Americans, I will file my return tomorrow and send my check along with the return, which is a very unhappy situation. But we have military men and women who are doing their duty for their country that were unexpectedly, and on very short notice, called up. And you have their spouses now scrambling, trying to perhaps deal with filing their income tax returns tomorrow, the 15th. We have legislation now moving through the House that has been through the Ways and Means Committee that will be coming to the Senate later on today or tomorrow, and we have legislation that has been prepared in the Senate now that would give, I believe, a 60-day extension on filing returns to our military men and women that have been called up for this service to our country. There may be some other provisions that have been cited, too, that should be outlined. It exempts U.S. troops serving in the Yugoslavia theater from being taxed on the hazardous duty pay. It grants our troops a 180-day filing extension on their 1998 income tax returns after their return from duty in the combat zone designated by the President and exempts our troops from the 3-percent excise tax levied on long distance telephone calls, which I am sure they are making now to assure their families that they are in the area and they are safe and they are doing their job. So it is more than just a 60-day extension. I think it is the right thing to do. It is the fair thing to do. And it is important we do it today and make it clear that we are going to complete this action when the House bill comes over. That may be later on today or tomorrow. But if we do not make it clear that we are going to do it today, and if we do not get it done tomorrow, these families are going to be under the duress of either not filing on time, as the law requires, or asking for an extension, which a lot of Americans are hesitant to do. So I think it is important that we prepare the way to get this legislation completed today, or not later than tomorrow, and make it clear to the families of our service men and women that are in the zone that they are going to have these benefits and this extension of time. In that vein, then, I do have a unanimous consent request that we have been trying to get cleared, I hope we can get cleared, because we need to do this. And then we can get this behind us and we can move on to another resolution. So I ask unanimous consent that----

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, this is an important time with a lot of very serious matters before the Senate. Obviously, we are going to be working on the budget resolution. But also, we are very much concerned about what is happening in the Balkans, we are concerned about what is happening in Kosovo, we are concerned about the impact that that is having in Macedonia and the Montenegro area, as well as countries that are not as directly impacted from a standpoint of refugees, but the impact on Albania, which obviously is housing a number of refugees, and even countries such as Romania are being affected by what we see happening there. I think it is important that we work together in a bipartisan way to express our support for our troops, to express our support and appreciation for countries that are dealing with this influx of refugees and providing haven and humanitarian assistance working with international organizations, with military representation that has been trying to deal with this tremendous influx of refugees. We are going to work over the next 24 hours to see if we can come together with an agreement on a bipartisan resolution expressing our appreciation and recognition for the outstanding work that is being done by our men and women of the military, by all the organizations that are helping with the refugees and for the countries that are dealing with a tremendous burden right now. But I think we should begin here at home also.

Mr. LOTT. Yes.

Mr. LOTT. I would withhold.

Mr. LOTT. All right.

Mr. LOTT. If we don't wait just a minute, you would have to object, and you prefer not to object; is that it?

Mr. LOTT. I would certainly be prepared to honor that. Again, I hope we could work this out. I am worried on this, like I am on the other language we have been working on. We have a lot of very bright Senators that can come up with some wonderful amendments and it could go on endlessly and we could get into some very controversial amendments. No Senator--no Senator--would object to what is in S. 767 or the bill that will be coming over from the House.

Mr. LOTT. Nobody would object to that. Therefore, we want to lock it in. There may be other issues Senators would like to object to. I would like to say to them, there will be other bills, there will be other ways. It will give us time to focus on something that would be an expression of our appreciation and our commitment to be of assistance to not only our military men and women that are there in the area but to those that are dealing on the international basis with humanitarian needs for these front-line states. I think we can do both. But as is usually the case, you need to do one and then the other. And so I am trying to find a way to achieve both of those.

Mr. LOTT. Was that Reserve or National Guard duty?

Mr. LOTT. Permanent, regular duty.

Mr. LOTT. The President has expressed his desire to do this. He made that commitment, I believe, in Louisiana. Was it Barksdale Air Force Base? And he has taken some action, some executive order, but he cannot, by executive order, do what we are doing. It takes a change in the law or a revision in the law in order for these things to occur. So it is a supplement to, in addition to, what he has already done by executive order. I yield, if I might, if I still have the floor, to Senator Coverdell.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, if I could describe this unanimous consent, what it will do is provide for an hour of debate equally divided, of course, so that Members could comment on the actual content in S. 767. This is the critical part. It will also say, this unanimous consent agreement, that when the House language comes over, then the House bill would be read for a third time and a vote on passage of the House bill, without any intervening language, motion or debate. So it in effect locks in the guarantee that this is going to be done by tomorrow. Our people will have that guarantee by the Senate by this unanimous consent agreement tonight. That is what I would like to do. If it would be helpful to the Senator from Connecticut, I do not know if other Senators are seeking recognition now, we could wait just a moment more. I will notify the Senate that I would be prepared to make this unanimous consent request as soon as we can get further Senators on the floor. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I join Senator Domenici in thanking the Senator from Missouri for his leadership on Social Security. I recall a lengthy letter Senator Ashcroft sent me earlier this year advocating that walling off Social Security should be the top budget priority for this Congress. I also remember the bill he introduced earlier this year creating the Social Security point of order that is similar to the one in the conference report and his advocacy during Senate debate and when the bill was in conference for the final bill to include the point of order. With passage of this budget which, for the first time in 30 years, balances the budget without using Social Security and puts procedures in place to protect Social Security in the future, the Senate has made protecting Social Security a high priority. I commend Senator Ashcroft for his efforts in protecting Social Security. Mr. LOTT addressed the Chair.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

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

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I want to recognize the efforts of Senator Abraham who authored and spearheaded the effort to pass the Government Paperwork Elimination Act during the 105th Congress. This good government measure, which the President signed into law last year, requires federal agencies to automate their forms and allows computer users to complete, electronically sign, and submit government forms online. Aside from saving thousands of square feet of storage space, this landmark legislation will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes Americans to complete government paperwork. The millions of hours freed up translates into billions of dollars saved over time. This legislation, which was supported by the Administration, will also help the federal government transition to a paperless document management system. One that allows agencies to collect and maintain forms and other records faster, easier, and cheaper. Mr. President, Senator Abraham, my friend and colleague, has once again demonstrated his leadership on electronic commerce issues by recently introducing the Millennium Digital Commerce Act. This bipartisan measure, which I cosponsored, is a direct outgrowth of and a natural extension to the Government Paperwork Elimination Act. It provides a national framework for online business to business transactions. This important interstate commerce measure provides legal standing for electronic signatures on contracts and other business transactions without preempting state law on intrastate commerce. Electronic signatures are the equivalent of an online ``royal seal.'' Electronic signatures are highly controlled and are far more secure than manual signatures. As my colleagues are aware, it is not difficult to mimic someone's handwritten ``John Hancock.'' An electronic signature, however, is verifiable and it becomes invalid if any of the data in the electronic document is altered or eliminated. This revolutionary communication tool can also time and date stamp someone's unique electronic signature. It is an emerging technology that will serve as a springboard for electronic commerce. Over the last few years, states have recognized the importance of authentication technology on trade and have already adopted rules governing its use. However, of the more than forty states that now have laws on the books, none has adopted the same approach. Congress should not allow an electronic signature hodgepodge to thwart the exponential growth occurring in electronic commerce. In our fast-paced global and highly technical environment, where time is money, companies transacting business across state lines need assurance that electronically signed documents are fully and legally executable. Senator Abraham's Millennium Digital Commerce Act will ensure that businesses located in different states are held to their agreements and obligations even if their respective states have different rules and approaches concerning electronically signed documents. This much needed and timely legislation is a necessary precursor to state-by-state adoption of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA). Once UETA is finalized, its enactment by all fifty states is not expected to occur for several years. The Millennium Digital Commerce Act is an important interim step towards eventual national uniformity. It merely establishes the legal certainty of electronic signatures when used for interstate business transactions. It strikes a necessary balance between a state's individual interests and the need for reciprocity among and between states. It fosters the expansion of trade on a state-wide, national, and international basis while promoting continued innovation. The Millennium Digital Commerce Act is technology neutral and allows businesses to determine the methods they want to utilize for executing an online transaction. This legislation also establishes guiding principles for the use of electronic signatures for international transactions. A framework based on open, non-discriminatory standards. Lastly, Senator Abraham's bill requires federal agencies to identify rules or regulations that impede electronic commerce and recommendations for improvements. Mr. President, the United States cannot lag behind our industrial trading partners. Already, the United Kingdom has called for the legal recognition of electronic signatures. I look forward to working with Senator Abraham and Chairman McCain as the Commerce Committee gives prompt consideration to this important pro-technology, pro-electronic commerce legislation. The Millennium Digital Commerce Act will help move our nation's economy forward into the 21st Century. I hope the rest of my colleagues will support this responsible measure which will benefit both American consumers and American businesses.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, the nation lost one of its most distinguished military leaders when Admiral Roy L. Johnson passed away on March 20. He was 93. His Naval career spanned 38 years, at the end of which he was Commander in Chief of the U.S. Naval Forces in the Pacific at the height of the Vietnam conflict in 1965-1967. Prior to that, as Commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, he had given the orders to the U.S.S. Maddox and U.S.S. Turner Joy to fire back at Viet Cong gunboats in the Tonkin Gulf incident. The Admiral was a pioneer of Naval aviation. He received his wings in 1932 and served as a flight instructor at the U.S. Navy flight school at Pensacola, both in the era of the biplane in the early 1930s and at the dawn of the space age in the 1950s. This remarkable man was born March 18, 1906 in Big Bend, Louisiana, the eldest of twelve children of John Edward Johnson and Hettie May Long. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in the class of 1929 and devoted his life thereafter to the security of his country. During World War II, serving on the U.S.S Hornet, he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Air Medal and the Legion of Merit with gold star. He saw action in the places whose names have become a litany of courage: the Philippines, Wake Island, Truk, Iwo Jima, Okinawa. A few year later, as Commanding Officer of the escort carrier U.S.S. Badoeng Strait, he again saw action in the Korean War. In 1955, he became the first commanding officer of the U.S.S. Forrestal, the first of the ``super-carriers,'' was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral, and later assumed command of Carrier Division Four, with the Forrestal as his flagship. In 1960, he was named Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Plans and Policy, was later promoted to Vice Admiral, and in 1963 became Deputy Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. A year later, he was appointed Commander of the Seventh Fleet, and in that capacity was awarded his second Distinguished Service Medal. In 1965, he was promoted to full Admiral and became Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and the last Military Governor of the Bonin Islands, which include Iwo Jima. After his retirement in 1967, Admiral Johnson remained active in civic affairs. He was Chairman of the Board of Virginia Beach General Hospital, a founding trustee of the U.S.S. Forrestal Memorial Education Foundation, president of the Early and Pioneer Naval Aviators Association (The Golden Eagles), President of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, and other organizations. He was an active contributor to the U.S. Naval Institute's Oral History Program, which published his military memoirs, served as an advisor on national security matters, and was on the national board of Senator Bob Dole's veterans' group in his presidential campaign. The Admiral's wife of 69 years, the former Margaret Louise Gross, died last year. Anyone who has been close to a military life theirs knows that it has to be a joint enterprise, in which both husband and wife share the sacrifices, the uncertainties, and the satisfaction of a job heroically done. On behalf of the U.S. Senate, I would like to offer one last salute to Roy Johnson, a patriot from the beginning, a patriot to the last. As we extend our condolences to all his family--especial his daughter, Jo- Anne Lee Coe, our former Secretary of the Senate--we know they share our pride and our appreciation for all that Admiral Johnson did, and gave, to the country he loved.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, James Davis has worked for the United States Senate for 14 years in the Environmental Services Department at the U.S. Capitol. During his years of service, we have known Jim to be a fine employee who always performed his duties with spirit and dedication. Jim is married to Nae Davis and they have a son, James Jr. We wish Jim the best of luck in his retirement.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. There will need to be the 2 minutes equally divided between the amendments. If the Senators will stay in the Chamber, we can clear a number of amendments. Hopefully, we can move through this quickly. We will see if there is any chance to wrap this up tonight. We will not hold the votes open on this next block of votes.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I apologize to my colleagues for that vote being open as long as it was. We can't do that anymore if we are going to have any hope of finishing this. I would like to ask all Senators to stay in the Chamber. We have reached an hour where I don't think it would be necessary to go back to your office or go to receptions. We still have a number of amendments that are pending. I know the whip is working those amendments on the Democratic side. We are working them over here. I ask unanimous consent that for the next block of amendments--I think there are five of them in this block--the time for the votes be 6 minutes.

Mr. LOTT. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Mr. LOTT addressed the Chair.