Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that passage of S. 2334, the foreign operations appropriations bill, be vitiated. I further ask that S. 2334 then be placed back on the calendar.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4164, and that the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. LOTT. Senator Hatch has a substitute amendment at the desk.

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

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2440, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, Senators Hatch and Leahy have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be agreed to, the bill be considered read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements related to this bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H. Con. Res. 351, which was received from the House.

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

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 3461, which is at the desk.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be deemed read a third time and passed, 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 Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 291, H.R. 2513.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I understand Senator Moynihan has a substitute amendment at the desk.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I also ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of the following nominations which are currently at the desk, and agreed to by both sides, and the Senate proceed to their consideration, en bloc. The nominations considered en bloc are as follows: Robert Patrick John Finn, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of American to the Republic of Tajikistan. C. Donald Johnson, Jr., of Georgia, for the Rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as Chief Textile Negotiator. Harold Hongju Koh, of Connecticut, to be Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Michael J. Sullivan, of Wyoming, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Ireland. William B. Bader, of New Jersey, to be an Assistant Director of the United States Information Agency. R. Rand Beers, of the District of Columbia, a Career Member of the Senior Executive Service, to be an Assistant Secretary of State. E. William Crotty, of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Barbados, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Antigua and Barbuda, to the Commonwealth of Dominica, to Grenada, to St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Stuart E. Eizenstat, of Maryland, to be United States Alternate Governor of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for a term of five years; United States Alternate Governor of the Inter-American Development Bank for a term of five years; United States Alternate Governor of the African Development Bank for a term of five years; United States Alternate Governor of the African Development Fund; United States Alternate Governor of the Asian Development Bank; United States Alternate Governor of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Robert C. Felder, of Florida, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Benin. Simon Ferro, of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Panama. Alan Greenspan, of New York, to be United States Alternate Governor of the International Monetary Fund for a term of five years. (Reappointment) Richard Henry Jones, of Nebraska, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Kazakhstan. James Vela Ledesma, of California, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Gabonese Republic and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe. Frank E. Loy, of the District of Columbia, to be an Under Secretary of State. Joseph H. Melrose, Jr., of Pennsylvania, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Sierra Leone. George Mu, of California, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire. B. Lynn Pascoe, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Malaysia. Robert Cephas Perry, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Central African Republic. John J. Pikarski, Jr., of Illinois, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation for the remainder of the term expiring December 17, 1998. John J. Pikarski, Jr., of Illinois, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation for a term expiring December 17, 2001. (Reappointment) Robert C. Randolph, of Washington, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Agency for International Development. Kathryn Dee Robinson, of Tennessee, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Ghana. John Shattuck, of Massachusetts, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Czech Republic. George McDade Staples, of Kentucky, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Rwanda. Joseph Gerard Sullivan, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Angola. C. David Welch, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Assistant Secretary of State. John Melvin Yates, of Washington, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Cameroon. John Melvin Yates, of Washington, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Eric David Newsom, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of State. foreign service Foreign Service nominations beginning Richard M. Brown, and ending Thomas B. Anklewich, which nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on September 2, 1998. Foreign Service nominations beginning Aurelia E. Brazeal, and ending William L. Wuensch, which nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on September 2, 1998. Foreign Service nominations beginning Judy R. Ebner, and ending Allen S. Weiner, which nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record on September 23, 1998.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I thank the Senators for allowing me to get these nominations moved. They have a way of becoming unapproved if you wait very long once they are approved. And so I thank you for your cooperation on that. I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then return to legislative session.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate immediately proceed to the consideration of calendar No. 810, the nomination of Jane E. Henney, of New Mexico, to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs for the Department of Health and Human Services. I further ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed immediately to the vote on the confirmation of the nomination.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, today the Senate unanimously confirmed the nominations of John A. Moran and Harold J. Creel, Jr. to serve as Federal Maritime Commissioners. John Moran will be replacing Joseph Scroggins on the Commission while Hal Creel will be serving a second term as Chairman of the FMC. I applaud the selection of these two highly qualified individuals for these important positions. John Moran brings more than a decade of congressional and legislative experience in maritime transportation and policy to the FMC. During his nine-year tenure as a staffer in the House and Senate, John focused on a number of important maritime issues, including the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. His work on the 1990 amendments to the Shipping Act of 1984 and the 1991-1992 Advisory Commission on Conferences in Ocean Shipping (ACCOS) ensures that he is well prepared for his FMC assignment. The ACCOS process crystallized the concerns of stakeholders regarding the Shipping Act of 1984 and was a forerunner to S. 414, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998. This experience will serve John well as he assumes the shared responsibility for implementing that Act. I have great confidence in John Moran's ability and integrity. Hal Creel has been the Chairman of the FMC for more than four years. During that time, the agency has gone from being characterized as ``obsolete'' to being hailed as a champion of free and open access to foreign trade markets. Hal deserves tremendous credit for this reversal of fortune. Through Hal's leadership, the FMC has punished unfair foreign shipping practices in Japan and is reviewing similar concerns regarding shipping practices in China and Brazil. Hal has also demonstrated the FMC's willingness to respond quickly to industry complaints regarding violations of the Shipping Act of 1984. More than 90% of all U.S. international trade is transported by ships. Maintaining a fair and open international ocean shipping system is vital to this nation's economy. Hal is clearly deserving of another term as Chairman of this crucial independent agency. Mr. President, I would also like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to another FMC commissioner, Ming Hsu, for her long service to this agency. Ming Hsu supplies a wealth of experience in Asia-U.S. trade to the FMC. This has proven vital to addressing a number of ocean shipping concerns in this increasingly important trade lane. With the President expected to sign the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998 in the coming days, I am confident that the Federal Maritime Commission, with Hal Creel, John Moran, Ming Hus, and Del Won, is more than ready to implement this landmark legislation.

Mr. LOTT. I further ask unanimous consent that the Commerce Committee and the Labor Committee be immediately discharged from further consideration of the following nominations, and further that the Senate then proceed to their consideration: John Moran, Harold Creel, Ashish Sen, Anita Jones, Pamela Ferguson, and nominations in the Public Health Service.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now go into executive session and that the Senate proceed, en bloc, to the following nominations on the executive calendar: Nos. 597, 718, 733, 734, 735, 738, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 793, 797, 798, 799, 800, 801, 802, 805, 806, 807, 809, 811, 812, 813, 814, 815, 818, 819, 820, 821, 822, 823, 851, 852, 854, 855, 857, 861, 862, 865, 866, 867, 869, 870, 871, 886, 887, 888, 889, 890, 891, 892, 893, 895, 896, 897, 898, 899, 900, 901 through 914, 916 through 926.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. We are, I believe, ready to move through a number of nominations if you would allow me to proceed at this point.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I understand most all of the legislative and Executive Calendar items that can be cleared have been considered by the Senate. We are still working on some of the nominations for clearance. I thank all of my colleagues for their cooperation in the 105th Congress. I hope they have a good campaign season and period at home with their constituents and that we can work together on some very important issues in the 106th Congress. We will have the final close in a few moments, but I understand there are at least one or two Senators who will have statements before we get to that. Once again, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate agree to the amendment of the House.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask the Chair lay before the Senate a message from the House of Representatives on the bill (H.R. 2204) to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for the Coast Guard, and for other purposes. The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives: Resolved, That the House agree to the amendment of the Senate to the bill (H.R. 2204) entitled ``An Act to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for the Coast Guard, and for other purposes'', with the following amendment: In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted by the Senate amendment, insert the following:

Mr. LOTT

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