Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I send a second-degree amendment to the desk.

Mr. LOTT. I ask for the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. LOTT. I move to recommit H.R. 10 back to the Banking Committee to report back forthwith with an amendment. Amendment No. 3804

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

Mr. LOTT. I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion.

Mr. LOTT. I send an amendment to the desk to the pending motion.

Mr. LOTT

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I move to table the pending motion to proceed and ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table without intervening action.

Mr. LOTT. Has the clerk reported the title?

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 574, H.R. 3830.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I yield to Senator Hatch for 2 minutes, and then to Senator Bennett for 2 minutes.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, this morning there will be 15 minutes remaining for debate on the religious freedom bill. At 9:45, under a previous order, the Senate will proceed to vote on the passage of the religious freedom bill. I commend Senator Arlen Specter and Senator Nickles and Senators on both sides of the aisle who have worked on this. I am sure Senator Lieberman was involved, and others. I think this is a really fine accomplishment in the waning hours of this session of Congress. Following that vote, the Senate may consider any available appropriations conference reports--we have at least one that I believe could be taken up, that is the Treasury-Postal Service bill--and any other legislative or executive items cleared for action. It is anticipated that we will move at some point today to the nomination of Mr. Paez from California, to be a judge for the Ninth Circuit. There is opposition, significant opposition to that nomination, so there will have to be some debate and I am sure a vote. The Senate will also consider a continuing resolution or an omnibus appropriations bill, should they become available or when they become available. Members should expect, then, rollcall votes throughout today's session and into the evening. I thank my colleagues for their attention. I might just note, last night a lot of good work was done in the wrapup, including approval of the intelligence authorization conference report and the water resources bill. This is a very significant bill that is important to every State in the Nation. It had been tied up with various and sundry problems, but with a lot of hard work and a lot of cooperation, that bill was cleared. We hope, now, the House will take expeditious action and we can complete action on the water resources bill before we go out for the year. Also, we did the human resources reauthorization and the vocational education bill. When you couple higher education and vocational education, plus the Coverdell A+ bill that Congress passed, there has been a significant achievement this year in education. Even though the President vetoed the ability for people to save for their children's education, higher education and vocational education are two areas where we have completed our action and will be signed into law. I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Thank you, Mr. President, and good morning to you.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent on behalf of the Governmental Affairs Committee to meet on Friday, October 9, 1998, at 10:30 a.m. for a markup of pending committee nominations.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I now move to proceed to the conference report to accompany H.R. 3150 and ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I will be glad to do that. And I would like for other Senators who might have a need for morning business time to get that time. We will block that in before we finish up with the UC.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I add my welcome to the guest Chaplain. He did a beautiful job this morning. I know he is going to be very dedicated to tending to the needs of the Senator from North Carolina, Senator Faircloth. We are delighted to have you here.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a fellow Pascagoulian and personal friend, Mr. Douglass Fontaine. Doug has devoted his life to an industry for which Mississippians are proud to be recognized-- hospitality. A third generation hotelier, Doug grew up surrounded by the hotel industry. Both Doug's parents and grandparents managed the historic Allison's Wells Spa in Way, Mississippi. He too took his turn at managing Allison's Wells after returning from Germany, where he managed an R & R hotel. He then eventually relocated to Pascagoula, and for more than 35 years has owned La Font Inn. Doug has not only brought a friendly and welcoming smile to patrons, but a legacy for hotels around the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. While being the only Mississippian to serve as President and Chairman of the Board of the American Hotel and Motel Association, Doug implemented his world renowed program ``Quest for Quality.'' This has not been Doug's only contribution to society. He has held many positions of leadership, including residing over such community service organizations as the Jackson County Heart Fund, Rotary Club, United Way of Jackson County, and many others. Doug has dedicated himself to economically develop his Gulf Coast community by working to establish the Mobile-Pascagoula Airport, Naval Station Pascagoula, the Sunplex Industrial Center, and again many others. He also chaired the committee to ``Save the Homeport'' from base closures for many years. Currently, Doug is serving on the Board of Directors of the Hancock Band, a position he has held for more than 27 years, and serves as a lifetime Director of the American Hotel and Motel Association. On October 23, 1998, the Mississippi Hotel and Motel Association will establish a Hotel and Restaurant Scholarship in his name. This great honor could not be bestowed upon a finer person. An opportunity for future members of the industry, this serves as a deserving tribute to Doug, his wife Lou, and their children and grandchildren. I am proud to congratulate this great Mississippian.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I say to Senator Nickles, thanks for your diligent work. I say to Senator Sarbanes, Senator Gramm and Senator Shelby thanks for your cooperation at this time. And we hope we will have it again tomorrow. I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT. I appreciate that invitation, but I want to assure the Senator from Maryland that Senator Daschle and I get to see the dynamics of such meetings every day in more ways than you would ever want to know. (Laughter.)

Mr. LOTT. I think I want on that committee next year.

Mr. LOTT. Housing bill, you have done a lot of good stuff.

Mr. LOTT. That is the price you pay for that wonderful assignment. It is a great committee to be on. You get all that good stuff. We did the credit union bill this year. A lot of credit goes to everybody for that.