Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. For the information of all Senators, any votes ordered with respect to the Transportation appropriations bill will be postponed to occur on Wednesday morning immediately following the global warming resolution vote. We have changed that now. The Transportation appropriations bill would occur on Wednesday morning.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank the Senators for their cooperation. Let us keep going then. I think we are making good progress. I ask unanimous consent that at 5 o'clock on Monday, July 28, the Senate proceed to the consideration of the Transportation appropriations bill.

Mr. LOTT. I had indicated 30 minutes.

Mr. LOTT. Sure. I would hate to enter into a time agreement on a specific time now but we would have a vote at an agreed to time and we would have some time to explain it. I think it is appropriate.

Mr. LOTT. Before the vote next week.

Mr. LOTT. It certainly would be by 12 o'clock.

Mr. LOTT. The cloture vote would then take place, after the global warming vote, I presume about 11:45, 11:50, something of that nature.

Mr. LOTT. Then the modification of what we had earlier agreed to is that after that vote on Senate Resolution 98, we would then have the vote on the cloture motion on tuna-dolphin unless an agreement is worked out, at which point we would vitiate that cloture vote, and we would get a subsequent time agreement of 30 minutes and a voice vote, or a recorded vote, on that issue next week.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask to further modify my unanimous-consent request.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I realize it gets a little confusing on how we are lining these up. But I think it is being helpful to all Senators. I think it is allowing us to complete the debate and get votes and move important legislation forward in the best way possible. So the way we are getting it racked up, so to speak, I think is good for the Senate, and we are trying to do the right thing. So I would like to modify that earlier request to this extent: That we come in in the morning and go immediately at 9:30 to the global-warming bill. That bill is Senate Resolution 98. I ask consent that there be 2 hours of debate on the resolution equally divided between the chairman and the ranking member or their designees with the only amendments in order to be the following: Kerry amendment adding specific negotiating positions; Senator Byrd's amendment, relevant. I further ask unanimous consent that following the disposition of the above-mentioned amendments and the expiration or yielding back of time for debate, the Senate proceed to a vote on the resolution with no intervening action or debate, and, if the resolution is agreed to, the preamble then be agreed to, which means that the final vote on global warming would occur around 11:30 tomorrow morning.

Mr. LOTT. Unless there is an agreement, there will be a cloture vote on tuna-dolphin, but we are working on an agreement where it may not be in the morning. But we will have one in short order. We are trying to work through all the different players and make sure everybody has been consulted. That is why we are not asking for the UC right now. I think I should go ahead and say to the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, it would be our intent, because of requests of a number of Senators, and because of the cooperation we have received, that we would not have any recorded votes on Monday. But we are trying to also clear an agreement that the Democratic leader indicated he would like to approve with us to take up the Transportation appropriations bill some time during the day on Monday, but it would not lead to recorded votes. The next recorded vote would be tomorrow, and then Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning under the agreements we are working. But we have not cleared them with everybody at this point. With that, at this time, 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. With regard to Wednesday of next week, I ask unanimous consent that at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 30, the Senate proceed to the consideration of Senate Resolution 98. I further ask unanimous consent that there be 2 hours of debate on the resolution equally divided between the chairman and the ranking member, or their designees, with the following amendments in order to this bill. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I further ask that if an agreement can be reached with respect to S. 39--and it appears there may be--it be in order for the majority leader to vitiate the cloture vote, the Senate to then immediately proceed to S. 39, that the managers' amendment be in order, and the amendment and bill be limited to a total of 30 minutes equally divided, and following the disposition of the amendment the bill be advanced to third reading, and passage occur, all without further action or debate. I think I should clarify this and put it in common language. If an agreement is worked out, we will vitiate the cloture vote. I would like to modify that agreement to say that, if an agreement is reached, we will vitiate; then we will take that issue up next week with 30 minutes of debate and a vote next week, unless a voice vote would be agreed to for tomorrow or next week.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Massachusetts for finishing expeditiously and for his help on a number of issues throughout the day as we try to get an agreement on how we can proceed for the remainder of the day, and when we can get votes tomorrow and next week. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following be the only remaining first-degree amendments in order to S. 1022, and they be subject to relevant second-degree amendments. Mr. President, I will submit the list since there are several of them. But everybody has been consulted on this list. The Democratic leadership is aware of it as well as the Members on this side. I ask unanimous consent that the list be printed in the Record.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I want to renew my unanimous-consent request, with the modifications that we think are appropriate at this time. So I will begin again. I ask unanimous consent that the following be the only remaining amendments in order, and limited to relevant second-degree amendment and votes ordered with respect to those amendments be stacked to occur beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday, with 2 minutes for debate between each stacked vote, equally divided, except that there will be 10 minutes prior to the Wellstone amendment. Those amendments are as follows and subject to time restraints where noted: Grams, on dairy compact; Wellstone, on school breakfast; a manager's package; a Bingaman amendment on CRP; Robb, concerning farmers' civil rights, and a Johnson amendment with regard to livestock packers. I further ask that following disposition of the amendments, the Senate then proceed to vote on S. 1033 and, following passage, the bill remain at the desk.

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

Mr. LOTT. It would be what? Subject to what?

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, we have a unanimous consent request that we have been working on for the past few minutes with the members of the Appropriations Committee and the leadership on both sides of the aisle. This will give the Members some clear understanding of what they can expect for the balance of the evening and first thing in the morning. I ask unanimous consent that the vote on the motion to table the Harkin amendment occur at 6:30 p.m. this evening and, between now and 6:30, Senator Bryan be recognized to offer an amendment regarding market promotion and there be 30 minutes for debate to be equally divided in the usual form and the vote occur in relation to that amendment following the motion to table at 6:30 and no amendments be in order to the Bryan amendment.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, we are working very feverishly trying to accommodate a number of Senators that have very important meetings and matters they need to go to. We will have 35 more minutes here in which discussions or clarifications can be worked out, I hope, or at least an understanding of what is going on. I personally am not aware of what jurisdictions are involved. We are just trying to get a time schedule here that would accommodate everybody. I am sure that the Senators will continue discussing this issue in the meantime.

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

Mr. LOTT. That's correct. Between now and 6:30, Senator Bryan will offer his amendment, with 30 minutes of debate. During that time, you can continue to talk.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I modify my unanimous consent request that between 6:30 and 6:35 we have 5 minutes of debate, 2\1/2\ on each side.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I will propound another unanimous-consent request. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that after these two votes, a Grams amendment with regard to compact language be in order, followed by a Wellstone amendment, followed by the managers' amendment, with the vote or votes on those amendments and final passage to occur in the morning at 9:30.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, this cloture vote will occur on Friday at a time to be determined by the majority leader after consultation with the Democratic leader. I understand that there is a good likelihood that a compromise agreement has been worked out on this. If it has, that would be what I really want to do. I am pushing this issue at the request of the President of the United States. I think it is a good conservation policy. But if an agreement has been worked out between the differing sides, that would be our preference. If that is the case we would vitiate, of course, the cloture, and not have a vote. But as it now would stand we would have the opportunity for this vote on Friday. So I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.