Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

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

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, the Democratic leader and I have talked about the necessity to try to complete votes in the time prescribed. We have been warning and urging Members to stay in the Chamber to do these votes. It has taken about 50 minutes to do two votes. We did cut that last vote off with one Member missing. This is the final warning. From here on in after 10 minutes we are going to turn in the vote. So please stay in the Chamber. Let's vote. We can save ourselves an hour or more if we do that. Please do that. Please cooperate with us and we can get our work done and get it done an hour or so earlier. I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, when the Senate resumes, the voting sequence will start at approximately 12:45. I urge all Senators to please be back in the Chamber in order to make the process as orderly as possible. This will give us a chance to get a bite to eat and for the staff to assess which one of these amendments we can accept or reject. I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask that there now be a period for the transaction of morning business until the hour of 12:45 with Senators permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes each.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I think we have been making good progress. Unfortunately, we have had far too many amendments that were carried over from last night. I hope that at some point in the future we can come together with the leadership on both sides and come to an agreement on a better system of doing business than having these votes on important matters of 10 minutes. But for now we have been making good progress. The managers on both sides and the staff have been working very hard to understand what these amendments are and to see if agreements can be worked out on them and to see if they can be accepted or whether or not they should be passed or defeated. But they need a little time now.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.

Mr. LOTT. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 468

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the remainder of the votes in the stacked sequence including final passage be limited to 10 minutes in length.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Yes, there can certainly be votes this afternoon. In fact, we expect votes throughout the afternoon, probably until all time has expired, or around 8:30 this evening. So you could have votes at least until 7 or 7:30, and then we will put the rest of the votes over until 9:30.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, approximately 6 hours remain for debate with respect to the Balanced Budget Act, basically equally divided. There are approximately 30 minutes remaining on the motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to the Medicare age increase issue. Therefore, a vote will occur on that motion to waive around 3 o'clock, or maybe shortly before that. As was mentioned in both luncheons today, the Senate will remain in session this evening until all time is consumed. If any Senator intends to offer an amendment after the time has expired, they will be required to do so this evening. It will then be my intention to stack all votes on the amendments and the final passage, after the time has expired this evening, until approximately 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. So all debate time and all amendments will be offered tonight, and then we will begin a series of votes at 9:30. We don't know exactly how many amendments that could entail. It could be as few as five, I hope. It could be many more than that. We will begin voting at 9:30 and continue voting until we complete all the amendment votes and final passage. Then, of course, we will go to the taxpayers' relief act. Senators can expect additional votes today and a series of votes beginning at 9:30 on Wednesday, the last of the series being final passage of the Balanced Budget Act.

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

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, we can announce that that would be the last recorded vote tonight. We will begin our stacked votes in the morning at 9:30. We are ready to go with the remaining debate and amendments that will be offered. I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate reads S. 947 for the third time, the Senate proceed to vote on passage of the balanced budget reconciliation bill, all without intervening action or debate, and when the Senate receives the House companion bill, the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration and all after the enacting clause be stricken and the text of S. 947, as amended, be inserted, the bill be immediately considered as having been read for a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, all without further action or debate.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, we have again conferred with the Democratic leadership, and I believe we have this unanimous-consent agreement approved. I ask unanimous consent that all remaining amendments in order to S. 947 must be offered prior to the close of business today and any votes ordered with respect to those amendments occur beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, in a stacked sequence, with 2 minutes equally divided between each vote.

Mr. LOTT. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Unanimous-Consent Agreement

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, since there is an objection, then we would go ahead with the amendment, and we will have an opportunity to discuss further with the Senator his concerns, and we will renew our request after this vote.

Mr. LOTT. I might say, Mr. President, we have a list----

Mr. LOTT. That is correct.

Mr. LOTT. If the Chair will allow me, the first-degree amendments would be offered tonight if Senators wish to offer them, and then the second-degree amendment would be in order to be offered tonight once the first-degree amendment is offered. I do not understand why that is a problem. You have to stay here to offer your second-degree amendment or have some leadership person in your behalf offer that second-degree amendment, but there would be ample opportunity on both sides tonight to offer second-degree amendments if a Senator so desires. Under the rules, all time will expire between 8:30 and 9 o'clock, and the only time remaining then will be to offer amendments and to have the votes in order on those amendments.

Mr. LOTT. It has to be filed tonight once the first-degree amendment is offered, but you would not have to give notice until the first- degree amendment is offered, if it is offered, or you would still have the option, of course, to offer it as a first-degree amendment if you want to.

Mr. LOTT. That is correct, but once the first-degree amendment is offered, then the second-degree----

Mr. LOTT. It would be, but they would have to be offered tonight, I remind the Senator.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to amend that request to provide for a minute to explain the amendment on both sides, 2 minutes equally divided.

Mr. LOTT. Therefore, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all remaining amendments in order to S. 947 must be offered prior to the close of business today, and any votes that will occur with respect to the amendments occur beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday in a stacked sequence.

Mr. LOTT. Maybe even higher, depending on who is here to offer their amendments at the time. Does the Democratic leader wish to add anything to what we have advised Senators?