Trent Lott

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, let me note that the Vice President, Al Gore, a former Member of this body, served the Senate. I served with him here. I served with him in the House. He has served his country so well for a long time. He, probably more than most Vice Presidents, did spend time up here. On a few occasions, he did have to come and break ties. Generally, I did not like that, but he was prepared to do that. He served his country so well, and a simple resolution of this nature is not adequate to express the appreciation of the Senate and of our Nation. Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I send a resolution to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I could go on for quite some time about my colleague from South Dakota. He does a magnificent job as the Democratic leader. He is thoughtful. He is accessible. He is tenacious. He is committed. He is courteous. And while, as leaders of our respective parties in the Senate, we sometimes disagree and sometimes even clash publicly--it has been rare--we have a very good working relationship. When the day is done and we have conversations, they are quite often personal and very kind. I appreciate his courtesies. I look forward to working with him in the next Congress. It is going to surely test us in every way, every day, but I hope and pray we will be up to the task. I will certainly try to fulfill that new, challenging role. And I know I can count on my friend and partner to do his part on the other side of the aisle. So I am delighted to be able to offer this resolution of commendation to Senator Daschle. Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I send a resolution to the desk on behalf of myself and Senator Daschle and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. LOTT. Let me note, Mr. President, that the distinguished Senator from South Carolina, Senator Strom Thurmond, has been very diligent in his duties over the past 2 years. No matter what hour of the day the Senate came in, Senator Thurmond was in the chair and recognized the Chaplain and called on a Senator to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. On a few occasions, I even suggested a substitute could fill in, but on rare occasions did that ever happen. He has set a tremendous example for all of us in the Senate. He continues the tradition that Senator Byrd of West Virginia also exhibited when he was President pro tempore. So I am sincere when I say we extend our appreciation to Senator Thurmond for his diligence as our President pro tempore. Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I send another resolution to the desk on behalf of myself and Senator Daschle and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I want to just expound a bit on this resolution. We are deeply indebted to these staff members, including those at the table in front of us. They are so efficient. They are so informed. They save us many times from ourselves. They are here early. They are here late. And, of course, all of the clerks, the Parliamentarians, and the representatives who are here do a magnificent job. We do not always say we appreciate it enough, but we do. We could not make it without them. This resolution is the very least we could do to say we appreciate them. Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, those are all of the resolutions we have at this time. I know the distinguished Senator from Alaska, the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, will probably have some remarks about the bill we have been working on for so long now. We have a few other items.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I appreciate very much the kind remarks of Senator Daschle and also our good friend, Senator Reid of Nevada. He has been very generous, and we appreciate it. He makes our jobs easier. Sometimes when we are out there having meetings or taking incoming shots from various places, in a quiet, humble, self-effacing, diligent way, Harry Reid is out there finding a solution. I sincerely appreciate the work he has given us and the entire institution over the last year. I enjoy working with him very much. I am very proud, too, while we have big States, very important States, the little States of Nevada, Mississippi, and South Dakota are hanging in there. We are glad to be able to fill these positions of responsibility. So I thank them both very sincerely.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, let me take this occasion to thank the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee and, in his absence, Senator Byrd for his cooperation with Senator Stevens. They work together as a team every day. They do an incredible job. They have one of the toughest jobs in the Congress. I have been working in budget processes now directly for I guess about 20 years. When I was in the House as the whip, I sometimes reluctantly became a participant in those budget renegotiations. They were never easy. But I don't think I have ever seen more fire, lightning, and thunder than we had on this bill, when you compare it to bills of the past that were relatively small in size and various parts. It was very tough. Everything was fought over so aggressively. Things didn't get in, such as Amtrak, and things got in, such as Medicare adjustments. But we found a way to make it happen. We found it very hard to let go. But the Senator from Alaska hung in there. I know he was working at 2 o'clock this morning, and I know he was back at the office today at 6:30. I talked to him sometime between 6:30 and 8 o'clock this morning. The amazing thing was he was sweet and charming and pleasant. Is this the deed? Is this what we have here?

Mr. LOTT. It probably violates the rules of ergonomics, I would like to say, if that is the package. Finally, all of us learned in the last 2 days more than we ever wanted to know about the Steller sea lion. What is it, and what are they? Whatever they are, I am sure they are beautiful, and I know they appreciate the effort of the Senator from Alaska. I know about 10,000 Alaskans appreciate the fact that their jobs will not be wiped out almost instantly. The administration was very tough, but they were protecting the Endangered Species Act. I don't know quite how Senator Stevens found common ground. But he did. Thank goodness for all of the persistence. He is affectionately known as ``The Tasmanian Devil.'' But today he did this job without his Tasmanian necktie. While we get very testy with each other sometimes, we still really appreciate the work that is done. Senator Stevens, congratulations, and I look forward to someday being able to know all that is in the bill.

Mr. LOTT. I yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I appreciate the concerns of the two Senators from Ohio. They have made a very strong and convincing case on the need for a solution to this problem. I pledge to work with them to see that this issue is addressed as early as possible in the 107th Congress. disaster-resistant wood construction program

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

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I know that Senators are interested in the schedule. First, just very briefly, I want to recognize the achievement that has just taken place. A lot of hard work went into this bill over a long period of time by, of course, Senator Grassley, Senator Hatch, Senator Leahy, and Senator Torricelli. But it also took cooperation from Senator Wellstone. Whether he is for it or against it, I think again it showed that when we try we can get a final result which gets some 70 votes. I commend all of them. This upcoming vote on the continuing resolution should be the last vote of the week. It will be necessary to pass an additional continuing resolution on Friday. However, we are not aware of any request on the other side of the aisle for a rollcall vote. Tomorrow's continuing resolution should carry us over until Monday or Tuesday, and we will make further announcements to update Members as to the schedule for next week. During this time, we will be putting the finishing touches on the appropriations bills and a final determination on the Medicare adjustments. We are working in a bipartisan way and in a bicameral way with the administration. We hope to be able to finish the business for the year and for this Congress before the end of next week. It will take a lot more work, but we are making some progress in that direction.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, today, I rise to pay tribute to the Country Doctor of the Year, Dr. Howard Clark of Morton, MS. Clark was selected for this award out of 501 doctors from 41 States by a national physicians association. At the young age of 73, Dr. Clark sees an average of 60 patients a day, cares for about 20 who are hospitalized and 110 who reside in the local nursing home. He is a graduate of Mississippi State University and attended medical school at both the University of Mississippi and Tulane University. Clark was among the first doctors hired when the University of Mississippi Medical Center opened its doors in 1955. He has been in practice in Morton since 1956. I want to commend Dr. Clark not only for his service to the people of Morton and the surrounding areas but also for the service he gave this great Nation. When Howard Clark joined the Armed Forces following graduation from high school, he was stationed in the South Pacific. At the time, there was a dire need for medics and he volunteered. This altruistic act sparked the start of a career that has made life better for those around him. Dr. Clark's selflessness spills over into his personal life as well. He is an active member of the Morton community, serving as the local school doctor at sporting events, missing only one game in 43 years. Dr. Clark, you are to be admired for your service to the community, the Nation, and for being chosen Country Doctor of the Year. I join your family, friends, and colleagues in congratulating you on this honor.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. I thank Senator Reid. We will have further announcements after consultation with the leadership on both sides of the aisle. I thank the Chair and yield the floor.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 12:30 p.m. By previous consent, the Senate will recess from 12:30 to 2:15 for the weekly party conferences to meet. When we reconvene, the Senate may continue morning business. However, it is possible the Senate will have one or as many as four votes this afternoon. I don't want to lock it in at this point, but it is possible we could have a recorded vote at 2:15 on the continuing resolution that would be for 2 days. We also could have one or more votes this afternoon on or in relation to cloture on the conference report to accompany H.R. 2415, the bankruptcy legislation. I see the distinguished assistant Democratic leader here. He may want to comment on that. I emphasize that we do expect at least a couple, maybe as many as four, votes this afternoon. I welcome back all Senators of the 106th Congress. I hope this session can come to an early conclusion. It would be very important at this time, considering all that is going on. If we show we can act quickly on the remaining appropriations bills and dispose of the tax and Medicare issues, that will be very positive for our country. I look forward to working with the chairman and senior member of the Appropriations Committee to see if we can get that worked out and see if there is any way that maybe we can complete it by Thursday night when this continuing resolution will expire. We will get more information to all Senators later this afternoon, after consultation with the Democratic leaders. I yield to Senator Reid.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, on behalf of an admiring Senate, I extend happy birthday and best wishes to our great Senator, the favorite son of South Carolina, Strom Thurmond. What a career he has had and what an example he sets for all of us: A soldier, a patriot, a teacher, a political leader, a man of good will, and a gentle man. We appreciate his presence every day and hope he has a very happy day today and many more to come.

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank Senator Thurmond, and I yield to Senator Reid.

Mr. LOTT

Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank the Chaplain for his always meaningful prayer that was especially meant for the times we are in.