John McCain

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. I yield the floor.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that no further amendments be in order.

Mr. McCAIN. I yield the floor. I thank the Senator from New Jersey.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I believe under the unanimous consent agreement, it is now time for the vote on the Lautenberg amendment.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, following the Lautenberg vote, I ask unanimous consent that H.R. 1000 be discharged from the Commerce Committee, that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration, all after the enacting clause be stricken, the text of S. 82, as amended, be inserted in lieu thereof, the bill be read a third time, and a voice vote then occur on passage of H.R. 1000. Finally, I ask consent that following the vote, S. 82 be placed back on the calendar.

Mr. McCAIN. That is correct.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I do agree with the comments of both Senators from Iowa about the need to eliminate the slot rule in two phases at O'Hare. As I stated this morning, I am a supporter of the Gorton slot amendment before its modification by Senator Fitzgerald. I intend to do what I can to have the conference report on the bill contain the provisions of that measure regarding O'Hare which I believe is good policy. Providing for a 40 month first phase during which regional jets and turboprop aircraft to airports with under two million enplanements, as well as exemption of new entrant carriers, all under the limitations set out in the original amendment would be exempt from the slot rule is crucial. These are key elements of a first phase in the elimination of slots at O'Hare. I will also support the increased service provisions that allow for improved service in conference.

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

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I yield the remainder of my time.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

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

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, today, I am introducing the Federal Trade Commission Reauthorization Act. The bill will authorize funding for the Commission for fiscal years 2001 and 2002. The measure sets spending levels at $149 million in FY 2001 and increases that amount for inflation and mandatory pay benefits to $156 for FY 2002. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has two primary missions: (1) the prevention of anticompetitive conduct in the marketplace; and (2) the protection of consumers from unfair or deceptive acts or practices. The Commission accomplishes its anticompetitive mission primarily through premerger reviews under that Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. Under that Act, merger and acquisitions of a specified size are reviewed for anticompetitive impact. During the 1990's, the number of mergers that met these size requirements tripled. This has placed an increased burden on the Commission. Additionally, the Commission pursues claims of unfair or deceptive practices or acts--essentially fraud. As electronic commerce on the Internet increases, fraud will certainly increase with it and the FTC should and will play a role in protecting consumers on the Internet, as they do in the traditional market place. The Commission's performance of these dual missions is vital to the protection of consumers. The Commission was last reauthorized in 1996. That legislation provided for funding levels of $107 million in FY 1997 and $111 million in FY 1998. The bill I introduce today increases the previous authorization by $37 million. In general, the increase is necessary to meet the rising number of merger reviews under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and to protect consumers in the expanding world of e-commerce. According to the Commission's justification, the new authorization would fund 25 additional employees to work on merger and Internet issues. It will also help the Commission upgrade its computing facilities and fund increased consumer education activities. The authorization, however, does not provide for the full amount requested by the Commission. In a recent request, the Commission asked for $176 million in FY2002. While I agree the Commission plays an important role in protecting consumers, their request represents more than a 50% increase in their authorization over a four-year period. At this point, I am not convinced that such a dramatic increase is warranted. As we move through the authorization process, I look forward to hearing further from the FTC as to why such an increase is needed to meet its statutory functions. I also hope to explore other ways we can improve the Commission's ability to protect customers without increasing spending. For example, I was very interested in the comments of the FTC nominee Thomas Leary during his confirmation hearing regarding the Commission's merger review process. I know over the past few years, the Commission has taken steps to simplify this process reducing its own costs and the costs to the business community. Mr. Leary indicated, however, that more work could be done to change the internal procedures of the FTC to further reduce the number of reviews without harming competition. I look forward to exploring this topic with Mr. Leary and the other commissioners. I look forward to working with the members of the Commerce Committee, the full Senate, and the Commission as we move through the authorization process.

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on African Affairs of the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, October 5, 1999, at 2:45 p.m., to hold a hearing.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet at 9:30 a.m., on Tuesday, October 5, 1999, in closed session, to receive testimony from Department of Energy and Intelligence Community witnesses on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, October 5, 1999, at 10:30 a.m., to hold a hearing.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, October 5, 1999, at 2:30 p.m., to hold a closed hearing on intelligence matters.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, requests unanimous consent to conduct a hearing on Tuesday, October 5, 1999, beginning at 10 a.m., in Dirksen Room 226.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Housing and Transportation of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, October 5, 1999, to conduct a hearing on S. 1452, the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act.

Mr. McCAIN. I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Forests and Public Land Management of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be granted permission to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, October 5, for purposes of conducting a Subcommittee on Forest and Public Lands Management hearing which is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony on S. 1608, a bill to provide annual payments to the States and counties from National Forest System lands managed by the Forest Service, and the revested Oregon and California Railroad and reconveyed Boos Bay Wagon Road grant lands managed predominately by the Bureau of Land Management, for use by the counties in which the lands are situated for the benefit of the public schools, roads, emergency and other public purposes; to encourage and provide a new mechanism for cooperation between counties and the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to make necessary investments in federal lands, and reaffirm the positive connection between Federal Lands counties and Federal Lands; and for other purposes.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property, and Nuclear Safety be granted permission to conduct a hearing Tuesday, October 5, 9:30 a.m., hearing room (SD-406), on the Environmental Protection Agency's Blue Ribbon Panel findings on MTBE.

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the agreement of yesterday referencing the filing of amendments, Senator Fitzgerald be recognized and that it be in order for him to offer an amendment not previously filed, and that the amendment then be agreed to. Prior to that, if it is agreeable with Senator Fitzgerald, Senator Ashcroft wants to have 5 minutes to make a statement. I ask unanimous consent that prior to that, Senator Ashcroft have 5 minutes.

Mr. McCAIN

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask that the amendments be adopted en bloc.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Robb, I send to the desk two amendments that have been cleared on both sides.

Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to call up amendment No. 1906 submitted by Senator Voinovich, and on behalf of Senator Gorton, I send a second-degree amendment, No. 1950 to amendment No. 1906, and ask that the second-degree amendment be adopted and that the amendment No. 1906, as amended, then be adopted.