Don Nickles

Mr. NICKLES

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I would like to pay a brief tribute to my friend and colleague and neighbor from the State of Arkansas for his 24 years of service in the Senate. I have had the pleasure of working with Senator Dale Bumpers since I was elected to the Senate 18 years ago. So I am completing three terms. He is just completing four terms. Twenty-four years in the Senate is a long time. But I think the Senate has been blessed by his humor, his levity. The camaraderie that Senator Bumpers has brought to the Senate floor and to the Senate group has been enjoyable, educational, and humorous, to say the least. I have had the pleasure of serving with Senator Bumpers on the Energy Committee where he has been ranking member for the last several years. We have worked together on a lot of legislation. We passed some good legislation, I might add, as well. So I compliment him for his years of service. He served 4 years as Governor of Arkansas; I think he was elected in 1970; and elected to the U.S. Senate in 1974. It seems like he has been in the same chair for years. He has been the same Senator who will still get excited on a speech and pull his microphone cord to the limit. Maybe he might test the limit of the cord as much as anybody I know in the Senate--a very good speaker, a very good friend who has served his State very well. We worked together on several pieces of legislation, including legislation that dealt with the exchange of lands, both for the Forest Service and for protecting lands in both Arkansas and Oklahoma, that would not have happened if it had not been for his good work and leadership. And frankly, he was a pleasure to work with on that bill, and many other pieces of legislation throughout our careers. So I certainly wish Dale Bumpers and his wife Betty every best wish in their days ahead. He has made a valuable contribution as a Member of the U.S. Senate and as a Member of our Senate family. Mr. President, I yield the floor. Mr. JEFFORDS addressed the Chair.

Mr. NICKLES

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I also wish to pay my compliments and accolades to Senator Dan Coats of Indiana. I have had the pleasure of knowing Dan Coats. He actually was elected to the House of Representatives in 1980, the same year I was elected to serve in the U.S. Senate. He had something unusual happen. When Dan Quayle was selected as Vice President and elected in 1988, Dan Coats was appointed to take his place in 1988. That almost sounds like it was easy, but it turned out he had to run for reelection in 1990; and he won. But that was only for a partial term, and so he also had to run for reelection in 1992. So he had the unenviable task of having really challenging races both in 1990 and in 1992 for the U.S. Senate. He won both, and deservedly so, because he has been an outstanding U.S. Senator. I remember Dan Quayle telling me, ``You're really going to like Dan Coats.'' Dan Quayle and I were good friends. And Dan Coats and I have become very good friends. And he was exactly right. Dan Coats and his wife, Marcia, his family, are not only good friends of our family, but I would say anybody serving in this body--anybody--whether they be on the House side or the Senate side, cannot help but like Dan and Marcia Coats. They are a couple--they are a couple--in the greatest tradition of the Senate. His wife Marcia has been active in the Senate wives' groups and active with the prayer groups that many of our wives are involved with. They go to functions together. They are athletically involved. They both play tennis. They both play golf. They both have a good time. They keep their priorities straight. They both have a very strong belief in God and in their families, and work comes down somewhere below that. He has done an outstanding job as a Senator for the great State of Indiana. I would say he has done an outstanding job as a Senator for all of us in America, whether it be his work on the Armed Services Committee, whether it be his tireless efforts on welfare reform in the Labor Committee, his efforts to try to reduce poverty, his efforts to alleviate suffering amongst kids. Many of our colleagues are not aware of it, but he is national president of the Big Brothers program, which could probably be a full- time job for anybody, but he is able to do that. He has been a Big Brother. He actually was a Big Brother in a town for a youngster who did not have a dad, did not have a mentor. Dan Coats became his mentor--as a matter of fact, became his best man at his wedding. What a great compliment for an individual who, of course, had unlimited demands on his time, was willing to take time out and serve as a Big Brother to a youngster who did not have a dad, and he did it for years. Ultimately this young man became quite a success, a success in his own right, and I think in large part because of the time and attention and love that Dan Coats gave to him. He selected Dan Coats as his best man at his wedding, which is quite a compliment. Dan Coats was recently selected as Christian Statesman of the Year by a national organization. They had a big banquet honoring him, and it was well deserved. I have the pleasure of knowing Dan Coats in many respects. His belief in God, it is sincere, it is real. He is the embodiment of a Christian statesman. And so that award was well deserved. He has been leader, as many of us know, of the Senate Prayer Breakfast that we have ongoing in the Senate that goes back for years and years. He has been chairman or president of that group for us for the last year or so and has done a good job--done an outstanding job in every respect. So he is absolutely a dear friend, and I hate to see him leave the Senate. He has served now in the Senate since 1988, so only for 10 years. But he also served 8 years in the House, and before that he served a couple years in the Army. So he has given a lot of years in public service, and he deserves, I guess, a chance to do something else. But I am confident--absolutely confident--that whatever he does will be a great service to this country. He has been a real blessing to this body. He and his wife have been a real blessing to this country. And it is with great regret that I see Dan Coats join the group of retiring Senators. But I do wish every best wish to him and his family, and I compliment them for their outstanding service to their State, to their country, to God, and to their family. Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. NICKLES

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I believe there is still some remaining time on both sides on the international religious freedom bill. I now yield back all time remaining for tonight's debate on that bill.

Mr. NICKLES

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, it is almost kind of sad in a way to think that Dirk Kempthorne will be leaving the Senate after only one term in the U.S. Senate. It has been a pleasure to work with Dirk, to be with him, to get to know him, to get to know his family, his wife Pat. But I will just say Dirk Kempthorne is a Senator's Senator. He is a person who comes from the great State of Idaho. He brought a great deal of, I must say, refreshing energy to the Senate. He served as mayor of Boise City for 7 years. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 and proved something unconventional: He could get a lot done in his first term in the Senate. Most people have the idea you have to be in the Senate a long time before you can get anything accomplished, but he proved quite the opposite. He proved to be a very effective legislator. He proved to be a person who could work on both sides of the aisle, that he could work with Democrats and Republicans and make things happen. He was the principal sponsor of a bill that most of us have claimed some part to, the unfunded mandates bill that President Clinton signed and it became law. It was strongly supported by States, Governors, mayors and commissioners and others who said, ``Let's quit passing unfunded mandates on to the States, cities and counties.'' He has been instrumental in leading the fight in needed reform in the Endangered Species Act. He has been a tireless worker on the Armed Services Committee. He has always kept his priorities straight. His family has always been first and foremost. His love for his State is very evident. Now he will return to the State of Idaho. He is running for Governor. I am very confident he will be elected Governor, and I am quite confident he will be one of the outstanding Governors in the country. I appreciate his service and his friendship. He has been an outstanding Senator. I hate to see him leave the U.S. Senate, but I do wish him, his wife and his family best wishes as he leaves the Senate and returns to his State and continues his public service in a different capacity, and that will be as Governor of the great State of Idaho.

Mr. NICKLES

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Indiana for his compliments. I want to reiterate my statement that Senator Coats was there from the beginning, and he was there at almost every meeting saying, ``Let's get this done,'' and, ``Let's forge the consensus,'' ``Let's make the compromise,'' and he helped make it happen. He is also very correct in complimenting Senator Lieberman for making it happen. I mentioned that earlier. Senator Lieberman has been with us on this bill for a long time. He has worked with us. He has helped us craft the bill and helped make compromises to make sure it is enacted. I also thank our colleague from California, Senator Feinstein, whom we met with last night at length to be sure, again, that this bill would be acceptable and we could get it through. We did. We made a change. We changed the waiver provision from ``national security'' to ``important national interests,'' which, again, is something the administration wanted. I think it is still compatible with our goals and objectives of passing a good bill that will help move countries, that have been persecuting people because of their religious beliefs, away from that behavior. I thank my colleague from California for her work, and also the Senator from Delaware, Senator Biden, who worked with us, as well, in negotiating with us, and helped us craft a package that I am confident we will pass tomorrow with an overwhelming vote. I am confident the House, likewise, will pass the bill, as we will pass it in the Senate, and this bill will be on the President's desk and will become law. As a result, I think it will save lives and it will help alleviate persecution of individuals because they are practicing their faith. Again, I thank all of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle for making this happen. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I know the Senator from Connecticut will be here shortly. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Feinstein be included as a cosponsor.

Mr. NICKLES

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I thank my colleague, Senator Grams from Minnesota, for his speech, but also for the homework and dedication that he had on this piece of legislation. He had some concerns about it. He raised those concerns. He was an effective Senator. We worked to alleviate some of those concerns and we wanted to make sure that no person who is in a foreign field--that these actions would cause them greater pain or greater discrimination. So I thank him for his efforts on the Religious Freedom Act, and I also thank him for his statement that he just made on the ag bill. I happen to agree with his statements wholeheartedly.

Mr. NICKLES

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

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, several colleagues have requested time to speak. I also know we went a little bit later than anticipated. Most of the colleagues on my side of the aisle have spoken. I know Senator Lieberman is returning to the floor momentarily and wishes to speak. So I reserve the remainder of time on our side and ask colleagues, if they wish to speak, to please come to the floor and do so. If not, we will be happy to accommodate requests of other colleagues who wish to speak as in morning business. Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent we, Senator Lieberman and I, have 5 minutes to speak prior to the vote tomorrow morning. That will be at 9:25.

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I also have a list of organizations, religious organizations that have been supporting this bill and endorse this bill. I will name those for the record: Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the National Association of Evangelicals, the International Fellowship of Jews and Christians, the Christian Coalition, the Anti-Defamation League, the National Jewish Coalition, the American Jewish Community, the Catholic Conference, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the Catholic Conference of Major Superiors of Men's Institutes, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, United Methodist Church Women's Division, American Coptic Association, Episcopal Church, Advocates International, Traditional Values Coalition, Justice Fellowship, and B'nai B'rith International. Mr. President, how much time remains on both sides on the bill?

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Minnesota for his leadership on this, for his willingness to meet with us for hours to work out some of the concerns that he had, the latest concern he mentioned being where some people who are in foreign countries who are missionaries wanted to make sure this wouldn't have a counterproductive effect. We actually put in a waiver of any sanction that could be imposed if the administration felt like it would be counterproductive to the goals and purposes of the act. Again, I thank my colleague, Senator Grams from Minnesota, for his willingness to work with us, to cosponsor this legislation. Mr. President, I did not do this at the beginning of the debate and I should have. I ask unanimous consent to, in addition to myself and Senator Lieberman, have the following Senators be included as original cosponsors of this bill: Senators Mack, Kempthorne, Craig, Hutchinson, Enzi, Helms, Sessions, Faircloth, Allard, DeWine, Brownback, Inhofe, Coats, Collins, Hutchison, Lott, Coverdell, Akaka, Ashcroft, Santorum, Breaux, Hagel, Grams, Specter, McConnell, D'Amato, Hollings, and Senator Smith from New Hampshire.

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I yield my colleague from Minnesota 10 minutes.

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, my colleague, Senator Lieberman, who will be managing this bill for the other side of the aisle, is not present. I yield 10 minutes to my colleague from Kansas.

Mr. NICKLES. I yield my colleague as much time as he desires.

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I was running through the potential sanctions, sanctions that would only apply for countries that were guilty of particularly severe violations of religious freedom. And particularly severe violations of religious freedom under our bill means: ``Systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom, including violations such as torture, cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges, causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction or clandestine detention of those persons, and other flagrant denials of the right to life, liberty or the security of persons.'' And so, Mr. President, we define that. That is really bad the actors. In those cases, our bill says that we would have economic sanctions. I was just discussing those. That would include the withdrawal, limitation or suspension of development assistance. It says ``limitation.'' It didn't say ``automatically all of it be limited, but at least some withdrawal or some limitation. It gives the President the flexibility--a whole range of options. Also it would direct the director of OPEC or TDA or EXIM not to approve guarantees, extensions or credits to the governments involving gross violations to religious freedom. It also would have a sanction that would allow the withdrawal, limitation or suspension of security assistance. Again, it could be suspension. It could be limitation. Also, another option would be instructing U.S. directors of international financial institutions to vote against loans to governments involving gross violations of religious freedom. Another sanction option would be to prohibit the licenses or authority to export goods or technology to governments determined to be responsible for such persecution involving gross violations of religious freedom; another prohibiting any U.S. financial institution from providing credits totaling more than $10 million in any year to governments involving gross violation as to religious freedom; and one final one prohibiting the U.S. Government from procuring goods or services from foreign governments involved in gross violations. We have given the President a multitude of options, a range, which could reduce economic assistance or economic loans to those countries. Also, I might mention, we give the President the option to waive these sanctions. We have modified that to accommodate some of the concerns that some of our people have. The sanctions can be waived to further the purposes of the act. If persons involved--maybe the commission that studied this, maybe it is the Ambassador, maybe the State Department--said, ``Wait a minute, some of these sanctions might do more harm than good,'' the sanctions could be waived. It might result in greater persecution of individual beliefs by some governments. Our Government would have the option to waive these sanctions. Or we modify it to include that the sanctions could be waived for national security interests. We modified that to say ``for important national interests'' the sanctions could be waived. We have in this bill an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom; we have a commission of high-level people appointed by Congress and by the President to study and to make recommendations to the Congress and to the President, the Commission on International Religious Liberty, to make recommendations on what can be done to promote religious liberty worldwide; and we have given some tools and options to encourage positive behavior, positive efforts as well as some punitive efforts to try to modify behavior. Our purpose in this bill is not to punish any country. Our purpose is to modify behavior to improve religious liberty worldwide. We don't want to be picking up the paper as we did earlier this year when the New York Times, for example, on May 11, had an article that said a Pakistani Catholic cleric was buried. It said a Roman Catholic bishop committed suicide last week apparently to protest religious discrimination. Religious discrimination and persecution must be pretty severe if a bishop would commit suicide to protest the degree of persecution. Other people have talked about Christians being sold into slavery in Sudan, or other countries where Christians, Jews, or other individuals were placed in prison merely for practicing their faith. I want to thank again my colleagues who worked with me on this legislation. I mentioned Senator Specter earlier. I mentioned Senator Lieberman who has worked with me in countless meetings for hours trying to work out this legislation. Senator Coats from Indiana is on the floor and will be called upon momentarily. No one has worked harder. I told him some time ago I feel that he is one of the best Senators I have had the opportunity to work with, and I mean that in all sincerity. He is a person with very strong religious beliefs and convictions, and his efforts to see this bill pass to make sure that we improve religious liberty worldwide are very much recognized, very much appreciated by this Senator, and I think by all Senators. I also would like to thank my colleagues, Senator Biden and Senator Feinstein, who have also worked with us in putting this legislation together. I want to thank a couple of other people who have also worked in this effort. Steve Moffitt of my staff put in a lot of energy and a lot of the effort. John Hanford has put in years trying to enact measures to protect people who have been persecuted worldwide for religious beliefs. Also, on Senator Lieberman's staff, Cecile Shea has worked countless hours on this. I thank them for their efforts. I see my colleague from Indiana is on the floor. I am happy to yield him such time as he desires on this legislation. How much time remains?

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I am going to return to debate. And I ask unanimous consent that the hour and 40 minutes that intervened since my previous comments and the time allotted in the discussions and the quorum calls be outside the debate on the entire debate that we have on the religious freedom issue.

Mr. NICKLES. I will yield to my colleague from Maryland for 1 minute and then I am going to return to debate on the Religious Freedom Act.

Mr. NICKLES. I yield to the Senator 30 seconds, but it is my intention to go back to the Religious Freedom Act.

Mr. NICKLES. I had the floor, and I think time is running. And we want to get back to our bill. I appreciate the comments that were made by the Senator from Texas, the Senator from Connecticut. And I echo those comments. I hope we can come to a compromise. I hope people do not draw the lines too firm in the sand and not allow us to make some minor adjustments to save a bill that is very important.

Mr. NICKLES. I will be happy to yield to my colleague for a question.

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I will be happy to yield.

Mr. NICKLES

Mr. NICKLES. Will the majority leader withhold that request? One of the things we probably should have done a little earlier--I didn't know we were going to get stuck in this mess --would the majority leader go ahead and propound the unanimous consent request that we go ahead and vote tomorrow morning at 9:30 on the Religious Freedom Act, because I don't think there is any objection to that. I don't know how long this little debate will go, but I want to make sure we get that request made.

Mr. NICKLES

Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the majority leader, after consultation with the Democratic leader, may turn to the consideration of the conference report accompanying H.R. 1853, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational-Technical Education Act Amendments, and that the reading of the conference report be waived. I further ask unanimous consent that there be 30 minutes for debate equally divided between Senators Jeffords and Kennedy, and that at the conclusion or yielding back of the time, the Senate proceed to vote on adoption of the conference report, without any intervening action or debate.