Arlen Specter

Mr. SPECTER

Mr. SPECTER. We have that, that we can vote on, and we can vote on the Dodd amendment? We can't vote on the Dodd amendment either? We can't vote on the Dodd amendment until the Senate is in session, and the Senate is not in session until the Democratic Presidents come back.

Mr. SPECTER. There is no amendment being offered on the floor. There is no amendment we can put our hands around. The only thing we could put our hands around would be third reading. We could do that.

Mr. SPECTER. We cannot have votes tomorrow unless we have amendments. I think that is definitive. So the alternative to that is go to third reading and then we do have a vote.

Mr. SPECTER. In a very serious vein, there is a long list of amendments and there is talk about Senators wanting to go home on Friday. That may or may not be possible, depending upon what the status of this bill is. But in the light of these assertions, I yield to my distinguished colleague from Iowa to concur.

Mr. SPECTER. Does that mean we will accept all your amendments? Let's hear some amendments so I will know if I can accept them or not. You cannot accept a pig in a poke, as the expression goes. I think that is an Iowa expression. It comes from Waterloo, IA. Senator Harkin and I are prepared to go to third reading if we don't have amendments down here by 4:15.

Mr. SPECTER. Senator Harkin says he wouldn't mind. It is not a formal commitment. This may replace late-night television, Mr. President.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I think the managers, if I can get Senator Harkin's attention, are prepared to go to third reading. That notion is gaining support on the floor.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I think that is a fair request. I had made a similar request to the assistant Democratic leader last year when we were debating the resolution on the use of force in Iraq when there was a unanimous consent agreement made when I was off the floor. I had thought this was cleared. The one last year on Iraq was not cleared with me, but I think that is a good idea and I will adhere to it during my managerial time.

Mr. SPECTER. I do.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, an agreement has been cleared on both sides, and I ask unanimous consent that the vote in relation to the Murray amendment No. 1559 occur at 1:45 today; provided that no amendments be in order to the amendment prior to the vote, and that there be 2 minutes equally divided for debate prior to the vote.

Mr. SPECTER

Mr. SPECTER. I do.

Mr. SPECTER. I was.

Mr. SPECTER. I have been on the Judiciary Committee for 23 years, and very few nominees have come with Miguel Estrada's record. When a man comes to Washington to serve with that record, we ought to welcome him, not send him packing.

Mr. SPECTER

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, the amendment offered by the Senator from Washington addresses a very important issue on job training, beyond any question. In structuring this appropriations bill, it has been very difficult, given the budget resolution and the allocation which we had. We have at the present time in the Senate bill $3,564,436,000 on this line. With respect to the dislocated workers assistance, this committee increased the recommendation of the President, which had been at $1,383,040,000, and we put it back up to the funding of 2003 at $1,431,340,000. The youth opportunity grants is a program which had a 5-year sunset. The President did not ask for funding for migrant farm workers, but we reinstated more than $77 million there. We maintained the funding for Native Americans, and maintained the funding for one-stop centers. Now, in an ideal world, with more funds, the amendment offered by the Senator from Washington might well be the thing to do. But the subcommittee is faced with the constraints, and we structured the very best we could in allocating, as I say, in excess of $3.5 billion for job training. Unless we can find some offset--and we are constantly taking a look at the long list of items which we have where the appropriations are recommended for the total of $137 billion--it is very difficult to see how the amendment can be accepted, without some offset, without exceeding the limits which we have under our allocation from the Budget Act. I yield the floor.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Florida for offering this amendment. I think he has articulated good reasons for a study by the General Accounting Office. These are important issues which could have a significant impact on health care delivery in our country. We are prepared to accept the amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Trying to be brief in acceptance to give plenty of time for other amendments to be offered, but as the Chair can observe, there are no Senators in the Chamber seeking to offer amendments. If we are to proceed, as I said earlier, to get this bill considered and acted upon, we will have to have people coming to the floor with amendments. I urge the adoption of the amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, the difficulty which I have as manager, we are now up to our 302(b) allocation. To find another $1 million, we have to take it from somewhere. It is a matter of evaluating whether $1 million means anything significant on top of $13 million which we already have. However, I understand the interests of the Senator, the thrust of the argument by the Senator from Wisconsin. It is a worthwhile program. I will sharpen my pencil and pull down my green eyeshade and see if we can find some money to accommodate what the Senator from Wisconsin would like to have done. No commitments, but we will take a close look.

Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, the Senator from Georgia is on the floor and has requested an opportunity to speak for a few moments on another subject. From the manager's point of view, this would be a good time to do that. There is no other Senator on the floor now. I see Senator Murray is on the floor, but I think we can accommodate the Senator from Georgia for 7 minutes. I ask unanimous consent the Senator from Georgia be permitted to speak as if in morning business for 7 minutes.

Mr. SPECTER

Mr. SPECTER. The statement by the Senator from Minnesota is accurate.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I don't see any other Senator on the floor to offer an amendment.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I would be agreeable to doing that. With respect to the Dorgan amendment, I raise a point of order, under section 504 of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2004, that the amendment exceeds discretionary spending limits specified in this section and is therefore not in order.

Mr. SPECTER. Yes, I had previously stated that I would raise points of order.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, it is agreeable with me. I had intended to say that as to the Dayton amendment, I raise a point of order under section 302(f) of the Budget Act, as amended, that the amendment provides budget authority and outlays in excess of the subcommittee's 302(b) allocations under the fiscal year 2004 concurrent resolution on the budget and is not in order. And if the Senator from Nevada is saying he wants to raise two motions to waive en bloc, that is fine.

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote in relation to the Dorgan amendment No. 1553 occur today at 5:45; further that following that vote, the Senate vote in relation to the Dayton amendment No. 1554; provided that no amendments be in order to either amendment prior to the votes; finally, there will be 2 minutes equally divided for debate prior to the second vote.