Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I know of no future amendments, unless there is one that has come from the other side. I inquire if there are any other amendments to be filed this evening. The inquiry is, Why can't we finish tonight? We can't finish tonight because we have a large number of Senators involved in the Judiciary Committee consideration of the asbestos problem. We have been asked not to have the votes. But we have agreed to have them tomorrow morning as early as possible. That would be determined by the leader.

Mr. STEVENS. We are at the place where I am inquiring whether there are any further amendments to be offered. Amendment No. 1201, As Modified

Mr. STEVENS. I saw that myself. I was about ready to do that.

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, it is my understanding that this amendment is offset by transferring money from the Commodity Credit Corporation.

Mr. STEVENS. I have no objection.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, we have not had any response to the request concerning title I and title II. So at this time, I ask unanimous consent that title I and title II be considered closed and not be available for amendments or motions or points of order or any action at all as we consider the rest of this bill. That leaves title III which is the supplemental portion available completely for consideration of the Senate.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I call to the attention of the Members of the Senate that in this bill we have before us now--the House bill, as amended by the Senate bill--we have title III which deals with supplemental emergency appropriations for 2003. In this bill is $1.550 billion for the Department of Homeland Security for disaster response. It is estimated that the disaster relief fund will exhaust its current funding by the end of this month, July 2003, in part due to the higher than expected costs for disaster relief, including funding for tornadoes and winter storms. These additional resources are needed to continue to provide necessary emergency assistance. There is also a NASA provision that provides an additional $50 million for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. These funds will cover additional and unanticipated costs associated with the recovery and investigation of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, such as collection and reconstruction of the orbiter Columbia, and computer analyses of potential failure scenarios and impact testing of space shuttle wing components. We also have an amount in this bill for firefighting. We ask the Senate to provide an additional $253 million to the Forest Service for wildland fire suppression and emergency rehabilitation of burned areas to ensure sufficient funding for the 2003 fire season. We also ask for an additional $36 million for the Bureau of Land Management for wildland fire suppression and emergency rehabilitation of burned areas to assure that sufficient funding is available for the 2003 fire season. These funds will bring the total fiscal year 2003 funding available for wildlife suppression to a level equal to the 10-year average, which includes the severe 2002 fire season. I am on notice there are several amendments we will be considering. I ask my friend and colleague from West Virginia if he has any opening statement to make concerning the supplemental request in this bill?

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Nevada for sending the amendment of Senator Feinstein at my suggestion. The amendment will make money available for a fund that is depleted. That fund is available under this amendment to fulfill the request or attempt to fulfill the request of the Governor of any State to deal with the trees that are dead or dying because of infestation of these beetles. They are not all the same types of beetles but the result is the same. Dead timber is nothing but fuel for an enormous fire, if one gets started in the area of that. That happened in what we call the Millers' Reach fire north of Anchorage. I personally watched it from a helicopter. The sinuosity of that fire just followed right through the dead areas. Then it came back to burn the whole area. Once it started, the fire just kept burning out. I think the answer is to try to deal with the dead trees as quickly as possible and protect particularly the developed areas as much as possible from these areas. This amendment will allow Governors of any State to request funds to deal with that. Again, this is 2003 money. We are not talking about an enormous sum. This is money for the balance of this year. We hope the bills for 2004 that will come before the Senate later will adequately cover all those items. I join the Senator from Nevada and hope the Senate will approve this amendment. I ask for its consideration.

Mr. STEVENS. If the Senator would check with her staff, I have already cleared her amendment with regard to moneys to go into that account in a similar way we have done for this beetle problem.

Mr. STEVENS. I ask for adoption of the amendment.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I do ask unanimous consent that no further amendments be in order to the pending bill.

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be temporarily set aside so we may proceed to the consideration of the military construction bill.

Mr. STEVENS. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, for the information of Senators, tomorrow morning following 15 minutes of debate, the Senate will vote on the motion to table the Sessions amendment regarding AmeriCorps. Following that vote, the Senate will vote on the passage of H.R. 2657, the legislative branch appropriations bill, which will be immediately followed by a vote on passage of H.R. 2559, the military construction bill. Therefore, the first vote in tomorrow's session will occur at 9:30 a.m., and that vote will be the first in a series of three consecutive votes. Madam President, I ask that the second and third votes be limited to 10 minutes.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I now ask that the Senate stand in adjournment under the previous order.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in adjournment until 9:15 a.m., Friday, July 11. I further ask that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate then resume consideration of H.R. 2657, the legislative branch appropriations bill, as provided under the previous order.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 177, H.R. 2559, a bill making appropriations for military construction, family housing, and base realignment and closure for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes.

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that all after the enacting clause be stricken, the text of Calendar No. 176, S. 1357, the Senate committee-reported bill, be inserted in lieu thereof, and the bill, as amended, be considered as original text for the purpose of further amendment, and that no points of order be waived by reason of this agreement.

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I yield to the Senator from Texas.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent that following the vote in relation to the Sessions amendment, which is amendment No. 1202, the legislative branch appropriations bill be read a third time and the Senate then proceed to a vote on the passage of the bill with no intervening action or debate; provided further that immediately following that vote the Senate proceed to vote on the passage of the military construction appropriations bill, again with no further intervening action or debate; provided further that no further amendments or motions or points of order be in order to either bill. I further ask unanimous consent that following the votes on passage of the two bills, the Senate then insist on its respective amendments, request conferences with the House, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate for both bills.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 120, S. 886.

Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table and any statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Parliamentary inquiry: I have been asked, is it still in order for Members to place statements in the Record, including colloquies, with regard to either bill we have just moved for a vote tomorrow morning. Is that correct?

Mr. STEVENS. Anyone who wants to file a statement concerning either of those bills has that right.