Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I hope my good friend from Massachusetts will agree that this amendment would provide an additional $584 million for various programs, and the amendment I offered provides $130 million more than the bill that was before the Senate last year when it was managed by the Democratic Party. My amendment also, I stated, provides $3.1 billion for a minority health, education, and training initiative which was not in the July bill that was before us. This is an increase of $144.3 million over the 2002 level. That is the current level of funding for these programs. Mr. President, I move to table this amendment, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. STEVENS. Senator Kennedy has 2 minutes.

Mr. STEVENS. We are saying 10 minutes. I think the Senate will see what 10 minutes means this afternoon. If we are going to finish, we must stick to that. So there will not be voting beyond 10 minutes.

Mr. STEVENS. It is my hope that she will be able to modify the amendment. We are trying to work that out. I have not asked for the yeas and nays on the Clinton amendment yet.

Mr. STEVENS. No.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following the Kennedy amendment, the votes on all three succeeding amendments be limited to 10 minutes each.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, we are going to proceed to a vote on four amendments soon. There is an agreement for 2 minutes on each side before Kennedy amendment No. 123. I ask unanimous consent that there be 2 minutes before the Clinton amendment No. 89, which will follow the Kennedy amendment. And then on the McCain amendment No. 214, I have already made a motion to table that amendment. The yeas and nays are in order. I move to table the McCain amendment No. 230, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. STEVENS. I yield the remainder of our time.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, Senator McCain has another amendment. It is my understanding that the parties have agreed to a 20-minute time agreement equally divided.

Mr. STEVENS. I move to table the Senator's amendment and ask for the yeas and nays on that tabling motion. And I ask unanimous consent that vote take place following the vote on Senator Clinton's amendment.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote be moved to 1:45.

Mr. STEVENS. All right. Thank you.

Mr. STEVENS. Will the Senator entertain a time agreement now?

Mr. STEVENS. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. STEVENS. We will put off the McCain amendment until the Senator has offered the amendment. Amendment No. 89 (Purpose: To improve health care under the medicare and medicaid programs)

Mr. STEVENS. I have not yet made the motion to table because we have 2 minutes on a side. I will make it later. Is Senator Clinton prepared to proceed now?

Mr. STEVENS. Is that agreeable with the Senator from Massachusetts?

Mr. STEVENS. Clinton and two McCains, and we will have the vote take place at the end of the last of those.

Mr. STEVENS. Two McCains.

Mr. STEVENS. I don't have any objection to that. I think the third one will end when I make the motion to table.

Mr. STEVENS. It would be my hope, I say to the distinguished Democratic whip, that we would have a series of amendments stacked and start the votes at 1:15. A series of tabling motions, as a matter of fact, would occur at 1:15.

Mr. STEVENS. Would the Senator consider reserving his 2 minutes and have 2 minutes reserved on this side, and let's put this off? I know many people have left the building now for lunch. I would like to see this vote started at 1:15. At that time the Senator would have 2 minutes, and I would have 2 minutes before that vote. Is the Senator agreeable to that?

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, this is an important program. As a matter of fact, the amendment I have offered provides $130 million more than the minority bill in the last Congress for these same programs. In addition, the amendment I have offered, the omnibus amendment, provides over $3.1 billion for minority health, education, and training initiatives which was not in the bill that was prepared in the last Congress when the leadership was on the other side of the aisle. This $3.1 billion is an increase of $144.3 million over the level of fiscal year 2002, which is the operating level now. Has the Senator's time expired?

Mr. STEVENS. I can't agree on the Cantwell amendment. We can agree on the others.