Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. I think we should have at least 10 minutes equally divided between the Senator from Arkansas and the Senators from Michigan and Delaware, and I am informed it will require a rollcall vote. I ask unanimous consent there be that period now for 10 minutes on this amendment that Senator Hutchinson will offer, and following that time that the rollcall on his amendment take place after the rollcall vote on the motion to table that has just been made by the Senator from Arizona.

Mr. STEVENS. I want to announce, there appears there now is a second- degree amendment to the Hutchison amendment that could be offered and may settle the issue with regard to the previous amendment which was not tabled. Amendment No. 3419 to Amendment No. 3124 Therefore, I ask unanimous consent the Senate now turn to the Hutchinson amendment in the second-degree and that there be a short period of debate. Can you tell me how long you think it will take?

Mr. STEVENS. If not tabled, the second degree is still in order.

Mr. STEVENS. If it is not tabled. There is no second-degree amendment available because the Senator from Arizona will be recognized to table at the end of these statements.

Mr. STEVENS. Very well. At 5:30 he gets a minute, and we will go back. We still want to have a vote on the two amendments at the same time. I will renew that request later.

Mr. STEVENS. The Senator has not spoken on the amendment. May I extend him another 5 minutes. We will vote, then--let's put that off. When that time has expired, I do want to ask unanimous consent that we then proceed to the Hutchinson amendment in the second degree to his amendment, and following that, there will be a vote. I understand there is an agreement so I don't think we need a time agreement. But I would ask that the time on this expire at 5:40 and that we then proceed to the Hutchinson amendment in the second degree-- there will be three comments about that amendment--and that we vote on both of those amendments at 6 o'clock.

Mr. STEVENS. On which amendment?

Mr. STEVENS. Yes, it has. Is the Senator from Michigan upset?

Mr. STEVENS. Pardon me. The agreement is the Senator from Arizona will be recognized, is that correct?

Mr. STEVENS. That leaves 10 minutes, I might say to the Senator, in her control; 25 minutes in the control of the Senator from West Virginia.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I would then ask unanimous consent that Senator Byrd be recognized, and the Senator from Texas have whatever time is remaining, and the Senator from Arizona be recognized to make his motion to table at 5:30. And it is with the understanding that if the amendment is not tabled, there is no agreement on the amendment.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?

Mr. STEVENS. Yes.

Mr. STEVENS. I say to the Senator, there are two other amendments we could act upon now. Your amendment will automatically be the order when we finish those.

Mr. STEVENS. Yes.

Mr. STEVENS. It is a request. I ask unanimous consent that it be temporarily set aside, and we take them up one by one. Hopefully, they will talk while we are doing this.

Mr. STEVENS. I am informed now there are at least two, maybe three, amendments that will be offered to this amendment. Under the circumstances, I would like to just suggest we set that aside for a minute and have the proponents of the second-degree amendments talk to the author of the first-degree amendment to see if we might work something out as to how we limit the time or deal with this, if that is agreeable. If it is, then I would ask it be temporarily set aside. I would like to take up the amendment No. 2964.

Mr. STEVENS. Vote.

Mr. STEVENS. No; I did not.

Mr. STEVENS. Senator Thomas has a minute on our side.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I want to inform the Senate that tomorrow there will be another funeral. It is the funeral for Officer Chestnut. The agreement today was we would not have any votes until 1 p.m. Then we made that 2 p.m. because of the Intelligence Committee meeting. But we are going to have the same agreement now that we will not vote on the amendments that we take up later this evening until tomorrow at 1 p.m. I am soon going to seek agreement that all amendments will have to be debated tonight, and we will start voting tomorrow at 1 p.m. on those that require a vote. We will have taken over half--we have agreed to take over half the amendments we know of now, and we very soon hope to be able to know what amendments there are, but we will work out that time agreement. I think Senators should realize that without regard to anything else we do now, we are going to be here tomorrow, and we are going to start voting at 1 o'clock and not before. The alternative is if we get through these--we might be able to get through them tonight if Senators want to do that and be finished tonight. But we can't do that unless we see the amendments. Now, I have asked two or three times for an agreement that Senators bring amendments through, that we have a time limit on when they must be disclosed, and we will try that again after the next vote. But we have to have some certainty. If Senators want to, we are going to be here until Sunday, because I will never, never allow a defense bill to hang over a recess. It just will not do. And I think anybody who understands defense understands it cannot happen. So we are going to finish this bill tonight or tomorrow or Saturday or Sunday. My plane doesn't leave until Monday.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, could we have order for just one moment.

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

Mr. STEVENS

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

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw amendment No. 3385.