Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent that no further amendments to amendment 2100 be in order.

Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent that it be in order for me to order the yeas and nays.

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, this has been cleared on both sides. I ask unanimous consent that amendment No. 2100, which has been held at the desk, be placed before the Senate for a vote at 11:45 a.m.

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 Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, if the Chair will address the list we prepared last evening, I will indicate that the Boxer amendment is now off the list, the Daschle amendment is now off the list--the first Daschle amendment--the Dorgan amendment is now off the list, the Feingold amendment is off the list, the Hatch amendment is off the list, the Hutchison amendment is off the list, the Levin IMF amendment is off the list, a portion of the managers' package is off the list, and the Wyden amendment is off the list. I urge Senators, again, to come work with me and my staff to determine if we can handle some of these matters. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. STEVENS. I ask for the adoption of the amendments en bloc. THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendments. The amendments (Nos. 2136 through 2151) were agreed to.

Mr. STEVENS. An amendment on behalf of Senator Wyden to eliminate secrecy in international financial trade organizations; an amendment on behalf of Senator Bond to make technical corrections to the Economic Development Grant Program funded in 1992 as part of the Empowerment Zone Act; an amendment in behalf of Senator Craig to make technical corrections to section 405 of the bill regarding the Forest Service transportation system moratorium; an amendment on behalf of Senators Cochran and Bumpers to make a technical correction to the Livestock Disaster Assistance Program; an amendment on behalf of Senators Wellstone, Conrad, and Dorgan dealing with Farm Operating and Emergency Loans; an amendment on behalf of Senators Jeffords and Leahy dealing with the Mackville Dam in Hardwick, VT; an amendment on behalf of Senator Lott making a technical correction to the McConnell amendment, which is amendment No. 2100; an amendment on behalf of Senator Daschle to provide funds for humanitarian demining activity in Bosnia and Herzegovina; an amendment on behalf of Senator Gregg to make a technical correction to the Patent and Trademark section of the bill; an amendment on behalf of Senator Levin to the McConnell amendment numbered 2100 dealing with consultation by the Secretary of Treasury; an amendment on behalf of Senator Grassley and myself regarding a U.S. Customs Service P-3 aircraft hangar. Madam President, I send those amendments to the desk and ask for their consideration en bloc.

Mr. STEVENS. There is an amendment on behalf of Senator Murkowski, which I have cosponsored, to make technical corrections to the Michigan Indian Land Claims Settlement Act to provide certain health care services for Alaska Natives; an amendment on behalf of Senator Murkowski and myself to make technical corrections to the fiscal year 1998 Department of Interior appropriations bill; an amendment on behalf of Senator Bond and myself to provide emergency funds available for the purchase of certain F/A-18 aircraft; an amendment on behalf of Senator Chafee to modify the Energy and Water Development section of the bill. I am also sending a statement to the desk on behalf of Senator Chafee and ask it be printed in the Record.

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I am pleased to announce that the first portion of the managers' package has been cleared. I would like to read to the Senate what these are and then send this portion of the package to the Chair so we can consider these amendments en bloc. The first amendment is on behalf of Senator McCain to clarify that adult unmarried children of Vietnamese reeducation camp internees are eligible for refugee status under the Orderly Departure Program. I would like to have his statement printed in the Record before the adoption of that amendment.

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

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, there are several amendments that are on what we call the finite list here. My staff and I believe they are amendments that we could accept, maybe with some change to make sure we do not have budget problems. So I request the staffs of Senator Boxer, Senator Cleland, Senator Gramm, Senator Hutchison, and Senator Murkowski to see us as soon as possible concerning those amendments so we might see what we might be able to work out. I will state to the Senate that there are a series of amendments that we have already worked out. We will offer them very quickly as the managers' package. We still have pending before the Senate the Nickles and McConnell amendments. In addition to that, 24 other amendments, Madam President. I invite any Senator to come present his or her amendment. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendment was agreed to.

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I have listened with great interest to the comments on both sides and state to the authors of the bill, as well as those who oppose it, that I would be prepared to accept this amendment without a vote and to take it to conference to see if we can work out something that might be acceptable and not have as much controversy between those who have spoken on the amendment. So, if that would be acceptable to all concerned, I would suggest that we have a yielding back of time and adopt the amendment on a voice vote.

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, how much time remains on this amendment?

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

Mr. STEVENS. I move to reconsider the vote by which the amendments were agreed to, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. amendment no. 2154

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I ask for their adoption en bloc.

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I do report success on some of the matters I earlier mentioned. I send to the desk an amendment offered by Senator Hutchison which deals with damage repairs, an amendment offered by Senator Boxer which deals with issues in the Department of the Interior section of the bill, and an amendment offered by Senator Dorgan which pertains to Indian reservations. They have been cleared on both sides. I ask unanimous consent that they be considered en bloc.

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

Mr. STEVENS. I ask unanimous consent to reconsider that action and to lay my motion on the table.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I wonder if the Senators are now ready to enter into a time agreement so we might vote, if we have to, on both. I have just been informed by the majority leader that he will come to the floor and move to go to cloture on the education bill at 5:10.

Mr. STEVENS. Before the Senator does that, can I get an understanding that the Senator also includes voting on the Nickles amendment following the Kennedy amendment?

Mr. STEVENS. Hopefully.